Starry Night Miniatures

I thought it would be fun to show a few different items that I could find, preferably in miniature, relating to the theme of Van Gogh's Starry Night.

Check out this wonderful Starry Night miniature bed by Deb's Minis. (The description reads black and gold though the photos look navy blue.)




For a change of pace, how about a pattern to make a 5 X 7" cross-stitch picture of Starry Night and other masterpieces?



This gorgeous Kevin Chen enameled teapot is slightly larger than dollhouse scale at 5 3/4 w, but it's too pretty to pass up.

Chen also has a 3 x 4" enameled hinged box with a Starry Night picture on it.

Meet Frankie the Walk 'N Roll Dog and Barbara Techel

Welcome to Wisconsin author Barbara Techel, who faced a difficult situation when her beloved Dachshund Frankie became paralyzed.

It began when Frankie, a fun-loving, playful dog, jumped up onto a food container. It fell and so did she. The jump itself didn't cause the injury. Instead, Barbara learned that Frankie had Intervertebral Disk Disease (IVDD), a disorder common in Dachshunds.

After surgery, Frankie was given only a 10 to 30 percent chance of being able to walk again. Despite therapy, it wasn't to be. Frankie was paralyzed.

Once Frankie was fitted with a rolling cart (a dog wheelchair), Barbara decided to write about the experience. Her children's book, FRANKIE, THE WALK 'N ROLL DOG, (Joyful Paw Prints Publishing) shares the little Doxie's story of determination and spunk.



"I decided to write the book because I was so inspired by Frankie, watching her as she healed and then adjusted to her new way of getting around with wheels," says Barbara. "I also was inspired by children who were fascinated by Frankie as I started taking her out in public. They were curious about her and wanted to know why she was in a wheelchair."


Inspiration

Not long before Frankie's injury, Barbara was devastated by the loss of her Labrador, Cassie, to bone cancer. To cope, she began writing a monthly newspaper column about dogs. Losing Cassie, she says, "made me search for more in life and want to find a way to give back."

Then Frankie was injured. Despite the costs for surgery and the wheeled cart... despite the heartbreak... and despite the adjustments, Barbara knew she couldn't give up on Frankie.

"I was uneducated in Intervertebral Disk Disease," she says. "When Frankie suffered her injury I was very scared. I couldn't imagine what her life was going to be like if she didn't walk again. How would she get around? Would she be depressed? I also wondered how I would take care of a handicapped dog. I was told about the dog carts ('doggie' wheelchairs) by the surgeon and was assured if Frankie did not walk on her own, the cart would give her a quality life and help her get around.

"By writing her story I hope to educate others about this disease, while at the same time showing that animals with disabilities really can live a long, happy life if given a chance."


The Silver Lining



"There were many lessons I learned from Frankie," Barbara says. "The biggest one was about challenges and realizing I always have a choice when I am faced with a challenge. Frankie overcame adversity with dignity and grace. It made me realize I can always choose to be positive when facing tough things in my life. I decided I wanted to really teach that to other children and felt I could make a difference with Frankie's story."

And Frankie? The dog, whom Barbara calls her "tweenie weenie" since she surpassed the Miniature Dachshund size of 9-11 pounds but at 13 pounds is smaller than Standard size, laps up the attention.

"Frankie is a determined little dog," says Barbara. "She has a very sweet personality and is very good around children. This is my mission in life that I have been called to do. I consider it a great honor to be Frankie's mom and to share her message of hope and inspiration.

The book received the Merial Human-Animal Bond Award from the Dog Writer's Association of America. Frankie also was inducted into the 2009 Wisconsin Pet Hall of Fame.

But beyond the awards, the best part for Barbara is taking Frankie (who will be 10 in August) to visit local nursing homes and schools.

She'll share some of those adventures in the sequel, to be published next year. FRANKIE, THE WALK 'N ROLL THERAPY DOG VISITS LIBBY'S HOUSE will again be illustrated by fellow Wisconsinite Victoria Kay Lieffring.

"Frankie has inspired oodles of children around the world, some with physical challenges," Barbara says. "She forms a special connection with them. She gives kids hope that they can face their own challenges by having a positive attitude. I'd have to say that is a pretty wonderful silver lining."


