Apologies for my violent outburst but...

I have just been watching the news where a delightful lady was whinging about the fact that they were only going to get $50,000 out of the bushfire appeal and where was all the other millions going? HELLO??? What happened to having insurance? What happened to gratefulness at getting something that you are really not entitled to? My mother's family home burnt down as a result of arson and I can assure you, she didn't get $50k. What about the people who lost houses in the 2007 or 2003 fires? They didn't get $50k and neither did the ones who lost everything in the 1983 or 1939 fires. And how much does this lady think it costs to rebuild whole towns and reinstall all the utilities and basic services???? Where would that much money come from without the bushfire fund??

Further, the news said that people without insurance were likely to be the big winners.

This is why I have not donated - People never fail to disappoint me. I am not going to donate my hard-earned cash to losers who can't work for their money and expect the world when things go bad.

I have been in the position of being at significant financial loss (and much much worse), at no fault nor doing of ours, and at the end of the ordeal, we were lucky to get a boot up the butt as we walked out the door. No compensation or hand-outs for us. It is time for people to get over themselves and realise that the world does not owe them anything.

On a good note, I discovered I can bake scones!

New furniture

Finally the rooms are starting to look a little more finished. Here is a picture of an unfinished hutch that I painted, antiqued and filled. I handpainted most of the minis inside, except for the silver teaset (which is mostly hidden). The bottom shelf will have some linen, but I have not made that yet.



This shows the whole dining room. I am not sure I like the chairs though. They might get changed later.



I made a screen for the bedroom, based on the one in Lea Frisoni's book. I think it's quite cute but may need some 'cord' trim on the inside of the frame bits. I printed the fabric on my home printer.



The last thing I want to show you is a small folding table I made. I am not sure that I like it here. I don't think it matches. Maybe if I added a lace tablecloth?? Don't know. It is temporary for now!

Little Red's Tea Room

Sorry all for my absence. I have spent the last 2 weeks at fires - Wilson's Prom and then Noojee (Bunyip Ridge fire), and now have some time to get these pics up.

This is my entry for the Miniatures.com Creating Contest for last year. I didn't win but I did get an honourable mention, which is pretty cool!





This one shows Little Red's cape hanging beside the door.



This is the cake cabinet I made from an old Realife kit. I painted all the cakes and pies inside. In fact, I painted everything in the entire house except for a plate or two on the hutch. Oh and the Chrysnbon straw holder.



Here is a bench seat in the corner. The pictures in the house are all vintage Little Red Riding Hood pictures I found on the WWW.





This shows the fireplace I made. There are a couple of guns and a sword for killing stray wolves. The wolf's head is mounted above the fireplace. I made it from paperclay and flocked it. It has paper teeth!! It's not particularly good, but never mind, I like it anyway. It seems strangely pleased... not sure why!



This one is the prep table in the kitchen.



And here is the stove. I like how you can see through the door into the tearoom.



And lastly, thanks for the award Mercedes!



So five things I love:
1. My doggy Tilly. So very sweet and so prickly at the same time! She is sometimes called the cat-dog.
2. My little family - my partner, my mum and my doggy.
3. My home. It still requires work, but is looking so pretty.
4. Creating, mostly minis and sewing.
5. Chocolate. And pizza. Food really, love food!

Some more awards

Thank you so much for my awards guys. Doreen and San each gave me this:



I am going to forward this award to Liberty Biberty for her adorable and original work, as well as her home decorating.

Also, I will send it to Linda for her beautiful work, and for creating a little bit of France in Australia! Good to see I am not alone here.

In regard to my mini house, I must admit I have been a little lazy of late. Just can't seem to get into it. The fires haven't helped, I am very tired and have been trying to get ready for our France holiday. Not getting very far. I will try to get something done this week so that I have something interesting to show you.

I apologise for the sombre tone, but I just wanted to let people know that we have had the worst bush fires here in Victoria since European settlement. Entire towns have burnt to the ground, including a beautiful little place called Marysville, home of the amazing Bruno's sculpture garden.

At this point, after 2 days, there are 65 confirmed dead and approximately 700 homes lost. This is likely to rise significantly higher, as at this stage, many burnt areas are still inaccessible. There are also a number with severe burns in hospital.

I send all my love and best wishes to those who have lost their loved ones, their homes and livelihoods, and those who are doing all that they can to help fight the fires (including my partner). I am not a religious person, but I ask all those that are to keep these people in their prayers. And please keep your fingers crossed for favourable weather conditions.

Yay! I have an award!!!

Thank you Rosanna, you are very kind! All this encouragement is lovely and keeps me motivated, so thank you to my followers! So I pass the award onto my followers, who do fantastic, inspiring work:

Rosanna: http://lastanzadigiuggiola.blogspot.com/
Debbie: http://debbiestinytreasures.blogspot.com/
Doreen: http://doreensprojects.blogspot.com/
Erika: http://erikasminiatures.blogspot.com/
Minna: http://minnasdollhouses.blogspot.com/

Shop front taking shape

I have finally painted the shop front in a yucky dark coral/red colour. I wanted a more old barn red colour, but didn't quite achieve it. I have antiqued it with a black antiquing medium, which has darkened and aged the front. The rest of the stonework needs some aging now too. It looks too flat.





This picture shows the main bedroom, which I need to re-wallpaper. Everyone at home, here is a tip - NEVER try antiquing in the dark! It does not work. I don't think either the screen or the chair will remain, but I think it will have a chair of some description. I also don't think I like the folding table as the bedside. But I'll keep playing and see what happens!



And lastly, my good news is that my partner and I are off to France in March! Very exciting. We are in the midst of organising accommodation and tours, what we want to look at, budgeting, writing lists, packing. We've never been overseas before. In fact in the 6 years we've been together, we haven't really been on a decent holiday Certainly not one that lasts more than a week. So we are really getting excited! Guaranteed there are gong to be MILLIONS of chateau/furniture/scenery photos!