Meanwhile…teacup with pretty felt flowers

My friend Marguerite of Petalberryhugs made this sweet like cup of felt flowers from felt she made herself. I love it and am bringing it into work to brighten up by desk. This is such a clever way to use a vintage cup and saucer and the flowers are so pretty. I love the beaded centres!

I am showing this because my current miniature work is not ready to be unveiled. The complicated project I started last year has been dusted down and back on the work table. It is inching along slowly but is taking far longer than I originally thought. (Don’t think I would have started it if I knew how much work would be involved!!) I have given myself a deadline of having the structure itself completed by the end of June. Then I can start the fun part – working on the inside and making all the furniture and details.

Miniature bluetits and robin

I love watching birds in the garden busy feeding at this time of year.  These little birds are made by Robin from Coombe Miniatures.  I love the little coconut shell she made.

The robin has perched on the little trug and looks so at home! 



Goodies from Kensington Dollshouse Festival last year

Catherine of Kilmouski has raised an interesting issue on her blog about whether FB and Twitter are killing blogs. She pointed out that many blogs are inactive, without new entries, for many weeks, months and even years compared to the level of activity a few years ago. I feel guilty because I have not been posting as often as I used to. The main reason is because I have nothing much to ‘show and tell’ due to a variety of reasons.

However….I can ‘show’ the treasures that I bought last year at the Kensington Dollshouse Festival in London. Shortly after visiting the Festival I had a serious wrist problem diagnosed which has lasted for many months and meant I could not use a lot of my crafting tools. My miniature making had to stop and I am finding it difficult to get into gear again. These goodies from KDF are patiently waiting for me to complete my project so they can be put in their places!

This gorgeous Sussex trug was a surprise gift from the friend who came with me to the Kensington Dollshouse Festival last May.  I was so happy because I really wanted this but did not think my wallet could cope with any further assaults!

This cast iron kettle is really heavy despite its tiny size.  It, together with the dustpan and brush (made by Matthias Matthes), will be perfect in the kitchen in my new project.

  The glassware of Gerd Felka is amazing - all individually hand blown and cut. Gerd was charming and kindly gave me the little perfume bottle as a gift because I was trying so hard to chat in German!

His attention to detail is amazing.  I love the teeny stopper.

I just couldn't resist this tiny paintbrush with real bristles and wooden spools.

Finally I bought a little jug and washing basin set by Stokesay.  It is beautifully fired porcelain and very expensive but worth it!   

Spring Colours and Happy Easter

After weeks and weeks of cold, windy, wet and snowy weather the sun shone today.  Everywhere I looked I saw happy Spring colours.  These little glittery eggs on sticks are a gift from a friend and the perfect start to Easter decorating.

These packing chips surrounded another gift and are far too pretty to discard....

I love using these pins - they are so pretty....and these tulips en masse in my local supermarket just had to be shared.  Happy Easter everyone - hope you too are surrounded by brightness and Spring!!!

Spring, Knitted Bunnies and New Year Resolutions.....

First day of Spring and I am ready to reveal my New Year’s resolution. I am going to test my creativity (and discipline) by only using the crafting materials I already have – and I have LOTS. I am not allowing myself buy anything new. By the end of the year I hope to have converted a lot of my crafting ‘stock’ into finished items that I will either give as gifts, donate or sell at a craft fair. Like many crafters my ideas run way ahead of my hands so that I often buy fantastic new things to make but then do not get around to them because other fantastic new ideas pop up!!

My big miniature project is waiting for me to get back into ‘mini-mode’. I find that I have to be in the mood to do something. At the moment it is knitting and crochet. This is mainly because (strangely) this was something I could do with my hand/wrist in cast.

I started off knitting a couple of bunnies as baby/Easter gifts but got completely carried away and ended up knitting over a dozen. Seven have already got homes.

These bunnies are modifications of a Debi Birkin pattern with feet/shoes inspired by Little Cotton Rabbits.  The little cardigans and dresses are my own designs. 

Easter Bunnies!

Then I decided to cover some wooden clothes hangers. 

These covered hangers very useful for hanging delicate dresses and knitwear, plus they are not padded so do not take up much space in the wardrobe.  I had great fun practicing making crochet flowers, leaves and hearts to decorate them.

Happy Christmas Everyone!

Wishing you all a very very Happy Christmas and peaceful, happy and healthy New Year.  And a special thank you to everyone who leaves me comments.  I really appreciate it.  Hugs, Carol :)  

More things for Christmas

Time is SO limited at the moment, but last week I managed to make a few more things for the Christmas box room.  I love making little armchairs and had this fabric in my stash.  I think the white 'snowflakes' on the red work well.  The tiny needlepoint cushion was originally from Honeybee Cottage, but the colour match and design is so good that I will have to make a new one for Honeybee and leave this one in the Christmas room.

Here is the fireplace with little logs and grate.  This is not the finished set-up - just showing what will eventually be going into the room.

This 'Boite de Noel' was made from a series of beautiful tutorials which I downloaded a couple of years ago.  Sadly the creator did not include her name and I just do not know who to credit.  If anyone knows - please share. I love this.  I made it slightly taller and then had great fun making up the rolls of wrapping paper with teeny Christmas designs on them.

Hopefully at the weekend I will have some time to paint and wallpaper the Christmas room, decorate the tree and add some more details.  

More Christmas Glitter...

The Christmas Room Box is coming along slowly.  Although the box itself has been constructed I am waiting for some lovely 'wallpaper' to arrive before I complete it. Meanwhile I have been building up the things which are going to be in it. 

Here is the little glitter house in situ.  The icicle strips are from Carol in True2Scale as are the plates. 

I bought the little wooden tree from a Christmas market in Germany last year.  It is so sweet.  I had great fun cutting out the holly leaves from very fine paper I tinted by hand. The 'soil' in the pot came from a dried teabag. The fireplace will be done next and then the Christmas tree decorated before moving on to other things....



Christmas is coming......

This is a taste of Christmassy things to come! This tiny house started off as a little hanging ornament which I completely re-vamped. It is inspired by Carol’s True2Scale glitter houses and churches. It is one inch high.

I don’t have much time at the moment, but any spare I have will be used to work on my Christmas box room – which is still at the construction stage.

Lazy copies

Should I be flattered or annoyed? The first two photos are my original designs which I sold a lot of last year on Etsy.  The other photos I came across on Etsy today and are dolls produced by other people - that are, in my opinion - lazy copies.   Am I alone in getting cross about this sort of thing?  Thankfully I no longer sell or I could get really upset! 

I am so much happier now I have switched to dolls houses.  My latest project is coming on slowly but surely.  And nothing it is has been copied!!