WendiesMiniWorld

gubbins

2011-06-15T15:50:00.007+01:00

The Soon to Be Extinct Gubbins Bird

I'd love to be able to say I'd been creating again, but alas not... I just thought I'd share with you the recent additions to my Skool of Majick & Witchery that I received in the post today from Nicky Cooper

The Soon to Be Extinct Gubbins Bird

In Nicky's words... "The Gubbins bird can... sorry, used to be found in the galapagos islands.
However they cannot fly, are exceptionally short sighted.... and sadly live on the edge of cliffs
not the best combination for survival is it!
There fore you see here the very last of its kind!
Do NOT FEED!!
When gubbins birds feed on anything other than the wart plant they emit
the worst odour ever! The cloud of Green putrid mist will spread for miles
(and they wondered why they werent popular with the neighbours??)
The special combination of feeding with some wart plant before midnight will
cause him to glow in the dark.... wart plant available on request!"

Don't ya just love her imagination & storytelling? :D

She also sent me the very lovely painted blanket box/trunk full of scrolls. I think she should make more of these. I love it as I can't paint if my life depended on it, but it's just what I'd do if I could, she has a talent there... another one :D

off to do some research now on 'wart plants'...

A bit of a mini adventure...

2011-06-06T09:59:00.019+01:00

I've been away a while... having a mini adventure... well, I've been about a bit and seen a lot of mini-ing things...
Firstly, a huooge thanx to the lovely mini-ing friends that I met up with at Kensington Doll show, for making it more than just a great day out, so much giggling... definitely one of the best days out with friends I've ever had!

(I'm the one in brown trying to breathe in and not make my tummy look quite so humungus, others opted for the 'hide the belly' game in other ways! LOL)
We met up afterwards with some other friends too who had stalls at the show and I returned home feeling quite inspired to get mini-ing again.... and then I helped move my son from one flat to another and was too tired to even think about mini's for a few weeks!!!

I'm really enthused now tho as I've just had a nice holiday on the Isle of Wight, and was lucky enough to go to Godshill Miniature Vilage while I was there. If you love miniatures and you've never been, it's REALLY worth a visit! I thought I loved my dollhouses, but when you see the workmanship that goes into these buildings that live outside permanently, well... its starts ya thinking in a whole new light!

(if you poke the pictures, they will pop up bigger for a better look)

we wondered just how accurate it was... so we walked up the hill afterwards to see the real version of the church and houses and its a suprisingly good likeness!

I snapped this with my mum in the foreground as a reminder that this is the real version LOL

this is my daughter crouching to take pics of the shopfronts

(I'm too decrepid to crouch nowadays LOL)

Most of the village is in 10th scale but theres even a model of the model village in the model village at 1:100 / 1:1000!

the miniature buildings were incredible , but the landscaping was equally as impressive, over 3000 trees and shrubs are manicured regularly to keep this looking as great as it does.

I even spotted a little peep doing some decorating/maintenance!!!

hubbs spotted other things, trust him to ask the question.... can you spot Erica Rowe? :D

(for those who need a clue... she was a topless streaker! LOL)

and of course the village pub... in miniature

and real... its never a proper holiday without a stop off in one or two :D

We did so much last week but still found a bit of time to relax,

have a paddle,
and stop to smell the flowers.... well, the ones without bees in anyway! LOL

oh and the yummys.... can't forget them!

... back on the diet again for me methinks LOL

Anyone seen my mojo? & new little things

2011-04-13T14:44:00.012+01:00

My mini-ing mojo has run away!!! has anyone seen it? LOL I have no idea when it last graced me with its presence but it's been far too long since I felt like I wanted clay in my hands & I'm beginning to feel a bit 'lost' now.

I'm hoping that the school holidays will encourage my daughter off the playstation and into getting messy in the craftroom thus kick starting my creative mojo once more, I do have a few other bits & bobs keeping me occupied though and seem to be quite content at the moment with knitting needles in my hand, so maybe the mini-mojo was hijacked, & hidden away somewhere by the knitting fairy instead? After all, over the last month, I've also been to watch the Rugby @ Twickenham and spent a few days in London sightseeing /going to a concert so havn't really had a great deal of spare time anyway!
I have still had my eyes on minis, and have had some lovely mini things appear through my letterbox from some of my even lovelier blogging friends :o)

...some hatpins from Glenda of Peppercorn Minis, for Granny Weatherwax's hat, although she needs considerably more coverage than just her hat as she's been naked for about 18 months now... crivens!!!!

...and some cute little cutters from Julia of Bearcabin Miniatures.

I 'just' need to mix up some gingerbread coloured clay and make some biscuits to go into my Santa's shop/house :o)

...and I won Kat the Hat's red nose day hat

which looks good whatever side you look at it from
she sent me some other bits too ... I love the little black straw bowler and WHEN my mojo returns I shall have to make some-one to fit it as its a perfect size for a trainee witch - its just too nice to spend its life on the end of a bed :o)

the adorable little newly hatched sleeping dragon was made by the dragon queen, Nicky Cooper and is just SO detailed... the picture doesnt do it justice at all!

oh well, thats about it from me for now, I have a mojo to find & more procrastinating to do!

another blog

2011-03-16T12:44:00.004Z

No new minis for a bit, I've been distracted by other 'stuff' in my creative stash.... anyways, I don't want to clutter up my mini's page with my stitching stuff so have made a page specific for my textile & yarn ramblings, & thought I'd put a link to my other blog on here for anyone thats interested "stitching the stash"

I'm a bad blogger at the best of times so heavens only knows how I'll cope with managing 2 blogs LOL

paperclay & filler exterior tutorial

2011-03-07T10:24:00.008Z

Apologies for promising a tutorial & then leaving you waiting!

I am very easily distracted and decided (in my infinite wisdom) over the school holidays, to learn how to knit and it sort of took over for a while... I have now put the needles down and am back... for a bit.

OK so in my last post, some of you out there in blogland wanted to know how I acheived this look

heres a glimpse into how I did it.

For this project I have used ordinary ready made household decorating filler & 'creative' brand paperclay but note, this paperclay is very difficult to get hold of in the UK! if anyone knows of a current UK supplier PLEASE let me know! as import taxes make this product as rare as hens teeth here! I'm sure the same principals will work with other air dry brands of clay.

Roll out your paperclay between two pieces of cling film wrap, to a depth of approx 2 mm.
Rolling between clingfilm stops it sticking to your surface & your roller.

then, using a ruler gently mark out lines of 1/4 inch wide to indicate the bricklines, and mark the width of the bricks at 3/4 inch in length. Stagger /alternate the bricks on each row until it looks like the pic below. This represents the equivalent of a 3" x 9" typical housebrick. For other sized bricks adjust dimensions to suit.
Be careful not to cut through the lines.

then using an embossing tool or something similar with a small rounded end, follow your score lines and smooth off to make the grout lines.

cut along the brick lines, into random shapes

use PVA to glue these shapes onto the surface you are wanting to cover, starting along one edge rather than in the middle. Smooth the very edge of the clay down a little to help the adhesion to both the surface and for the layer of filler to be added to over this edge.

I then mark out a grid to follow so that my bricks line up a bit more accurately as when I've not done this step it doesn't quite look right. I must be one of life's 'picture straighteners' as I can usually spot something not lined up right and it irritates me until its straightened LOL

Stipple the paperclay bricks using an old brush to add some texture to the clay.

Next the colouring. This is all a matter of personal taste, I prefer grey toned grout lines as it just looks more weather worn to me, but any colour you like can be used, as per the the bricks too.

I coloured my bricks using a mix of watered down 50:50 burnt umber and burnt sienna acrylics with a grey grout line painted in with a fine brush. The last bit of the brick painting gets done after the final wash has been applied.

I forgot to photograph this bit sorry :o( but fellow blogger Michelle from Michelles Mad World recently did a post on paperclaying exteriors too, and has covered the painting aspect much better than me anyway! if you need help with the painting step or havnt seen it yet pop over & take a peek here .

The next step I really enjoyed! using a narrow spatula/pallett knife, smooth your readymade filler evenly onto the surface, to the same depth as the bricks. Cover just the edge of your paperclay bricks. Dont worry about getting a super-smooth surface, you dont want that anyway! a few ridges make it look better. (I used ready made filler as it seemed to give a much finer finish than the powdered make it yerself variety)

when adding plaster to the edge of wooden beams, take great care not to let filler dry onto the wood as it will be difficult to remove, so have a damp cloth or damp cotton buds to remove any excess filler from areas its not supposed to be!

add a few cracks along the edges where the 'plaster' has 'fallen off' using a scalpel or sharp knife. The effect will look better once a final dirty wash has been applied as the colour will sit in the cracks and look like dirt accumulated over the years.

then the boring bit... waiting for it to all dry!

It needs to be thoroughly dry before the next step.....

Sand the surface of the plaster with a fine grade sandpaper to remove any sharp edges, nature wouldn't leave these on an old building, so neither should we.

OK, so now its dry and sanded... Mix a wash of brown, grey and even a little green acrylics together and water down. It nees to look like a dirty dusty mud colour to work properly. Try the thickness/colour on a piece of paper or sample piece before adding to your finished piece, to check the desired shade / consistency. Add over the whole side of your work, bricks and plaster, then wipe off from the surface gently with a cloth before it dries. This will remove just the surface 'dirt' leaving the 'dirt' in the areas it would naturally fall into.The final step was to dry brush a litte burnt sienna over the top of the bricks, which catches in the stippled areas giving the red tinge we normally associate with bricks.

You can enhance the look further by adding moss into the cracks or edges of the bricks.

Hope that helps some of you get started on your projects. It's really not as scary as you think, just experiment and you'll be surpised how you work things out as you go along , any questions just ask.

almost done :o)

2011-02-23T21:57:00.007Z

I had a few hours to myself over the last couple of days, which is rare for a school half term! but my daughter is getting older now and doesnt need (or want) permanent supervision from mum!! LOL so I made some progress on the sewing shopbox whilst the playstation kept her company.

and it went from looking like this....to this.... :o)The bricks were made from paperclay & painted with acrylics, then the rest was plastered in ready made quick drying filler, sanded and then a weak dirty wash applied all over.

I dont like the door it came with as it's just mdf so will make one of my balsa specials for it next... maybe tomorrow? and I want to try out Glenda's idea for a leaded window too, you can see her fantastic tutorial here.
I'm on an urge to get it all finished as I want to make a start on my steampunk mousientists house ... and because it'd be quite novel to actually have something FINISHED for a change!!! :o)

I did take lots of pics while I decorated it, but wasnt sure if anyone would actually want a step by step how to do it with paperclay and polyfilla? let me know if you want to see how it's done.

another project to add to the to-do list!....

2011-02-21T17:08:00.008Z

just a quick post... I found this whilst out shopping this morning and just HAD to have it !! and it was a bargain too, so home it came :o) as soon as I saw it I thought it was just the right size to turn it into a 2 floored steampunk style clockwork 'dolls'-house/room box 'thing'!
I have a vision for it... (wether it turns out anywhere near the image in my head is another matter LOL) I think I shall put a lift in one corner with cogs and chains etc and on the upper floor will be an observatory, with a pull down/fold up bed contraption. I've been wanting to do something steampunk for a while and now I have the perfect vessel for me to play with :o) I had a chat about this with a few friends and Joolz of Jakdaws attic is going to make me a steampunked mousientist with mad hair, boggly eyes & goggles on, to live in it (when he's not running around the Skool of Majick blowing things up!! )
:o) Happy days ....

I'd love to make a start on the new project but the neverending 'to-do' list insisted I finished some overdue tasks first... so I did a little bit of decorating on the sewing (shop?) roombox instead (little being about right! LOL) painted the ceiling, fitted & painted flooring, bashed the beams about a bit and stained it.

not much to show workwise & not very exciting really, I need to buy some filler stuff to put between the beams on the outside as 'plaster' & I need to spray seal the wallpaper that I printed off for it, but I need to do the spraying outside and today it rained! :o( ... so those are jobs for tomorrow & hopefully I'll show you a finished roombox next time?

back to the to-do list... I did tick some tasks off but now seem to have added more than I removed... c'est la vie!

and now for something completely different...

2011-02-20T11:57:00.005Z

Not my usual sort of miniatures, but...

A while ago, I discovered the world of "inchies" on another blog and did much covetting, ooo-ing and arrr-ing, googled it... and oh my, it opened a world of mixed media delights upon my eyes!! and then I wanted to have a go too :o) Before miniatures, my first love was always with textiles and stitching so I enjoyed focusing on playing with fabric just for the fun of it again, rummaged in my stash & this is my first attempt.

They say size matters... well an inch wasn't quite big enough for me (no smutty jokes please) and I settled for an inch & a quarter.

some closer views,

Now they're finished I wish I'd added more stitching... maybe next time? I need to find a nice box frame to mount them in now ... nothing's ever completely finished around here LOL

back to my 'to-do list!.....

adding door hinges

2011-02-15T17:05:00.007Z

As requested by Michelle...

to get your doors to sit flush within the door frame so that no gaps are visible where you've added the door, you have to rebate the hinge into the door, just take a look at your real doors at home.

So here's how I did it... Firstly lightly mark around the hinge to be fitted, I positioned mine about an inch from the base, in line with the brace at the back of the door and the mock strap hinge at the front. You can buy working strap hinges that are all in one.... unfortunately I only discovered this AFTER I'd bought mine :o( so had to do it this way.

then cut/slice this section away using a sharp scalpel (I have no idea if you can get proper mini chisels, but I found this worked well enough for me) as a safety warning... cut away from you (not like I do... I am an accident waiting to happen LOL) Cut away just a 1mm depth or that of the hinge you are fitting.

like this -

Put a drop of superglue on the back of the hinge to keep it in place, but take great care at this point not to allow the glue to get into the hinge or it will stick & remain permanently in that position ! (yep, I found out the hard way)

add the fiddly screw-pins, remember, double sided sticky tape over the end of you thumb is a godsend for keeping the pins where you want them!

at this point I go over any raw bits of the door with a touch up of woodstain, and paint the hinge with a bit of black paint, filling the gap between hinge & strap to make it look like one piece (again, you can buy working straps and save the hassle of this bit). When dry, your hinge should close flat like this :o)

and not be raised at all, perfect for a close fitting.

as you can see... I didnt find the doorknobs! LOL so havn't finished the final fitting bit as it'd be too fiddly adding the knobs once the doors are fitted properly. To fit, I will cut a similar groove from the door frame as done in the first & second step shown, and just apply a thin bit of E6000 glue to the hinge, put into the frame rebate and wait... it takes a while to dry so gives you more working time but this stuff is industrial strength and is much stronger than superglue, so make sure it doesnt get into the working bit of the hinge!!!

I have just had some replacement knobs delivered and am waiting for the paint to dry before fitting them ... and its teatime... and Im hungry, so will show you the final bit tomorrow.

I made doors & I've still got all my fingers :o) or just - 'how to make doors' !

2011-02-09T12:36:00.018Z

As you would expect from anything thats mine, nothing is 'normal' and all my mini doors are an odd shape &/or size! so I've had no choice but to make my own. I had been collecting coffee stirrers believing they would do the trick but they were just the wrong scale, so following much inspiration from Nina (the tudor dollshouse project), Michelle (Michelles Mad World), and Janice (on being a mini mum) & their wonderful blogs offering advice, I took the plunge, ordered some 1/4" x 1/2" balsa and set to work :o)

Firstly, I drew around the door hole to get a guide, and then started cutting the balsa to size, using a razor saw as recommended by Janice. I had no idea what a 'razor saw' actually was but was given an assortment of blades a few xmas's ago so made full use of it, experimented with all the ones with teeth, and found the perfect tool to cut with! I then scored the balsa with my modelling tool to get some deep weather grains into the 'wood' as I don't want them looking all new.

When all the pieces were cut to fit the pattern, I used Michelles tip of adding some brown paint to the PVA to colour it, as an added ageing thing; and glued all the pieces together. I had to add a coffee stirrer to each side as it wasnt quite wide enough to fit the door hole but its provided a 'frame' for the door so it worked out ok for me. The balsa didnt stick too easily so I taped it tight with lowtack tape and left it for a few hours for the PVA to dry.

I wanted my doors to look like they had iron studs on the door braces so made pilot holes using my 2mm drill bit and cut small bits of cocktail stick to dowel them together (I also glued them at the back just to be sure!) this sounded much less time consuming than cutting down real nails like Nina did!!!

