Another Literary Loss: Historical Novelist Victoria Thompson

 

Sadly, I just heard that a favorite author, Victoria Thompson, passed away. I enjoyed her Counterfeit Lady 5-book historical mystery series, beginning with City of Lies, and have been reading gradually through my favorite series of hers, the Gaslight Mysteries.

The Gaslight Mysteries focus on midwife Sarah Brandt, who also is daughter of one of the richest men in the city, and is one of the founding Knickerbocker families in 1890s New York. Her somewhat unconventional life of supporting herself after the death of her late non-society doctor husband has Brandt now helping women in childbirth and occasionally helping Police Sgt. Frank Malloy solve crimes she may hear about or come across in her work. While fiction, the books do focus on realistic events of the time period.

 The series starts with book 1, Murder on Astor Place, where Brandt discovers a girl from a prominent family has been killed and helps Sgt. Malloy uncover who did it before another death occurs.  

It's a fascinating series, with each book (27 in the series) often featuring crimes related to different issues of the period and societal problems that are still relevant today. It's been interesting to read about the suffragettes, to the prejudice against the early Chinese settlers and mixed marriages, to drug abuse (opium/laudanum), other crimes, and more. 

I recently finished book 16, A Murder in Murray Hill, which involves missing women, lonely hearts ads, and sexual abuse. Some things never change. I just started book 17, Murder on Amsterdam Avenue, centering on the death of the son of a wealthy family who think he was poisoned. Brandt and Malloy uncover secrets stretching back to the Civil War.

It's nice to read a multi-book series and I'm glad I have a ways to go until the end, though it's sad that it will end with book 27, A Murder in Rose Hill, which just came out in April. Unless.... I wonder if she did write another? 

I'm just sorry I didn't email her to say how much I've enjoyed these books. A lesson: contact that author you love reading. I know I appreciate when someone lets me know they like something I've written.

Halloween: Abandoned Miniature Room Update

 

Ta-dah! I love-love-love this room!

This was really a fun project to do. Relatively quick and the best part is you don't have to really worry if you mess something up! haa! (Click photos for full size.)

The room (see the start of it here) is set in a photo box (5 1/2" h, 8 1/2" w, 3" d) that I picked up cheap at Goodwill. I find these and set them aside until I think of something to put in there. Once I saw my friend Gigi's teensy abandoned room it seemed like the perfect project idea. Easy enough project just using junk and stuff you have lying around, plus scrapbook paper and part of a wood placemat.

To finish it off, I decided to glue a scrap of old lace hanging over one window and added dirty cobwebs on the walls. I put in some garbage, abandoned flowerpots, a broken pot, a soda can, books, old newspapers, and a forgotten painting. I still want to add a teensy mouse in the one pot next to the couch once I find one. I didn't glue all that stuff down yet, but I think I will as I don't want to keep putting it back in place. I may yet add a small broken looking light on the table so there's a bit more light as long as it's not too bright.

The whole room lightened to see it better.

The best part, I think, was adding a flickering light (the base from one of those cheap tea lights) behind the couch to look like a flame. I thought it looked like a fire was starting behind the broken old couch. Cool, huh?

So, what do you think?

The big question: now what do I do next???? 😉

* Thanks again for visiting. Stay tuned for more projects and Halloween posts coming soon! Don't forget - you can subscribe to post headline updates via email in the left column. * 

Halloween: Poison Plants & Abandoned Chair

 

With Halloween season underway, I'll be ramping up posts, some short, some revisits, as I have quite a few projects I've done over the years.

For now, I almost forgot about the neat poison plants I was working on! I start or finish stuff, then put it away and forget about it. haa! 

I finished these Poison Ivy plants from an SDK Miniatures kit. They really turned out great. I still have more leaves left over and a couple other plants to do like this Poison Sumac. Haunted houses need the right plants, you know. 💀. All are half-scale, 1/24th. (Click photos for full size.)

Then, as I'm still working on the Abandoned Room project made in a small photo box, I found a few more of these plastic Victorian chairs and couches I'd stashed away. As this one had broken legs already, I decided to remove the faux red velvet fabric and reupholster it with dirty, torn fabric to match the rickety couch. 

I had this little table I might add, too, and I'll be looking for a smaller LED lamp I can put on it, unless I find the right parts to make one. It does need a bit more light.

I also want to add the torn books yet plus some junk and garbage lying around. Getting there!

More to come!  Thanks for visiting! Stop back soon for more updates. * Don't forget to sign up for email updates in the left column so you know when there's a new post.

Halloween: Abandoned Room 2

Still working on the abandoned room project I started recently. The background and ceiling - scrapbook paper; floor - wood placemat - are done and I'm really happy with the results. I may put curtains up, or some raggedy remains yet though it is fine as is. This is something I've wanted to try for awhile so finally had the right container to do it. The photo box is  5 1/2" h, 8 1/2" w, 3" d.  (Click photos for full size.)

Funny, as it turns out I switched the windows by mistake, though it doesn't really matter. Either side worked for either window. The photo below is to show the lights as it's hard to take a pic of it lit up.

