Time for a break

With encouragement from my readers to finish the other side of Bluebird Cafe, I decided to continue work on the scene. You know, instead of tidying the studio like I'd planned to do.

*Ahem*

So I returned to the original story of the build (and also returned the build to its original location: after I finished taking the last lot of photos, with a lovely shot of Wellington Harbour from the top of Mount Victoria out the window, I woke up at 3 am with my inner critic gently reminding me that if I was redoing Buzz Bar Cafe it was kind of INTERESTING that it had also suddenly moved from downtown Canberra to on top of a hill in Wellington. Even though we're now sister cities, that's kind of impossible.)

*Sigh*

I did a test-run.

Remember the photo I took during that Sunday when I almost tied myself in creative knots? I liked the use of the embossed wall, but knew it wouldn't work where I'd tested it (mainly, if truth be known, because then I'd have to cut a piece and that would limit my future options for the paper sheet). But the same paper, painted silver had worked really well previously.

So I moved the paper to the other side of the cafe, and it looked right.I decided that perhaps the new owners, after painting the existing shelving white, shifted them* up onto the wall.

And added some random tiles they'd picked up cheaply to give the shelves interest: thank you, Kaisercraft, for bringing out the Ubud Dreams range of papers, with the perfect tiles just when I needed them...

(It feels like I've now mixed that holiday house kitchen from 2015 into the inspiration mix...)

Below the now wall shelves are a row of 'new' (erm... ALLBIDS find?) stainless steel benches (actually 2014 Sydney Show finds, which have turned up on the blog several times before now).

Where someone is busy making delicious things to sell to the customers...

(*It's a test, which is why there's only one so far...)

Monday's making (mostly made up)

I finished the cushions (sort of, they still need to be stitched up after stuffing).

I completed the squabs for the benches (well, not quite. I only finished one set and they're taped together at the back where you can't see). 

And the Bluebird Cafe is done.

 (You know, unless you zoom out and notice all the bits that most definitely aren't done.

Or, indeed, wait long enough and watch the 'done' bits slowly undo and the whole thing trash itself).

Maybe today I'll actually really finish it?

Sunday: in the studio

You may be pleased to know that I have dug out various surfaces around the house, and not just by piling the bits into a plastic tub and setting it aside out of the way...

Indeed, I've actually made some progress. Those blue chairs, for instance: now much shorter

(and without stickers)

I continued to fight with possible decorating options, none of which felt quite right,

until I gave up in disgust and headed off for a break to read the latest issue of Uppercase. And check out Instagram.

Where this hit my feed (you can see it here, if you're not an Instagrammer)*, and I realised I had been overthinking the whole thing (as usual). And so, back in the studio, this mock-up made much more sense with the whole story of the build, which really was about a cheap and cheerful make over.

Which lead to deciding that I needed to add squabs to the existing benches,

with some cushions for added comfort... 

(*Emily Hartley-Skudder, a recent discovery for me, is a fellow Kiwi who creates scenes in miniature and then makes oil paintings of them. Visit her website to see more of her work, read an article about her, or watch a video about her work (or her time living and working in New York).)

Finish it off Friday: the four-day weekend edition

Take one four-day weekend.

Add no plans.

Mix with a splash of forecast rain,

Slowly beat in a messy work table*,

 a messy work bench,

and sprinkle with good intentions left in limbo

and (I hope) you have the perfect recipe for success...

(*Yes, those are covers for my 2017 calendars. Still awaiting delivery of matchboxes from the other side of the world...)

Getting crafty

After getting up at sparrow's fart* this morning, I spent an enjoyable hour rummaging through stash and pulling out and arranging all the bird-related bits I could find:

(I do rather enjoy this part of the process, even though it sometimes makes me feel quite overwhelmed with the options I have!)

Then it was time for breakfast, and a trip to the hairdressers. As I left after my appointment, the car seemed to take on a mind of its own. And I'm sure you know what the next stop was...

Yes. Kaisercraft. *sigh* 

(I felt slightly better when I realised that my last visit was almost three months ago (if I use slightly creating counting...)

Once I returned home with my plunder it was time to start building yet another scene in an old favourite room box.

