Tuesday 27 November 2012

Help! I've Lost It!!

Evening everyone!

I hope you're all okay! :)

I am so sorry that I have been away for some time now. I have been so super busy it's unreal! I've had the decorator in the flat for the past week and a bit, so I haven't settled down to do any template work for Old Generals because my flat was in so much chaos - every time I tidied a room, the decorator would empty another into it, so I gave up. My evenings were spent trying to burrow a tunnel through my flat to make it liveable!

Now... the real reason for this post... I wondered if you guys could help me track something down. When I'm doing the templates I use a Scale Calculator, which I found straight away with a simple Google search when I first started this project. Somehow though, I can't remember exactly what I typed in, but it couldn't have been anything spetacular.
I've since done lots of cleaning of files etc on my laptop, and it appears the link got cleaned away too.

This evening, I have set aside some time to get back into the templates and get the outside shell completed. Thing is, I cannot find the calculator anywhere online!!

I am in absolute dispair!!

I have tried all the different ones which keep popping up in my Google searches, but I don't trust them, and I don't like them.

The one I was using was really simple. It was a case of type in the measurement (which was in my case typed in, in inches and mm's). And then in the box below it came out with the 12th scale measurement in inches and mm's. I really liked it because it was so simple to use, easy to see the measurement at a glance and the page wasn't full of distracting text and adverts like all of these other calculators I'm finding.

It was also on a red background.

Please, please someone help me find it?!
I've typed in all kinds of combinations of scale conversion calculators and it's not showing up. If the creator of this calculator has since removed it I will be distraught.

Maybe I should've posted the link on my page here, but I didn't think of this at the time. I'd like to use the same calculator because if there is just the smallest bit of difference between calculations of this site and another it could mess everything up. Plus, I really don't like the way these other calculators are set up and most of them have really distracting pages.

Please, if you recognise the description of the calculator please post up a link :)

Now, I must dash. Got some more Google searching to do!

Thank you everyone!
Hugs ox

Sunday 11 November 2012

Are You Wearing Your Poppy?


Good Morning Everyone!

I hope you are all well today.

This is a very special post today, not miniature related, and something very close to all our hearts. 
Today is Remembrance Sunday. Today is the day we Remember all those who fought and gave their lives for our freedom. 

I'd like to share with you a poem I heard every Remembrance Week in assembly while I was at school. It was always read out by the Team Captains- Hurricane, Spitfire and Lancaster - these were our teams (I was Lancaster). 

It is written by Harry Riley and it is called Remember Me (The voice of the dead.)

Remember me
Duty called and I went to war
Though I'd never fired a gun before
I paid the price for your new day
As all my dreams were blown away

Remember me
We all stood true as whistles blew
And faced the shell and stench of Hell
Now battle's done, there is no sound
Our bones decay beneath the ground
We cannot see, or smell, or hear
There is no death, or hope or fear

Remember me
Once we, like you, would laugh and talk
And run and walk and do the things that you all do
But now we lie in rows so neat
Beneath the soil, beneath your feet

Remember me
In mud and gore and the blood of war
We fought and fell and move no more
Remember me, I am not dead
I'm just a voice within your head

I will be taking part in the silence and watching the ceremonies on TV today. I hope that you will join the millions of people around the world who will also be Remembering. Such as sad, sad day - but we must not dwell on the death, pain and sorrow - but instead celebrate the men who fought for us and for the lives we have today. There are no words to describe such men, Brave and Heroic don't even scratch the surface. 

So, are you wearing your poppy today?

Saturday 10 November 2012

Another Day of Tape Measures and Graph Paper!

Hi everyone,
Hope you're all okay!

I'm sorry I haven't been around these past couple of days, I do have some progress to show you - mainly in the form of pictures though. I've been suffering with sickness again - all day yesterday and today. Been extremely busy at work and if it hadn't been for the manager who works next door in our bar and resturaunt, I don't think I'd have coped! I've been grabbing 10 mins of sleep here and there when I can, but my stomach and my head will not allow me to get any proper sleep! :( Booo!

