My Mini Mania

Been a while...

2012-02-06T17:11:00.000-08:00

Hopped on here for just a minute to check in. I've had a nasty cold and haven't been doing much of anything except knitting the same dishcloth pattern over and over again in different colors of yarn while watching Law & Order reruns.

I'd like to extend a warm welcome to my new followers! I was surprised to see that I have a few new followers even though I haven't posted lately. Thank you for taking time to read my blog. (This goes for all of you who've been with me for a while too.)

Mini stuff soon! I promise.

Witch House Progress

2012-01-24T14:30:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted much lately, but I have been pecking away at getting things done on the witch house and it's coming along... I've been busy finishing the exterior. I had to add on to the roof to make an overhang (not sure what I was thinking when I originally measured and cut the roof pieces). My daughter has been asking lots of questions about the witch house... I finally explained to her that this project wasn't completely planned out at the beginning. Instead, it has been a process... a journey that is developing over time. She seemed satisfied with that. It has been a bit therapeutic for me. I'm having to be patient while I consider each "problem" to be solved or wait for the answer to what to do next, while I wait for "inspiration"...

An example of this is the roof shingles. I wanted to use wood shingles, but couldn't find any in the right scale. So the witch house sat on my kitchen table while I mulled over what to do. Then, toward the end of December, I bought a 2012 calendar for the kitchen. Part of the packaging was a piece of cardboard that seemed exactly the right thickness. Ruler, mechanical pencil and my favorite pair of scissors plus a little time, and "Voila!" Witch house shingles!

The next example of this was what to do about the exterior walls. I had a stack of illustration board that I had rescued from the recycling bin... So I cut and glued pieces to cover the exterior walls. This did a couple of things: first, it hid the rounded edges and corners of the box; second, it eliminated the need to sand the surface. I painted the entire outside cream and let it sit on the kitchen table for a few days while I thought about what to do next....

Enter the tattered kitchen scrubby! I had decided I was going to use a sea sponge to dab on a little darker color to make the exterior look a bit like stucco and not so "new", but I didn't have a sea sponge... Rooting around in the kitchen, I found an old (clean) kitchen scrubby that was falling apart and had big pills all over it. Turns out it was the perfect thing to dab on the paint.

Again, the witch house sat around for a few days while I thought, "What next?" Some architectural details were needed. The tall, narrow house made me think of Tudor style houses. I looked through my wood stash but didn't have anything the right dimension. Then I came across the leftovers from the bamboo placemat I deconstructed to make Abigail's floor. Perfect thickness and width for whatever scale this little house is. I painted several strips with dark brown paint, then trimmed and glued everything in place. Here's a (blurry--sorry!) picture of what the witch house looks like now:

Not too bad, so far, I think... Up next, some aging and some ivy...

Wanna run off and join the (mini) circus?

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Penobscot Marine Museum has extended the run of its popular circus exhibit for another month. The free exhibit is comprised of art, photography and memorabilia, but perhaps the biggest draw for us mini-loving folks would be the Bex Brothers Circus, described in a press release by the museum as, "a complete circus scene comprised of thousands of scale models depicting every element of a traditional circus, including sideshows, clowns, trapeze artists and animal acts."

The Bex Brothers Circus is on loan from its owner and creator, Capt. Les Bex, who has spent decades creating the 3/8":1' scale scene. If, like me, you can't jet off to Maine to see the exhibit, Kay Stephens has written a great blog post about the story behind Bex's circus scene, which includes photos and the story behind certain scenes, as told by Bex himself.

It sounds fascinating to me (all except for the clowns!). Admission is free. The exhibit is open every Saturday and Sunday from 11 to 4 through February 26.

Mini Hoarders

2012-01-18T06:30:00.000-08:00

The Kitchen, 2011 by Carrie M. Becker

No, I'm not talking about people who hoard miniatures. I'm talking about hoarding IN miniature. Hoarding in 1:6 scale, to be exact.

(Confession here: Every once in a while I watch "Hoarders" on A&E. I call it "train-wreck TV". It's like... well... a train-wreck. You don't want to watch, but you can't look away. The stories of these people are often sad but I still watch because I'm curious about the relationship between people and their stuff.)

Anyway... I came across an interesting project created by Carrie Becker. A ReMent collector and photographer, she has created 1:6 scale miniature scenes fit for the Hoarders show and photographed them.

Becker writes about her project, "I have a love of all things miniature. As a young adult, I collected small Japanese toys from a company called Rement. During the summer after completing graduate school I had some down time and decided to use my commercial photography skills to shoot my miniature collection as though it were "real". Also during that time, I also frequently watched shows like "Hoarders" and "How Clean Is Your House?" With that in mind, this past summer I began creating the images that are presented here, though I reflect their inspiration as a mirror and not a judgment. For me, this series about creating a small, but perfect world where the viewer cannot distinguish between what is reality and what is fiction."

