M.I.A. = Missing In Action
elizabeth
elizabeth
 |
| VILLA LEONE |
YES! It has been a VERY LONG time since my last entry- would you believe 7 months!?
(how'd that happen?)
To be frank; back in February/March, I was still thinking that I had plenty of time to get the Villa completed: so I goofed off; sat looking at it; waited for Mojo; made other little things; and for 3 months, I basically just twiddled my thumbs.
When I did feel like working on the villa, I often felt compelled to redo what I'd already done and so I messed up finished work only to regret having tampered with it in the first place- DUH!
Then before I knew it; July and August, were on my doorstep and for no good reason, the electrics wouldn't work anymore... MOMMA MIA!!!
MORE UNDOING and Rewiring amid extreme hot flashes and long sleepless nights.
So now it's done and here I am again-
Tired but Happy!:D
VILLA LEONE's been completed,
(with MOST of its lights still working)
AND it also
WONFIRST PLACE
at
the Vancouver Dollhouse Miniature Show
which took place last Sunday -
YIPEEEEEE!!! :D
The photo above was taken by photographer Bonnie Morrison who also won Best In Show for her Main Street: (an entire street of detailed specialty shops)
BEAUTIFUL WORK!:D
Bonnie took photos of all the show entries, and I Absolutely LOVED how she shot mine,
so I asked her permission to use it for my blog:
a Big Thank you to Bonnie, and A Congratulatory Shout Out to you, too! ❤️ ❧❧❧❧ Meanwhile,
here at Studio E,
I have lots of catching up regarding this blog,
so over the next few weeks
I will be posting updates on each finished room of the villa,
as well as introducing its side garden,
which has its own little story to tell.
And although it has been quite a long
while since I last posted,
consider
me and
Villa Leone
M.I.A.
no more!
ciao ciao for now 😎 |
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Congratulations! But... The photo does not show.
ReplyDeleteI guess it really WAS Missing in Action so THANKS for the Head's Up Lone Elizabeth! :D
Deleteelizabeth
Miss E how fantastic !!! such a pity that the photo did not appear on my screen, only a black square with an x !! would have loved to see it, gives us all hope, gives ME hope !!! huggsssss
ReplyDeleteThanks Very Much Stephanie and I THINK that I fixed the "black box" problem!
ReplyDeleteStill learning how to do stuff on my laptop which I should've already learned by now.
Sadly I'm a slow learner when it comes to tech, but better slow than never! ;)
elizabeth
Wow gorgeous !! really !!! thanks for fixing that it's wonderful and encouraging !! big hugsss
ReplyDeleteThanks again and BIG HUGS back, Stephanie!
Deletee
Congratulations!! I can see the photo, but I want more!! :-) I can't wait for future entries so that we can really look at all the lovely aspects of the villa.
ReplyDeleteThank You Very Much Deborah! :D
ReplyDeleteI thought I give just a little preview before even more time elapsed.
I'm took TONS of photos along the way so it is now a question of what to throw and what to show! :D
elizabeth
I am with Deborah - so anxious to see the villa! Sooooo exciting!!!! And also congratulations on the win - well deserved. It looks amazing. X
ReplyDeleteHello Shannon and THANKS for your enthusiasm and congratulations! :D
DeleteI am looking forward to reviewing and posting more photos of the villa too! It took such a long time, with so many twists and turns, that I have all but forgotten how I got here!
elizabeth
La fachada es espectacular.Espero con muchas ganas ver el resto
ReplyDeleteThank You Very Much Isabel! I have never enjoyed building a facade for a dollhouse as much as I have with this one, so I am Very Happy you like it too! :D
Deleteelizabeth
Hi, Elizabeth - I am SO happy that you're back on your blog; I've really missed your posts and Villa Leone. Congratulations on taking first place at the Vancouver show. I'm not a bit surprised, of course. I'm very impatient to see more of Villa Leone. Exciting!
ReplyDeleteMarjorie
Hello Marjorie and Thank You for your Lovely comment! :D
DeleteI have missed posting too, and found that after such a long absence, I'd nearly forgot how!!!
