A Mini Mini Project for Snow Day #3

 You've already seen the skillet in an earlier post but here it is after a coat of black nail polish. I left the insides of the pans silver.

 The strainer was made from an old faucet filter. I have no idea what the pot started as. I figure if it's been in the junk drawer so long that I don't remember it, it must be fair game for miniatures, lol. It had a hole in the bottom that I filled with paper. The handles are also made of paper. I cut most of the filter gasket off. I left just enough to act as handles.

The strainer fits neatly inside the pot - perfect for cooking pasta. :-) I wasn't inspired enough to bring the whole house out to work on it. But a little detail work always leads to a more realistic dollhouse and I could bring just a few supplies out on a tray to do the pans. There will likely be another snow day this winter that I can dedicate to the French Country house itself.

Have a wonderful, blessing filled day!

Snow Day #2 - And this time there's snow!

I know because I've trudged through several inches of it to do chores twice today. Brrr - it's as cold as it was yesterday, too. But it sure is pretty with the sun shining on it.

I ended up alone today so I spent some time on the French Country house.

 First up was the chandelier for the master bedroom. It looks so pretty with the vaulted ceiling. The wicker cradle was a gift from a friend several years ago. I want to get a resin couple from HBS to be the parents and I love the pregnant young woman. With the toddler upstairs, the new baby will be in mom and dad's room at first.

 Speaking of the toddler's room, it got some new things, too. I raided a nursery room box to find these goodies. The blocks are just beads but many of the other items were made by miniature friends. I made the afghan on the bed.

 I made pendant lights for over the dining table and the island. They are fairly simple but I'm happy with the results. The lights are similar enough to look good in the same room without being identical. The rooster on top of the range hood was a lucky find. I'm not sure where he came from but was part of an earring. The rest of the earring gave me the unique light hardware for the island light.

I also made a greasy skillet since they are having burgers for lunch. The pan was made with a makeup tray, a paper fastener, black beads, and a bit of beading wire. The "grease" is amber Gallery Glass paint.

This house is progressing slowly but surely. Soon I need to make some decisions about the exterior. I think I have a plan but I'm not 100% sure yet. At the rate I'm going with this house, I'll have plenty of time to decide, lol.

Have a wonderful and blessing filled weekend, my friends!

Snow Day!

Well, actually it's a bitter cold day off school. Windchills in the negative double digits. Brrr. But it's the perfect day for crafting and cooking. Daughter number one had purchased some wood dimensional and laser cut ornaments from Hobby Lobby that needed bling for next Christmas. She's decided to go with browns, bronzes, and green for her tree next year. So with a bit of paint, Mod Podge, glitter (in fun colors!), and hair spray to seal we came up with these:

 I am in charge of decorations for our church ladies' retreat coming up later this month. The speaker's theme is Queen of Quite a Lot. We decided to go with a Mary Engelbreit type style. I could never do justice to ME's wonderful art but I came up with a centerpiece idea using a similar style. The pots will be filled with chocolates for the retreat. Chocolates have been a tradition started at our first retreat 15 or 16 years ago. Can't let the ladies down, LOL. I have 10 more of these to paint. It will be fun coming up with different designs and colors.

 Since my husband and I (and daughter #1) have stopped eating wheat (and many other grains), finding bread recipes that we like has not been easy. So when I do find one, we enjoy the occasional treat. This is zucchini banana bread. Yum!

 With the bitter cold, and now snow (it started as I was writing this post), it's a perfect night for chili. Legumes are another thing we've mostly given up and corn is one grain that doesn't cause issues for any of us. So that's what I use in place of beans. This pot of chili is anything but traditional but it's gonna taste good. :-)

I know that many parts of the US are experiencing the same bitter cold temperatures that we are. Stay warm and safe! Wishing all of you, wherever you are, a day filled with blessings!

A Year in Review -2014

I was afraid I had nothing to post for 2014 in review but I am happy to report I did manage to complete a few projects.

February was the most mini productive month due to all the snow we had last year.

Here you can see the half scale house I built from a boot box.


For Valentine's Day I made a mini scene in a cardboard suitcase. This was for an Odds and Ends Challenge for a mini group I used to belong to. You can see more photos here. In April, I turned  a cardboard house from Hobby Lobby into an adorable half scale cottage (if I do say so myself, lol.) Click here to see more. My stone cottage led to a commissioned one for a family member's daughter. It was a Christmas gift and she loved it! Here are more photos. And the final completed project for 2014 is a mini version of our chicken coop - the Crooked House Layers Club. Click here for more pictures. I've been working on the French country house since the middle of July. Wow! I don't think I've ever taken this long with a project. I hope it's worth the wait!

