So happy!

I am very happy - my daughter and three grandchildren are visiting this week and next week I am spending at their house. I am getting a good Grammy fix. LOL!

I am also happy and excited to have been listed among the top 100 miniatures blogs. There are so many wonderful blogs done by miniaturists that it is truly an honor to have been chosen.

With a full house this week there's been no time for minis but I hope to get at least one more project in before school starts. Fingers crossed!

Have a wonderful, blessing filled day, my friends!

Quick update

I really did not like the way the chicks made from the little doves turned out. I ended up making new ones using pepper seeds, toothpicks and paper. Strange combo of materials but I am happy with the results.

More chicken fun

 Houdini's colors weren't quite right so she got a makeover today. I added her first two babies, too. The only other new thing is the water container. There's another in the coop as well as a feed full of ground up cork feed. You can't easily see those but I know they are there, lol.

I think it's really finished this time. It was a perfect project for this week. I could do it in stages and it doesn't take up much room. What are YOU working on now?

Chickens in the run

 I stopped at JoAnn's Fabrics today and found two resin doves in the fairy garden section.  They've been transformed into mini Houdini and mini Esther, two of our favorite chickens. Houdini is the only one of our original chickens left. She's raised two batches of babies and we're hoping she goes broody again this year.

Esther is the all white hen. Both are Easter Eggers. Houdini lays a light olive colored egg and Esther's eggs were pale blue.

The mini coop and run now have six chickens. Gemma is in the nest box. Rosemary is at the feeder. Outside is Fred on the ramp, Aurora on the veranda, Houdini having a dust bath, and Esther on the outside roost. This was a fun project and will always remind me of our introduction into raising chickens.

Who rules the roost?

I made the mini version of our chicken coop quite awhile ago but today I decided to make the matching run. It was a fun evening project. Now I just need more mini chickens.

This almost looks life sized.

Once I get a few more chickens the run will be a bit livelier, lol.

Photo Fun

 The percolator is the only new thing. I painted a red spatter ware coffee pot to look like aluminum and added a glass bead on top. It looks convincing and makes me smile. Even the little people need their morning caffeine fix.

 I love how changing the pics to black and white makes them look more authentic for the 50s.

A mini miniature makeover

Please excuse the poor quality of the photo. My tablet has wonderful photo editing software built in but takes horrible photos, lol. I decided yesterday afternoon to add the pom pom trim to Harriet's bedspread in the boarding house since I liked it so well in the 50s house. It definitely gives the spread a more finished/polished look.

I've been up since six because I am expecting a morning delivery of my new cell phone. I will be spending some time with that and the laundry but hope to find a bit of mini time, too. I have a couple of small projects I hope to start soon. It feels good to get back to mini making and also to blogging about the projects.

Have a wonderful day!

A Dollar Tree makeover story

 I stopped at my local Dollar Tree to pick up a few things. I always look at the toys because they sometimes have doll furniture. I found a few sets of plastic pieces with dolls for my granddaughters and one for me. I saw wrought iron when I looked at these chairs. I painted them with black nail polish and they look really good. The table was more of a challenge. I didn't use the stickers in the photo below. I ended up cutting pieces from a paper doily, gluing them in place, and then painting with the black polish.

 Here's the transformed set on the label from the package they came in.

And here they are in place on the porch of the 1950s house. This was a cheap and easy project. Sometimes those are the best ones!

Johnson's Boarding House was way over due for a good cleaning...

...and a few new pieces from a tote full I bought from a cousin.

George is preparing for his next student. The only new thing this room got was a side table to replace the one I took for the French country house.  It came from Sandy's room.

Sandy got a new iron bed. Her old one was very narrow so I think she will enjoy the new addition.

I didn't add anything new to the living room. I just cleaned it and changed the meal on the dinner table.

Harriet got a pretty new bedside lamp.

Tess and Johnny and their dog, Wilson, are enjoying the sunny day on a clean porch.

 

The kitchen got a beautiful Hoosier cupboard and a new table and chairs on the pretty braided rug. The cupboard has so much storage!

Cleaning with a bit of renovation

 Both of these projects are favorites because of all the swap items that were made by online friends. Both got a good cleaning to come out for summer display. The back porch lawn got a complete redo. When I first extended the lawn all I had was scraps of AstroTurf from a friend. I made it work but I wasn't really happy with it. As I was cleaning the scene today I remembered that I had leftover model railroad grass. And so it began. I am much happier and, I am guessing, so are Grandma, Grandpa, and the kids now that the lawn has finally been mowed after all these years. ;-)

 The beach house living room box was made from a regular corrugated cardboard box. Siding, windows, and a porch do a good job of hiding the humble origins.

Snow day=play day at Brown's Mercantile

Several months ago I purchased a cousin's miniature collection. Little by little I've  I been finding homes for some of them.

There were several items that I knew would be perfect for Brown's Mercantile so I took some time to play with an old favorite. Jack and Rose own the mercantile.. Their daughters Mary and Lizzie can always find a place to play. It's Mary's job to watch over little Lizzie but she loves her little sister and enjoys taking care of her.

Jack, Rose, and Mary are vintage dolls given to me by one of hubby's favorite aunt's. Somehow they are just right for the store. Jack and Rose got new aprons today. They are blue rather than a traditional white because they had a couple of bolts of blue that never sold. 

 I made many of the mercantile's fixtures and stock. The top two rifles, wooden scoops, the blue match holder, and the barrel the checker board is on came from my cousin.

 Looks like Rose is filling an order. Canned goods and a few potatoes - must be for the blacksmith. He's one of the few bachelors in town.

 Outside one end of the store is a bench. Mr. Taylor is stopping to get his chicken feed this afternoon. I wonder who's been fishing?

The other end of the store has a few advertisements. A general store is a lot like an antique shop. Both are good homes for random miniatures and sometimes hold the exact item you need to finish a project.

My newest miniature

Our first grandson arrived last week. Mama and baby are doing well.

 I've been blessed to be able to spend the first week with our daughter, son-in-law, and little Maverick.

 Grammy has enjoyed lots of baby snuggles!

One thing I really enjoyed was being able to decorate Maverick's nursery. We live three and a half hours away but I will leave a little part of me here when I go back home tomorrow. Soon I will get back to actual dollhouse miniatures but right now I am enjoying this time with my perfect little grandson.