The Latest Miniatures, Craft & Fiction Books

 There have been a lot of new and interesting, crafts, dollhouse-related fiction, and miniatures books -   & BOOK NOOKS!  - come out lately.

 I'll add other books as I find them. (Links are to bookshop.org, where you can order via any bookshop. All are affiliate links which may offer a small compensation to the author.) * Keep reading to the end! There are several new dollhouse-related fiction releases marked with ***  

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NEW- see below! Added some miniature bookstore book nook kits!  PS- there are often sales at the sites! (** Click Photos for FULL SIZE.)

NOTE: This post is also linked on the top tab under the banner.

Dollhouses/Miniatures:

*** NEW! These are so addicting and fun,  I had to include some miniature bookstore Book Nook kits. Saved you the searching!

Every bookshelf needs one (only one? haa!) of these!  Click links below to go to the sites.

Robotime Bookstore, Arcade Dating/Amazon

 

  *** Owl Bookstore, Fsolis Book Nook/Amazon -  *** Owl Bookstore by Cutefun/Amazon

*** Cutebee Green Life Bookshop/Amazon

*** Cutefun Green Life Bookshop/Amazon

*** Cutefun Corner Coffee Shop/Amazon

*** Cutefun The Scholar's Bookstore/Amazon

Bonus!: There are several categories (Cutefun/Amazon): Cooking Bookstore;  Muse Bookstore

This is cute! (Cutefun/Amazon) Literature Bookshop

(Cool stairs!) Macro-Trend Abby Library/Amazon

(Admired this one!) Macro-Trend Beyond Max Library/Amazon (Dinosaur!) - And the Deluxe version! Beyond Library Max

Quanquer Magic Bookstore/Amazon

DOLLHOUSE BOOKS:

50 Makes for Modern Miniatures, Chelsea Andersson -  A prop designer who was part of NBC TV's Making It craft-competition show offers her own take on modern minis. - Amazon

Collectively Speaking, My Passionate Pursuit of Miniatures Vol. 1, Kaye Savage Browning - A beautiful photographic account of Browning's decades long dedication to collecting and curating exquisite miniatures. - Amazon

Making Mini Food, Lynn Allingham - Make 30 assorted food items with polymer clay from realistic pancakes to pizza, burgers, ice cream and more. I still want to try these! - Amazon

 

Making Miniature Period Furniture for Dolls' Houses, Angela Law - Recreate an assortment of realistic Tudor and historical furnishings in 1:12th scale. - Amazon

Making Miniatures with 3D Printers, Frank Fisher and Angie Scarr - Scarr, known for her polymer clay foods, teams with her husband on a book to explain the in's and out's of 3D printing. - Amazon

 Miniature Food Masterclass, Angie Scarr - Great selection of miniature food how to's from eggs, to gray, sushi, and more from the Queen of Polymer Clay! - Amazon

The Dollhouse: Pop-Up and Lift the Flap Book, Grace West - Cute Idea that caught my eye. Something fun to get the little ones interested in dollhouses! - Amazon

Fiction:

A Dollhouse to Die For, Cate Price (eBook) - Deadly Notions Mystery Book 2 - At an estate auction, Daisy is delighted to find the perfect present for a young girl she knows—a charming dollhouse in need of restoration. But when local collector Harriet Kunes tries to strong-arm Daisy into selling it, she’s in for a shocking—and deadly—surprise when an intruder breaks in and steals the dollhouse. Daisy soon suspects the mini house holds the key to a second, unsolved murder. - Amazon (ebook and papeback) - Book 1: Going Through the Notions

 Death in the Details, Katie Titejien, Book 1 - Inspired by the real-life mother of forensic science, Frances Glessner Lee,  - Maple Bishop is ready to put WWII and the grief of losing her husband, Bill, behind her. But when she discovers that Bill left her penniless, Maple realizes she could lose her Vermont home next and sets out to make money the only way she knows how: by selling her intricately crafted dollhouses. Business is off to a good start—until Maple discovers her first customer dead, his body hanging precariously in his own barn. Something about the supposed suicide rubs Maple the wrong way, but local authorities brush off her concerns. Determined to help them see “what’s big in what’s small,” Maple turns to what she knows best, painstakingly recreating the gruesome scene in miniature: death in a nutshell. - Amazon

*** New - coming in Sept.!   Murder in Miniature, Katie Tietjen, (Pre-order: Publishes Sept. 23) - Second book in the Maple Bishop historical mysteries, inspired by the first miniature crime scenes of Frances Glessner Lee - In post-WWII Vermont, Maple Bishop has a thriving dollhouse business and a new career as a crime scene consultant for the local sheriff's office. when she discovers the body of a childhood friend in a burned cabin. Called in to help solve the crime, she also recreates the cabin in miniature as part of her investigation.  - Amazon

