Easter Chick

The MiniPigs were surprised to find

a little intruder in their play pen

during grass time today.

They all gathered round to check

who it could be,

no, it didn't smell like another piggie.

What could it be?

The funny little thing seemed

a bit lost so they made friends with it.

Happy Easter everyone!

Amazed Myself!

After a long time of no miniatures,

there is actually something to share!

A few weeks ago, Kris of 1" Miniatures Blog

offered kits for sale for a lovely sofa

that she'd designed and it was rather lovely,

Something stirred, I wanted a sofa like that.

Could it be my mini mojo returning?

Nothing ventured, nothing gained,

I asked Kris if I could have one of her kits.

Luckily there was one and she put it in the post.

When it arrived I set to immediately,

strike while the iron is hot sort of thing.

It was a beautifully prepared kit, excellent instructions.

Even my foggy brain managed not to make a mess.

Little Happy Dance :)

Kris said she might offer an armchair

to go with the sofa sometime in the future.

I can't wait!

Things and A New Year!

Happy New Year

to everyone!

A little late but better late than never.

A whole new year to play in :)

I hope 2016 is kind to everyone

and we all get to play!

Much has happened in my RL already to start this year,

some happy, some sad.

That's life for you,

smile and find the happy!

Things....... happy things :)))

HAPPY!

A new crochet project :)

You can guess what it is.

Many hours so far,

many hours still to do.

Littlest Little Baby overseeing my crochet

exactly as RL Little Baby does!

Both are such good girls,

they don't eat my crochet

as certain other canine friends

have been wont to do ;)

MORE HAPPY!

A loaf of sourdough bread,

still warm from my oven, smells divine :))

I've been making bread for 43 years

and never tire of the joy of

taking a beautiful loaf from the oven.

The magic of turning a kilo of flour into bread

never palls.

AND MORE HAPPY :)

Ready to make soap,

the mould lined and waiting,

tools prepared.

When you have sensitivities

you make your own creamy lathering soap!

Another smile when it comes out of the mould,

is cut into bars,

and stacked to mature.

Enjoy the everyday things,

that's what life is all about.

And I really do hope to be able to post

more often this year!!

Sharing Something Special

Time has slipped by this year,
eaten up with the mundane things of life unfortunately,

but then............a large parcel arrived

with a tiny tiny gift inside.

A gift from a special lady who has been a great friend
for a lot of years.

Thank you Lynne!!

This tiny gift has made me get my creativity out of mothballs,
dust it off and check if it still works :)
It is a trifle rusty, creaking a little, but...it is working :))
and I've had such fun making pictures this morning!

Ok, ok,
so you need to see the special gift???
Without further ado, let me introduce.....

Little Baby!

In her favourite spot, being cuddled by her new daddy.
Isn't she gorgeous?!!

The very talented Lucy Maloney made her.
Over the years I've drooled over Lucy's creations
but could never decide which of our numerous canines
should be represented in miniature,
so I always set aside the thoughts for further contemplation.
How very kind is my friend Lynne
to think of asking Lucy to make our special Little Baby!
No need for more contemplation,
the perfect miniature chihuahua is here!!
Thank you Lucy, and thank you Lynne.
I couldn't be happier!
Little Baby is so like Real Life Baby it's eery.
Lucy has magic fingers,
 working from a photo she somehow manages to capture
not only the look of,
but also the personality of her subjects.
I might be biased but I think Little Baby is the best!

To set the background for Little Baby,
a few months ago we were asked to adopt another chihuahua,
a real life chihuahua,
a very special little girl.
Unplanned parenthood can be rather daunting
but one look at our new baby and we were besotted,
no question,
she had her forever home.
She is niece to our Freddy Frog and his sister Georgie
who we lost so tragically to glaucoma a couple of years ago.
Baby is every bit as wild as our beautiful Georgie was
so it wasn't hard to love her!
We were having difficulties with the name she came to us with,
it was too similar to another of the dogs names
but finding a new name wasn't easy,
we found ourselves calling her the Baby and it has stuck.

Baby settled right in with our dog pack
and made friends immediately with the guinea pigs.

Waiting patiently...

Whatcha doing little Baby?

I'm very busy waiting for my friend to come out and play.

Oh darn it, if he won't come out, I'll just have to join him ;)

And Miniature Baby loves playing with

Miniature Alf and Noddy 

in their playpen pigloo too!

Miniature Baby likes having the Minipigs on the lounge

as much as Real Life Baby does but I forgot to take a photo

so we only have the miniature one.

