Clay and Dollhouse Molds

This is something I want to try one of these days. I've bought mold material, but haven't done it yet.

(photo: Angie Scarr)

Just found that Angie Scarr has an octopus mold.  I've always loved the way these look - such great ideas for spooky projects, I'll have to look for this at the next show! I can see adding these to some Halloween scenes!  (Love those arms coming out of the bucket!)

Cool! She also has a how-to video!  (Sorry, can't embed it here.)

New Miniature Finds!

Some new mini finds from Michael's that I thought would work great with the half scale garage:

The doghouse is only 1 1/2" high to the peak in the front. (Only $5 for the house and dog.)

I also found these two figures at Goodwill. Thought they were cute. The one half lady can be propped behind a counter or something. I guess that one is some kind of plant or shelf sitter. I'll have to make a pool for the other one! The seated lady is about 3 inches tall as seated, head to toe.

Half Scale Garage Update!

Remember the Half Scale Garage I started a while back? (See first photos).

It's still going along. Making some progress!

Might have to add some more trim to the side door, but that wall and the front are done. (Yes, missing a doorknob and curtain yet!)

Side wall: 

The back wall is a now attached and the paper clay foundation is ready to be painted. I'm using some items I had for another project. A counter is going under the shelf. It has a garden scene on front, but hey, this is a lady's garage! There will be some tools, of course.

Here's  the inside of the back wall with the art. (Art is also glued to mat board for dimension.)  I also shrunk down some photos of license plates and glued the strips to mat board. They're glossed with gloss varnish and glued to the dividing strip of wood. I colored the edges with black Sharpie marker before gluing them down. (Ignore that piece of Styrofoam (TM)  that got stuck on the wall for the moment!)

Full interior - floor is painted and glossed.

Below - outside foundation ready for painting, then adding wood strips. Wood strips have to be added to other side yet as well.  

I like the results but hate doing it! Stay tuned, more updates coming!! 

Congrats to Joanna - HBS Mini Honorable Mention!

Congrats to fellow miniaturist and writer Joanna Campbell Slan, whose mini project, "Big Wave Dave's Surf Shop" got an honorable mention in the 22nd annual HBS Creatin' Contest. See the winners and entries here. Friend her on Facebook to see a few more pix of her project.

She did a great job - loved all the accents and the colors!! Way to go!

HS Victorian Dollhouse Curtains

It's curtains! Well, almost.

An example of a decorating dilemma for the Half Scale Victorian House. (see beginning pix).

There are 10 windows in the tower, so when I made some curtains and put one in.... argh! I realized they should be longer. 

Well... no way was I remaking the nine I had already done. So, how to fix this? Time for some clever piecing except I didn't really like the solution I came up with. The hearts didn't really fit (but I may use them for the girl's bedroom if I do one.) Cute, but too cutesy for here. Back to the drawing board.

I never seem to find a solution the first time. Oh, no. It has to be, let's see, about four different tries... Then a friend on Facebook suggested some beads. No, not right, but the color gave me an idea.

I found the lace bag I should've looked in the first time and found a dark maroon lace. Folded over and glued, it works to look like a tie. Not perfect, but I think a better solution in keeping with the room style.

So, on to finishing them. Have to get the rest of the trim in first, which is kind of tricky. This really should have been done before it was built. Oh, well.

Then on to the next problem... because I know there'll be one or two, or...

How's your project going????

New Angie Scarr Miniature Clay Food Books

This is a great idea! Angie Scarr has a new collection out of her miniatures magazine food-making series!  Great that it's all in one place.

Print copies on her website. (10 pounds plus shipping; about $14 US)

Kindle ebook compilation: Angie Scarr: Miniature Challenges Parts 1 & 2: Magazine Articles 2000-2005 In Polymer Clay

Half Scale Country Victorian Dollhouse

This is a house that was started a loooong time ago, I'm guessing at least 10 or more years ago! We're working on it again. 