***Recently published! The Library of Lost Dollhouses, Elise Hooper - The head curator at a beautiful small library in San Francisco discovers a pair of beautifully-made dollhouses hidden in a secret back room. Her hunt for the history of the dollhouses turns her life in an unexpected direction when she learns of their personal connection to her. Great read! - Amazon

The Miniaturist, Jessie Burton - Was a PBS series. Set in seventeenth century Amsterdam, 18-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office—leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin. Her world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist—an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways .- Amazon . .

***Just released! 

The Miniaturist's Assistant, Katherine Scott Crawford - 2004: In historic Charleston, recently divorced art conservator Gamble Vance throws herself into her career restoring centuries-old miniature portraits. But one portrait haunts her: a woman in a fox stole, with familiar hazel eyes. When Gamble meets a girl in an alley, she's convinced it's the same woman-- and it's not the first time they've met. For help, Gamble turns to African American Studies scholar Tolliver Jackson-- a former foster kid with secrets of his own. But as Gamble's memories resurface, the pair discover a connection which may endanger more than one life... in more than one lifetime. Then there's a switch to a miniature portraitist in 1804. - Amazon

The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone, Audrey Burges - From her attic in the Arizona mountains, thirty-four-year-old Myra Malone blogs about a dollhouse mansion that captivates thousands of readers worldwide. Myra’s stories have created legions of fans who breathlessly await every blog post, trade photographs of Mansion-modeled rooms, and swap theories about the enigmatic and reclusive author. Myra herself is tethered to the Mansion by mysteries she can’t understand—rooms that appear and disappear overnight, music that plays in its corridors. - Amazon

Crafts: 

Creepy Crafts,  Ashley Voortman - Signed Copy/Etsy  - Amazon

Bring various chilling creations to life including a - One-Eyed Pumpkin - - Spider Teacup - Barbed Wire Frame - Severed Ear Chain - Bottle of Lost Souls - Tooth Fairy Stash - Pincushion of DOOM - Death Mushrooms Ring Holder

The Amigurumi Workshop: A Beginner's Guide to Crocheting Miniature Toys, James S. Ward - I don't crochet but these tiny animals are so cute! Would love to see if anyone makes something from this book.

Van Gogh Collage Paper - Assortment of 8x8 scrapbook paper sheets. Because I like Van Gogh! - Amazon

My Books:

 

Dollhouse Decor & More - Christine Verstraete and Joanna Campbell Slan -  My co-authored book - an assortment of over 50 projects, from simple accessories to slightly more complicated furnishings to fill your miniature home! - Amazon

Searching for a Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery, Christine Verstraete - In my oldie but goodie kid's mystery, two friends and their mischievous dachshund, Petey, search for a lost miniature painting. Ages 8 and up. - Amazon

* More to come when I find them, so check back periodically. Thanks for visiting!

 -- C. Verstraete, candidcanine.blogspot.com

Miniature Salad & HS Cottage Furniture

Between working again on the Lavender Cottage shingles (making a "little" progress), I am always doing a few other things. Oops! Thought I'd posted this, so some catching up to do!

 (* Click photos for full size.)

The 1" scale salad was an easy fun project I was determined to make as a birthday gift for my friend (Happy Birthday again Gigi!). I love making these salads! 

Also finally got some other furnishings done for the Lavender Cottage! 

This 1/24 half-scale ping-pong table kit (SDK Miniatures) turned out better than I thought it would! I'd had it awhile, then let it sit, so I figured better finish it before I lose the pieces! I think it's going to be that catch-all space in the Lavender Cottage attic. You know the one - exercise equipment, old pool or ping-pong, game tables, etc. I'll have to find things to pile on it. ha! 😏

These interesting books are not what you think!

They actually are book "drawer," kits from CastleCrafts. Perfect place to hide some jewelry or, hey--Chocolate! Turned out pretty cool, I'd say. I think I'll use the purple book in the cottage even if it's slightly bigger. 

Also from CastleCrafts is this French Easy Chair kit. I really love how this turned out. I have the chaise lounge, too. I might get another pair of these chairs for another project. I added a cushion and made the footstool from a stacked foam bead. I got a bag of different shaped foam beads a while ago from the dollar store.

