A Miniatures Christmas Story 2

 

Thief of Christmas Present, A Miniatures Christmas Story - Part 2

  

* Start the story here: Part 1

Today we feature the second part and conclusion to an original Christmas tale by Robert W. Walker, author of  over 100 - and counting -  novels including the fabulous gaslight thriller, CITY OF THE ABSENT, featuring his detective, Ransom.  Check his website for his latest thrillers and novellas. 

(If the photos don't show properly, you can read part 2 of the story at last year's post.)

While Robert is known for his spooky and often creepy-gory horror books, he has a soft side, too! Never fear, this two-part story is rated PG. 

Part 2 Continued --

 "The Thief of Christmas Present"

By Robert W. Walker

(Photos: Christmas Santa House by C. Verstraete, see more pix here - click miniatures; Festive gold and white holiday scenes featuring the miniatures of Lissu, used w/ permission. See more pix and visit her blog, Lissu's Dollhouse) 

To recap: the family are watching the film to see who is stealing the Cluewellens' Christmas from Julia's dollhouse. (See part 1 in the previous post.)

Shortly after, Stevie entered the room, asking, "What kinda movie is this?"

"The movie that's gonna prove you stole the Cluewellens' Christmas!"


"I didn't touch that stuff! I didn't do it, Mom!"

Joannie came down from her room and asked, "Are you still blaming that on Stevie? He wouldn't do that!"

"We got you on tape this time, Joannie...or Stevie...whichever one of you guys did it, so there!" Julia set her jaw, determined to watch every hour of the unmoving movie frame by frame. "Mom and me...we gotcha good now. Liar."

Joannie came at her sister. "Who're you calling a liar? Me?"

"If the shoe fits!"

"Enough, both of you! Stop it. Either sit down and watch the tape or leave the room, but please, no more accusations, Julia, and no more shouting, Joannie-and you, Stevie, stop crying."

"I didn't do it," he complained through tears. "I always get blamed for everything!"


"All I know is somebody stole the Cluewellens' Christmas tree now!" Julia shot back.

"Hey, what's that?" asked Joannie, pointing at the screen. "I saw movement-a shadow-back of the miniature."

Julia, Stevie, and Mother Waldron stared at the slight squeaking noise, too, and in a moment, they all watched a pair of whiskers and a brown button nose rise over the back of the miniature at the chimney.

"It's Newton, my ferret!" shouted Stevie. "He's escaped again."

Newton lived up to his name, always finding ways to escape his cage, and often, Stevie allowed him 'free run time' but Newton always returned to his cage. Newton had even found a way out of the house one night.

"What's he doing?" asked Julia. "OMG-he's going down the chimney."

"Like Santa," said Stevie.


"No...more like The Grinch," replied Joannie. "There's your Christmas thief, Julia!"

"But...I mean how...why?" she asked. "Why's he terrifying the Cluewellens and destroying their Christmas?"

"You really think Newton is thinking along those lines, Julia?" Joannie couldn't hold back her laughter.

"Shhh...watch him. Look, look," said Mom. "The little thief! He's dragging the entire tree out the front door."

With the tree clear of the door, it snapped closed, and Newton scurried away with the five-inch high tree, ornaments trailing. He truly did look like a miniature version of The Grinch except that he was brown and not green.

"Stevie's pet's the thief...the whole time," Julia muttered in disbelief.

"What's he doing with all the stolen goods?" asked mom. "Shall we find out?"

"I think you're gonna need a ferret whisperer or a pet shrink to figure that out, Mom," replied Joannie, still laughing.


"Nothing funny about that little rat destroying the Cluewellens' Christmas!" countered Julia.

"Why don't we all just go on a scavenger hunt?" began Mom. "To see where Newton is stashing all the decorations and presents."

"And stockings!" added Julia.

The four of them started for Stevie's room where Newton lived in a cage. Everyone in the family had gotten so used to Newton's escapes and escapades about the house that no one took great notice of him of late.

"What's going on?" asked Jack Waldron, their father, who'd caught them gathered at the foot of the stairs as he came through the door, home from the office.

Everyone spoke at once until Anna calmed them and pointed to the still action shot on the TV. "We caught Newton red-handed. "He's Julia's Christmas thief."

"Must be the shiny stuff attracts Newton, eh?" asked Jack.


"But he's never done this before!" Anna replied. "Any rate, we're heading up to Steve's room to see where he's stashing the goods."