Hinges.... here I nearly lost my sanity completely!!! the TINY screw/rivetty things they supply with hinges I swear are meant to drive you crazy trying to insert into the holes! LOL the balsa was simple to get them in but getting them into a coffee stirrer type strength of wood..... NO!
So, my 'Tip of the Day' is the same as yesterday's.... double sided tape again! worn over the finger tip worked a treat at keeping them where I wanted them ... which wasnt on the floor :o)

next, the brace studs got painted with black acrylic

After staining with a coat of satin walnut woodstain, I added a wash of grey acrylic and then dry brushed a bit of sap green on the edges of the doors to make it look a little mossy/mouldy like I imagine old doors to look.

Here are the finished doors for the front & upstairs back door.

adding mock strap hinges ... and a little moss to hide where the superglue leaked! and painting a little black acrylic over the TINY brass 'rivets' that I have learnt to despise more than I thought possible!

The finished door in place ... at last! & the upstairs of The Skool of Majick is now a little safer from the invasion of the dust monster.

I cannot do anymore to finish them properly yet, as I cant find my door knobs. I really, really want to finish it all :o( but I seem to have mislaid the smaller hinges that I bought as well and as you can see, the ones I have used on the other doors are just too big!!! (typical of me to now be officially un-hinged LOL) methinks I have put them in the same 'safe place' and lost them! if I cant find them, I may have to get the clay out and attempt to make some. I have the most amazing dragon door knocker to put on the front door too and cant wait to show it off :o)

right ... off to have another rummage for my sanity.

P.S. I also have to think up what to do with a bagful of spare wooden coffee stirrers!!! LOL

banisters & more sticky fingers

2011-02-08T10:50:00.010Z

I've pulled my finger out of where-ever it was it got stuck and have been getting on with a few overdue neccessaries in the Skool of Majick :o)

As some of you may know , I don't like doing woodwork... it conjures images of splinters and chopping bits off of digits usually, so it was ignored.... until now.

Now, most normal people buy ready made stair banister railing thingies... not me, I'm a tightwad, and despite limited abilities with anything wood, thought it would be easier? better? or just cheaper, to do it meself!

marking up, for dowelling so that it stood a chance of not falling apart! I had to add a thin woodstrip at the bottom for the spindles to be glued to, to save my sanity attempting to work out how to secure them to the floor otherwise!!

I then used a 2mm drill bit, to make a hole just big enough for a bit of chopped off toothpick to be used as a fine dowel.
then the bit I dread.... whittling bits of the wood away to imitate years of knocks and general wear 'n' tear.
adding woodstain... and getting very dirty fingers, I then discovered my 'Tip of the day'...
Double-sided carpet tape!!! perfect for the spindles to stick to so they can be painted right up to the top without covering my fingers in quite so much mess :o)

it was also useful for keeping the base together whilst the glue dried.

and the end result...

it just needs some dust... no creative tip there other than to leave the roof off for a bit... it'll soon find its way in ;o)

My balsa wood arrived too , so I've also made a start on the doors... more to follow
.

busy, sticky l'il fingers!

2011-01-19T20:24:00.013Z

Hello Peeps... me again :o)

I've actually done some more work on the Skool of Majick and finally FINISHED one room!!!
I've been planning and plotting for years on how to finish it, and had originally intended on having a parquet floor... bought all the wooden pieces, got covered in wood glue, sanded it down, sanded down my fingers too, sanded a bit more and it still looked awful so I resorted to plan B, threw it out & fitted floorboards instead... much simpler, and it finally enabled me to move on!!!

(I'm sure some of you out there are thinking "Plan B? I'm suprised she even has a Plan A!")

I also added paperclay stones around the doorways to add a bit of detail into the hallways & rooms... and because they are arched doorways, there was no way my woodworking skills were up to adding wooden architraving!!

First step - add a dark line into the mortar crevices.
.this is /was my palette. Normal acrylics, mid grey & earth brown, with a water to thin.

next step, applying thin, uneven layers of differing shades over the 'stones', until happy with the colouring. (this proved tricky painting in a 6" halway with an 8" brush!) Wait to dry between coats. When finished, apply a last thin coat of colour over ALL the stones, as this blends them all together. When dry, seal with a matt varnish.

Despite my woodworking skils being fairly minimal, I did however work out how to cut a nice neat angle onto the skirting at the top of the stairwell, as it is very thin and could be cut with a craft knife, so I had no worries about chopping off any digits LOL
Remember to fill in any cutlines with more stain/varnish to hide the join.

I also added some more detailing to the dormitory wall, my next challenge is to work out how to make and fit doors!!

I've been collecting those free wooden coffee stirrers for some time to try & make the doors out of, but will need a lot! This has always provoked lots of 'those' looks from my family when were out but my needs must have rubbed off on their conscience, as my daughter came home from a well known burger chain at the weekend with a nice suprise for me :o)

bless her! I still need a few hundred more tho LOL

The finished room, "Hagatha & Grumpbold's" bedroom.
Both of the dolls were made by Nicky Cooper, long before I learnt how to make anything with clay.

oops ...actually its not! now I see it in a picture, it needs something at the windows! Aaarrgghh! what do you think? more stonework around the windows, or dark curtains?... or both?
is a miniature setting ever really finished?!

the luv-spud and other 'things'

2011-01-13T15:48:00.008Z

Hello Peeps!
Happy New Year!!!

I've been a bad blogger... again!!! (methinks far too many of my posts start this way) It being a new year and all that I really should do something about it, especially seeing as my good friend Debbie from Tiny Treasures has been nagging & wagging her virtual finger at me to to update my blog.
So here goes... well I thought I didnt have much to blog about until I sat at the keyboard and now I think shall have to make several posts with all I'd like to say since I last said something! I never learn.

Xmas brought me some lovelies that I hadnt expected, most of you by now have realised I have a 'thing' for pumpkins & chickens, but I also have a 'thing' for mushrooms and a 'thing' for hearts, amongst other 'things'. So imagine my suprise while preparing the breakfast on Xmas morning when this heart shaped mushroom made an appearance.

then my lovely hubby gave me this as a present

I'd admired these mushroom stools for a long while and was over the moon to get one that had heart shaped seats :o) I had no idea he had hidden it in the shed, he apparently got up at stupid-o-clock to carry it through the garden full of snow into the house, whilst I slept!!! (note more of my collection spreading across the background)
and to complete the hat-trick, I also had a heart shaped potato... we called it the luv-spud... and it was luv-ly :o)

I was also delighted that my son bought me another Pendle Witch to keep the one that sits above my workbench happy

my first Pendle Witch above, and below the new one I got for xmas :o)

she has such a kindly face :o)

(you can read about The Pendle Witches here)
... methinks witches should be alone or in 3's so methinks another may be needed... this is beginning to sound like yet another 'collection' brewing LOL it did however leave me pondering if it were possible for me to scale up rather than down and try to make one by myself? I've only ever worked with polymer clay in 12th scale and smaller so this will be a real challenge for me. My miniature 'to-do' list has grown so long, that I really should be working my way through that rather than venturing into different scales. But to be honest, my dream of being able to make miniatures as a business venture has slid almost out of reach due to various health issues hindering my timescale for creativity ... and deadlines... pfft, I'm not the best with them! So, similar to the claims I made for my last new years resolve, I have decided (again) that I'm not pressurizing myself into making anything this year! it'll happen when it happens!!! (which isnt usually very often! LOL) but if I do make anything for sale I shall list it on here first.

When the snow from holidays cleared and the postman resumed his duties, I received a beautifully made xmas ornament from my friend Kat over at 'Little thoughts from an Average mind'.

it will look great alongside the other felt ornaments I made for the tree, but alas, it didnt make it onto the tree in time this year, but has been packed away safely ready for when the big event comes round again. In the mean time, I can play with the other goodies she sent me to go into the sewing shopbox I'm putting together. I shall show pics of its progress next time hopefully.

The Teapot is for Hagatha in my Skool of Majick... and the bear will go into the Santas Toyshop, more buildings which I hope to show you progress of soon!

Another reason I've not posted much is that I have been discovering so many new blogs! for example one I found has given me a numb behind where I have sat reading & admiring her work for so long today! LOL & my head is now filled with so many wonderful images that you just have to go see for yourselves. Pop over to Boxoftrix and have a peep, if you love embroidery,textiles & miniatures, you'll be glad you did.
I have also been remiss in welcoming my new followers, I apologise, and will add links to your pages with a proper introduction SOON x

right, off to prioritize that 'to-do' list!

a white xmas, a semi frozen chicken & a very cute dragon

2010-12-20T18:25:00.011Z

How cold is it out there? Brrrrrrrrrrrr !!!! first there was a hard frost, that changed my chicken wire into barbed wire!!then came the snow!this was taken just a few miles from my home, on Saturday morning when I had to go and collect a xmas pressie or it wouldnt have been delivered in time! when I saw the hill I had to drive up (and down) I was very grateful for the 4x4 I own!!! its since snowed again & we now have quite a few more inches here. Despite the cold, I do think it looks very pretty.
My poor chooks however, arent impressed by the white stuff at all !!! they looked so cold today, the littlest one in particular was actually shivering as she still hasnt grown back all the feathers from her last moult, so has a virtually bald front poor thing. So I made her a little xmas 'apron' to keep her chest warm, but she made a bit of a fuss and looked like she was really having trouble walking in it so I made her a pullover vest instead and she seemed much happier in that one... methinks she maybe at first misunderstood the whole xmas 'dressed chicken' thing? :o)

(and following an earlier conversation, Kat... no to the carpets and mini bar! and Nikki... no to the blankets and sky tv! LOL)

I cant remember if Ive told you before, but I have quite a few miniatures made by the very talented Nicky Cooper , I have several of her dolls and more recently, a couple of her amazing dragon creations too. This was the latest one I managed to get a few weeks ago, it made me smile and I just knew I had to have it :o) I havn't decided yet whether he's gonna go on the Skool of Majick roof terrace next to the potting table or in the potion room/kitchen. neither are finished so I think I shall try both and see what looks best. She's not only talented but a very sweet friend as well, as I received a lovely suprise package from her a few days ago, with this very special xmas gift inside. isnt it beautiful?! I've called him Santie Claws and he's hanging in pride of place now on my xmas tree!
I have a few more things I still need to do before the big day, and should be ready as long as we get no more white stuff preventing me from getting out & about!
I know that most of England and in fact most of the northern hemisphere countries have had lots of snow recently so wherever you are, take care out there if you're out & about, especially if like me you're doing last minute rushing about .

sparkly things

2010-12-13T10:30:00.012Z

I've seen lots of bloggers have been showing their beautiful xmas decs, so I thought I'd join in and share some of mine too.... although I must confess that they're nowhere near as stunning !! but they're what makes my family and I happy, and thats what matters at this time of year :o)

We have a really large conservatory and so put our tree here as theres more room to move about when lots of people are in there.and for Debbie - top right corner is my first ever Dec, my precious windchime thats always the first to be put up... holds some memories that one :o)

some of our decs, there are a few that have been around many, many years like the robin - I seem to have had that forever! but the little red hen was a pressie from one of my chicken chums more recently :o)

we usually have white twinkling lights on our tree, but the xmas 'stuff-up' fairy (I'm not normally that polite and have worse that I usually call it!) decided to attack them in the loft! so off we went to buy new lights, and they looked lovely for about 20 minutes and then one set died!! so... off came all the decs and lights and we decided to use our red holly berry lights instead that used to go around the stair garlands, only the 'stuff up' fairy had mutilated them too... wires everywhere!!! Not one to be defeated, hubbs decided to play fix it guy and resoldered all the joints to the lights and hey presto they now work :o) alas the twinkly lights couldnt be saved... we've still to put up the light nets onto all the windows, it is a total sparkle-fest in there at night as the lights all bounce off the windows .this was one taken last year of my son helping to put the lights up... probly the only time Ive ever seen him with cleaning products in his hands LOLthis dec is one of my favourites, a friend bought it for me last year and I just love it! its 12th scale too and has a tealight at the back to make it glow.
We dont decorate the lounge much as we tend to use the conservatory at xmas so this tiny tree is the only one in this room LOL. but I do have one in my craftroom! you still with me?... tis going on a bit LOL
here's my stair garland-y thing in the hall/dining room...
and the dog has a stocking too :o)and finally a few recent additions to my kitchen
am off for a cuppa and a mince pie now... hope you enjoyed my decorations :o)

I wish every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

nom, nom, gingerbread :o)

2010-12-08T15:14:00.009Z

I havnt updated my blog for a while... again, but I've been very good and have been doing the excercises the physio-terrorist gave me and am slowly becoming more mobile and less achey :o) (methinks the drugs help too!) I've still not been able to get the clay out for a play yet tho as I know if I sit down to sculpt I will take root and it wont do me any good to sit for that long! I don't like to get bored so I have been going through my 'to do' list for things that I CAN do. One of the things I decided on was a pattern for a half eaten gingerbread man I saw somewhere in blogland last xmas (sorry I forgot where) but it originated here at Elsie Marley's site and I fell in love with it ♥ its ever so easy and full instructions are given on her site, including the template... and its FREE!
Anyway, here's some of my efforts at making a few for my tree.I made some uneaten ones as well as the half eaten ones from the pattern & made enough to go on the this tree in my craft room and some more go into my kitchen.

I hit a blank when trying to remember how to do the French knots for the eyes and found this reminder on youtube that helped to shake my brain cells back into action.

You're probably all tutting at me for not remembering how to do something so simple, but hopefully some-one might find it useful, my memory obviously isnt what it used to be if I'm forgetting how to do stuff I've done a thousand times before! best I not try and ride a pushbike eh...? LOL

I'm going to make some xmas pudding decorations next, I'm sure I can manage those without instructions ;o) but before then I shall be making a tiny coat for my littlest chook, as she's not regrown all her feathers since she moulted and its been bitterly cold here recently so she needs a protective layer, -6 is not a good time to be featherless!!

Great Give-away!

2010-11-29T14:16:00.002Z

this is a great give-away I've found here in blogland! For any of you that arent already familiar with Marie Segals lovely claywork, pop over and take a peep at her blog at Art from my heart the more comments she gets the more draws there will be for the giveaway! The draw started on my birthday so I'm hoping that will earn me some extra luck from the angels she's giving out on her birthday !!! LOL

out of the loop

2010-11-24T12:12:00.005Z

just a quickie to let you know I'm still about, and attempting to keep up to date reading all the blogs, even if I dont comment on them, as I still cant sit for long and so am trying to cram in as much as possible in my windows of opportunity! I was making some progress with my back problem and then I took the dog for a stroll at the weekend and got yanked sideways putting me flat on my back again!!! :o( this setback is gonna take me months to rebuild my ripped muscles..... Im doing things properly, heat and ice and have an excercise plan from my phsyio-terrorist oh and the other important ingredient... drugs!!! :o) ....as a friend said to me the other day 'better living through chemistry' ! hopefully if I do as Im told I shall be mobile again by the new year... I wonder if hubbs realises I havent done ANY xmas shopping yet?... LOL its gonna be interesting!!!! I just really hope I can find a way to do some crafting or I may go insane with boredom!!!!

Carnivaaaaaal :o)

2010-11-08T14:58:00.010Z

Every year my hometown has the most amazing illuminated carnival, said to be the largest in the world! so I thought some of you out there in blogosphere might be interested to see a few pics of the Bridgwater carnival that went on a few days ago. This event attracts visitors to our town from all over the world. I realised this year that I take this amazing spectacle quite for granted as I dont even go to watch it some years! There are lots of different categories that the floats are judged in, some floats are called Tableaux and the people on them remain absolutely still throughout the procession,
like these ones

while others have carts with moving parts that go in all directions with dancers on that continue for the 2 hrs plus that it takes to go through the streets!

Gremlins CC 'Runaway Train'
Gremlins usually win the show and did so again for the 7th time in a row as overall champions! but when we got a first glimpse of this one coming we all knew it was special, and it went on to win the top prize in the open feature cart section.

Masqueraders CC

and this one came 2nd
This was the last 'cart' and was totally my favourite
Harlequins CC

Despite the weather usually being wet and cold it doesnt put anyone off this wonderful free event. There are collectors that walk alongside the procession and collect donations which usually raises between £20-30,000 which is distributed to various charities. The sad thing is that this works out at just 50p-£1 per person watching, which is quite disappointing as the people in the clubs involved give their time and skills for free and build these wonderful entries from scratch each year !!
It is most amusing walking around our town at times, seeing some of the fantastic costumes that will be appearing on the carts that year. I'm glad I went to watch it :o)

more info about this great event can be found on this website
www.bridgwatercarnival.org.uk

Halloween & a slightly bigger than usual PlumpKin!