** A portion of the book sale proceeds will be donated to the Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary in Montana.

Ranch owners Steve Smith and Alayne Marker left careers as attorneys to "follow their dream" and care for animals with disabilities. The 160-acre nonprofit ranch, begun in 2000, is now home to dozens of disabled animals including 20 blind horses, dogs who are blind, disabled Dachshunds, and 10 cats.

"I chose Rolling Dog Ranch because they followed their hearts," says Barbara. "Both Steve Smith and Alayne Marker left great paying corporate jobs to follow their hearts and take care of animals with disabilities. I think the work they do for physically challenged animals is so remarkable." **



** Buy from Amazon


** Visit the FRANKIE, THE WALK 'N ROLL DOG blog

** See Frankie's video.

Preview: Meet a Special Guest!

Petey the Dachshund from Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery is barking excitedly about Candid Canine's special upcoming guest!

Come meet Frankie the Walk 'N Roll Dog and author Barbara Techel right here tomorrow!

Reading the Fantastic

The big word for 2009? Twilight.

While vampire stories used to be strictly considered horror, lines between genres seem to be blurring. But Stephenie Meyer's Twilight still didn't make the top 25 with fantasy readers. (It came in at #31.)

According to this list of the Top 100 Fantasy books, the real favorite was -
Ta da! The Lord of the Rings, which ranked at #1.

I admit, I didn't read many from the list either. How many did you read? (Well, seeing the movie counts for something, right?)

Here's the top 10 Fantasies with older and some new authors:

1 Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkein
2 Harry Potter series, JK Rowling
3 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkein
4 Wheel of Time series - Robert Jordan
5 A Song of Ice and Fire - George RR Martin
6 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
7 The Belgariad Series - David Eddings
8 Wizard's First Rule - Terry Goodkind
9 Magician - Raymond E. Feist
10 His Dark Materials Trilogy - Philip Pullman

** Your turn: What's your favorite fantasy book? (Or movie?)

Replicating a Scene in Miniature

Dutch miniaturist Christa Chayata shared some photos showing the steps she took in duplicating a favorite painting from her childhood that she calls "Snotnose."

Follow along to get an idea of how to pose the miniature dolls and plan your own miniature scene.

1. Choose doll faces that resemble your photo or painting as close as possible. (These doll heads are porcelain, 1/12th scale (1 inch=1 foot)

2. Pose and position the dolls so you know how they will look.


3. Fashion stockings and shoes using natural fabrics like silks and cottons that will glue.





4. Begin fashioning clothing by shaping fabric around the doll. The girl's skirt is formed and glued.


5. Drape, glue and sew pieces of cloth where applicable to form the boy's costume.


6. The boy's costume completed, hair is applied for his wig and his hat attached. The girl's hair is applied, and the dolls posed in final positions. Add props.

Thanks to Christa for sharing her fantastic project!

* Visit Christa's blog.

Christa's Artistic Visions in Miniature

Dutch miniaturist Christa Chayata has a skill for making the two-dimensional come to life.

Remember the mystery painting I featured previously?

That charming painting, which she calls "Snotnose," was the basis for a scene that Christa created using her skills in making and dressing miniature dolls.

Christa says she had always admired the painting and was fortunate to receive it after the owner passed away. As a child, she could look at it for hours - "I was a bit of a dreamer," she says and laughs.

Years later, the painting again caught her imagination as she started to wonder how it would look in miniature. So, she set to work and recreated the scene in 1/12th scale (1 inch = 1 foot) using porcelain dolls. She dressed the dolls and constructed the scene.

Here is the painting in its original format.

Christa chose to use the same tones when replicating the scene in miniature below. Cute, isn't it?



** Be sure to come back tomorrow to see how Christa made and assembled the dolls for her miniature scene.


Real Life in Miniature

If you think that can't be surpassed, take a look at a project Christa recently completed. This time, she duplicated a real-life scene featuring the stunning actress Nicole Kidman from the 2001 film, Moulin Rouge.

Like the beautiful costumes from the award-winning movie Titanic, Moulin Rouge's range of Victorian costumes are indeed a miniaturists' and costume maker's dream come true.

