Happy Thanksgiving 2019!

Happy Thanksgiving!

May I offer you some appetizers while we wait? What would you like to drink? 

Lots of cooking going on in the kitchen!

Hurray! Dinner is ready!

I can't wait to dig into the turkey dinner! With carrots, broccoli, peas, sweet potatoes (I really need some mashed potatoes and cranberries. Next year.)

And another favorite part of Thanksgiving: dessert!

Someone brought Turkey Pops (made by Kiva).

And  pumpkin pie, a fruit tart, a cherry pie and an apple pie. Yummy! 

Looks like someone brought one more cake from CottonTail miniatures on Etsy: a gingerbread cake with stars. Love Gingerbread!

They all look scrumptious!

Which desserts would you choose? 

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Philadelphia Miniaturia Show Purchases

At the last minute, I decided to go to Philadelphia Miniaturia for a day. It was my first time and so much fun. I also enjoyed talking to various dealers at the end when I was spent (literally and physically).

One of my favorite dealers is DollsHouseMinis on Etsy. Here is a link. I first saw her in Chicago. I love her work. Once I saw that she would be there via her Instagram postings, I really wanted to go. 

They've already found their way into Apartment #2 of Waterside Way.

I bought this strawberry jam and pie tin from El Arte de Angelina from Argentina. And a lego mold from Stewart Dollhouse Creations because it's a close call whether my house has more lego or dollhouses (or books). 

And I've already placed the jam and pie tin in my bakery.

Artofmini.com is another vendor I really like, so I bought these 3 kits and the grey pitcher. I'm excited to make some flowers to put in there. (Since I still have kits I bought from them last time and haven't made yet, I was a bit more restrained. But I have made several of their kits and they're very easy.)

I bought this pink bicycle to decorate with a basket of flowers.

I bought fruit from Sharon Harbison. 

On the second time around, I found this Christmas gingerbread cake from Carl Bronsdon. 

I bought this key chain, bags and flower kit from Itsy Bitsy Mini.

I loved talking to her. She said how she was just always so excited to be making minis and she couldn't wait to start each day.

And then I saw Ron Stetkewicz (website: https://rontoven.sytes.net/site/) at the show and asked him why he wasn't selling, telling him I needed door handles for my bookstore. Luckily, he had some in his car, so I bought these in the parking lot. 

I installed them before I lost them.

I bought these seedling trays from Castle Crafts. I met Robina of Miniature Abodes at the show and she pointed them out.

Two wine bottles for the restaurant. 

(I am still working on the swinging door and wall, and I plan to make a wine rack to sit above 

And a butterfly:

I might glue that to some flowers or a shop front before I lose it. 

Have a great weekend!

A Book Store in Progress for the HBS/Miniatures Contest

I'm making a bookstore for the #HBS/Miniatures Creating Contest. After I made the my writer friend's book talk scene and the library for my son's school last spring, I really wanted a book store for myself. Especially since I quit my job to be a writer. So I thought if I like the HBS/Miniatures contest kit, then I'll use that. 

Instead of working on the structure, though, I keep re-arranging the books.

And posing my new cats. Above is my new fat cat from wolvi64 on eBay.

And below is my new orange cat from JMDS Miniatures on eBay. 

The books then fall down because I don't want to glue them in.

 I like using them in scenes. Some of them are from #LittleThingsofInterest and have text/illustrations on the pages. I can't glue those in! I will build little boxes for them, I think.

I did make a little bookmark box. Free bookmarks when you buy a book! I cut up little pictures from a Paper Source catalogue and put them in some left-over wood scraps from a Betterley book kit.

I love The Big Book of A Miniature House, but I can't fit another dollhouse in our apartment, so I thought I'd try to make this in the French style. Sort of.  I would like to put a second floor roof on top following her instructions, but I think my husband will notice if a two-story structure appears. Lol. Anyway, I doubt I have time, so I'll work on the current kit and the landscaping and then see if I have time. 

I put spackle paste on both side walls, as per her instructions of how to do the walls. And there you can see the blue of the window.

