He's making his move!

 Jackson has approached the customer to see if she wants any help. Will he ask her out, too? Check out his new watch. I made use of the bracelet that he was wearing and added a punch out watch face, silver jump ring, and dimensional gel.

 Shelby also got a new watch plus bangle bracelets and earrings.

This fruit salad preparation and service set was just listed in my zibbet shop. I think the black and silver looks very clean and contemporary.

I am pleased to introduce Jackson

Jackson started as a professional wrestler figure from Dollar Tree. He had scars or warpaint or something on his cheeks and very black hair. He looked pretty scary, lol. He's a short man - only 5'6"- but he works out so he's quite strong. He is Shelby's business partner and best friend. They make an interesting pair as she is over 6' tall. ;-) I made him a nice shirt and slacks after removing the scars and changing his hair color to a warm brown. I think he has his eye on the lovely customer on the third floor. We will have to watch to see if he makes his move...

I added a little bit of gold accent to the black plant stand on the first floor. Metallic Sharpies make that super easy.

I just noticed I now have 399 followers thanks to Lisa. At 400 I will have another giveaway. Stayed tuned!

For the log cabin

Shortly after I made the cabin, Gaye, of My Small Obsession, made me a tool box. It sat empty for all this time but yesterday I decided to get brave and make some tools for it. Most of these are appropriate for the late 1800s. The saw I am not so sure about but that was the best I could do yesterday. I may try again on that later.

A mini project is never really finished...

...even if you say it is, lol. Late last night I got the idea to make some Native American pottery. I also wanted to make the sugar bowl and creamer in the cream and brown cupboard look more realistic. Here are the results:

There's a pottery piece on the windowsill and one on top of the cream and brown cabinet. The sugar bowl and creamer had the base pieces cut off and all the bright yellow was painted gold. There's a lot of vintage white and gold china. Not so much china that looks like the Beast's from Beauty and the Beast. ;-)

Now I have a few pieces I need to add rust to. The washtub and the enamel skillet for starters.

I still have wall space on the third floor and on the entry level. I'm sure something will turn up that's just right for those spots. Stayed tuned...

After seeing so many real antique shops...

...I had to make some adjustments to Then Again.

 Nearly every shop had at least one silver tea set. I adapted another few pieces of the toys that I purchased at Christmas time. The teapot is a sugar bowl with part of the handle cut out. The sugar bowl just had the base cut off, as did the creamer, so that the teapot would stand taller. The tray is just a painted wood  plate.

 I didn't like the long tablecloth on the low table so I just left a circular mat on the table top to better show off the tools. They look great, I think. The cowbell and the mallets are pieces I added to the display.

Nearly every store had things hanging from the ceiling. Often it was baskets but it wasn't uncommon to find buckets, washtubs, chairs, etc. hanging. When the floors and walls are covered, there's only one way left to go. ;-)

 

The coffee grinder is a real antique.It has moving parts but when hubby was turning the wheels, spindles started falling out until one wheel actually fell off! With the wonders of super glue I was able to repair the damage but I placed it in the back up high on purpose. I have friends who like to play with some of my minis and I want to keep this one safe. On the window sill you can see that I painted designs on the teapot and pitcher (and also on the plate not shown in this photo.)

 

The wooden bowl was one of the unfinished pieces I purchased. It's been stained brown on the inside and a rustic red on the outside. Then I waxed it inside and out. I love how it turned out. Since the photo was taken, I have filled the bowl with tiny shells.

The wooden bucket was also unfinished. I stained it to give it a worn look and added a black wire handle. The large terracotta pot holds rolling pins for display. I saw a lot of those at each shop, too. The aqua planter now holds vintage magazines, although they are not pictured here.

 Here's the lower entry level. The patriotic mirror was aged a bit to tone down the bright white. It looks nice opposite the star quilt. The two small plaques above the painting came from a couple of the wine marker rings I purchased.

Since I decided to use the candlestick table to hold the silver tea set, I moved the golfer statues to the desk in the lower level. These also were charms used on wine glass markers. I snipped off the rings, sanded them smooth and mounted them on button stands. Simple but effective. I got a lot of use out of that $1 bag of markers. (And I still have all the beads to use, too. :-) )

I think the inside is about as full as it can get. I really need to finish the last stone wall and then the roof so I can call the building finished. I want to add a sidewalk to the front and side. Then I can display a few items outside as well. This has been such a fun project. There's an interesting mix of genuine antiques, artisan pieces, random knick knacks and recycled junk. Hmmm, that's a lot like a real antique shop.