Anyways, on Wednesday Thomas and I went back to Old Generals and did some more measuring up. This time I was the one who was really late, busy updating our other receptionist who has just gotten back from holiday and paying the tyre man for fixing my flat tyre!

When I got there, Thomas had already measured up quite a few of the "panels."
The way that I'm going to build this house, since it's got so many sides to it and it's such a big house, I will have to do each outside wall as a panel, and then add the internal walls and floors afterwards. This will obviously be tested out in my big cardboard stencil of this build.

Anyways... side tracking! Thomas had provided me with some... er... rough sketches of the sides of the house he had so far drawn. I'll admit, a brief glimpse at these and I understood them, while I was facing the wall we were looking at on paper - sitting on my living room floor inspecting them Wednesday night... hmm, Thomas, I may need you to decifer which drawing is for which wall here? Please?

I managed to snap some amusing pics of Thomas on a ladder though! :D



Each photo was snapped with a rather rude comment from Thomas himself, basically telling me to stop taking pictures. I couldn't. It was too funny. I stopped when he chased me around the house with a wooden ruler though... that was not funny! :'(

But anyways, we got the measuring completed outside - all except for the conservatory. We got all of the measuring done inside too, all except for my bedroom. It was 5pm, pitch black outside and we were freezing (as the house is empty and there's no heating on) and my bedroom is the most complicated room upstairs to measure, so we decided to leave it until next week!

Which gives me a little under a week to get the measurements we took on Wednesday scaled down and draw up so that any mishaps and discrepancies we have over the measurements can be ironed out. The clock is ticking, and I don't have much longer to get everything that I need from this house to begin my build!

I'm going to attempt some sleep now, I need it desperately. So I will bid you all goodnight, and I hope to be back very soon with some proper progress! :D

Hugs ox

Monday 5 November 2012

My 100 Things List - Why Did I Put My Biggest Fear On It?

Evening all!

I have accepted culinary defeat this evening, and the fact that the world has been against me all day!

Constant phone calls...complicated emails...to do lists the length of my arm... I smashed my new mobile phone... smashed my rice jar... burnt wedges... sour milk and no wine - I have slumped onto my sofa, with a mug of hot chocolate (which tastes vile because I picked up the wrong flavour) and I decided since there is nothing on tv I will chat on my blog tonight.

Kim inspired me with this blog post tonight, by revealing her fear to me. And then I thought I would tell you all why I put my biggest fear in the world onto my 100 Things To Do Before I Die post.
Well, the long and the short of it is - how amazing would it be to say that you have faced your biggest fear?

For me, Great White Sharks are my biggest fear. I can't even look at a picture without breaking into a panic attack. Just writing about them now is making my breathing become quicker, I can feel my heart rate beginning to race and I'm already feeling scared. Calm down ShellbyFay, it's not like a Great White is going to blast up through the kitchen sink and eat you whole is it?! Silly.

My biggest fear. To look a Great White in the eye and live to tell the tale will be the biggest achievement in the world for me. I would never want for anything again.

Yes, but why?? It could eat you dammit! Yes, there's that. From what I've heard (and it didn't help my fear) Great White's swallow you whole before they begin chewing and digesting. I've had endless nightmares where I feel trapped - unable to break free from the jaws of a shark - only to realise I've cuccooned myself in my duvet...

Of course I would only do it in the safety of a shark cage... or will I?

See, on my list is 67. Go scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef . Thomas told me last night that there are sharks here. And yes, there was a shark attack there not long ago. But I still want to see this reef.

You see, the thing is about the world, that it seems to be mainly things that can kill us that we fear. For Kim, and I hope you don't mind me using you as an example Kim, heights appear to be her fear. She told me she would have to become a ball at the bottom of the basket if she went for a hot air balloon ride.

But while she's sat in a basket in the foetal position, she's missing the view of the world below her. Everyone walking around, looking like ants. The world, as you would see it, in miniature.
The beauty of the world there for the taking, capture it as a memory. Capture it on your camera, show the world.

