... still playing

Long time readers will remember the woven piece I created for my final assessment project in 2009 (and the tartan fabric I made from it)

This morning I pulled out the original photo and came up with these:
I really need to pay to get the full version of Repper so I can pull out high definition versions and chuck them through Spoonflower...

Repper what you sew!

Sometimes clearing out your inbox sets your day out in a whole new (and very exciting) direction.

This morning, for instance, I finally made time to have a look at a link sent to me by a work buddy late last month. And, in the space of five minutes my mind was well and truly blown.

Repper takes an image and lets you turn it into a pattern. I trialed the demo version and here are the results...

From this:I made this in my first 30 seconds using the program: I turned this:Into this:
And this: became this:And, to give you an idea of the versatility of Repper, throwing this in: gave me, with five simple clicks, the following options:
Are you as excited as I am by the possibilities of Repper for mini use? (Especially if paired with Spoonflower...)

Three floors

Two weeks have passed since I bought my bamboo table runner to use as miniature flooring. You'll remember that I undercoated one bit in white, and it's still in the same state as I dither about if I want to keep it looking shabby or finish painting it properly: (Yes, I still have the same half finished room sitting on my desk two weeks later)

I have, however, made progress with the second piece of runner. It got sanded and distressed slightly followed by several applications of stained coating wax and lots of buffing:
I like how it looks and how the house smells: it's been years since I last used my coating wax.
(Such a difference between the original and the waxed version!)

Now I have to decide how to deal with the third bit of flooring my bamboo runner produced...

Cushy: behind the scenes

Because I suspect you enjoy seeing studio pictures as much as I do...

(And if you're wondering about the dice: I pulled out my collection and used them to prop the cushions up in the shelving unit... And yes, the owl lamp fell down and I couldn't be bothered putting it back in place before I took this shot!)

A Cushy Job (aka: That wasn't the scene I was planning to make at all)

Having spent a couple of hours after work tonight doing boring house worky-type stuff, I decided to reward myself by putting one of the weekend's aborted scenes back together on my newly cleared desk*

But the scene that eventuated wasn't quite what I was planning: I blame the fact that yesterday's crafternoon saw me finally finish approximately 30 incomplete cushions I had hanging round on my work bench. Which I had no idea what to do with...
until I found myself creating a soft furnishings showroom. Which decided it was called A Cushy Job
(Who was I to argue?)
It would be wise not to mention copyright:Cushion images were lifted from my teatowel collection and various places online, including Aunty Cookie, who does fabulous (full sized) stuff that you should go buy. (Then she can't be (too) mad at me for stealing her designs in mini!)

(*And, in case you were wondering: yes, trousers were (eventually) taken up over the weekend)

Distractions

Top of today's list of things to do was taking up trousers for a friend and (finally) finishing Mitchymoo's May Swap.

I started so well! I tidied away the trial scenes from this morning so I could pull out the overlocker and sewing machine. Turned the iron on, found the trousers, and...

Decided I'd "just" see how a piece of the runner looked with some paint on it. It seemed so sensible to arrange things so it could dry while I was working on those two very important priorities.

I got the first pair of trousers pinned up. Went downstairs to put a load of washing out, and on the way back through the kitchen, thought I'd "just" see how the flooring was going. And, what do you know, it was dry...

I rather like how it looks with just the first coat:
very vintage/ shabby chic.

It also works well as wall panelling (something else that's been on my wish list for a while now):
And those trousers? That's them buried under my mini storage box. *sigh*

Looks like I need to clean things away AGAIN, have lunch and restart the day.

Two for the price of one*

And, suddenly, it seems that I'm working on two room ideas at once: The room on the left was inspired by this illustration in a recent marie claire (or was it Madison?) and the arrival of a too-cheap-to-not-bid-on loft bed from eBay.

I haven't done pink before and it's not usually a colour I'm drawn too but I'm enjoying playing with different options for what seems to have decided to be a crafty teenager's bedroom.
Next door is a much darker space. I bought new scrapbooking paper last night, and, following Petronellas miniplats' lead, went looking for a table mat I can use as floorboards (much cheaper than buying them from the dolls house shop, and less driving involved) Alas, David Jones only had a table runner. So I'll get to trial painted floorboards with the other end of it and still have some left over for wall panelling...

(*Humming this)