Michelangelo's Pieta` in the Chapel

 Hello Everyone,

Hope you are looking forward to Easter. Yesterday it was Good Friday and I wanted to add a significant miniature to the Divine Mercy's Chapel.

I made a small miniature Pieta`using my 3D Printer and hand painted it. The Pieta' that I made is like the one in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican sculptured by Michelangelo. 

I was blown away by it's beauty when I visited Rome and saw it with my own eyes. 

I added a base and placed it on the alter in my Divine Mercy's Chapel. It looked perfect.

The Chapel still looks beautiful. It has been 9 years since the completion of its renovation.

I hope you like my new addition to the chapel.

Will be back very soon. 

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

The Divine Mercy Chapel Renovation is finally complete.

Hello my dear friends,

It has been a while as I have been very busy with Easter preparations and all that comes with it. The kids are now off from school. The weather has been slightly kinder and I was once again racing against time to finish this project just in time for Easter and it seems I have managed. I also wanted it to be ready by the Second Sunday of Easter (12th April) as it is the official feast which is called the Divine Mercy Sunday that was declared by St. Pope John Paul II. 

I  want to welcome 2 new followers of my blog Jenny Boerding and Susan Martinsen. WELCOME! I wanted to thank you all for joining us here and for your encouragement. I also wanted to thank our Friends that follow us on our Face Book Page which now have reached over 850 likes and My Miniature World Group/forum which now has reached 215 members. Thank you so much everyone. 

The Divine Mercy Chapel

So here we are at the end of this project. I still can't believe that I have managed to transform it from rags into riches. At least it looks rich to me. At first I wasn't sure that I would pull it trough but I did succeed and when it was done I could almost here it whisper a "Thank You".

So after finishing the flooring and the wall paneling I wanted to make the back altar to have a good idea how much I could fit in the furniture. I have made a small shelf and decorated it richly with the flowers and candles.

Back Altar

 With the back altar placed in the center, I also fitted the painting of the Divine Mercy which I have framed myself using cardboard and added more candles to it. 

The Divine Mercy Painting

With those in place I could start adding the main two pieces of furniture which are the Altar and the Pulpit. Somehow I still wasn't happy with the walls. They looked too plain. I didn't want to add paintings as I would have lost the effect of the stained glass windows. So I came up with an idea to add corner stone around the windows, doors and the painting of the Divine Mercy. I have painted the corner stones in the same natural color of the outside brick walls. Like this the room had a little bit of color which matched perfectly with the floor tiles. 

Corner stone works around windows and doors.

I then added the altar and the pulpit. I was slightly disappointed as the altar couldn't be place right in the center as the chapel was too small but I loved it as soon as I placed the pulpit at a slight angle. It gave it a different look.

The Altar and Pulpit in place

There was still something missing and I thought of adding more flowers near the painting of the Divine Mercy. Using the same method of the other flower arrangement that you find the Flower Arrangement Tutorial here.  I made these slightly bigger and fuller as there was enough space for them. This helped also to add more color to the surrounding and made a huge difference. I was happy with them.

Flower arrangements for the Painting of the Divine Mercy.

I also made a small shelf for the back in the corner for the church offerings. 

Shelf for church offerings

Then I added the last pieces to complete the church which were the pews. The pews match the front altar with the sign of the dove representing the Holy Spirit. I have painted them in the same color of the wall paneling and furniture and I added the hymnals to them. It gave them that extra touch.

Pews and hymnals

 Finally and not least I added 4 black wall candle battery lights which fitted in perfectly and matched so well with the style. I have fitted them in the wall gaps between the stained glass. In the dark the stained glass really has a nice glow to it. And there my chapel was complete.  I still can't believe that it is done.

Here are some pictures of the inside of the church complete.

Pews and lights in place

Ceiling View

Main Altar

I hope you have all enjoyed following this project and it's renovations. It was quite a challenge but it was also a blessing that I will always cherish. Sometimes the Above works in mysterious ways and maybe it was a sign that I should actually start believing more in myself and in my capabilities. I should start giving some more credit to myself. 

So now after this one big adventure, after Easter I will come back with a new project which most probably you all know. It is time for Ms. Leah to return and start off her new home next to her boutique in Regent Street. 

Keep tuned for the first glimpse of the new project. With this I wish you all and your loved ones a very Blessed Easter. 

Take Care and See You real soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

Working on the inside of the Chapel

Hello my dear friends,

Hope you are all well. It has been a few days and I am really hoping to get this project ready by Easter. Like I said it is not easy with this weather being so bad. Mother Nature hasn't been kind this winter. Today I wanted to welcome 3 new followers to my blog. Jerri, Nancy and Shelly WELCOME. Just wanted to give you a heads up that we have a pair of miniature plates as a free give away to the followers of the blog. Keep me posted for those who would like to enter and just remember that you have to be a follower.

So today I will be sharing with you some progress on the chapel. Now I have a good idea what I  wanted for the inside of and there was quite some work to do.

