Revisiting the Miniatures Mystery Series

If you've been a miniatures collector and creator for a while, then you likely are aware of the fun miniatures-centered mysteries written by collector and author Camille Minichino (first published under the name Margaret Grace.) For a treat, read on for a book excerpt and a short interview with Camille. You can also sign up for her monthly newsletter here. 

If you haven't read them, well, you've  been missing something special since hers is the only full series of light mysteries involving miniatures and set in the dollhouse world. 

I'm sharing since the series of nine books have gotten striking new covers and been republished by Crossroad Press.  (See all the books here.) A bonus is that book 1, Murder in Miniature and book 2, Mayhem in Miniature, are also available in audiobook (at this writing listed as free with an Audible trial.) 

How it Starts: About Book 1, Murder in Miniature: 

As chairwoman of the local Dollhouse and Miniatures Fair and babysitter for her precocious granddaughter, Geraldine Porter's got enough to think about without the curious behavior of her friend Linda Reed. Linda and her prized miniature Governor Winthrop desk go missing the morning of the fair, a young woman and prominent townsperson are murdered, and Linda's Governor Winthrop turns up in a most bizarre place. Then someone starts threatening Gerry. And Linda knows more than she lets on. Now Gerry must get to the bottom of things, or it's going to be big trouble...

 Interview with Camille Minichino:

Why do you think the books are still a favorite?

I think a precocious kid is a big draw in cozy mysteries, especially a very smart, self-confident young girl who also adores her grandmother!

 What's your favorite book of the series and why?

 Manhattan in Miniature, of course, since I’m a huge fan of NYC! At the time, pre-pandemic, I visited the city often and enjoyed capturing the energy of the buildings, the streets, and New Yorkers.

 What’s your latest/next book coming out and when? What are you working on now?

I’m working on a collection of short stories with a writer friend who shall be named soon. We’re aiming for November ’23! I’m also working on a novel set in WW2. (NOTE:  A reprint of Camille's story, "The Sodium Arrow,"  is also in the recent issue of Black Cat Weekly,#76. See at Amazon and B&N.)

 How many books have you written? What keeps you writing/inspired?

I've written 28 novels; one nonfiction book; lots of short stories, some in anthologies. Like you, I’m sure, story ideas are always swimming around my thoughts and the only way to get rid of them is to write them out! Plus, it’s very exciting to see a book in print (or e-)!

 Any new minis projects? How many years have you been decorating and donating houses?

I love creating minis, sometimes small scenes, sometimes room boxes, and at least once a year a house. I decorate at least a scene to donate to conferences, and houses when I travel to them by car. I have a standing project (more than 20 years!) with a local school to give them a fully furnished house for their holiday fair/auction. Often I include raw materials for the winner to fool around with! (A selection of projects can be seen in the photos gallery at her website.) 

 Any hopes of revisiting the miniatures series with a new story or addition?

I’m in short story mode recently, and I’ve started a story where Maddie has entered the Police Academy. The issue, of course: do I want reread the nine books in the series so I don’t lose continuity? The books were published between 2008 and 2016, and a lot has happened in my writing life since then. But if Maddie is old enough to be in the Academy, it will be ok if her favorite flavor of ice cream has changed!  

Excerpt from book 8, Manhattan in Miniature : 

About the book: 

Perhaps Manhattan, like Christmas, is best seen through the eyes of a child. Gerry Porter provides both magical experiences for granddaughter Maddie when a SuperKrafts manager takes them to New York City for a huge crafts fair. They get to work on both making miniatures and solving crimes, the detecting duo's favorite pastimes. All this, plus Rockefeller Center and Radio City, too! But a crafty murderer wants to make sure they don't make it safely home again to California.

                                       Chapter One: 

I needed a new refrigerator; there was no doubt about that. But I didn't expect to have so many choices. I stood in the appliance section of the store, in front of the current selection of models. Should I buy the tall white two-door or a similar style in black with an ice maker? I was also attracted to a French-door window arrangement in a wood-like shade, and the bottom-drawer-freezer stainless steel model next to it. I had already ruled out the old-fashioned one-door in avocado green that reminded me of my first kitchen in the Bronx back when Ken and I were newlyweds. I wasn't planning on redecorating to that extent.

In the end, I decided to buy them all, including a boxy yellow throwback with its motor on top that had fallen behind the others. You could never have enough appliances to fill all your dollhouses or miniature room boxes.