Have a great week, everyone!

And then there was the shopping!

 These items came from the various antique stores we visited. Some are antique, some are vintage, and some are none of the above. But even those items looked antique by the time I made them over.

 These are the items I purchased at Jeepers. The tool set was the only expensive item but it is very nicely done.

 Several of the refinished wood pieces are now displayed on the second floor. I also added the rug, the cane (on the other side of the grandfather clock), the babushka doll (on top of the window), and the planter box.

The new customer is looking through the old tin types on the desk. Above the right window is a collection of "blown glass" snowmen (charms from wine glass rings). The vintage tools are displayed on the Tootsie Toy table in the center of the room. The small scale table would work as a coffee table. Behind that table is a candle stand with two golfer statues. (More of the wine charms mounted on button bases.) A small blue metal toy truck rests on the child's desk and a funny little figurine on a barrel sits on the floor nearby. Under the dollhouse on the carved trunk rests another quilt. (I found a good sized bundle of this fabric at one of the antique shops. It's beautifully scaled and will make a very nice quilt for some project. For this one I just glued and folded to make it look like a folded quilt.No stitching was involved.

The patriotic welcome mirror is displayed downstairs, as is the large carved elephant that used to be on the second floor. For some reason that photo keeps turning sideways when I attempt to post it. Since not much changed, I'm not going to worry about it. ;-)

Jeepers Miniatures

 I've lived in Indiana my entire mini-ing life and have always wanted to go to Jeepers Dollhouse Miniatures. It's only about a three hour drive from where I live in NE Indiana. I finally got my chance on the trip hubby and I took to Brown County. Jeepers is in Morgantown, just a few miles north of Nashville.

 It's a beautiful shop and the owner is very knowledgeable. She's also quite sweet. I don't know very many miniaturists other than online so it was so good to have someone "get me" right away. She asked if I had a dollhouse and as soon as I hesitated she knew that I had several, lol.

 The projects she has on display are so detailed and perfect that it was fun just to explore those...but, of course, I did a little shopping, too.

If I knew what my next project was going to be, I would have purchased wallpaper. I've never seen such a large selection before.

We talked a bit about brick and mortar stores vs. online ones. Her philosophy is that we miniaturists should support the online stores associated with brick and mortar ones. The online shops are what keep the brick and mortar buildings open.  After visiting Jeepers, and Rau's Country Store this past winter, I am more than willing to do my part. There's nothing quite like actually touching and seeing the things you want to purchase. I don't live near either store but now that I've visited them, I want to have the opportunity to go back. I will be shopping their online stores when I can't visit in person.

Brown County, Indiana

 We stayed at the Cornerstone Inn in Nashville, IN. We stayed in one of the cottage rooms and it was beautiful. We had a large suite with antiques and atmosphere. The bed was a four poster with wooden canopy. We had antique dressers and desks, a gas fireplace (and yes, we enjoyed it despite the upper 80 degree temperatures, lol), a large jacuzzi bathtub...

 ...matching recliners...

 ...a screened in porch, and a view.

These were our daily supplies- hats for both of us, hubby's cane (this one was purchased on this trip) and my walking sandals. We had a wonderful time away. We highly recommend the Cornerstone for anyone traveling in the area.

The Mini News

On a brief vacation with hubby and I've found a few cute additions to Then Again. Photos coming soon. Off to an antique mall and Jeepers Miniatures tomorrow. Gotta love a man who supports my mini habit, lol.

In other news, I have had two sales in my zibbet shop in the past week and 3-4 in the past month. Fingers crossed that my shop has been discovered!

Surprise!

God blessed us with a lovely surprise - we found a very large mulberry bush loaded with berries right in our front yard. We didn't plant it and we've never seen berries there before. It's very strange but very yummy! Hubby will have cobbler for Father's Day this year. :-)

And the winner is....