2010-11-01T17:18:00.007Z

I've seen some wonderful Halloween blog posts this year :o) this probly isnt one of them tho!!! but I wanted to take part in Kat the Hats Halloween Blog Party so here's my post, last minute me strikes again LOL!
I had a feeling my back wasnt going to let me have much fun this week and I wasnt far wrong, BUT.... the main reason I've not posted for a while is that I now have a new computer :o)!!! YAY :o) I was limited in trying to communicate for a while with just facebook via my mobile phone so am overjoyed to 'normal' again so quickly. What did we do before all this technology me wonders!!! anyways, I had no idea that retreiving and reloading all the files and programs to my new shiny majickal box would be so mentally taxing!!! let alone learning the differences between my old operating system and Vista! So I may have missed out on most of the Halloween fun but can assure you I have spent my fair share of time in 'Hell' LOL

I did however spend a few minutes a few times each day attempting to make myself a paper-mache pumpkin house, but didnt quite get to the finish line in time for the big day! jeez get out the violins!!! haha
this is the story so far.... this started when I saw a Pumpkin by Stolloween on facebook where it showed the internal makings of a mache pumpkin. It was 'just' strips of card attached to a floorplate with strips of card or newspaper weaved between to make a base for the mache to be added, the first pic is not mine as I forgot to take a pic of how I started mine D'oh! so I hope he doesnt mind me using it. but you get the idea? I only wanted a half pumpkin so made a few adjustments.
Then began the layering up.... I had to make a few cuts in the top to give it a bit more shape, the central tube was just to support the shape while it dried.

until it got soggy.... and had to be replaced by something a bit sturdier when I added the 'stalk'!

lots and LOTS of coats of paint later!... so far its had 2 coats of white and & 7.... yes, 7 coats of orange, I reckon it probly needs another few to be totally orange. NOTE: I learnt that using a good coat of ordinary household white emulsion was much more effective at covering newspaper mache than white poster paint or acrylic! and when you've already got backache those few minutes saved mean a lot!!!
I still need to paint the inside a pale pumkinny colour and then add a floor and some shelving into the natural curved alcoves and .... you know how it goes, IF I'm lucky I may have it finished before NEXT Halloween!

whinge alert!!!

2010-10-25T15:33:00.006+01:00

I'm seriously fed up with myself now!!! Last year I completely missed Halloween because I was in hospital having my gall bladder removed and so was REALLY looking forward to having a big celebration this year to make up for it, BUT..... once again my body has other ideas as I've only gone and done my back in again somehow and so spent most of the last few days horizontal!...... no jokes please, it wasnt a fun kind of horizontal!! its all my fault anyway as I will insist on overdoing things when I feel ok! I did manage to get to see my phsysio-terrorist this morning but she didnt think it was gonna be a quick fix, as it seems Ive damaged/over stretched? the ligaments again that I tore last xmas, so poor ol Boris our big friendly Spidey might not be coming out of the cupboard this week as me & ladders are gonna be a definite no-no for a while :o( This pic was taken the last time we had 'Boris' out of the cupboard... poor thing must be lonely in there! but I can barely stand at the moment let alone walk very far so wont be doing any Trick or Treating or playing hostess with the mostest this year :o( thankfully I can still have some Halloween fun with all the online gatherings instead and am just going to put off my partying for another year.... again! and my golf... sob, sob... second thoughts, I never did like playing in the rain anyway so that may be the excuse I was looking for LOL

Hopefully this latest ailment wont keep me from my mini-ing too long, who knows? not me! I shall keep popping back to read the blogs but I may not be creating anything new or posting again for a while, but I WILL be back! x

just a quickie

2010-10-18T12:06:00.004+01:00

just a quick line to apologize for my blogland absence .... again! Real life keeps attempting to force me into doing anything other than what I have plans for!!!
I've had a few ongoing health issues that thankfully some of which have now been resolved :o) but, my nomadic son is on the move again and because he's been staying in my workroom it has caused a few delays and 'occupational hiccups'.... clay and airborn dust 'n' fluff REALLY do not mix well! ...actually they mix only too well, which has created many issues.... hairy candles just dont look right! so I have downed tools and taken to the golf course to escape the madness!! I really do apologize to those who are waiting for orders, but I have taken the very selfish attitude of putting myself first for a bit.... or I may have had a serious meltdown!! I have no intention of ruining anyones Halloween scenes, so 'last minute wendie' policies will be in force and you'll have a big sigh of relief when your orders arrive just in time!
Hope you can understand.
I won't be gone long!

Edit... I'm also having trouble reading & leaving comments on some peeps blogs, if I havnt seemed to have visited for a while, then you may be one of the blogs that I cant read, (possibly something to with backgrounds and text conflicts?) but its nice to be able to see the pics anyway :o)

Miniatura

2010-10-03T16:37:00.021+01:00

I had a wonderful day at Miniatura yesterday, and am so glad I decided to go after all. The day started on a high when I met one of my lovely customers who had flown over from America! she collected her order from me and happily liked what I'd made so I had some money to spend which made me very happy indeed!

This is the pumpkin witch & travelling trunk I made her, and some smaller peeps.
I then met up and chatted with lots of mini-ing friends and bloggers AND found time to spend lots of money too!! If I had more £, I'd have just spent more, as there were so many beautiful things Id have liked to have bought but alas, not on this trip :o(.... do you hear the sad violin tune playing? LOL

These are some of the things I bought... (a certain person has been nagging me since I got back for pics of my 'tiny treasures' so hope it keeps her happy LOL )
My first stop was to say Hi to Julie of Bellabelle Dolls and I fell in love with her new marotte dolls and just had to have one I also had a bit of a splurge on Mags Cassidy's stand too! she was selling out fast and I could totally understand why, she needs to make more witchy stuff as it proved very popular. This is what I got from her, click the pics to make them bigger as these small images really dont do them justice!
We had a good 'ol natter and a giggle, one day I shall have a stand next to hers and we shall put the world to rights but we'd sell more if we were further apart! LOL
I lost count how many giggly chats I had with my twinikins Debie from Piskies & Poppets, and think we may have worn our jaws and ears out, but still wish I could have been there today as well to do it all again :o)
I also bought lots of 'doing' stuff too, shiny 'things' to convert into other 'things' from TeePee crafts, and some cold porcelain, colouring, cutters, wires etc as I fancied having a go with another medium as the leaves I've been making from Fimo are just not thin enough and I can (hopefully) acheive this with the cold porcelain. I also bought lots of bulb wires so I can make some more lit up pumpkins, oh and some cernit clay. After the moonies and hairline cracks Ive had in the other clays Ive been using lately, I thought I should try this out. I shall be running a test on all my clays and will report the findings here when Ive done them. I have high hopes for this stuff and hope it doesnt disappoint :o)please forgive the odd picture... blogger has been a pain in the rear this evening and driven me nuts with its shannanigans wanting to put the pic sideways!! ? I gave up arguing with it and tried to outsmart it.... it almost worked so Im obviously not that smart? LOL

I also had a freebie from the very lovely Angie Scarr, I'm hoping it brings me luck and lots of real £ - then I can go shopping again :o)

and.... I spoke to Bea from Petite properties too who informed me I've also been included on AIM grapevine this month click the pic below to read the fantastic online magazine!
there's a 101 more things to tell you & share, but it'll have to wait till another time ...

sometimes you've just gotta do it!

2010-09-26T15:38:00.005+01:00

Despite being skinter than a skint thing, the overwhelming urge to go to Miniatura has got me! I missed it last year and KDF too and know I'd be sulking all next weekend thinking that I should've gone and didnt, so I fluttered my eyelashes, counted the pennies and justified the day trip until before you know it I was ordering my tickets :o)
I shall be there on the Saturday so if anyone else wants to meet up and say Hi, let me know xxx
I am so excited!!!

sad farewell :o(

2010-09-21T19:54:00.012+01:00

I vant him back....
(said in the deepest Transilvanian accent I can manage)

I had to say goodbye to this chap yesterday as he went on his journey to his new home. I'm hoping he doesn't dine out on too many postal workers en-route!!
(maybe I should have packed him off with a nice raw steak as a snack?.....)
I don't know what it is about my dolls just lately, but Ive been getting REALLY attached to them, it was like packing off one of my children!!! daft old thing that I am LOL

He's loosely based on Bela Lugosi's Dracula, (the old, original Dracula movie) and the customer didnt want fangs. But then I suppose vampire fangs aren't on view unless they're eating so it made perfect sense....

if you click on him it'll zoom the pic even more

He's just under 6 " tall, poseable, and again I have used eyes made by Debie from Piskies & Poppets. They are a dream to use! I wasn't looking forward to dressing him as it meant I had to make yet another jacket!! you all know how much I dislike jackets! but it wasnt so bad after all, so I must be getting used to them now. I also made him a detachable cape, he tried it out by flapping about around the school of majick which didnt impress its inhabitants at all, and they all ran away, jumped on their broomsticks and scarpered! methinks there'll be some garlic concoctions being brewed soon!!

there he is flapping about..... looking for a late night snack!
(its not easy taking dark/moody night time pics on macro is it?!)

if you like vampires, you should pop over and take a look at William Bezek's blog to see his latest creation! his are a lot bigger than 1:12 scale but REALLY good! and theres a coffin 'to die for'!!

I also said goodbye to a few pumpkins this week, the last few for a while are on ebay this week if you want to grab one.
(click on the pick to take you to ebay direct)

I know I will make more of them, but for now I am pumpkin'ed out. I have a few doll commissions to wade through anyway, 'witch' I'm looking forward to LOL apart from several witches, (and yes, poor ol Granny Weatherwax is STILL in a state of undress!) I've also got a mummy, a wolfman and Frankensteins bride wanting to appear before Halloween and I'm not the quickest at creating anything so need to get my skates on!! so I may not be about for a while.... or at least that's the plan!

Two faced mate is on ebay

2010-09-12T12:45:00.009+01:00

OK, apologies if this post sounds like Im touting for business LOL tis really not my style, but you said it'd sell so I thought Id let anyone thats interested know, that I've listed the 'Two faced mate' on Ebay, item no 230525273632

still cant find that bloomin battery charger.... so can't show or list any of the other stuff.... grumble grumble.... off for another rummage

A big hello and welcome to my new followers too, I shall introduce you all on my next post xxx

Two faced mates!

2010-09-09T21:22:00.005+01:00

Everyone seems to know some-one with two personalities , so I thought the pumpkin world should have some too! so here's the first of my 'Two faced mates' ,
they were very difficult to photograph too, so I was glad my brain worked enough to use a mirror!

The Happy, cheerful side

and the grumpy side!

I have so many other new ones to show but my battery died on the camera and I cant find the charger since I got back from my holiday!!! typical eh? but what do you think? do you think anyone would buy them if I put them on Etsy or Ebay?
I'm almost pumpkinned out now LOL Gonna make some Travelling Trunks with a difference next week :o)

not exactly a mini!!

2010-09-06T13:44:00.012+01:00

Holidays are over & littlun is back to school today and I'm back to 'normal' once more (if there is such a thing) I feel quite strange bumping into myself again and thought 'oooo hello, I remember you'!!.... I get so engrossed in whatever it is thats happening, that I forget anything else exists, which Im sure is possibly a good thing in some scenarios?? anyway.... I'm waffling.... I think the point Im trying to get at is - I've been absent from blogland for most of the summer, and also from my workroom :o( but I plan on rectifying this as soon as possible as I have some ideas that need to come out of the holding pen cos they're giving me a headache LOL I think that after I get the next batch of commissions out of the way that I'm going to put some stuff in my Etsy shop and then concentrate on my school of majick as I'm in need of a playtime fix. I think Hagatha would like her school up & running again too!!!

I thought you might like to see some of the places I visited in France. In between sunbathing & vino consumption, (honestly I didnt touch a drop from that bottle!) I seem to have had a thing for architectural detail this summer, and got looked at oddly many times by hubbs when photographing various windows & doors but heyho, tis not his fault he doesnt 'get it' LOL but all these buildings just begged to be considered in mini versions!

ok, the next ones are from a theme park called Puy Du Fuo, I didnt time travel or find random medieval villages on my travels LOL

I'd love to make this out of a big carpet roll or similar, it opened up to reveal a couple of floor levels within - I didnt get to snap them tho :(the last pic is from a small village called Talmont, which had wild hollyhocks growing everywhere and made me come over all pink and girlie inspiring me to want to make something shabby chic, you never know, it might happen one day LOL What my travels and happy snapping has done tho, is make me realise my love for old buildings & the quirky bits that make them different, especially when the doors and windows arent lined up or a size you'd expect. Maybe this is why I want to hurry up and finish the projects I've got on the go at the moment? I want to build a higgledy piggledy house!!
I also took some pics in the Martell Cognac factory... oh it smelt wonderful in there all oaky and cognacky ...... sorry drifted! there was a display in miniature built to show it in a perspective angle, but I'll save them for another day. Hope I havnt bored you all too much..... off to make MORE pumpkins.... I think I'm nearly pumpkinned out! ;o)

2010-08-12T17:17:00.002+01:00

Just a quick note to apologize for my absence from blogland .... Again! The summer holidays have been manic here and I hav'nt had much time for mini stuff as family /real life sorta takes over..... and you all know how easily distracted I can be!! LOL
I shall be back to 'normal' again (if 'normal' actually exists!) in a couple of weeks once the holidaying season has ended and my galavanting about comes to an end and I can fix my butt to a chair and mini away to my hearts content :o) until then I have a date with some sunshine, a beach and some vino sampling.... its a tough life, but some-ones gotta do it !
see ya all soon
xxx

Bloggers are wonderful peeps :o)

2010-07-27T21:40:00.007+01:00

I had quite a few problems working out how to add the photo into my new banner until a wonderful friend I made here in blogland came to the rescue :o) and created these wonderful choices for me. I honestly cant decide which one I like the best so thought my followers may like to help choose ? I cant leave my 'I am thick' sign up for long eh? LMAO

2

and then she got really into it!
3

4

or lastly, 5

(I straightened the chair Jayne and it took me half hour to work out how to save the damn file!! LOL)

a Huooooge thankyou to Jayne AKA Tallulah-Belle Originals for helping me out, not only so kindly but so quickly too LOL, I owe you one x :o)

And on an amusing note, my mum saw my recent Frankie creation and after much giggling we realised he looked a bit familiar.... who else thinks he looks like 'Billy Mitchell' from Eastenders ? hahaha

new look

2010-07-26T19:38:00.003+01:00

I decided the blog was looking a bit dull and dreary so am brightening things up a bit! hope you like the new look, I just have to work out how to do the banner now, I'm trying to use a pic of some of my pumpkin peeps in the header banner, but am having a few issues with reminding myself exactly how my photoshop program works... if Im not back in a week, send out a search party! LOL

A face only a mother could love!

2010-07-23T17:17:00.002+01:00

I just thought I'd share this with you, I'm quite pleased with him and was almost too scared to finish him in case I didnt get it right.... and I because I wanted to keep him too #, or maybe this is a case of 'a face only a mother can love?' haha

(# = he's a commission so is spoken for)
If he didnt have to have a jacket on (which took me 3 attempts!) Id probably love him even more, I find them so fiddly to stitch.... so if I ever have to make another 'Frankie' it will be Tranny-stein cos it'll definitely be wearing a simple & easy to sew dress! He's a bit more greenish than he looks in the pics, I know they say the camera never lies but he seriously looks jaundiced in these pics LMAO

He was made last week but due to lots of things happening at home to distract me, he didnt get finished as quick as I wanted.... I'm blaming that jacket!!! which I have just realised is missing the buttonholes Grrrr .... and a pocket... so he's still not finished!!!.... (definitely needed a dress)

I also forgot to mention my most recent new followers, so a belated but just as happy hello to:

Debs Minis - who makes wonderful minis , I was really taken with the latest creation of a steampunk bed.... in the same fabric as my gypsy's skirt LOL

Cia - who I cant find a blog for (but will edit later if it can be found)

Angela - whos blog is 'A trifle small' and has the most 'I want' gypsy wagon... ever!

Hannajaleijona - a lovely miniaturist who needlefelts minis amongst many other things

Marie - Le Petite Monde merveilleux de Marie although it is a French blog, a lot is translated into English so is easy to follow

Fiver - Mini Menagerie who makes the sweetest litle mini animals :o)

Shelly - again cant find a blog for .... yet!