Made more books. I've admired the different collections offered by Artsy Miniatures on Etsy. Yes, I make my own and it's simple enough to do with a photo program, but sometimes it's easier to just buy them so you don't have to hunt down and shrink photos. ha! This is the Home and Garden magazines/books. Pretty covers. (I reduced them for half-scale.) They're pretty small to fit a shelf, but I might print some a bit larger for the table. There's also a dogs and cats set that's rather cute. 

I also got these cute printable laundry crates on Etsy. I printed them smaller to fit in the half-scale house.

And added some impatiens to the cup and saucer feeder I made for the annual Half-Scale Swap. That looks better! I have a birdfeeder I might use as well and decorate the same. Have to decide what to put in the garden. Maybe make it seasonal to change out?

And lastly, I made a furniture set (SDK Miniatures) for the front of the cottage. I'll have to make some kind of chaise for the porch. I have other tables and chairs, too. It's a big porch, so lots of furniture (and plants!)

So, just some odds and ends. Back to my "favorite" part of miniatures - shingling! haa!

* Thanks again for visiting! Come back soon for more updates! *

Some Spooky Miniatures

 

The Before

No matter what, I can't seem to stay away from doing something spooky for long.

I'd seen this small corner vignette kit from The Covered Chipboard before the Spring Showcase show, but for some reason didn't think of reserving one. I got to the show and changed my mind, but the kits with the Gothic window were gone. (* Click photos for full size. And other kits I did get! See show post here.)

I decided to get the kit with the round spiderweb window and proceeded to see what I had in my stash to use. I figured the kit would make a nice half-scale background for photo taking and be a cute scene otherwise. 

After assembling and gluing, I covered the walls with lightweight Spackle (hole filling compound - you can get a small tub at the hardware store.) I like using this as it has a "frosting" consistency and can be tinted with acrylic paint.I also glued on some textured brick pieces to have exposed brick spots. I had to add in the two lights so they'd be under the wall compound.

I mixed in a mustard yellow and then -- oh! It came out more yellow than I wanted. 

No worry. I aged the walls with light washes of brown chocolate paint and touches of Wedgewood green. My friend came up with the great idea of adding some blue plastic on the window to give it a nighttime look and having rust lines streaming down the wall, like the window had leaked. I added the lines and spots by the window using burnt sienna acrylic paint. I also added the floor from a wood placemat and the painted wood shapes. I'm still deciding what chair to use, maybe a rug, and probably some scuffs on the floor.

I put in two small lights, one set in a 1/24 lantern kit from CastleCrafts on top the cabinet (hard to see here), and made a faux candle for the table using a skull bead. The LED light's wire and top of the bead are covered with an ivory puff paint to give it a waxy look. (Like the faux candle I made for the half-scale swap.) The table is from an old piece of furniture with legs I cut from basswood. I painted the cabinet taken out of a small Hobby Lobby room kit. The taller bottles on the shelf are handy acrylic shapes from a CastleCrafts kit. Very handy!

The flooring is painted and cut from a wood strip placemat. I'm sad that I only have a small piece of this left as it's made really good floors. I decided to add a strip of matboard to cover the lower opening (which was supposed to go on the other end. ha!) to access the battery. I folded the end so I can pull out the battery when needed. 

That's about it. A simple, fun and reasonably priced little kit with good results.

Back to the *&^% shingling on the Lavender Cottage then. I'll get it done yet! Next I want to work on the garden for the front of the house. 

* Thanks again for visiting! Stay tuned for more projects and miniature updates! * 

Half-Scale Lavender Cottage Dollhouse Roof, Stairs

 

Yes, I've been slacking off on the project. I started the top roof, which is going slooooowly. But as I mentioned before, the lower roofs are done, and I think, look really good! (* Click photos for full size. Wow, the last update was early last month with the third floor and when I showed the shingles started.) 

Not much else happening on this, for the moment, but I wanted to show the roof results. (*Click photos for full size.) I finally just put the brick foundation paper on and am working on the edge trim now - and done! It looks much better. At least one trim part done.

It'll also look less bare when I decide on what flowers to put in front. It's different as I've never done a white brick foundation (and white stairs) before, but I had a lot of that color left (now only one sheet) and it went with the color scheme.

Thanks to my friend, who had the right width wood, I finished the stair treads, too! I want to add some greenery next, and then wisteria and vines along the roof, porch edges, and posts also.

In the meantime, I can't stay away too long from doing something spooky! I started this spooky little kit  (the corner room) that I got at the dollhouse show, so that's turning out pretty good.

 Here's a hint: I had enough leaves left from the Poison Ivy plant kit (SDK Miniatures) to make some more plants. This project will need a pot! Other pix coming soon. 