"What about the restaurant-kitchen room box we're making, Grandma?" Maddie asked. "Shouldn't we buy two of the big stainless-steel fridges so we can put them side by side?"

"Good idea," I said, as Maddie threw another silvery fridge into the wire basket she carried. Maddie was my mini-Sherpa in more ways than one.

We headed for the checkout counter at SuperKrafts, Lincoln Point's first crafts store. My English-teacher background had finally stopped rebelling at the gimmicky spelling, and I was able to enjoy the store's great collection of supplies for lovers of crafts of all kinds. Maddie and I had a clear shot at every shelf and bin of merchandise, with few other shoppers, most of whom were focusing on supplies for Christmas ornaments and fabric stamped with sleigh bells or Santa and his reindeer. I'd convinced my eleven-year-old granddaughter that earlier was better on a Saturday so close to Christmas if we wanted to beat the crowds. We stopped on the way to checkout and admired the new decorations to celebrate all the December holidays.

I was glad to be done with the Thanksgiving theme, which had been carried out with six-foot-tall turkeys, massive ears of plastic corn, and giant cornucopias. I doubted anyone ever called an oversized pilgrim "cute." Maybe I'd offer to help decorate next year and add a miniature Thanksgiving table to the mix. Why anyone preferred larger-than-life to smaller-than-life was beyond me. When an item was enlarged, so were its warts and imperfections. But shrink the world into a scale of one inch, or less, for every real-life foot, and you had nothing but cute. Like the seven refrigerators I'd be taking home today, all under six inches in height. I couldn't wait to stock the one-inch freezer shelves with half-inch cartons of ice cream.

Jody, today's sales associate at SuperKrafts, peered into our basket. "Do you need any stoves or sinks to go with?" she asked.

"We have a ton of those," my granddaughter answered, emptying the basket onto the counter. The assortment of little wooden, plastic, and metal refrigerators, toppled out, joined by a few accessories Maddie had picked up for her own miniature project. "I'm doing a skating scene," she explained. "These pipe cleaners are for the trees. And Grandma and I are making a mini restaurant where you can see into the kitchen in the back. That's why we need these." She pointed to the stainless-steel fridges. "I'm making the tables out of cupcake holders, the ones where all the pleating looks like a tablecloth."

Too much information, I figured, but Maddie supplemented her explanation with hand gestures until Jody nodded her appreciation.

Jody ran our items across the magic red scanner, pausing now and then for a judgment of "cute," or "adorable," supporting my theory of miniatures. I was ready to write a check for the amount displayed on the screen when a loud voice interrupted the transaction.

"Hold it, Jody." The directive came from a woman in a red apron that clashed with her chemically enhanced hair color. Bebe Mellon, my friend and the store manager, rushed down an aisle toward us. "Don't forget to give Gerry the special discount," she ordered.

"Goody," Maddie said, as if she herself had toiled for the money we'd spend.

"Your grandma earned it," Bebe said, ruffling Maddie's red curls, a shade darker than Bebe's, but home grown. "We probably wouldn't even be in business if it weren't for her."

"Thanks to Skip, not me," I said, giving due credit to my homicide-detective nephew for straightening out some problems that had befallen SuperKrafts in general and Bebe in particular, during its early days in town.

While Jody wrapped and bagged our purchases and Maddie gave a running commentary on the use of each item, Bebe pulled me aside. "Guess what, Gerry. I've been invited to staff the SuperKrafts booth at the big show in New York City. It's the biggest crafts fair on the East Coast. They get, like, three hundred vendors from all over the world. This year Corporate wants us to highlight the expanded miniatures sections in their regional stores. Like ours." Bebe waved her arm toward the area of the store where Maddie and I had spent most of our time.

"That's very exciting, Bebe. What exactly will you be doing?"

Bebe's face lit up as she answered. "My partner and I will be setting up our display, of course, and we'll be part of all the raffles, like almost every hour during the day. A lot of lucky people will win room boxes. And, of course, we'll be selling supplies, with special deals for crafts groups and small, independent crafts stores. Plus, there will be workshops." She took a deep breath, but her excited demeanor didn't go away. "I'll be teaching a session on making a lighted Christmas room box." She took a well-deserved breath and smiled. "See why I'm so wired?"