& Victoria from Little Boxes who has been making some lovely bits of mini furniture and recently upholstered a chair in wait for it... the same fabric that Deb & I used as well!! great minds think alike .... such a lot of uses for a bit of cloth LOL

I shall attempt to not be quite so slack in remembering to welcome my regulars in the future xxx

and finally a farewell

to one of my first 'big' chooks, the ring leader and head of the flock passed away in my arms today :o( she had been a bit wobbly on her legs for a few days and so had a lovely cuddle this morning and just fell asleep in my arms. I was so glad I was with her as I'd have felt awful if I had just found her gone. I'm getting hardened over the years when I lose chooks, I think you have to be, so no sympathy please!!! am done with the tears (and I have no more tissues left!)

.

new doll & a day out!

2010-07-13T19:21:00.016+01:00

Remember ME? LOL corr.... how long since I last rambled here? Oooops .... again! I do pop into blogland when I get a spare few mins, check a blog or two and post when I can but, you know how it is ..... If Ive missed your blog posts, I'm sorry :O( and will try to do my best to pop in as soon as possible. Anyway for once I HAVE actually been creatively busy!!! sorry, should have given you a moment to fetch a chair before that shocker! I have 3 on the go at the moment, this is the first to be finished. The order was for a Gypsy fortune teller, mature but not a crone & has to be colourful. Hopefully all boxes are ticked and the new owner will be happy.

I used the eyes Debie from Piskies & Poppets sent me to try, and prefer them to the ones with pins in, I gave up using those and went back to painting the eyes in, which I didnt like much either, so thankoo Debiekins, your a star and I luffs them x

After the next two dolls are all completed, I'm going to spend a bit of time on my neglected skool of majick :o( I have so many lovely new things to add to it, but with my son still hogging my spare room its difficult to get in there to play, sometimes its difficult to get the door open, let alone get into the room!!! I did however spoil myself and bought some of Glenda's (peppercorn minis) wonderful potion bottles recently and have snuck them onto a mantelpiece cos they are far too lovely to sit in a box !!

and yes, the floor's a big bit of what needs my attention, these floorboards are for the floor above, this level will have stone slabs fitted .... eventually. Hence why the contents are currently stashed away in a box :o(

Although I have had loads to keep me busy at home, I've also been out playing golf LOTS in this lovely weather we've been having, and I had a lovely day out in Dunster with a friend of mine when we visited a dolls house club show there last week. It was a very small show, and not as interesting as past years, but we made the most of it by becoming grockles and took a few touristy pics for you all as I thought you'd like some of the architecture.

the chap sitting at the front was playing music on some ancient 'thing' on his lap.
This building puzzled us as its either been cleaned up , or rebuilt using old materials?

I loved the woodwork on the overhang tho :o) this wood was definitely VERY old!

and finally the door.... which I'm leaving by, see ya all about in this wonderful land of blog x

Suprise!

2010-06-23T15:38:00.005+01:00

A little while ago, Ira from Merry Jingle put an idea in my head for some baby sleepyheads after she won Mr Sleepyhead on my blog give-away. Well, I had to have a go! that was two weeks ago and then disaster struck.... I spent a day making various body parts and baby pun-kins , shoved them in the oven and went off doing whatever it is airheads like me do. An hour later I returned and nearly sobbed as I'd burnt the lot!!! (no suprise really!) so I made more..... and then I couldnt work out how to get all the babies on a vine and still be able to reposition them.... and then real life kept pulling me off to do other things and then....

the procrastination ended and I made this....

I hope you like it Ira, it was just going to be a gift to keep Sleepyhead company, now its a special thankyou gift too :o) The candles should glow in the dark (they are only trainee illuminators at the moment until they grow off the vine) although I have no idea how I'm gonna get a picture of them glowing in the dark?? I tried & failed :o(
am now off to the post office .... they dont like to be out of the ground too long you know!

Big Thankyou's :o)

2010-06-21T20:13:00.009+01:00

I have been a bad, bad blogger AGAIN!!! (that seems to be how I begin all my blog posts recently LOL)
I almost cannot believe it has been 3 weeks since I last popped in here to ramble.... are you ready for a marathon waffling? ....good!

Firstly, I have a HUoooGE thankyou to give out to a few special bloggers :o) I had been very lucky recently and won a couple of giveaways, and then I also received some wonderful gifts from two very generous blogging friends. This is my new stash of pressies...it was like xmas opening all the little packages!!!! :o)

the first to arrive were the blog giveaway prizes from Nina /Dangerous Mezzo over at The Tudor Medieval Jacobean Queen Anne Dollhouse Project who sent me the tudor sugar cone, fruitbowl, barrel, maps and beautiful book and from from Kate of Katies Clay Corner who sent me the most perfect mini-mail .

then I had the wonderful suprise of 2 more packages!! Ira / Merry Jingle who won Mr Sleepyhead on my blog giveaway decided to send me a thankyou, and then Debbie of Tiny Treasures also sent me a fantastic parcel too!!! I am genuinely overwhelmed by your generosity

look at all these delightful goodies Ira sent!!! I absolutely adore the candle snuffer and the wands are so detailed and perfect :o) you have to click on the pic to make it bigger to see how great all of these miniatures are! and then... as if I hadnt had enough goodies, I had even more from Debbie! this photo really doesnt do the bottles justice! the light catches the tops and they shimmer and almost glow! I shall thoroughly enjoy playing with the marbles too and make more potion bottles for my Skool of Majick's potion room (I'm assuming they are spares for future projects and not just that Debbie felt I had lost all of my marbles !!! hahaha)

So, apart from opening goodie boxes, what have I been up to you may be wondering? well...... the sun has been shining in all its splendour so I have been mainly in my garden planting or nurturing 'stuff' (or rescueing 'stuff' when my dog decides to dig/trample and destroy my hard work) or just chilling outside with a good book! I have also spent a LOT of time down the golf course! I love the game and since my health has started improving, I have found that it is just the thing to keep me fit & well :o) its just a shame my golf isnt improving very much, but I havnt injured anyone with wayward balls....yet! I have also been working on a few commissions, which I shall show you when I'm done. I haven't had 3 dolls on the go at the same time for ....? well, ever! so its interesting here to say the least. I just need to make sure I get all the heads , hands & feet on the right bodies as Frankensteins head may look a little out of place on a gypsy fortune teller!!!

I have also acquired a few more followers
PuNo's Minis 1:12
Minicrochetmad

'Minikitchen' - who I cant find a blog for :o(
#Edit - MinnieKitchen bloglink thanx Debbie for the info
& WitchyWonders ..... who after reading her blog, to confirm she is who I thought she was, and having read much about this matter elsewhere from people who's work has been copied, I would just like to say that you are welcome to follow me if you are genuinely interested in my ramblings but would like to state here & now for the record that if I see ANY of my work copied by you and claimed as your own ideas, then I shall not be pleasant.
Plagarism is just not nice. Please play fair!
I am not an unpleasant person and wish everyone well, but if you are into mini-making for profit, then please at least do the decent thing and ask the original artist and credit those who you have taken your ideas from - It is they after all that are the original artist, not you. Credit where its due :o)
Sorry but it had to be said.
Back to the grindstone.... I love it really :o) I shall continue to pop in when I can and attempt to keep up to date with everyones blogs, but even though today is the summer solstice, it still doesnt extend the day long enough to keep up with all that Id like to, oh for more hours in the day!

Fibromyalgia & the end of the 'f' word?

2010-05-31T10:13:00.011+01:00

oh I'm such a bad blogger!! & I've neglected my blog.... again :o(

Firstly , a big welcome to my new followers
Lola - Princess Lola's Miniature Diary - who I think must be bloglands youngest ever blogger!

The OldMaid - The Sunny hours 1:12 Miniatures she is making Severus Snapes office and its great watching her progress :o)

Heather Leigh- of Silver spoon Studios who creates art dolls from polymer clay. She's fairly new to blogging but can be found on facebook if you want to see her work as she doesnt have many pics on her blog.

& miniaturemaid - who I cant find a blog for :o(

I've had a 'funny' last few weeks, not funny haha, just funny peculiar. Funny as in, I've not really recognised myself much. As some of you already know, Ive been a poorly bunny for far too long! & have been sooooooooooooooo tired just lately but this tiredness hasnt stopped me in my tracks like I've been used to, more just distracted me lots. I've been busier than usual & have been expecting the usual fibro-achey bomb to blow but it hasnt :o) I think the recent spell of hot weather has just drained me a bit, mixed with my nomadic sons return home stopping me playing minis for a while so I have been busy in my garden instead and managed to play a bit of golf again (without crippling myself), had a trip to the theatre and even found time to keep my house tidy for more than a day or so too !! :o) all this extra activity has made me tired, just naturally tired for any unfit person.
The point of this rambling???.... there IS a light at the end of the tunnel and more than a glimmer of hope for those suffering with Fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue! I just wish I knew exactly what the actual cure WAS, as it'd make me a fortune!! but after years and years and years of suffering the horrid circle of activity = pain & sleep disturbance, I think I am finally seeing the end of the frustrations of pacing myself with what I can & cant do. This recent progress has taken me away from blogland, and back to the 'real' world, but thats a good thing, for me, having spent the best part of the last 7 years only dreaming about my life, its been good to 'get out' again and start living once more.
Now if I could 'live' in my workroom a little bit then I will be totally happy :o) but until my son's life direction gets sorted and I can reclaim my workspace, I shall be continuing with that path of working frustration and so can only apologize for my lack of creativity of late. It WILL come...I'm sure of it, just don't quite know when!

Drum Roll please.......

2010-05-21T16:23:00.007+01:00

todays the day for my blog draw,

I seem to have lost a follower somehow :o( and am down to 101 again, ??? blogcount numbers always confuse me LOL ... but confusing me has never really been that difficult anyway ;o)

so.................
without further ado...........................
I didnt really have a clue how to do the draw for the seperate Pumkin Peeps, so just put all the names in together and hoped for the best, and figured it'd work itself out somehow!

which it did,
and the winners were....

Congratulations are going to all parts of the world it seems, and go to

Ira from Merry Jingle Crafts is now the new owner of 'Sleepyhead'

Glenda over at Peppercorn Minis who will be receiving the Pumpkin light - which seems rather appropriate seeing as she nows appears to be follower 100 :o)

& Jody of Peach Blossom Hill who will be getting the plain candle one

If you could email me your postal addresses please, so that I can post them to you.
I may make some more Pumkin Peeps sometime for sale on Ebay/Etsy, but alas at the moment my son has temporarily moved back home and therefore taken over our guestroom = MY WORK SPACE!!!! :o( so it may be a while before I can get in there and wade through his 'stuff' to get to my 'stuff' AKA: retreive my craft belongings in order to make some more! anyone thats ever had nomadic kids should understand exactly what I mean LOL

100 (101) followers!! = a give-away

2010-05-14T15:55:00.015+01:00

Oh My Oh My!!! how to confuse a stoopid person..... last time I looked, the follower counter said I had 98 followers..... and I can see 2 more .... now when I went to school 98 + 2 = 100 but in blogland it says it equals 101 !!!!!!

hmmmmm........ maybe I should go back to skool?? LOL but......... whichever way it's counted, it's Give-away time!!! :o)

welcome to my 2 (or is it 3?) new followers
Margaret of My Petit Parterre who makes the most desirable candlestands and french style minis, and to Magpies -Miniatures who doesnt seem to have a blog, but does have an online store selling lots of lovely miniatures, click on their names to visit their pages.

I am more than a little puzzled as to how 1+1 =3 .... ???..... headology is at work here I'm sure.... I really MUST finish making Granny Weatherwax as I'm sure she is responsible for all this you know!!!
OK as promised, to enter this give-away all you need to do is....

* be a follower of this blog
* leave a comment on this post

* & Say which you'd like to receive if your name is picked out,
1. SleepyHead
2. Electrified
or 3. Plain
if you dont have a choice, I will choose for you.

I shall do the prize draw next Friday 21st May.

'SleepyHead' is in the Trainee Witches Dorm thats why he's asleep ...Ssssssshhhhhh

2010-05-12T23:13:00.007+01:00

a quick heads up for anyone who oo'd & arr'd at my Rectory dollshouse.... theres one on currently on 'Greedbay' that has a mega low starting price!!! its collection only from Kent UK and has 3 days left to bid, no, its not mine, and I dont know the seller, but so many of you admired mine that I'd hate for someone to miss out on a possible bargain! (£16 at time of writing!!) if I had the room I'd be tempted myself LOL

click here for eBay link

& a warm welcome to my 2 new followers
#97 Dangerous Mezzo , who has multiple blogs, but I particularly like her Tudor & Medieval one,
& #98 Naomi who I cant find a blog for :o(
2 more till my giveaway ..... and I STILL havnt made anything !!!! hanging head in shame as I type!! lastminutewendie.com thats me LOL

new followers and not a lot else

2010-05-11T10:55:00.009+01:00

oh dear.... Ive neglected you again :o(

it has been a strange week, but it appears I have another 2 followers bringing me closer to the majick 100 :o) so I had best get cracking on that give-away prize.... I think it may very well end up being a pumpkin peep of some sort as I recently spotted one of mine on Janice's blog and its given me a hankering to make some more, maybe an illuminated one, or one with hands ..... or feet.... or both.... I also HAVE to finish poor ol' Granny Weatherwax who has been naked since before xmas!!!! I'm amazed Ive not been seriously cursed by now!! or maybe I have? Ive been finding it really difficult to focus on my miniatures just lately :o( methinks Granny hexed me after all?

I AM going to attempt to lose myself in minis if I can this month but generally I dont like May very much as it is/was my Dads birthday today, he would've been 75. Its also the month which he died so it makes me a bit sad, .... so I shall eat cake in his memory :o)
on a happier note....
do you remember this time last year when I had to take my oldest chook to the vet who said she only had a short time to live because of a huge tumourous growth in her tummy? well.... she is STILL with me !!! her swollen tummy has gone, her feathers all regrown, hasnt laid an egg since, but is very happy for an old bird :o) Ive managed to somehow convince hubbs each time Ive wanted another chook that this new one is 'to replace Layla when she pops her clogs' I had 6 and lost a few along the way and now have 10 .... but Im sure he can count & I dont think I can keep that line going for much longer.... but when she does go ...... I may get away with just one more ;o)

anyway .... talking of one more, a warm welcome to my newbies -
welcome to #95 Alafosca who has 3 blogs , I dont know how you manage... I cant keep up with just my one!
and to #96 marleen who makes the most adorable beds and lots of other 'I want' stuff!

I shall give a small prize to follower 100 and then do another draw for whatever my main prize will be ..... best I get on ... I fear Im procrastinating again!

Give-aways

2010-05-04T21:29:00.008+01:00

Gotcha!

Sorry, I havn't hit the majick 100 ....yet! but I was being a bit sneaky trying to get your attention to highlight Tallulah's give-away on her blog!! it's not the usual type of give-away and I have to say I was quite moved by her gesture. Apologies if it seems like I'm stealing her idea but its something that we often need reminding of often as it really is something all too many of us take for granted and if it gets more attention for a deserving cause, then so be it! so this is just an unusual reminder to enter her give-away too :o)

Every day more than 4,000 children in developing countries die, simply because they do not have clean drinking water. We can do something to stop this. I have donated, it uses Paypal, and it is safe to do so.... please donate if you can. Click on the CDSW logo or see her blog for more details.... click here or scroll down my page where a permanent link to donate direct to CSDW site , has been added onto the side bar for you to read more. (no advertising revenue is being generated either in case anyone out there is thinking someone gets a cut!)

missing Mr Spangly Pants & other stuff

2010-05-04T11:07:00.012+01:00

What a week! I have been VERY busy and then had a few days of being a bit glum as Number 1 son departed on his European backpacking adventure in the early hours of Saturday and I had all the expected mummy worries and then started to miss him. But, he isnt alone, he has his best friend and a rabbit wearing Spangly Pants to keep him company!!! .... it's a long story.... one of those ' you had to be here to get the joke' moments, but the rabbit demanded Spangly Pants for his travels so naturally, I made him some!

Today is a smiley day as we heard from him for the first time in days, so I have the 'phew!!! he's ok' feeling and know he's gonna be fine now. I can get on with 'stuff' now and leave him to it, happy in the knowledge that they are enjoying their Spangly-pants adventure!

