Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Planning A Garden

I am currently in the planning stage of creating a miniature garden. I have collected quite a lot for my garden, most of it made by others from swaps.

My mother-in-law gave me an aquarium and I am going to attempt to make my garden inside it. Check out the aquarium garden De created, from De-Lightful Minis. She also has a cute little garden scene inside a watering can. De's wall fountain tutorial is the current featured tutorial on my blog, I can't wait to try it.

I want to make a pond or a stream to go under the bridge, I have never tried anything like this before. Any personal experience, suggestions and/or tips would be greatly appreciated. I'm thinking of making a waterfall too.....I hope I'm not biting off more than I can chew!

Wish me luck!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Welcome New Followers!

A warm welcome and a big thank you to my new followers!

I now have 117 followers on this blog, and I thank each and every one of you.

I hope you all continue to enjoy my blog and please feel free to leave comments!

I will have a give away soon to show my appreciation!

Hello and Welcome ~
Montse~ Mis Cosas
Roelie~ La petite Sofie
miniaturemaid~ No blog
Núria~ Las minis de Nuri
oma makroma~ No blog
Nina, The Dangerous Mezzo~ Tudor / Medieval / Jacobean / Queen Anne dollhouse project
Lorraine~ DflyCreations
Margaret~ My Petit Parterre

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Miniature Gifts

Gifts are so much fun, to give and recieve! My mother in law made this afgan for the bedroom of the 333 Franklin Street dollhouse. She made it from wool embroidery thread to give it a "well used" look. It's perfect, I just love it!


This scrumptious cherry pie board was a gift from my friend Brenda. I think I'm going to use it in my vintage 70's dollhouse.


My friend De from De-Lightful Minis, made this beautiful Christmas tree and surprised me with it. It's going into one of my three Christmas roomboxes.


I'm off to work on updating my website, I'll be back later to welcome my new followers!

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Playing Catch Up!

Once again I am playing catch up! Everytime I make plans to do something, something else comes up.....Any one else have that problem? Today I'm trying to get caught up on my blog and website and if I'm lucky, I might sqeeze in some time for some minis.

I have a lot of new things to add to my website, and several blog posts to work on so I have a busy day in front of me.

Later today I have to take a break to go to my son's baseball game and then I plan to get back to work.

So, one of the reasons I've gotten behind is that I gave up my workroom so my 12 year old son could have his own room. This involved moving him out of the room he shared with his older brother and then re-organizing both rooms. I also had to find a place for all of my stuff, this was the hard part. I took over part of our living room, a large part.

This is now my "little" corner of the living room.

In this picture you can see my vintage dollhouse that needs a ton of work, and the 333 Franklin St. dollhouse that I have been trying to work on.

Notice the little part of a black and white body on the table, this is one of my Boston Terriers, Boomer. He has been jumping up on the table since I moved it in this room, the little stinker keeps trying to get into my witch's cottage.

This is my other corner, I bought the portable wardrobe to store all of my plastic containers.



Have a great Saturday everyone!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Hello and Welcome New Followers!

March has flown by for me....I haven't posted in quite awhile and I do apologize for being so late in welcoming all of my new followers. I have had so many things I have wanted to post about and life just keeps getting in the way. I promise I'm going to try to do better! I have recieved some fabulous miniatures recently and I'll be posting some pictures of those soon. I have a lot of new swap pictures to add to my website. I've been working on my 333 Franklin lately and have a few pictures to post of some things I have made for it. I still have more trash to treasure goodies to add. I won some mini furniture from The Dollhouse Company so I'll be posting about that. I've been working on my work room, doing a lot of organizing and making labels with my new label maker. I've been working on some new projects to add to my site and I'll be adding a new element to my website...it's a secret so I can't share it yet. I will also be re-opening the Miniature Barter Board as soon as I finish working out some bugs. I also recently joined MECA Mini Forum, Miniature Enthusiasts, Craftsmen & Artisans.....like I needed one more place to play on the internet. LOL!

