The Texas Miniature Showcase

Well - I am finally posting about my trip to The Texas Miniature Showcase!

It was my first miniature show ever and I was so excited I had a very difficult time falling asleep the night before! My Aunt drove up from Houston to go with me and my husband said he would go as well! (I warned him that if he came he was NOT allowed to say at any time that he was bored.... he did a very good job and I think he had fun too!:)

Anyway, I also got to meet Texas Belle!!!!! It was great getting to meet up with her. We went and had lunch and shared our treasures we had found that morning. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon walking around together trying to keep track of my aunt - haha! I can't wait for her to come over sometime to see the mini-mansion!

It was such a blast!! I'm gonna show you my favorite things I got from the show for the Addamses!

First, this is a piece by an artist named T. Dudley. It's a spider in a cage and he was just perfect to be Wednesday's pet spider, Homer. My Aunt actually got him for me!! I was jumping up and down I was so excited! It's about an inch long to give you an idea of scale.



The mounted moose horns you see sitting on the mantel here is another piece I found made by T. Dudley. The funny thing is that I bought these at two different stands and they were made 5 years apart.... The spider with cage was made in 2010, and the moose horns were made in 2005. I will be mounting the moose horns higher of course but I really like them and they are the closest I have found that look real!

And lastly this is a Bespaq piece that I found at a booth that was perfect for Gomez!! My Aunt bought this for me as well! She also got me the lamp and the small tobacco set for the top of the desk! Now I am ready to get the second level of the mansion going! Thank you Aunt Debbie! Gomez is finally ready to light up one of those cigars and sit back and relax in his office!


I had such a fun time.... I'm looking forward to next year! (The Addamses are too!)

Swap With Kate: Welcome to Cousin Itt and family!

As you can see..... a few more Addamses have come home!! Morticia and Thing are seen here greeting Cousin Itt and his son, Cousin What!! Aren't they fabulous! Both of these were made by the wonderful Kate Whittaker!! She has really outdone herself for this one. I just wish I could put some kind of 3D app on this blog so you could see all the detail in these pieces!!

Because Cousin Itt was a little hard to see in the dark house I wanted to do a quick family portrait for them against a white back drop! Kate made everything.... the tiny coffin, Baby What, and even the precious pacifier (or Dummy... I just learned that from Kate) in his hairy little mouth! Ahhhh - I love them!

Also notice that she made the wheels into spider webs and there are two spiders joining Baby What wherever he may be going.

And I also wanted to show you the back of the coffin stroller! So cute!

Kate, thank you so so much for this wonderful swap!! I had so much fun and I can't tell you how excited I am to have two more of the Addams clan at home!! I really fuels my fire to get some things done! Big hugs from across the ocean!!

***
Oh yes.... and I was also gonna show what I made for Kate. But please stay tuned to her blog because when she is able she will show pictures of it in her project!!

She asked me if I could try making a wicker baby bed for her Sweeney Todd project. If you haven't seen the movie, Sweeney finds his daughters old bed.... all tattered and torn. So that is what I created. Its not just like the one in the movie but its based off of Kate's vision of what she wanted.

It was really fun making this for her because I got to try out some new techniques!!

Kate, as always, swapping with you was a blast! I look forward to the next time!!! -Ara

Off Topic: Gift for my Mother

Hi Everyone,

I know this isn't Addams Family related but this is something I've worked on lately and I wanted to show you guys :) I have had in the back on my head for a while plans on how to make a working miniature recliner. Well I finally got started on it and I couldn't think of a better material to cover it in than my grandfathers old work shirt!

I remember for years when I was younger that he would come home from work and plop down in his recliner and sleep for a few minutes before dinner. Of course us grandkids would either disrupt his slumber or make fun of his amazingly loud snoring!!! haha.
Anyway he passed away several years ago but I have held on to several of his old shirts.

This chair went to my mother for this past mothers day. I knew she would love it because of the connection to her father and because.... of course her child made it :) It now sits in her curio cabinet of memories and I am so proud for it to be there!!

Anyway - I plan to make some more of those recliners and sell them (without my grandfathers shirt upholstery of course!!)

Since this was the first one I ever made there are a few improvements I will make on the next few but I really like it! Let me know what you think!!

-ara

Business is Booming and I am Tired!!

But good tired!!

I know y'all don't want to hear another blog on why I've been such a very bad blogger and blogging friend. But its good news this time! I have been really working on trying to get Bentley House Productions up and running and I guess I've done something right!

