All sixes and sevens

I was preparing for the scene I was planning to make for today: gathering flooring, furniture and accessories based on the image I'd found as inspiration.

And then I realised that most of the furniture came out of Hideaway cafe. And Hideaway cafe just happened to have a seat cushion made with a coffee bag. A coffee bag that just happened to have a 6 on it.

So rather than spending time on my last Sunday before I start my end-of-year leave almost recreating Hideout (but bigger, and with a licence), I'll save some time and send you over to visit Hideout cafe yourself (although I hear it may have gone since I last visited...)

Op shop inspiration

(It's OK: I bought this lot before my declaration that I most definitely do not need any more miniatures for quite some time...)

I've been op shopping* a lot over the past year, looking for things I need (and didn't know I needed) for my new home: I've kept myself on a pretty tight budget as I've heard that paying as much as possible off your mortgage in the first year makes a huge difference to how long you spend paying it off, and how much interest you pay in the end.

(I've also been haunting Gumtree, as I've been playing the 'Let's pretend we're just flatting' for the first year game, but that's a whole different post).

On a recent op shop jaunt I picked these up from various op shops for a total of $15:

As there was a piece of the picture frame missing already, I planned to pull it apart and reuse the wooden strips in a rustic scene.

I started that on yesterday,

but then stopped as I saw this:

 changed my mind, Blu-tacked the missing bits back on, and started nutting out a scene.

I'd originally thought of some sort of hipster food spot, but since the only drinks fridge I currently have is a Coca-Cola-branded one, I realised that wouldn't work...

And since the rest of the op-shopped pieces were asian-flavoured, the way forward seemed clear.

Still playing, I gathered bits from the stash that might suit, creating the story as I went along:

It's a small kitchen so they display the dishes of the day under the counter for customers to chose from.

Trays and takeaway cutlery are available at the register, if you choose to 'dine in'.

(Actually, the kitchen is so small, I'm not sure it is legal, but we'll ignore that for now...

 as we will the situation out the side...)

It's only half-done, and I had many plans to flesh it out tonight but the air is smokey, and I started in a new team today so I'm a bit buggered and will get back to this later (hopefully tomorrow).

(*thrift shopping for those of you in the US, and charity shopping for those in the UK. The rest of the world, you're on your own, but I'm sure you know what I mean!)

The local cafe

Having settled into our holiday house, one of the first items on the agenda is find our 'local' cafe. Whether we're in the area for a day, a weekend, a week or longer, it's always nice to feel like you belong somewhere.

Let's have a look at the options where we're staying at the moment before we pick our favourite, shall we?

This cafe's been around for a while, opening originally in 2011. I'm not big on purple*, and it looks a little ladylike for my tastes, so let's move on.

The Transport Cafe opened the same year, and is more my style, but may be a bit utilitarian for a holiday pick. I'm sure there are other options in town...

Pavilion on the Park is set in a vintage VERO Zerlegbar house, and has been managed by the current owners since 2013.

It's a lovely spot to visit for an ice cream or light snack on a sunny day, but feels too touristy to be a real local haunt.

Now the Buzz Bar Cafe is more like it. Although it only opened in this form in 2013, it's already renowned. It's buzzing (sorry, couldn't resist), the coffee's great, the staff are friendly and treat you like a regular even if it's your first visit.

Next door a new cafe is under construction, but it doesn't look like much has happened there for quite a while...

Here's another contender. Good Brother Cafe is funky and seems to do a mean brunch (always important on our list of priorities!)

On the other hand, this place looks very ordinary, like something you'd find at the mall, where they serve 'expresso'. And it's quite empty...

Down a laneway we stumble across Hideout Cafe, a small hole-in-the-wall place which looks intriguing.

(And is apparently open into the evening, which is quite rare in cafes around here).

I think we've found our top three, but we'd better just quickly check the other options in case we're wrong, don't you think?

It looks like we were right: the only other two cafes in town are both in the mall: one is fake rustic and tucked into the corner of a public area, so feels very exposed to passers by.

 And the other is a sickly-sweet cupcake cafe.

Both seem popular with local business people, which is definitely not the vibe we're after on holiday.

Looks like we've made our decision! Good Brother for brunches. Hideout for afternoon coffees and evening drinks. And Buzz Bar Cafe for pretty much everything.

Now is it coffee time?

(*And not just because it's a complete beast to photograph correctly...)

For the love of miniatures

The theme for the February issue of The tiny Times made me decide to 'visit' a cupcake café to 'work' on it.

The cupcakes I received (made by the Miniature Enthusiasts of Tasmania) in my Convention goodie bag helped a bit, too...

All miniatures, all day...

This morning I had a meeting about an arts festival I'm hoping to be part of

 (and then, of course, had to go home and make a scene about it!)

This afternoon friends and I went on a road trip to Goulburn to pick my work up from Goulburn Regional Art Gallery.

 Followed by a spot of op shopping, during which I found this for $2.50:

(Much cheaper that the $65 I'd been eyeing them up for at the May show.)

 It's a great size, apart from the joystick, which is way too big (but hopefully easily fixed).

An added bonus when I got home was the discovery that you can slide a mobile phone into the rear and possibly even play it. Alas it only works with iphones.

Bloody exhibitionist...

 Yep, that's me. Posing next to my completed builds at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery, in readiness for tomorrow night's opening of the What's in the toybox? exhibition.

But here's where it all started two and a half hours earlier, when I arrived after a one-hour drive from Canberra:

I'd dropped my 'work*' off last Friday and knew at the time that I'd need to make another trip to put it all together before the opening.

Lovely Goulburn Regional Art Gallery had my plinth and perspex case in place, a table ready for me to work on, and...

 AFTERNOON TEA!

(That was a bit special and unexpected. I now want to be in every exhibition they mount.)

At 3 pm I was a bit worried.

 But soon was on a roll, recreating a version of something I'd made two years ago.

Here are some progress shots (because, even as a blogger on a deadline, you need to stop and take photographs, don't you?)

 Tucked in my corner, things started to come together,

 while the gallery staff finished other parts of the exhibition in the background.

And then, just on closing time, I was done.

(And the lovely staff stayed five minutes late to help me load the pieces into my display case.)

(* Because it was my work, but it was a kitset work, not a completed work at that stage.)

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What's in the Toybox exhibiton

27 November - 24 December 2015

An exhibition of works particularly for children but also suitable for adults in need of a little nostalgia in the lead up to Christmas.  From original book illustrations to colourful sculptures and hand-made wooden toys by local Goulburn Woodworkers, there's something  in the toybox to delight everybody.

Goulburn Regional Art Gallery

Civic Centre, Bourke Street

Goulburn N.S.W.

Tel. 02 4823 4503

Open Monday - Friday 10 am – 5 pm,   Saturday 1 pm – 4 pm  (Closed Sunday and Public Holidays)

An evening celebration

Saturday evening. When I believe most normal people are out and about being sociable.

I'm at home, getting excited about the idea of seeing my newly-finished build in the dark.And making up a scene where two friends meet for a drink to celebrate one of their birthdays.

This looks like a nice place to stop for a drink...

(Although a little quiet, but the night is still early.)

 What A FABULOUS gift! You have such good taste and know me so well...

 (A gift from Kikka N last year: I wasn't sure if it was a Shapeways piece, or even 3D printed so didn't include it in my contest entry)

A quick coffee

 At your favourite cafe.