Sunday fun day: The icicle works

Dear Brain: I love hanging out with you when you've got the time and space to think things through and work things out that I didn't even know you were thinking about.

A case in point: at some stage early this morning, you poked me gently as I rolled over in bed (a much nicer approach than previous efforts: thank you) and whispered 'So what were you thinking of using as a tap for that Lori bath you've got in stash? Because I have an idea...'

I rolled back and replied 'Dunno... Shapeways? I'm listening...'

You continued: 'Do you think Lindt are selling those umbrella-shaped chocolates this Christmas?'

'What umbrella-shaped chocolates, and do you seriously think Christmas Eve morning is a good time to suggest going to the supermarket?!' I shot back.

'Erm, sorry. Just a thought. I think the handle would make a great floor-standing tap and today would be a good time to check, before Christmassy things are completely sold out...' my brain countered.

'Bugger.' I muttered. 'You're right on all counts'.

And so it was I ventured into Woolies on Christmas Eve, just before lunchtime (pretending I was really going for tahini, toothpaste, toilet paper and cherries) and blow me down, if there wasn't a box just next to the entrance with a few Lindt 'icicles' in it. I grabbed one.

Not that I'd planned to do anything with the bath today, but since I decided at the beginning of the challenge that Sundays could be 'fun days' (as I'm not usually on my computer on Sundays, so it seemed a good compromise for December), bath time it was.

I opened the chocolate to eat it (oh, the sacrifices we make...) and was delighted to discover one of my questions (about how to attach the tap to something to make it stable on the floor) had been answered for me (Brain, you're an amazing thing sometimes...)

All I had to do was cut it down.

Or so I thought. Although it worked it just seemed... miserly. Almost apologetic. It needed something to stand on to give it some height.

Luckily I've been spending some time each day during my break sorting out my stash drawers. It took me almost no time to think of these:

(Bindis in tins that I bought many many (many) years ago as I was planning to use the tins for... something? Maybe something like this??)

But sacrifices had to be made in the interest of getting this thing finished.

It was when I went to paint it I realised I had an issue. What colour?

I was originally going to go with gunmetal (since it was out on the work bench already from Thursday's build). But then I thought bronze. No! Black. And finally settled on safe old silver. (The knob is another stash-drawer find, from a set of travel checkers I picked up at an op shop a few years ago with no idea why I needed it. Now I know...)

While I waited for the paint to dry (which takes no time at all at this time of the year), I realised that perhaps I should throw up a scene to contain the bath.

And since my brain had done such a good job of things so far today, I let it take the lead.

We're using that 49 cent placemat I picked up at Dimmey's two years ago for window privacy? Fabulous! (Glad you remembered I had that...)

And adding those dimensional stickers I bought at Pete's Emporium at the beginning of the year, after painting the candles white and adding wicks? Why didn't I think of that??

While we're on the subject of Pete's Emporium, you want to use that pasifika 'flooring' I picked up this last trip? With the kiwi-themed scrapbooking paper I got from Scrapbook Central?

I like where this is heading..

(I added the bubbles and the bubbles. It's Christmas Eve after all...)

What I neglected to add (and my brain didn't remind me about) was taps for the basin...

But I did have one good idea, which was to head back to the supermarket and buy the rest of their stock of 'icicles' so I can have a bronze tap. And a black one. And a spare one, just in case.

I'm relying on my very clever brain to remember where I put them after I've finished eating the chocolate...