Another thing to put a smile on my face today was whilst browsing through the other blogs on my morning read, I spotted one of my creations sat on a shelf on 'On Being A Mini Mum's' blog, its been at lease a year since I made any pumkin pals & it made me have a happy fuzzy feeling to see one again, so I may make some more up this week and maybe use them in my giveaway? & I'm 2 followers closer to the majick 100 :o) welcome to new followers #93 Glenda from Peppercorn Minis & #94 Michelle from Poppenhuis en miniaturen

right...... I'm off to 'remove the velcro from my rear thats keeping me on my chair' ( cheers for that Debbie! LOL x)

I've overlooked my birthday :o(

2010-04-28T17:07:00.007+01:00

Ooooops! how did this happen? it's been a whole year and 3 days since I started blogging! and I did nothing to mark the occasion, nada, zilch! :o( I always thought I was a bad blogger and this has proved my point entirely.... I really should hang my head in shame LOL
so..... I need to make amends, and have decided that I should have a give-away to mark the 100 followers event instead :o) maybe presumptious...I may never get any more followers than I have now!!! this may be tomorrow, or next week or next month, realistically I expect it will take much, much longer!!! I'm hoping it takes at least until after the weekend as I havnt actually decided WHAT it is Im going to give away, so will need a couple of days to plan something. So watch this space...... well not this exact space but one on this page coming soon!! it will look like this :o)

A year ago today was quite an eventful day as it was the day my eldest baby moved into his first home of his own. A lot has happened since then and last weekend all his possessions moved back........ into my garage! but no, he isnt moving back home, (yet) in a few days time he is setting off with his best friend for a backpacking trip around Europe!!! We wont see him for about 4 months but have planned to meet up in SW France when we (the rest of the family) go on holiday in August, fingers crossed our plans work out! He has a couple more days at home so I shall have to make a big celebratory cake to stuff him full of calories to sustain him on his travels..... well..... its a good enough excuse for a cake isnt it?
This is why I need a few days to get an idea together as same son's old sleeping quarters are now my crafting room & guest room! as soon as he is off I shall get creating for a give-away gift, until then I am going to be being all mumsy and making sure he has enough clean socks and toothpaste!

Bargains & painted metal minis

2010-04-25T15:49:00.011+01:00

Anyone who reads Kat the Hat's blog recently would have seen a cute little unpainted mini articulated metal crocodile on there, well... I was lucky enough to find a few bits like that myself a while ago too and my lovely son painted them up for me using his Warhammer paints (citadel paints) so as I promised Kat I'd show mine, here's what they could look like when painted up.
First he put a base coat of 'chaos black' on all over, then added a a light coat of 'catachan green' and then added highlights using 'camo green' and dry brushed 'snot green' (dontya just love that name!?) for final highlights. For his muddy feet & tail he used 'graveyard earth' with a highlight of 'kommando khaki', his eye was a tiny dab of 'sunburst yellow'. He has some fantastic Warhammer gaming pieces that he decorated that are 1:38 - 1:42 scale! I cant do smaller than 1:12 or my eyeballs would explode even with my magnifier methinks..... ahhh the joys of youth!

Here's a few other bits I need to get painted up too, and the cost of these unpainted pieces?.... I managed to get them all for just 50p each!!!

I found a few more bargains today when I visited a local dollshouse fair, I needed to get some wooden flooring as I have all but given up with the madness of trying to assemble a diagonal parquet floor in the skool of majick so am conceding to plain old floorboards just so that I can get the floors finished and get motivated to do some more work on it again.
Some of the things I bought today were sea shells - just a penny each, goldfish - 25p each, & I was pleased to find lots of terracotta pots that each were less than my target 50p bargain budget LOL but I did push the boat out a bit and spent £1.35 on a xmas teatowel for my Santa house! the reason for my stingey-ness? hubbs decided to accompany me for the first time ever so I was trying not to overspend as it doesnt help any woman anywhere if the fellas find out how much we COULD spend! eh?

I shall have a play with some scenic water during the week as soon as I find the goldfish bowl I bought a few years ago and stashed away somewhere.... poor goldfish!

Edit : forgot to say ... son is planning on finishing the other croc off as a psychadelic purple lizard! so watch this space in the next day or so! all he wants in return is some spangly blue pants for his bunny-ted 'Frumpy' that he is taking on his European travels next week .... life is never dull here!!! LOL

spring sprung a pondering moment

2010-04-22T10:36:00.008+01:00

Ooops .... I seem to keep forgetting / neglecting my blog, but with the arrival of spring, I have been trying to do 'outside' stuff while the sun lasts (& my health allows) but I WILL find some time soon to get mini-ing again as I am having serious withdrawal sypmtoms! Hubbs finally got another job, but has to work away from home for a few nights each week, which means I will have more time free in the evening so will more than likely get into my mini-ing again once I stop missing him .... apologies for the slush LOL

Over the last few days in Blogland I have seen some beautiful flowers that spring has sprung in other peeps gardens all around the world, and I've seen some lovely things emerge in my own garden too. Last year these majickly appeared, and I thought they were very pretty, totally in the wrong place.... but very pretty !

anyway, the patch seems to have doubled this year and so Im planning on moving them elsewhere in the garden when the flowers have died off, but my question is .... what are they? at first I thought they were snowdrops but they seem bigger/different bell shape to the typical snowdrop & flower much later than the ones in my back garden do as these only appeared last week.... anyone out there know exactly what these subtle little beauties are? or when's the best time to move them? All advice greatfully appreciated.
I also had to grab a pic of my acer in flower as it had such a lovely colour and is one of my favourite things in the garden at the moment.

and finally there is at least one 'mini' pic in this post! my mini daffs decided to wait until all the other spring bulbs had gone before making their appearance this year but they are so dainty, they were worth waiting for :o)

its good to take time out and 'stop to smell the flowers'..... just as long as you dont accidentally inhale a bumble bee !!!

I forgot....

2010-04-15T12:05:00.006+01:00

I did say I was going to forward my award to 5 more blogs 'in the morning' I just forgot to mention which morning!!! Ooops ...

I have no idea exactly what the award is for, but here goes .... in no particular order, the awards go to....

Kat of Kat the Hat Lady - who isn't very well at the moment but is still putting smiles on other peoples faces with her new creations

The Moon Museum - (El Museo de la Luna) I recently discovered this blog and it has beautiful artwork and a lovely quote from Bernard Shaw "you use a glass mirror to see your face, but you use works of art to see your soul"

Liberty Biberty - another recently discovered blog who has the most gorgeous shabby chic things that could make even the most hardened of Halloween addicts go all pink and fluffy!! LOL

Carolee over at King of Mice studios cos I just love her work, and would one day love to own some of her work but alas I am too poor...and her stuff sells so quickly too!

and to Debie of Piskies & Poppets cos if my translating is any good, she is a top-rate artisan & good friend so the description fits her perfect! :o) lufs ya kins x

I dont like picking out just a few peeps for awards, so if anyone wants to receive & pass this award on, please also accept it as a gift from me!!! ooh I do love to break the rules LOL

I am so easily distracted....

2010-04-13T19:27:00.011+01:00

I have been absent (again) from blogland for a bit as Ive been quite preoccupied with my new chickens this week and weve had lots of glorious sunshine that has made me want to head in the direction of the garden and not the workroom! My new chooks were kept well away from my other girls when we brought them home, as you never know what germs they may be harboring, and Im glad I did as there was much sneezing and snuffling going on so Im glad I contained it. I spent the week chook-chatting and had to give the speckledy one antibiotics which I dont like to have to give, but it really was a necessity with her as she got quite poorly, but she's much better now so the new girls finally got partially introduced to the rest of the gang today when we moved them into a new enclosure we made within the one they will eventually live in. They are now just a few days away from all being one big happy family :o)

thats the view from the inside of my conservatory, where I sit with my morning cuppa and watch my girls for a while

A big bonus for today was that 3 of the 4 started laying too !!!! much clucking and sqwarking was heard and each time I went out to see what it was all about I was pleasantly rewarded with a nice big egg! its just 'special speckles' that has to start laying , I think she must be waiting till shes all better maybe? this was my collection today

the second one in, is a large sized shop bought egg just for size comparison, but the rest are all todays home grown beauties, tiny bantie ones to extra large maran eggs but they are all welcomed and will make some crackingly yummy cakes tomorrow :o)

I also received a lovely award from Debbie over at Tiny Treasures since I last posted :o)

apparently I make her laugh...... and am "wonderfully creative when Im not playing with my chooks".... hmmmm, maybe this explains why I have no miniatures to show you this week and have just spent the last few minutes rambling about my chooks, I think the bantie eggs are the only miniatures I've dealt with all week LOL
Thankyou Debbie x
anyway I have to forward this to 5 other blogs but my eyes are drooping and I now need my beddybyes as pumpkin hour is fast approaching .... so promise I shall do it in the morning x

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T00:09:00.008+01:00

actually my butt doesnt hurt! nothing does :o) I am all done with the up & down ladders stuff, decorating is all done, and am now feeling good for a change! but I am such a bad blogger! how did the last 2 weeks just pass me by??? Ive been decorating I know, but I didnt think it had taken me THAT long! LOL anyway I'm here now and shall probably bore you senseless with my goings on but ... here goes!

I've done no mini-ing Im afraid ....... everyone in the miniature world now runs away ---------> still here? ....... thank you!

A Happy Easter, Spring Equinox or just plain old chocolate day, is wished to you all. We have had family staying for the last few days and it has been lots of fun, tomorrow I expect will be spent slumming it in our jimjams and consuming much chocolate! (it was noted by more than one member of my family that my egg tree looked a bit naff this year so your only getting a small glimpse of it ! LOL) we have in fact had a fair bit of chocolate already as my daughter made crispy chocolate nests the other day and they sort of disappeared ever so quickly!!!
In the true tradition of all things spring like, I gave in once again to the 'need' for more chickens! and so headed off to the local poultry auction to see what lil cluckers were fated to come home with me, even though I hadnt intended to buy 4 chooks, it somehow sorta just happened and that bidding paddle in my hand had a life of its own!! the resulting purchases were this mottley bunch,

they seemed to settle into my garden quite well, although the speckledy one seems to have the dreaded post auction snuffly cold so Im glad they are segregated from the rest of my girls until I know they are well enough to all mingle together. No doubt I shall be up early tomorrow to make sure they are all OK after their first night in a strange place and they shall just gimme that look .... that 'wheres the grub' look?!

new 'doll' and my lovely gift from Kate

2010-03-21T14:29:00.007Z

We-R-Igors, A spare hand when needed
(They exthitht only to therve)

Well this chap has sat naked on my workbench for nearly a year due to one ailment after another! bless him, no wonder he's now smiling!!!
Everyone who is (or was) anyone in Discworlds Uberwald has an Igor as a servant. Uberwald's servant class is heavily populated with extremely similar looking assistants, all of whom are called Igor, to save confusion. At least, to save confusion amongst Igors.
This Igor works for one of the Vampyre clan and is serving up a glass of finest Uberwald B positive! with a small whip so his master (mathter) can give him a good thrashing.
They're a strange bunch are Igors

I got a lovely parcel from the postman yesterday, I knew Kate from The Whittaker's Miniatures had sent me the mirror I won on her blog give away but was really suprised to find some other goodies in there too :o) This is the mirror I won hung in Hagatha & Grumpbolds boudoir it is perfect! I really wish I could get my head around fitting the parquet flooring as their room just doesn't look right without some proper flooring :o(
The xmas hat was one I bought from Kat the Hat and the Easter Bonnet is one I made myself last year.

and this is the lovely suprise I had, Kate made this table from a slice of Agate and it told me exactly where it wanted to go! I've decided after seeing a wonderful Miss Sally world Owl, on Michelles blog, that this is what is needed as my little baby owl just isnt hitting the spot! I think a big wise old owl sat on a perch is what is needed here. Kate also sent me some large bottles and bit of broken skeleton so I shall have fun using them too. Thank you Kate xxx

and last but not least, a HUooge welcome to my new followers, I will try and find the time to pop over and look at all your blogs as soon as I can xxx

2010-03-19T09:15:00.006Z

Mini-ing has ground to another halt!! sigh...... Hubbs decided that after being off work for 3 months that he was gonna start on my DIY list this week :o) YAY!, I hear you all shout....but spare a thought for the aftermath!!!

At the center of my home is a stairwell and galleried landing off of which comes all the rooms in the house..... this was the DIY zone. Hubbs sanded all the plastering..... thats means dust has radiated EVERYWHERE! thats had to be cleaned up. Dust = forget me playing with clay for a long while, cos dust and clay are like magnets as many of you know. So I spent yesterday up a scary ladder instead and have painted about 1/3 of the walls now and was doing OK, then my gardening friend visited!!! and we (I) got distracted and somehow ended up planting stuff instead, so now my backs gone again, and I'm unable to get up the ladder to finish the rest for a few days Grrrrr!!!! I have been banned from doing anything physical today and I cant get the clay out cos the dust keeps reappearing, so am gonna attempt to dress some naked people that have been staring at me for like.... forever? So my cloud may have a silver lining after all :o) & Hopefully I shall have something to show you soon.... but dont hold your breath, I am easily distracted!! LOL

Frolicking fairies and mini illuminations

2010-03-14T17:50:00.013Z

Forgive me followers for I have sinned, it has been ??? ..... too long since my last blog session, .... I feel a bit like a catholic going to confession there LOL where does the time fly to? well, the cold I had has been blown away, and the house elf duties done for a while so I think I am back in the driving seat once more :o)

I've had a few distractions from blogland, one very nice one in particular, that I have waited for for ages and now its mine it makes me the happiest person ..... well ever! I'm obviously very easy to please!
its not a mini by any stretch of the imagination

'Frolicking Faeries' is a huoooge pic when framed and although a bit naughty I couldnt resist it and its now hanging in my bedroom! Its done by a local artist (& friend) Nancy Farmer and I am a big fan of her artwork, she describes her work as -
''Beligerent Demons, sullen fairies, twisted fairytales and other curious monsters - dark, whimsical, decadent contemporary art, all with a satirical edge and a twist of humour.''
I just think she is brilliant!
if you get the chance to pop over and look at her work on her website ( click here) you wont be dissappointed and I bet you find something you like.

I've also been busy with the electrics in the Skool of Majick and finally made & added the individual lights for the bedside lockers in the trainee's dormitory.

its a bit difficult to see the details on the skull light with or without the flash as the camera just isnt picking it up :o( my bad photography methinks....
anyway it started life as a skull bead and a grain of wheat/pea light bulb testing light thing that you get with the copper wire electric tape kits. I drilled out the eyeball sockets to allow more light out and it seems to have worked quite well, now I just have to hope it doesnt catch fire or melt ! LOL The skull lamp belongs to Trixie Trubble, she hasnt arrived at the Skool of Majick yet, on account of the fact that she still lives in my head!

The two dolls above were among the first dolls I ever bought and were made by Nicky Cooper the one on the left is Fartquat Quigley, his first spell unfortunately sent him to sleep! poor thing, his wee willie winky light was bought at a fair, but the pumpkin light next to him is all my own work and Im quite pleased with it. The pumpkin belongs to Harmony Hubble, she's a bit dim, bless her, and cant quite get spells right (she's made some strange transfiguration attempts I can tell you! theyre in a cage under the stairs until the Headmistress can work out what to do with them) anyway Harmony is going through a bit of a fascination with all things pumpkin at the moment..... it's maybe safer like that for now.

This is Candy Slimme, she is my favourite doll. This was another Nicky made for me. She's the youngest trainee at the Skool, she learnt how to make cakes and chocolate and all things yummy and refuses to learn any other new spells at all! cant say I blame her either , I think I'd be happy with just that one spell too :o) naturally her bedside lamp had to be a cake with candle!

The purple lamp next to her belongs to Nancy Nightshade (Amethyst Angst would be a good alternative name!) that was just some beads glued together .... simples, everything in Nancy's world is purple.... we all know someone like that eh?

and last but not least is Willow Frogwood's lamp she's a bit of a Pagan and love mother natures kind of Majick, so she has a floral lamp made from 'bits' I found in my work box ... she also lives in my head at the moment as she hasnt found her way out into the real world yet either.

Actually you can see the skull light better from this distance

& finally a HUGE warm welcome to my new followers, thanks for the add, I love reading everyones comments so dont be shy, shout out and say Hi! :o)

2010-03-05T13:18:00.002Z

am just popping in to say Hi, I have been a bad blogger again..... snuffling germs have kept me away, but thanx to the power of lemsip and lots of sleep I feel a lot more 'with it' than I have all week, so should be back to doing some mini-ing as soon as I clear the backlog of other 'must do' house stuff .... no fun, Grumble grumble, I dont wanna be a house elf, I wanna play..... see you all soon

Books, books, more books and an award

2010-02-28T22:14:00.013Z

I made a start on the gazillion books I shall need for the skoolroom shelves and made 58 of the blighters over the weekend. Not all in one go though, I think I probably spent about 6 hrs altogether cutting, gluing, painting etc but Im pleased with them but its not as big a pile as Id have liked, but its a start .... I might have to schedule in a set day for book making as its gonna take me a long time to fill those shelves!