Nevertheless, I shall endeavor to be more regular now that the Villa is finally finished and the pressure is off! :)
elizabeth
I'm one of the very lucky ones who has seen Villa Leone in person. It is fantastic!! We will need lots of detailed photos to show how fabulous it really is.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Linda
Hello Linda and I am the one who feels "LUCKY" to have had soooooo many WONDERFUL CUSTOM- MADE gifts from you, on display within the Villa so Thank You Again my friend, for making Leone feel even more special because of your INCREDIBLE needle work skills! ❤️
Deleteelizabeth
CONGRATULATIONS Elizabeth on winning First Prize. Sorry to hear about yoru lighting dramas - I can only imagine how frustrating that would have been just before the show. So glad you managed to fix it.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see more pictures for this fabulous house.
Anna
Thank You Anna for your Congratulations and for your concern regarding the lighting, because apparently the problem with the electrics continue.
DeleteI turned on the power last night to take photos and one of the lights started smoking!!!! I disconnected the power and found to my dismay, that it there is a short inside a wall sconce :(
I can only THANK GOD that the villa it didn't catch fire at the show! WHEW!
elizabeth
Congratulations! It looks gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI swear lighting is the biggest source of frustration with dollhouses. Drives me nuts!
Thank You Very Much Sheila, and you are Soooooo Right regarding lighting. No matter what I do, there is ALWAYS a problem, yet to not have electrics in my dollhouse isn't even an option- so I suck it up and press on
Deleteelizabeth
El aspecto de la villa es impresionante,magnífico!!!!
ReplyDeleteMuchísimas felicidades por el premio bien merecido!!! Espero ansiosa las fotos de cada habitación!
Besos.
Thank You Pilar for your comment and Congratulations! :D
DeleteI am both surprised and pleased with the exterior of the Villa and although it took a long time before I was satisfied, I DID enjoy it very much! :D
elizabeth
Congratulations for your first place at the Vancouver show, Elizabeth! Well deserved!
ReplyDeleteGood to hear the rewiring now o.K.
Villa Leone is a Master Work!!! Really fantastic.
Have a good sunday, dear Elizabeth!
Thank You Nono for your Lovely comment and Compliments!
DeleteUnfortunately, the wiring continues to act up but last night I finally found out WHY so as of today it is working again- BUT OH- WHAT A HEADACHE!
Now if it will only continue to work for the pictures! Keeping my fingers crossed XX :D
elizabeth
Congratulations Elizabeth with your Price. It is truly deserved.
ReplyDeleteThank You Very Much Jette! :D
DeleteI will be posting more photos room by room in the coming weeks, so stay tuned! :D
elizabeth
Oh my dear Elisabeth. Even from the outside the villa looks stunning! I look forward to the post about the garden. And unless you explained this in an earlier post that I have missed, can you tell me how you make that water?
ReplyDeleteHuibreht
Thank You Very Much Huibrecht! :D .
DeleteI had sooooooo much fun constructing the garden and am excited to talk more about it on my blog.
As to the water feature the process was a long one-
I painted the base and sealed it, then I glued layers of torn blue plastic bags onto the painted surface for waves, followed by many layers of clear tar gel mixed with greens, blues, black and brown inks thickly applied with a spatula, on top of the plastic bag. It was a tedious process but I chose to use this method because I was trying to keep the house and garden removable from the base, just in case....
However, It didn't work because the tar gel has glued both structures to the base, although I could cut them free IF I ever really needed to.
Using a liquid resin would have save me time but my method was an interesting experiment none the less . On the plus side there was NO FUMES and long curing times on the negative side, it used up a lot of expensive product and getting the illusion of depth proved to be a real challenge!
Hope that helps :D
elizabeth
p.s. I shall be providing a few close ups of the water so that you can see i the details better but it looks Best from a distance! ;)
Dear Elisabeth,
DeleteThank you for your answer to my question. This explanation sure helps me a lot! My Huis ter Swinnendael stands in a moat. Like many grand houses of the time did. (it was one of the requirements of being regarded as a noble estate and therefore elligible for taxexemption.🤗 Silly isn't it?) the central part of the house protrudes from the two wings so in order to maintain an even and rectangular base for all three parts I have some 'moat' showing outside the two wings. I look forward to the close ups. 😃👍
Huibrecht
I think that it's TOTALLY COOL that you have such a detailed background story around your Huis ter Swinnendael and having it surrounded by a moat will be even MORE COOL! :D
DeleteCongratulations Elizabeth! The villa is gorgeous and I look forward to seeing more photos of it.
