A Little Project

 My sister-in-law gave me these beautiful 1:1 candle holders for my birthday back in February. I love them! They normally sit in the middle of my dining table now that the snowmen decorations are all put away. For some reason yesterday I thought, "Those wouldn't be too difficult to recreate in miniature." We all know once the thought crosses your mind it's just a matter of time before you have to sit down and try it, lol. A couple of the things I had planned to use just didn't work or I couldn't find. I'm glad of that because these turned out so well with the second choice options. They weren't difficult, just fiddly.

I had everything on hand, even the right paint colors. See, I was meant to make them. ;-)

Wishing you all a wonderful, blessing filled week!

The Beauty of Spring...and a New Book

I love the way the redbud branches look against the sky. I started this tree from a tiny little twig nearly 20 years ago. I was so excited the first year it bloomed!
Creeping phlox are so pretty. I have both the pink color...
...and the pale lavender color.
This plant looks nice year round but it's rather invasive. I have no idea what it is - my mom gave me some starts years ago and it's almost taken over in my rock garden. In the spring it has these yellow blossoms that last into summer. By autumn the blossoms turn a really pretty burnt orange/rust color. The stems ooze sticky milk colored sap when you break them. Can anyone identify them for me?

The book I just read was given to me by my husband. He knows how much I like the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute in Chicago. The book is called The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone. It was written for children or preteens and is about two kids who find a way to shrink themselves down to 1:12 scale and explore the rooms. It's a very good story.

Spring is coming...really!

To remind myself of that I made this spring themed hutch today. The hutch itself is a sanded, painted and glazed Michael's hutch. It's pretty but what I think makes it special is the hand painted "china" displayed in it. The plates and platter started life as those plastic seals that come out of milk and juice cartons. I painted the yellow flowers and green stripes and then sealed with a scrapbooking dimensional product to give them a china like finish. On top of the hutch is a glass bead vase of hand made daffodils and a ribbon trimmed basket of rocks "collected from vacation spots." I also added clear plastic "glass" to the upper doors. I love the warm and sunny feel of this hutch.

Dreaming of spring

Here in Indiana, we've had snow on the ground since December. I love winter but even diehard winter fans are beginning to dream of spring. In farm country, spring means planting season. I made this garden center in a watering can last year. Several friends from the Small World miniatures forum contributed items. This was my first attempt at landscaping and I'm actually very happy with it. The mulch and soil are made from dried tea and the grass is the landscaping foam sold for that purpose. I made the store fixtures from scratch. The seed rack is made from clothespin halves glued around a dowel. The shelf and potting bench are made from miscellaneous wood scraps. I made the plants from various bits of silk and plastic plants. Some of the pots are actual mini plant pots but some are made from found objects. This was such a fun project and when I look at it I think of all of the friends who contributed items for it. I hope you enjoy the little glimpse of spring.