You are cordially invited........

[Deb]

Dear Friends,

 

Dr. Thaddeus Robertson extends his greetings and respectfully requests your presence at the grand gala opening of his new Planetary Observation and Galactic Research Facility.  

 

 

Regretfully, Dr. Roberson has been called away to do some extensive research elsewhere and will not be able to attend.   However, he has engaged the employment of a new housekeeper, Mrs. Donovan, who will be more than happy to show you around and answer any questions you may have.  <whispered aside: she's mainly there to keep the minions in line but she's a little sensitive about being a "baby sitter" so don't mention that>

 

Feel free to explore the research room and laboratory downstairs as well as the wonders of the Galactic Viewer upstairs.  Wander the grounds or enjoy relaxing in the steampowered rocking chair in the greenhouse while you gaze at the stars.  

 

Attend the Event here.

 

P.S.  Dr. Robertson would like to mention that it's probably not a good idea to sit in the electric chair if the minions make the offer.  Those little scamps think it's funny to throw the switch.  

[Dalesq]

What a wonderful and whimsical build! Congratulations!

I can just imagine you cackling and giggling every time you came up with a new and delightful detail :lol:

This one is just so much fun

[mollymmoore]

Beautiful! I especially love the floor of the main level. It looks like a really fun build. Great job!!!!

[Deb]

It really was an incredibly fun build Debora.  I started off with an idea for a big bash and got stalled out with over-planning so I finally just grabbed it off the table and said, "I'm gonna start building the silly thing and let it decide".  So I did and this is what I ended up with. (I sure didn't plan on minions, but there they are!)   Somewhere during the building process it told me what it wanted to be and it turned out to be a bit of a memorial to my Dad so it means even more to me because of that.  I guess it knew what my heart needed.   And it broke thru my building block so that's awesome too.  Besides, it was one giggle after another.  We're SO lucky to have this passion in our lives that can always bring a smile or laugh.  It feels SOOOOOO good to build dollhouses!  <twirling in a happy circle>  

[Deb]

Beautiful! I especially love the floor of the main level. It looks like a really fun build. Great job!!!!

 

 

The tile on the first floor is glass.  It's got a bronze/copper swirl that looks like goldstone and sparkles beautifully with all the other metallic surfaces.  I think I found it at either Lowes or Home Depot a couple years ago.

[stickyfingers]

Oh well that is just very, very cool! Love all of the gears and gizmos and copper and of course-the minions!! Did you stash a banana in there, somewhere?

[Deb]

Oh well that is just very, very cool! Love all of the gears and gizmos and copper and of course-the minions!! Did you stash a banana in there, somewhere?

 

 

LOL!  No bananas, but they seem to be equally drawn to tools and shiny things.  

[CheckMouse]

That is wonderful, Deb!  You outdid yourself on this one!  

[Selkie]

Very cool. Your telescope is my fav. It looks like it will really see far into space. Love all the wonderful details you have included. It's a feast for the eyes and mind everywhere you look.

I used that same Spring Fling kit x2, to create a planetarium and observatory.

I think Anna did something along that line with a telescope too.

Must be something about the roofline that draws us to that theme. Although I feel mine looks very plain next to all the cool gears snd pretty shiny objects in yours!

[Deb]

Thanks CJ.  I really wasn't sure that I'd be able to do it but once I got started, it all came back to me and I am one VERY happy lady now.  

 

Would you believe the telescope is a toilet paper tube?  Selkie, I didn't start out to do an observatory.  All I knew was that it was going to be steampunk.  My original plan was to bash the kit together with a hat box but that was a bit too much for me to handle.  So I just started building the house and along the way it told me what it wanted to be.  The roofline really is perfect for an observatory.  My Dad would have adored this house and so much of it is for him.  I have some golden memories of sitting out on the porch with him at night as he told me stories of the constellations and explained astronomy to me.  His degrees were in physics and chemistry but his scientific passion was astronomy.  

 

There's a story behind the skellie on the cupboard downstairs.  It was a gift from Terri (smallhouset) altho she doesn't know this story either.  It was just a happy chance of fate that she sent it to me in time for it to go in this house.  When I was a kid I rode to school with my Dad (k-12 was all on one campus) and since he was a teacher, he had to be in his classroom for an extra hour after the last bell in case a student needed help with homework.  So I'd go hang out in his classroom with him and do my own homework while he graded papers or we'd just sit and talk to pass the time.  As I got older he'd let me putter around in the chemistry lab and stuff.  One of the "teaching aids" that he had in that classroom was a three foot tall faux skeleton.  It had a hook in it's skull so it could hang inside a black wooden box.  For some reason I got attached to that silly thing and named it Oscar.  Oscar was my friend and we had lots of fun together.  Other girls played with barbie dolls....I played with a skellie.  Anyway, since Dr. Roberson is loosely based on my Dad, it just made sense to put that little model skeleton in his workroom.  Every time I see it, it will bring back fond memories of quiet times spent with my Dad.  

