The Witch's Cottage Update: Colors!

 

A "little" update on the half-scale Jasmine Gothic Victorian Cottage from Laser Dollhouse Designs, or what I am calling The Witch's Cottage. Previous posts: Potion cabinet, some show stuff; Post 1, planning. Some 3D printed items. (And if you want to see some neat projects during May, type in #mayminimakers on Instagram for daily miniature project posts! Come follow me if you're on there!)

Somehow I overlooked mentioning the size of this house previously. It's 10W x 11D x 19H. Ceiling height just over 5" or just big enough. It's actually soon for a post as I didn't get much done, but I can't resist blogging. ha! So the base is assembled and electric taped. The supports are on and.... deciding on colors! (Note: the pieces above aren't in the right spots; it's just to show the colors.)

Funny, as I'm not a big fan of green but I do like these shades. Since this is a botanical witch's cottage, decided it needs "earthy" colors. So: the background walls are wedgewood green; the contrasting tower walls are a slightly lighter celery green; the porch and base background use dark umber brown. The circles use the sage green with dark blue spruce green for the leaves. The flowers are painted a medium yellow from a Target brand paint sample on the base trim. Sigh. It is a-lot-of-painting! 😏

I found a couple papers I like so far: the stucco look for a ceiling or wall and this floral. It's a big print, I know, but I wanted something bold and I like it. I think it'll look good on a partial wall or two. Maybe I'll add brick or wood wainscoting. I'm not necessarily using this fireplace; it's just to compare the print size. 

I also ordered more of the textured brick paper (Starboc2 on Etsy) as I want to do a white or light grey brick in the mansion and a used-brick pattern here. Previously I used a reddish brick from them on the outside of the Fairfield; and a brownish brick on the foundation of my yellow Country Victorian. See house links on the My Dollhouses page link under the top banner. 

This used brick should look nice in this cottage:

I also ordered two of these zebra rugs printed on cotton canvas: 

As it is now spring, outside work and planting are beginning. Did the first mowing as the grass was getting pretty long. (Don't worry there are still plenty of  dandelions as early food for the bees!) We plant in an enclosed area to keep the bunnies out except for the end "hill." The large sunflowers go there and usually - hopefully - get ignored until they're big enough to take away some short fencing. Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia) are in; a favorite! (They are a dark and light orange, like giant daisies.) My giant sunflower patch is planted, too. The annual plant sale is Friday so we'll go pick out flowers and veg plants.

I know, a short post, but wanted to share... something! ha! Back to painting. Ugh!

Thanks for visiting again. Hope to have more substantial updates soon!

Dollhouse Miniature Shows 2

 

Some more stuff I found and saw at the annual dollhouse shows in Schaumburg and Chicago, Ill. (Click photos for full size; see other posts in left column archives.  **See Witch Cottage items and kits I found at the shows and my recent project in the previous post.)

I didn't take many pictures at the shows of displays though more things did catch my eye. But here's a couple from the Bishop Intl. Show:

These book boxes were pretty cool. (I think they were at Erik Goddard's table.) And how interesting, I see on his website he's written a novel, too. So many creative people who work in miniature are also writers.

Also some really nice fish tanks (Heart Felt Canines- and how did I miss taking pix of the dogs? Well, so much to see and you start getting overwhelmed...)

** Some of the other fun things I brought home:

A few more unique 1/24, half-scale kits from Castle Crafts: (South Africa and shipping from New York.)

* British and Coronation items:

Picked up the stove and the tiles below at A Mini Thing.

 I might put the bag and tray in my Tudor Tea Shoppe. I'm also planning on making a remembrance scene for the Queen so I may use the cookie tin there. The coronation tray and bag are from Little House at the Priory, Bampton, Oxfordshire, UK. The cookie tin is from WCD Miniatures at The Miniatures Show/T&D Miniatures.

Also got a nice Victorian stand and a small display table with tiny picture frames from Teresa's Miniature Creations. (I got the previous kitchen pieces from her for the Fairfield kitchen.)

