Halloween Miniatures: Mrs. Julliard Awaits the Wizard

Mrs. Julliard insisted on staying around the tower, desperate to learn the wizard's secrets. Well.... she learned one, but alas, she's in no condition to talk now. Halloween is coming, you do have an idea what she'll look like, right? haaa!

She's dressed in a Victorian style gown in a flashy red with a black lace bodice and fashionable lace cloak, with matching cloth and leather slippers.



Included is the wizard's table with the wizard's magic orb, a leather-bound medieval map (does it lead to his secrets?), a magical crystal plant and a set of potions, all on a vintage table. Items are not glued. Everything handmade by me. Item for sale; contact me if interested.

Chris V.

Inspiration for Pink Saturday: A Miracle Makeover

Today is a special Pink Saturday!

Beverly at How Sweet the Sound has linked with Guideposts, talking about the "Miracle Makeover" and celebration of Collette Gauthier's recovery from cancer; the story was printed in GUIDEPOSTS Magazine. (Like Guideposts on Facebook!) and thank them for sharing the video online.


From the Katilac Shack website:

Design Changes Things: When a room is falling apart, and we are also feeling physically or mentally down, it's easy to believe that things are hopeless. For Colette Gauthier, a cancer patient, this was especially true. So, in two and a half days, and on a tiny budget, we set out to change things. Transforming her rental house bedroom from bleak to beautiful helped her through chemotherapy. The restored and renewed space filled her with hope. A visual reminder that healing is possible for our homes and lives....that miracles do happen. (See video below...)


** Some other inspiration: **

It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.
-- Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House in the Ozarks

Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong. -- Ella Fitzgerald

Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed. -- Corita Kent

Life is an exciting business, and most exciting when it is lived for others. -- Helen Keller

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained. -- Marie Curie



** Click at the Breast Cancer site for free mammograms for women in need!





** Comment on Beverly's blog above or at the Katillac Shack- ** A $1 donation for every comment on Pink Saturday will be given to Design Gives Back for another miracle makeover.

Paying to Blog or Write - What do you say?

It's common practice for many businesses to have to get a license or some kind of registration, depending on the location, of course. But let's say you blog or are a freelance writer. Maybe you have a few ads on your blog, or sell a few things here and there...

Well if you live in Philadelphia, that city believes that in both cases, you need a "business privilege" license allowing you to operate. And in this case, it'll cost you $50 a year or $300 a lifetime to do it. See full story.

And by the way, it doesn't matter whether you make $10 a month or your blog or writing, or $1,000 a month.

Is this a case of a governmental entity reaching their hand into your pocket and finding another way to make money off people? Finding another way to tax the Internet or making people who are making good money pay up? But what's the sense in taxing someone $50 who doesn't make much on their venture? And if you're a freelance writer, why should you have to pay more?

What's your opinion?

Dollhouses and Collages Meet: New Mixed Media Dollhouses Book

Assembly and collage meets dollhouses. I just saw this new book at B&N, and thought it was a fascinating approach.

It takes the idea of dioramas we learned as kids, and hooks it up with the adult trend of collages, scrapbooking and artistic scenes, resulting in fanciful roomboxes combined with artistic paper craft. I thought it was an interesting new way to collect miniatures with often very pretty, eye-catching results. Might be fun to experiment with things that "traditional" miniaturists often don't try.

Description:

Mixed-media doll houses include beautiful castles, undersea fantasy-lands, gothic attics, inspiring tree houses and much more. Authors Tally Oliveau and Julie Molina share a host of interesting alteration techniques while showing readers how to construct beautiful, fantasy doll houses. Readers learn to how to construct or repurpose found boxes into rooms and houses, how to decorate interior surfaces, how to build miniature furnishings, how to make their own paper dolls, and how to embellish their houses using a variety of imaginative materials.


Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Quarry Books (March 1, 2010)

Miniatures: Feels like Fall!