I got my first order off of Etsy this past week and I am just over the moon about it! Plus I have 2 custom orders that I am working on at the moment. Plus lots and lots of plans!!! Those of you doing Alice in Wonderland tea party scenes.... stay tuned for chairs, chairs, chairs!!! (hopefully they'll be coming soon!

Plus I've got a few side swaps going (kate.... I'm getting started this week!! promise!!) (oh and Jayne.... your piano bench will be coming soon!) Phew!!

I can't tell you how upset the Addamses are at me right now as their mansion has coming to a grinding hault! Its just sitting on my desk collecting dust at the moment (not that they mind too much - they like dust).

I need to do something for them soon.... because its not really good to get on the bad side of the Addams Family.... I am thinking I might make some of those lovely skull candelabras like Tabitha did. She sent me some beads and instructions for it so I have NO excuse!!

OK - well thanks for everyone for still staying tuned to my silent blog! You guys are awesome!!

The Addams Family: An Evilution (Book Review)

Hello All,

Well I am very honored to write this post. A publisher from Pomegranate Communications (click here for their website and purchasing info) contacted me about writing a review for a new Addams Family book after she found my blog!

She sent me a complimentary copy so that I could read through it. Oh boy... what a treat!! If you are at all interested in the Addams Family this would be a great book for your collection! It's entitled, "The Addams Family: An Evilution" by H. Kevin Miserocchi (Illustrations by Charles Addams...of course!).

Because of the new Addams Family Musical that just came out, this book was put together to reflect on the beginnings of this odd family. I have looked up a lot of information for my project but I found some things in this book I hadn't read anywhere else.

There are descriptions of each character as they were developed by Charles Addams, put together as a family, and notes on how he named and described each one for the famous Addams Family TV show.

A couple tidbits you might find interesting from the book: It talks about how the Addams 'Family' didn't really start as a family! They were all separate characters that ended up coming together in a beautiful way. This book will show you where they first showed up in Addams' work.

*My Morticia admiring a piece of furniture that she says must be in the mansion!

Another little tidbit..... the book explains the origin of 'Thing' (or 'The Thing') which I didn't think was in any of Chas Addams' cartoons.... but he is. But there's the secret! He used to be more than just a helping hand........

*Thing showing me that he did indeed exist in Charles Addams' cartoons. My bad, Thing.

And that's it... you'll have to get the book if you want more!

....Oh, duh, I forgot the best part! This book has some of the best of Charles Addams original cartoons. I can't tell you how page by page I was gaining more and more inspiration for my project! There are more cartoons than words so don't think this sucker will take you long to read..... but you might be caught up for hours looking at the beautiful illustrations!

And the best for last: Here's an amazing cartoon showing the woeful Wednesday putting a black wreath onto her doll house! How perfect!

Thank you all for reading this review! It's a great book that I will be visiting over and over!

-Ara

*Cartoon images © Tee and Charles Addams Foundation / Courtesy Pomegranate Communications

Off Topic: Quick Apologies

Hi Everybody,

Just wanted to say sorry for not being able to keep up with everyone's blogs for the past two months or so!

You'd think that leaving my day job would give me MORE time on the internet... but apparently not! See at my desk job... I was in front of the computer for 9 hours straight.... and your blogs were the only thing that kept me sane!

Now I am in and out of the house (substitute teaching, running errands, cleaning house, etc...) and I am not at the computer near enough! I really miss reading everyone's blogs everyday and I am trying to set up a schedule for myself so I can do that BECAUSE you guys in blog land are super important to me!

I've been trying to catch up every now and then but please excuse me if I miss something while I figure out my schedule!

Coming up soon.... an Addams Family Book Review (kind of a history of the family)! Exciting!!

And then hopefully some minis when I can get back to that! (once again, you'd think I'd have more time... hahaha)

Hugs, Ara

Off Topic: Piano for Jayne

Good morning all! Just wanted to share my other half of the swap I had with Jayne... I am not as quick as she is so mine went to her a few weeks after I received Cleopatra for my Addams conservatory!

I asked Jayne what she would want as a return swap and she mentioned her Pickled Vicar Project! Perfect!!! If you are not sure what it is please visit her blog here..... but to summarize (and correct me on anything I get wrong, Jayne) it is a pub that is in an old church building!! How perfect!

So I tried to think of what a church building and a pub might have in common.... and of course I thought of a piano! Early last year I had built an organ for Lurch with working keys so I just duplicated the same design for this piano. These keys work as well (Murph is demonstrating in the last photo).

I tried to make it look like an instrument an old church lady would play... but now all faded and dusty and with wood cracks and warps!

Jayne is pleased with it so I am too..... but dumb me forgot the piano bench! Off to work on that! haha!