Check out the gallery on her blog "Barbie Trashes Her Dreamhouse". Wow!

Don't miss the other photos in her portfolios. I find the Kansas farmhouse series particularly interesting. If you see something you like you can order a print from her Etsy shop.

In the News: Japanese Man Crafts Dollhouses from Broken Acoustic Guitars

2012-01-17T06:30:00.000-08:00

I love recycling, upcycling, repurposing and reusing things that have outlived their useful lifespan. I'm always squirreling something away in my stash that I think I might be able to use one day and Goodwill is one of my regular haunts. You might recall that the witch house is being constructed using an old oak tissue box cover from the 80s that I picked up at Goodwill. I've also used a lot of scraps of various materials that have been lying around.

When this article about a Japanese man who creates dollhouses from broken acoustic guitars showed up in my RSS feed reader today, I thought "hey that's cool!" and thought I'd share. These should be called room boxes or dioramas, though... but I won't quibble... I just like that he is using something that would otherwise be discarded.

You can read the whole article and take a look at the pictures of his completed work here.
I really like the sewing room and the traditional Japanese toy store. Which do you like best?

Fisher Price #250

2012-01-12T16:03:00.000-08:00

I found it!
Here it is on Etsy and it's in great shape!
(If only I had some extra bucks to spend... it's okay though... finding this gives me hope that one day when I DO have a few extra bucks, a #250 will turn up just like this one...)
:-)

The Arthur is here, the Arthur is here!

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

I feel like Steve Martin in "The Jerk" when the phone book gets delivered!

Must... focus....on finishing Abigail's room and the witch house... must... focus....
;-)

A trip down memory lane...

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

For some reason, we don't really "spring clean" at our house... We clean and get rid of things after Christmas...maybe it's our antidote to the craziness of the holidays with four kids. Anyway, the other day I took a couple of bags of books to our local library to donate them to the "Friends of the Library". While there, I spotted a copy of Muppet Magazine from 1982, featuring Ricky Schroeder on the cover. Flipping through the pages instantly took me back a few decades. The trip down memory lane was well worth the dollar I spent. (It was also entertaining listening to my kids read through the magazine--especially when they got to the Monchichi advertisement... "It's a monkey. It's a baby. Monchichi? Oh, mom...")

Driving home, I got to thinking... "I wonder if I can figure out who made that dollhouse I had when I was about 5." After a little bit of internet sleuthing, I found this--the Fisher Price Dollhouse #250. This was my first dollhouse and I'm tickled to find out that some of the furniture is available for sale on Etsy and on eBay, and the cost isn't terribly exorbitant. I even found a house just like mine on Etsy, but it had already sold. (Don't tell my husband, but I'm seriously considering acquiring the #250 again.) Here are some pictures of things I've found on eBay:

The bathroom and kitchen fixtures... My fingers still remember the feeling of the plastic and the texture on the shower door. The dollhouse people's clothes were not removable so they took showers with their clothes on...

This is the exact fabric that was on the sofa that I had.
I remember that my grandfather superglued it to the base so it wouldn't come off.

This is the house... It's missing the chimney and maybe the sliding door on the second floor...
I'll hold out for one that has all of its pieces.

Thanks for stopping by and humoring my little trip down memory lane... Have a great day!

Let's think of something to do while we're waiting...

2012-01-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

I am a child of the 70's... I grew up watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and every time I have to wait for something, be it in a doctor's office or waiting for something to happen, the song he used to sing "Let's think of something to do while we're waiting, while we're waiting..." runs through my head...

There were a lot of things about Mr. Rogers that appealed to me as a kid (and still do now that I'm an adult with teenagers)... As an adult, I really appreciate that he promoted kindness--something this world desperately needs. As a kid, I loved Picture Picture (always informative) and especially loved when the trolley would "take us" to Make-Believe, where my favorite puppet characters were Henrietta Pussycat and Daniel Tiger. (Even as a kid I was on my way to becoming a crazy cat lady... Mr. Rogers was probably the first step...)

Anyway, you might wonder what the heck this has to do with miniatures... Well, I'm waiting for The Arthur to arrive. *sigh* And I keep having to think of something to do while I'm waiting... So I've been working on the witch house (shingles are on the roof and the sides and back of the house are prepped for painting) and Abigail's room (all finished except for the baseboards and a bookshelf that I still need to build). (This might be a miracle here... I'm actually finishing things before I start a new project!) Pictures of both projects will be forthcoming.

If you want to hear the song, you can listen to it here.
It really is a catchy tune, and you can't ignore the wisdom in it either...

Let's think of something to do while we're waiting
While we're waiting for something new to do.
Let's try to think up a song while we're waiting
That's liberating and will be true to you.

Let's think of something to do while we're waiting
While we're waiting 'til something's through.
You know it's really all right;
In fact, it's downright quite bright
To think of something to do
That's specific for you.
Let's think of something to do while we're waiting.