Please help me welcome my new followers!

Maija from IIDASANTTU
Norma from the blog Make Mine Mini
Meli Abellan ~I can't find a blog for this one
Cia of Briarwood Miniatures
Tanya of Tanya's Place in Cyberspace~Talking Trash
Carol from Wee Cute Treasures
aru of the blog aruoc
Jody from Peach Blossom Hill
Lara of the blog Lara's Miniature World
Anthoula from A life in miniature
Susanne ~ Miniature Dreams
Eva J from EVAS MINIATYRER
Lisa Johnson-Richards ~visit her Blog and Website
Anneke of the blog pieplyts
Josje from A Beautiful World
Jolie from the blog Jolie's Sanctuary
Natalia ~No blog
Noemí of Character Dolls & Miniature Babies by IGMA Artisan Noemi Pascual
Island Ephemera from the blog Island Ephemera
Allie of Mini Eats
Janice from On Being a Mini Mum......
Marleen of marleen's miniaturen
Sylvia from Miniaturas Natasylvia
Choupavril from the blog Mini Rivoli

Be sure to stop by and visit their blogs or websites!

Thank you all for following!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

I couldn't resist!

I really tried! Like many others, I purchased a dollhouse from HBS during the 50% off sale. I bought the Willow, a Colonial style dollhouse, even though I am currently working on three dollhouse at the same time and have two kits still in boxes. I need to have my head examined! I don't even have a place to put anymore dollhouses, but I'm not letting that stop me, I'll just get rid of our furniture if I need to, we can sit on the floor. =) Right?

I would like to tell everyone about a new website, AmanSpeak Miniatures. The owner/artist Amanda, creates scrumptious 1:12 scale dollhouse food. Please pop over and have a look!

I've been working on the 333 Franklin lately, I'm making it a Diner with living quarters above. I'm going for an aged look so I have been researching aging techniques. This morning I found some great articles by Pat and Noel Thomas in several old Nutshell News magazines. One of the articles was about how to make the Chrysnbon bathroom kit look like porcelain and how to age it. I'm very excited to have found that!

I see that I have several new followers, Hello, Welcome and Thank you for following! I'll be back to give you a proper welcome in a separate post!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Awards Season!

I recently recieved two awards, The Sunshine Award from Debbie over at Tiny Treasures and the Kreativ Blogger Award from Deni at Deni's Dollhouse Mania. Thank you very much ladies! I am supposed to give the Sunshine award to 6 others and the Kreativ Blogger award to 7. It's so difficult to choose who to give these awards to, especially when they are making the rounds and as soon as I decide on someone, I find they have already recieved the award. So, if you have already been given one of these awards, don't worry about posting it again, and again, and again!

Ok, my 6 choices for The Sunshine Award are:
Deni from Deni's Dollhouse Mania
Marlies from Marlies en minies
Cathy from The Fabulous Farmhouse
Lize from Lizelund
Mimmi from Mimmi's Dollhouse
Eva from Premios y otras cosas de Mini Escenas

Now on to the Kreativ Blogger Award:
The rules for the award are:
1.Thank the person that gave it to you.
2.Copy the logo and place it in your blog.
3.Link to the person who nominate you.
4.Name 7 things about yourself that nobody knows.
5.Nominate 7 kreativ bloggers.
6.Post link to the 7 blogs that you nominate.
7.Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know that you nominate them.

