No pictures today friends... Just me coming back to say hi. And to let you know that I will be back.

Where does time go?

It seems to get sucked away by other obligations, life in general, depression, inertia... So often, it seems to just pass by... one day turns into the next, and the next, and the next, and before you know it *poof* a whole week has gone by, or a month, or a year...

Almost two years ago, I started working for a communications and design firm here in the city I live in. It's a great place to work, full of fun smart people who are dedicated to writing, design, and serving their clients. We're an eclectic bunch, with varied backgrounds and interests. What we all have in common is an appreciation and respect for each other's expertise and talents and a passion for our own work and interests.

As a workplace, we have many traditions, including our annual literary journal, which serves as both a creative outlet and a small token of our gratitude to our clients and partners. The journal is published just before the holidays and we all look forward to the big "reveal" at our annual holiday party.

This is our second year including visual art in the journal, and I'm very excited about my submission--a diorama that is the "stage set" for a colleague's one-act play that is her submission. I had the opportunity to work with one of our art directors throughout my creative process. What an amazing experience to be able to TALK about what I was creating and to verbalize the thoughts behind my decisions about what to include and what not to include in the scene! I dusted off my literary analysis skills from bygone college days and stretched into the artistic representation of my colleague's play.

Early last week, my art director set up a makeshift photo studio in one of our conference rooms. I was surprised at how I felt when I looked at those first test photos. Having my work professionally photographed somehow legitimized this hobby (obsession) that I have. Adding to the legitimacy I am feeling are the ongoing discussions about visual representation of a piece of writing and the kudos from my colleagues as they curiously poked their heads into the conference room to see what was going on.

I can't wait to share this creation with you all. The team working on this year's publication of our journal, Praxis, is feverishly getting it ready for press. Some of us are still putting the finishing touches on our pieces of writing and art. I cheer my friends across the finish line. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such creativity and camaraderie. This experience has reignited my artistic fire and I'm very anxious to get back to creating minis and blogging about them.

And to all of you I offer this: Take your art seriously, whatever form it takes! Do not discount your talents. Find a community that values your art and encourages you. Do not let others diminish the legitimacy of your art with dismissive comments--they just don't understand. Time has passed, but now I'm back! I'm back to create and to cheer you all on in your own endeavors!

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.

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...

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.

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.

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?

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...)
:-)

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....
;-)

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!

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

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.

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

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!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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 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!

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.