Let's Think of Something to Do While We're Waiting
By Fred M. Rogers
© 1982

New Book: Edwardian Era Miniatures in 1:12 Scale

2012-01-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve my husband and I made a foray into Portland to visit Powell's Books. I, of course, immediately found the shelf with books about miniatures and doll houses. I found a copy of this book by Jane Harrop, published in the UK in 2011.

Each chapter covers a different room and provides some background on Edwardian times, beliefs of the day and discusses objects commonly found in the Edwardian home.

The best part is the clear step-by-step instructions for building furniture and making accessories typical of the Edwardian era. I appreciate that the author uses supplies that are easy to find and not terribly expensive.

Also helpful are the sections at the back of the book that include a glossary, templates for each of the woodworking projects with dimensions in both inches and metric, as well as a list of sources for both the UK and the US.

I'm looking forward to making many of the projects in this book. You can find a complete description of this book on Amazon.

Anxiously waiting...

2012-01-03T12:35:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, my husband gave me a gift certificate to Hobby Builders Supply. I decided to order a dollhouse kit! This will be my first dollhouse kit and I am excited. I decided to get a small kit for the first one to see how things go. Abigail's room is basically just a room box and the Witch House hardly qualifies as an official dollhouse, so this is a big step. I chose the Arthur from Greenleaf.

I'm a little bit "on the fence" about the gingerbread trim at the top and under the eaves. I might switch that out for something else. Also, I have no clue what color scheme I'm going to go with...


I've already started assembling furnishings from my stash that I will use and have started thinking a bit about how I want to decorate... I'm thinking early 20th century cottage... I love pink and green and roses, but I don't necessarily want to go "shabby chic" with this. We shall see how it all comes together....		I

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T09:47:00.000-08:00

The sun is shining here and I'm going to take that as a good omen for 2012.
My "resolution" for the year with regard to blogging: be more consistent!
I wish peace, health, happiness and prosperity to you all for 2012!

Santa was very good to me...

2011-12-26T17:00:00.000-08:00

I've been very quiet in blog-land lately. Sometimes "real" life gets in the way... Now that Christmas has come and gone and we are looking forward to the new year, I hope to be more consistent...

Santa was very good to my family this year! ;-)
A wonderful dinner at my parents' with most of our family... My daughter commented to me on the way home, "I really like our family. We should see them more often." Out of the mouths of babes... (this one happens to be 14.)

Anyway... there were lots of minis amongst my Christmas gifts and I am so grateful and happy! They included a darling garden furniture set with two mixed floral topiaries, a room box for Abigail built by my hubby himself, a subscription to "Miniatures Collector" , an Amazon gift card which will undoubtedly be spent on minis, and a gift certificate for a minis company whose catalog I've been poring over almost every night before bed. I am a lucky girl!

Our oldest son (who is 20) had a mini amongst his gifts too! A 7-week-old chihuahua puppy he has named Sox (as in the Boston Red Sox)... We are cat people here (truth be told) but we are all smitten with this latest tiny addition to our family--perhaps my mom most of all. She spent a lot of time after Christmas dinner with Sox sleeping snugly in her arms wrapped in his fleece blanket.

Back to painting Abigail's new room. I suppose I should feed the teenagers too...

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your loved ones. Blessings and best wishes!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Last Friday night my husband and I finally decided to put our extensive Halloween decorations away. We were on the fence about whether to put our everyday decorations back out, knowing we'll have to take them down soon to decorate for Christmas, go ahead and decorate for Thanksgiving even though it is less than a week away, or just put everything away and not put anything out until it's time to decorate for Christmas.

The living room, in particular, looked bare so I decided to go ahead and make the effort to decorate for Thanksgiving. I'm really glad I did, because I was able to bring out some of my very favorite decorations, among them, a cross-stitched banner and a tiny scarecrow and bale of hay. The scarecrow and bale of hay were among the first fall decorations I purchased for myself after leaving home and I've always loved them.

Wishing you many blessings this Thanksgiving!

Inspiration! Books from Otterine

2011-11-23T08:10:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know me know that I have a serious love of books in real life. Hubby and I are "Friends of the Library" in more ways than one. We probably have what most would think are too many books, but we love them.

One of the blogs I follow, Otterine.com blog, recently made a post about these books she made for a bookcase for a project she's working on. I am in l-o-v-e with these books and absolutely inspired.

Future project: a house that represents my family... with each person having their own room filled with the things that are unique to them. I've already started compiling a list for each family member. Not surprisingly, books--copious amounts of books--show up on more than one of those lists...

For inspiration, be sure to check out Otterine's blog, as well as her Etsy shop...

Almost turkey day here in the US! Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

In the News: Dream Leads to a New Miniatures Store

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a neat article from "The Review" in East Liverpool, Ohio. Three sisters have opened a miniatures shop in East Liverpool after one of them dreamed (literally) that the three of them owned and operated one together. Interesting how one person can dream something, mention that to others, and it plants a seed that grows into something real... LOVE that.

