Annual Dollhouse Show Countdown!

 

Coming up this week! Three days - 3 days!!! My friend Gigi and I will be going Saturday on our annual pilgrimage to the Bishop International show at the Marriott O'Hare in Chicago and the Spring Showcase show at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Schaumburg, Ill.

What do I need? A zillion dollars, maybe? ha! Well, nothing but... I have a list!

Of course you always find things you didn't realize you needed or just like... Some things I might look for and just a few of the many great vendors I'll come across. I'll share a few here:

* There is a project waiting in the wings...I bought a kit - a rare 1" scale project - that I want to turn into a Tudor house as I've had these fancy dolls and food stored forever for this. I'll show that and what I've saved once it's started... at some point. But I may add some modern touches as I don't want to be limited by strict Tudor-style. It will be designed to look Tudor but I want to be able to change the furnishings later if possible.

I do want to turn part of it into a fancy library, unless I put that in a smaller roombox. I have some beautiful furnishings saved for that, too. Those two and a possible small Lizzie Borden scene are the only 1" scale projects I have in mind. I have a small box and furnishings for that set aside.

At the Spring Showcase show: There are lots of new vendors this time, so I have no idea what I'll find.

* I like the 3D printed items from Blackthorn Miniatures. I am still eyeing the half-scale Zombie Tiki glasses (set of 3) for my haunted houses. I do have her half-scale Addams Family "Thing" hand to add to a scene yet.

   * I always get the Gothic furnishings in half-scale from my favorite vendor, SDK Miniatures. For a change of pace, I'll get the Gothic chairs and might get my favorite Gothic table in 1" scale for the Tudor house. I'm also looking for flowers (to paint purple of course!)  for the Lavender Cottage.

* Preston Poling, the "Bearded Miniaturist," will have a table this year. He displayed his fantastic Frasier TV show project in 2022  (see my photos here), so not sure what he's showing this time. 

* Teri Hanson of The Covered Chipboard has some really cool spooky items and will be exhibiting for the first time. (Good luck Teri. Have a great show!) I really like this spooky stall kit she's done and she has a nice assortment of furniture and other kits. My list has gotten longer! 😆

Bishop Show: 

* So many tables to see! First off, I have to get some kits from CastleCrafts. I am thinking of getting the 1" scale trugs/trays for the Tudor project plus some other things like lanterns, bottles, birdcages, etc. and of course, half-scale kits. (table R15)

 I do have a larger half-scale farmhouse to do yet, and while I have beds, this Vintage bed is rather pretty and different than what I've done.

* Melvin's Minis also has nice kits and materials. I really like the weathered wood flooring sheet which I used in the Lavender Cottage so hope to get more. (And only $1 each.) (Table Suite XIV)

* Tonya's Miniatures (table R28) has some cute accessories I want to see. Look at these little cassettes and 8-tracks! She even had some tiny Jelly shoes. (Remember those? They were cute but made your feet stink! ha!)

 

* Oh these are so cute! Just saw these on FB from Italian miniaturist Valeria Bonomi with Graffialuna. Wonderful hand-made shoes tho a bit beyond my usual budget. (Table 057)

I'm also looking for odds and ends, mostly half-scale (1:24): silverware, metal baking items, doorknobs, faucets (always seem to need some!) I'd like to find some kind of armchair kit that's different than what I have to put in the cottage attic. Plus, I keep an eye out for things for my friend for our annual Christmas gift exchange and Advent calendar.

So, this is just a tiny, tiny sample. Hope to find some bargains and different items. You never know. We'll see what I come across at both shows! I'll share my finds later.

* Update:  Yay! The small roof pieces on the Lavender Cottage are done and painted. I'd thought I was finished and then realized I have to do a last row with half-shingles to finish it off. I questioned what color to pick, but using the same purple as the shutters looks really good. I think this is the first time I painted shingles. I always try to do a different roof on each house. Guess I'll have to do a post on that if anyone wonders how to do their house. I'll show pix once I glue and trim it. Started shingling the top roof now.

