Cup cakes to match !!...

Julieann was a wonderful hostess and refreshments were served all day, including a wonderful lunch comprising of home made carrot & coriander soup, tasty filled rolls washed down with bubbly Bucks Fizz. Later afternoon tea was served with a selection of beautifully decorated (and delicious) cup-cakes especially made for the day.

Meet my new Bunny rabbit....

This little bunny was made in Aberdeen on Friday at a workshop hosted by Silly Bears. I traveled up on Thursday and attended an all-day workshop hosted by Julieann of Silly Bears shop, the workshop was led by Jenny Johnson of Three O'clock Bears. We all worked very hard all day, stitching, stuffing, painting eyes, creating different ear styles, each creating a very different bunny from the one pattern which Jenny had created and individually stitched for each of us, or we would never have finished, such a lot of preparatory work by her.

Looked for images which matched the duck egg blue..

Added a door handle and was messing with an Open/Closed sign which I'll trim. Next a shop sign, lace curtain for door, letter box and of course a name for shop which to be honest I'm struggling with. I'd like some trailing plants over top too...... I just don't want Easter to whiz by and this not be another unfinished project - I'm looking forward to filling it with goodies!!

The shop colour saga continues....

I've spent the past week looking at the photos of this shop on the blog (and the actual shop of course) and I've decided I didn't like it. Maybe it was too late at night when I re-painted it and was too eager to stick Easter images on - I just wasn't happy. So... here's what I've done now.

A duck-egg blue over-coat, literally over everything as the pasted down pictures wouldn't come off. So a quick sanding of edges did the trick. I also put some Art Nouveau style gold peel-offs on a few areas which I'll tone down with some gold acrylic.

Then I painted outer side walls with apple green white base and used a half-drop repeat brick stencil and duck egg paint to add a brick wall effect. I quite like it now, thankfully!

I also screwed nice gilt hinge onto side (told it was on wrong way but I think it's fine;) and touched up inside frames.

So, happier with this colour scheme now. I'm still going to add a few vintage Easter images which I'll extend with some painting to blend them in but will be more mindful next time of my colours.

 

Decorated the front of the Easter shop tonight...

and looked out some vintage Easter postcard images, reduced and cut them out and added them to front of shop.

I rubbed some of the lighter top coat away and the turquoise shows through a little. I then freehand drew the panels, and added more images plus some gilding.

It all needs tidying up which I'll do with fine-liner pens but I'm too tired to start - however I'm on a mission to get this done!! Next to do is add door handles, window box (make flowers) and create shop sign, glazing and then I'll add some brick work to the sides.

The Bunny Bench.....

I found these little wooden fretwork bunnies, they weren't expensive -twelve bunnies for a couple of pounds, and also a bag of wooden coffee/tea stirrers. So thought I'd rustle up a wee bench for my miniature rabbit family who'll be in and around this shop (more on them shortly)

So having played a bit I set to work gluing it all together - it was easy peasy, talk about getting something from virtually nothing and I've still some bunnies left!

I'll just let it set then paint it!! It was a bit fiddly as it collapsed a few times but perseverance won in the end :)
   

While the paper was drying....

I looked out a few bits and pieces which I could use in the shop. I'm going to try NOT to buy anything for this project - just use up stuff, make things and utilize what I've already stashed!! Firstly I looked out ribbons, flowers to decorate eggs and the like.

I also found the tiniest Jack Rabbit and Teddy both in boxes I'd bought years ago in Glasgow when Miniatura visited Scotland once a year. They are both made from pipe cleaners and are adorable. However my attempt at pipe cleaner bears can be seen in the background - the monster blue teddy whose nose has headed south.