Finished, huh? Yeah...right!

OK so maybe I wasn't finished. I added three more hanging plants. They were quick and easy because I used some mini holly roping for the ivy and bits of 1:1 plastic plants to make the fern and the big plant. Now it feels more like a real conservatory might feel. If you have a space dedicated to plants wouldn't you want to fill it up? At any rate, I think I've used up all the available space for plants so all that's left is putting mini me in place on the bench.

 My free range chickens were desperately trying to "help" or more likely looking for treats, so I had to snap the photos quickly. I apologize if the quality isn't the best. The "girls" are very curious and really wanted to get closer.

 There are still some glue areas that aren't dry - not that I'm impatient or anything, lol.

It's hard to tell in the photos but now it looks complete. There really isn't any room for more plants anyway if mini me wants to be able to move around in there. ;-)

Sometimes it is easy being green

 The plants are multiplying in the conservatory. I added several this afternoon made from printie leaves. I'm really happy with how they are turning out. I figured out how to do the two hanging plants and got a start on the philodendren. No pics yet. The Chinese Evergreen and the fern are sitting on small stands made from chess pieces. The pots are wood beads. One of the plants by the palm is planted it a cap from one of hubby's inhalers and the other is in a rubber tip from something. Paint is a wonderful unifier.

 I even added a small gazing type ball. It isn't mirrored so I guess it's more of an art piece but the marble looks pretty on the chess piece anyway. :-)

The different plant printies I've found have given me a lovely variety of plants. Once I finish the hanging plants I will reevaluate to decide if I am finished or need a few more.

I hope to have more to show you tomorrow.

All but the details

 I added a small English country garden to the front of the commission cottage. I like it so much that I think I will have to make a flower garden for my cottage.

 The floral colors are all sort of red, white and blue - at least shades of those colors - to coordinate with the interior colors.

 The couch and chair were made with coordinating fabrics from cardboard and foam core. The corner covered table is a pill dessicant capsule. The coffee table was made with bits of a carved fan, plastic, and a scrap of wood for the brace. The wall decor was done with scrapbook stickers.

 I really didn't like the bed I had planned to use so I ripped off the head and foot boards and added porch posts and a piece from a coffee cup sleeve to make the four poster bed. Now I love it. The crib has bedding in the same floral fabrics as the bed. The dresser mirror is a piece of mirrored poster board framed with a scrapbook frame.

 Another sticker over the crib....

 The bathroom sink/vanity got a skirt to hide the "pipes" and a poster board mirror.

The ivy in the garden winds around the side of the house.

I still need to do the finishing details - curtains, towels and toilet paper, more art...etc. I will post final photos when I am certain I'm finished. It's a commission so I do have a time frame, lol.

How does your garden grow?

This lovely batch of beans is now cooling in the pressure canner - the second planting of green beans is really taking off.
The tomatoes are just beginning to ripen. I'm hoping to can whole tomatoes, salsa and soup. The zucchini is nearly finished. I've had no trouble using all of them this year. In fact, I was hoping for more.

How are your gardens doing? - vegetable or floral - I'd love to see photos. :)

Just a few more garden additions...

I added some flowers around the sundial this afternoon. I used moss for the foliage and dried flowers for the blossoms. I used a bit of yellow glaze to add color to the beige tried flowers.
The tall, airy plants at the back of this corner garden were a shopping find today. I purchased a 1:1 scale artificial plant today that will give me many, many mini plants.

My daughter is having foot surgery on Monday so she and I are trying to cram a lot of fun into this weekend. She'll be completely off her feet for 2 weeks and will not be able to be very active for most of the summer. I will check in as I can through the next couple of weeks.

It's just not right without some people

I know there are many people who feel that dolls take away from the realism of mini settings. While I respect that opinion, for me a mini scene doesn't come to life unless there are mini people enjoying it. Bailey is visiting her Grandpa Harry for the day. One of her favorite places in the garden is the bridge.
She loves to stand and watch the water fall over the rocks and count the fish as they swim by.
Harry was up early weeding. For now he's content to watch his granddaughter and relax on the patio. (BTW, Harry is for sale in my etsy shop, at least for the moment. I rather like him in the garden.)

This time the garden is really finished!

I made some gladiolus and daffodils to add color to this corner. I don't have the punch that Doreen used so I used my star punch to make the glad petals. Doreen's flowers are much more realistic. I was going for the illusion.
I sanded the chairs down and started over this morning. I'm happy with the soft white and the cushion fabric.
My friend Brenda made the flat of pepper plants and Tina made the compost bin. I added the vine growing up the side.
The bridge made by Gary was a little too new looking. I hated to do it but I sanded a path in the middle where it would naturally be worn down. I also added the small bushes and the vines. There are also some grasses growing near the stream now.

I don't know where I'll use this now that it's finished but come next winter it's going to make me smile every time I look at it. :-)

The finished garden...well mostly anyway

Here's an overview of the whole thing.
Cattails by the waterfall and you can just see a fish swimming near the bridge.
It's spring in the garden. Tulips and hyacinth near the bridge and lots of hyacinth in the corner flower bed.
A closer look.
And still more hyacinth in the larger corner bed. I made little corner decorative fences from craft sticks.

This garden would be easy to set next to a dollhouse and it was so quick and easy with items I had on hand. I'm going to have to stock up on landscaping supplies, though, as I've used up nearly all of my manufactured flowers and leaves. I may make some daffodils to add a pop of color - those would be handmade.