Inside the Chapel

So firstly there was a lot of painting to do. Had to redo the painting of the windows inside the chapel. The where painted white but I went for a darker shade. Still there is quite some work to do around the windows. 

Then came the painting of all the wood panels. Very honestly I don't want to see any more brown paint for the next couple of weeks. There was too much to paint and I think I still need to paint some more bits and pieces. I wanted the pieces to have a weathered or antique look which I think came out with a nice effect.

Paint works

I also managed to assemble and paint some furniture pieces like the altar and the pulpit as I was boring myself to death painting. While thinking about the pieces of furniture I also made some more miniature accessories for the chapel. Made some hymen books and liturgy books. For one of the books I have made a book stand and using toothpicks I have made a small cross for the altar.

More miniatures for the chapel

I couldn't resist not trying to decorate the altar and pulpit which I am very pleased how they turned out.

The altar

The pulpit

For the back wall which will come right behind the altar it was only appropriate that I added a painting of The Divine Mercy. I have downsized a picture of the painting and made the frame using a very thick cardboard.

Framed picture of the Divine Mercy

When I was ready from the painting and the weather wasn't throwing a hiss, I started decorating the inside of the church. So first to start of was the flooring of the church which was my printing. I have managed to down size a real tile and make a whole flooring. The flooring is an authentic replica of the real church of St. Anthony of Padova.

Papering the floors of the chapel.

I wanted to add something a bit special to the church so I added a split level like most of the church with banisters. As the walls have a white finish I thought that some wall wood paneling will look great in the church.

Adding the wall panneling

So far it is looking good and I just can't wait to add the rest of the pieces and furniture.

Inside the church so far.

 I am really looking forward to see it all done and hopefully it will be ready just in time for Easter.

After that I will continue working on Miss Leah's house as the poor girl is really looking forward to start living there. She has been very busy lately and added more new items to her shop.

Miaa Leah with some new accessories

That is all for today folks. I hope you liked it so far..Keep tuned for the next update with more progress on the chapel.

Take Care and see you soon.

Hugs

Rebecca

Making Flower Arrangements in Bowls Tutorial

Hello my dear friends,

Hope you are all fine and doing well. Just a quick pop today. March is here finally and the weather was slightly better today so it gave me that extra push to make some miniatures. I haven't started the inside of the chapel yet but I have done some flower arrangements for the altar. I have really enjoyed making them and thought of sharing how I actually made them. Well this is sort of a small tutorial. I am sure that a few of you can figure out how to make them.

Well here is the list of things that you will be needing:

 6 miniature flowers ( preferable 2 different kinds)
 A ceramic miniature bowl slightly deep.
Some scenery moss (you can find this in any model shop)
A couple of leaves (even paper leaves with a miniature punch)
Wire
pliers
Glue (I like to use UHU tube)
a toothpick
Scissors

Step 1: So first we pick up the flowers. As these are for my chapel for a change I didn't go for pink or roses. Set them up as you prefer. I went for the triangular shape as you can see. When you like how the flowers are  set together, use the wire and tie them in a firm bunch very close to the lower flowers. Make sure that the flowers a tight and the wire is secured and twisted.

 Step 2: Make sure that the flowers are arranged the way you want them. Then cut the stems with a pliers just below the wire. Make sure you don't cut the wire as you will lose the setting of the flowers and it will be very difficult to re arrange them once they are cut. You might want to check the depth of your bowl and that is why the wire should be tied very close to the flowers.

Step 3: After that get one of your bowls. You can buy miniature ceramic bowls or make your own with ceramic or polymer clay. This is a matter of your choice and likes. Fill the bowl with glue. I like to use the UHU tube kind of glue. It is slightly messy but it is quite tick and settles very quickly. Then add the bunch of flowers inside the bowl. At this point the flowers won't stay in place so hold them in place.

Step 4: With a tooth pick start adding and tucking in the green moss all around. This will keep the flowers in the center and the bowl will not tilt. Don't worry if the moss will look untidy. as long as the bowl and flowers stand straight it is not a problem.

Step 5: Trim the extra moss around the bowl with the scissors to make the arrangement look neater and the moss would look much more like leaves than a bush unless you want it to remain out or hide the bowl. 

Step 6: When that is done we can add the leaves at the back. Apply the glue to the leaves with a tooth pic. The leaves can be made out of paper using a leave punch or you can find ready made from a craft shop. I used paper leaves and added some yellow balls to them. I only used 2 leaves which went in the space between the white flowers at the back.

Step 7: It is all done and this is how it would look at the end. 

Here are some pictures of them.

I hope you will find the little tutorial useful. Maybe you have seen something similar to it but I am really happy how they turned out and I really wanted to share with you how simple they where to make. Obviously you can choose and add whatever you want. 

So this is all for today. Hope to see you real soon with the continuation of the chapel. So keep tuned for more updates.

Take Care and see you soon.

Hugs

Rebecca xxx