* Thanks again for visiting. Come back soon for more updates! *

Happy Easter (in Miniature!)

Happy Easter to everyone!

The fun of miniatures is no egg coloring (not at those prices. ha!)  and while the chocolate is fake, it's still fun! (*Click photos for full size.)

Got the cutest mini Easter basket from my miniatures pal Gigi. Why those colors you ask? Well... you know I like Halloween so she made the basket in Halloween colors. Yes, that 😉 bunny is black -  super-dark chocolate!  

Tried something different during our latest mini session. She was working on a mini carrot cake kit from Robin Betterley which offered some unique ideas for finishing, so I decided to try my own version.

Ta-Dah! Half-scale and 1" scale carrot cakes! 

I decided to finish them off, so added more "carrots" round the edges, which does look better. And added the silverware! Pretty cool!

I made the cakes by cutting the forms out of 1/8" foam board. Paper towel is glued over the surface for texture, then painted white. After that I dabbed on some Snow Magic, a thicker fake snow, paint-type material. When dry, it's topped with Gloss Mod Podge. The inside of the cake is painted ginger brown. The "carrot" pieces on top are dried orange paint cut into tiny triangles to resemble carrots. What's cool is I could make a half-scale size knife from cardboard using the knife stencil. Something fun and different for a change!

And since Easter is on my mind, I made a couple other smaller Easter baskets using a vintage basket pattern I found online some time back and reduced in size. Fun and easy to make! 

And Yes... still shingling the Lavender Cottage. Ugh. Did I say how much I hate this part? ha!

* Thanks again for visiting! Come back soon for more projects and updates. * 

Dreaded Shingles (In Miniature)

 No joke as I know this is a terrible condition. But I am NOT looking forward to this part of the Lavender Cottage! (See last post. * Click photos for full size.)

Well, I started and am doing a row here and there...  It'll need some divider strips, too, since the pieces don't quite meet. I think (so far) I'm going to paint them dark purple like the shutters so trying to be careful with the glue. I have to shingle them off the house and paint them separate so I don't get paint on the walls. The roof pieces are fit in but not glued down yet.

Looking better, too, that I got all the shutters on. You can't tell, but I decided to put one shutter on each side of the bottom windows which looks less empty then. Have to find those small flowerboxes I made before...

A fun part was I got the two beds dressed for the bedroom. Decided on the purple floral to go with the wallpaper (scrapbook paper) print.

Also got some plants made.  Fun easy stuff. I so want to get these roof pieces done and trim on so I can start adding vines and wisteria. Also waiting to start doing real planting. It's too cold yet and still getting frost so not sure when to start! 

Next I'll work on the brick paper for the foundation and the trimming. Really isn't much to go. The shingles will take me a bit though. Have to do it in stages as I really hate this part of dollhouse building.

Meanwhile... oh, look, a visitor! Seeing how the remodeling is going, I guess. haa!

I am debating on putting some painted corrugated paper on the underside of the roof or some wood strips to cover the holes from the tabs. Not sure yet. We'll see how the paper fits in and if it looks right. I've got a strip of electric tape under there so not sure how to cover it. I may just have to paint it and camouflage it from the front with the vines.

Not much else at the moment. Counting down to the dollhouse shows at the end of the month and the half-scale swap box coming soon, too! I'll be sharing some photos of my finds and what I got later.

* Thanks again for visiting! Come back soon for more updates! * 

Dancing & Reading Barry Manilow Inspired Fiction!

 Oh, Look What I Got!! Finally got my copies and can't wait to read it!

(Click photos for full size.)

Got my copies of A Killing at the Copa: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Barry Manilow. 

My story, "Some Kind of Friend," is based on the song of the same name. * See the full story/song list in my other blog post here.

