A to Z Challenge - Just Because I love Dogs - Book Review: Charlie, A Love Story by Barbara Lampert

Today marks the letter J of the A to Z Challenge so I thought I'd share a book review today. (See contest at end.)

I grew up with dogs and can't seem to not have one, even when the loss is so hard to take. I get so attached, but it's also hard to bear that quietness when your dog is no longer with you.

About the Book:

Charlie - A Love Story tells of the love between Charlie, a Golden Retriever, and author Barbara Lampert.

When Charlie turns 11 and starts having health problems, a journal Barbara was keeping about her garden quickly became a journal about Charlie. The book is an intimate look at an incredible connection between a canine and a human. And as a psychotherapist who specializes in relationships, Barbara also brings that sensibility and understanding to Charlie’s story.




That love and connection with a pet is what makes the book CHARLIE, A LOVE STORY by Barbara Lampert a good read. There have been a wealth of dog books out lately riding on the wave launched with one of the better known books and movies about Marley. (I'll admit I didn't read or see the movie - too sad.)



Most dog books end the same, with the human mourning the loss or sharing those sad last moments with the reader. I knew going in that this book was about the author losing her best friend, but what kept me reading was learning about Charlie himself.

While the struggles of dealing with a beloved pet's illness or the everyday events surrounding it can be a little less interesting to read given their universality, celebrating that dog's life and remembering their quirks and the fun moments, are what make us drawn to books with dogs as the subject. Seeing Charlie's personality come to life is what I enjoyed most in this book.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for more about the book and some tidbits from the author.

*** Comment here on blog to win a copy. Leave an email or way to contact you. US shipping only. ***

A to Z Challenge - I for Independent Miniature Artisans (IMA) Dollhouse Show, Chicago

Today is the letter I for the A to Z Challenge.

What's better than mentioning the INDEPENDENT MINIATURE ARTISANS (IMA) SHOW & SALE Friday and Saturday, APRIL 20-21.

The show is at:

** Doubletree Hotel - Chicago/Arlington Heights
75 W Algonquin Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
(847) 364 - 7600

Friday Show:.............April 20, 2012..9:00a.m - 5:00p.m

Saturday Show:........April 21, 2012..9:00a.m - 5:00p.m

Admission....................$7.00 or $13.00 ( 2) day pass
Children 12 & under $3.00

*** Be sure to come by and say hello! I'll be there with copies of IN MINIATURE STYLE II!

A to Z Challenge - H for Hobbies - Miniatures, of course

Today marks the letter H of the A to Z Challenge.

To follow up on my recent post on my miniature dresses, I wanted to share the dress my friend Kitty made using the same pattern (#2009 sundress at MiniPatterns.com.)

Kitty has been making miniature clothes for a while so her dress definitely came out much better than mine. It's all so romantic. I love the accessories! (This is a display version in 1" scale, so a lady would be about 5 1/2" tall.)

But since I found my pleater I'm trying again and following her advice to pleat the bottom first before assembly. I'll show the results once I'm finished. As I'm making a Ladies Shoppe, I need more than one dress to display so I may be making several of each style (may - or at least until I get tired. But these are addicting!)

A to Z Challenge - Miniature Dresses

Today for the A to Z Challenge, I'm showing some new miniature dresses I just made. (The smaller dress is for 1/24th scale; the larger is 1" scale - 1" = 1 foot.)


My yellow dress is based on the 2009 Pink Sundress Pattern from MiniPatterns.com by Kathi Mendenhall. (See pic below. Yes her dress is much "neater" than mine but I'm happy I did it.)



(Kathi also did the amazing yellow dress on the cover of my book, In Miniature Style II (that pattern is in the book!).

A to Z Challenge - C is for Curio and other Miniatures

Continuing on the A to Z Challenge...

C is for Curio. Since I love making things in miniature, I'll be sharing some of my favorite scenes or items again. Here is a pink setting in a small tabletop curio cabinet. For perspective, that's a life-size can of soda on the left side of first photo. Items are 1" scale (1" = 1 foot. So a person would be 5-5 1/2" tall in miniature.)

You can see some other miniatures or details on my book, IN MINIATURE STYLE II at my website.

** Today's Question: What is your favorite collectible or hobby?

A to Z Challenge: B for Books - New Creating Time Book

I can't think of any better match to B than books. I love to read so I wanted to mention this big online party going on today to celebrate the release of the new book, Creating Time: Using Creativity to Reinvent the Clock and Reclaim Your Life by ArtellaLand.com founder Marney K. Makridakis. (If you don't know the site, it's a colorful, fun place with a magazine, scrapbook stuff and more.) As part of the book release, the Artella site is offering all kinds of free events over three weeks! Check it out here.


** Today's Blog Question: What is your favorite way to spend your free time?

The Details:


The Creating Time Mega Event starts today, and celebrates the release of the new book, Creating Time: Using Creativity to Reinvent the Clock and Reclaim Your Life by ArtellaLand.com founder Marney K. Makridakis and features 25 amazing luminaries inviting us to "time travel" as a collective community to create a new paradigm of time.

Have you noticed that time is moving faster than ever these days? That it's virtually impossible to engage in or observe any conversation that doesn't somehow bring up "time" in a negative context? That "time" is the one thing that seems to hold most of us back from living the lives we were born to live? I see this all the time in my work, and I imagine that you do, too!

Now is the time for a new time! The Creating Time Mega Event and this exciting movement can change the way we see and experience time forever.