Found some neat kits from a couple other favorites. Really liked this Narrow Table (used it before in the Fairfield attic sitting room and one in the hall by the kitchen) so I got another and found a chair by Small Scale Living from All About Miniatures.  

I know these glasses are hard to see, but they're 3D printed and will look cool in the witch cottage and the mansion. (The tall glasses I saw were painted a bright blue with India ink and had teensy "umbrellas" in them.)

 

And... What's This???

I bought a bonus prototype from favorite seller,  Susan at  SDK Miniatures. She made this previously in 1" scale and I'd asked about half-scale. So stay tuned to see what I do with it!

Found that cute little rubbery flamingo and a couple tea dish sets. The silverware, placemats and the pretty laser "lace" horse cloth is from Stewart Dollhouse Creations. 

And.... that's it! Well, that's enough, right? But I still have to order some other half-scale 3D items online like kitchen items, etc. from MiniDecor&More/Etsy.

** Update: **

I started painting the trim for the Witch's Cottage! Funny as I've said I'm not a big fan of the color green, but that's what I'm using so far - Blue Spruce on the trim edges with Wedgewood green circles and the Blue Spruce in the center with yellow flowers. It's what fit the idea I have. I'll be using some dark brown/walnut and probably more Wedgewood Green, too. So far, so good. The base is also electric-taped, which is a good start. Once I varnish and check painting, then I start assembly!

Thanks for visiting again! Stay tuned, I should have some progress photos to show soon.

Dolhouse Shows Witch Cottage Stuff

 

Latest project: the potion cabinet

Back from the shows! Miss me? ha!

Well I didn't take many photos but I'll show a few next time. (More show stuff here.)

For now, here are a few things I found to add to the planned Witch's Cottage, to be made from the half-scale 1/24 Jasmine Victorian Gothic Cottage from Laser Dollhouse Designs. (Image from site.) * See the colors I'm choosing so far.

To start, thought I'd share a recent project I finished. The potion cabinet above is a kit I had bought before from one of my favorite sellers, SDK Miniatures. Love how it turned out! This is such a cool kit.

I also found this plastic plant before at Walmart, which I thought made some perfect plants for pots and baskets.

To go with that, I decided to get a few little items at the shows.

Found these fun little cats and brooms. I may make one of the brooms smaller since this is half-scale after all. Have an idea to test out that glow-in-the-dark powder I bought on the cat's eyes, too. That little pumpkin pot should make a good planter.

The bunched plants, which are vines on "branches," were from Castle Crafts from South Africa, at the Bishop Intl. Show, Chicago. They have nice kits and also ship from New York.

I'm going to try gluing the vine parts to some thin cloth-covered wire so I can position them. Thought these would look nice with some Morning Glory-type flowers wrapped around the front porch supports. I got the smaller ivy punch from the Heidi Ott booth.

(Image from site.)

 I wanted to try out this Winter Aconite flower kit, also from SDK Miniatures, found at the Miniatures Show in Schaumburg, Ill. Funny as I thought these were pretty flowers, but it turns out they're also perfect for a witch! Looked it up - a poisonous plant. It dies in summer, but in a bewitched cottage it'll grow all year. Beware: poisonous tubers for those potions! ha!

I also decided to get the other Gothic kits from SDK Miniatures for the second floor bedroom in the cottage. These will be fun to make and will look pretty cool.

The statue of Pan is perfect for this kind of cottage. Found from WCD Miniatures at the Schaumburg Miniatures Show. (Actually I also have the same lighter-colored statue on the lawn of my other haunted house.) He always has some interesting statues and Egyptian figures at his table. 

I'm on a mini phone kick, it seems, ha! Found these at the mini metals table (J and K Minis). One phone even has removable parts. (The magic phone? ha!) And I saw those mini hands and couldn't resist! Will have to figure out something haunted for them!

That's it for the moment! 

Thanks for visiting and come back soon for more photos and - hopefully - some progress! 

Off to Dollhouse Shows!

 Off to the annual dollhouse shows.... What will I find? What will I find???