"Say, did anyone read that book that came with the ferret when you bought Newton at the pet store?" asked Joannie, who was browsing the book for any clues.

"Who's got time to read?" asked Julia.

They all went for Stevie's room, and looked into Newton's cage, a made-over fish tank. There, amid the usual sawdust and toy shelters and fake greenery, was a stash of Christmas miniatures, from the tree, to the presents and the stockings. All of it lay in a neat, orderly circular design. The look on Newton's face said, "I confess."

Joannie handed the paperback book on ferrets and ferret behavior to her mother. "Take a look at the last section on page sixteen."

She glanced at the page. "Oh, dear...then this means..."

"What is it?" asked Julia. "Nothing in that book could possibly excuse this rodent's behavior, and as for you, Stevie-this is all your-"

"No, Julia!" countered her father, who'd now read page sixteen. "No way is this Stevie's fault!"

"You owe Stevie and me an apology," Joannie said to Julia, having closed in on her, nose-to-nose. "And all our friends, too!"

"You do owe everyone an apology, Julia," her mother agreed. "In the meantime, Newton is going to need a new name."

"Whataya mean?" asked Julia.

"New name?" asked Stevie.


"Newton is a girl, and she's stealing shiny objects to make a nest, because she's going to have baby ferrets."

"OMG!" replied Julia. "That's it! That explains the mystery."

"But if Newton's not a boy...what're we going to call Newton?" asked Stevie.

"Newtonia?" suggested Joannie, a snicker escaping.

"Why don't we make it Madame Curie," suggested Mom. "I think she outsmarted us all. In any event, case closed."

Stevie lifted the flimsy lid and started to reach in to retrieve the Cluewellens' Christmas stuff-his sister's stuff, but Julia stayed his hand. "No, Stevie. She-Madame Curie-she needs it now more than the Cluewellens."

"Aren't you ahhh worried about the Cluewellens?" asked Anna of her daughter.

"They'll understand when I explain it to them," Julia replied and shrugged, "and besides, there's always next year."

Anna hugged Julia and Jack put a hand on his daughter's shoulder, and with the entire family looking on at Newton-now Madame Curie-every one smiled, and if ferrets can smile, Madame Curie smiled back, a knowing glint in her eye.

"I have an idea for the Cluwellens' Christmas," said Stevie.

"What's that? asked Julia.

"Why not give them a front row seat for Christmas?"

"Meaning?"

"Put their house under our tree!"


Everyone agreed it was a wonderful solution, and that Julia had a lot of apologies to make, and that she'd tell and retell Newton's story between now and Christmas quite often indeed.

The End.

(c) 2008, 2024 RW Walker published by https://candidcanine.blogspot.com

** I hope you enjoyed this "little" Christmas tale as much as I enjoy presenting it every year. 

Merry Christmas and the best in the New Year to everyone! 

As Tiny Tim said, "God Bless us, every one!"

A Miniatures Christmas Story 1

 It's become something of an annual tradition that I've been sharing this little Christmas story friend and fellow author Robert W. Walker penned for me. It first ran here in 2008. Enjoy!

Today I have the pleasure of presenting an original Christmas tale by Robert W. Walker, author of - gasp! over 100  - and counting -  novels including the fabulous gaslight thriller, CITY OF THE ABSENT, featuring his detective, Ransom. Check his website for his latest thrillers and novellas.  

While Robert is known for his spooky and often creepy-gory horror books, he has a soft side, too! Never fear, this story, which will run in two parts, is rated PG. 

(If the photos don't show properly, you can read the story at last year's post.) 

(Come back tomorrow, Christmas Day, for Part 2.) 

The Thief of Christmas Present
By Robert W. Walker

(Photos: Christmas Santa House by C. Verstraete, more photos see website, Santa's House page.)




Julia rushed into her mother's room, her eleven-year-old arms flapping as she said, "Joannie stole my Christmas presents! I just know it was her!"

"Your big sister wouldn't do that, Julia."

"Then its one of her girlfriends."

"I've talked to Joannie, and she's given the third degree to every friend who has been visiting the house since Thanksgiving."

Julia's eyes filled with tears. "Musta been that boyfriend of hers then!"

"He seems like a nice, respectful boy, and whatever would possess him to steal your miniature Christmas presents from beneath your miniature tree?"

