zaterdag 19 januari 2013

Storage room finished-or is it?

Warning: This is going to be a long post, so poor yourself a drink or a coffee before you continue.


First a word to my dear readers: sorry to have stalled this post for so long.
I've been living in a kind of  brain fog for the last 2 months, almost all this time the storage room has been as it is today, I just could not bring myself to making any pictures of it.
Tonight I decided it was about time I'd kick myself in the butt and finally make those pics, so here they are.
I did not keep up with all of your posts but promise I will try to read them all in the upcoming week.
Again: sorry!

I am very glad and relieved that our friend John returned to blog-land and is on the mend, welcome back John, you have been missed!

To my new followers: glad you have decided to join! I hope you will feel right at home here and that you will enlighten me with your ideas and opinions. Please don't be a stranger and let me know what is on your mind :).

OK, on to the storage room...



The ceiling and walls are from acid free cardboard, primed and painted.
The shelf supports are made out of molding and stained.
I believe I showed the terracotta tile floor before, I've smudged the floor and walls using chalks, then I made the scaffolding (don't know another word for it) for the wine barrels to lay upon.
The signs on the barrels (the swan, the crown etc.) are that of 18th century breweries.
When I laid my eyes on the little silver taps I was so enthusiastic about them I just had to have them; aren't they just adorable?




On fairs years ago I obtained the jugs on the top shelf, the little barrels in a lighter colored wood, the stone pots at the opposite side which ''contain'' oil, butter and brine fish, the little stone barrel at the left on the bottom shelf and the pottery wine bottle in the basket on the floor.
I've made a little wooden floor to put against the wall to keep the flour, potatoes and nuts dry from a dampened floor.

Glass work upside down on the bottom shelf above the wine barrels is from Gerd Felka, at least I am sure the carafes are. I bought them about 15 years ago so I'm not sure about the outer ones.
The domes in front of the carafes are so tiny and so beautifully made, it is a pity that does not show in the pictures.







                                                               

There are all kinds of vegetables on the floor, the shelves and hanging from the walls: red cabbage, celery, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, red peppers, mushrooms, leeks, onions, peas, beets, beans, asparagus, onions and others.
There are several kind of sausages, sliced and as a whole, a just skinned rabbit, a duck, roast of beef and bacon, several fishes, dried fishes as well, and scampi.
There also is a cold dish, deviled eggs, cheese, pickles, and bread hanging in a reed basket from the wall.
Further there are pies, pastries and pudding and of course there are fruit like grapes, oranges, plums, pears etc. and jams also. Most food has been made somewhat dirty using chalks to imitate them just being gathered.



I had to take out a lot of vegetables because there just was not enough room for it all.
Never mind, there still will be a dining room table and a kitchen to fill.
And it was a nice way of wasting time and still doing something useful; when you start at making food from polymer clay, you just can't stop the ideas popping into your head so in fact one could see it as a curse too.
The red cabbage and onions were made by Annette, who is a Dutch Fimo artist, the scampi was made by Angie Scarr and the pudding was a gift.


On the top shelf left to the (outside)door are glass jars containing all kinds of herbs and spices, there are miniature cinnamon rolls, real vanilla beans, and mini whole nutmeg. The jars are closed with a little leather patch.



I could not imagine that there would not have been mice in such a place, so I've made a mousetrap on the floor in front of the wine barrels from scrap wood and another mouse is stabbed to death with a knife.


repositioned the stabbed mouse:



In this era there would be a fence around the wine barrels and the meat to prevent the staff from stealing food, but to favor the visibility I left them out.
As you can see in the next pic I did make them so I'm not just saying this to weasel out, lol. Maybe I will still put them in at a later time.



On the far right there is a place for household and cleaning utensils.
Baskets are hanging from the ceiling as they would get in the way otherwise when not in use.
the brooms are from a McQueenie kit,  the giant glass thing on the right on the bottom shelf against the back wall is a wine bottling bottle with pressure overflow made by Dieter Dorsch.
A butter churn on the floor and on the shelf is a wooden crate that contains real pieces of soap.


To make a long story even longer:
The fun in decorating a room like this is that it is never finished.
Just an hour ago I found a workshop for making herbs, so naturally I will have a go at that, herbs hanging to dry: I could just picture that.
Maybe a cat hunting the mice or a mouse hole in the wall with a mouse trying to get out.
Probably more brooms and brushes will be added, as well as tools to clean the windows, clumps or whatever else comes to mind.
I still have to finish the left door and make the right door, but I'll do that once I'm starting work on the hall.











I hope you all liked the peek in the storage room!
Take care all,

Hugs,
Gee






I have put in a (not so good) picture of the stabbed mouse so John can stop his search ;)