Read the article here.

Witch House Progress...

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

So it seems I'm getting better with my not-so-great camera.... Here are a few pictures of the Witch House and a little progress update. I haven't had much time to work on this over the past week, but I'm still pleased.

Perhaps Agatha's familiar is an owl? She hasn't revealed that to me yet, but I have a sneaking suspicion...

Furniture has been painted and a comfy mattress added... Still deciding on embellishments for the bed and dresser...

And the kitchen floor has been "tiled".

More updates coming soon! "Best witches!"

Last Weekend's Shopping Finds

2011-11-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of going to the Camas Antique Mall with my sister-in-law who was visiting for the weekend and my mom. We shopped till we dropped then headed home for a spaghetti dinner and a few glasses of wine. Here are the mini treasures I found...

I mentioned this little cast iron wood stove in a previous post. When I was growing up we had a potbellied stove with chromed skirting. This is one that my mom found in a junk store years ago. During our shopping trip last Saturday I found the coal scuttle next to it. (Yes, I know that coal doesn't go in wood stoves... but won't it make a great container for kindling and small logs?)

In the basement of the antique mall I found this bed and nightstand. They're both a bit shabby, but I find them charming. I look at them and imagine the little girl who must have played with them long ago. I will clean them up and then decide whether they will get a new coat of paint. The scale of these is about the same as the wood stove in the first picture. So maybe I have started a collection for a new room...

My mom spotted these hidden behind a spray of fall foliage that was laying on a table. They were totally hidden but my mom spotted them. They are 1:12 scale. I love the details on the legs of both and on the back of the chair. Thanks for the eagle eye, Mom!

Here in the Portland, Oregon area, we don't have very many options for buying miniatures so I'm always thrilled when I find little treasures during my outings. Happy shopping!

Abigail's New Duds

2011-11-19T16:34:00.000-08:00

Good Saturday morning! I've been a bit indulgent this morning... allowing my sweet hubby to make breakfast for me... Then finishing reading Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes (and dreaming of making some of the Tuscan winter foods she includes recipes for).

I felt like staying cozy in bed for a bit longer so I started reading Ian McEwan's Atonement. Interestingly, in the first chapter, there is a miniatures motif. Early on in the chapter as she is being introduced, McEwan writes:

"...Briony's [room] was the only tidy upstairs room in the house. Her straight-backed dolls in their many-roomed mansion appeared to be under strict instructions not to touch the walls; the various thumb-sized figures to be found standing about her dressing table--cowboys, deep-sea divers, humanoid mice--suggested by their even ranks and spacing a citizen's army awaiting orders.

"A taste for the miniature was one aspect of an orderly spirit."

Briony, in this first chapter is also revealed to be a writer:

"...writing stories not only involved secrecy, it also gave her all the pleasures of miniaturization. A world could be made in five pages, and one that was more pleasing than a model farm."

I read just a bit past this before I had to pull myself together and get on with my day. We shall see if the miniatures motif persists throughout the book. Onto other things... Today, I thought I'd share Abigail's new jammies and robe that I made for her recently.

Here she is all bundled up in her robe. She is laying on a quilt that I made from scraps in my stash, some of which are leftovers from a quilt my mom made a long time ago. I also knitted the pink blanket next to her.

And with her robe open you can see her white flannel jammies, trimmed with the same lace on her robe. You can also see her booties that I crocheted with pearl cotton left over from a long ago attempt to learn Hardanger and tied with scraps of silk ribbon.

I still need to recreate her roombox in wood and am revising the plans for that. Maybe that will be my Thanksgiving weekend project.

150-year-old German dollhouse to be displayed in Albuquerque museum | KOB.com

2011-11-18T13:34:00.000-08:00

KOB Eyewitness News 4 reported on this November 16.
A 150-year-old dollhouse, passed down from one generation in the family to the next, was left in Germany when the family fled the Nazis. Given to a Christian friend to store in her attic, the dollhouse was saved and later brought to the United States. Lilo Lang Waxman, now 91, has donated the dollhouse and its contents to the New Mexico Holocaust and Intolerance Museum in Albuquerque.

This is a real heirloom... And such a special treasure.

Be sure to watch the newsclip!
150-year-old German dollhouse to be displayed in Albuquerque museum | KOB.com

Busy!

2011-11-13T20:28:00.000-08:00

Whew! It's been a busy weekend with family in from out of town and the usual things going on... I did manage to work on my witch house AND I found some nice little treasures at the Camas Antique Mall. Pictures tomorrow... Tonight I'm headed to bed to read my book... It has been a long busy weekend... Sweet dreams...

Witch House... the witch has a name...

2011-11-10T12:40:00.000-08:00

I was feeling kind of glum on Tuesday. Discouraged about a few things in life... But then I spent a half hour painting the little witch house I'm working on and it cheered me greatly... Almost magic! It really is the small things in life that can make a big difference...