Can you tell how much fun I had playing this morning?

Bye for now and I hope you like Little Baby as much as I do :)

Rainbow Connection

Real life or miniature?

Hard to believe I've actually made something miniature at last!!

And it was FUN!

Sorry about the bad lighting, the colours are really much brighter.

Yes, this one is the Real Life counterpart.

My Zen Summer

As you may know, I have some health challenges

that make miniatures a bit difficult from time to time.

That, together with a long hot summer where I live,

that started in September and isn't over yet,

has meant virtually no miniatures for 6 months.

It was still 28 degrees C here at 10.00pm last night!!!

Having lived in many places

from 4 degrees South of the Equator

to the Roaring Forties, 40 degrees South (of course)

I can say without doubt that I'd rather

frost than humidity!

Summer Downunder.

Enter Zen Crochet

I think it keeps me sane,

some might disagree :)

Anyway, just to let you know I'm still above the grass,

some pics of what I've been up to lately.

RL Crochet.

144 of these squares altogether.

What will these squares turn into?

They clash a bit, all together like this, don't they?

(beginning to doubt my sanity a bit by this stage)

What else did I do this summer?

Fostered guinea pigs for a rescue just after Christmas

for a short time till their Forever Home was found.

This is Ned enjoying a chin scratch.

And here is Neds little friend Noel,

a very relaxed little chubby baby.

These two boys were adorable and if I'd know what

the near future held for us they would have stayed.

More of those squares.  Looking a bit more respectable?

Any ideas?

No, this isn't it.

This is zen rug no.1

Soft, gentle colours,

a light bed topper for my M-I-L to use when she visits.

This isn't it either.

Zen rug no.2

Christmas gift for M-I-L to brighten her bed at aged care home.

Next?

A new family member adopted from the rescue.

He's a Red Agouti, his name is Noddy :)

Young Alf became very depressed

when our beloved elderly piggie Cheryl passed on

in February so we thought he should have a friend.

Nod and Alf, free range kitchen dwelling piggies!

 Munching dandelions, about their most favourite food!

Chilling on the grass in their outdoor playpen.

Full tummies, time to do some sun bathing

and gather their energy to boss me around

when they get back indoors.

Guinea Pigs are about the most egocentric,

bossy and gorgeous little pets you could wish for.

When I get home with groceries

the dogs check the bags to make sure

I've bought kangaroo meat for them

and the piggies make a bee line for the vegetable bag!

My own fault that celery and lettuce was pruned,

and unfit for humans,

by the time I'd finished answering the phone :)

Ok, those bright squares.

Another four rows before the border goes on.

This one has been claimed by my other half.

I had hoped my wool stash would be

somewhat depleted by all this crochet

but it seems the more I do the more the stash stays the same!

So that has been the story of my summer.

Perhaps winter will bring back

my miniature mojo.

I want to say thanks to all you lovely bloggers

 whose posts have gladdened my days,

bless you for sharing your creations!

Minipig Play Date - or - A Fun School Holiday Project

No.3 grandson is passionate about his real life guinea pigs

Percy and Jasper

so,

 naturally ;)

he found some Minipigs in his

Christmas Stocking.

His comment was

"Wouldn't it be neat if we did a

Miniature Guinea Pig Play Date Scene,

so we did.

Of course, in real life, boy guinea pigs

mostly prefer to have only one male friend

but Minipigs get on splendidly in larger groups ;)

While I worked on the play pen

Grandson made the Pigloo

Piggies love new experiences.

Percy and Jasper did some excited zoomies

and then settled down to the serious business of

filling their tummies.

Cheryl and Kevin both being elderly chaps

thought the pigloo looked comfy

and strolled over to take up residence

and as for young Alf,

after some youthful popcorning,

(which is another thing excited piggies enjoy)

he did what he always does,

he teased everyone.

That's him trying to fit 3 piggies inside a two piggie pigloo.

We used mat board 3 3/4" square for the base,

1/8" square wood for posts and coffee stirrers for rails,

some sort of fuzzy fabric for the grass,

mat board, light card and 1/8" dowel for the pigloo

and raffia as miniature oaten hay.

A Late But Very Happy New Year!

A little late but nevertheless

Happy New Year

to all from

Alf and Cheryl

and

Kevin

(you can click on their names to find who made them)

Are they cute or what?!!!

Cheryl is on the left in his blue snuggle sack,

Kevin is sharing with Alf in the purple sack.

Some of the dollhouse children have been

giving the piggies lap time on the lounge

but it looks like they've left the picture for a moment!