I also got a nice suprise, not just 1 but Wow, 2 awards in one week! I am still in a state of shock that anyone finds my ramblings that interesting, let alone likes it enough to award me for it.... but then we all say that, dont we! LOL I've been awarded the Kreative Blogger Award by Michelle at Michelles Mad World, who I only discovered recently but love visiting her blog to read what progress she's making on her Hogwarts mini project.

There are 7 rules and they are:

1. Thank the person that gave it to you
2. Copy the logo and place it in your blog
3. Link to the person who nominated you
4. Name 7 things about yourself that nobody knows
5. Nominate 7 kreativ bloggers
6. Post link to the 7 blogs that you nominate
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know that you nominate them.

Ok in no particular order, here's my 7......

1. I dont 'do' Horror Films, I only like happy films, I dont like my head being messed with by scary or disturbing stuff! Scary images are fine, moving scary images are a no-no! and even though I love to watch lightening, I will never answer the door during a storm in case there are frazzled peeps hit by lightening who need my help. Maybe cos Im useless in a crisis who knows? oh & werewolves .... cant watch them at all, they freak me out .... shudder. I suppose thats kind of odd for some-one who loves Halloween as much as me! LOL
2. I was thrown head first from a horse into the sea and dragged through the water, never been so scared in my life, before or since .... they are beautiful creatures but I doubt if I'd get on another horse ever!
3. I have a real sweet tooth & would be quite happy to live on a diet of fruit and puddings. Luckily I have the sense to have things in moderation and dont have problems with my diabetes.
4. When I was about 7, for some idea I decided that I must have been adopted as my mum ran a small childrens home and there were no baby photos of me for about 6 months. This was because there was lots of kids with whooping cough so I was quarantined away from everyone as I was only a few months old. Anyway.... I was convinced I must have really been a princess and wrote to the Queen to ask her to come and collect me and take me 'home'...... she never wrote back.... that was the end of that idea! I was a total tomboy after that.
5. When younger, I only ever wanted to want to be a lorry driver (apart from the brief spell of believing I was a proper princess) and the main reason becoming diabetic at 16 upset me so much was cos it meant I would never be able to get a lorry license. I never really new what I wanted to do after that.
6. I have fibromyalgia/M.E. which leaves me absolutely shattered most of the time and often in a lot of pain, but I'm a cup half full sort of person so it only really gets to me when I havn't slept for a few days, at my worst I was sleeping about 18 hrs in any 24! luckily I have found ways to manage it now and normally have a fairly average sleep pattern and am almost back to 'normal' (is there such a thing as normal? LOL)
7. A gift from the grave? my Dad passed away shortly after I met my (now) husband, unfortunately they never met. Hubbs had been told by docs previously that he couldnt have children so was more than happy to step into the dad shoes and care for my son from a previous relationship. After we had been together a couple of years, I began to get very upset about the fact that he'd never met my Dad and slightly obsessed wodering if he would have approved of him or not. I got my answer about a month later when I discovered I was pregnant with my beautiful daughter and to this day I'm convinced that was my Dads gift from the grave to say all was well and my hubbs was a keeper. Thank you Dad, you'd have loved her too x

I'd like to pass this award to lots of peeps but most of them have received the award already :o( will try to give it to some that havn't had it already, some though just have to get it twice LOL cos they really are kreative in their blogging!
Nikki of witch & wizard miniatures & Debbie of Tiny Treasures - these two peeps have become really good friends and seem to be the centre of the Miniature world Blog Universe! LOL
5 more ......
Dawn creator of OddFae & Lorell of Notes from the Fae side just cos I love their work!
Casey's Minis her writing of Tessies antics is so uplifting and amusing :o)
Tabitha Corsica who has a great blog full thats always interesting.
GrimDeva @ What's Bubbling At Cauldron Craft Miniatures? who writes about some great 'Dark' stuff
Ruth of a faerietale of inspiration who always posts such lovely things to look at and think 'oooh I want one!'

edit... oops, I'm no good at Maths!!! LOL theres another thing about me to equal the fact that I gave out 8 awards!

2010-02-27T17:18:00.005Z

'Oops ...... thought I'd been waiting a while, is this what it means to have a skeleton in the closet?' :o)

This is one of the trainee witch dolls I made last year for my Skool of Majick, but I can't make my mind up whether she should be a Nancy Nightshade or a Violent Violet? any other name suggestions?
(The one in the loo is Cyril, dunno why LOL)

I've been making some books today from mountcard and leather scraps, as I need loads & loads for the Skoolroom shelves, have done about 30 so far which fills about 8 inches of shelving, but.... the shelving runs the width of the room (15" wide!) and its floor to ceiling.... which means I have umpteen tons more to make, ahh the joys of mini-ing.... back to work!!

2010-02-26T18:03:00.006Z

Hello :o)
I havn't been very productive this week, aches and pains.... I wont bore you with it all! anyway, I did do some work on the Skool of Majick in between my off colour moments and put a dirty wash over the roof to tone the grey down, and I mossed the brickwork to 'age' it all a bit. The flash makes the green stuff look a bit bright but its really not that loud.

does anyone know how to resize the pics to stop them being so huooooge when you click on them?

Next on the 'to do' list is to fit the rooftop section of the chimney, then to work out how to fit a door into the odd shaped doorway and then the roof terrace will be all done! happy days :o)

I also managed to work out how to add a signature to my blog (call me mrs technowhizz LOL) using instructions I found at the cutest blog on the block (click the name and it will take you there) I was amazed that it worked and may even try to design my own blog background and header! .... but!! its got to go on the 'to do' list cos otherwise I wont get done what needs to be done and finishing stuff has got to come first!

You are my Sunshine ....

2010-02-20T23:34:00.008Z

I had a fairly rubbishy day today and spent most of it either sleeping or ache-ing, so was more than happy when I had the eeyore cloud blown away by Jain of Giddy Kipper dolls when she awarded me ...yep me! a sunshine award! well it has made my day, so thankyou Jain for putting a big sunny smile on my face once again :o)

I now have to award it to 6 other blogs that I enjoy, so in no particular order......

Nikki @ Witch and Wizard Miniatures
Celia @ Secret Diary of a Mountain Witch
Jodi @ Creager Studios
Debbie @ Tiny Treasures
Ruthie @ A Faerietale of Inspiration
Inhae @ MIlk Toof

all of these blogs really do make me smile, and all inspire me, for which I thank you x there are more that have this effect on me ..... but rules is rules and it only said 6 :o(

Tomorrow I am hoping for a day where my body doesnt shout at me and I can get on and do 'stuff' ..... off to the land of nod for me now xxx

new banner

2010-02-20T17:55:00.003Z

Well some-one has eventually took pity on me and given me a bit of a make-over!! :o)
recently over at The Shabby Hag there was a 'give-away' with a difference and I won a custom banner for my blog, this made me very happy as I have absolutely no idea how to create one!!! anyway, this is what she made me and I love it, thankyou Cindy x

Pancakes and Progress

2010-02-16T20:02:00.010Z

I hope you all remembered it's shrove Tuesday today.... or just plain old Pancake day as its known in our house! mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm How do you eat yours?
My daughter made fairy cakes this afternoon too so we had quite a piggie tea today :o)
I did do some work too........
The trainees at the Skool of Majick got one step closer to getting their flying lessons today when I painted the the roof terrace paperclay floor that I added the other day.
First I painted the whole floor with a dark grey emulsion, making sure the cracks between the stones were all covered,

I then rubbed most of the paint off with a damp sponge

which as you can see still leaves the darker paint in all the dents and dips

I then applied a couple of acrylic washes of brown/grey watered down about 50/50 paint/water until I was happy with the result.

tomorrow when its good and dry, I shall seal it with a clear matt varnish. It still needs moss in the corners and up the walls etc, this I will do when the varnish has dried and add the outside loo and other bits n bobs .... oh and the last bit of chimney!
The roof tiles had their first coat of paint too, so need ageing too as theyre not staying that colour. Slowly, slowly it's all coming together :o)

Have a 'LOVE'ly day

2010-02-14T12:08:00.003Z

Even though hubbs and I don't usually bother with Valentines, it seems the rest of the world does! I really did laugh out loud at Debbie at Tiny Treasures blogpost today as it just sums my views exactly! pop over and see the pics, so cute!

I did however give in a bit this year as I found these cute balloons in the £1 shop! tightwad? moi?
....bahh luvbug!!! LOL

Ta Da !!!! (well, almost)

2010-02-13T20:49:00.010Z

I had been wanting to post a pic of my finished roof on Thursday, but ran out of clay with just 2 rows left to complete!!!!.... Grrrrr! luckily I found some online and it arrived today so that I could finish what I'd been itching to get done for months!! :o) & I have to say I was very impressed at the speed of delivery as I only ordered it on Thursday evening !! and it was free posting too, which was even better! so if anyone needs paperclay @ a good price with a quick service, I would recommend using 'the altered element' as a UK supplier.

You can see the tiles I added today as they are slightly darker where they havnt dried yet. I was suprised at how much shrinkage you get with paperclay though, and have bigger gaps than I had wanted between the tiles , but heyho.... hoping the paint will fill some gaps .... or moss.... it may be a very mossy roof, hee hee! This was my first attempt at roof tiling so even though it's far from perfect, it went better than I thought, hopefully the paint and moss will help ...... or a small miracle?
Altered Element have a blog but I can't work out how to follow it ??? maybe just me having one of my blonde/senior moments? LOL, but there was an interesting job opportunity I noticed on their blog that may appeal to some of you who are mixed media/textile/altered art/jewellery artists (UK only though I'm afraid). Not a 'proper' job as such, but sounds an interesting way of getting 'out there'. Benefits and renumeration are listed on the page here http://www.alteredelement.blogspot.com/ and no, I'm not on commission! LOL

I'm off to lay a floor on the roof terrace now, so the trainee witches can have their flying lessons. If I dont get started on it quickly, it may have to wait a while, as I helped out at my daughters school disco on Thursday evening, and I think one of the younguns may have offloaded some of their germs onto me as I have been quite snuffly & heavy headed all day, fingers crossed it doesnt linger long as I seem to have had a relatively pain-free few days and it would be such a shame to waste it by having a cold!

The roof from hell is on!!!

2010-02-10T12:08:00.006Z

At long, long last the Skool of Majick's roofing problems appear to be over and I can heave a big sigh of relief! (as long as nothing else goes wrong!!!) Firstly, I had miscalculated my original design and cut the side panels a fraction too short so that when I tried to fit the original roof, it wouldnt open (..... oops!) Maths and angles were never really my strong point, I just figured I'd measure the gap, cut the wood, add the hinge, job done ...... but Oh NO!, it's never that easy is it?! , I had to add an extension to the side panels and blend it in with the original brickwork and then 'just' re-fit the roof .... 'just'.... its a small word that whenever mentioned always seem to involve many unhidden steps along the way.... well, hubbs had to come to my rescue after much huffing and cussing about cross threaded screws and hinges not closing, took the offending roof into his shed and was gone a fair while, but came back having performing some sort of majick and I now have a roof that A, fits and B, opens! :o) actually I've just noticed there is still a little bit of barge board trim I have to add to the gable end .... see, it never ends does it? LOL

next is the tiling with paperclay, I've not tried this before, so may be gone a while ........

finished fireplace :o)

2010-02-06T16:15:00.012Z

I am feeling very pleased with myself, I got up this morning with a manageable 'to do' list and it has worked! AND I have finished a project that I started over a year ago!!! I made the fireback yesterday and glued it to the wall to dry, however, my heart sank when I realised that I had to paint it in situ !!! as I thought I'd make a right mess up of it, anyway , the washes ran everywhere but the end result made me smile :o)

I was then very pleased how it all fitted together. I remembered buying a cauldron crane and fire basket with spit at Miniatura, & spent a while looking for them, as they were bought so long ago I had almost forgotten where I'd stashed them! the crane swings in and out and I had the silliest grin when I showed hubby how it worked .... he gave me one of those looks, you know, like I was six or something and had assumed he's never seen one before! he just grinned back at me .... I'm so easily pleased! I have always been able to imagine exactly how the finished kitchen/spellroom is gonna look and so far its all coming together nicely :o)

Next on my 'to do' list was to hide the side panel extensions I had to add in order for the roof to fit (see previous post for explanation) these were painted and while the paint dried I fitted the outside coach lamp. Then the brick compound was added using a quoin stone stencil from Bromley craft products. I had to put it on, and then re-use the stencil again the other way up to get even blocks as its designed for the edges of houses rather than how I decided to use it! The wooden strip has been hidden so I'm happy :o)

Tomorrow the roof goes on!!!! I have waited for sooooooo long for the roof to go on! :o)
Not bad for a days work if I say so myself!

I've just noticed that I seem to have aquired lots more followers in the last few days, so a big Hello and welcome to my waffling!!! when I get a chance, I will have a look at all your blogs, but right now I'm going to sit down and enjoy (hopefully) watching England play Rugby on the telly :o)

chimneys and roofing problems!

2010-02-05T14:52:00.012Z

Yesterday I had a poorly day but by the evening I 'woke' up a bit and got the paperclay out, & thankfully today is a good day too :o) A while ago, I made chimneys for Hagathas Skool of majick from offcuts of MDF but only got around to paperclaying one of them, so last night I fixed that! I also realised that I had forgotten to stipple the clay with a brush for texture on the earlier chimney, so although they have similar colourings the textures are different......
am trying to decide if I can live with this error or add it back onto my neverending 'to do' list!

The larger one is going in the kitchen/spellroom and the smaller (smoother) one is the lounge fireplace. I made a fireback for the kitchen fireplace this morning, but it's not dry enough to paint yet, I shall do that this evening hopefully and then I can sooty them up and fit them tomorrow :o)

My hubby suprised me this morning by offering to finally solve the roofing problems I'd been having due to my huooooge measuring error when I planned the house, which is why it has been roofless for so long as when I originally tried fitting the roof, it wouldn't open because the doors were in the way!!! this has caused much sulking and frustration on my part! anyway, hubbs had an idea & solved this ongoing problem today with the majick of 'no nails' glue! he glued a strip around the edge which should give me the clearance to be able to open it and actually access the roof room :o) The wood will be covered up with more brickwork/clay so it wont be seen.

Apparently it needs a good 24 hrs to set firm so I doubt anything new will happen now until Sunday, as Im booked up for tomorrow already (I am really trying hard not to overload myself anymore), but fingers crossed the glue will work and I can get the roof on next week :o)
I'll keep you all posted on any progress.
xxx

Bargains

2010-02-01T16:58:00.004Z

I had a boring day today doing housework and shopping so when it was all done, I thought I would re-aquaint myself with my dollshouse contents, and try to inspire myself into working out what to do next. Some things I hid away as they were fragile or expensive or was scared of breaking before the house was finished! other things I have just shoved into the house and forgotten about, but I have also found some real bargains along my travels and so thought I'd show you some wonderful bargains that I found in the local £1 shop, this pumpkin may be an ornament but it looks just right in Hagathas skool-house :o) it will probably live under the stairs with the trainee witches cloaks and brooms.

I also bought this Boyds Bear gumball machine ornament, I think it may be a little big for 12th scale, but not by much so I think I will get away with it in the toyshop as a gobstopper machine?

I had a good rummage to find all the things I had bought and put away for the toyshop, and was suprised at what I had stashed away, I had totally forgotten this lovely set of Snow white & the seven dwarves! I have no idea who made it, I think I got it from a dollhouse show in Plymouth? but I do remember it wasnt very expensive, I think the whole set was only about £7?

and finally, a few days ago I mentioned to Nikki of Witch and wizard Miniatures, that I also had a chimnea, on my witches roof terrace, it's not as unique as her wonderful creations though .... mine is a recycled Avon Incense cone burner!! I used to think it looked the part, but now I think it looks funny and I want one of Nikki's ones LOL she has just finished hers and they look fantastic!

(it's looking a bit like steptoe's yard on the roof at the moment .... one day it WILL be finished!)
I'd love to put a picture link to Nikki's work but don't know how!! pop over to her blog at www.nikkinikkinikki72.blogspot.com and have a peep for yourself

Introducing my houses

2010-01-31T17:25:00.010Z

Well, I did say I wasnt going to blog for a while, but decided I had been wallowing in gloom for far too long and had to pull my finger out from wherever it was stuck and get on with 'stuff'! I will probably still have more off days than good ones, but at least I will feel like Ive occasionally acheived something!
So ...... hubby obligingly helped shift tons of my 'stuff' about and totally reorganised my workroom so that I now have some space to work on my two neglected dollshouses :o)

this is 'Hagathas Skool of Majick & Witchery' which I made from my own plans a few years ago & never finished

and this is my newest house, it's going to be Santa'sToyshop
(I bought this over a year ago and all it's done since is gather dust!)