Anna Waldron hugged her daughter to her. "We'll find the stolen goods. They're likely somewhere on a shelf. Thoughtlessly moved by one of your little friends."

"No, no mom! I don't let anyone reach into my dollhouse and take out anything, not the figurines, not the furniture, and certainly not the presents under the tree."

Anna wondered how this could keep happening to her daughter. Julia had put heart and soul into her miniature house this year. In fact, she'd begun creating the tree, the ornaments, lights, stockings hanging over the fireplace, and the presents beneath the tree since last Christmas.

She'd got it in her head that her dollhouse ought to have all the ornaments and decorations of any home, that Mr. and Mrs. Cluewellen and their three children who lived in the miniature house ought to have a wonderful Christmas too.



Julia had worked so hard to make it happen, and now, day-by-day, all her work was coming unraveled. The day before she noticed an ornament missing from the tiny tree. The day before that one of the stockings she'd labored so hard to make was gone from the mantel. Poof. Now two of the tiny presents from beneath the tree-gone. Stolen.

"At this rate," moaned Julia, "by the time Christmas gets here, the Cluewellens won't have anything left."

Anna patted Julia's hand. "And The Christmas Crook of the Present will have won!"

"We can't let that happen, mom!"

"We must act, set a trap."

"A trap?"

"Yeah, we'll wire up a trap that will snap on those sticky fingers."

"Then you think it's Stevie?"

"I hope not, but your little brother is at that age. I sure hope he hasn't lied about this."

"Well...it's not a ghost. I asked the Cluewellens if they'd had any problems with anything like a poltergeist, and they said no."

"You believe them?" Mother Waldron laughed, but Julia stared at her, eyes saying, 'not funny'.

"They don't lie, cheat, or steal, mom."

"Neither does your brother or your sister for that matter, young lady."

"Well I'm not lying about it! Someone's stealing the Cluewellens' Christmas right under our noses."



"You set the trap," suggested Anna. "I'm going to set up a concealed camera, so we can get to the bottom of this before..."

Julia looked up at her mother, wondering why she'd stopped talking. "Before all of the presents and decorations are gone?"

"Before you make your sister and your brother angrier with you than they already are."

"Angry with me? I'm the victim here. Me and the Cluewellens."

"Honey, you have accused both of them of stealing and lying about it. Then you accused their friends."

Julia nodded, and for a moment Anna thought her child understood and agreed, but then Julia said, "It could've been one of Stevie's dumb friends."

"Well now, we're going to find out, aren't we?"

"You think it'll work, Mom?"

"At the rate things are disappearing, my hunch is that whoever's behind the theft will be back."

They put the trap into play.

They wisely left the miniature house untouched and unmoved, the same enticement as ever.

An entire day and most of the evening went by with young Julia wanting to check the Cluewellens' living room and tree every hour, while her mother insisted they wait and see. When Anna decided the camera's battery would be in need of help, mother and daughter went into her room to determine if anything had been taken. They found the front door closed. Julia gasped when she looked in through the windows. The entire tiny Christmas tree had been taken! All about the front door and steps, glitter appeared like colored snow. Whoever was behind the theft, cleaning up after him-or herself-wasn't a concern.

"It's got to be Stevie or one of his goofy friends," Julia said, tears forming. "Maybe Stevie's too chicken to tell on Tad."

"Let's reserve judgment and see what the camera says."

They made popcorn and popped the film into the USB port of the TV and sat down to watch the unfolding events. Unfortunately, during the first hour, nothing unfolded.

"This is a real snore and a bore," Julia complained, tiring of the popcorn as well.

After a while, Julia began making up a storyline to go with the miniature people inside the house on the screen, and it was so vivid that her mom could almost imagine that the little Cluewellen family was as real as Julia believed them to be. She began to see Mrs. Cluewellen move that feather duster in her hand. But clearing her head and eyes, Mother Waldron thought better of saying she'd begun to see the miniature people roaming around inside their miniature house. Maybe the miniature was haunted at that....

(c) 2008, 2024 RW Walker published by https://candidcanine.blogspot.com

* The story continues tomorrow, Christmas Day - see Part 2.) 

Miniature Christmas Campground

Welcome and come on in!

 I shared about the miniature camper previously (see inside and details) that I was finishing and turned into a coffee camper. (*Click on photos for full size.)