Luckily piggies love their snuggle sacks

and are happy to stay safe and warm and not

get up to mischief with Mothers embroidery.

The dollhouse chihuahuas like the piggies.

Actually, the Real Life chihuahuas share

Real Life Cheryl and Alfies fresh salads

and the guinea pigs have no fear of them.

These miniature guinea pigs are an endangered species,

they are not going to be available when current stock is sold

so if you love piggies go and peek!

Grateful thanks to Katie for fulfilling the dream

of having my precious wheekers in miniature.

Sadly, the real life Kevin is no longer with us but

 how wonderful to have

Miniature Kevin

to help keep his memory alive.

Seasons Greetings

Cheryl and Alfie

wish all our lovely friends in blogland

a
very

HAPPY PIGMAS!

My wish is for everyone to receive a miniature treasure

for Christmas

and

I hope I'll be back blogging more in the New Year!

Technical Challenges

Dear blog friends,

it's been far too long since I posted!

Due to the eccentricities of Windows 8.1

updating on our new computer, I'm not able

to get photos from my camera to my blog.

Ipad takes poor photos but what is a blog post

without a photo?

Imagine the frustration when I couldn't 

work out how to get Ipad photos into

a post???  Hair pulling and tooth grinding!

A breakthrough today :)

Who knew there was an app for blogging?

Bear with me, we'll eventually work out

problems and get back to decent photos.

In the meantime, an attempt at posting!

Hilda Grace and James George have been

feeling the squeeze in their sons family home

so, when the opportunity arose for them to

have their own tiny home right next door

they joyfully began making plans.  Not wanting to 

spend all their savings at their time of life

they made the hard learned wartime slogan

"Make Do and Mend" their motto for their

new venture.  First an old iron bed was given

to them by an acquaintance who might

not recognise it now it has a new lease of life

with a coat of paint.  Next, great joy from Hilda

when an antique dressing chest, almost an exact

twin of my own Real Life one that Hilda loved,

was discovered in a shed at the bottom of the 

garden of their new home.  No problem for a

handy chap like James George to give it a 

clean up with some sandpaper and a couple of

coats of varnish to bring it back to respectability.

A wardrobe and a couple more items made their

new bedroom so comfortable they wanted to move

in!  There's plenty more for them to do yet with

decorating but they wanted to show what they've

achieved.  A chihuahua or two appear to have made

themselves at home too.  Please forgive the appalling photos,

they'll be replaced asap.  

I've Been Very Lucky

I won a give away over at
The Shopping Sherpa!
A neat little laptop computer
which I painted and added a screen and keyboard.
Isn't it cute?
Thank you Anna Maria!

And also,
I love Tilda dolls,

specially the tiny ones for dollhouses.

Now the most beautiful Tilda lives with me!!

See her perched on top of the cupboard like a little fairy?

Isn't she gorgeous?

When I saw Amary's little Tilda in her pretty room 

I was besotted
so I asked Amary does she sell her creations.

She said she never had sold anything but she would

make me a Tilda for a gift!!!
I was over the moon :))

How lucky am I to have a Tilda made by Amary

 who is a talented and lovely person?

Thank you dear friend!

Imagine my surprise when I opened an exciting parcel

and discovered not only Tilda
but many more pretty treasures :)

Here they are all together on a garden seat borrowed for the occasion.

I couldn't bear to put all these treasures away

in scenes so Tilda and the pretties have stayed

on my work station where I can see them every time

I sit down

And here are some close up photos.

First of all Tilda sitting on my finger,

unbelievably tiny and perfect?!!

I love her demure little pose and her sweet dress

and shoes!

Some beautiful American roses which don't seem

to mind the climate Downunder :)  They haven't stopped

blooming and giving joy since they arrived.

Those petals are paper thin!

A basket of pretty ladies toiletries for Mothers Day!!

I feel very spoiled and very lucky!

And also a sweet shabby heart to hang on a door knob

and this lovely mat for the floor in front of the

kitchen sink.  I forgot to take a photo of the mat

in the kitchen :(

In this close up photo you can see the little laptop where someone

is checking their emails and enjoying a cup of tea

and a sticky sweet pastry.

Thank you to two special ladies who have given more than
gifts, they've given friendship as well.

Pink with White Roses and a Question

The pink tea cosy said it wanted a matching pot holder too.

With a matchstick for size.

A bit closer.

My question is this....

Would you pay for one of my cosies?

And perhaps a potholder???

I've never really sold much of my crochet.

