Friday 27 February 2015

Finishing the outside of The Divine Mercy Chapel

Hello my dear friends,

Once again another weekend arrived and February came to it's end. Time does fly. It has been really cold here and I can't wait for Spring and the warmth of Summer. I hope that you are all fine and doing well. 

Finally today I will be sharing with you the Final touches on the outside of The Divine Mercy's Chapel. 

The Divine Mercy Chapel
It has been quite a challenge and I can't believe that the worst of the renovations are over. It has pushed me to my limits and tested my patience dearly. At the end I look at it and at least to my eyes there isn't a hint of what this little property looked like before or endured. It took me a while to finish but it was worth it.

So I continued with finishing the last trimmings on the main roof which is basically a lift-off roof to see the inside. I added the trimming to the  roof ridge to add a little bit of character to the building. It is made out of wood and I painted it in black with a metal silver finish.

Finishing the roof ridge trimming


The weather wasn't really permitting here in Malta and it took me a little longer to finish the brick work on the walls. I had to wait for the plaster to dry off but finally I managed to finish the back wall, the side and even the front of the chapel. When the plaster was all done and dry, I sanded it slightly and shaded where it was necessary.

Bricking and shading of the remaining walls


The porch had to be added to the front while the plaster on the front was still wet so it will have a nicer straight finish. Once that was done, I continued tiling the porch roof, added the last piece of trimmings and added a cross that I made.

Fitting the porch in place and adding the last roof tiles
After all that, I could finally start breathing. I added two little birds in the steeple like any church would have.

Adding little birds to the steeple
To the front door I added two boot scrappers which at least in Malta most of the old churches still have them. Both these where in white metal and I painted them.

Adding boot scrappers outside the main door


The only thing remaining or at least I felt missing was the windows. The windows in this kit where just clear and very honest not appealing to a church. I thought of using some sort of frosted plastic or even the leaded type of perspex. Somehow these ideas where still plain to the eye. Then I thought that most of the churches had stained glass with images of Jesus and of Saints but I didn't know exactly how to go about them. I have found some lovely pictures of stained glass windows and found about Carole from Poppet Dolly Bits which was kind enough to design them and customize them for my church. She has done a fantastic job and fitted the windows perfectly.

Adding customized stained glass windows to the church





I am really pleased how it all turned out. Looking at it gives me great pride and I can't even believe that I was the one to do it. Now there is still a lot to do in the inside. Like always my imagination runs wild and not everything fits in, in such a small little chapel.

So folks here is a picture  to remind you of how it was before when I first got it.

The Chapel before when I first got it

And here are the pictures of it after the finished renovations from outside.

The Chapel in it's Glory.




I hope you have liked what I have done so far. Now I can concentrate a bit more on the inside of the church. So stayed tuned for more updates for March. I highly doubt that it will be done for Easter but I guess one can dream. Wishing you all a very happy weekend.

Take Care and see you soon.

Hugs

Rebecca xxx

Saturday 14 February 2015

More Works and Miniatures on the Chapel

Hello friends,

So how are you spending your weekend and Valentine's Day? Well I am pretty much the same and as you can see I am not very much into Valentine as I celebrate it practically all year round. Haven't been much around here or my hobby. This Winter is killing me. I was under the weather and if  I could I will hibernate at least in January and February. Winter doesn't agree with me at all and keeps me away from what I enjoy doing.

So before I begin I wanted to let you know that now you can find me and My Miniature World on Pinterest. I am still adding to it but you can click on the side menu or just on this link: My Miniature World at Pinterest

Today I will be sharing with you what I have been working on. Not much to share as I am in no mood  to do anything with this cold weather. I tried to keep myself busy as much as possible, So as for starters I have pretty much finished off the roof. I still need to add some more detail and trimmings.

Chapel roof

So first I started working on the steeple. It was in a complete mess just like the rest of the building. One nasty paint job I would say.

The steeple before


I first removed the paper which had no paint underneath,  Then I started working on the plastering and I wanted it to have a real face clock like most of the churches do.

Plastered the walls
After that was done. I gave it a lovely clean paint job and tiled the roof of the steeple. I also painted the tiles and gave it a weathered look. I also fixed the working clock face that is situated at the side of the church.

Steeple with working clock face
I was happy how it turned out and placed it on top of the roof so I could start working with the roof slates.




First I painted the roof with a clean new sheet of paint as an undercoat then I started tiling the roof. this took me quite some time but it was definitely worth it. After 3 days of tiling I finally finished it and then painted it to match with the rest of the church.

The tiling of the roof


There is still some more details to add to the roof but the huge tasks s ready. I have also managed to brick another side wall of the church. So now I only have the brick the back wall and the front.Like I said the cold weather and humidity don't help at all as the compound doesn't dry up how I would like it. I still need to sand it down a little, give it some color and paint the windows

The other side of the wall
Apart from the actual built I still managed to make some miniatures for the church, My first church miniatures where the crutes set with the lavabo and towel. My favorite the chalice with the purifactor and on top is the paten and the pall. Then I made the Ciborium and finally the the plaste with the offerings during service.

My hand made church minis

The Crutes set


The Ciborium and Chalice

The church offerings
Yesterday evening I have managed to finish the incense burner and stand. I can't believe that I managed to do it. It took me hours to finish it but it was definitely worth the pain and numbness.
I have made it out f jewelry findings

The incense burner and stand


I have been receiving some supplies and I also got myself some furniture kits to build and paint. I think once  they are done they will look lovely.

The Church furniture kits. 

I also got some new pewter pieces that I still need to give some touches of my own to make them look realistic.. I love the snuffer.



I also designed the flooring and printed it so when the time comes it will be fitted inside the church.

Printed floor paper


So I guess this is all for today. I also wanted to tell you that I have published the new book which is called The Tale of Peter Rabbit. It is quite a lovely book which you can find from My Miniature World Shop at Etsy.









Miss Leah has been doing really well and soon it will be time for her to start her work on her new house. For Valentine's Day Miss Leah received a box of sweets and red roses from a secret admirer. We all know how beautiful she is and I am not surprised that men seek her company.

Miss Leah on St. Valentine's Day. 
So this is all folks for tonight. Wishing you all a very special Valentine's Day. Please keep tuned for more updates on the chapel.

Take Care and see you soon.

Hugs

Rebecca xxx