I decided that the story is that the owner of Buzz Bar Cafe took on a business partner who was, shall we say, a tad dodgy: and the once-successful business folded, leaving at least a million dollars owing to staff, staff superannuation accounts and the tax office (I may or may not have been influenced by discovering last week, when I had a hankering for a twice-baked souffle, that Autolyse had closed a couple of months ago for just that reason...).

Therefore the parameters of the new build were that the space remained basically the same (although I had thoughts of removing one of the back 'rooms' in the renovation, especially once I remembered that there were two versions of the Buzz Bar: the much larger original, and the (smaller) What's in the toybox? exhibition version. Which is the one I'm working with).

Luckily, I had versions of most of the fittings in white, so could happily agree that the new owners gave things a lick of paint to save set-up costs.

And I had some dining chairs that I'd picked up as part of a children's boxed set for $2 at a previous Canberra mini show that (although supposedly over-scale) I thought might work quite well in one-twelfth (if the legs were cut down a tad, the stickers removed and, possibly, a spot of repainting happened...) Did I mention that they were blue, and the backs had an interesting Mackintosh tea rooms/birdcage vibe happening?

At which stage I started my first round of playing with the options I had...

Should I stick with the blue of the chairs ('Bluebird cafe'?), decide that the owner replaced the floors with tiles and channelled a mix of Terence Conran, local (ex) cafe 79 & Fine (slightly ironic since the original Buzz Bar referenced another local cafe, Lonsdale Street Roasters), and the Greek islands? (This actually expands on a previous scene I made).

I tried a less busy feature wall and suddenly I was craving cheap fish and chips... Maybe not.

Or I could go in the opposite direction, decide that the refurb was done on a shoestring (and many op-shop and trash-and-treasure visits), and stick with what I'm comfortable with?

I'm thinking not, as it feels way too much like the last iteration of the Buzz Bar Cafe space.

Except I'm worried that since I now have a photo of a scene which includes a glittery guitar, a flying duck, a slightly cross-eyed owl and two fried eggs, I may completely lose interest in the whole thing.

(*Note suitably bird-like reference...)

A glittery guitar, a flying duck, a slightly cross-eyed owl and two fried eggs...

Inspiration. It's a devious creature. Hibernating for great lengths of time then popping up when you least expect it (usually, I find, at around 3.30 am: when you thought you were fast asleep).

And so it was this morning, when it tugged on my pillow and whispered gently 'So, how about we make a scene which contains aforementioned glittery guitar, flying duck, slightly cross-eyed owl and two fried eggs?'

The whisper became a roar as it got more and more excited, jumping up and down on my head and spewing out a stream of ideas...

I: 'Could it be a version of the flat in A street cat named Bob? Except you'd have to paint the guitar and that seems a shame...'

Me: 'Shut up.'

I: 'Ohhh! Duck and owl! Don't you have some other new stuff with a bird theme? Can we do a themed gallery wall in, oh, I don't know a CAFE? Like the Hatter's Tea House you went to last month?'

Me: (Muffled, from under the pillow) 'Oh duck off'.

I: 'Here, I'll help you with names... "Song Bird." "Bluebird." "Black bird." "Birdsong." "Birdcage." "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep."'

Me: (Grumpily sitting up to check the time) 'I'm NOT calling a cafe "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep". Everyone will call it "Chirpy Chirpy Cheap Cheap".

I: (In a small voice, tinged with pleasure at getting some reaction). 'Not even "Chirpy Chirpy Cheap Eats"?

Me: (Glares)

I: (Looks hopeful and points at the clock, which now reads 5 am)

I: (Conjures up an image of a recent birdcage purchase from Daiso could be turned into interesting cage-shaped light fittings, and of the other cages I have in stash that could add to the theme)

Me: (Sighs). 'Perhaps we could see about going with a stripy theme to mimic bird cage bars? And I guess it is about time to give Buzz Bar Cafe a makeover...'

I: (Claps and leaps off the bed to fetch my slippers)

I: (In a small, hopeful voice) 'Does that mean we get to go to Kaisercraft today?'

Me: 'No, no and NO!'