Flower Planting Finished....Phew!! Mad Hatter's Wood In Full Bloom....

Well it's been a bit of a marathon but the planting is finally finished. I must admit I am really pleased with it. This part of the project has come out exactly how I had envisaged it and its not often anyone can say that with this hobby.

 The mound for the caterpillar was made from aluminium foil covered with making tape. I then topped it with PVA glue and a tea leaf mixture. To plant the flowers I used a thick darning needle to make the holes before adding the wire stems.

 I used a lot of the make believe ground cover plants on the mound as I needed to keep the plants low in order to appreciate the mushroom.

 I then worked may round the side bed after firmly placing the larger trees in air drying clay and tea leaves mixed with PVA. I also added clematis flowers to one of the large tree trunks. I have stuck with the Bonnie Lavish and Templewood Miniatures kits as well as adding my own made up flowers.

 With about three inches left I ran out of the teeny plants for the front of the borders which led to another day of plant making. I can't believe how many I have had to make, I am sure they are all disappearing down the rabbit hole.

Finally the last flower was planted! 

 It was quite an amazing feeling standing back and seeing it all finished. Then I had a panic about the glass roof and front. I hadn't tested it at all to make sure my measurements were correct.

Thankfully they both slotted into place.

 The tall trees have blended into the main planting......

 ......on both sides although there is more sky on the right hand side than I had hoped for.

 Of course I had to have a play. I immediately realised the size of the table would have to be severely cut down. So I have settled for a square. 

 I am going to cut off the middle legs in order to add and extra chair on each side. This means eight places instead of ten which means less china to buy!! Hooray!! The chairs will be stained and then given a distressed wash I think. Final decision to be made once I dress the table and get a proper feel for the table as a whole.

 The Mad Hatter also has a new friend that I don't think I have shown before.

 This fabulous dormouse, asleep in his nest of Alice books was of course made by The Giddy Kipper, as were all the characters at the Tea Party.

I made the choice of having a see through ceiling for this room box as I knew there needed to be a way of seeing the planting as well as enjoying the characters.

So here I am with the china. These three teapots give an idea of size and general decoration. The larger one is a Ruetter and the two smaller ones are by A Woman's Touch. I had originally chosen this tea service as there is a whole range of tea pots and plates but they seem to have gone out of business even though their website is still up and running.

They don't respond to emails or send out orders. Does anyone know if they are still trading?

So that's why I am still hunting.

These cakes are by The English Kitchen and Linda Cummings and are perfect for the traditional afternoon tea theme. 

Tomorrow I hope to work on the table linens and chairs then I will be able to stand back and decide if I need a complete and matching tea set to off set the colour and business of the planting and the dominance of the characters.

Simple might be best after all my hand wringing.