Buy it at various sites everywhere - you can also order via Bookshop.org.  ISBN: 196347970X

Or... You'll get the best ebook rate (and download/own NOT license it) plus get less expensive paperbacks (free shipping!) at the publisher's site here - White City Press. 

My story is "Some Kind of Friend," based on the song of the same name. 

 🎵  About the story: 

Clarissa Simone was lucky to fulfill her dreams of dancing at the famed Copacabana nightclub. Those dreams soon tarnished, however, when she was blamed for the shooting death of fellow dancer and former friend Mina Ruiz's mobster boyfriend at another local club, The Bar by the Harbor. But was it Clarissa's fault? 

 🎵 About the Book:

From his early days in the 1970s playing piano for Bette Midler in the bathhouses of New York City to his 2025 lifetime residency in Las Vegas, Barry Manilow has put his stamp on the music industry. With legendary hits such as "Weekend in New England," "Mandy," and "I Write the Songs," Manilow has created a catalog of instantly recognizable songs that have lasted decades and continue to be in rotation on radio stations, elevators and Spotify playlists to this day.

Manilow also created a legendary musical crime in his song "Copacabana," telling the story of feather-wearing dancer Lola who is caught between bartender Tony and patron Rico as the two men vie for her affections...and ultimately meet untimely ends.

Now, 13 crime author fans of Barry (affectionately known as "Fanilows") take on other songs from his collection of hits to tell all new stories of love, life, relationships and other situations gone horribly wrong. All the hits are here, as well as a few lesser-known tracks.

Features all new stories from Karen Keeley, Linda Kay Hardie, Adam Gorgoni, Maya St. Clair, Matt McGee, Laurie Stevens, Caleb Weinhardt, Kurtis Rupé, Recita Clemons, J. M. Taylor, John M. Floyd, T. Fox Dunham, Christine Verstraete and Shari Held.

Kits & More Miniature Kits

 I love kits. I like making most of them, though a few can get a bit fiddly. But to me, the fun is putting the kits together, choosing colors, paints and stains, and picking the fabric to make it fit into a certain project.

As I mentioned in the last post, I made a few furniture pieces that went with the greenhouse kit I pulled out. Kind of cute. (*Click photos for full size. See other links in left column archives.)

Then, since I decided to make an attic  in the Lavender Cottage, I finally found a place for these:

What are they?

 Legs for a ping-pong table kit (SDK Miniatures.) I'd had this kit a long time; at one point I even wondered why I bought it as I really didn't have a place for it. Then I thought, hey, it can go in this house. Mostly as that place you store stuff on. You know... ha! Actually, it looks pretty cool so far. I'll show it once I get the net on and the paddles painted.

Saw a great little project in my FB Half Scale group of someone's toy room and it's so cute, it made me decide to pull out a bunch of toys I've collected. I can at least store them all here until or if I decide to use them somewhere else. I'll at least know where they are instead of in all kinds of drawers everywhere. 😊 Still looking for a few, though I have to check the Fairfield, as wondering if I put them in there. 

Many of the pieces are great handmade items from the annual half scale swap. I also pulled out some of the art from past swaps that'll fit on the walls here, like my sad vintage animals pictures from the previous Kitschy swap. Might be a few things I'll use from this. This year's should be coming soon!

A couple bookcases I'll use on the side wall for toys, books, and stuff. I'll put a TV on top of the lower shelf.

And... changed my mind! Sometimes you try to fit in different furniture and it just doesn't "feel" right, know what I mean? Then I realized I had this pretty bed set (old Avon resin furniture). I think it looks really nice in the attic and I always liked the bed. So am thinking of using that. I also found a second in my stash so I'll have one to use in another project. (Yay!)

So, a "small" update. I've got all kinds of stuff pulled out now to see what accessories to put in here. Amazing how much stuff a house will need, (and how much stuff is "hoarded" away!) Just like real life. haaaa!

Until next time! Thanks again for visiting! Come back soon of more updates!