I enjoy giving gifts so most of my work

is given away,

however, from time to time I'm asked do I sell.

Should I open an etsy shop?

What do you think??

Hilda Grace Does Zen

Hullo my dear friends,

if you're still here, thank you for your patience!

Yes, that's right, Hilda Grace has been zen crocheting ;-)

She loves the Aussie Summer about as much as I do,

which is not at all.

The heat drives away thoughts of miniature threadwork,

enter zen crochet - simple, calming and repetitive.

It helps if you can create something useful whilst zen hooking!

Hilda Grace and I put our heads together and decided

we could both use a potholder.

That's one of Lidi's baskets,

perfect for apples!

The cat is rather ho-hum about the whole thing ;)

Mine is made from pre-loved 100% wool that I had on hand,

Hilda Grace has more choice so she went with colours

to match her Daffodil Teacosy.

Apologies for the foggy photos,

my camera lense is fogged up with the humidity,

it doesn't like summer either ;)

RL dogs are getting pushy about their dinner

so TTFN

and I'll try not to be so long saying G'day next time!!

I Had Planned....

To post more often this year.....

Well, real life gets in the way.

Someone should abolish real life don't you think?

Anyway, I'm still alive,

not a lot of proof for that though :)

Summer Downunder is not the best time for needlework

of any sort, least of all crochet

but here's a pic of something I did before Christmas.

Happy Christmas 2013

Just a quick post to say

Happy Christmas!

to everyone!

I wish for everyone

PEACE and JOY

that is the real meaning of Christmas.

This darling wee village was a surprise gift delivered yesterday

by the lovely and talented lady who made it.

Thank you

Lidi!

How awesomely gorgeous is it????

This little village will take pride of place every Christmas!

Here is another photo of it with a very messy Christmas Roombox.

Sorry for the bad pic, it's hard to photograph indoors.

It's a tiny thing, the little houses are each less than an inch wide!

The Babies Have Wheels!

Long ago, BMG

(that's Before Mini Graff)

I fell in love with Gill's baby prams and strollers

and I promised the miniature babies I'd ask Gill

if she'd make one or two for us.

However, in the meantime, Mini Graff arrived

and was in desperate need of his own wheeled chariot

which you'll remember Gill also made,

so the babies had to be patient and wait their turn.

Eventually arrangements were made for strollers for them

and just a week or so ago an interesting box with British

stamps on it arrived in the post!

With greatest excitement I got it open

as fast as possible!

Parcels with miniature treasures inside are like presents,

aren't they?

2 grandkids were here and they were almost as excited

as myself about opening the box.

Their first question...

Do the wheels go around?

Can you tell they're boys???

Young Christopher may have opened his eyes briefly

 to see what the noise was about but even when he was

strapped into his side of the new stroller he was

happy to continue his snooze.

Adelaide, on the other hand,

crowed and kicked and clapped her wee hands

and couldn't wait to settle into her seat!

Here they are ready to go for their first ride!

Their mama is so happy not to have to carry her

chubbby babies everywhere now.

The babies love the rattles

(that match the upholstery)

which Gill so kindly sent for them :)

And, of course the wheels go around!

Next out of that interesting box came a

gorgeous pink creation.

This one is for Emma Rose but,

as she's wearing her christening robe at the moment

and didn't want to crush it up,

one of the dollhouse twins consented to model for us.

She's about as interested in proceedings as Christoper,

yawning widely, ready for a nap ;)

Of course, being male, Mini Graff looked things

over to make sure there had been no damage

in transit and all was safe for the precious babies

to take their first outing.

Luckily I wasn't sleepy like certain small babies,

and I enjoyed play time perambulating babies

all around the dining table ;0)

RL Graff and both young grandsons are very

impressed with Gills' creations.

As for me, I adore them!

Gills attention to detail is amazing,

these little strollers are made exactly like a RL stroller.

Thanks Gill :))

Would You Care to Take Tea with Me?

School holidays Downunder,

grandkids spending a day with us.

We go around the miniatures and see all the new things.

It was the perfect opportunity to take a photo of the lovely

petitpoint tea cosy that I won from Rosanna

Would you care for a cup of tea?

Please take off your hat and have a seat,

and help yourself to a macaron :)

and we'll enjoy a refreshing cup

from beneath that pretty cosy.

Every time I walk past my pretty kitchen roombox

I enjoy a moment peeking in,

and think how lovely it would be to

invite Rosanna to have afternoon tea with me.

Sending hugs to you Rosanna

and I hope your hands are getting better.