Wish me luck

I have been drooling over a premade Victorian kitchen for months, but even with 40% off I could not bring myself to spend that kind of money. Instead, for under $25.00 I purchase 5 1970s House of Miniature kits and plan on building my own. Please wish me luck.

False stairway

My $5.00 box from Michaels and some odds and ends will make a pretty good addition to the pub kitchen.

False Hallway - Getting Started

I am currently working on a "false" hallway for the kitchen.  The pub will have two cooking areas; the downstairs prep kitchen and the upstairs plating area.  I am building a false back for the downstairs kitchen, which will have stairs to the upper floor.  It is difficult to tell in the photo, but the staircase carpet looks so much better after I took a piece of sandpaper to it.  There are now holes where the steps will be and the color is faded.  It now matches the rustic look of the stucco hallway.  The walls are drying and I am itching to get this put together.  I hate waiting!

Potatoes!

I tried my hand at tiny potatoes today. A pot is full and ready to put on to boil, but it looks like someone got tired of peeling!

I decided to have two kitchens in the Judge and Gibbet; a prep kitchen on the bottom floor and a kitchen above, where the bread is baked and sandwich meat and cheese is stored.  I "baked" some bread today.  This was my first try and I think I will add more color to the next batch.

The East Side Townhouse that will soon be The Judge & Gibbet arrived!  Danny seemed undaunted when we opened the box holding a million little pieces.  I was excited to see that the rooms will be huge!  While Danny does the difficult part, I am busy putzing with what will be the bar.  No walls, no real floor, but it is still fun to play.

 I love this little bar.  I found it online for a very reasonable price along with the tiny stools.  I was very pleased with the quality.

 I couldn't help but set up the game of Five Finger Fillet.  Kiva's jar of fingers is fantastic! The latest addition to the morbid collection sits in a puddle of the losers blood. Once I set up the scene for real, I will make a number of holes in the bar, as if many games have been played in this spot.

I started collecting for the Judge & Gibbet bar by purchasing a few used lots on eBay from a single seller.  This can be risky, but I really lucked out this time.  I paid such a low price for the big box of used items that I wasn't expecting much.  The items had been sitting in a garage for years, so when I opened them up, one at a time, they were covered with dust and muck and surrounded by a few insect corpses. Also included were a number of unopened furniture kits that I can't wait to put together.

The seller was up front about the condition and a joy to work with.  After unwrapping each treasure, I was amazed at how many items I was left with!

It is difficult to see, but the top case is FILLED with wonderful glass items; bottles, glasses, canisters, jars...oh my.  These plastic bead cases are great for storing minis. (Some of the items shown are ones that I already had.)

With so much to work with, I could not help myself and started to put a few things in the kitchen shell.  Even without wallpaper, windows or trim, an unwanted guest already came to stay!

I can't wait to start making "meat" pies for the bar in my little kitchen and creeping things up a bit.

I am still in the "collecting" phase for the Judge and Gibbet. I found this lovely doll on eBay. As is tradition, she was very inexpensive, because nobody wanted her.  I am glad to give her a home.  The fact that her head is not attached, just makes her more fun.

I spent my Sunday making a sailor's lunch for the Judge and Gibbet. Sitting on a piece of "real" Swiss cheese:  Escargot, blue cheese, grapes, black sausage, brie, salami, a soft boiled brown egg and a few pretzels. I still dislike the way I am happy with my projects until I see all of the faults.  Practice, practice, practice!!

While I am saving for the East Side Townhouse that will be home to my new project, The Judge and Gibbet, I plan on making enough food to fill the bar and the kitchen. As I mentioned before, I am very rusty, but hopefully with practice, I will get better.  Following is the layout for the pub:  Bottom floor, main bar and bar kitchen, second floor, more bar seating with fireplace, (including roasting pig on a spit).  Also on the second floor, a room for the "seamstress".  Hers will be double room, extending in the back of the structure so that she can have a salle de bain of her own.  The third floor will hold private bar seating and a tattoo parlor. On top, the most important area, the home to the pub owner.  This is where he sleeps in his coffin and "takes care of", unsavory customers before they can bring harm to the small town he has come to love.  I am still in the planning stages, so if anyone has any ideas, please feel free to share them.

After a sailor brought Miss Irma a coconut from the South Pacific, she asked the bartender to mix her up a fancy drink. Joe did his best with what he had to work with.  He even fashioned a fancy umbrella for the "seamstress" who works above the bar.

I am not terribly happy with the coconut, but intend on practicing a lot more!

Because the Judge and Gibbet is a coastal bar, I thought there may be a sailor or two who would want some spam musubi. I had some trouble getting everything tightened up, but it was a fun attempt. The tiny plate is sitting on an egg for size reference.

If yesterday taught me anything, it is that I am extremely rusty at making mini food.  My last attempt was twenty years ago, and I gave up after making a very ugly plate of sushi. It is going to take a lot of practice, but I would like to fill my bar with mostly homemade wee food so that I can keep my budget down enough to get a few more of Kiva's wonderful pieces as well. Here is my attempt at pork and beans, pickled eggs and olives.  My bacon turned sideways in the jar, but I am going to try not to sweat it, as the lid is now glued on.