Noncorporeal III spooky anthology Kickstarter

Noncorporeal III: Nightfall, the latest anthology of spooky tales coming out from Inkd Publishing, launches its Kickstarter today - April 4. Get it on it for some cool stuff!

Includes my latest story, "Cat's-Eyes," a spooky tale of crime, stolen jewelry, murder, and... Cat's-Eyes! I 'll leave it to you to find what the cat's role is! 

This is an interesting series. My story, "Secrets of the Last Mine," was one of the featured tales in the last anthology, Noncorporeal II.

The new story kicked around for a while. It was accepted once, then the project fell through, then I rewrote it several times, adding more of a crime element and going back to the original spooky part I always liked about the story.

Looking forward to reading the other stories too. Check out the Kickstarter above!

Third floor HS Lavender Cottage Dollhouse

 Yes, still making progress on the Lavender Cottage (see last post) - got the 3rd floor attached now, papered, lights and floor in, windows in... and it's trimmed, plus the back is glued on. I like that it has a bright clean look. (Photos - click for full size.) 

For something different, I decided to make this a type of attic with a newsprint wallpaper. Haven't done that since decorating one of my early houses, an Artply. (Remember those?) I did have the idea at some point to do a wall using my own newspaper stories, (years of reporting and writing, I'm sure there are enough) but I never reduced more than a few. So, this time, I think I'll just add a couple framed pages on the walls as kind of a memento. 

I'm going to add a small couch like a sleeper sofa and then add storage. This will be the extra sleeping room that someone can use when the cottage is booked up. Despite the junk I'll add, it's private, so who wouldn't mind that?

I attached the lights on the back wall by running some of the wires through shrink tubing, then gluing it to the wall above the dividers. You can't tell here but I left the lights hanging slightly, I'll put them into clear globes and glue those to the edge of the back trim.

I also got the second floor finished with the ceiling and baseboard trim in. I think it turned out well, too. I'll be dressing those beds next and adding more furnishings. * And I think I found the bed for the third floor attic! See post.

 Here are the dormers and the front so far. Have to add the first floor roof pieces and then start shingling. Still have a few shutters to finish and glue on, too. It's come a long way!

Also making progress on the other project, the small contemporary house kit. I changed the papers and some designs, of course. Still have to add some furnishings, trim, and the stairs.

And as these both are almost done, (well there're the shingles and lots of trim and foundation brick to go on the cottage) but I was in a spring mood. So I got out a greenhouse kit my friend Gigi gave me a while back. 

Did I need to start another one? No, but... it's like my reading. Always seem to have several books going at once. Get bored with one, then go back to the other. 

Some of the furnishings are made on this and I'll start working on some flowers, maybe even start gluing some walls and acrylic together. It's a small greenhouse so it's kind of cute to put next to one of the houses. I'll show more of that next time.

That's it for the moment. Hope your projects are going well! It will be time soon to start getting ready to do the real-life planting. Hoping my Mexican sunflowers do better as they didn't really take last year.

* Thanks again for visiting. More projects and progress coming soon! * 

Such a Deal! Mystery Crime Fiction Ebook Sale!

 Like to read?

Such a deal! Publisher Misti Media has a half-off sale of ebooks through Monday 3/31 at DriveThruFiction! There are some incredible prices here! (Even books for... 25 or 50 cents???)

Some great crime fiction anthologies, mysteries, romance, and more!

These are epub format, so if you use the Kindle app to read, all you have to do is go to the Send to Kindle page to upload the file. 

If you like music-inspired fiction: (Only $2!) 

(I Just) Died in Your Arms: Crime Fiction Inspired by One-Hit Wonders (Includes my story, "Wildfire.") *Consider leaving a review!

Janie's Got a Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Aerosmith (*I've been wanting to read this one!)

* And One Stop Shopping!

You can also get the new release, A Killing at the Copa: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Barry Manilow ($3.99, cheaper than other online bookstores.) Includes my story, "Some Kind of Friend," inspired by the song of the same name. (*Please put reviews up too!)