Where'd summer go? Thinking of fall already so I decorated these small wheelbarrows...

Searching for a Starry Night, Barnes & Noble Anniversary

Fun event Sunday at the Mount Pleasant (Racine) WI Barnes & Noble celebrating their 10th anniversary.

Fantasy/Sci-fi author Jean Rabe and I shared the early morning session.

Interesting that at this B&N, they expanded and added a whole new section with games and puzzles; the mystery section was also moved near the religion and crafts. I didn't catch the move at first, but I had the impression the area was a little smaller, or maybe it was just laid out differently.

Note: A new print version of Searching for a Starry Night will be available soon.

The new cover is similar to the Searching for a Starry Night Kindle version except the bottom print (subtitle and my name) are both dark blue.

* Read/download Searching for a Starry Night chapter 1.

Searching for a Starry Night Author and Others Help Celebrate B&N's 10th Anniversary in Wisc. Sunday

I and other authors will be on hand Sunday, Aug. 22 helping Barnes and Noble Booksellers, 2710 S. Green Bay Road, Mount Pleasant, WI (Racine) celebrate their 10-year anniversary. The party goes until 9 p.m. Stop by and say hello!

Scheduled authors include:

• 10 a.m. - Jean Rabe, award-winning science fiction author and Christine Verstraete, author of children's mystery, "Searching For A Starry Night."

• 11 a.m. - Storyteller and historian Jerry Apps, author of "Barns of Wisconsin."

• 1 p.m. - Best-selling authors Chloe Neill, author of "Twice Bitten" in the Chicagoland Vampire series, and Linda Godfrey. author of "Haunted Wisconsin."

• 3 p.m. - Jerry Rannow, author of "This One'll Killya," George Fennell, author of "Racine: Drum Corps Capital of the World" and Nick Comande, author of "Climbing for Causes."

A book fair fundraiser will be held all day to benefit the Racine Public Library. A percentage of each purchase will go to the library Vouchers must be obtained in advance at the library, 72 Seventh St., Racine, or visit the website.

For more information, call the library, (262) 636-9241, or Barnes and Noble, (262) 598-9757.

Chocolates in Miniature!

Nothing's better than chocolate - unless it's in miniature, of course!

My friend, Kitty, made some new chocolates for the chocolate shop she's working on that look good enough to eat!

See more at her blog, Minis by Kitty

Preview: Steampunk'd Cover!

I just discovered that the cover for the upcoming book, Steampunk'd from DAW Books is now online! I'd seen it in b/w but wow in color, it's really cool! (To be published Nov. 2!)

About the book:

Steampunk can be defined as a subgenre of science fiction that is typically set in an anachronistic Victorian or quasi-Victorian setting, where steam power is prevalent. Consider the slogan: "What the past would look like if the future had come along earlier." The stories in this all-original anthology explore alternate timelines and have been set all over the world, running the gamut from science fiction to mystery to horror to a melding of these genres.

The 320-page collection, edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg, includes my short story, "Edison Kinetic Light and Steam Power" by C.A. Verstraete, in which an ailing, but resourceful Alva Edison helps her soon-to-be-famous brother, Thomas, overcome a tragedy and find the answers he'd been seeking. As they say, behind every man is a powerful woman, right?

Miniature Sightings: Free miniatures tutorials

There are so many fun things to do in miniature online, I thought I'd include a few things I've come across lately that visitors may or may not know of. But a reminder is always good, too, right? Hope you find something new to try!

Free Tutorials:

* Doll maker Cynthia Howe has a great free miniature corset pattern for a mannequin, among other freebies

* My Small Obsession's free tutorials list: sofa, plate shelf, and more

* Zooplies miniature hand fans tutorial

* Different! Miniature cereal tutorial video

* AnneMarie's chef's hat tutorial

* Carol Cook's miniature mussels tutorial

* Make a miniature layer cake by Betsy Niederer - ** Best part: How to make mini chocolate roses!