I built up the base of the rocky landscape layer by layer, each morning and evening last week, giving each layer plenty of time to dry while I was at work or sleeping.  The soil in spots is a mixture of coffee grounds and sand.  I lightly scrubbed each dried layer with the bristle attachment of my shop-vac, sucking off the rocks that didn't stay put.  When I was satisfied I had enough rocks securely adhered I glued green flocking in the larger areas where I could still see the board showing through.

My second shipment of helper items arrived, in the form of ready-to-glue-down clumps of grass, from Scenic Express.

I positioned the golden ones under the trailer, where the sun would have been obscured and the grass died.  I let gaps between rocks, where the board showed through, guide placement of the rest.

I adore the little clumps of grass.  I'm not too fond of the weed tufts, so didn't use all of them.  They were much harder to work with; the tops are sticky which makes them difficult to handle without squashing them out of shape.

I didn't get as much coverage as I hoped so I ordered more, they'll arrive this week.

While I was waiting for the glue on the grass tufts to dry I assembled a dandelion kit I bought from Paula Gilhooley at the Bishop show in April.

Then I fussed with the trailer a bit.  Remember the fuzzies I made on the wheels by sanding down the treads?  Husband told me to take an open flame to them.  AGHH!  That did not work.  I melted holes in the wheels.  It also showed me I was smart to stop sanding when I did.  I have an almost dried up bottle of liquid electrical tape that is now the consistency of thick molasses, so I pushed it into the holes from the back side.  The largest hole got a rock glued in, per Kat's suggestion in the comments a couple of weeks ago.  I also smeared it around where the wheel hubs meet the tires, because that wasn't a tight fit and I could see light between them.

I didn't tell Husband I melted holes in the wheels following his suggestion because he'd just reply that he also told me to do it carefully, then I would want to stab him in the head with a steak knife.

I broke the wheel off when I was repairing the holes, so glued it back in place as best I could.  Now it's mostly held in place by the sticking power of hopefulness.  I may have to wedge a rock under the wheel to give it more support.

After I touched up paint where needed and fastened on the license plate, I glued the trailer atop the cement blocks and weighted it down to dry.

I dated it.  Now I have to finish by the end of September. 

The license plate should have rounded corners and raised lettering to be more realistic looking, and the plate number isn't centered, but I was in a 'screw it' state of mind by then.  I did put it on with double-stick tape instead of glue, in case I want to get persnickety later and make a new one.

While the trailer was settling in I touched up paint on the building and glued a broken baluster back together.  Once the trailer was secure I glued the building on top and weighted it down to dry.  I went to visit my Dad in the hospital, then stopped at the museum for some art therapy.  (I'll post art museum pictures later this week, there were some fascinating exhibits.)  When I got home I glued and clamped the whatchamacallit things-that-go-over-the-wheels in place.

I measured the whatchamacallits to cover the wheels completely, but then cut the axles a bit too long and the wheels stick out further than I intended, so the whatchamacallits don't cover them.  I'm going to blame it on changing the regular wheels out for off-road wheels, so the artist could haul the trailer further into the forest.

Whallah.  Now I'm ready to start arranging all the little stuffs inside.

I started with a very clear image in my mind of where I wanted this project to end, but the second easel Mike is sending me has given me a new path I could follow, which I can visualize just as clearly.  I will have to arrange both concepts, photograph them, then ask for your input on a final decision.

Save

Save