The witch told me her name is Agatha. She likes European castles so I found some postage stamps in my stash that feature them and she is pleased that they will be artwork for her new home.

Wednesday morning while waiting for my daughter to finish getting ready for school, I installed the carpets. Then yesterday during my lunch hour I made a bed, bookshelf and dresser. Here are a few pics...

The whole abode. I haven't painted the furniture yet or picked any fabrics. Still a couple of pieces of furniture to make and quite a bit of finishing on the house itself, but we're making progress...

The boudoir. Agatha's bed and dresser are made from the top and bottom of a small jewelry box. I made a headboard and footboard from the card from a package of seam binding and glued pony beads to make feet for the bed. You really can't see them in this picture but the dresser has rectangles of card to make the drawerfronts. There is also a round mirror above the dresser. Looks kind of retro! The walls are actually purple but it's hard to tell in this picture.

Agatha in her parlor. You can see the bookshelf I made from a tiny box and more pieces of the seam binding package card. This is where all of the potions and spell books will go! Also, I've placed a couple of postage stamps with castles on them that will be artwork. Walls are red. Purple felt for the carpet. My apologies for the blurry pictures. (I have a crummy camera.) There's a crystal ball on the table and the little thing with feet next to Agatha will be a footstool.

The kitchen is an ochre color. Leaning up against the wall, you can see one of the postage stamps that Agatha likes for artwork. It has red poppies on it. I also found a the little sterling silver teapot charm that is sitting on the mantle. Just the right size for a spot of tea for Agatha.

Fairy Gardens: Part 3

2011-11-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

An article about fairy gardens ran in The Oregonian (one of the local newspapers here) a couple of weeks ago. My mom clipped it out and mailed it to me. What a nice thing to have come through the mail slot! Much better than bills or junk mail!

Here's a link to the article on The Oregonian's website.

Mini Movie review: Dinner for Schmucks

2011-11-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

Tim (Paul Rudd) is a rising executive who "succeeds" in finding the perfect guest, IRS employee Barry (Steve Carell), for his boss's monthly event, a so-called "dinner for idiots," which offers certain advantages to the exec who shows up with the biggest buffoon.
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427152/

Barry has a unique hobby--creating dioramas with taxidermied mice which he dresses up. The scenes he constructs are amazing and at one point in the movie Barry shows off his magnum opus: a book called "Mouseterpieces" in which he's recreated scenes from famous works of art including the Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. You can see a gallery of some of Barry's creations on the official movie website.

Aside from the minis theme (which I unabashedly love), this movie is delightful. A bit of a darkly comedic farce, there are scenes that are touching. There's a lesson taught too, but without being preachy. Highly entertaining and definitely worth watching!

Abigail's Acoutrements

2011-11-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

A while back, I promised a "tour" of Abigail's room. That is being put off for a few weeks, as I reconstruct her room box in wood (rather than the foam core I had used previously). While I'm working on that, here is a sneak peek...

Abigail's toy box... I painted the alphabet blocks and toy chest and made the braided rug. The bears were a gift from my mom. The giraffe is a Japanese eraser. The doll box was a laser-cut kit from Dragonfly International that I picked up at the minis show in Portland last month. One of my favorite things is the antique basket (another gift from mom) that holds flannel receiving blankets, bottles and a rubber duck.

A closer look...

Sorry this picture is blurry! Here's the top of Abigail's dresser. Antique tatted doily. Woven baskets from Small Talk Miniatures, flower pot and mulberry paper roses from Dragonfly International, a beaded baby toy, sweet porcelain rabbit, and hand painted band box. I found most of these things at the minis show in Portland. The picture on the wall is from a vintage baby card.

Abigail in her bassinet with her stuffed kitty that I made from a kit.

Another view... In the background you can see the rocking chair (a Goodwill find).

Witch House

2011-11-06T09:58:00.000-08:00

This week's trip to Goodwill wasn't entirely fruitless... I didn't find anything mini, per se, but I DID find an oak tissue box cover (remember those from the eighties and early nineties?) that is evolving into a three-story house for my little Polliwog witch...

Here it is with floors installed to separate the box into three stories. You can see that I built a roof and chimney as well as a fireplace for each room.

From top to bottom, little miss witch has an attic, a boudoir, a parlor, and a kitchen. Hubby says Abigail is going to be jealous!

Checking out the fireplace in her boudoir! The fireplaces are constructed of foam core and "stones" made from an egg carton.

Here you can see all three fireplaces and the chimney finished.

Ukrainian Cross Stitch Patterns

2011-11-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

I love antique needlework of all kinds and just came across a great website that features Ukrainian Cross Stitch patterns. Most of these could easily be adapted to miniature scale. This pattern would make a great wall-hanging and reminds me of a woven tapestry that hangs in our living room. There are also TONS of patterns for borders. I haven't cross-stitched in several years and recently cleaned out a lot of my stash; it's a good thing I couldn't bear to get rid of my accumulation of scraps of evenweave fabrics! More on this later...
Happy stitching!