Okay, so yeh, looking at a Great White face to face, I won't be seeing it in miniature, it'll probably see me as a miniature snack... but if I could take a photo, prove to the world I did it. I believe it will make me a stronger, happier person in this world with the sense that nothing could get me down! Anyone can do it. Everyone can do it.

Face your fears.

Anyways, that's enough from me this evening.
Take care everyone!
See you soon

Hugs ox






Saturday 3 November 2012

My First Award!

Good evening all!

I told you I would be back today!
I'm sorry I couldn't do this earlier, I was at work and my 100 Things To Do Before I Die post was actually written up over the past couple of days - because it took a lot of thinking! But there I was this morning, logging on at work and checking out my favourite blogs and I had a beautiful surprise!

I clicked on over to my good friend Christine's blog - check it out - Hollyhock Cottage - a miniature home in the 1940s . Christine's work is amazing and I am so honoured to have found she has awarded me with my very first award!!

And here it is:
"I Love To Blog"
 
And do you know the second best bit about this - it was as if blogger sensed my excitment and actually allowed me to upload this picture!! Hurrahhh!! :D
 
Christine, honestly, thank you so much I am so grateful for this award and I'm so happy you thought I was worthy. I'd love to award it back, as I feel you so deserve it, which is why you recieved it in the first place, but I guess that's cheating...
 
Now I assume I have to award this to 6 other people now, and I've been carefully looking and thinking as to who to choose. Straight off the top of my head I could name a dozen - but when checking them out, I realised they had already been awarded this award. I know there are some blogs out there with amazing writers, with some amazing content to share that haven't been awarded this award yet, so I would like to share it with them. And I hope it makes their day just like it made mine.
 
So, in no particular order.
I would like to nominate this award to:
 
Kim, at Flowers & Art, I really enjoy reading Kim's blog and her comments here always make me smile and keep me motivated.
 
My friend Kath, her Lakeview dolls house is fantastic, looking at the pictures is like looking into a home design magazine. Everything is just so right and not a detail missed.
 
Ara, over at Addams Family Mini-Mansion, I've recently been keeping up with Ara's blog alot and I thoroughly enjoy reading her posts. Her Clue blog is pretty interesting too!

Irene at Hambleton Hall, I felt Irene deserved this award because all of her blogs are my biggest inspirations. It doesn't take a genius to work out Irene was born to be a miniaturist!

Peggy at Another Cosy Cottage is a blog I have recently discovered. Peggy makes adorable little needle felted cats! And while I'm talking about Peggy, you should know she is holding a giveaway for one of her needle felt cats - a cute little sleeping one. Here's the link, and I will post up a link image on the side of my blog too. Peggy's Giveaway!

Casey &Tessie a Casey's Minis. I don't think I've ever met a miniaturist who blogs who doesn't know about Casey and Tessie, I felt they deserved this award. Since the award means "I Love To Blog" and Casey blogs everyday, it's pretty obvious she loves blogging - so it suited quite well :)

I hope to be back soon with some actual mini progress on something!

Hugs!
ShellbyFay ox

100 Things To Do Before I Die

Hello everyone!!
I hope you're all okay.
I thought you might have gotten bored with photos of graphs and card board and me banging on about Old Generals Farm, so I thought I would share something, possibly inspiring, with you.

Recently, I've been thinking about the direction in which my life is going, my achievements, my dreams, my goals, my failures. Then I realised, I really haven't done enough to satisfy myself, in the sense that if I died tomorrow I haven't done what I have set out to do! So, while I was in the bath, sipping on wine and Facebook messaging my best friend, Macky (aka Thomas), I wrote up a list of 100 Things To Do Before I Die. Kinda morbid, I know, but how can we each really grasp our lives if we don't set out what we really want to achieve and experience in life?