Take a look at this picture from the movie, then check out Christa's version.



She got the elements of the beautiful costume and the setting down to the smallest detail. All that's missing is the wall behind her to make it seem even more real.



You can view that scene and other costumes in the YouTube video below.



** See part 2 of the YouTube costume video.

How Do You Develop Your Characters?

Author Morgan Mandel's recent blog post about a neighbor's barking dog, and a cat in the window, got me thinking about the things you see that influence your fiction - or should.

Being a good writer means being observant. An idea can start with something as simple as a headline, a news story, or a photo.

How about your neighbors or neighborhood? Or those around you? One story I wrote started with a memory of an old, stooped woman usually dressed in black who lived in a creepy stone building. As cruel as kids are, the little old lady was known as the neighborhood witch and no one wanted to go near her house.

Next time you don't feel like writing or are a little "dry" on ideas, try people watching. Sit in the library, bookstore or café a while (it's okay it's research, ha!) and chances are, you'll see someone interesting that will fit into your book or story.

A character chart can be used as an idea file for characters. Jot down (or draw if you're talented) the characteristics of people you see as you're sipping your tea or coffee. Use the ideas to build characters. See sample character list below:

Character Ideas List

Height, body size:

Facial Characteristics:
Eyes

Nose

Glasses or?

Facial Hair, style, color?

Wrinkles?

Skin tone, marks:

Hair color, style:

Clothing:


Characteristics: (Quirks, actions, etc.)

Distinguishing or other marks: (tattoos, scars, etc.)

Speech: Inflection, pitch, patterns

Mannerisms:

Other:
----

** YOUR TURN: What are some of your favorite idea generating spots? How do you develop your characters?

Mystery Art - Can you ID it?

Do you know the name of this painting or who painted it?

I'll share details related to the painting later, but I wanted to see if anyone knew anything about the art as neither I, nor the owner, know anything about it.

It's a charming painting, showing two young children in costumes, the little girl wiping the boy's nose. I've included the actual painting (cropped down) and a darkened version to show the details. I have something special I want to share with readers once I find out more about the painting. Thank you!

First Dog Bo Obama, a Portuguese Water Dog

The White House finally has a first dog again.
Bo, a Portuguese Water Dog has arrived at the White House!

The 6-month-old dog, a gift from Sen. Ted Kennedy, was "re-homed" after another family gave the dog up. No reason given.

"Porties," as they're called, are high-energy dogs, a breed of Water Spaniel.

No problem there. I'm sure with two young girls as owners - and with the excitement of the Obamas' all getting their first dog - Bo will get plenty of exercise and attention.

Miniature Rooms in Unusual Containers

Rhode Islander Fern Rouleau is an avid miniaturist who never runs out of ideas - especially when it comes to constructing miniature rooms. (Pictured: KFC Picnic)

While she's built her share of roomboxes, she's not afraid to go "outside the box." She prefers using boxes and containers that some of us might throw away or usually have entirely different uses in the beginning.

That's the fun of miniatures, says Fern: "I like to put my minis in roomboxes that are unique, like ice cream shops in sundae cups, etc. I love working on miniatures. I love creating new things and new scenes."

And yes, she did use an ice cream tub to make an ice cream scene. (Pictured: Ice cream shop in Baskin Robbins container.)



Or how about that miniature picnic - set in a KFC bucket? Of course, the miniature version has its own bucket of KFC chicken, too. (Pictured: KFC bucket interior.)



The amusing thing is that Fern's "taste" for unusual miniature settings does have its advantages. (Pictured: Sweet Shop in cookie container.)

"I made the chocolate scene because I am a chocoholic and it was an excuse to eat chocolate," she says and laughs.



"The same for the KFC... I was really in the mood for chicken that day. I made the Baskin Robbins scene and didn't have the top of the sundae cup so I went to Baskin Robbins with the scene to show them so I could get a top. This was right after the CSI show about the miniature killer and the people working at Baskin Robbins really looked at me weirdly!"

** See more of Fern's miniatures at her website.

** See photos of the CSI miniature killer rooms.