I've had a Lovely Day!

I had the chance to meet a lovely blogger

and her equally lovely husband

and charming son

yesterday :)

We had known one another from miniature groups

and blogs for quite a long time so it was amazing to finally

meet face to face.

Sandie

does quarter scale to perfection and she brought

half a dozen of her tiny treasures to show me.

I've often said it's hard to pick the scale of Sandies work in photos

and seeing them up close in Real Life was certainly not disappointing!

It was a real treat to see such beautifully made little cottages

with the most gorgeous tiny furniture you could imagine.

Thanks Sandie.

Today we got together again and went to visit Lidi

and spent a couple of hours looking at her paperclay buildings.

I never tire of seeing Lidi's artwork.

The conversation was all miniatures!

Such a treat for me to meet another miniaturist.

My blog has been quiet for a while,

I've been busy making Midget a new dress but

I didn't want to show it until Sandie got to see the one I made for her.

Some New Treasure

As you probably know,

I love collecting beautiful artistmade

Treasures!

So,

as I've not had much of my own work to share lately,

I thought I'd share some photos

of recent additions to my collection.

Around Christmas time

Adelaide and Christopher

found they needed a new brother and sister.

From

Alliebean

This is

Little Dot,

about 2 3/4"long, squished into Midgets cot.

Adelaide has loaned her a play suit

but it's a trifle on the tight side!

Adelaide and Little Dot get on well together.

Next we have

Henry.

Also squished into Midgets cot.

He's not in the least concerned that he's 'naked'!

Henry and Christopher have something in common,

they both enjoy a good snooze!

I absolutely love Alicia's OOAK babies!

Next aquisition via ebay

is for the stable.

I'm gobsmacked by the craftsmanship of this set.

The riding crop is a perfect rendition.

That crash hat is silk lined!

And the boots are beautiful thin leather

made to appear well loved.....

I do love them!!!!

Then along came another exquisite

handmade miniature

to tantalise!

One of

Pamela Junks

little dollies.

Adelaide took one peek

and claimed her for her own.

And last but most certainly not least,

a recent exciting parcel arrived

from

Christine

I've loved Christines miniature toys

for a long time,

they're her own unique style

with such appealing little personalities.

This little bear spoke to me

and said it belonged with Midget!



Midget and Gidget

For the benefit of new readers,
the gown that Midget is wearing
was inspired by a Doris Thurlow design.


Today is the first day that feels like autumn,

Yay!!

Yippee!!

It feels soooo good :)

Enthusiasm returns,

get the camera out and

do some pics!!

A few weeks ago,

Midget

acquired a twin sister.

Her name is

Gidget!

(what else?)

Here they are together.

Gidget never cries.

Midget is a sweet natured baby too ;)

I really love these little ones!

Midget gave Gidget her christening layette to wear

while she waited patiently for some clothes.

Poor naked baby!

Meantime I started working out

a layette for Midget

using finer thread than the previous set

that I'd done as part of the swap for

Midget and Gidget.

With the finer thread I thought I'd try crocheting the entredeaux

instead of using the machine made type.

It turned out quite well,

a bit smaller than the bought version.

Here she is in her

"smalls".

In her petticoat.

And in her gown.

Not ready for a sleep?

Play time.

Midgets Bed

Finally the wee mite has somewhere to lay her sweet

head but she isn't very sleepy right now.



Midst the Chaos

A spot of doodling with my Wedgewood Plate design.

Crochet is my sanity as the seasonal chaos reigns.

Lots of luck to everyone who is preparing

for their own seasonal celebrations!

Best Dressed Babe Around!

Midget is the best dressed little darling

in the world!

Isn't this layette the most precious thing you ever saw?

I can't take my eyes off it!

So delicate you couldn't tell the size

if you didn't know Midget is only 1 3/4" long.

The embroidery is perfection.

Made by a very lovely lady

who is also a dear friend.

Thankyou isn't enough

but I thank you

from my heart.

Something I did a while back....

A little experiment I did a few weeks ago

while working out the size of the gown for

the tiny BellyButtonBaby.

Photo of Midget with Emma Rose,

Midget is tiny!

Smaller in the body than a HO baby

but slightly larger head.

This gown fits a Heidi Ott baby better than it fits the BBB,

the sleeves need downsizing and the HO size bonnet doesn't fit etc.

Another experiment.

Handmade insertion in the gown on the HO doll.

It needs some embroidery!!

Long Time No See..........

Real life gave me some grief over the last couple of months

so

there's been nothing to share,

hence my silent blog.

I'm so disappointed that my courtyard has had to be put on hold

for the time being.

Every week it's been fingers crossed that I could make it to Lidi's

for a lesson

and then

sadness

when it doesn't come off.

Miniature crochet took a holiday too

until

A dear friend suggested a swap!

:)

What better way to get yourself out of a deep hole

than to put some love into

a miniature swap.

I feel like the luckiest person in the world today!!

I am the proud new mother of 

Midget,

a Belly Button Baby,

designed by none other than the very talented

Alicia

who made big sister Adelaide and big brother Christopher,

both of whom you've met before.

Now take a peek at Midget who is modelling the

Christening Layette

that I made for my end of the swap.

