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We finally have some crappy rainy weather, so I'm back in the craft room to finish up the flower shop. On the agenda yesterday was to finish lighting, fixtures and mounting and lighting the cooler.
Still on the work table, the flower shop is roofless, but I cut down the walls and then mounted some electrical 'ball' lights around the outside and in side.
The lighting system is pretty straight forward. As I try to wean myself off battery systems, I pick up electrical strings of lights on sale, that might be used for fixtures. These 'ball lights' were discounted and have been in my stash for awhile. The roof piece is simple foam core, with an eave extension on the front and sides of the building. In the foreground you are looking at the back corner.
I measured and decided where the fixtures might look best. Then I had to layout the wires, zig-zagging between the lights. I cut holes the size of the top of the ball fixture, unscrewed the 'balls' and then inserted the cap through the ceiling. the ball was then screwed back on flush with the ceiling. The tops were then super taped to the foam core to hold them in place straight. Pretty simple and quick and not high-tech at all. I look at the dollhouse lighting systems and shudder.
This is the cooler mounted on its stand, and all the 'pots' are made from electrical conduit.
After trimming off the glued felt bottoms, I added a rock or two to each pot to make them stable.
The cooler was Super Duck taped to the back wall. Three holes were drilled in the top of each section for the same ball lights. I unscrewed the 'ball shades' and taped the light bases and let the bulbs through the holes drilled into the plastic case. The light is soft and diffused, actually quite nice.
Trish: Hi, I'm really trying to finish the layout in here. The new shelving fixtures were all made from I-Phone boxes. Super nice finish and very crisp surfaces with some covered in white contact paper. We have faced some of the shelves with left-over flooring (paper). I'm loving my work/service counter, (also a cut-down phone box) which is waiting for it's custom top. My electronic register will be mounted on the wall, to save space. Most of my customers use cards...so no need for a huge register.
Trish: I love the shelving, I'm not sure exactly where everything will go, yet.
Trish: The cooler is up and running and will be filled with fresh flowers and arrangements. I have a monster cooler in the back room, as well as a large work area.
Trish: Tomorrow will be a very big day of moving in and getting the entire shop up and in place, so we can finally open.
Trish: I'm very happy to have the huge windows which will be great for displays.
Trish: Taking photos will be interesting as there is a bit of reflection and bounce back. While the shop is small, we will be able to service customers all year-round now, instead of commuting from St. Charles which is over 50 miles away.
Trish: I've taken a studio at the GrandView (Lara's old place) which is only a block away. The garden center will be managed by my brother, while I concentrate on our corporate clients and neighborhood customers. The business grows in leaps and bounds, much like the revitalization of this neighborhood
Trish: Outside we will have room for floral containers for fresh flowers as well as plants. This will nicely connect with the Blue Sprinkling Can Garden Center, which will be right outside the door.
Trish: Well it's getting late, and tomorrow is a big day! Signing off from Trish from Trish's Flowers and the Blue Sprinkling Can Garden Center. I'm loving the outside lights, they will really give the shop a presence.
Psssst, don't tell Trish what a disaster the garden center is in---while we've been waiting for the finished building to be slipped into its location!
Yes, I have a really busy day or two---yet...hope it keeps raining!!
Does the weather affect your DOLL PLAY?
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