While waiting for things to dry

So it felt like time for a 'warts and all' post. No, I'm not going to show you the state of my studio, but I will share the fact that after my last post where I was feeling all smug about managing to whack together a project and a kit after coming home from work on Friday, I realised that I hadn't noticed that the two trays were slightly different sizes.

And I had (of course) painted the wrong bases with the wrong colours (hang on: is that like a double negative?). I had a moment, after I noticed, where I looked at my now white tray with a wooden frame and my black tray with a white frame and wondered if I should just embrace the serendipity of the error, but knew that it would drive me nuts.

And so I had to wait overnight for the paint to cure, and then respray both bases, keeping my fingers crossed that there wouldn't be any more whoopsies in the process.

While I waited I started thinking about what sort of scene would suit each tray. Since the room I'd made for the exhibition in Goulburn last year was still out (I'd used it for both the last two scenes) I decided to be lazy and use it a third time. I pulled out a black bed I bought at the Sydney show, and thought it would be fun to create an Airbnb place.

Once again I hit my fabric stash, and spotted another free Spoonflower sample, printed with a design I'd created a couple of years ago. I thought it would make a great doona cover, until I noticed that it had a big chunk missing out of it and remembered I'd used it to make customised notebook covers soon after:

No worries, it would still make a great bedcover folded at the end of the bed, or cushions (which I suspect is what I'd originally planned to make with the left-over bit).

I started grabbing things from my stash, almost at random, and trying them out: gradually building up an eclectic collection of almost gothic-y pieces. Including an empty chocolate box I'd saved from last Christmas's chocolate tradition (and which I'd bought with the thought of reusing the box in a scene), which I thought could make an interesting room divider/ headboard.

Other bits that settled into the room included a table from my German haul of 2013, a stool from Hideout Cafe (2015), my new book press, a window from a kit picked up at the 2013 Craft & Quilt Fair and the fireplace and chimney sent to me by Elvira in 2014 (which I have used before).

And this hutch, which I started painting way back in 2011, and put aside for over five years, while I decided if it needed a second coat! 

The scene seemed like a good place for my new pipe shelving, but I needed to grunge it up a bit first with random sprays of black and copper paint.

There was space on this side for a sitting area, which is still looking very plain. But perhaps that's a good thing as a contrast to the darkness and business of the rest of the room?

And here's a shot of the whole room as it stands, with random bits and pieces included that may or may not work in the final scene. I'll work on it a bit more tonight and then leave the old subconscious to think on it overnight before (hopefully) finishing it off and taking the final photos tomorrow.

(Unless, that is, I get distracted by something else new and shiny in the meantime...)