Thursday 4 February 2016

Flower Planting Finished....Phew!! Mad Hatter's Wood In Full Bloom....

Well it's been a bit of a marathon but the planting is finally finished. I must admit I am really pleased with it. This part of the project has come out exactly how I had envisaged it and its not often anyone can say that with this hobby.
 The mound for the caterpillar was made from aluminium foil covered with making tape. I then topped it with PVA glue and a tea leaf mixture. To plant the flowers I used a thick darning needle to make the holes before adding the wire stems.
 I used a lot of the make believe ground cover plants on the mound as I needed to keep the plants low in order to appreciate the mushroom.
 I then worked may round the side bed after firmly placing the larger trees in air drying clay and tea leaves mixed with PVA. I also added clematis flowers to one of the large tree trunks. I have stuck with the Bonnie Lavish and Templewood Miniatures kits as well as adding my own made up flowers.
 With about three inches left I ran out of the teeny plants for the front of the borders which led to another day of plant making. I can't believe how many I have had to make, I am sure they are all disappearing down the rabbit hole.
Finally the last flower was planted! 
 It was quite an amazing feeling standing back and seeing it all finished. Then I had a panic about the glass roof and front. I hadn't tested it at all to make sure my measurements were correct.
Thankfully they both slotted into place.
 The tall trees have blended into the main planting......
 ......on both sides although there is more sky on the right hand side than I had hoped for.
 Of course I had to have a play. I immediately realised the size of the table would have to be severely cut down. So I have settled for a square. 
 I am going to cut off the middle legs in order to add and extra chair on each side. This means eight places instead of ten which means less china to buy!! Hooray!! The chairs will be stained and then given a distressed wash I think. Final decision to be made once I dress the table and get a proper feel for the table as a whole.
 The Mad Hatter also has a new friend that I don't think I have shown before.
 This fabulous dormouse, asleep in his nest of Alice books was of course made by The Giddy Kipper, as were all the characters at the Tea Party.
I made the choice of having a see through ceiling for this room box as I knew there needed to be a way of seeing the planting as well as enjoying the characters.
So here I am with the china. These three teapots give an idea of size and general decoration. The larger one is a Ruetter and the two smaller ones are by A Woman's Touch. I had originally chosen this tea service as there is a whole range of tea pots and plates but they seem to have gone out of business even though their website is still up and running.
They don't respond to emails or send out orders. Does anyone know if they are still trading?
So that's why I am still hunting.
These cakes are by The English Kitchen and Linda Cummings and are perfect for the traditional afternoon tea theme. 
Tomorrow I hope to work on the table linens and chairs then I will be able to stand back and decide if I need a complete and matching tea set to off set the colour and business of the planting and the dominance of the characters.
Simple might be best after all my hand wringing.

28 comments:

  1. WOW! What a BEAUTIFUL garden and what a lot of work!!! It all looks fantastic. How wonderful!!!!!!!!!!

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    1. Thank you Catherine. I have definitely learned a lot about flower kits!

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  2. Wow!! I've been following along and now I'm just blown away! The flowers and foliage is amazing and the Alice theme is amazing

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    1. Thank you so much. I didn't think it would be quite so much work when I started but it has definitely been worth it.

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  3. Oh Janice...This is MAGNIFICENT!!! What a boat load of work this must have been. I cannot even imagine... You have outdone yourself here...
    Magical! Simply magical!!!!

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    1. Hi Penny, for once I can honestly say it has been worth every hour I have spent on this scene. That doesn't happen often!

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  4. Hi Janice! Your garden is truly a WONDERLAND and a Visual Feast fort the eyes! I LOVE your little garden and the flowers are a Burst of sunshine in this setting. Your cast of characters are INCREDIBLE and so this setting is going to be the ideal way to have a good view of them and the landscape. I think that your hard work has paid off even though I know that your are not finished yet. Your plans to join the two tables into one is a smashing Idea. Oh, I can hardly wait to see how this story will end.
    Excellent work! :D

    elizabeth

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    1. Hi Elizabeth, I am so pleased with how it looks plus I have learnt so much about making plants and flowers that I know I will make more for my other projects. Not yet though!

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  5. Beautiful project Janice.

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  6. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. All those hours of knuckle bending back aching work and such a superb result. The characters look very much at home and the see through roof is a great idea :) Thanks so much for sharing this

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    1. I am so glad I found this type of box as it means the flowers will actually be seen after all the blood, sweat and tears. Still a way to go but I really think I might actually finish this project.

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  7. Impresionante,te ha quedado fabuloso!!! Es una explosión de colorido,flores y naturaleza,los personajes se adaptan perfectamente al escenario,la sensación es increíble!!!
    Gran trabajo!!!
    Besos.

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  8. Hello Janice,
    It was well worth all your hard work. The scene is fantastic!
    Big hug
    Giac

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    1. Many thanks Giac, now it's done I can enjoy it!

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  9. Wow, I'd love my garden to look this full in real life! You've done a great job with all your flowers and foliage and I can appreciate the time it must have taken you.

    I placed an order years ago with A Woman's Touch when the maker had her own site and a very similar thing happened. The payment went through but I didn't get my order and there was no replies to emails. I wasn't impressed and although I did like the china, I wasn't going to buy any of it again!

    I hope you manage to find something that will do the job.

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    1. I think they must have closed down in all but name Irene, although the website is still up and running. I had to open a Paypal dispute and then they contacted me in a very shirty email. Not good at all.

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  10. Es impresionante la cantidad de flores que has hecho. Maravillosa mezcla de colores y plantas. Los personajes y el tema encajan perfectamente en medio de toda esa naturaleza.

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  11. Mind-boggling! It really looks like a wonderland! No other word for it. Well, there are other words, but pretty sure I've already mentioned them in previous comments. And LOVE the doormouse! So frickin cute!

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    1. Thank you so much Shannon. It has been great to share and receive so many lovely comments. Like many of us I work in isolation with family and friends having absolutely no interest at all so it means a lot to know that others are enjoying what I have done.

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  12. Wow Janice - that looks sooo good! A lot of work and you must be well pleased with the outcome - super work indeed! Cheers from Down Under!

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    1. Hi Lidi, the colour has definitely cheered me up through our dreary winter months!

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  13. Dear Janice .
    You worked so hard for this scene .
    It is simple amazing . You have got such a talent .
    Hugs Timea

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    1. Hi Timea, flower kits are a great way to start making flowers and then you learn how to play around with your own ideas. Never again though!

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I really appreciate all comments that readers take the time to leave. I try to reply to all of them.