Miniature Christmas Gifts

Some of the recent miniature gifts I got for Christmas from my friend Kitty in the Netherlands.,

Mini Treasures Advent Calendar

Today's my day up on the Mini Treasures Advent Calendar, always a fun venture!

Check out some of the new Christmas miniatures I set up in the Half Scale Country House... (You can also see some previous posts on this blog here and here  if you want to see more of the house.)

Merry Christmas!  

(Be sure to go back and see what other mini treasures come up the rest of the month at the Advent Calendar.)

AIM & Other Advent Calendars

Fun way to celebrate the holidays. Open some Advent Calendars (with miniatures) online!

The AIM (Artisans in Miniature) Advent Calendar offers some great mini projects to Christmas beginning today (Dec. 1). Go back each day to "open" a door... 

Here's another Advent Calendar:

Village Advent Calendar


Adding more Advent Calendars:

Tutorial Advent Calendar  - Spanish

French Tutorial Advent Calendar

Wee C Miniature Show 2014 Displays/3

Here's the last set of photos of some of the miniature displays at the Wee C Miniature Show in Elk Grove Village, Ill. Enjoy! (Click photo for larger image.)

Love this scene! A great Alice in Wonderland room!

Cute ice cream shop.

Great club projects. Members did their own Mackenzie Childs interpretation.

Beautiful Christmas Market Stands

That's it! Hope you enjoyed the virtual tour!

candidcanine.blogspot.com

Wee C Miniature Show Displays 2014-2

More fantastic houses and rooms on display at the 2014 Wee C Miniature Club Show in Elk Grove Village, Ill. (Click the photos for full size.)

Elegant lobby and room

Whitledge roombox (class?)

Side of kitchen

1950s Diner

Mexican store

Monochromatic Christmas

Love this one! Recognize these ladies? 

(Little Women Scene)

Bakery Scene- Great way to display cakes! 

Ice Cream Shoppe - pretty colors! Come back tomorrow for more photos!

candidcanine.blogspot.,com

Wee C Miniature Show Displays 2014

It's that time of year! Went to my favorite dollhouse show - The Wee C  Mini Show in Elk Grove Village, Ill. put on by the dollhouse club there. It was their 40th show!

The show is notable for its fantastic display room! Here are some of the entries I saw - and not all of them either! 

Be sure to come back as I'll share more pictures over the next few days.


First off, I wanted to share some of my great finds. I was amazed to find these beautiful porcelain, dressed dolls for... $5 each!!! 

I love the girl's face.  The photo doesn't do her justice, she is that cute, with beautiful hair! And the boy is cute with lots of freckles! The thimbles/busts (?) also are great for hat stands. (they were $2). (Click images for larger photo.)

Some other finds for $3 each:

The set of both bowls and candelsticks were $3 for all.

Show displays:

Since this is a mini club, they have a lot of their members' work on display. This was a neat club project that featured different door and window displays.

I really liked the realism in this one.

I'm guessing this was a club project too. Neat ways to decorate a trunk and chair.

This was one of the raffle prizes. They also have a huge raffle display. What a great selection!

Come back tomorrow to see more rooms and houses! 

candidcanine.blogspot.com

Halloween in Miniature, Day 5 - It's Halloween!

 Welcome to Day 5 of Halloween in Miniature 2014!

(If you missed the beginning, go to Day 1)

Finally! It's the day of the big party. I hear everyone's been cackling and trading their best witch's brew recipes for the Halloween bash today and they've been cooking up a storm! Let's see what they have to offer...

We'll start in the kitchen. Oh, look, it's Witch Lucie and she's invited us for tea! (Doll and scene by Lucie Winsky, Lucie Winsky dolls. Doll kit - Nancy Cronin.)

She said it's been one of those days, you know, when the mice keep running off with things and the ghostly helpers simply won't pour into the cups and not all over the table!

Have a spot of willow bark tea while you wait?

All right, we'll head to the back now to... wait... do you feel like you're being watched? (Original oil painting by Lucie Winsky.)

Oh, don't worry. Esmeralda insisted that Mona goes by the motto of "what happens in the haunted house, stays in the haunted house."  

Now, watch your step in case the cats are about... no, that step on a cat thing is NOT true!

Wow, that's quite the gathering! Looks like everyone is having fun. Don't tell me, Uncle Ernie wants to play strip skeleton poker -- again! Ignore him, please! (Though judging from their lack of clothing, we're already a little too late!)

Lucky for us, Witchy Wanda has a spell to take care of such things. Oh-no, now what? What is that smoke?

"Sorry," she says. "Guess I'm a little rusty."