Bebe had weathered a tough life and had come by this new job honestly. I was happy things were turning around for her. I tried to match her enthusiasm with a big hug. "It sounds like a lot of fun, and what a vote of confidence in you."

Bebe nodded. "Uh-huh. Even though I haven't been with SuperKrafts that long."

"I can see why you'd be excited."

She leaned in closer to me. "Yeah, but the fair is next weekend. Truth is, I was just supposed to help their New York person out with ideas and reports about what customers in California were asking for, but she got sick and they asked me to step in since I already know all the ins and outs. So, I was their second choice. Or maybe even third." Bebe shrugged. "I don't care, though. It's a chance to meet the bigwigs and see Manhattan at Christmas time." Bebe drew a deep, happy breath. "And if I do well, who knows what's in store. Ha, ha. Get it? What's in store?"

"Good one," I said, and laughed, to prove I got it. I made a move to rescue Jody from my granddaughter and steer Maddie home, but Bebe wasn't finished.

"It sounds like a lot of fun, right?"

"It certainly does," I said, with the sincerity of a native New Yorker. Now living in a snow-free zone of California, about forty miles south of San Francisco, I could only dream of the days when I'd skated on real ice in Central Park, window-shopped on Fifth Avenue, stood in awe when the Rockefeller Center tree lights came on. The words to an endless album of holiday songs ran through my head, and I could almost taste the first snowflakes on my tongue. "You can't beat the holidays in the Big Apple," I said, aware of a dreamy quality to my voice.

"Great," Bebe said. "So, you're in?"

"Excuse me?" Between my merry but confused daydreams and my rush to claim Maddie and be on our way, I'd thought I'd misheard Bebe's last comment.

"I know it's kind of last-minute. Well, okay, it really is last-minute. We'd have to leave in three days. This coming Tuesday. But, as I say, it's my chance to make a good impression. And it's definitely a two-person job."

"You mentioned you had a partner? Someone from the company, I assumed. Someone already in New York."

Bebe rubbed her hands along the front of her apron. "I was thinking of you, Gerry. I just left a message on your machine, then I looked out my office window and realized, here you are. It's meant to be."

I laughed at her joke. "I don't think so."

"I'm serious, Gerry. First of all, they're seriously understaffed in this busy season, and I can't just take pot luck on the kind of help they'll give me. I told them I had the perfect solution to this last-minute glitch. They've agreed to fly you out with me. Especially once I mentioned that you're the best at this kind of thing, very experienced. You've been running crafts fairs and raffles around here since I've known you. Right?"

"That's true, but—"

"So you'll come?"

I scratched my head. To help me absorb this sudden invitation? "Bebe, I can't just pick up and—"

"Why not, Grandma? Please, please. Say we can go!"

We? I glanced down at the pleading look in Maddie's eyes. How much longer would she be clamoring to spend time with her grandmother? And how many more opportunities would I get to introduce her to the Rockettes before she became a preoccupied teenager, with daily mood swings and major shifts in interest, too grown-up for a show that featured a dance line of long-legged women with antlers on their heads? And what was so important in my life that it couldn't be postponed a week or two? I was hooked.

"Yes, we can go," I said. #

 ------------------------------------------------------------

If you want to read more of Camille's work, check out her website. She also is the author of:

The Periodic Table Mysteries, featuring retired physicist Gloria Lamerino,set in Revere, Massachusetts;

The Professor Sophie Knowles Mysteries, featuring a math professor at a small New England college;

The Postmistress Mysteries (as Jean Flowers), featuring Cassie Miller, postmistress in a western Massachusetts town;

The Alaskan Diner Mysteries (as Elizabeth Logan), featuring Charlotte "Charlie" Cooke, and her sleuthing crew in a fictitious Alaska town.

Camille, thanks again for sharing your work with us here! 

Fairfield Dollhouse: ZZZZZ... The Bedrooms

 Sweet Dreams!  Got the art hung, so it's time to share the two kids' bedrooms - the boy's room on the third floor next to the attic sitting room, and the girl's bedroom on the second floor, next to the main bedroom. (Here's the last post: the exterior. See other post links in left column archives. Click photos for full size.)

Boy's Room: 

Like most parts of this house, the room had some small changes. I had this Cassidy Creations Campaign Bedroom Set stashed away for a looong time (and was lucky I found it!) I knew I wanted to use the set and that I wanted the bedroom to be based on this blue stars scrapbook paper. As luck had it, I also had this starry print fabric for the bed. It's hard to see here, but those are tiny Polly Pocket sneakers by the bed. (Still trying to get better photos, but the flash and angles won't cooperate.)

