Thursday 6 October 2011

"Just put them away,they don't eat anything...." and a Bit of Tiling.

My mum has always been a great bargain hunter and was always coming home with items no-one in the house had ever asked for or could imagine ever wanting. 
When my dad would ask her what he should do with the four pairs of slippers she had found for £1.50 a pair down the market, her answer was always: "Just put them away,they don't eat anything...."
I was never sure what that actually meant until I started collecting miniatures.
With these words of parental wisdom in mind I have recently purchased these marvellous pieces from the lovely Victoria of Dark Squirrel  
 They will all be part of my vampire hunter's house.......one day..... after all they don't eat anything!
 Victoria's potion bottles are simply marvellously gothic. They always make me think of the old Hammer House of Horror movies I used to watch when I was a child. I am not sure why, but I love them.
Victoria also included a lovely card for a package being sent on its travels across the pond, two very glittery potions and a vampire bat parchment ready to be put with my vampire stash.
Thank you so much, I love opening parcels.
But I hate grouting in awkward areas......
 These are the false fireplaces in The Cauldron Shop. I have lined them with left-over brick slips from
Richard Stacey's product range.
 These bricks are really easy to work with as they cut and stick with no trouble at all.
The main draw back is the final grouting but usually I don't mind this part of the process.
This time I know it is going to be a right piece of tricky business as I will be working in a confined space at awkward angles.
Laying the grout will be ok, it's the washing off that I am dreading!
The most important think to remember is that these products must be sealed with a PVA/water mix before attempting to grout. Otherwise the cleaning off is much harder.......there is a woman speaking from experience I hear you say, and you would be so right!!
Tomorrow then, top of the list, grouting. 

14 comments:

  1. What a wonderful expression and not one I've heard of before, so methinks its your Mum's! :o))

    Oh my another project on the horizon, but you are not alone by far! lol More super goodies too! :o))

    If you haven't thought of it already, lay the shop on its side as you grout that side and then on its back for that part. I think I would have laid the brickslips on thick card (cut to the correct size of course) and grouted them in and then glued them in situ with wood or resin based glue.

    Ooooh Hammer House of Horrors I love them too, and watch them all...I want the entire set on DVD. I know they are cheesey but I don't care! They are currently showing on a Saturday night on the horror channel and the first 2 in the series was on last week. :o))

    I'm off for an early night, my brain hurts from all the Blogger troubles! :oP lol

    Michelle xxx

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  2. The fireplaces look very effective. What a good idea and good luck with the grouting!

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  3. Thanks for the tip on grouting, Janice. It is likely that I will have to do that in my next project.

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  4. The red and black is beautiful. It's so fun to do a project focusing on certain colors. Love the shop's brick, too!
    Chris Verstraete, In Miniature Style II

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  5. Thank you so much Janice! Glad you like them.
    Leaky Cauldron is looking great. I love the bricks and timbers with all that shelf space to fill with stuff :)

    Hugs,
    Victoria

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  6. That expression is very familiair, we say 'it doesn't eat bread'.

    Your brickwork looks fantastic real!

    Greetings, Karin.

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  7. I had to chuckle because my grandmother ALWAYS used that expression! Your shop is coming along nicely. Aren't Victoria's bottle unique? I have a few and love them.

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  8. Hi Michelle,
    Blogger all sorted now which is great news. The grouting os finished and I turned it all ways following your advice, thank you for that!
    I think the expression should be the motto of all us crazy miniaturists!!

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  9. Hi Irene, grouting is really easy. I have just made it super difficult for myself. Live and learn as usual with this hobby of ours.

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  10. Hi Sans,
    Sealing before grouting is the real key. Otherwise it is much more difficult to remove the grout. I always find the paint washing and colouring far more scarey!

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  11. Thanks Chris. I do like a bit of colour co-ordination. It makes decorating much simpler too!

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  12. Hi Victoria,
    I have to include lots of shelving to show off all my lovely pieces from fabulous artisans like yourself!

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  13. Hi Karin, I like that too...'it doesn't eat bread". Shame they still take up space though! Ha! Ha!

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  14. Hi Tabitha, I love Victoria's bottles, they are so classy and bring real sparkle to a scene.

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