Plus other mystery series, anthologies and more! 

 Plus, the fiction bundle is still available - 5 titles for $10!

Happy Happy Reading!!

 

Today's Tiring Challenge: Lavender Cottage Miniature Electric

 

Whew! My feet are aching after standing for several hours working on miniature electric. It took a bit to glue and solder seven lights in but --- done!

I added the outside lights and shutters on the second floor (above) and it really improves it, doesn't it? It just looked too bare before. Seeing the colors together like this, it shows how what may seem at first like a non-complimentary set of colors can work. (*Click photos for full size; see other links in left column archives list.)

What's the big deal, you ask? Well, to explain, electric tape was run in the Lavender Cottage as usual, but this time I decided to use 3 volt LED lights instead of 12 volt regular lights but with an adjustable transformer (switches from 3v to 12 v, cheap on ebay.) That way I don't have to worry about battery life and all that. We cut off the socket end and wire on a plug. 

Boring explanation: (if you know, you know...ha!) The process includes drilling the holes, testing lights, running the wires, then soldering them in to the electric tape. In years of building dollhouses, I've never had a problem with loose connections this way. As usual, I admit not planning enough beforehand so some of this might've been easier -  like adding a light and globe on each side of the porch ceiling before the railings/posts were installed, but it worked out. Now I just have to repaint under the porch roof since I have electric tape running there. Maybe sand paint or light stucco or glue card on. 

Second floor: I glued on the purple (it's more a rose and purple mix) scrapbook paper ceiling, soldered the lights with the purple mesh bead covers, and then at the last minute decided to put a wall light in, too, since it needed more light. I should've done it before I papered (and thought of it), so I had to paint the wires and run it down the wall. But that's acceptable as it's a cottage and lights are like that sometimes. Once everything is in and the table is there, it won't be that noticeable. I'll have to add moldings around the ceiling as well like I did on the first floor. Will probably put some wood for baseboards, too; the first floor didn't need it but it'll look better on this floor.

Then, the main electrician (hubby) thought there should be two lights in the front of the second floor. (top photo). After thinking about it, yeah, good idea. I added shutters, which did fill in the empty space and added more color, so the lights are another good touch. I'll touch up the paint on the wires and then add more tinted Spackle (lightweight hole filling compound colored with acrylic paint) over them so they won't show. 

Here's one of the porch sides lit up. Wasn't going to add those, but it makes sense. Now the mini people can see when they're sitting outside. Definitely needs shutters, too, so I'll have to make two more sets (cut wood coffee stirrers). I hadn't thought of doing this before, but I also found some extra windowboxes I'd made for a previous house that may work here on the second floor as they're already painted green. I might just change some of the flowers so it's more purple hued.

(Smaller window for top roof dormers.)

Finishing up curtains. I found some really pretty lace at Walmart that has some nice designs to cut out, so I can put the windows in before I glue the third floor walls in. I'm using the same white textured brick paper (Starboc 2/Etsy) that I used in the first floor wall. Will also use that on the foundation. (See photo above.)

And you thought building dollhouses was easy. ha! This is a lot different, yes, more labor intensive then just putting together those pre-made book nooks or kits with all the pieces. Either way is fun, though regular dollhouses require more planning, building, and designing if you are doing any modifications. Good learning process if you've never done it and the results are worth it once you get to the kit building, modifying, and bashing stage of miniatures.

So onward! I'll share more progress soon. Getting there!

PS - In the meantime, that little house kit (below) is about done, with construction help from friend Gigi and her hubby's help fixing a weird window design. (That left black window frame had round dowel rods for cross beams, which was kind of stupid. It looks and fits better using the same square wood strips as the sides.) These kits often have confusing directions and this was the first time I did a full one like this. Now I know.

Here are a few tables from that kit. The square one will have marble paper on it.