Stay tuned!

Pic: pixabay. haaaa! 

2023 A to Z Blog Challenge: X-Y-Z The Miniatures End!

 

Table and back wall in Men's Shop

* See the list of the month's A to Z Blog Challenge posts on the Letter A post.

* See A to Z Instagram - Facebook - A to Z Blog Master List of Participants

 Today is the End! Letters X-Y-Z for EXtraordinary Miniatures! 

The title may say the end, but it's not! I'm never done, haa! It's been fun! I hope you enjoyed all the posts this month. (*See post list & start here at A.) Today, I'll do a recap for the month.

I love working in miniature and always seem to be making something! You can see more of my work and other projects at my website.

* The A to Z links and Fairfield posts are linked on the My Dollhouses tab on the banner under the top photo.

Here are a few of my favorite photos and posts this month:

* The Fairfield, of course! 

* The Fairfield Kitchen was the second most visited post this month. (for now!)

Start 4/1: A - Fairfield Attic  B - Fairfield Boy's Room

F - Fairfield Dollhouse and video   I-J-K- Just my Fairfield Kitchen  

 L- Fairfield Living Room     U-V-W  Invitation to Dine: Fairfield Dining Room

***

* This will be a fun project: Future Witch's Cottage: N-O-P  - Other New Project - Cottage 

***

* Really happy with how this came out! Theme roombox, see the inside at link! 

So far, this was the most popular post, with over 100 views in that week alone.

Q-R - Quietly Working on Another Roombox 

* That's it! It was a busy month! I'll be going to the dollhouse shows tomorrow/Saturday so hopefully I'll get some photos there and share what I got. Plus  I'll share a couple other "little" things I started. ha!

* Thanks again for visiting! I appreciate everyone coming by. Come back soon for more posts!

2023 A to Z Blog Challenge: U-V-W Your Invitation to Dine: Fairfield Dollhouse Dining Room

 

 Love this view. It would make a cool postcard!

It's time for the annual A to Z Blog Challenge!  

The concept is simple - blogging for 26 days (except Sunday) from A to Z.

* See A to Z Instagram - Facebook - A to Z Blog Master List of Participants

Today is the Letters U-V-W: YoUr  InVitation to the Weekly Dinner

I almost forgot that I had to share the Fairfield Dollhouse's Dining Room so I had to fit it in here somehow, hence the odd title. ha! I have to say that this is probably one of my favorite rooms. Well, several are favorites. (Click photos for full size; see other links in left column archives or My Dollhouses tab under top photo.)

Since it's next to the living room/parlor on the first floor, I emphasized the room connections by using the same striped scrapbook paper I also used in the parlor. Photo below: the two rooms at the beginning.

Then....

And now.....

The full view. The tall clock is from last year's half -scale group swap. The table on the right is a vintage wash stand from SDK Miniatures. If you're wondering about the ceiling, I cut out a portion of a full-size patterned wallpaper (it has large squares and a medallion in the center) for this room and the living room. Somehow I'll have to find more! 

(Oops, I added something since the photo above!) I thought the record player/console  and records fit perfect here. The crates, which are 1/2" square, are from All About Miniatures on Etsy. Just thought they were sooo cute! I made the tiny record albums. 

I got the dining room chandelier in a past swap and knew I had to use it in this room. It's a plastic wheel with handmade candle lights with some wax dripped over them. I painted the wheel black, then glued on the strand of fake leaves. 

Love the fireplace!

I found the art in a Met Museum of Art book (Goodwill find) and thought it had an eerie look to it. To emphasize that, I wanted to make it glow in the dark but despite three kinds of glow paint (two glow paints and one gel), I couldn't get it to work. Is there a secret to this I don't know? Please let me know! The stuff itself really glows but I can't get enough on the painting to stay to get it to work. (** NOTE: I found some aluminate powder on ebay that I'm going to try. It really glows in the package. haa! Will let you know!) The fireplace has some fake ivory pieces on the bottom of the fireplace from All Dolled Up TDS that I found at last year's show.