(Witch doll and party by Lorrie's Little People. Lorrie has been selling individual dolls like Wanda from her collection to help homeless cats. Since the shelters are so full, she's built a space in her garage to house them come winter. She also gets them spayed and helps find homes for others. She recently found five abandoned, starving kittens and has helped them survive.  The party scene is not for sale.)


I think we better move on.  


Wait. did you hear that? A-a screeeeeam? It looks like Esmeralda is torturing pumpkins again. Don't look, hurry, keep moving! (Kitchen witch by Nancy Cronin.)

Maybe we can visit with Hagatha, who says she's been slaving over a hot cauldron for hours, just waiting for us to come out.  Yeah, she does tend to exaggerate!

 (Witch doll and hand-sculpted frog by Lucie Winsky, Lucie Winsky Dolls. Rat/cat  - Nancy Cronin.)

Do you think we dare ask what's in that pot?

So, Hagatha, what have you been cooking for us? 

Oh... "Frog Stew" you say? You're not going to use that frog in your pocket, are you?

Whew, that's a relief. I'm glad to hear the frog is actually the rat/cat's play companion. I'm really glad for the frog (on both counts!)

Sit down and have some snacks now. I hear Hagatha has some other goodies cooking up in the other pot... 

Wait, where are you going? Come back - come back!!

Heh - heh.  That's one way to get guests to not overstay their welcome!  Bye! Thanks for stopping by!

SPOOKY READS: 

 Vampire Dreams: Archaeology vs. Supernatural (Bloodscreams Book 1)- by Robert W. Walker.

    Death stalks the night... and the day. Psychic detective Abraham Stroud faces a lonely battle against monsters no one else believes in.

 Werewolf's Grief: Archaeology vs. Supernatural (Bloodscreams Series Book 2) - by Robert W. Walker 
    A madman heads to Chicago, leaving behind a trail of corpses Only psychic detective Abraham Stroud dares to think the most forbidden names, and faces the most terrifying truth of all - wolves travel in packs. 

 Kingdoms of the Dead: Chemical Rot  -  Ian Woodhead - Every survivor has the zombie virus in their bloodstream. How far will one scientist go to save the human race?

  Duplicity  - The creatures took their form and their memories... they became the humans they ate. Now this place becomes a killing ground.





** Here are a couple of miniature book covers for your dollhouse bookshelf! (*Personal use only! Covers (c) of artist and author, used with permission. Do not pin or re-post.)

Thank you for visiting this year's Halloween in Miniature 2014!

I hope you enjoyed this year's tour. Please be sure to check out the authors' books and the artisan's websites. Don't forget to leave a review for the authors, as well. 

Thank you for coming by and see you next year! - Chris Verstraete, author, GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie

GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie 

(Print and ebook - Amazon US - Amazon UK) 

(Please do click like on the author's page - my name link - on Amazon!) 

What happens when you're 16 and turn part-zombie?  

Sixteen-year-old Rebecca Herrera Hayes faces every teenager's biggest nightmares: bad skin, bad hair, and worse . . . turning into one of the living dead.

Becca's life changes forever when her cousin Spence comes back to their small Wisconsin town carrying a deadly secret—he's becoming a zombie, a fate he shares with her through an accidental scratch.

Thank you to all of this year's participants: 

Artisans:

Kiva Atkinson of Kiva's Miniatures.

Patty Benedict, Woopitydooart 

Julie Campbell Doll Artist 

Nancy Cronin dolls

Ewelina Hasnik of  Ewelina's Amazing Clay World

Lorrie's Little People.

Kerri Pajutee's animals 

Lisa Parker Clark 

Patricia Paul, PatriciaPaulStudio.com

Lucie Winsky Dolls.

Linda Wooten, Wooten's Miniatures 

Authors:

Isabel Atherton, Zombie Cat: The Tale of a Decomposing Kitty

Hallowed Horror  - 10 paranormal stories by various authors

Horror 101: The Way Forward - various authors, Crystal Lake Publishing

Sue Ann Jaffarian - Ghost in the Guacamole (Ghost of Granny Apples) 

Margot Justes  - Blood Art

K.F. Kirwin - Haunted Bedtime Stories 

Heather Graham - The Betrayed (Krewe of Hunters).

Jamie Johnesee  - The Misadventures of Bob the Zombie

Chantal Noordeloos  - Angel Manor

C.A. Verstraete - GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie 

Robert W. Walker  - Werewolf''s Grief/Bloodscreams, etc. 

Ian Woodhead - Kingdoms of the Dead, Duplicity, etc. 

c.verstraete - candidcanine.blogspot.com