* Get free Alphabet letters

A to Z Challenge in April

Today marks the beginning of the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge

The idea: blog daily by the letter.

Blogs will be every day (excluding most Sundays).

This year there are more than 1,400 blog participants. (See sites at link.) Wow!

My theme: Hobbies, Books and Pets. Those are my favorite themes usually so I'll ask visitors a daily question relating to the theme and the day's post.

Today's question:

* What was your favorite childhood toy?



My favorite had to be my 1960s era Ideal Thumbelina doll. The doll has a knob on her back, which when turned, makes the doll move her head. I used to have a box full of my own baby clothes but the doll and clothes got lost, put away somewhere by mom after sisterly fights. So, years later, I bought another doll, well two, and have been replacing the wardrobe with baby dresses, especially vintage 50's dresses as I find them. This is the nicer one, though my favorite has darker cheek coloring.

Talking about Writing at Acme AuthorsLink...

Today I'm talking about that limbo between writing projects over at Acme AuthorsLink. What do you do between projects?

Welcome to miniaturist Camille Minichino - Margaret Grace, author of MIX-UP IN MINIATURE!

Today I welcome back an old friend and fellow miniaturist/writer, Camille Minichino, who as Margaret Grace, is coming out with another book (#6!) in her Miniature Mystery Series. (Love the new cover, don't you?)

** Mix-up in Miniature: A Miniature Mystery (Miniature Mysteries Series) comes out April 2! **




About the Book:

Geraldine Porter is thrilled to meet bestselling author and miniatures enthusiast Varena Young. The celebrity seems to seek friendship with Gerry and her crafts group, and makes a generous offer of a house from her collection for a library fund-raiser. But Young is suddenly murdered, and Gerry is left to investigate the crime. She and her eleven-year-old granddaughter Maddie delve for information on Young's mysterious past, and they find a clue to her murder in a secret room...of a dollhouse.

Margaret Grace (aka Camille Minichino) compares writing fiction to creating miniature houses and rooms. "In each case,” she writes, "I'm creating a model of reality, a fictional world where things can be easier and often make more sense than in the life-size world.... In the world of dollhouses, there's no laundry to do, and a houseful of carpeting can be changed in a matter of minutes. In my mystery novels, the good guys always win and justice is always served. What could be more satisfying?”

Outside the Box

By Camille Minichino

Nothing stretches the imagination like doing a craft.

I like to think miniaturists are especially good at this.

I'm posting a section of a hospital reception desk scene I showed on Candid Canine a while ago. (The scene has since been donated to a hospital fundraising raffle.)

My niece and I worked on the free-standing scene and desperately wanted to include specimen containers, both empty and "full."



After an exhaustive search of all my supply boxes, we were ready to give up. We found no tiny cylindrical containers among the jumble of plastic pieces, metal rods, and other cast-off parts that my friends dump in my lap and that I keep, just in case.

As I was straightening the area after our frenzied search, I noticed my stash of glue guns and glue sticks. Aha! The glue stick was just the right diameter. It wasn't hollow, but, of course, it didn't have to be. We weren't actually going to fill them!

We simply cut a couple of glue sticks into the appropriate length and painted the exterior, leaving some "empty" and "filling" others. You can see empty ones in the box in the cabinet and a full one on the desk by the keyboard. The authentic orange "caps" are also just painted on. They look for all the world like the tiny jars we couldn't find in my inventory.

(Chris adds: Neat idea!)

"This is really what you call looking outside the box," my niece wisely said.
We agreed on the message of the day: if you're looking for something shaped like a jar, don't restrict yourself to the jar collection.

(And of course you never find a jar anyway, Chris says.)

I'm sure Christine and all her crafter friends who visit this blog have their own stories of thinking—and making minis—outside the box.

Here are a couple more of my tricks:



1. Instead of tossing the handles of those disposable brushes and razors, create a sculpture garden. The photo shows an exhibit outside the mini museum in my living room. (The exhibit is in the works, set in NY, naturally.)

2. I've used a bullet casing (don't ask!) as a vase.

(Uh, leave us hanging? Who'd you shoot?)

3. Seeing champagne toppers as chairs is as old as the hills; my latest is shown here.



There are mini tips at the end at all of my Miniature Mysteries (#6, Mix-up in Miniature: A Miniature Mystery is due April 2!).

I would love to hear some of your tips. If you give me permission to use one in my next book, I'll surely acknowledge you in the book and send you a signed copy.

Thanks to Christine for giving me space on Candid Canine!

(And thanks, Camille, as always, for stopping by. We all love your books and your tips!)

** Readers, be sure to come back on 4/16 for another visit with Camille!

Camille Minichino is a retired physicist turned writer.

As Camille Minichino, she's the author of the Periodic Table Mysteries. As Margaret Grace, she writes the Miniature Mysteries, based on her lifelong hobby. As Ada Madison, she writes the academic mysteries featuring Professor Sophie Knowles, college math teacher. "The Probability of Murder" was released March 6.

Soon, every aspect of her life will be a mystery series.

Miniatures Monday: Card Corner Room

Thought I'd share a project I made awhile ago. The Card Corner is a small scene made using a large greeting card for the outer walls. The chair is the third chair I made from my pattern in IN MINIATURE STYLE II. The books are printies on my website.

Loved this project as it's quick and uses easy how to's. I'm trying to figure out where to share this yet...