I have an awful habit of starting things, then starting more things and never actually finishing ANYTHING! which sort of perpetuates my feelings of inadequacy, so I thought I had best do something positive to change these feelings. I still may not finish anything very quickly, but by putting it all on the blog, I can maybe give myself a nudge to do a bit more every know and then, after all, not much point making dolls that have nowhere to live, right?
anyway, I made a start on the santa house by decorating the main 'Toyshop' room. I couldn't find any wallpaper I liked, so scanned in some xmassy holly fabric from my stash and printed it out onto paper.

I need to paint the window frames and fit the glass next I think as I want to get the room finished as soon as I can so that its an incentive to do something to the rest of the house.
I've taken lots of pics of things to add to the blog but will leave it here for now, Id love to hear any ideas about colours for the front of the house, as I dont really know what I want to do to it , other than put paperclay tiles on the roof and have the sides of the building (which are plain) have some exposed brickwork showing through cracked and crumbling plaster ....... I just need to learn the skills and find the time to do it!

Life grinds to a halt once more

2010-01-23T13:49:00.004Z

This is NOT one of those 'please give me sympathy' posts ..... I dont want any, but I felt it fair to tell friends and followers, that I won't be posting for a while. I shall continue to follow other blogs when I can, but am taking a break and readjusting for a while.
Over the last few years I have endured so much pain and discomfort from one ailment or another and have tried to put a brave face on for the public, but I just can't do it anymore! I thought after the last hospitalization that I was due some pain free time for a while, but no, my body thinks otherwise and has hatched another breakdown plan! I so want to spend my life making miniatures and creating in my workroom, but its a dream thats just not happening. The lights are on but no-one seems to be at home!!! The drugs that the docs have given me for the latest ailment have left me feeling like a total zombie and I just can't focus on much at all at the moment. So, I'm now gonna stop conning myself that I will be creating a masterpiece for everyone to see for the next time you see me post cos its just not gonna happen. I have unfinished stuff, lots of unfinished stuff, inspiration isnt my problem, it makes me sad knowing I dont have the oomph to finish it all and this doesnt help me. I'm just going to try and concentrate on getting better and not keep putting pressure on myself to be something I don't have the energy to be. If I finish one doll in a year, then I will be happy :o) so this wannabe doll maker is just going to enjoy watching life for a while and Granny Weatherwax is just gonna have to stay as she is and cuss me all she wants!!

New Year , New Me?

2010-01-05T13:54:00.012Z

New Year , New Me? I very much doubt it ! but slight adjustments are a feasible possibility even for me!
I have been a bad blogger. I have missed so much of what you have all been up to... I even missed my own birthday, xmas and new year with you and so I am really, really going to try to do much better this year! I don't make resolutions, its like setting myself up for a fall, I know I will continue to be the same dizzy headed, last minute panic type person I'm sure, although I would like to think that as each year passes, I become just a little bit more routined & organised, maybe thats a natural progressive thing but I shall claim it as an acheivement anyway! after all, I now have organised shoeboxes and a tidy wardrobe (that wasnt thought possible last year) AND I now have an ironing pile that fits into ONE basket, which had never dare even be imagined before it actually happened!! I am sure I shall continue to procrastinate just the same, but hope that the gaps become longer between each daydreaming session so that I may actually get something created occasionally to ease the pressure in my head of the queue of mini characters and things that that have been waiting (quite impatiently at times) for a phsyical body. Some now have the said physical body but have no clothes, which in the middle of winter is a bit cruel I admit, but I 'm getting there albeit slowly. I DID make a doll after I received Debie's lovely inspiration parcel and decided to let Granny Weatherwax out of my head first, but........ she is definitely glaring at me more and more each day at her enforced nakednesss which is most unbefitting for a witch of her calibre .... I shall be punished Im sure, its bad enough that I put the wrong boots on her and had to remove her legs!!! to say she aint'nt happy is an understatement!!!

so please, nobody call the doll police just yet! it wasn't just my fault .... I blame all the kerfuffle on the time out for xmas.

and ......
who would have thought that a friend getting a new teapot for xmas could lead to a new blog? well it has..... Mini Madness : Virtual Tea Party (Top Hats Optional) was borne after a strange conversation with Kathleen (here after to be known as Kat-kins!) of Little thoughts from an average mind , we have no idea where its going, but for now it seemed like a good way of getting a few friends together (even though thousands of miles separate us) for a cup of tea at the same time to ramble on about our mini musings. I just hope that the new blog is a place of inspiration for me and not just another distraction to stop me doing the things that were already on my to-do list!!!

(these are my favourite tea-cups!)

and on that note, I am off to look for my 'to do' list........................................

My lucky week!

2009-11-17T16:23:00.006Z

Oh I am a happy bubble today !!!
Yesterday I was the lucky so & so that won Mags' nificent xmas cake give-away :o) it really looks good enough to eat! and seeing as how Ive been on an awful diet for the best part of this year, I shall have to remember it is made of clay!! LOL (I shall put a photo up of it as soon as it arrives)
Today another happy moment happened when I received a parcel that I wasnt expecting, opening in dread to be honest as it was rattling ..... a lot, and I feared that whatever was within had broken en-route (always worst case scenario LOL) so imagine my suprise to discover all this stashed inside

the rattling was just copious amounts of beads running free, nothing broken at all !!
There was a challenge inside the box:
I challenge you to make a doll using some of this stuff.
Lots of love
Debiekins x

Debie is a wonderful person! I have felt poorly most of the year and had seriously lost my oomph for mini-making, and this really has given me a large kick up the backside to get going again .... I needed one! Debie, thankyou from the bottom of my heart for being so sweet and thoughtful, I shall get creating something wonderful A.S.A.P! xxx
(P.S. I love that green hair!)

I'm REALLY back this time !!

2009-11-05T10:25:00.003Z

I feel like I fell off the planet a bit over the last few months and have totaly missed Halloween :o( gasp ..... I know! how awful is that? but I had good reason as the gall-bladder grumbles are now all over with as its been removed at last and I can now look forward to getting my life back on track! :o) I was really looking forward to receiving a little jar/pot after the op containing the offending gall-stones and was a bit miffed when told I couldnt have them as it breached the hospitals 'health & safety policy' to let me keep them !!!!!! so the gallstone gremlin thats in my head waiting to be made, will just have to stay there as he now wont have a pile of rocks to sit on....hummph! I'm not sure how soon I'll be getting back to the sculpting but I do want to get back to it as soon as I can, my confidence has taken a bit of a knock where Ive not created for so long and Im convinced I will have forgotten how to do it, but Im sure I'll be up to no good and making a mess pretty soon LOL

slap my wrists for being such a bad blogger!!!!!

2009-09-26T11:44:00.004+01:00

Life got in the way !!!! I've missed Blogland!
DIY, kids, gardening, my health, and then theres the facebook farmtown addiction to deal with too LOL, excuses, excuses I know but I hadnt realised how quickly time flies! Most of the decorating after the re-wire has been done and the overgrown garden is beginning to look like some-one actually loves it once more, my gall bladders still grumbling away and giving me grief, and Im getting fed up of eating low fat food!!! I even had a dream about eating bacon & hot melted cheese rolls!!!! (don't get me started on how much I miss cheese & onion crisps or my beloved jaffa cakes!!!!) so I will be glad when they take the thing out. I'm beginning to think its old age and wondering what body part is gonna break down next ! LOL Ive been told the op will be done by xmas so fingers crossed the new year will bring a fixed & revitalised version of me as Im seriously missing my mini making. I can't let Halloween pass without a spurt of creativity on my part, I've got so many ideas in my head that if i don't get back into my craftroom soon , there will be a lot of my dear friends getting commissions from me so that I can see my ideas in reality a bit quicker!
Right, :o) I'm off to catch up with everything in Blogland ............

Bad blogger !

2009-07-29T08:42:00.006+01:00

well.... Monday came and went ....... more than once! I have had so many distractions its unreal. My son came home for a while cos he was poorly, but has gone back home again now, hes a bit better but needs to see a specialist as has developed an overactive thyroid condition! Then there was more painting to do , this time in the lounge, there is just so much to do after the rewire to get back to normal that its sort of consuming most of my spare time :o(
I havent sculpted for about a month..? tis waaaaaay too long, the school holidays arent helping much for distractions either!! oh well , one day soon , I WILL have something to show you :o(
oh, life soooo gets in the way of having fun! LOL

back to the grindstone that is getting my house back to normal so that i can play !

I'm back :o) - again!

2009-07-11T19:36:00.008+01:00

Hellooo!! FINALLY after weeks of rewiring , replastering and redecorating my workroom has been finished :o) the rest of my house still looks like a rather large bomb was dropped in it, but hey ... my workroom is looking just how it should be so I am a very happy bunny again this evening! it looks pretty much how it was before only a few feet wider and a different colour! I could have been back in there a little sooner if I hadnt decided to remove a large built in wardrobe to make a bit more space....... problem with that was the fact that I had to face and sort the mountain of junk that I had hidden in it & it was like a tardis!! I tried to be ruthless but it didnt work very well, the old ''but it might come in useful one day'' popped into my head and that was it........I failed to dejunk :o( ......... I shall stash all the 'un-decideds' in the garage and deal with it another day, LOL problem solved!!
Tomorrow I shall attempt to tidy the aftermath of my efforts today and then first thing Monday morning I shall be re-aquainting myself with the clay, hopefully the characters Ive been thinking up will form an orderly queue to get out of my head! (only a miniaturist can get away with saying I have lots of people in my head trying to escape , without being sectioned under the mental health act, hee, hee.)
I've really missed reading everyone elses blogs where Ive been so busy but will get round to you all and catch up soon I promise.
xxx

Damn this hot weather!

2009-06-29T10:32:00.003+01:00

The decorating was a non-starter yesterday as we discovered that the hot weather has caused the plaster repairs to crack really badly, so have had to scrape everything out & start again ! not looking very hopefull for the rest of the week either as more hot stuff on the way. Methinks I'll be better off in a tent, or maybe the dilapidated house look may become fashionable LOL

My oh My - the time does fly!

2009-06-28T11:39:00.005+01:00

OK so who stole a fortnight from me? The saying is supposed to be something like time flies when your having fun - isnt it? but I havent been having fun at all, so am pondering how come its now 2 weeks since I last posted anything? hmmmmm......... oh well I'm here now so you can call off the search party !! I'd soooo love to say I have been busy creating wonderful stuff since I last posted, but alas tis not the case. Real life sort of engulfed me. I had a scan which confirmed that yep I have gallstones but my doc in her infinite wisdom (?) has decided not to opt for surgery but keep me on the low fat/no fat diet as it was keeping the pains at bay..... so I now have what seems like an eternity of boring food!! but I am noticing a bit of a smaller waistine already so not entirely a bad option, but am watching how it goes for now. To be honest I really dont have the time for surgery at the moment anyway !!

The main consumption of my time during the last week, has been watching my house being ripped apart and upgraded as a total rewire was well overdue judging by the burnt out wires that Ive seen pulled out this week. I think I must have had a guardian angel stopping my house from burning down on many occasions in the past!!! anyway.... most of the work is now done and we can now begin the long task of totally redecorating every room in the house...... this may take some time. The last week has been a bit like living in a removal van as we seem to have the contents of our house compacted into just a couple of rooms and have been camping out in our conservatory which during the recent torrential rain & thunder storms was more than a little noisy, but we had a great view!
Because of the way all our 'stuff' was stored , it makes sense to put my studio back together first :o) (clever planning on my part ? my hubbs thinks so!) which will be brilliant for me as I will be able to fit in a bit of mini-ing around the redecorating hopefully. I am going to paint the walls an apple white so that it looks bright and fresh against the huge flowers in the curtains & bedding I already have for that room. It will be good to finally get a bit of colour around the house as we have lived with a totally magnolia house while waiting to save up for the wiring to be done (apart from Ali's room who insisted she wasnt moving in 3 years ago unless her bedroom was pink!)
Right .... I've rambled on for long enough, I'm off to do something with a paint roller - I may be gone sometime!!!!

my weekend :o)

2009-06-14T17:28:00.009+01:00

Alice wasnt as lucky with her catch this week and only caught 3 little tiddlers!! bless her she was still just as excited :o) LOL

Ive been busy having a move around at home this weekend as Hubbs has moved his 'office' suff into his new den AKA sons old bedroom, which leaves all the old room for ME!!!! :o) so this is my new work space, I think it is probably the first and last time it will ever be so tidy! I now have no excuse not to go in there and get lots of creating done this week :o)

My baby on the front page!

2009-06-11T19:17:00.005+01:00

I had one of those proud mummy moments this evening and wanted to share it with all my friends - Can you imagine my smile when I got this weeks local newspaper to discover my darling little girl was on the front page!! She went on a learn to fish day at the weekend run by the local environment agency & we knew she'd had her picture taken when she caught her first fish, but we never expected this & its made her walk about with an even bigger beaming grin.

Hubbs is the guy behind her with the hat on, I was at home being poorly so missed all the fun so it was great to see this piccie :o)
Oh, and the fish was released to swim away afterwards to live to tell the tale again. She won a fishing rod so will be trying to catch the poor thing again no doubt & I now have a dread of finding my fridge full of maggots for her to go hunting with ! ewwwww LOL

I'm back!

2009-06-10T10:18:00.003+01:00

I am feeling much better today :o) gallstone pain has subsided now due to an awful no fat /low fat diet (its cruel!!) but hey, tis making me better so am not knocking it (much!) except I miss my little snax so am gonna have to keep myself busy so as I dont think about food!
right, I'm off to attempt to find the floors in my house as the dog has decided she doesnt want to wear her coat anymore !!!! and THEN I might even venture into my craft room, the ideas I've had just dont fit in my head anymore and NEED to come out :O)
....... I may be gone a while, LOL

I may not be about for a bit

2009-06-05T17:22:00.003+01:00

Just a quickie to let you all know that I may not be about for a bit. I have had the most appalling stomach pains all week and the the doc reckons I have a gallstone problem! I dont remember much of yesterday as the meds they gave me just totally zonked me out, anyway I will be back when I'm feeling a bit better or at least able to post without whingeing about my aches & pains..... right now I'm crawling back to bed to feel sorry for myself!!

I did 'normal' again!

2009-06-03T18:52:00.005+01:00

Oh I think I must be feeling ill, I did 'normal' again today!! I go to a dolls house club the first Wednesday of the month and today was a club day. They are a very 'normal' bunch of retirement aged ladies and although I dont really fit in as such ( because I'm nowhere near or dont think I've ever really been 'normal'), it is good to get out and meet likeminded miniture addicts in person and try out new things. Julie from Julie's miniatures come along and did a workshop on how to make miniature roses, and make a trellis or a tree with them. I was really pleased how mine turned out as its the first attempt at the flower thing for me, unless you count the plant with teeth that I made a while ago......?

I am going to do some more soon as the next club project is a scene from a book in a book, and so I am now thinking of doing the painting the roses red bit from Alice in wonderland with the card people painting the flowers with paint sploshing everywhere... you know the scene yeh?
anyway I drifted away for the day from my discworld commission and so I have a naked Igor sat on my bench with his whip waiting to be flogged (I would say poor thing but I have a suspicion he likes it!), he is supposed to be the De Magpyr Igor but I forgot his extra thumb! so my hearts not in it to finish him and its too damned hot here to start sculpting another when it was due for completion like yesterday!!!!!!! oh well best I go bake him an extra thumb & get him some clothes on.................................

I've had a fun week

2009-05-30T14:36:00.008+01:00

I love the school holidays :o) I have had a wonderful week with my daughter, but it always flies past too quickly. We had our bit of sadness this week when we lost one of our hens but lots of happy times too and are really enjoying the new chicks we got. We always try and do something special together each holiday that will hopefully form one of those longterm happy 'forever' memories and this holiday was no exception - we both 'zorbed' for the first time! ........ Zorbing is when you roll down a hill in a giant plastic bubble!

me + ali in our own little bubble

Well they do say you should do something new or scary every day to feel alive!
(although next time I think I'd like a steeper hill)
Monday morning its back to the mini-making with my serious hat on as I have soooooo much to do!