 I also decided that the little chair I was going to use in the attic room worked better here. Perfect place for the boy to sit and read his comics.  It's actually an older Michael's eraser I covered with fabric. Works with the lamp which I set on a small hatbox instead. Yes, that's a real moon stamp on the wall. Knew I had to save one for this.

Here's the desk with his stash of comics and a bookshelf with other stuff. Shh! Don't tell mom he took the box of graham crackers to his room!

Girls' Room:

I love this room. It's far from the typical girl's room, but I knew I wanted use that scrapbook paper and have a little bit of a circus sideshow vibe. So the art fit the wall perfect! I also used that large black frame below with Godzilla over the fireplace. The sneakers are another old Polly Pocket pair. 

The red chair is the resin one I covered with fabric from a tie. (The couch from the set is in the attic sitting room.) The  desk slipper chair is from last year's Half Scale group swap. The "rug" and carnival art on the left wall are actually cardstock art from a scrapbook kit. Thought the colors matched well. 

 The Egyptian figure in the corner I think is from those Toobs at Michael's. I only had a few of the pieces I picked up somewhere. I like how the wallpaper colors go with the brick. This really was a fun room to figure out how to do different than the usual "girly" room. The furnishings are painted vintage Tootsietoy pieces.

So, that's it for the moment. Finishing up the decorations on more rooms and added some other plants outside, so I'll show those soon. Thanks for stopping by again!

Ta-dah! The Fairfield Dollhouse Exterior Done!

 

Hard to believe, I finally got the outside of the Fairfield Dollhouse done! 

All I had left was to add some thin trim next to the roof on the under-layer. I decided to paint cloth-covered wire the same tan as it was the thinnest pieces I could find. Worked out well since I didn't want something that showed too much.

This is a hard house to photograph because of the angles, so bear with me. (Click photos for full size. See the last post-crates; see other posts in archives in left column.)

Additions:

The fencing, of course. Used the chipboard fence from Alpha Stamps, which I cut and glued into staircase railings.

Decided I didn't like the plain brick beneath the bottom windows, so I added some wood ovals painted black with gold accents. Then I used some of the pieces I cut off the fencing and made a kind of fleur de lis shape. For fun, I decided to add some bunnies for Easter. 

Here are the porches:

The chairs are neat, metal with a vintage print. Yeah, the giant egg is hokey, but I didn't want to leave the Halloween pumpkins up (and the other rubber shapes I have for Halloween fit even better- but later. ha!) Hopefully I'll find some plastic/rubber plant shapes or something for in-between.

I'm going to change that hanging plant on the top porch as I think a trailing plant will look better. Just wanted to put something there for now. And I have a fun idea for that blank wall next to the chairs on the first floor porch below; have to find the ivy leaves...

Here's the front door. Couldn't resist adding some "Easter eggs" in the pot. That other pot in the corner has a "bunny" hiding in it. 😏 Overall, I like how it all came out. I'd have done a few things different, but that's hindsight, you know. ha!

Photos of the finished girl's and boy's bedrooms are coming up next, so be sure to come back.

The dining room is also coming up with the kitchen, once I add the art in there. As the dollhouse shows are in April, I should have some more stuff to show too as I'll be looking for kitchen accessories and things like that. Then there is the annual half scale swap before that. So, some stuff to look forward to!

Below: here's a video of the exterior; excuse the background. 

(See YouTube link if it doesn't play right.)

Thanks again for stopping by! 

Fairfield Dollhouse: A fun miniature 'musical' surprise

 

I hate to say it, but... aren't they cute????

I have some of the larger ones in 1 " scale, but had the idea of looking for even smaller half scale, 1/24th sized crates. After all, what's an attic or house without some stored milk crates? (Click photos for full size.)

In case you're wondering about size, they are 1/2" square. I was tickled to death to find them on Etsy from All About Miniatures, 6 for $8. Nicely detailed. It's neat how many things are being made now by 3D printing. I didn't realize at first as I was searching for the best price that they also made the MCM chairs I have in my attic. See previous post. Also, here's the last post showing some changes and art in the house.

Of course, you have to have record albums for those crates! So, I hunted down some vintage LP covers and made a few. I've done these before, but I had to trim them a bit smaller to just under 1/2" (near 7/16" wide) to fit inside the crate. Just love them!