Museum of Miniatures

2011-11-01T08:34:00.000-07:00

I just stumbled across yet ANOTHER place I need to travel to....
The Museum of Miniatures in Carmel, Indiana.
Their website is great, plus they have a wonderful photostream on Flickr showing all of their exhibits. I can't wait to grab a cup of coffee and spend some time looking through all of the photos this weekend.

Pinterest...

2011-10-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

For quite a while I've kept a "like" book... it's one of those old-fashioned composition notebooks and I glue in pictures I've printed from the internet and clipped from magazines of things that I like or that I want to make....

NOW, there's Pinterest, an online pinboard where you can "pin" images collected from around the internet, creating a virtual pinboard... I now have several boards, including one for miniatures. It has been fun to "collect" pictures and I'm finding it surprisingly useful.

Don't get me wrong, paper clippings and the aroma of rubber cement still hold their allure... But I'm happy to say that this "late adopter" now has both feet firmly planted in the 21st century. (Must start saving for an iPad...)

Happy Pinning!

Treasures...

2011-10-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

The local Goodwill store is on my "route" about once a week. Yesterday was a day for some great finds including some Fiesta Ware, a lovely girly wine goblet and a couple of items for my daughter's room...

BUT this little cabinet and bench are the real finds of the day...

The glass cloches were purchased from a booth at Camas Antiques and the clay pots I've picked up in a variety of places along the way. The birdhouse was from one of the vendors at the NW Dollhouse and Miniatures Show in Portland earlier this month, and the basket (that's sitting on the bench and really hard to see) is a "mom" special.

I've been wanting to do a garden scene for a while so finding these was a happy stroke of luck. :-)

In the News: Cello ace chooses life in miniature

2011-10-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

David Edwards, once a cellist for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra gave up his music career in 1983 to become a full-time miniatures artisan. Interesting article from the Belfast Telegraph across the pond:
Cello ace chooses life in miniature - Offbeat, Breaking News - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk

I did a bit of research and found this profile about Mr. Edwards. Oh how I'd love to see his work in person...

And here is a link to his blog, David Edwards Miniatures, which features some fabulous photos of his work along side the full-size item he's replicated in miniature. Be sure to also click on the "My Work" link and see his work table!

Back from my blogging hiatus

2011-10-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been more than two weeks since I last posted... I've certainly had much to blog about. I just haven't had the time... Life!

Mini activities in my world:
--Abigail's room is going to be getting its floor this weekend. I found some bamboo placemats at the dollar store and have taken them apart to make "boards" for the floor. Once this and a few other tasks are complete I will give you a tour of her room.

--My mom found a miniature cast iron potbellied wood stove in a junk store a long time ago and recently rediscovered it in a cupboard. I can't wait to construct an old-fashioned kitchen scene for it. The really cool thing is that it somewhat resembles a wood stove we had when I was growing up.

--I picked up a copy of the November issue of "Minature Collector" at the grocery store the other day. It's packed with all kinds of inspiration and every time I pick it up I find something that I didn't see before.

--Kim and I took a trip north to visit his sister and her husband. While in town, we stopped into an antique store to browse. There was a very large elaborate doll house for sale ($1200!). Kim said, "If I had $1200 I'd buy that for you." All of the furniture had been removed from the house and it very much looked like a real empty house whose occupants had moved on... The shop's proprietor showed me a file folder that held complete documentation of the construction of the house, including all of the original drawings, plans and fabric, wallpaper and paint swatches, as well as drawings of the furniture that had been in the house.

--At the same antique store there were two small antique German dollhouses that were very charming. Coincidentally, I had borrowed a book about collectible dollhouses from the library and had that along with me on our trip. One of the houses I was able to identify as Gottschalk. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me, or I'd be sharing photos too.

--Abigail is getting new things all the time... I crocheted some booties for her and have been working on a little pink gingham dress. She likes her jammies though, so I don't know if she'll actually wear the dress or if it will just be displayed in her room. I did make her a pink flannel kimono trimmed with lace and she seems quite snug.

The sun is shining and it's a beautiful fall day. I will post more tomorrow...

More fairy gardens...

2011-10-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

Came across another article about the fairy gardens at the Signal Mountain Nursery in Chattanooga, this one from the Knoxville News.

The article outlines a step-by-step process for creating your own fairy garden and includes some great pictures!

(I feel a new project brewing...)

New issue of AIM

2011-10-06T18:30:00.000-07:00

The new issue of Artisans in Miniature (AIM) has been posted online and I can't wait to read it! If you are unfamiliar with AIM, each issue has a theme and this one's is "Granny's House". It's a bit poignant for me, as I've been missing my grandma a bit more lately for some reason. And this past weekend, accompanying me at the minis show in Portland, Oregon, my mom commented, "Wouldn't grandma love to see all this?" She surely would've.