What started out as just finishing up an unfinished project turned into a BIG project as my friend Gigi did one of hers and then the whole thing became a Christmas campground. ha! But it turned out great! Here's a tour:

There are several campers of different sizes around the grounds, plus a gingerbread house contest, a food table, a gazebo where you can meet Santa, and more! Thanks to Gigi for all her efforts in setting up this amazing display!

Have a seat around the campfire (which was then changed to a lit campfire since I found my Lemax fire pit!)

Wait... what is that in the background? Watch out! We have a visitor who also likes the sweets! haa!

I can see why! Quite a delicious display of Christmas goodies! That tiny pink camper is the one my friend made.

Yum!!

Between feasting, guests can also vote on their favorite Gingerbread House.

Don't forget to stop in the gazebo and visit Santa!

Be sure to say hello to residents of the nearby village, too.

Here's the overall view. Impressive, isn't it?

Hope you enjoyed the tour! Thanks for visiting.  Come back for more Christmas minis soon! 

Miniature Christmas House

 The before: I know, just a plain toy house...

I got lazy and I'm behind so am working on a couple posts.... I wanted to make some progress before I showed this in the so-far stage.

** Added: It's coming along. Really looks better since this post. Details soon! *

I've seen people repainting those large kid's plastic houses for Halloween, but never thought about doing something like that. Then I found this cute little plastic toy house at Goodwill. Well, for $1.99 I couldn't pass it up. Do you see what I see?

Looking at it, I thought this would be a great little Christmas house as it was perfect for half-scale size at 9" h and 9" w (inside). The two floors are 4" h on the first floor and 4.5" h on the second floor.

I know, it doesn't look like much, but imagine...

First the repainting. Still working on that but so far, quite an improvement!

Everything is first painted with a base coat of the FolkArt MultiSurface vintage white acrylic paint. Works great on plastic. 

The roof leaves became snow! Everything white, including the windows, is being glittered, too. (I'll sparkle for months! 😆) There was no door so the wood will probably be covered with green paper and glued in with a shiny rhinestone doorknob and a wreath. The roof was painted with Milk Chocolate for a kind of Gingerbread-like color. I am far from done. Still have to add the "icing" paint lines yet and probably another coat on the green. The ground will probably be fake snow. I'll add more snow on the moss yet and have to put plastic in the window and curtains inside, too.

I love how the paper poinsettias turned out!

The stone fireplace and chimney already look tons better with an undercoat of the white multi-surface FolkArt acrylic paint and then adding spots of regular gray acrylic paint over that. I'll add more snow spots here, too. Those leaves have since become snow as well.

I'm using whatever furnishings I have on hand and it's small so it won't need much. I may make a couple slipper chairs (Using a 3/4" square wood block base and a cardboard or mat board back) in a Christmas print since they're easy to do.

The bed was just a simple plastic toy before. The walls are being covered with scrapbook papers.

 I like using plastic and vintage toy furniture as it turns out well once you cover it with fabric. And it's very forgiving. With the right pattern, any piecing won't show.

Here's the bed after and the walls so far. I got the side walls papered light green and the floor painted in another light green since this pic was taken. Imagine it done with curtains and tiny Christmas figures on the windowsills! I'm thinking of gluing in a string of Christmas lights too. And have to add a lit tree!

It's kind of fun. I figured it's something I can bring out and set up without much effort. This is a fun, easy project that kids can work on, too, so don't overlook those cheap little houses at your local thrift store. You could probably spray prime the whole house first before painting which might be easier.

I'll share more as I go along and hopefully will finish it, at least before New Year's! By then, I'll be bored working on it anyway. ha!

* Thanks again for visiting. Come back soon for more projects!

Happy Birthday to Me!

 It's official! Today is my birthday!

Since this is so cute, I'll share it again! Guess I'll have some mini cake (okay a few!) and watch some Netflix while I work on a few new - and in-progress miniatures! Hopefully I'll have a few new things to show next week!

Thanks again for visiting!

Miniatures Advent Calendars & Printies

(Art: pixabay free license)

I keep coming across things and can't keep track, so I'm listing them here as I find them.