 Electric will be next on that one. I changed the papers and colors, an improvement. I never like the terrible paper designs/colors they use. My color theme is ending up with red and green in the living room because of the paper's print, and maybe red in the bedroom. Guess it will be a kind-of Christmasy house. ha! Didn't intend that color scheme but I liked the paper design I picked. Have to make a new bed frame and then choose fabric colors. I'm on a bed kick. I'll have four beds to make then. ha! Hopefully will share that soon too!

* Thanks again for visiting and letting me ramble about my projects. Come back soon to see what else got done!*

It's Release Day! A Killing at the Copa: Barry Manilow Inspired Crime Fiction

 

Yay!! Today is Release Day for A Killing at the Copa: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Barry Manilow. 

My story, "Some Kind of Friend," is based on the song of the same name. * See the full story/song list in my other blog post here.

Buy it at various sites everywhere - you can also order via Bookshop.org.  ISBN: 196347970X

Or... You'll get the best ebook rate (and download not license it) and less expensive paperbacks (plus free shipping!) at the publisher's site here - White City Press. 

 Some links may provide affiliate compensation.

Here are a few other places:

Amazon.com - B&N - Japan: Rakuten  - Indigo/Chapters/ Canada  - Smashwords

About the Book:  

From his early days in the 1970s playing piano for Bette Midler in the bathhouses of New York City to his 2025 lifetime residency in Las Vegas, Barry Manilow has put his stamp on the music industry. With legendary hits such as "Weekend in New England," "Mandy," and "I Write the Songs," Manilow has created a catalog of instantly recognizable songs that have lasted decades and continue to be in rotation on radio stations, elevators and Spotify playlists to this day.

Manilow also created a legendary musical crime in his song "Copacabana," telling the story of feather-wearing dancer Lola who is caught between bartender Tony and patron Rico as the two men vie for her affections...and ultimately meet untimely ends.

Now, 13 crime author fans of Barry (affectionately known as "Fanilows") take on other songs from his collection of hits to tell all new stories of love, life, relationships and other situations gone horribly wrong. All the hits are here, as well as a few lesser-known tracks.

Features all new stories from Karen Keeley, Linda Kay Hardie, Adam Gorgoni, Maya St. Clair, Matt McGee, Laurie Stevens, Caleb Weinhardt, Kurtis Rupé, Recita Clemons, J. M. Taylor, John M. Floyd, T. Fox Dunham, Christine Verstraete and Shari Held.

Half Scale Lavender Cottage: 2nd Floor So Far

 

Wasn't sure how far I'd get, but did want to get the second floor done and... Ta-dah! Some progress! I know, still a lot to go, but it gives an idea of the direction I'm going.

Last time I showed the first floor lights, and mentioned I had the second floor outer walls stuccoed and assembled. It looks bare yet as I have to add the roof, plus the top angled roof and side walls. I might put some shutters, too, if they look right.

Now I got the walls papered, the windows with curtains in, and the floor set. The floor isn't glued down yet, but I wanted to see how it would look. Lots of glueing and trimming yet. I like that it has a summery, airy feel.

I decided on a light purple floral print (scrapbook paper), and since this is a cottage, I was going to make it a place where people would stay for vacation. So there will be two beds, and there may be a smaller cot, too. Plus there will be bookcases with games, etc., some comfy seating, and a table in the corner. 

That lamp on the table is a purple mesh bead with a white cap and I'll have two more of the beads only on the ceiling. The ceiling isn't attached yet and will have a dark pinkish-purple paper to pick up the colors. I think it'll look pretty good.

 Here's a photo of the finished house again (from the website).

The third floor has an angled ceiling, so I'm thinking of maybe making it into a storage space (gotta have storage for all the seasonal and extra stuff!) and might put a small sleeping area, too, for that extra guest who wants more privacy. I always seem to make an extra bed somewhere in all my houses! No stairs in the house (too small), so there will have to be some pretending here. ha!

So still working on things. So far, so good!

* Thanks again for visiting. Come back soon for more updates!*