I want the front to look like these inspirational photos, but I realized I've already used that blue in other buildings (my bakery and Malibu dollhouse - yes, I clearly have my favorite colors), so I will use the royal blue above. 

I like the way they put the books on shelves on the side of the wall in the above picture.

Have a great week!

Magical Mayhem - Happy Halloween 2019!

Happy Halloween! Mr. Bones wants to invite you to come inside!

I think Mr. Bones looks very inviting. And his long-lost relative is coming out to visit as well. But our trick-or-treater looks a little nervous - maybe because the long-lost relative just popped up.

Inside it's magical mayhem.

Even the witches look a bit shocked.

Pre-party, there was quite a lot of activity going on. The cat doesn't know if he should chase the mice away from the cheese OR watch that iron.

The magical iron is from Mainly Minis

Ok, he's scared away the mice, but now the milk is magically pouring.

But at least there will be cookies!

Happy Halloween!

Tutorial for Magically Pouring Liquids

As part of making the diorama for the school library, I decided to learn how to make magically pouring miniatures. I had printed out the tutorial from Lesley Shepherd in 2015! Only 4 years ago.

 It seemed intimidating, but it was much easier than I expected. 

I used clear tar gel and invisible hanging wire. I highly recommend Lesley's Tutorial.

It's quite addictive once you start. 

Here are my witches making a magically pouring mixture.

Someone must have called for some milk with their cookies.  I need this magical milk in my house. Usually it's me as the magical mom making the milk appear.

(The grey glass is a pen cap cut-off). 

Here's a potion for making baby dinosaurs! 

(The dragon book printable was purchased on Etsy from LittleMaggieShop and the dragons were purchased on Ebay. Like magic :))

Here are my attempts at cookies from Randall Castle's tutorial in AM November 2019. I used a toothpick instead of a needle, but next time I will follow the instructions. :)

Have a great week!

What can a writer imagine? New Halloween-themed Diorama for School Library

My son's school librarian asked me to do a Halloween-themed exhibit for the library. I probably should've done a spooky house (maybe next year), but instead I created this.

It's a writer who is writing and imagining all sorts of spooky magical mayhem, which is then coming to life in the room.

Here's a close-up of the writer's desk. With Halloween cookies from the tutorial in American Miniaturist October 2019 by Randall Castle and magically pouring milk from the tutorial by Lesley Shepherd. 

The ghost above is from the complimentary projects by Ann Vanture. I recommend subscribing to her newsletter.

A potion is magically mixing from the spell book.

I put Stephen King's quote about writing on one side of the box.

And this picture explaining the diorama on the back side:

Here's the third wall-- all the wood is scraps from my friend Ketsia at Itty Bitty Adventures:

The skeleton is frantically trying to get his cape ironed so he can go to a Halloween party:

Here's a top view:

There are crumpled pieces of paper around the desk of frustrated attempts by the writer.

I made Scary Gary the spider out of pipe cleaners and stickers.  

And another view:

Happy Halloween! And Happy Imagining and Creating!

N.A.M.E. Day Crafting Table

This year's N.A.M.E. Day project was a crafting table "island style." 

(N.A.M.E. is the National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts.)

Every year, I buy the N.A.M.E. Day kits and I never make them. I just add them to my growing kit pile. So this year I signed up for an online NAME Day where I met online with other NAME members of the NAME online group and made the kit. 

I love NAME events. As usual, there were drawings for prizes. I won the grand prize--a 1/144 dollhouse for my crafting room.

I'm so happy I actually finished it and I love the cherry wood.  It was a beautiful kit cut by Tom Walden. 

Now I kind of want to work on building out my craft room. Years ago, there was a NAME online houseparty where the Thursday night project was a craft room, so I have a little craft room, but this table won't fit in there. 

But I'm supposed to be working on my restaurant kitchen, the castle and my bookstore. And I want to make a Halloween scene too. 

Dilemmas, dilemmas.

I hope everyone has a great week!