Happy Holidays and this and that...

Happy Holidays!

My son wanted a tree for his house, so I threw this one together for him.  It's made out of evergreen piper cleaners.

Miniature Nativity Scene from Michael's craft store Ornaments

A wonderful picture that my son drew for me after my last post.

A car from Napa's Candlelight tour of Craftsman homes.

Where was I?...

After fall cleaning the Daydream Cottage and working on the Halloween House, I turned back to the 1930's Glam  Townhouse.

I pulled out all the things I've been accumulating and did a rough setup.  

The vanity...

 The coffee table...

The bed...

Eveline Bay in her evening gown...

There were a lot of failed attempts at bias cut gowns.  She'll have to live with this one until I've had a little more practice.

The windows...

The Facade...

I'm inspired to get this finished.  I haven't even touched the fourth floor attic space.  I'm ready to move on to new adventures....

Daydream Cottage - Fall Cleaning

The poor Daydream Cottage has been sitting neglected in the middle of my workroom collecting dust.  I was going to landscape but I think that will have to wait.  It had become sort of a dollhouse junk room  collecting bits and pieces.  I spent the afternoon removing and dusting everything then putting everything back securely with museum wax.  Adding things here and there to make it homey.  I then covered the back with a fabric dust cover. 

Before moving it up to the top of a bookshelf,  I took some pictures of it freshened up...

Though it will always be my first baby, it will stay atop the bookshelf while some other things get finished and started!

Gothic Halloween House

Happy Belated Halloween!

I wasn't able to finish My Gothic Halloween House.  But I did finish it enough to set it out next to my huge cardboard house with fake flickering votives in each room to add an eery glow. 

I had a lot of fun working on this house!

I really liked the scrapbook paper that I used for the interior...  

 

 I covered the back with wood pieces to contain the candle glow.  The reverse side is papered.

  

 This is my favorite paper...

 Oh and I like this one too!

 In the kitchen I used the black and white tile floor that came with my Queen Anne Row House.

 

 Painted the Roses Black.  I liked the little bits of color showing through.

I primed the trim with Orange and the body with purple then covered in Crackle Paint before the final grey/black coats.  Didn't crackle as much as I liked.  I decided to keep the orange primer showing on the edges.

Printed out some orange tinted windows on transparencies.  Wasn't able to complete all the windows.

I will put this house away and finish it next Halloween.

I managed to get my self a part-time job while the kids are in school.  So unfortunately less time for mini-making!

Mini Skulls

Taking a clue from our real life Halloween decorations, I turned some mini skulls from Michael's into glitter skulls.  I will add these to my Halloween house which I should be able to show you shortly!

Good Sam Show - San Jose

Some things I picked up at the Good Sam Show last weekend in San Jose. 

Pumkins made out of some kind of dried berry...

From a second hand dealer.  It was fun to peruse her stand...

 From the same dealer for the 1930's Glam Townhouse...

I broke the vase right after taking this picture!

A light from Ray Storey.  I bought this right when I entered the show.  I thought it would look great in the the Queen Anne Row House...

 My other big purchase.  A table from Peter Tucker for the 1930 glam townhouse.  I've been wanting to buy something from him since the show last year...

Bottles also from Ray Storey.  Except the one on the far right. I can't remember who I bought this from but she had lovely glasswork and flowers.

The show was so inspiring.  From all the wonderful artists selling their wares to the artists who displayed some great work.  Its fun to be a miniaturist!

halloween house

About 3 years ago before I got into minis, I made this haunted house out of cardboard boxes.  I got the directions out of a woman's magazine Halloween issue.  I put electric flickering tea lights in all the rooms.  It gets lots of ohhs and ahhhs from the on Halloween night.  It's more impressive in the dark!

 

 I decided to make a new version from a Woodcraft puzzle house that I got on super sale at a craft store that was going out of business.

I'm not to concerned with scale. (I think the house is about 3/4" scale.)  I'm hoping to make it a whimsical gothic style! 

It will probably be a neighbor to the card board box house. Hopefully I'll finish by Halloween!