Sometimes, while writing this list, I found myself at a loose end. So I started searching online for what other people have written on their bucket lists. I felt happier in myself that in some lists, what people consider a goal for themselves, I have already achieved.
For examples:
  • learning how to horse ride,
  • riding a horse bareback,
  • have my own pony (Mr Pickles)
  • taking part in a show jumping competition (albeit I did terrible, but I had the experience),
  • meeting a celebrity and having my photo taken with them (I could name drop here, but I'm not going to.),
  • going camping,
  • picnicing in a grave yard - when I was younger myself, my best friend and her mom went on bike rides and we'd go to a quite little grave yard. While eating our sandwiches we'd walk around and look at the head stones.,
  • Moving out,
  • Experience all 4 seasons. Living in the UK, I experience them - although not to a great extent. I'd like to experience a really warm, romantic Fall. A rainy, refreshing Spring. A hot, blistering Summer. Snow up to my waist in Winter. I hope these more exagerrated experiences will come when I visit other parts of the world. 
And there are more, of course, but these things I have achieved. When I was younger, things like horse riding was my dream and having my own pony. My biggest regret in life is letting that pony go, I should've stuck with horse riding when I started secondary school. Sigh.

But moving on swiftly - I thought I'd share my Bucket List of 100 Things To Do Before I Die and see what you guys think. Thomas is also going to write one, and we have decided that over the next few years we will help each other achieve our dreams.

We've already started planning a trip to Paris, and I'm looking at tickets to see Bon Jovi! :)
This is what I came up with:
100 Things To Do Before I Die
1.  Do a skydive for charity
2. See Aerosmith perform
3. See Bon Jovi perform
4. See Pink! perform
5. Complete Old Generals Farm 12th Scale
6. Raise £10,000 for Air Ambulance (realistic goal of £1000 a year for 10 years doing some kind of amazing event - maybe something that can tie in with my 100 list.)
7. Have at least 2 children - at least 1 girl. I will name her Nevaeh. (Heaven spelt backwards)
8. Own my own hotel - my dream - a big eco friendly, luxury hotel in the Lake District with different rooms dressed in period styles with modern facilities. Offering long country walks, picnic spots, fishing and horse carriage rides to a nearby village. A real couple's romantic getaway.
9. See Flo Rida! perform
10. Go to a silent rave!
11. Run a very successful Etsy shop
12. Travel the world!
13. Fly!(in an aeroplane.)
14. Visit Paris
15. Visit New York
16. Visit Los Angeles
17. Visit California
18. Visit Eygpt
19. Visit Australia (Christine put the kettle on!)
20. Have a 6 pack! (Weird, but yes, I'd like a 6 six pack for at least 1 month! Haha.)
21. Get married
22. Own/Hire a volkswagon mini van (pale blue one) and tour the UK (Scotland, Wales and right down to the bottom and back again) with Thomas! (He hates mini vans and is secretly dreading this! haha)
23. Visit Italy!
24. Drive a funky scooter thing in Italy!
25. Live in a totally French inspired cottage in the country
26. Own a Shetland pony
27. Own another German Shepherd
28. Visit the Lake District
29. Vist Harrods and buy something
30. Learn to do Jumpstyle Click This Link Too See Jumpstyle dancing!! 
31. See Pitbull perform!
32. Go to Jersey!
33. Inspire someone.
34. Own a pair of Louboutins. (Extravagant I know, but I love heels - and I would like to tell my granddaughters that I once owned a pair of these high style, expensive, designer heels! Even if they did only survive one night out on the tiles!)
35. Go for a meal in a sky scraper resturaunt.
36. Visit Las Vegas
37. Publish a book! (childhood dream)
38. Visit Jamaica!
39. Visit Hawaii
40. Honeymoon in the Maldives (You got that future hubby!!)
41. Ride the UK coast on horse back
42. Go Whale watching
43. Stay in a luxury 5 star hotel!
44. Visit the Tombs in Eygpt!
45. Go on the Eurostar
46. Spend Christmas in another part of the world. Either New York or Paris!
47. Swim with Dolphins
48. Get a tattoo
49. Build and sleep inside an igloo for 1 night. I'd have to go somewhere cold for this....
50. Do a "Come Dine With Me" style dinner party with friends! :)