The "record" is a picture I found online and shrunk. I used a round punch that makes a 7/16" circle, then trimmed it slightly and colored the edge and part of the back with black Sharpie. (That's why I have a million punches. ha! Several circles and luckily I had this one.)

A fun, easy project. I really got a kick out of doing this. It's the "little" things that keep you smiling, you know.

Thanks again for stopping by! Check the archives in the left column for other posts and be sure to come back for more updates!

Fairfield Dollhouse: Looking Back and Ahead: Dining Rm, Living Rm Art

First planning photo

 It's hard to believe that my  Fairfield Dollhouse adventure (or horrors? ha!) began waaaay back in November, 2021 - the box was opened and the foundation was built as seen in the very first post I did on Nov. 29, 2021!!!!  I can't believe it's been that long, but I still remember that it took three times to open the box and look inside before the project actually got started! 

The fun thing of having this blog is I can look back and have a record of what I did when. Otherwise, who remembers? haa! 

In December 2021, I was also still working here and there on the Van Buren Halloween house at the same time, too. At least I was trying to finish that. So it wasn't until May 12, 2022 that some actual construction of the Fairfield got underway.  Now it's almost a full year that the house has been actually underway and...

Ta-dah! For the record:  Yesterday, Sunday Feb. 26,2023, I finally finished the exterior of the house! Some small trim still has to be added under the roof eaves and rooms are still being decorated, but the main exterior trim is all done!

After all this time, I admit feeling a little disappointed that it's almost over! haa! Now bear with me.... Before I share the final look, I'm going to cheat and stretch this out a little. So I'll show you a few more additions/changes I made to the inside: (click photos for full size; see past posts archives list and sign up for headline updates in the left column.)

The windowboxes... but all that trim is finished now. I'll show you next time...

Dining Room: I'm adding art yet and am finishing up the dining room table spread shown in the previous post, but I did switch a couple things here. I decided to change the front screen on the bottom of the fireplace and used another ivory-colored resin piece. Thought it went better with the two side pieces I also bought from All Dolled Up TDS at the dollhouse show last year.

I decided to use this carved frame with an eerie building scene as it matched the colors better. I thought it would be cool to get it to glow in the dark, but no matter which paint I tried, (and I have three kinds!) they all glow great in a big blob or in the bottle, but not on the picture. Sigh. Still trying to figure how to get that to work. Anyone know any secrets or a brand/type that'll work in small quantities or just used for outlining, please let me know.

I switched out the single bookcase for the double bookcase model as it fits the wall better. I've added more gold accents since this photo. I love these Gothic furniture kits from SDK Miniatures. The cool spooky books are a Horror Book Covers set from Jupitermoon3 on Etsy. The tea chest on the bottom shelf is part of a downloadable printies Tea caddy set from Zena's Miniatures on Etsy. I should add a bead-knob on the top yet.

Some of the books from the set. Nice front and back printing and clear images.

Living Room: I also switched the art and the fireplace screen in the parlor/living room. I cut a piece of gold metal filigree and attached it to a small wood strip.

I thought this picture of a Paris street scene fit the room colors better. I added glitter to the tree for a past half scale group swap. The frame is plastic that I painted.

 

That's it for the moment! Next time, I'll show the exterior and am still setting up the girl's bedroom. Then I can show you how both bedrooms turned out.

Thanks for visiting again and following along on my dollhouse journeys!

Yes, there's more to come and... guess what???? There's going to be another house to work on before I get out the next big project, the Park Avenue Mansion! Stay tuned for details. It seemed like a good idea to work on something smaller before I jump on that though it still takes me just as long I think to get all the details done.

Come back soon for more Fairfield reveals!

FYI: Season 2 Minis TV Show Canada

 

I was disappointed in not being able to finish watching Season 1 of Best in Miniature, airing on CBC Gem in Canada a while ago....  (See the show FB page.) Now there is a season 2 that just started on Feb. 19. (See list of episodes at the link, but hold off on clicking further.)

It looks worth watching as Preston Poling, known as The Bearded Miniaturist,  is a US contestant on the show this season. (Follow him on Facebook and new website.)  ** Check out the story about him using the TinyCircuits TinyTV in his project. 