Read down further to find the answer! In the meantime, here are some Then Again updates. When I visited my local shop last week, I realized there were lace curtains in some of the windows. I really like that little touch so I added some to my shop windows.

 If you look closely at all the photos you will see added items. I am having fun sorting through bits of "junk" to find more little treasures. I cut apart some pretty paper tiles to make a basket of individual tiles for the shop.

And the winner is...Wendy Riggins. Shelby and her rescue pup love Wendy's name, Mr. Peabody. Thank you to all who contributed an option. Wendy wins this tea set. I reworked some plastic toys and added some bits and bobs. Wendy, please email your snail mail address so I can get your prize in the mail. Shelby and Mr. Peabody thank you!

Before billboards...

 ...there were advertising murals on the sides of buildings. Hubby thought the antique shop should have one.  My grandpa chewed Red Man tobacco so I decided to make that the subject of my mural. Mine is not an exact copy but it is similar enough to get the point across.

 After carefully painting all the details, I went over the whole thing with diluted brown paint to age it. Next I sanded over the whole things so that some of the "rock" shows through the paint. Lastly, I sealed it.

I have two walls completely covered with stonework now. I love how this looks but it isn't much fun to do. One more wall...

I keep adding little items to the stock. It seems like every time I dig into a drawer, I find something else to add. Today I found a washboard and a cow bell. I can hardly wait to see what turns up next, lol.

Oh, and don't forget to pick a name for the shop's dog. He is anxiously waiting to see what ideas you all come up with. Comment on the post below with your choice. If I choose your name you will win a prize.

Update on the little dog...

The dog is definitely a "he." I hadn't completely looked him over before. ;-P So please choose names appropriate for a male dog and comment on the post below. I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

I went on a "long explore" to quote Winnie the Pooh

Of my favorite antique mall and found some goodies for my antique shop. The mini shop, Then Again, is loosely based on the real shop, Then and Now.

 I only explored two floors today but found some great things. I never know what I will find. Sometimes I find actual miniatures that I can use and sometimes I find great things to repurpose.

 The crib is the perfect size for the bungalow nursery. I paid too much for it but it's just what I've been looking for. The sides actually slide up and down.

 This is how the entry level looks now.

 The dog looks shyly around the counter. He/She needs a name. Let's make it a contest. Put your suggestions in comments on this post. The winning name will receive a small prize. I'm just not sure what that will be yet, LOL.

 The funny little pottery dishes are under the console table with the ship's wheel that came in my new box of tea. The large elephant is also one of the new purchases.

 I turned the picture frame into a vanity mirror with more of the mirrored poster board.

The plastic chair got a paint job. Now it looks like a well-worn piece. The paint takes away the plastic look.

I also did the grocery shopping today so I was actually productive but I had so much fun exploring. Next time I will have to start downstairs and work my way up. I was afraid I'd find more if I went to the lower level today, ;-).

Summer break is here!

 Today was my first day of summer break. It's strange around here without Angel. I miss her and so do the other pets. I kept busy with household chores, some work for the church, and a bit of play time. Today I added the welcome sign on the door and the bulletin board by the counter. The bulletin board has notices on items customers are looking for, job wanted notices, and lost pet posters. There's even a tiny "what to do" list so the shop owner doesn't lose it. ;)

 I also made this mirror and console set. I embossed thin craft metal in copper and then added verdigris to it. The mirror was made from mirrored poster board with smudges of black paint to make the mirror look old. There's a stacked button "vase" on the console shelf. I am very happy with the results of this project!

Here's the whole corner in one photo. Progress, slow but sure.

Back soon.

Sorry I've been gone for awhile. The end of the school year has been busy and our dog, Angel, has been ill. School is out on Tuesday. After tomorrow afternoon, Angel will no longer be suffering. She's 13, blind, and now has congestive heart failure. Each day we can see that she's fading so it is time to do what is right for her. Angel is our first family dog.

 Here is how she looked the day we brought her home. She was such a cute puppy.

And this photo was taken today.She was "helping" us plant corn by lying in the middle of the recently made planting trenches. I'm glad to have some new happy memories.

If I'm not around for a few days, don't worry. I will be mourning the loss of the best dog ever for a couple of days. But I will be back soon with updates on  the antique shop and the beginnings of some new projects. Thanks for being such patient followers/blog friends.