Time for gardening...in mini

I spent several hours working in my real garden yesterday so today I was too sore to go back to that, lol. So instead I started a new mini garden. I used the lid to the wine crate I purchased at the garage sale last week as my base. I wanted a stream so that I could use this wonderful bridge made by a friend in one of my forums. The potting bench was made by Gaye of My Small Obsession.
The patio pavers are made from an egg carton (the gray ones) and a piece of packing cardboard (the tan ones.) The chairs will be painted a solid color, probably white, like stackable resin lawn chairs.
The glue isn't dry yet in this photo but I'm very happy with how the stream turned out. The base was painted tan and sprinkled with sand. I built up the sides of the bank with paper mache and the water fall at this end falls over stacked stones. The water is a piece of plastic wrap pinched and pleated together. There are even 3 little fish swimming in the stream. The concrete bench was made from pieces of the egg carton.

Obviously, I still have a lot of work to do as there aren't any plants in this garden yet. There will be some cattails near the waterfall. The garden beds will be filled with a mixture of flowering and green plants.

Thinking Spring!

While sorting through my photos stored on the computer, I realized that I didn't have updated photos of the aquarium garden. In honor of Spring, here are some new ones. The right side has the patio with flower beds around it. The lilac bush is in full bloom.
Ruth and her niece have been busy in the garden today.
The tree and flowers in this area are relatively new to the garden.
I love this little corner. :-)

Enjoy your Spring...and this little taste in mini, too.

I got a package from the UK today!

I asked my friend, Tina Upson, of 12th Scale dolls to make a lady gardener for my aquarium garden. She arrived today and I think she's adorable. I've named her Ruth and she's finally in the garden to watch over niece Sara. Since Sara was obviously underdressed for the weather, she now has a zipper cardigan and bright orange tennis shoes.

Tax time...

Hi everyone. This will be quick as I'm off to do the taxes. I don't really mind doing the paperwork. It's just the gathering of everything that I don't care for.

Yesterday I came up with a variation of the wall fountain. I really like the stone fountain but my garden does not need anymore running water! So, I made this plant shelf with a matching planter. I used a clip earring back for the shelf and a bead for the planter itself. Very easy...my favorite kind of project for those busy days.

Have a great week!

Mini wall fountain tutorial

Good morning. I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! I saw the movie "Fireproof" with my hubby (a great movie!) and we had some quiet time in front of the fire.

Yesterday afternoon I came up with a wall fountain for the mini garden. This is a quick and easy project.

Items needed: Metallic plastic frame scrapbook sticker (I get a four pack from the Dollar Tree), Small scallop shell or some sort of jewelry finding with a bowl, Barrell type earring back, fishing line - about 2 inches long, Tacky glue, Super glue, Antique copper acrylic paint, Dark green glaze or thinned acrylic paint (or several shades of green in either the glaze or paint), scissors, scrap of paper

Instructions: Attach sticker to scrap of paper and trim along the scalloped edges of the frame. For this fountain I turned the sticker so that the oval center ran up and down. Glue (using a combination of tacky and super glue) the earring back to the top point of the sticker. Glue the item you are using for the fountain bowl at the bottom of the oval with the bowl facing up (towards the earring back). Depending upon what you are using for the bowl, you might have to trim or bend parts to make it fit snugly against the sticker. For the shell jewelry finding pictured, I'd have to bend the ring and part of the shell up to give a large enough surface to glue. Once the super glue has set and the pieces are firmly stuck together, paint a light coat of antique copper paint over the whole thing, being careful not to get paint into the hole on the earring back. Once that is dry, paint another light coat of the antique copper. Give that a couple of minutes to dry and then, with a very light hand, highlight areas on the fountain with the green glaze or thinned paint. You are adding the patina. If you want your fountain to look old you'll want more green. If it's to be a newer fountain, go more lightly with the green. Now, go away for awhile and let everything dry thoroughly. When you come back, put a dab of glue on one end of the fishing line and glue it into the hole on the earring back. Let that set and then trim the line so that the other end rests in the bowl of your fountain. Add tacky glue to the bowl and let it set up a bit then put the other end of the fishing line into the glue in the bowl. Once it is all dry you have water running into the bowl of the fountain. I used a different type of finding for my fountain. You can't see into the "bowl" so I just glued the bottom end of the fishing line directly into the finding. Just adjust the directions to fit the frame and finding you use. Another finishing option would be to use acrylic paints to give it a stone look. (I just posted an example of that at the top of this post.)

Meet little Sara

This is Sara.

She's been "helping" her aunt in the garden. I hope Aunty finds her soon and that the kitty continues to hide in the plants. Sara loves kitties as much as she loves flowers. The cat, however, does not feel the same way about Sara.

Adding character to the garden

Today I focused on adding the little touches that make a mini project seem more real. I highlighted some of the stones in the wall and added moss between some of the stones. I also added moss between some of the patio pavers. I added a few new plants and some garden ornaments. There are a couple of oversize mushrooms and a tiny little gazing ball. I need some ideas on hardware for the gate. Would it be inside or outside, what type, how should I do the latch? All suggestions are welcome.


My friend, Tina, of 12th Scale Dolls in the UK, is making a gardener for this project. I can't wait to see what she comes up with!

A quick garden update

I just added a few things to make my garden look more realistic. There are now some garden gloves on the bench and the two blackbirds became a gold finch and a robin. If you look closely by the pond you'll see a mourning dove.