My grandma (my mom's mom) was a doll collector. But she didn't just collect dolls. She loved them--honestly and truly. I remember her showing me the tiny details in their clothing and how their hair was styled so perfectly... She would point out this doll's teeth, or how that one's eyes were so beautifully realistic, or lift a dress to reveal an intricate lace petticoat. I could go to the 8-foot tall oak and glass case in her living room and ask her about any doll and she could tell me that doll's story. And each one had its own story, its own name, its own personality even...

As far as grandma was concerned, dolls weren't just to be looked at. When I was young, she played with Barbies with me and we had fun making things for them and re-purposing items from around the house for their use. She also happily "babysat" when I played with the baby dolls, lovingly dressing and holding them. What I learned as I grew up playing with dolls with my grandma is that you're never too old to play...and that's a lesson that has "stuck". As I "play" with Abigail and find new treasures or create new things for her I often think of Grandma; I'm sure I'll continue to do so as I try some of the projects included in this issue of AIM.

I'm anxious to try making some of the crocheted potholders on page 53. My great-grandmother (my grandma's mom) was a stitcher and crocheted potholders similar to these in real life.

I'm also looking forward to trying out the train set project provided by AIM member Jane Harrop on pages 39 and 40. It's a 1:12 scale project, but I should be able to adapt it to Abigail's scale (approx. 1:6). I'm becoming more confident in working with wood, so this should be a fun project. Abigail needs more toys for her toy box!

I just tried my first mini printie project from a kit I purchased at the minis show here in Portland, OR this past weekend and I'm hooked. On page 69 and 70, there is a mini printie project that I'm definitely going to make--a vintage keepsake box with letters and photos. This will undoubtedly go into a room box project that has been rolling around in my head for a while... Abigail's room needs to be finished first though...

And THIS will be a much bigger project of an entirely different sort: Miniatura, billed as the UK's biggest dolls house show, is featured in a special show report starting on page 59. Time to get a passport! This is definitely going on my bucket list.

Harvest Cornucopia: inspiration!

2011-10-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

I feel so blessed to have found so many talented miniatures artists on the Internet. They are truly inspiring and I am grateful that so many people are willing to share pictures of their work and even tutorials and tips...

Here is a picture of a harvest cornucopia created by a blogger I've been following for a while. She does beautiful work that is incredibly realistic.

Click here to read her blog post.

Murder in the Bronx

2011-10-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

Did you know that miniatures can help solve murders?

In Speakeasy Dollhouse, Cynthia von Buhler tells a biographical tale of murder, bootlegging, mafia, and intrigue, set in New York City and explored through a graphic novel and live performances.

She writes, "This is a true story about my grandfather who, during prohibition, along with my grandmother, bootlegged liquor and owned two speakeasies in New York City. He was shot and killed in 1935, but nobody in my family ever found out why. I'm uncovering the facts and telling the story in two ways: First, a graphic novel with photographs of miniature dolls and sets that I've created to visualize and convey the story, and second, in an immersive play through which the events unfold in real life. You can help me solve this mystery by pre-ordering the book or by purchasing tickets to the play through Kickstarter."

Watch the Kickstarter video on YouTube.
I promise you'll be intrigued!

If you want to know more about the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death, mentioned by von Buhler in the video, here's a bit more information, courtesy of Wikipedia (and edited by me for length--click the link below to read the full entry):

The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death is a series of eighteen intricately designed dollhouse-style dioramas created by Frances Glessner Lee, a millionaire heiress with an interest in forensic science. They are detailed representations of death scenes that are composites of actual court cases, created by Glessner Lee on a 1 inch to 1 foot (1 : 12) scale. She attended autopsies to ensure accuracy, and her attention to detail extended to having a wall calendar include the pages after the month of the incident, constructing openable windows, and wearing out-of-date clothing to obtain realistically worn fabric.
The dioramas show tawdry and in many cases disheveled living spaces very different from Glessner Lee's own background. The dead include prostitutes and victims of domestic violence.
Glessner Lee used her inheritance to set up Harvard's department of legal medicine, and donated the Nutshell dioramas in 1945 for use in lectures on the subject of crime scene investigation. In 1966 the department was dissolved, and the dioramas went to the Maryland Medical Examiner's Office in Baltimore, where they are on permanent loan and still used for forensic seminars.

The dioramas are not available for public viewing, but I did find this book about them on Amazon.

This is going on my Christmas list!

In the news...

2011-10-04T17:29:00.000-07:00

A couple of mini-related items popped up in my news feed over the past couple of days...

From the Chattanooga Times Free Press:
"Fairy gardens bring whimsy, imagination to landscape"
Fun!

From Ohio's Dayton Daily News:
"46 literary clues live in a storybook dollhouse"
I would love to see pictures of this and try to identify all of the clues to the books!

Fun with food!

2011-09-28T12:16:00.000-07:00

I love minis. I love food.
Here are both combined in some fabulously fun artwork by Akiko Ida and Pierre Javelle...

