A to Z Blog Challenge - D is for Dollhouse

* Today is day 4  - Letter D - of the daily A to Z Blog Challenge * 

Back to the Half Scale Country House I've been working on.


D is for... 

Dollhouse!   

I've been working on my dollhouse, what I call the Half Scale Country House, for a while now. It's nearly done! Here's a few of the latest photos I've shared of the outside. I'll share more interior photos on upcoming days.

The house was colonial style but I didn't want all those windows, so I closed the sides and took out the center window. The front is paper clay. The sides are individual wood strips. I hand-painted the clay and wood with acrylic paint.

(I've also removed the flower bed and am making a better one seasonal flowers that sets in the space.)  The "vases" by the front door are actually ceramic electric caps from inside a 1960s stove we finally got rid of.  The color might look off in some photos but the blue shutters and trim are actually turquoise.

I used painted scalloped plastic brick sheet for the flat roof (not shown). It also is used on the shed and will be on a partial-roof potting shed (not finished yet). Yes, the shed roof opens. There's a bathroom and storage. I have to make a wringer washer yet.

   * More minis, profiles, photos and how to projects  - 
  In Miniature Style II 

A to Z Blog Challenge - C for Mini Cake

* Today is day 3  - Letter C - of the daily A to Z Blog Challenge * 

Back to the Half Scale Country House I've been working on.


C is for... 

Cake of course!  

The cake is made by a member of the Half Scale Yahoo Group from one of our annual swaps. The bowl and cookies are from this year's swap also. (To give you an idea of size: the table is 2" wide; the cake is just over 1/2" wide across.) 

   * More minis, profiles, photos and how to projects - (some food ideas, too!)  -  In Miniature Style II 

A to Z Blog Challenge - B for Mini Barbecue

* Today is day 2  - Letter B - of the daily A to Z Blog Challenge * 

I had to share one of my favorite projects again. 

B is for... 

Barbecue. 

Nothing better than a cookout with fresh fruit salad and fried chicken! I made the food of polymer clay and copied the picture from a  vintage cookbook cover. Was fun to do!

I made a half-scale version too. (Have to find the pic.)

* To Letter C





   * More minis, profiles, photos and how to projects - (some food ideas, too!)  -  In Miniature Style II

A to Z Blog Challenge - Day 1 Apples

 * Today is the first day - Letter A - of the daily A to Z Blog Challenge * 

(See calendar at end of post for the days and letters.)

I'm going to share some of my minis, hopefully new things you haven't seen. I've been working on my Half Scale Country House. (See previous photos.)  It's nearly done though I'm still adding new things. (I will share the latest pix for Day 4, letter D).

I haven't done a full house in a while, so it's fun to get as much detail in as you can. 

A is for... 

Apples! An apple a day doesn't keep the miniaturist away. ha!

These are in half scale (1/2" = 1 foot) and made by a member of the Half Scale Yahoo Group. I got them in one of the annual swaps.  (Of course they could be green tomatoes too, I suppose.)

   * More minis, profiles, photos and how to projects -
 In Miniature Style II - print, ebook, PDF


 ** Go to:  Letter B

A to Z Blog Challenge Coming

I've decided to join this blog also in the daily A to Z Blog Challenge beginning April 1 and going all next month.

Over 1,000 blogs join in sharing something new and linked to the alphabet each day. Of course I'm sharing minis and miniatures-related topics so be sure to stop by!

I'm also sharing some new short fiction and other things at my GirlZombieAuthors blog so check it out!

Got the New Miniatures Mystery!

Oh fun! I got my (signed!) copy today of Margaret Grace's (Camille Minichino's) latest miniatures mystery, Manhattan in Miniature: A Miniature Mystery! Not only is this a fun book in her dollhouse series, but I blurbed it and got a quote on the back. How cool is that! Thanks, Camille!

(I'm not biased but I think this is one of the prettiest of her covers, too!) (The Kindle and ebook aren't out yet - official release is April 6. Stay tuned for an upcoming interview!)

New Scary Doll Book

Something slightly different for the doll lover.  I love dolls and love reading scary stories. The bonus is that this also includes doll photos!

 The Doll Collection, (releasing March 10) edited by World Fantasy and Hugo Award winner Ellen Datlow, features all kinds of dolls... the ones that you likely won't want to meet... 

Featuring everything from life-sized clockwork dolls to all-too-human Betsy Wetsy-type baby dolls, these stories play into  true creepiness of the doll trope, but avoid the clichés that often show up in stories of this type. 

 The collection is illustrated with photos of dolls taken by Datlow and other devoted doll collectors from the science fiction and fantasy field.  

Stories by: Stephen Gallagher, Joyce Carol Oates, Gemma Files, Pat Cadigan, Lucy Sussex, Tim Lebbon, Seanan McGuire, Carrie Vaughn, Stephen Graham Jones, Miranda Siemienowicz, Mary Robinette Kowal, Richard Bowes, Genevieve Valentine, Richard Kadrey, Veronica Schanoes, John Langan, Jeffrey Ford. - From Amazon.

Miniatures Monday!

A few new things I made. The candles are fun to do. I used buttonhole thread for wicks. The tops are the wood plugs. The center one has a rhinestone on top.

Happy Valentine's Day - Mini Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love miniature Valentines. Nothing is more fun than having a set of beautiful vintage cards on a table or in a bowl, or string them and hang them on a wall in your dollhouse or miniature setting.

For some reason, I thought I had saved my Valentines I had collected before, unless they were lost in a past computer crash.  I collected and shrunk down some others.  You can find a ton of examples by putting "vintage valentines" in Google.

  The heart papers and valentines can be used as backgrounds for the Valentine’s style room screen pattern and how to from my book, In Miniature Style II. Combine and reduce different paper patterns for the background to get different effects or to match your decor. They don't have to be all red!

Get more from:

(Red hearts and cupids –  https://wingsofwhimsy.wordpress.com/)

 (Vintage hearts – http://thegraphicsfairy.com/)

(Right click to save images.)

* For Personal Use Only.

    

Miniatures Art Challenge Day 5

I hope you enjoyed a little tour of some of my miniatures. Believe me there is more, lots, lots more. ha! I'd be taking photos nearly forever.  

See Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4

I will share pix soon of the Half Scale Country House updates. It's turning out really nice!

 CORRECTION: (oops how did I do that? I see I shared the witch's garden shop photo twice! Here's what I wanted to share:)

 Ladies' shop table made by my friend Gigi I got as a Christmas gift.

Below: Chair in new fabric and totebags from patterns in my book, In Miniature Style II. 

The totebag pattern was widened for use as a dog carrier, too, as seen on the lady doll below. (Clothes pattern from Dana Burton - Minidolllist.com.)