I believe it started out as a Country or Colonial Dollhouse kit, and then we added on to it  (the end tower) to have more rooms. It's not perfect construction as it was started so long ago, but we'll see how we can fix some mistakes now.

We sanded the front to diminish some of the lines between the siding. It's being repainted a vintage yellow  (Martha Stewart chalk paint Tomatillo - not shown here) with more of a greenish tone.

A few photos of the rooms papered so far.
First floor: from left, kitchen, (below)  (hall - not shown), dining room and parlor.

 Dining room - below. I'm resanding and restaining the floor.

Got the windows in - so far. Color still a little hard to tell... The windows originally were all cream with a lilac line inside... too light so I repainted them. The inner frames will be a matching green in the tower area.

Parlor and tower (plants) room. 

Giant wall fireplace in parlor, Own design and handmade.

Miniatures Year in Review 2

Here's part 2 of my 2015 Miniatures Year in Review of projects I finished.  See part 1.

* Projects I finished from October to December include:

October:
* Built and decorated a Greenleaf Primrose kit into a Haunted Cottage.

* Decorated a small greenhouse turned into a Fortune Teller's Room

November-December:

* Finished mini Christmas gifts

* Added a small half scale setting to a wooden box. Wallpapered side walls, added wallpaper to back glass and added a tile paper floor.  (This was a commemorative whisky box I found that I turned on its side.)

(Oops! Ignore the cook who fell over. He had too much wine. haa!) 

* Made an assortment of new print purses - I'm hooked as I have other fabrics I want to try.

* Made a Christmas scene in a larger greenhouse. (The bottom lifts off but it has a door on top that opens.) I was going to make a Christmas store before, but changed my mind. I used the decorated bookcase filled with tins I made and polymer clay teapots and some cakes made by my friend Kitty in Holland.

* Wow! I actually finished more than I thought! 

What mini projects did you finish this year? Feel free to add links in the comments so we can take a peek! Merry Christmas and a Happy 2016 to you! 

2015 Miniatures Year in Review 1

I've never done this but I thought - why not share a Miniatures Year in Review? What a great idea to see what I've finished this year. Since this is long, I'm splitting it into two parts. Come back tomorrow for part two.

I only did a few larger projects which makes it easier to keep track of. I did complete various small items. Actually when you see them in one post, I did finish quite a bit. I'm sure I have other smaller projects I didn't take pictures of and include. (Click any of the photos for the larger size gallery.)


Early in the year:

* Mini Candles

March-July: 
Finished the Half Scale Country House and potting shed. (Shed on the right is the bathroom, pantry, laundry room.) (See all the pix in the YouTube video - See earlier post with the living room pix and links to other photos)

Summer:

Hanger dresses and shoes

Looove making these!!

* A half scale garage is not quite done. Siding is being added now. I want to make a garage sale scene.

** Plus: I have an A-frame cottage waiting to be built and a three-story "manor" house, both in half scale!  Details coming! (And many other UFO's (unfinished projects) of course! 

* See Part  2 with more pix of October to December projects tomorrow.

Merry Christmas to all!

Hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

(Image: Mystic Nativity, Botticelli, 1500, National Gallery, London)

Miniatures Christmas Story 2 by Robert W Walker

** If you missed the beginning, start reading here.


Part 2: Continued, "The Thief of Christmas Present"
By Robert W. Walker


(Photos: Christmas Santa House by C. Verstraete, see more pix at my website; Festive gold and white holiday scenes featuring the miniatures of Lissu, used w/ permission. See more pix and visit her blog)

Today we conclude our original Christmas tale by Robert W. Walker, author of more than 50 novels including his Detective Ransom series, as well as his reknowned time travel novels taking place in two time periods, TITANIC 2012 and BISMARCK 2013, Hitler's Curse. Thanks again to Robert for writing this! 

TO RECAP: the family are watching the film to see who is stealing the Cluewellens' Christmas from Julia's dollhouse.

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) 2008-2015 RW Walker, published by http://candidcanine.blogspot.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!