And the nominees are.....
Jonna from BuggaBoos
Kassandra from Kaleidoskopic Romance
Irene from Hambleton Hall
Michelle from Poppenhuizen en miniaturen
Angela from Garden of Imagination
Oese from Raum für Raum
Carol from Wee Cute Treasures

Seven things about me;
1~I spend too much time reading blogs.
2~I love Groove Metal.
3~The film Baby Blue Marine was filmed in my home town and I met Jan Michael Vincent, Glynnis O'Connor, Glenn Ford and Katherine Helmond.
4~I am a descendant of William of Cassingham, appointed as Sergeant of the Peace by Henry III
5~I am NOT a morning person!
6~I still don't know what I want to be when I "grow up".
7~I'm a aficionado of celluloid, a guru of film, a gourmand of cinema.....I love a good movie.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

19 New Followers!

Hello and Welcome!
denistone1 ~ Susan from minicrochetmad ~ Marie ~ Michelle from poppenhuis en miniaturen ~ Kiva of Kiva's Miniatures ~ brustythimble ~Anna from miniannalee ~ Hanna & Leijona of Hanna & Leijona kirjat-books, Hanna & Leijona and Etsy Mini Makers ~ Marsha from Enchanticals. Marsha doesn't have a blog yet but she has an Etsy Shop ~
LE COFFRE D'EMILIE ~ Kabrina from Kabrina's miniatures ~ My Realitty ~ Ascension from Mis Miniaturas ~ Wendie from WendiesMiniWorld and Mini Madness Virtual Tea Party (Top Hats Optional) ~ Juliana from The Forest Minis ~ Lena from miniatyrmama and inredningsmama ~ Ingrid from mijndroomwereldje ~ Deborah from Deborah's Daily Dish ~ Erica from Artwork by Erica Miles.

Thank you all for following!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Let's Talk Trash....Part One

I use a lot of trash when I make minis. Some of it in the form of "other people's trash" and some just plain old trash. My friends and family save their unwanted items for me to check over before they toss them......I think most of you can relate. I also use "trash" for holding, painting, storing, sorting and a variety of other things. So, lets talk trash!

My husband received some free golf markers in the mail, an attempt to get him to subscribe to a golf magazine. The markers came in this piece of black foam, I immediately confiscated it, seeing the possibilities it had to hold my minis while drying. The red "drying apparatus" was a puzzle, the plastic dish is screwed to the wood and holds extra golf tees.

These counter top utensil holders were given to me, they are perfect for hanging bottles of Gallery Glass. Each one holds a dozen bottles.

Another freebie, a spice rack and bottles hold assorted beads, the clear bottles make for easy viewing.

My husband loves the Cobb Salads from Safeway. I keep the top parts that holds all the goodies separately. I save any plastic container with compartments.

I use them to hold paint, glue, and other messy things.

The paint and glue can easily be peeled from the plastic and the compartments used again.

I also use them for sorting small items such as beads and jewelry findings.


Yesterday I made trip to the Dollar Store...I got some fabulous goodies! I'll share those with you in Part Two. In the meantime, go visit Tanya's Place in Cyberspace~Talking Trash, she has some great ideas!

Friday, January 29, 2010

Welcome New Followers

I do apologize for taking so long to give my new followers a proper welcome......I've had a crazy month!

Hello and welcome to Leila of the blog mimos da leila, Teresa who's blog is called This and That Miniatures and Life, Rachel from SenaMena, Maria, she has two blogs, doormariasogen and diary of a miniaturist, Carey from Chicory Nits (love that name!) Bianca of Begotten Dolls by Bianca, Eli en Karina....I didn't find a blog, Kaleidoskopic Romance has a blog, Kassandra's Miniature Blog and is a member of Etsy's Dark Side Street Team, Troy Bettridge who doesn't appear to have a blog, Puppenstubennostalgie, author of a German blog, PuNo's Minis 1:12, JFolk from the blog J Lil Roomer, Susan of Susan's Mini Houses, Grace from TreeFeathers, and last but not least, Charlino from The Fashion Plate.

Thank you all for following!


Monday, January 25, 2010

Miniatures from stack-able crayons

Hello everyone out there in blogland! This is my first post of the year, my family has been keeping me busy, way too busy! I have a huge mess staring at me, emails to read, websites to add....the list goes on and on. I also have new followers to give a proper welcome!

I was at my local dollar store and found these stack-able crayons, imagine the possibilities!






Real miniature crayons


Simple oil lamp


Miniature Vase