ReplyDeleteYour work approach to this one sounds familiar ;-)
Thank You Very Much Josje! :D
DeleteI think that most of us can relate to the "trials and tribulations" of a tempermental project! :D
When I was up to my neck in it, I thought I would never see the end; But now that it's over, I think " OH BOY! That was FUN!" :D
elizabeth
Congratulations!!! Well deserved! It's absolutely an amazing work. How lucky are the people who saw it in real. I am looking forward to see each room and the garden.
ReplyDeleteGeneviève
Thank YOu Very Much Genevieve! :D .
DeleteI was Very Glad that many people got a chance to see it at the Vancouver Dollhouse and Miniature show both experienced miniaturists; as well as those new to the hobby. :D
elizabeth
Congratulations! A gorgeous masterpiece indeed.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Drora
Thank You for your Lovely comment which is Very Much Appreciated Drora! :D
Deleteelizabeth
I cant wait to see more, I was gone for a while myself but I did make a throne while I was away. I want to see more of the villa just like everyone else :) hope you get to work on it soon
ReplyDeleteLove
Marisa
Good to see you back again too Marisa and Thank You! :D
DeleteFYI, I tried to access your blog but couldn't get into it, but I shall definitely be trying again!
As far as getting onto other projects, that will probably have to wait until after Canadian Thanksgiving in October, meanwhile, I AM contemplating what to do next. ;)
elizabeth
I ment get to work on other projects soon, for some reason my comp misses words
ReplyDelete👍🏾
DeleteBravo Elizabeth! She is bellisimo and deserves first place.
ReplyDeleteThank You Very Much Carrie! :D It was a VERY LONG project and often VERY DIFFICULT one, and there were many times where I felt what it "deserved" was to be kicked to the curb...
Deletethankfully, I managed to restrain myself ;D
elizabeth
*SUBLIME*
ReplyDeleteFélicitations Elizabeth !
Thank You Very Much for your Comment and your Compliment, Joce and may I add that I am also looking forward to seeing MORE of your revamped French Farmhouse: I see you've 'hired' a SPLENDID contractor! ;D
Deleteelizabeth
On ne voit pas grand chose mais ce que l'on voit semble magnifique, vivement le reste des photos. L'électricité des maisons de poupée est un mystère, un jour ça fonctionne puis plus rien, en général on ne sais jamais pourquoi.
ReplyDeleteThank You Jean-Claude for your Compliment and for your Comment and I agree that dollhouse lighting often behaves badly without any provocation or concrete knowledge as to WHY???????
DeleteFortunately I do know why yet I still can't fix it 100% and have to keep my fingers crossed every time I plug in the transformer- ah me.....
elizabeth
Oh Elizabeth! Congratulations for finding your mini mojo! It has moved you into another masterful creation that has a life and soul all it's own! Villa Leone is sbalorditivo!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations as well on winning First Place at the show! I cannot wait for each and every post, process and photo of this amazing build!!!
Thank You Very Much Jodi, for your Wonderful Compliment AND for adding a new Italian word to my limited vocabulary! :D
DeleteI am still kinda mad at mojo for its prolonged absenses during the entire spring and summer, yet as Shakespears said: All's Well that Ends Well :D
I am looking forward to showing more detailed photos because there are specific pieces from within and without; which I am certain you'll easily recognize! ;D
elizabeth
Congratulations Elizabeth!!! I am not surprised though, Villa Leona is amazing and I cannot wait to see every single and marvellous room!
ReplyDeleteMany Thanks to you Alexandra for your all of your Bubbly Enthusiasm! :D
Deleteand I'm looking forward to showing the rooms to you too!
elizabeth
Привет Элизабет! Я поздравляю вас с первым местом! От всего сердца! Ваш дом смотрится великолепно. Я вас понимаю. Подготовка к шоу съедает время. Я очень рада, что ваш дом высоко оценили. Я рада, что смогу наслаждаться вашим рассказом теперь. Я нахожусь в нервном ожидании!!!! :) :) :)
ReplyDeleteThank You Tatiana and you're Absolutely Right about how preparing for a show, "eats up time" but even more so, when you are feeling uninspired for much of it. :(
DeleteAnd I was also a vendor at the show and that occupied time and distracted me from focusing 100% on the Villa as well.