I love the tongue-in-cheek wittiness and color in these photos.

View this husband and wife team's website to see more of their amazing work!

A Haunted Dollhouse

2011-09-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

Kim and I talked last night about decorating for Halloween (already)! I can't wait!

In the spirit of Halloween, here is a link to a haunted dollhouse created by one of my favorite bloggers--Jenny the Bloggess. Some of you know her blogs... they never fail to brighten my day with their snarkiness and dark humor... Imagine my delight when I discovered her haunted dollhouse photo set on Flickr!
Click here to see her fabulous house! I am truly inspired.

Justification

2011-09-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

I took comfort in reading J. Courtney Sullivan's New York Times article "A Hobby Best Kept Small", published on August 17, 2011. Why? Because there's someone else out there who shares my interest in dollhouses and miniatures... (Actually, there are a lot of people... I've encountered their blogs and websites. I just can't find them in my day-to-day routine...)

I can identify with Sullivan's article because I too outgrew my dollhouse, but had my passion for miniatures re-ignited in my adulthood by one small item--in my case, a tiny baby doll.

I can also identify with the author's stolen moments spent looking at miniatures on the internet. (I must add that her "it's research for my book" guise is brilliant!) I too, have no room for a dollhouse. And I don't allow myself to buy the exquisite (and sometimes expensive) tiny objects that capture my heart.

Instead, I create my own from what I have on hand in my crafts stash or from supplies that can be inexpensively purchased. The thrill of the hunt drives me to browse local thrift stores and antiques stores... And every so often I triumphantly return home with a treasure for my collection... Still, the tiny wine glasses and decanters on the websites beckon me and I lust after tiny claw-foot tubs and miniature books... ("Just wait," I tell myself.)

But most of all, I could identify with the subtext of Sullivan's article--that she somehow needed to justify her hobby. She worried about displaying a dollhouse in her studio apartment where a date might see it and think she was strange. And later, when she told her boyfriend she wanted a doll house, he suggested that the dollhouse should wait until they had a real house and it would be "less in the open". Yup. Though my husband is very supportive and doesn't mind having Abigail's "room" set up on the coffee table from time to time, I too know that sneaking suspicion that I need to justify my hobby. After all, I'm an adult. A wife. A mom. A professional. There's really no point in my sewing a 5-inch by 5-inch patchwork quilt for Abigail. She's a doll. She doesn't get cold. But I spent hours doing so and even hand-tied and bound it in the way one would a full-size quilt.

The only justification I can offer is that it gives me pleasure, is an outlet for my creativity and allows me to practice the crafting skills I've accumulated over the years. And besides, it keeps me out of the bars.

(And a side note to boyfriend of J. Courtney Sullivan: it could be worse. She could be into taxidermy... Embrace the dollhouse; It's relatively benign... And will keep her out of the bars.)

Inspiration Sunday

2011-09-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

Sunday is typically the day I take a little more time to read the paper (scour the craft store ads) and spend time online visiting with friends on Facebook or reading other's blogs that inspire me...

Today's inspiration:
Halloween is a favorite holiday at our house. Here's a really neat display that I found on 19th Day Miniatures' blog. I could study all the details in this for a long time...


Wizardry with a dash of steampunk... Love it!

When I discovered Modern MC's Mini Modern blog, it blew my mind... If you think that all miniatures are stuffy Victorian or too cute for words this will set you straight.

A happy and peaceful scene

Also in time for Halloween, a how-to video from MiniMaker's blog Creating Dollhouse Miniatures: Skelly the Halloween Skeleton. If I want to know how to make something, this is where I go... With over 500 videos and slide shows, I'm sure to find some inspiration and learn a new technique...

Happy Sunday everyone... Hope it is restful... I'm off to plan my week's shopping and work on some mini projects....

NW Dollhouse & Miniatures Show

2011-09-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

I have been looking forward to the NW Dollhouse & Miniatures Show for several months and now it's almost here.

It all started with Abigail...

2011-09-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

Abigail is a tiny porcelain doll my mom gave to me. She was "born" at the old Bess Kaiser Hospital on Greeley in Portland, where my mom worked in the cardiology department for years... (Hospital gift shops always have neat stuff!)

I immediately made her a bed out of a plastic mushroom basket--weaving pink and white yarn through the sides to create a checkerboard pattern and crudely crocheting a hood for it... I then knitted a striped pink and white blanket for her... Again, crudely... I was 11 and a self-taught knitter and crocheter...

Abigail slept in this bassinet for more than 20 years. Last year sometime, I pulled her out of a box and she sat on my crafts table while I hunted for the right size bed for her... Not finding one, I sketched out a plan for a wooden cradle... But my woodworking skills are rudimentary at best, and I lack the proper tools... I gave up my hunt and finally decided to cut all of my old handiwork off of the mushroom basket and reinvent it... And so my mini mania began...

Abigail in her new bassinet.