Happy 2015! May your new year be happy, healthy and full of life's blessings.

Happy New Year!

I got the best start to the new year - a whole day to work on minis. There are plenty of other things I could have/should have been doing (Christmas decorations down, anyone?) but my husband and I decided to spend this rare day alone relaxing and doing things we enjoy doing. So I made some good progress on the French country house.

The stairs are supposed to face the other way but the console didn't fit that way and I like having the steps come up to the bedroom door. That way the mini people have to go back to get to the bathroom. That gives them a bit more privacy, lol. In order to make it work I had to do some 'bashing.' This is the first time I've done a major alteration to stairs. So I know the final product is far from perfect and it's likely that the mini people couldn't realistically use the stairs as they are now - but, then again, rarely are dollhouse stairs realistically operable anyway.

So here they are, in all their glory. ;-) I'm actually very pleased. I finished the back of the steps with a matte board panel so you don't see the ugly step backs. The console fits perfectly, without jutting into the kitchen doorway - I think it probably holds the mini television since the couch and chair face that way.

So after spending all day on the stairs, I got a chance to do a tiny little upgrade on the chairs. I almost got out of bed last night when the idea came to me but I managed to restrain myself. I just added a narrow strip of black paper around the seats of the chairs. That little bit of paper makes them look so much more finished.

And here they are, back in the kitchen.

I've had a very productive day in miniland. Tomorrow I'll have to go back to the real world and get the Christmas things put away and the snowman things out. Monday it's back to school so I want to have all of that done before reality hits.

Last year I did a year in review post. I will have to see if I actually completed anything in 2014. Real life, aka Daughter #2's wedding, took most of my creative energy for the year. Totally worth it but I'm very glad to get back to my mini world.

Have a blessing filled day, wherever you are!

A New Year...A New Look

...at least for the toddler in the French country house. I only spent $1 on her at a miniature shop in Holland. Michigan last summer. I figured I could do something to improve her looks. I dipped her whole head in nail polish remover and started from scratch. It took me forever (and multiple coats of paint) to get her hair to look at least a little like normal hair. :-) I also painted her blanket blue so it could be a towel if she's in the bathroom or her blanket elsewhere.

 I finally found the metal ribbon I bought the first time I shopped at our new Hobby Lobby. I used it to dress up the canopy and I like it much better now. The roll pillow is the one that was on the slipper chair in the living room. I changed the ends from red gingham to blue. It ties the bedroom and bathroom decor a bit more.

 This is another potential living room layout. This way I could add a coffee table and it just seems roomier. The rooster on the console is a prize from my day of antiquing yesterday with hubby and daughter #1. He was $1!

 The kitchen got a few details like the towel on the island and I turned the island around. It makes more sense for the cook to stand on the sink side when chopping the vegetables, I think.

 Yesterday's photo of the window seat upgrade was very poor quality. Here's a better view.

 Speaking of poor shots, this is the upper hall after wallpapering. I used a 1:1 raw silk pattern in soft blue. The blue makes sense between the bedroom and bath and it's simple texture is a much needed visual break between the rooms.

Well, that's all for today. Hubby told me to set up shop on the dining room table. The other side of the table holds a large puzzle in progress. I guess meals will be casual for awhile. :-)

I wish you all a wonderful New Year full of blessings and love!

Meanwhile, back at the French Country house...

I finished the bay window seat cushion and a couple of throw pillows in the kitchen. It's a cozy little nook now.

 I found this purple resin chair at our local Goodwill for $2. With some paint, new piping, and a pillow it's perfect for the living room. Much better than the slipper chair made from a jewelry box.

 The dog got a makeover today, too. Her eyes and mouth are much improved.

I also laid the carpet in the toddler's room. It's very pink in here - I need to break that up a bit somehow. I also need to figure out how to make the toddler less ugly. Her hair is all wrong and she has too many teeth for her age. That will be a project for the next time.

I want to finish this house before starting the new one. I'm still thinking about the exterior but the interior is nearly finished. I haven't done much at all in the upper hall. I'm waiting for inspiration. I've been waiting awhile, lol.

It feels good to be working on a mini project again. Hopefully, I can continue to fit mini time in now that the wedding planning is done. That took most of my creating time but was very worth it.

Have a wonderful week, my friends!