Finally time to breathe

Its been a while hasn't it? I've been so busy with school that I haven't even had time to take a deep breath. I had five finals in four days. I'm sure if I actually drank coffee it would have been slightly easier but of course I'm the only college student who doesn't, I drank lots of hot chocolate though.

 So not to much to report because as I said Ive been really busy, but now that I'm free expect lots of miniature reports. I'm going to work a lot on my witch shop, which I believe shall now be named 'The Curious Raven'. Its nerve wracking because this is my very first dollhouse built from scratch. The wiring is done so now I need to wallpaper it.

Anyone know any tricks to remember where the wiring lies underneath and how to hide the line between different sheets of wallpaper? My shop is very tall because it has a loft so I think I'll need two sheets to cover it all  completely but I don't want the line between them to be obvious. But it will just have to be trial and error.

 hopefully the next post will have bigger news.

Just a few words

Hey folks another quick update. My first attempt at making a book out of clay failed misserably but i'll get some practise and try some different mediums to see what works best.
Take time to check out this artist's give away
http://tweetypetieproducts.blogspot.com/
An awesome artist and a great giveaway! Definitely worth a look. you can also find their work on etsy under the same name.

Pure Inspiraton

I promised an update and here she is. unfortunately there ain't any of my own miniatures to share but I decide to take a look at the artists who inspire me in this post.
The first is
Kiva Atkinson
 http://kivasminiatures.blogspot.com/
I first came upon her in an article about her in American Miniaturist and Ive been hooked to her unique food creations ever since.Check her out on her blog, just seeing the pictures of her past works makes it a worthwhile experience.

here are some pieces from my own collection

from left to right
peeping oysters, spiced plum, two little fish in a jar, basket of wormy apples.
I absolutely love her pieces they are just so much fun and very unique!

The next artist is very near and dear to my heart. Her name is Sue Veeder and she comes with a story attached.

A few years ago my family adopted two kittens from the same litter, the male Domino was for my brother and the female Mimzy was for me. I loved my Little Mimzy but unfortunately she was only two years old when she had to be put down because of massive kidney failure. I was devastated to say the least.  Here she is in all her Torbie glory.

 One day when I was reading a past issue of american miniatureist (I just can't help myself, they are so addicting) I came across an article about an artist who creates dogs and cats out of clay. I immeadiately knew she was perfect and soon she was creating a little mimzy for me. She did an absolutely amazing job, it looks just like my Mimzy.

She along with her new friend (I got him at the show a few weeks ago at the miniature convention) are now happily waiting for the dollhouse to be finnished so they can move right on in.

These are just two of the amazing artists that inspire me and I'm sure I'll share more in the near future.

Hey folks this is only a brief post but I should be posting again soon. Check out this amazing giveaway!
http://ella-roseminis.blogspot.com/
You can also find this artist on etsy by the same artist. Definitely check out this artist.

Best weekend ever

I had the best weekend of my life last weekend. As I said last post I attended a miniature convention last weekend, it was travel themed. It was three days of firsts (like my first workshop, convention ect.) and discoveries. I kick started the weekend with a wonderful class in which I made a purse shop in a purse frame. It was taught by Sylvia Supinski and I had a blast! I now know how to make rosettes and I'm sure they will begin to show up in my dorm room. It was a struggle at first because many of the techniques were completely new and I was nervous being around so many experienced miniaturists but I was welcomed by all. I quickly caught up and began to enjoy myself. Here is the finnished product and I am extremely proud of it.

Next were the round tables which were little classes where you could pick a project to do now or take it for later. I picked up a few kits, to tide me during the long hours of boredom that I know I will eventually feel, when I came across a table full of unfinished 1/4 scale rooms. Now I normally don't dabble in 1/4 scale, I'm purely a 1 inch scale girl but one little room in particular caught my eye and lured me in. It was one of only two with tile flooring and just too pretty for words, even as naked as it was. The next thing I know I'm sitting in a seat and listening as Shaun Crawford (the instructor of this particular project) explained how to dry brush. It slowly began to take shape as I pictured it and ended up looking like this.

I wanted the paint to look patchy as if worn by many years of wear an' tear ( the cracks just added to that image), with a deep oak colored door that was commom in castles. I think its going to end up as a medieval observatory or some other medieval room. I plan to create a stained glass effect on the door and maybe stick a real photograph in the window. I had so much fun that when I caught the previous years project out of the corner of my eye I willingly gave in and began again. This one was very funny looking at the beginning because Shaun advised painting only some of the bricks one color then repeating the process with another color, then dry brushing a lighter color over it. Again it turned out well, it did not look like it would in the beginning. I might turn this one into a treasure room or maybe a dragon's hoard.

I quickly spirited my new treasures up to my room for safe keeping and after a few hours of rest headed down to dinner. Dinner was fun and filled with conversation but the big plus was getting in to the dealer room early. I think my heart stopped when I saw all the tables filled with minis, I have never actually been in a miniature store before so it was a little overwhelming but I snapped out of it quickly and began to shop my heart out. I found everything I could hope for and much more. The first item I bought was a beautiful set of handmade wicker that is going to go in my dollhouse's sunroom.
I bought a few things including my very first doll. I saw her when I stopped by Gabrielle Schmidt's booth on the first day but by then I was shopped out so I left, only to buy her the next day. she is absolutely beautiful and will find her new home in my dollhouse as well.

 The next stop was at Sue Veeder's booth, she makes wonderful painted cats and I bought one that seemed to pop out at me. He isn't named yet but he will be soon. I expect a commissioned piece from her to arrive in the mail soon.

The second banquet had an auction and it was loads of fun as well.

I came home from the convention with bags a little heavier and a smile stuck on my face. I just can't wait until next year!

So not to much is new on the mini front. I just moved into my home a few weeks ago and this is the first chance I have had to blog about anything. Although the extremely hot weather gives perfect miniature conditions I just don't have time. But expect minis in the near future because I have now settled in and I'm ready to mini! I'm also very excited for the coming miniature convention next weekend. It will be my first and I can't be any more excited! I'll definitely let you know how it went!

Harry potter fun

Hey guys I'm back and as promised I come bearing pics of my current crafting adventures. These guys are my mandrakes, fearsome looking bunch rant they? The one on the end seems to have mandrake pattern Baldness. I'll have to fix that later.

These are some of the potion bottles I have made so far. I think I have enough for the shop but knowing myself like I do I know I will probably make more before this shop is done. I got all the bottles from hobby lobby for an amazing deal, Which is good because I have about 50 of them at this point.

The two bottles near the end are an experiment that turned out pretty well, even though it was very labor intensive because I am relatively new to resin. I mix tiny micro beads into clear resin to create a floating look. I had to stir it every 30 minutes for three hours to keep the beads from completely settling on the bottom. I created it in gold, red, turquoise and pink. I actually dropped one of the gold ones, the glass cracked but because it was resin it looks fine and held itself in place.

Another experiment would have to be my spilled bottles. They go perfect with the general organized chaos of my work table.

My current endeavor is making time turners. They are absolutely tiny and a pain to make with large fingers but they ate turning out very well.