Welcome to Day 2 of Halloween in Miniature 2014!
(NOTE: All items are 1" scale dollhouse miniatures - 1" equals 1 foot unless specified otherwise.)
Now that you've arrived, let's step into the parlor, shall we? My, it looks so cozy and spooky with those new curtains by Linda Wooten (of Wooten's Miniatures; see her Facebook page). She has such a spectacularly gruesome way with fabric and I love what she's done with the room! (I heard even Morticia Addams orders custom made curtains from her!)
Now, how about some appetizers? The chef has been cooking all day and night getting ready for everyone. I'm sure there is something to whet your appetite. Maybe some "finger foods" perhaps? heh-heh. Or how about a little eyeball or brains salad? Washed down with a Bloody Mary, of course. (Food: C. Verstraete)
Well, if that isn't to your liking, we have many other things to eat, so.... why did you hear something? Oh, look, who it is!
The owner loves her cats and miniature "breeder" Kerri Pajutee has made sure the house is full of cats - black ones, of course. After all, what's a haunted house without a black cat, or two, or three? My, isn't she regal?
Kerri, who received artisan status with the Guild of Miniature Artisans (IGMA) in 2001 and became a Fellow in animal figures in the Guild in 2004, has been sculpting for over 37 years. Her work has been featured in various magazines, and is in private collections and specialty museums. (Be sure to check out her darling dogs and other animals at her website.) The polymer clay sculptures are formed over an armature, and then are built and baked in stages. The bodies are covered with natural fibers like wool or alpaca to achieve realism. Read more about her technique.
Although Kerri makes all kinds of animals, she admits to not making too many with solid black coats. "They tend to get lost in a miniature setting and are hard to get any detail when taking photos," she says. But that seems hard to believe looking at her cats, doesn't it?
While her cats look as regal as ever, if you look close, you may see a slight difference. "I recently started to make the eyes of my cats different and you can see that the first cat (made last year) has pale green painted eyes that are glossed, while the recent sitting cat has yellow eyes that are made from dyed paper, paint and a UV resin. The latter version tends to look more realistic with a lens that catches the light much better in this tiny scale.
Both have applied coats of blended baby alpaca and silk (which is why they have that gorgeous sheen)."
The truth is.... these cats do have "magical" qualities and tend to get "lost" on purpose. They may show up anywhere, so be sure to keep your eyes open.
Next, let's greet some of the guests who've been patiently waiting for us, shall we?
** Miniature Halloween Project: Free printies, Harry Potter potion pages **
** Go to Day 3 - what's cooking?
Spooky Reads:
Author K.F. Kirwin offers six spooky Haunted Bedtime Stories
that'll take you near and far, and introduce you to some ghosts and spirits, plus a surprise sure to keep you up at night.
Purrrrrfect! Zombie Cat: The Tale of a Decomposing Kitty
- Attacked by a radioactive field mouse, Tiddles wakes up undead. But the cat is decomposing rapidly and all he wants is to live out the apocalypse with his owner, Jake. But will Jake take him in or will ZC be forced to roam the streets and try to avoid his undead yearnings?
- Margot Justes - The beauty of Leonardo's art entraps a demon when vampire Nickolai seeks to have a special portrait done. Can he destroy the demon before she destroys his life and kills the once woman who matters most?c.verstraete - candidcanine.blogspot.com