Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Home Again


Ella went to a spa in another state last June!


When she was there, she received a complete face restoration and repainting 

so she would look the same only better. 

She got herself back together and was ready to return home.  

However, once she had left the Spa in Wisconsin she had to hang out at the station for a few days due to winter snow storms. 

She arrived home on January 16, 2024. 

She happily greeted Summer, who had also visited the same spa but had returned home in August. 

The big house Ella remembered had some updates and remodels while she was away. Most notably, Summer’s bedroom replaced the two bedrooms of the smaller previous tenants.

Ella looked around her bedroom with new contact paper on the walls and the floors. 

It was updated, but had not really changed. 

Summer wanted to share her room, too. 

Ella looked around and found a collection of pillow looking animals!

Summer shared her Squishville Squishmallows and they had fun playing together! 

They were both home again!

Monday, January 1, 2024

Squishville

The Squishmallows have arrived!

2-inch Squishvilles soon followed. 

Summer quickly claimed the smaller sized Squishmallows.


Hans the Hedgehog looked most like a bear.

Apparently Squishmallows are addictive 

because Chip the Beaver and Monty the Monster soon joined them. 

They claimed the bed as Squishmallows were designed to be fun, extra pillows on the bed. 

They were sent to the corner where there may eventually be a display shelf to add more. 

They were not happy about being sent to the corner! 


Saturday, October 14, 2023

The Annular Eclipse

 

Friday the 13th of October
was followed by a bigger event on Saturday the 14th.
We were in the path of an annular eclipse
where the moon passed by the sun.


(PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPH)


What made the timing of the eclipse so unusual
is that it occurred the second Saturday
of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
After the balloons had risen from the field
the visitors, who had been given special sun protective glasses,
stayed on the field to watch the mid-morning eclipse.

(PHOTO BY : knate myers photography)


I took several glimpses of the sun through the trees 
to see if I could see it.
Blink....blink...
don't look directly at the sun!
My eyes and my camera did not have the proper filters to
look directly at the eclipse or to photograph it.
So, instead, I watched the light and shadows changing outside.


"I SAID
DON'T LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN!!!!!"



Darkness and Light:

Photos Taken During the Eclipse

October 14, 2023 was the annular eclipse. It passed by my city
in a full eclipse by mid-morning. These photos were taken on my balcony
as the light changed during the eclipse. The eclipse turned light into
darkness. 














Monday, October 9, 2023

LittleFee House


In 2009, I had three Lati dolls looking for a home.
Two of them were 8 inches and one was 12 inches.



So I purchased storage cubes online
and spent my summer vacation creating a cubical home
with contact paper on the walls and craft paper on the floor.



They later moved out of the house
because it was too close to the sun.
Ella, at 10 inches, took over Mikayla's room.
Autumn and Amaya were much smaller than
Saraya and Satchel, who are 8 inches,
so they never moved in.
They became visitors in the Lati House.

 

Then I decided this summer that I had two LittleFees who really needed
their face plates to be restored. My first Ella returned as
"Summer". Summer quickly wanted a room of her own.


The two rooms used by Satchel and Saraya
are divided by a wall. It is one 30-inch room box
the same size as Ella's room when the wall is taken out.



The two rooms were taken down to be redone for Summer.



Summer's room was a work in progress for several weeks
as it took the most work to completely change.

The first big change was to use contact paper for the floors
and the walls. I found the blue marbled contact paper in a box
I had never opened. I found out I had ordered it 
when I moved 2 1/2 years ago! 
No wonder it stayed packed! Everything was packed!



          Some things I purchased online and had to wait for their arrival. 
Some things I purchased in person.
It took a lot of creating!


As I waited for some things, I also changed the contact paper
on Ella's walls. She had also had paper on the floor, so I changed the floor
to contact paper. Her furniture and images on the wall stayed the same.
(Photo has Saraya's quilt on the wall over one image.
I decide to take it off and keep the image on the wall.)


Summer has an art room right next to her room.
The green paper floor was changed to contact paper.



The floor and walls in the living room were
already contact paper. The main changes in the living room
were the purchase of a larger sofa, the Cigar Felt rug,
and changing the images on the wall.


Summer's bed arrived as unfinished wood. I painted it and sanded it
so that it looks "antique white".

The bunny is the Velveteen Rabbit by American Girl
created for Claudie's Christmas set.


I sewed a Boro style quilt with embroidery floss
and indigo colored fabric. The squares are not sewn together.
They are sewn to lightweight denim.
The navy edge is also on the back.



I found a small unfinished box at the craft store.
I painted it the dark blue. I used a printed out image of paint colors
and glued it to the back. I purchased 1:12 scale art supplies for the
diorama image above Summer's bed.


I purchased the bedside table with the antique white finish.
It became an inspiration for the white on the rest of the furniture.
The book is 1:6 scale by Little Things of Interest.


I purchased the dresser at a local craft store.
It had one more level with two small drawers.
I bought an electric craft saw and cut the dresser down
to two levels of drawers instead of three.
It is painted white and sanded.


The poster is the official poster for the 2023
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
occurring October 7-14.



The shelf on the side wall is made from the two drawers I removed
from the dresser. I cut off the knobs, glued them together, and painted them.
I added the middle shelves in the boxes and the top counter across it.

The two buildings are Hallmark ornaments. 
They are of a Toy Store and a Grocery Store.

I sewed the square pillow in the corner and the pillows on top of it.
I crocheted the blanket on the square pillow.


This is now Summer's room in an updated cubical house.

Her room ended up with the diversity of art,
the hot air balloons of New Mexico
and the feel of the 1880's in the west.


Welcome to the LittleFee House!





Thursday, August 17, 2023

Summer's First Adventure

Summer's newly repainted face plate arrived last week.
She was ready to go outside and play!

 

We visited a historic home called 
"Casa San Ysidro"


or "House of Saint Isidro"
who is the Patron Saint of farmers and laborers.


I thought we would only be able to visit the outside
because tours of the inside are arranged
by the Albuquerque Museum,
who now owns the property.


A security worker saw me wandering around,
and checked with her supervisor.
Would it be okay if we were allowed in to visit
the courtyard and main hall?


We were invited in to take more photos!


Summer was able to see a traditional
adobe home as a part of New Mexico's history.


She is happy to be a part of New Mexico!



She saw a ladder that must go to a tree house

just like her ladder!


I have seen this many times. I thought it was a window!


Security who had invited us in
opened the door to the frame.
It was shelving!
I had never seen that!



We were invited to visit the sitting room on the way out.


Summer saw a stereoscope on the way out.

"Isn't this like an old Viewmaster?"

                                 

Yes, it is.

"Can I get one"

Stereoscope, no.

Viewmaster. Don't we have one?



Time to say "thank you for letting us in to visit"
and go home to the air conditioning!