I know, it's so small, what's taking me so long? Well, I decided it needed another light, and the problem I had was getting the corner lantern lit... I couldn't seem to get the push-button connector to work for some reason. It lit if I touched the light wires to the battery itself, but wouldn't work otherwise. Hate when there's a hold-up - this was giving me fits! The solution: always works - soldered the connections and now they'll stay. 

It's not real bright; probably would be brighter if I'd used AA batteries but that's okay. It'll work. I didn't want it super bright. I made the lantern using one of those plastic Christmas lanterns, then drilled a hole in the bottom and glued painted mat board around the bottom to cover the wires. I put a painted jewelry finding on top, though it's not really visible. There also are two yellowish-tone LED lights behind the windows. 

I do have some of the furnishings figured out. Just have to age and destroy them. ha! It's a good way to dig in my stash for things that got messed up or I don't mind dirtying up. That'll be next.

Got the couch done, so thought I'd share. Made of mat board, rickety, broke... and a dirty rug.... That really adds a dingy touch! 💀

More photos as more stuff is added! Pretty cool, huh? I'll be adding more cobwebs in the room, too. 

I hate that summer is almost over, but I am sooo ready to go to a miniatures show! The next one is a ways off yet, however - not until Nov. 8-9 in Elk Grove Village, Ill.  I really look forward to these events!

* Thanks again for visiting! Don't forget, you can sign up for the email headline updates in the left column. I plan on doing more Halloween-related posts soon!

New Halloween Project: Abandoned Room

 

Hey, it even has a ghost already! haa! (Click photos for full size.)

While I'm working on furniture kits here and there, I've been deciding what larger project to do next.

I am leaning toward starting the half-scale country cabin kit I got awhile ago  - the Alisha Country house kit from Laser Dollhouse Designs. I have an idea of turning it into a more contemporary house, kind of black and white, which would be very different for me. But... I will put touches of color. I can't help it! Eventually, as I have to do some planning first since I want to change some things around in the house and it'll probably be the winter project. 

I'll also start setting up the small Halloween display in the real house. Will be nice to have something up and lit. In the meantime while I work (yes, still!) on decorating and filling the Van Buren dollhouse for Halloween, I thought of doing something smaller as an in-between project.

The box looks better painted gray. (Excuse the light on the glass.) (* See the room update here.)

I had another photo box sitting around, (this one is 5 1/2" h, 8 1/2" w, 3" d) that is smaller than the one I used for the Tiki Bar. I buy these things at Goodwill and set them aside until an idea hits. So.... once I saw my friend Gigi's teensy abandoned room, part of the Robin Betterley 2023 calendar club kit project, I realized the photo box would be perfect!

Here's the club kit:

Here's Gigi's teensy abandoned room which is sooo cute!

I like doing haunted houses and that, but I also like the messy, abandoned look which I haven't done yet. Believe it or not, it's really hard to totally mess something up, especially after you put a lot of work into making it!!

So that is the plan here: a fully abandoned half-scale room. I like the idea of building up the floor, too, to have the ground showing underneath as above.

  Some supplies to start:

First, I painted the whole box gray and will add some black over it for aging. I cut a false wall out of mat board and cut window holes in it. I have a couple Grandt Line plastic windows I've had awhile that work well since I'll be wrecking everything. I got them cheap so I won't feel bad messing them up. I put some LED lights behind the wall to light it up, dimly, of course! I also put a magazine landscape on the back wall behind the windows. I put wood sticks behind the wall to provide some space behind the windows.

Here's the wall so far (not glued in and paper not glued yet): Yes those are lights behind the windows. I had a two-light string and battery set on hand. (Evan Designs has all kinds of different sets.) I have to wallpaper the wall, and add some moss around the window and on that tree branch. I'll put the floor in after the wall is done and the paper in. 

The wallpaper (scrapbook paper) is cut in strips like real life, then dirtied, torn, pried up, and whatever else. I'll put up dingy ripped curtain remnants too. Might add some falling plaster and have visible brick patches, too. So far, so good!

Accessories will vary as I see what looks right. I have a plastic Victorian couch that will be perfect to break and wreck. I cut part of that bookmark and dirtied it up. (Gasp!) It'll work here. The other part can be a small rug in another room.

It's been pretty fun working on this! Believe it or not, it's actually harder to make something messy. It's hard to decide to wreck kits or furniture on purpose and decorating-wise you don't want to go too far. Or is there really such a thing as too far in an abandoned room? We shall see!

I know, not a lot to show yet, but I think it's turning out pretty good so far. Sometimes a small project is a nice change,  though it often can take as much time as a larger one, right?

Making a list for myself of things I could add in:

* Mice, gotta have mice! Or rats... either way.

* Spider webbing cobwebs     * Broken lamp and end table

* Old picture frames and pictures   * Forgotten toys?

* A discarded suitcase or crate?    * Broken chair?

* A stack of old books and magazines, some with pages torn out.

Other suggestions are welcome. I'll share more pix as I get things done.

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* For fun: Get free mini Halloween cross-stitch patterns (black cat, pumpkin, bat, etc.) I use 22 count cloth for smaller results.

Thanks again for visiting! I appreciate you stopping by! Come back soon for more updates.

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