Even so, as with childbirth, once it's all over, you forget MOST of the pain and enjoy your baby ;)
elizabeth
It's great to have you back - I really missed you and your wonderful posts. Fortunately it was a relief to see you commenting which told me you were fine… and now I know you've been very very busy with finishing this masterpiece. It's no surprise anymore that you had no time to post! *LOL*
ReplyDeleteCongrats on winning 1st prize, a well deserved appreciation of all your terrific work that went into this awesome building. Your display is stunning - what a wonderful idea to give a hint of a canal and to add the posts… and the gondola with the project's name. And the house with the terrace garden and the warm lights shining through just a few windows (very realistic) really makes me look forward to see your progress photos. Btw - if I've ever seen a teaser photo than it's this one! ;O)
Hugs
Birgit
Awe.... Thank You Very Much Birgit!!! :D
DeleteI tried to keep my fingers in the pie when it came to commenting for the very reason you've cited, and often when I was feeling the full weight of this project, it was by visiting other blogs and keeping in touch with ongoing projects which kept me hopeful that ONE DAY, Leone will be finished and ready to show too! :)
And what can I say about the photo except that I Fell in LOVE with the picture Bonnie took, as soon as I saw it!
It captures all the romantic atmosphere I was striving for, both in the way she's framed it and how she's added the black background for contrast: she's an absolute Pro with a camera! :D
elizabeth
Congratulations! Your Villa Leone is magnificent.
ReplyDeleteThank You So Much Faby!!!! :D
DeleteI am soooo Glad that you like the Villa and believe me, there are more photos of Leone, Coming Soon! :D
elizabeth
Dear Elizabeth, I am not surprised that you won! I can only say I am eager to see the Details! That picture is lovely... but what a Tease!!! The lights in the windows... the canal water... the gorgeous stone details... and just a hint of the garden climbing over those walls.... I cannot wait for More!!! Please don't make us wait for long! :):):)
ReplyDelete(Oh, and Congratulations!!!!!!!) :):)
Hello Dear Betsy and Thank You for your Delightful comment! :D
DeleteAfter such a long hiatus, I needed to get SOMETHING up on my blog, but there's a HUGE backlog of photos which I still have to sort through, and that will take a bit more time.
So it's just a wee taste for now. ;)
elizabeth
All glorious things are worth the wait...Villa Leone is no exception! Congratulations on the first place win at the Vancouver show as it is obviously a well chosen and deserved award. Your work is inspirational and the blog is such a joy to follow and read...I've learned so much from your efforts to create a realistic world in miniature. The details that are you include in your builds are exceptional and exceptionally beautiful...words often fail me in trying to capture the essence of Villa Leone...thank you for sharing it with us and the additional photos and descriptions in the near future. Cheers, Alayne
ReplyDeleteThank You for your Lovely comment Alayne, which I Appreciate Very Much! :D
DeleteI am never very confident regarding my own work, so the generous encouragement which I receive from my family, friends and followers; motivates me to keep on going. Still not where I want to be, but perhaps One Day I'll get there! :D
elizabeth
Dear Elizabeth, for some reason I have trouble posting comments on blogspot from Safari and lately I'm not on my computer...
ReplyDeleteWaiting to see the interiors, I congratulate you on winning the first place!
Hugs
Ersilia
Thank You Very Much for your Congratulations Ersilia and you are not alone when it comes to your difficulties in posting comments, as sadly, I have heard that from others too!
DeleteIn any case I am SO GLAD that you are able to leave a comment today,
and I hope to have a little more to for you to see; sometime next week. :D
elizabeth
Enhorabuena, tu casa lo merece porque es preciosa !!!
ReplyDeleteThank You Very Much Eloisa for your Congratulations and for saying that my house is Beautiful! :D
ReplyDeleteIt is kinda funny because throughout its construction; the more crumbling and old I tried to make it, the more Beautiful it became to me too! :D
elizabeth
Congratulations! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope you are back for good. :)
Thank You Very Much Kamilia;
Deleteand YES I am! :D
elizabeth
Congratulations! Villa Leone looks so beautiful. I love it! The house, the water, I wish I could shrink myself and spend a weekend there. I'm so happy to see you back again.