If you'll recall, he is the creator of the amazing Frasier Show miniature set, The Frasier Project, which I saw and took photos of at the dollhouse show in Schaumburg, Ill. last year. See my photos here. 

So... according to Poling, there is a way to watch the show, and the CBC site also has the first season episodes online as well. If you're not in Canada, the CBC site will show a pop-up saying  you are not in the viewing service area.  ** But... watch his video on YouTube. Basically, if you sign up for a VPN service, you can then go to the CBC site, make an account, and then connect to Canada from there... The service he suggests is not cheap ($83 or so a year; may be short-term prices). 

Here's another suggestion I'm going to try and hope it works: I've been using Avast Free Antivirus for a long time, which has been good and always reliable. They also have a paid VPN -- which is free for 60 days....  so I'm going to wait until all or most of the episodes are on and then binge watch those and the last few shows I didn't see the first season. I don't know how many episodes they'll have but Season 1 had 10 episodes. I've tried other Avast services and they notify you when to cancel or buy the service. Hopefully I'll be able to hook up to the show with no problem. 

Let me know if this works for you. The nice thing, too, is being able to hook the computer up to the TV via a HDMI cable and watch  it that way. Actually I had liked this show better as contestants worked on their own house projects instead of a group making items for each of the rooms in one house as on the UK show, The Great Big Tiny Design Challenge. But I did enjoy that show too when I found them (and they also have episodes online if you haven't seen it, so maybe the VPN will work there, too.) 

Fairfield Dollhouse: Assorted Art, Furniture

 

Yum! Who's hungry?

While I'm working on finishing up rooms, (and that blasted trim. Can't you tell I'm not inspired to finish that? ha!), thought I'd share some furnishings I'm working on. Sometimes you have to step away from the construction part and do some kits! (Previous post: attic sitting room.)

I love making kits, so this is a fun, abbreviated tour of what else is going on in the Fairfield. I'll show the items and finished rooms in the house soon. (Click photos for full size.)

Assorted Art: Printed out some eerie (and a bit creepy!) art for the girl's bedroom. Still deciding what to use. The top coffee sign may go in the kitchen, but I have to see what'll fit on the walls.

Dining Room: I really like this Gothic furniture set (SDK Miniatures), so I decided to use the double bookcase here (to be filled with books and things yet) and switch it out with the haunted single bookcase in October. 

I wanted a larger table for the room, so I took the haunted tablecloth off the Gothic table for now and decorated it for a nice lunch menu. Still deciding on the set-up yet. Yes, have to add tea cups and silverware, too. Some "healthy" things but the kids like peanut butter and pizza - if they have some fruit and veggie sticks! 😏  I'd like to change the food offerings later for other holidays, especially Halloween!

Also painted and stained the chairs from the set. If I had to pick my favorite furniture and kits, then this is it. I like this kit so much I'll probably buy more pieces when I go to the shows in April in case it ever gets discontinued. (Hopefully not!) Eventually I'm thinking of making a library in a book box. There's also a double bench that goes with it, which I have set aside. (She'll be at the Spring Miniatures Show,  April 27-29, Wyndham Gardens Hotel, Schaumburg, IL.  I'm also planning to go to the Bishop Int'l. Show, April 29-30, Chicago Marriott O'Hare.)

I liked this washstand kit (also SDK Miniatures) and thought it made a good buffet.

Girl's Bedroom: The desk is a vintage Tootsietoy piece I painted. Bottles, faux lamp and basket from a past swap. I printed out some sketch notebooks for the basket and painted the scissors from some older Polly Pocket accessories I had. Luckily, I saved these and also have a bunch of teensy cute shoes, too. And I noticed they don't seem to make this stuff anymore, at least that I could find. 

On second glance, I thought the bed needed more pillows, and I also added a teensy toy dog. Also covered the resin chair (vintage resin couch-chair set (Georgia Matuschak kit 1995) with fabric from a vintage tie as I loved the shiny color. The couch is in the attic sitting room.

Kitchen: Still deciding on what accessories and wall art to add... For now, I switched out furniture and painted the farmhouse table kit (Jane Harrop, UK) and two slat chairs (which I think may be older Cassidy Creations kits). Funny that there's a lot of green in this room, not my favorite color, but I do like this Wedgewood green and a sage green also.

I took one of the chairs from the attic sitting room, so have to find another one for there, which I know I have... somewhere... But I'm also thinking of making a matching color slipper chair for the attic table instead. Funny that I have several, but not in the color or pattern I want there. ha! Isn't that the way it always is?