[Selkie]

Sounds like a great testimony to your relationship. My oldest daughter and I are astronomy buffs. The NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day website is a daily stopping point for me.

[Anna]

A steampunk observatory is just the purr-fect take on this house. As you said, the roofline itself opens up for watching the sky!

Have drooled over the pics now (good thing the Ipad is relativly easy drying of) and I want to trade places with some of the minions! Love it!

Hugs and thanks for sharing it with us! I am so happy that you are up to building and creating again!!!! :wub:

[havanaholly]

Deb, your builds are a treat for the eyes.

[minigrandma10]

Amazing! Loved the slideshow. It all came together wonderfully.

 

 

[chapchap73]

It's wonderful! So great to see you building again

[suej]

Deb, this is captivating! I love the overall color scheme that looks gold/copper. There is an interesting perception for me of a peaceful, harmonious color scheme mixing with the hardness of science. It's really a dramatic mix.  I love the bottom floor choice of material, the chain trim around the entire building, the exhaust pipe color, shape, and smoke. I love the little crown on the window trim and the entire front door. And every time I look at the pictures I see another unique detail that jumps out.  Most of all I love the heart behind it as you created, in miniature, a memory of your father.

[Debra from Olde Cape Cod]

What Sue said!!  So glad to have the Queen of Steampunk back!

[Deb]

Sounds like a great testimony to your relationship. My oldest daughter and I are astronomy buffs. The NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day website is a daily stopping point for me.

 

 

Star gazing makes for some especially wonderful childhood memories.  I can feel an instant closeness to my dad every time I look up to the night sky.  <chuckling>  For the past few nights I've resisted the urge to stand in the backyard and shout, "I love you Pluto!!  I never stopped believing in you!!"  

 

 

 

 There is an interesting perception for me of a peaceful, harmonious color scheme mixing with the hardness of science. It's really a dramatic mix. 

 

That's one of the things that I love the most about it too!  Combining odd textures is very pleasing to my senses.  You might be surprised at how much of the "metal" is really wood.  I fell in love with the new metallic craft paints and used them liberally.  Sometimes it's hard to tell what's metal and what's wood, like the gazing ball outside the greenhouse.  That's four wood pieces (a disc, an upside down urn, a bowl, and a ball) glued together and painted with metallics, then dry brushed with some black paint for depth and shadow.  

 

Thank you all for the encouraging words.  I mean it sincerely when I say that I wouldn't have been able to come back to minis without you.  Y'all believed in me when I lost belief in myself and if it wasn't for you, I'd have given up and walked away from the one real passion in my life.  Since I started building again, I can wake up and feel like I have a purpose where there used to be nothing but a black void.  Life is good again.  

[jbnmini]

"... I can wake up and feel like I have a purpose where there used to be nothing but a black void.  Life is good again."

 

Minis to the rescue!   :hug: I totally know that 'black void' and can relate.

 

And I have thoroughly enjoyed the photos of your steampunk house, Deb!  It just brings a smile to my soul!  

[Deb]

 

 

And I have thoroughly enjoyed the photos of your steampunk house, Deb!  It just brings a smile to my soul!  

 

And that makes me smile!  My favoritest thing in the world is making people smile and laugh.  

 

I've come to the conclusion that I need to let Dr. Robertson become real so I'm going to start saving my pennies and then see if I can commission Julie Campbell to make a custom doll in my Dad's likeness.  Julie does the kind of sweet caricatures that would be perfect for what I want.  

[MiniCrazy]

Oh Deb that sounds wonderful! The final piece to the puzzle.

 

You can just see the happiness you felt building this house  It is wonderful!

 

Thank you for a generous dose of eye candy.

[Deb]

 

 

You can just see the happiness you felt building this house  It is wonderful!

 

 

 

I think that our joy in building shows in the finished house.  Some houses are so much fun that the giggly energy jumps out at everyone who sees it.  I love looking thru albums in the galleries here because you can always spot which house is that person's favorite even if they've built dozens of houses.  It shows in the details and how much of their personality is reflected there.  

[glen]

Insane, I don't know how you do it! Love it

[Deb]

Insane, I don't know how you do it! Love it

 

It may have something to do with discovering Jules Verne when I was six years old.  I got addicted to gauges and gears at a very early age.  LOL!!  Thanks Glen!