ReplyDeleteThank You and Hello again Penelope! :D
DeleteIt makes me VERY happy that you like the looks of Villa Leone and I must say that it has had MANY different looks over the course of 2 years! When I look back over the in progress photos I am ASTONISHED at all of its different transitions. During the course of my upcoming posts I shall try and include some of them as well, for reference. :)
elizabeth
Congratulations Elisabeth! Of course it won! I’m sure none of the other entries could hold a candle to the wonderful Villa. And yes, I’m with Deb.. I was full recaps of each room and that garden that I spy and has me very intrigued. ☺️
ReplyDeleteThank You Very Much Sam!!! :D
DeleteThere were LOTS of Amazing entries at the Vancouver Dollhouse and Miniature show this year and Each Winner brought something Different and Unique to display, so winning First Place was definitely an Honour!
I will be beginning by showing more of the exterior AND the garden in my next post so you won't have too much longer to wait! :D
elizabeth
Congratulations! The photo AND of course the Villa are breathtaking!!
ReplyDeleteMany Thanks Linda I Really Appreciate your comment and your Compliment regarding Bonnie Morrison's TERRIFIC photography! :D
DeleteI shall be posting more photos next week; providing more details of the Villa. :)
elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth! Oh, I can't tell you how I missed your (XXXXLLLL:o)) blog posts about Villa Leone, and just now I'm returning into the blog world again, you've a surprise for me: you wrote a short one, hehehe ;O! Now I know what you were doing all the past time hehehe: redoing lots of things, as you always do ;)! But your most excellent news is that you won FIRST PLACE at the Vancouver Dollhouse Miniature Show: WOWIE!! My sincere congrats, it's so well deserved!!!
ReplyDeleteYou're right Mrs. E this picture of your Villa is an excellent one!
I'm now looking forward to see more of the villa in the next blog post, I can't wait to see them!
Hugs, Ilona
Hello again to you Ilona, and Thank You for your Congratulations AND for letting me know that I've actually Surprised You by the shortness of this post! heeheehee :D
Deleteelizabeth
Congratulations on your well deserved win, Villa Leone is absolutely beautiful. It's good to see you back.
ReplyDeleteThank You Very Much Polly! :D
DeleteI am Very Happy to have such a Gorgeous photo by Bonnie to showcase in this post, however I am already itching to get busy on another project, which I hope to be posting about very soon.
elizabeth
Congratulations on your win - well deserved. I've been "MIA" too and am only now catching up. I can't wait now to see all your updated photos. I'm in need of inspiration!
ReplyDeleteHello Irene and THank You Very Much!!!! :D
DeleteI am being lazy at the moment regarding the updated photos, as we are having our Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend and lots of prepwork still to do.
Even so, I do have something a little different coming up which may serve while you're waiting.... ;)
elizabeth
Che meraviglia, hai completato Villa Leone!!
ReplyDeleteSono molto felice per te e molto impaziente di vedere tutto quello che hai realizzato!
Congratulazioni anche per la vittoria! ^_^
Capita di restare lontani dal blog per molti mesi, anche io ho ricominciato da poco a lavorare alla dolls house e ad aggiornare il blog da poco tempo... l'importante è fare ciò che ci fa stare bene e anche prendere delle pause, se ne abbiamo bisogno!
ReplyDeleteThank You Very Much Elene' for your note of Congratulations, which I Appreciate VERY MUCH! :D
I have been quite lazy lately and not attending to my blog as I should but as you've stated, it IS important to do what makes us feel good AND to take some PAUSES, "when we need them". Burn out can happen at any time and to be honest, the Villa took a lot out of me especially towards the end.
Your new dollhouse project sounds intriguing and I am looking forward to attending your blog, now that you're posting again! :D
elizabeth
I missed so many posts .... You have created so many beautiful things. I am glad that you did not have an extended tour of Villa Leon. I congratulate you on your first prize! It is very deserved! Appearance looks very real! The depth of water, the old building, love, secrets and long life ...
ReplyDeleteBravo, Elizabeth
Thank You Very Much and Welcome Back Tatiana! :D
DeleteI have put off having the entire Villa Leone tour until June 2020, as I got caught up in the 2019 Christmas rush and became totally distracted; so you really haven't missed Anything! ;D
But Yes! The old building DOES contain secrets of love and long life in the depth of the aqua blue water-
just ask Casanova! ;D
elizabeth