My New Minis

2009-05-27T19:40:00.005+01:00

OK, so they are not the sort of miniature minis you were expecting ...... but they ARE miniature chickens! LOL they are different breeds and ages but all sooooo cute, I think I must get spring fever as its the usual time for me to want some little chicky-chooks about the place, what with having to rehome my Rooster and with Layla being so poorly it did seem the right time to get some more. Hubbs has now said 8 is MORE than enough so methinks this really is my lot this time, I only started with 3 then he said 'no more' at 6 so 8 is pushing my luck a little bit :o) anyway these are our new additions -

this is the smallest at 6weeks , a lavender frizzle we've called Miss Dusty Ruffs, she looks quite a scraggy thing at the moment but they are so pretty when fully feathered up.

next is a 10wk old white pekin my daughter says is her favourite and she is called Sugar

and this young lady is the biggest at 12 weeks, she is a Silver Partridge pekin & I've called her Sylvia Parsnip cos it sort of sounded right!
They are all a bit too small to go in with the other hens just yet so will have to have lots of cuddles in our nursery pen instead. After the cuddles are done in the morning we are going to the Bath & West show for a day out which should be fun, so we'll be having another farmer-ish day tomorrow too, we were glad we didnt go there today as it was apparently very wet, a dry day is forecast tomorrow so win, win for us :o) then I REALLY , REALLY need to get cracking with my outstanding commission stuff, last minute panic.com strikes again!!!

Weekend Ramblings

2009-05-22T09:34:00.014+01:00

OOh I've been a bad blogger! Ignore the above date I did start a post on Friday but now its Tuesday!! I have taken a few days off form blogging to spend a bit of time with the poor neglected family over the bank holiday weekend and instead neglected you all, sorry :o( I had one of those busy doing not-a-lot weekends full of grass cutting, weeding, planting & we finally fitted a gate to the side of our 'new' conservatory (last summer!) we had sort of got used to sliding a fence panel back and forward so we feel quite posh now with a proper gate! LOL
We also had a wonderful day with friends yesterday, BBQ and chatting with a drink or 3 - well it was on 3 when I lost count anyway! We had taken Spike our noisy rooster to go and live with them as they have much more tolerant neighbours than we do and he seemed to like it there. In fact he had a queue of girlie chooks lining up to check him out so I think when he's settled in he is going to be more than happy there! its VERY quiet here now though.
I did do a bit more mini furniture painting/crackling on Friday so Hagatha & Grumpbolds room is looking nearly done all bar the laying of the parquet floor that is really annoying me as it wont go right.... have to rethink the flooring I think and just give them floorboards and a rug. Oh and I have to fit their ceiling light too before I fix the floorboards in the room above, in fact there is such a long 'to-do' list still that I wonder if my Skool of Majick will ever be finished!

It is so nice when blogger buddies think of me when they give awards out, always makes me get that slushy, warm fuzzy feeling :o) This time its from my friend Debie at Piskies and Poppets and is very much appreciated. I also recently got tagged by Debbie of Tiny Treasures and need to pass that award on too, but am going to wimp out and not single any specific person out for the award to be passed on to cos everyone of my 'followers' and friends are as deserving as the next and I would hate for anyone to feel left out! so if you want to receive either, take it, its yours with love.

and finally, for Kat the Hat , the pic of my son's goth quilt using some of that Alexander Henry fabric I covet so much!

Tudor Dolls

2009-05-21T14:24:00.005+01:00

Ok so they are not my usual spooky, oddbods but I just had to show off my new dressmaking skills. These are the dolls that I made at Tiggy's workshop last weekend, well not both of them, I made the lady one when I visited her last time , it was only the gent I made this time. I really thought that the gent would be the easier of the two but he was a tricky so & so and I admit defeat with the ruffs! they got the better of me & are far from perfect but they did my head in trying to get them just right - lots of cussing was mumbled!

I always new my dog wasnt wired up right!

2009-05-21T09:31:00.006+01:00

Ok this post is nothing to do with my miniatures, rather the dog's ones!

My Twinkle has decided she is having 'puppies', not the usual variety though, she is having a phantom pregnancy and is currently 'nursing' a tennis ball, a velvetty flower and a resin goat stolen from outside my skool of majick! I always new she wasnt wired up right!

I had to take the chicken back to the vet yesterday, ( in an old microwave box which caused much hilarity from the receptionists!) and asked about the dog while I was there & was told to just leave her to it and she'll get over it in a couple of weeks. The chicken is much the same, but not in any discomfort so her and her lump are free to waddle around the garden for a good while yet. I wonder if anything is 'normal' at my house!

Blog list not updating?

2009-05-20T10:37:00.005+01:00

Is anyone else having issues with their blog lists not updating /notifying when new stuff/posts get added to blogs you follow? I was thinking a few peeps had been quiet, but they had posted a few times....? odd, so I'm having to just go and check for myself now to find out the latest. I feel like I'm missing out now LOL , technology bah ppfftt!

I got tagged!

2009-05-19T12:39:00.005+01:00

I got tagged by Debbie of Tiny Treasures , who has the most amazing recreation of Diagon Alley - check out her slide show on her blog!
The tag asks you to name six unimportant things that make you happy...... This is a dilemma for me as what makes me happy isn't unimportant! ? (scratching head time) I then have to pass it on to six other people and they have to do the same thing to six others, on to infinity.
I'll do my six happy things now but will hold on for a bit to pass it on as I need to put my thinking cap on....
1. Jaffa Cakes! yummmmmmy little things that always make me smile.... there are 12 in a packet so if I eat 2 at a time does that take up all 6 things I have to list?
no? erm..................................
2. Listening to my kids laughing
3. Seeing other peoples kids laughing
4. Playtime with my dog, my kids, with friends, by myself - whatever
5. Taking time to stop and smell the flowers
6. My stuff - its mainly little things and it all makes me very happy! (shallow perhaps but I'm trying to be honest LOL)

Doing the a happy dance!

2009-05-18T21:43:00.011+01:00

I absolutely LOVE hubby at the moment - he has really, really fixed my puter now AND retrieved all my lost files, emails & addresses - he needs a medal :o) 'normal' service has resumed once more!

Now I hope Julie doesn't shoot me for posting this, but the photo below made me giggle - of her and Thimblemins Jane comparing codpieces! Julie quite obviously was very amused!! I think this was where she wondered if she was making a Tudor gent or fetish man, LOL :o)

I'm back :o)

2009-05-18T10:05:00.014+01:00

I'm back and had such a wonderful weekend :o) Julie (Jakdaw's attic) and I stopped off at Debie's (piskies & poppets) en-route to Tiggys for the weekend and could have stayed forever. We had a lovely meal and a great chat, her kids were absolute treasures and it was such a lovely welcoming and loving home that if we hadn't had to get to Tiggys, we defininitely would have stayed longer (although I wasnt keen on looking at her pet spidee's - ewww). Ages ago Debie promised me Pook and I finally got my hands on my beloved treasure - here it is and it will take pride of place when I rearrange my workspace, but until then Pook will live in my cabinet where it can remain safe from harm.

Despite my satnav being the spawn of the devil and trying to get me lost in the heaviest rain I have ever driven through, after leaving Debies, we arrived safely for our dolly weekend and guess who forgot her camera ? !!!....... yep, me! I could have kicked myself, I can't remember everything, I did remember the wine and cake though so all was not lost LOL. Anyway I took a few on my phone and am now struggling trying to find the cable to extract them from said phone and upload them to here. So watch this space and I will post some soon. They will probably be of the codpieces, as these were compared and giggled about quite a bit !!
Tiggy's workshops will be starting in the next couple of months and I have to say that anyone who wants to learn costuming techniques or wants to dress a doll in historically accurate costumes, really should book up for one of her weekends. I believe she is starting the courses at £30 a day tuition plus the cost of whatever kit you choose to make. Kits range from tudor through to 1920's, male, female and child dolls. Included in that price is lunch and refreshments and on top of that if you need accomodation , she has twin guest rooms available for FREE on a first come first served basis, and have one of her hubby Jon's lovely cooked breakfasts too :o) anyone who may be interested inone of her dollying weekends can contact her at tiggy@civilwardrobe.demon.co.uk I will of course post further info as and when it becomes finalised as I know anyone will enjoy the workshops immensely.

While away my hubby 'fixed' my computer and in the process managed to lose ALL my contacts files!! Aaarrgggghhh !! no email history is left, no emails , addresses or phome numbers! so if you are one of the peeps I keep in contact with and you haven't heard from me for a while, PLEASE don't think I have ignored you, I will need you to email me you details again so that I can resume contact.

Enough of my ramblings for now, I am to explore blogland to catch up.

Dollying weekend

2009-05-15T12:13:00.003+01:00

Hiya, just a quickie post to say I won't be around for a few days as I'm about to head off to 'Mrs Tiggywinkles' to dress those Tudor gentleman I told you about the other day. Julie from Jakdaws attic is going with me too and I know we will have lots of fun. I'll take a few piccies if I can and post on my return. Last year when I joined an online doll group just for a bit of advice, I had no idea that I would form such good friendships with some of them & definitely didnt imagine I'd be going off for girlie dollying weekends with them! don't know what I'd do without my online buddies now? Thankyou each one of you for making me smile when I switch on my computer :o) ooh, enough of the soppy slush! Get the kettle on for about 5pm ish Debie! LOL

Blog make-over

2009-05-13T23:42:00.005+01:00

After browsing around and admiring all the gorgeous graphics on a few blogs today, I went in search of a new 'me' and found one I sort of like better than black on black, from here http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/ there were a few more I liked there but didn't want to look like a copycat so this is the new look......... for a while anyway.

where do the days go?

2009-05-13T18:25:00.005+01:00

I've been happily visiting everyone elses blogs and having a good read and then came back to mine and realised I haven't written anything for a few days! how did that escape me?? I think the hen thing knocked me off kilter a bit. Thanx to everyone sending well wishes for Layla, she's still waddling around and seems happy enough, time will tell but the outlook isnt that hopeful ...... I will be down 2 birds very soon as I have to get my lovely Rooster rehomed soon as there is a school just across the road from me and hes started cockadoodling at the school bells every half hour, so basically doesnt shut up for long LOL but he's upsetting the neighbours, its amazing how something so small can make so much noise! I will have to go chook shopping then as it will look a bit too empty out there for my liking - I know I will come home with more than 2 so its not all bad news :o)

Spike

Back to minis................................... can you hear the wind blowing ? yep thought so! I haven't done anything for ages, pfaffing is what I have been doing! I won't be idle long though as I'm going to see a friend over the weekend to be a 'guineapig' testing her workshop program for doll workshops that she's planning on starting, I think we are dressing tudor gentlemen (12th scale ones of course! LOL) - good excuse to catch up and have a drink or three too. I know I will come back inspired and will be busy for a while after, so I think my oomph and my mojo are currently waiting for me somwhere on the M5!

Feeling sad :o(

2009-05-11T14:20:00.007+01:00

I am feeling sad today, I have to take one of my chickens to the vet later as she has peritonitis. Basically she's misfiring and her eggs are going into her abdomen instead of coming out. She seems ok in herself at the moment and I'm hoping he can give her a hormone jab to stop her laying any more eggs, which will give her 'mechanics' a chance to sort themselves out, maybe wishful thinking? I know there are some people out there who think huh? its just a chicken, but Layla is also a pet, so its hard being rational when you are emotionally attached. She's been such a wonderful bird and was the first of my chooks to ever lay an egg for me so I will miss her if the vet says 'times up', but I don't want her to suffer either. My sadness has also been added to by the fact that I realised that it would have been my dad's birthday today, he passed on 14 yrs ago and I dont normally feel like this but the chicken thing has well and truly set me off! fingers crossed the vet will be able to do something helpful.
I am now going to go and buy some jaffa cakes! they usually do the trick to cheer me up :o)

Edit - back from the vet & not the best news, it would now seem that she has a huge growth/tumour in her oviduct and has put on a kilo in weight in the last 2 months which is lot considering her usual body weight is only 2 kilos !! have lots of drugs to give her but we have to see how things go. She is such a happy chicken though so its nice knowing that she's not that aware of what is happening to her.

Blogland is Brilliant!

2009-05-10T19:14:00.006+01:00

Oh the wonderful things you can find when having a nosey around all the other blogs that other people follow, anyway I found a wonderful youtube video on silke's witches its a lovely song with a very Burton-esque video

I really would love to add it to my blog but havent a clue how to do it so if anyone can help me out so I can show it I will be forever grateful :-)
Edit - thanx to Gaye sending me the 'what to do email' I managed to do it ! so don't feel quite so thick now - Yay!! :o)

Ive not done any mini-ing over the last few days as I've had my mum visiting (think she came to check out my lads new flat wasnt too much of a hovel!) but am looking forward to getting back to my 'to-do list' tomorrow as I do get withdrawal symptoms!

It's going to be one of those days !

2009-05-08T09:34:00.002+01:00

Do you ever wake up and think you are going to pee miracles and poo wonders? and then you have the first cuppa of the morning, make yourself a new 'to do' list, read the minimag on the side that you forgot about the other day and think I'll have a quick look on the computer........... yep its gone ! the oomph I had when I got up has got lost along the way, am off to look for it now.

More awards!

2009-05-07T13:30:00.003+01:00

OOh its like luvvies day around here LOL! got another 2 awards today :o) Julie from Jakdaws attic returned the award I passed to her

and then Debie sent me a sweet one too.

so to show my appreciatation of the award My Top 7 Loves are :

1. Hubbs and Kids - without them I just wouldn't be me - they are my soul mates. (does this use up more 'loves'? if so I admit greed and need more than 7 loves!)
2. My Pets - my dog Twinkle is as daft as a limp brush, drives me nuts but I wouldn't be without her or my chickens - I know they are plural but would use up all my 7 if I listed them individually!
3. My Miniatures - ....? perhaps this isnt so much a love as an addiction, in fact I was going to name my 'business' A Miniature Addiction!
4. My mini friends - kind and thoughtful, all generous sharing their knowledge, I love that I need all of you x
5. The internet - what a fantastic invention it was ! and all the neat things you can research or learn or just admire and for free! (I love free!)
6. My life! - sure there are things that I'd like to be a bit different, but I'm happy how things are and like to think of my cup being half full not half empty.
7 .and finally....Jaffa cakes! - shallow I know but hey, they have to be in here somewhere!

Paperclay Chimneys

2009-05-07T09:31:00.004+01:00

I have really neglected my dolls house recently, so as I don't have any dolls to do this week, I decided sod the housework, I need to do a bit of essentials like working out how to put a chimney breast in the Skool of Majick so the poor trainee witches have somewhere to prepare their potions. The bigger one is going in the kitchen / spellroom and the smaller one in the lounge. I've not played with paperclay like this before so am quite pleased how its gone so far, although I'm a bit wary about adding the paint effect cos it took ages to dry and Im convinced that as soon as the paint goes on that the clay is all going to fall off!! only one way to find out though.

2009-05-06T22:39:00.006+01:00

Hello again, I can't believe it has been so long since I popped in here! I am equally as surprised (pleasantly though) that I had an award waiting for me when I did get here, from Minikat at Little thoughts from an average mind It is a wonderful feeling that someone I didn't know a week ago has become such a sweet friend & thought of me so kindly - so thank you for the award Kathleen you are a true gem :0)

I copied this info from minikat
"This is the blurb about the award:
This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!”

So I now have to pick eight bloggers to pass this onto. The trick is trying to pick someone who hasn't been awarded that same thing already. Hmmmmm.......
1. Julie at jakdawsattic cos she's lovely and has been a good friend both online and off.
2. Debie at piskies-and-poppets ditto above reason!
3. Eileen at eileen sedgwick - a wonderfully cheery & truly amazing all round artist that creates breathtaking pieces.
4. Roz & Aidy at lilyelf for creating D-a-m-e, a great group for both miniaturists and enthusiasts alike and for giving me the confidence to get 'out there' with my work :o)
5. I know its supposed to be for those who havn't received it before but.....
Jodi at creager studios for being such an inspiring and wonderful person, and the first person who's dolls I truly admired and did the ''I really want/need/wish I could own that'' at!
6. Debbie from debbies tiny treasures really deserves this for just being so nice!
7. Nikki at witch and wizard miniatures for having such interesting blogs.
8. Last but not least the whimsical goblin cos I think Goblinz head will explode at the thought of someone being nice!! LOL

Another thanx for Kathleen as this award has also taught me how to find out and add links to other blog pages which is going to be very useful sending people on to other great stuff I find so they can enjoy it too :o)