Bonnet, bootees, and pilcher designed by me.

Gown and petticoat inspired by a Doris Thurlow pattern

but made of finer thread with a finer hook

and downsized to fit this 1 3/4" baby doll.

And here she is with big sister!

Isn't she the cutest tiny thing?

There won't be any more miniatures happening for a couple of weeks,

my close work glasses broke :[

You might as well cut my hands off as take my glasses away!!

Progress

I had to miss a play date with Lidi last week

so she kindly played catch up with me today.

My painting skills haven't improved I'm afraid

so the artwork is all courtesy of the amazingly talented Lidi!

I watch what she does with a wiggle of the brush

but when I try to do the same thing

I just make mud.

So,

thanks Lidi

 for doing my painting.

The bench will stay but the rest of

the loose items are only temporary.

The first wash is done on the plaster work,

the rocks yet to be done.

Paperclay Work Finished

 And some more painting done.

Lidi is not only very talented

but,

she is a great teacher!

I made a muddy mess of painting the paving stones

and had visions of having to dig them all up

and start again,

but no,

Teacher showed me how to fix them!!

Those blue things on the cobblestones are the doors

for the back opening,

they need painting and detailing.

I Learned How to Make Rocks!

Wiring is under the white strip.

Left wall.

Right wall.

Back.

Have you been wondering???.......

What those paperclay bricks will be?

Go and peek at Lidi's new blog.

Basketcase Miniatures

You'll see her Courtyard

which is the workshop that I'm learning.

And some of her baskets!

More Paperclay

Lesson no. 2

The fun begins!!

Painting.

Art was never my strong point but we go slowly and build up layers of paint.

Here is the inside of the left wall

showing some nice cracks.

Still needing some more layers to add depth

and dimension.

The back wall didn't crack :(

Never mind, there will be plenty of other details to hold the eye.

 

During art lessons at school,

while everyone else was drawing and painting,

I was making slab sided pots

to grow my bonsais in.

The teacher seemed ok with this arrangement ;)

I had fun and he didn't have to tear his hair out over

my stick figures!

So,

I'm smiling all over my silly head

about managing to produce

some brick-like walls.

Thankyou again Lidi!!!

You are not only talented but also a very patient teacher ;)



My Excellent Adventure in Paperclay

I'm a guinea pig!

Another self portrait I hear you ask?

Heheh, ;))

nope,

that's Cheryl, a furfriend of mine.

My Excellent Adventure?

I'm the guinea pig trialling a miniature workshop!

Courtesy of a wonderful friend

and most talented lady...

Lidi Stroud 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lidistroud/

http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f112/lidistroud

http://www.etsy.com/people/AbsoluteBasketcase

I absolutely never dreamed of learning paperclay.

A workshop is beyond my capabilities.

So,

to have this opportunity is beyond my wildest dreams!!

Lidi is kindly giving me this workshop

one morning a week over a few weeks.

To say I was scared to death of not coping

with the work would be an understatement.

Lesson One

The kit.

A mysterious pile of loot!

Gatorboard walls

Paperclay

Pastry board and roller

Clay tools

Door and window frames

Fountain

First we knead the paperclay

and roll it out.

Then it goes onto a wall

and the brickwork is marked.

I got one wall done during the lesson

and had two more walls for homework.

Close up of the bricks,

still damp.

I found the work very physically demanding

but not impossible

and now I know what is involved

I'll be able to practise this technique at home

when RL allows.

I am seriously slow at learning new things so believe me when I say

Anyone could do this!!

Given a talented and generous teacher who will start you on your own

Excellent Adventure :)))

Thankyou so much my dear and generous friend,

you'll never know what this gift means to me,

being a guinea pig is my biggest

miniature adventure ever!



Snowdrops are Early

In spite of high winds there's a feeling of spring

in my garden,

the snow drops have popped out 

8 days earlier than last year.

Yes, I guess it's a bit obsessive to write that on the calendar ;)

The promise of spring,

warm days,

sunshine.

Sunbathing.

A Little Bit of Excitement

A new workstation!

Tired of having to pack up the dining table every time we wanted to use it, I decided

to let the moths out of my wallet and get another workstation!

There's a drawer for tools, another for glues.

 One for clamps, another for odds and ends of wood.

There is room for individual project drawers

so they can be stored and easily brought out

to continue work.

And, you can almost see the top of the fridge and freezer

that have been covered with 'stuff' for years

where it was within quick reach ;)

I've had one of these for my crochet work for a number of years and it sure makes life easier.

Wheel it away when the house if full of guests

and find what you're looking for with generally less frustration from searching.

I can still misplace things but not quite as easily as

when everything was shoved into boxes.



Just pottering around

It's mid-winter Downunder, meaning time to do the heavier gardening.

Not a lot of time for miniatures but the school holidays couldn't pass without spending time with grandkids making something for their projects.  

No.3 grandson requested a paper towel holder for his kitchen.

No.2 grandson made a trash to treasure planter box for his stable a while ago, 

he has painted it and planted some of my dodgy flowers. 

I'm sure the horse will find them appetising

even though they look like they came from another planet ;)

And,

my own pottering with paperclay.

That's a trotting pole in front of the planter.

The flowers were a kit from

Georgie Steeds