Thanks Everyone!

Thank you all, so much, for your excellent advice re: my lighting issues, and for your support in general!  I really appreciate it!  I did, finally--delaying dinner somewhat, I'm sorry to report--figure out what I was doing wrong, and it had to do, actually (as I suspected it might) with the terminal block itself.  I intend to do a post on this later on but, for now, all I have to say is wow, the Cir-Kit direction manual sucks.  The writing, and the actual diagrams, convey two different things; success came when I examined the latter while ignoring the former.  A variety of different tie-off combinations finally yielded success and, at least in my own mind, a logical explanation.

There's not a whole lot I can do, lighting-wise, until the rest of my lights come so I've moved on to some of the interior built-ins.  Tonight, I started on the library.  Jim is also doing some drawings for me, which will hopefully be readable by a laser cutter (I have a vision for the living room).

I needed a break from stone, stone and more stone, and from the exterior in general.  Tonight, Jim made me a beverage where the "secret ingredient" was my son's baby food.  He's now happily smearing it on his face (mangoes) as I write this.  Oh, for shame.

WHY WON'T IT WORK?!?

So I'm trying round wiring for the first time.

Or not.

I'm fairly experienced with tape wire, and have never had any major problems.  However, it's not the most durable system on earth, and it can be hard to hide the tape.  So I thought I'd try round wire instead.  In theory, it doesn't seem that difficult.

However, I cannot get anything to work.

Usually, I have some idea of what I'm doing wrong.  This time, I don't.  I feel utterly defeated.  I'm not sure if it's how I'm wrapping the terminal block (a process for which there are no useful diagrams), how I'm soldering the connections (I don't think it's that), etc etc etc.  I've also realized that, alarmingly, I have no idea how to test the circuit!  Oh, for tape wire, where you just stick it in.

Any suggestions?

Lights! And Other Hauls!

The pink bats were, maybe, an homage to something in my subconscious.  I'm a huge Elton John fan, and he's serenaded me quite a bit during this project.  In any case, less pink bats--and a l'oeil de boeuf window that's, um, somewhat unusual--are coming.

In the meantime, some treats have arrived!  I bought several lighting fixtures; I'm still waiting on the second batch (the shop apparently had to special order it), but the first finally arrived.  That was a special order, too.  Which brings me to my first question: what's going on at Clare Bell Brass Works?  I've noticed that, recently, much of their line has been exceedingly hard to find--and what is available isn't, actually, available.  Inventory is, I'm told, really hard to come by.

At a job site earlier today.

The above picture represents the end of four years' worth of work.  Hey, it was a growth experience!  I don't know what everyone else does for work, but, sometimes, don't you just want to slam something (like your head) into a wall?  Now that this case is finally over, I should probably be nostalgic...but I'm not.  It was my First Big Case; I went in naive and stupid, and came out...naive and stupid but slightly more highly paid.

We're apparently taking publicity shots of ourselves now.  Or, at least, trying to convince our overseas relatives that we're not quite as loony as they think.  Mission impossible, right?

I like things meant for model trains.  Most of the LED's and other electrical equipment I bought are.  In particular, I'm excited from this "fire kit" from Evan's Designs.  Most of their stuff is pretty reasonably priced, so if it all turns out to suck I'm not out too much.  Unlike usual.  Then again, considering what we pay for Jackson's baby food, maybe I should stop beating myself up about it.

My haul.

High hopes!

Clare-Bell's "orient express" lamp.

This haul comes from Evan's Designs, S and P Miniatures, Swan House (thank you Greg for special ordering all of this for me!) and eBay.  I'd been searching high and low for a suitable newel post lamp (which is really more Eastlake Victorian than Gothic Revival, but who cares) and, surprisingly, there really isn't anything good.  At least, not in my price range!  I finally found this little Asian-style dolphin lamp which, once it's had a bit of a paint treatment--the "gold" color it comes in is ghastly--will, I think, fit the bill.  I'm also considering rewiring it with a (different colored) LED.  But that might be a bit over the top.

Thank you eBay, you veritable trove of delights!

These Nova-Lytes have been a bit tough to find, too; these were special ordered from Swan House (and at a really reasonable price; not everything they sell is expensive).  I'm planning on using them in a few places where I need illumination but not, necessarily, a light.  Like in the crypt.  We shall see.  Jim says he'll help me install them; he has a great deal more aptitude for wiring than I do.

Clare-Bell sconces!

I really like their shades.

And then, well, there's the increasingly bizarre family of creatures who actually live in this house.  Inspiration-wise, it's something of a hodge podge, but hey.  Aren't real houses?  As an excuse to hoard little vials of potions, etc etc etc, my resident wizard is something of a chemist.  Who, indeed, has quite the home office.

From S and P Miniatures.

"Syphilis Can Be Cured" just cracks me up.  As do the leeches.  Hey, not everyone wants a love potion.

I plan on giving this sign (which will go somewhere near the front door) a chemical wash and, hopefully, a nice patina.  Wouldn't want anything encouraging, would you?

Well naturally.

Another view of the would-be newel post lamp.

Every lawn needs an abandoned croquet set.

Who knows when I'll actually get to start installing these lights.  And as for the rest of it--it'll just all just have to wait!  A long time!  At the rate I'm going, Jackson will be taking the SAT's before this house is done.  Which is just as well, because how many more dollhouses do we really have room for?