Online Advent Calendars to Open:

🎀 Melvin's Miniatures Free Christmas Minis

🎀 MicDrop Miniatures 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar

🎀Miniatures.com 12 Days of MiniMas

Other Freebie Holiday Printables:

🎀 Assorted printables: Book covers, vintage Christmas theatre, wrapping paper, Queen Mary's Dollhouse postcards

🎀 Christmas boxes and paper tree printable

🎀 Christmas boxes (right click to save)

 🎀 Christmas cards

🎀 Christmas printables at Pinterest (search for others)

 🎀 Gingerbread house boxes (shrink to smaller size)

🎀 More Christmas boxes (shrink to smaller size)

🎀 Miniature Christmas ornament box printable

🎀 Pretty Christmas wrapping paper and borders

🎀 SmallStuff printable Christmas cards (& other items)

🎀 TreeFeathers assorted Christmas printables, boxes, wrapping paper, etc.

🎀 That should keep you busy! Have Fun!! 🎀

   

Birthday & Advent Calendar Miniatures

The "birthday" cake shop

Had some pre-birthday fun with good friend Gigi. This year was a first as we also decided to make each other a miniatures-filled advent calendar. What a fun idea!

First I have to share the so-cute little scene (above) that she made for me from a kit. These are so cute (and she has more patience than me in working in this size.) The little scene is 4.5" high.

She also gave me two of these really cool Tudor-inspired wood benches she made from a kit (country benches kit, The Daisy House), and I made another two. They will go in a Tudor-flavored loft house I'll be working on soon. I have a great batch of Tudor-Medieval style food I got years ago in swaps that I've been saving to eventually do this kind of project. It's one of the very few 1" scale projects I'll be doing.

The adorable Raggedy Ann box is part of the Advent Calendar we are exchanging with each other for the first time this year. Fun thinking what to make and what to fill it with! 

The box is actually a trunk she made from a Dragonfly Intl. kit. I have admired the kit, but never got around to buying one. Sooo cute! And while 1" scale, I'm still going to put it in the half-scale Raggedy Ann house (to be finished at some point.) The photo shows it up lighter, but here's the inside: So cute and so detailed!

My photos are not too great, but I admit I'm too lazy to do the right set-up for the lighting. ha! Bear with me!

We opened the calendar days 1-4 since our get together was on Day 4. The funny thing was she had mixed up the dated boxes, something I didn't expect when I opened it! For some reason, I thought they'd be in order! So I had to re-shuffle my dated boxes around for her  too. ha!

She also gave me these teensy paper Halloween houses for the fireplace mantel and these really cute Halloween decorated plate shelves.

We'll be opening individual days on our own and then are getting together again two times before Christmas. It's always fun as it forces me to get some things done. ha!

This week I worked on a small kit I found at Goodwill of all places (Hobby Lobby Delightful Den kit). 

The bookcase, which I have to repaint, is about 3.5" high. I remade what was an odd-sized loveseat to turn it into a smaller chunky chair. I loved this print I found and thought it came out pretty well. I'm hoping both fit in the Lavender cottage or another house. I usually end up bashing these kits and taking out pieces to use in other projects instead of building the actual room.

Another holiday-themed project I'm working on is a half-scale Christmas house. I found one of these smaller plastic kid's toy houses and for $1.99 I couldn't pass it up! It'll work out well as a Christmas house since I didn't have a half-scale scene set up. So we'll see how far I get on it. I'm repainting it now and doing some wallpapering. I'll show the progress soon. 

That's it for the moment! Stay tuned for more Christmas miniatures and projects! Thanks again for visiting!

Miniature Christmas Gingerbread Houses

Wow, December already??? 'Tis the Season!

Well, it's festive time!  This was a fun holiday project and I'm thrilled with the results! Of course I decided to do a partial Halloween theme on my mini house!  (*Click photos for full size.)

As I shared in an earlier post, (scroll down at the link), I got these cute little Gingerbread House kits at AlphaStamps.

The idea was for me and friend Gigi to decorate them as part of our Christmas campground... then she found a few other tiny resin houses and another table had to be added: a Gingerbread House Decorating Contest!

Aren't they cute??

These were so fun to do! Mine (right) is Halloween-themed, of course! Used some tiny "peppermint" candy slices cut in half for the roof and other areas, plus decorated a small tree. Used puff paint and glitter for "snow," plus added some cotton fuzz with glitter on the base.

The cool part! She had these teensy fairy light balls so the insides can be lit! 

Light on (before I finished decorating.)

Here's a photo of the little lights at Walmart, but you can find them much cheaper on places like Temu and AliExpress. The balls have an LED light with three batteries. You take out and replace a tiny plastic tab to turn them on and off. 

A fun, satisfying little project!

* Thanks again for visiting! Come back soon for more holiday minis and stuff!