51. Learn to meditate - connect with my soul and mind
52. Throw a fancy dress Steampunk themed birthday party! :D
53. Camp on the beach for a whole night :) - a warm beach - maybe do this in another country, because I would freeze in the UK...
54. Visit Rome
55. Learn a new language.
56. Learn how to knit! (I learnt a little bit when I was younger, but Id like to learn some more.)
57. Learn how to make my own scented candles!
58. Learn how to weave miniature baskets!
59. Become a successful blogger.
60. Go Zorbing (rolling down a big hill in a ball)
61. Plant a tree. Not just any tree in any spot, but a tree with a specific meaning. What that meaning will be? Who knows.
62. Shower in a waterfall!
63. Sleep under the stars in a scenic place.
64. Go on the biggest Roller Coaster in the UK!
65. Drive a convertible across Route 66! (Complete with mirrored shades, rock music and long hair!)
66. Go for a Hot Air Balloon ride!
67. Go scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef
68. Quad Bike in dunes and on the beach!
69. Go for a driving day experience - drive a Ferrari, Lambourgini or another really awesome car!
70. Go rally driving!!
71. Go skiing.
72. Stay in a log cabin in a winter wonderland! Drink hot chocolate by the fire and roast marshmellows!
73. Take a tour of the Grand Canyon
74. Visit the 9/11 scene in New York (a bit morbid I know, but my grandparents went and they said it was a real life changing emotion and atmosphere.)
75. Walk along the Great Wall of China
76. See the Northen Lights
77. Have my palm read
78. Have a Medium assess a house I am living in.
79. Climb a Mountain and camp at the top for a night. Not sure which Mountain yet.
80. Stick a map with a pin and go wherever it says!
81. Climb a Volcano
82. Go skinny dipping!
83. See Michael McIntyre live
84. See Lee Evans live
85. Hold a Masquerade party. (Everyone must bring a +1 and wear matching masks.)
86. Ride horse back across the beach
87. Ride a Dune buggy across the desert!
88. Witness a meteor shower
89. Meet a Holocaust Survivor
90. Ice skate in New York at Christmas
91. Eat in an underwater Restaurant.
92. Watch a drive in movie!
93. Sing drunken Karaoke in a foreign country with my best friend! Song of choice must be: "Don't Stop Believing - Journey"
94. Design and build my own home. Decorate and furnish it until it is just perfect.
95. Have £1,000,000 in my bank. Apparently, after doing some reading, this isn't such a hard achievement. We'll see.
96. Visit an undeveloped country
97. Watch the sun rise.
98. Experience Mother Nature at her best - go camping and trekking through Rainforests, Waterfall locations, The Wild.
99. Fall head over heels in love.
100. Conquer my biggest fear. Great White Sharks.

As you can see, in teal and crossed out there are two things that I have already completed. This was a great feeling. I watched the sun rise with a friend on top of a big hill not far from where I live. We sat in his Cavalier Convertable and looked up at the stars. If he wasn't a close friend, I'd have said it was something quite romantic. We talked and talked all night and watched the sun rise in the morning. I went home at about 8am, showered and slept! Haha.

That was one big memorable moment in my life and it was just perfection. I plan on visiting lots of other parts of the world, and I will have a "To Do List" of things for each place - and of course experiencing a sunset and a sunrise with be on these lists!

I met a Holocaust survivor while I was at college. We took a trip to a holocaust centre here in Lincolnshire and we met Arik. He is a really inspiring man, I bought his book and managed to read a little bit of it on the journey home. I'd like to finish this book some time.
So there you have it, my bucket list. I can't say for sure that all of these things will remain here. I like to think I will review this list in a year where I will add or remove things. But this is quite an interesting list and I think it reveals a lot about me. I'm pretty adventurous and willing to try new things.
Once I start making solid plans on completeing some of these things, I am going to set up a blog especially for mine and Thomas's adventures!

Watch this space everyone!

Hugs,
ShellbyFay

PS - I'll be back later this evening with a very important post! ;)