So, a short update! 

* For fun, I came across this free printies page at the Mouse Mansion with some schoolroom items and Christmas cards. While you're there, be sure to check out the impressive Mouse Mansion project! 

*Thanks again for visiting! Come back soon to see what's next!* 

Annual Half-Scale Dollhouse Swap

Easter items - so cute!

Always look forward to this! Been doing it for years. At one point it was a huge swap - one year I think it had 60 - but it's tapered off. This year was only 16 participants but I still enjoy getting and making items. Here's last year's swap and links to others. (* Click photos for full size.)

This year's theme was Holidays, which is nice as I figured there'd be both Halloween and Christmas items. I made a bird feeder stand with a cup/saucer, a small skull candle, and added in a Christmas box printie. It does look better than this photo. The skulls come out really realistic, just a toothpick, puff paint, and a snip of black thread. I thought later I maybe should've added the hill with flowers to the planter but I figured people will put it where they want. It can be "planted" in a small  mound of air-dry Crayola Model Magic, paint and cover it with grass and/or moss, and add small impatiens petals. I'm going to use purple for the Lavender Cottage  garden.

The Easter items were really neat. Cute little Bunny basket (Paula W), great teensy filled basket and blue bunny (Sydney H), amazing woven baskets (Glenda D), and that incredible egg dying scene (Cyndi M). Great idea using those little beads as cups for this. I have a ton of those and put fake handles on for mugs.

Christmas too! Great flags from Jen W, a tabletop tree (and orange cake in other photo) Adrian C, all kinds of fun ornaments (even a dog bone! Oops that peppermint is actually a "plate", great idea, with a gingerbread cookie on it. I put the wrong side up!) Sharon J, tree in pot, Bea.

Being a Halloween fan, I love this! All kinds of cool signs, jars, a mini table and even a plate of Gingerbread cookies, Gail. The Halloween mat is perfect, and the cool candlestick, great way to make this, Amy H.

Then some fun additions!

A great little flower stand for the porch (Ruth G), that incredible teensy Christmas gnome! (Annilee T), perfect little pies , Mary W, and that darling dollhouse, Peggy F.

Hopefully I didn't miss anyone. All great items that I'll add to my dollhouses. Always so much fun opening the surprise box each year!

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** Update: Yes! The small roofs on the Lavender Cottage are shingled, painted, and done! PIc coming! Working on the top roof. What a job! If you didn't see them, in-between I did make some cute carrot cakes and Easter baskets. (More fun than shingling! haa!) 

** Thanks again for visiting!  Scroll down for other posts or see left column archives for my show-seen posts. *

New Miniature Kits I'll be Working On

 

 Miniature plant kits

Still on a miniature high, I think, from recently attending the annual dollhouse shows! LOL

Had a good time this year and found some cool things I'm excited about. (* Click photos for full size.)

I don't buy too many finished items as I mostly like to work on kits and finish them myself so it's great when I find something different and new (to me). Now I have to decide which one to work on first!

A favorite vendor is CastleCrafts from South Africa (and shipping from Pennsylvania). Belinda McWilliams is always fun to talk with and I always learn something new! I spotted this Protea kit on her website and was interested as I thought it would fit into the (rare 1" scale) Tudor project I eventually want to build. I didn't know it was S. Africa's national flower and it is HUGE!  It has giant blooms and can grow to a 5' tall bush. * Also got the vegetable plants that I thought would fit the kitchen of that project. I am brainstorming on it!

She also had this cool acrylic bottle kit. I had something similar in half scale I'd love to find more of. They make great shelf items. I like the vintage look.

My other favorite vendor, SDK Miniatures had a great hall tree and furniture kit. I might save these for the half-scale farmhouse when I get to that or use the patio kit on the Lavender Cottage lawn for now.

I also was tickled to get these kits from a new favorite vendor, The Covered Chipboard. Teri was doing her first show and had some great stuff to offer! Couldn't resist this small room setting which I thought would be perfect for taking half-scale photos and Halloween photos. It's only the room itself, but I have kits to set up something similar. I got the wall with a round spiderweb window. (Photo: TCC website)

Here are a few items from her great furniture pack and the finished items in the cottage she made. (Rooms from TCC website.)

And... while I have quite a few dogs, this little guy's cute face hooked me and got me to take him home.

I know, it's not all real exciting, but stuff I'll be happy working on. Will share what I do with the kits when I get some done.

* Thanks again for visiting! More updates coming soon! (Yes! The Lavender Cottage small roof is done and looks good!)

 I also got the Half-Scale Swap with some really cute stuff! Pix coming!*