The double Gothic bookcase, table, and chairs are from SDK Miniatures. My favorite set. I'll have to get another table since I took the spooky tablecloth off this one to decorate it. ha! I can change it to all spooky at Halloween, including the single bookcase with spider webbing. I also have the Gothic chair set aside. (But that single bookcase may just go in the witch's cottage I'll do eventually.)

Books, books, books!

 

I added more gold on the points since this photo. The box on the bottom shelf is a tea box printie from Zena's Miniatures on Etsy.

Separately at some point, I plan on doing a spooky Gothic library with more of these furnishings in a book box. Great space-saver! Of course I'll need lots of books. These are cool vintage and classic covers with nice graphics in several sizes from JupiterMoon3 on Etsy. I've also gotten some fun Halloween book covers from WoWbooknook on Etsy. They have some other great printies and book sets, too.  

I made valances and decided to use a sparkly ribbon for the curtains.

Decided to use this vintage wash stand kit below for a buffet table. (SDK Miniatures)

Hungry? Food on the Gothic dining table. I made all the bread, sandwiches, and pizza from Crayola Magic air dry clay. I coat it with a light coat of matte Mod Podge to seal it.

Believe it or not, that is the last of the Fairfield dollhouse rooms I had to show. 😢 I loved doing this room and once I got past the initial challenges - and all that trimming! - Overall, I loved doing this house! But don't think this is it! Halloween will be coming and I get to show off my fun Halloween stuff and the lit things on the porch!

* I am thinking of checking all my posts and linking them with any tips as quite a few people are building Fairfields now. 

Other links will be on the top My Dollhouses tab under the top photo.

* Next A to Z Blog: 4/28 The End - X-Y-Z : Recap: My Favorite photos & posts

* Thanks for visiting all this month. I really appreciate your interest! 

Stay tuned for more posts, show news, and.... what project will I do next???

2023 A to Z Blog Challenge: S-T Some Miniature Toys

 

It's time for the annual A to Z Blog Challenge!  

The concept is simple - blogging for 26 days (except Sunday) from A to Z.

* See A to Z Instagram - Facebook - A to Z Blog Master List of Participants

Photo: Mini Brands Toys and  a Muppet figure from the pet store in my Haunted Toy Shop

 Today for the Letters S-T: Some Miniature Toys

* For fun, I showed a Tudor house Half Scale bakery for T in 2016. 

Tudor house bakery

Toys? Isn't that what all of this is, you say? ha! Well, maybe to some, but miniatures can be as simple and plain, or as well thought out and elegant as you want. There are antique collectibles, high-end collectibles, handmade stuff and mass-produced items. It's all in what goes into it.

The fun today is that even the manufacturers are getting into miniatures, with those Mini Brands collections expanding into all kinds of areas -  Toys, Mini Disney figures, fashion, and now foods. I got some of the Disney figures that I put in my seminally Haunted Toy Store. I admit I'm a doll  person, so any mini dolls are always a temptation, like those Mini Bratz figures which I've only spotted once. I have several of the Polly Pocket dolls and clothes (love the teensy shoes, which I don't come across as much anymore though I recently found some at Goodwill.) One day I'll figure something to use the dolls in; maybe a doll store. Too obvious, right? haa!

There are also the World's Smallest Brands toys which are really cute also. And... who knows what else will come along? I try not to get hooked on all these as it really can add up to a small fortune! Well, all of it is anyway. haa!

Here's some of the Mini Brands toys. I love that little phone! Here's more on the toy shop these are in, plus my Tudor Tea Shoppe.

My favorite, if we get back to dolls, has been Raggedy Ann. I did a couple rooms around that theme and have a half-scale house set aside that will be a Raggedy Ann and Andy house. That'll be fun to figure out a whole house. 

Yes, this is winding down now.... I'll have to start a project as I'll have nothing to blog about. ha! Oh,  just kidding! There's always stuff to show! Wait'll you see the next post!

* Next: 4/25  A to Z Blogging: U-V-W -Love this room! The Fairfield Dining Room