That's it for the moment. Thanks for stopping by again!

 (If you want to see more photos, check out the previous posts in the archives in the left column and also sign up for headline updates.)

The #Fairfield Attic Sitting Room, Kitchen Pieces

I have been working slowly on some things. Took a break, too, as I really didn't feel like doing more trim yet, as you'll notice. ha! (Yeah, ignore that untrimmed roof edge! 😏)

(Previous post: trimmed tower, attic bath, a few kits.  * See archives list for more posts and sign up for email updates in the left column. Click photos for full size.)

Instead, I got some furniture finished and decided to work on the attic sitting room, which is next to the boy's room. This was fun as it ended up with a kind of retro feel to it. 

There's a lot of fun stuff in this room. I had to add a bookcase, of course, with assorted books and some newspapers about the Queen's death. The small paint jars on top are from a past HS group swap. My favorite: I found this unpainted metal phone in my "buy it and I'll use it someday" stash and had to add it for a touch of realism. The phone cord is thin coated wire I cut off a tiny light bulb and painted. I also have a wall phone I painted for the kitchen. I made the vintage-flavored Eiffel Tower glitter picture for a past swap. I made the clock on the wall from a printie, rhinestone and a medium jump ring. 

 The reading chairs are '50s style MCM chairs from All About Miniatures. I decided to contrast the chairs by color with the blue floral fabric and the matching/contrasting pink print. The coffee table is from one of those Woodcraft punch-out kits of assorted furniture.

I did decide to cut off the top of the fake brick wall on a slant as it looks better since the back of the house is open. Luckily I glue things to hold but not that I can't pull it off with (hopefully) minimal damage. (There was none.) The textured red brick paper is from Starboc 2 in Greece on Etsy. Love her brick.

I am thinking of trying some white brick on the inner front walls when I eventually do the Park Ave. Mansion. Still have in mind to do a kind of rooming house, with the wealthy widow/owner living in the top floor penthouse apartment, which I'm leaning toward decorating in a Brooke Tucker style since I  now have the book and two lamps. (And sad to hear she died recently. Another miniatures legend gone.)

The fabric on the vintage resin couch (Georgia Matuschak kit 1995) is kind of busy so you can barely see that I decided to add a couple dirty spots and some stuffing sticking out. The lady of the house says the couch is too comfy to throw out. The kit came with a chair, too, that I'll use in another room. I like when I find these kits as they come out nice simply by gluing fabric on. The bottom section is grooved so you can tuck the fabric in. I made the hassock by covering a foam piece (shaped foam beads I found a while ago at The Dollar Tree) with fabric and bunka thread. 

The writing table (Vesper Narrow Table, Small Scale Living from All About Miniatures) has a typewriter from a past HS group swap and that weird "sculpture" plant whatever from Michael's. I got the chair as a kit at a show. 

The outer wall has an old radio (fun gift from last year's HS group swap.) It just seemed to work well in this corner.

Full view:

Kitchen pieces:

Working on some of the kitchen pieces. The baking table and stove are from TMC, Teresa's Miniature Creations (minitmc@comcast.net). She'll be at the Spring Miniatures Show at the Wyndham Gardens Hotel in Schaumburg, IL, April 27-29 as will SDK Miniatures. I like her Gothic furniture and flower kits. The Bishop International Show is also that weekend, Sat. April 29 and Sunday, April 30 at the Marriott Chicago O'Hare.) 

Before: (finishing up the sink yet.)

After:

I added some plastic confetti pieces, the top shelf and the orange seed beads for handles to the baking table. The pie making set is by Patsy M from a long ago swap. The tarts are Reutter Porzellan. I made the teeny jam jar.

The stove is so cute but ugh!! Those teensy-teensy beads for the handles and top of the stove burners are no-fun! I kept losing them and finally had to cut a couple tiny pieces of the square tube for a couple of the bead  "knobs." I gave up adding the beads to the side of the door and just painted the "hinges" silver. In case you're wondering and aren't familiar with 1/24, half scale sizes: the stove is 2.5" high and 1.75" wide. 

Here's another view for size: the chair is 1.25" wide and just over 1.25" high. Small, but doable. I've tried 1/48 scale which is much smaller. Too small for me. - Chris V. www.cverstraete.com

Thanks again for visiting. More updates coming soon!