Cats and cross stitch

Hi Everyone. As usual time is running away with me, where does it go?I am busy preparing for visitors, and all the usual real life things.
 I have also been having a major sort out of my store room. This has taken weeks, mainly because of all the rain we have had recently. I really needed to get everything out, get some shelving up and have a major tidy out of all the boxes and stuff I did not know what to do with.
Anyway, it is done now, and everything is in transparent boxes so I know exactly what I have got. For a miniature hobby all the stuff takes a very large amount of room.
My latest miniature project has been to make a needle felted kitten. Some of you will remember Gill and I having a go a few months back. Then it took us all day to make a cat, this time it took me about 20 hours!
I just could not get the face right. It is OK, but not perfect. Perhaps in true scale it is a lot easier, certainly in miniature it is not. I can only admire those who do this for a living, they are either a lot quicker than me, or living in abject poverty! If you look at http://www.etsy.com/shop/BinhMyPet  on Etsy she makes some beautiful cats at a more than reasonable price. Here are some photos of my effort, they do not compare but I like him.

He is so small the photos are not great, but the best we could do.I think it will be a while before I make another.
The latest project is to finish some things I found while I was sorting out, these are mostly sewing. Does anyone else start several cross stitch projects at once? I have finished one cushion, and almost finished the second, only 4 more projects to go. Then there is the scrap booking kit, not to mention stuff for Christmas. I am supposed to be starting a doll next week with my sister when she visits.
Still, life would be less rich without hobbies!
Until next time
Oly

Mini baking

At our Dolls House Club on Tuesday, for the second week running, Gill and I decided to make food.
Every now and again we have this urge to make polymer clay food, and I always think afterwards I could have made the real thing in half the time with better results. Still, then I would have to eat it, or my husband would. He gets a little excited when he sees the oven on and I tell him there is a cake in, only to be disappointed when he realises it is a miniature.
Anyway, back to miniature food. For ages we have wanted to get cake texture right, and I think this time we managed it. I am pleased with the texture, but not with the icing, although the cake does look pretty gooey.

The problem with all these cakes, and the food we make, is we have to have somewhere to put it, I can feel a bakery and tea room coming on . This will mean yet another rearrangement of the department store. This is a big job, especially with two cats who always appear at the wrong moment. They look as if butter would not melt in their mouths when they are asleep, this is not true.

I had a bit of clay left and made some bread, this looks OK, just not quite as good as the real thing.

Last week at the club I made a lemon mousse cake. I like the top which worked well but the mousse is not right, but I have an idea for that.

I think I have a way to go until my miniature food looks like Amanda Speakman´s, but they do say practice makes perfect.
Have a good weekend
Oly

Back to minis soon

Oh dear, I do not seem to be doing very well at posting despite my new resolution to keep up to it. Still, things should be a little quieter this week. Life seems to have been quite hectic and interfering with hobbies.
As I said before I have been making a doll for my friend who has a significant birthday this year. She loves her, and I can show her to you now. She is called Flamenca and is based on a pattern by Judi Wellnitz.

She is going to have a very good home here in Spain.
The next doll, which is almost finished, is for a charity raffle my sister supports. I seem to have been making hard work of it, don´t know why. I will post some photos when she is done. It looks a bit like the French revolution in my work box with several loose heads, I do get a bit carried away sometimes!
At our next dolls house club on Tuesday we are back to making miniatures, yet another experiment with miniature food. We shall see how we go.
Hope you are enjoying your weekend.
Olwyn

Where does the time go?

I cannot believe it is a week since my last post, where does time go?
We have been deluged with rain for the last few days, the first for months so everyone was delighted to see it, unlike the residents of the UK who have had it all summer. What summer?
I am still trying to sort out the department store, and now there are a lot of empty spaces, particularly in the Bridal shop. Once I had moved everything out which had somehow sneaked in there are even empty cupboards. It gave me some space to display the dresses I had made to better advantage.
The Princess Grace dress is from a pattern by Kathi R Mendenhall. I am not very experienced at making this kind of thing but I enjoyed the process. I particularly enjoy making wedding things, like Gill pretty is my thing in the dollshouse.

I have finished the doll for my friend´s birthday, and have now started another, I am having a problem making her stand properly so will have to rethink.
 I am also practising a cat face for another doll in the pipeline which my sister, Gill and I are going to make when my sister comes over in November. This is an advanced doll and we are anything but advanced doll makers so it will be a challenge.
In my head I do have a plan to miniaturise these dolls, but that is on hold at the moment because they are quite complicated enough in full size.
I am missing Gill this week as she is in the UK with her family, still it was worth her going to get supplies!
Hope you are all having a good weekend
Regards
Olwyn

Back to Minis

Being of an economical nature, well sometimes, Gill and  I seem to have collected several ring/jewellry stands which resemble mannequins for the dolls house.
Before they take over our real houses it seemed a good idea to do something with them, especially as the wedding shop is looking very bare after a recent rearrangement.
We did not want to make something which would take days so on a Tuesday club meeting Gill and I decided to dress the mannequins.
This is mine, Gills is very pretty. She is much more precise than I am, so she does the measuring and I can fix most of the things I do wrong with judiciously applied glue, bling or a little bit of something.

We are pleased with them and fully intend to make some more, that is if other things do not come up. Why am I sure they will? Must be my Gemini brain.
Enjoy your mini work!
Oly

Have we lost the plot?

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. Life seems to have been very busy, and with the hot sunshine it is difficult to mini as glue dries in a flash, and everything sticks to sweaty palms.
This is just an excuse to explain why Gill and I decided to do something different.
 It all started when we moved out for the weekend of the fiesta, this is because the cats and I hate the noise of the rockets. I wanted something to do which would fit into a small box and decided to make a free pattern for a pin cushion doll. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to make an art doll and have not stopped since. I am now on my fourth. My sister also made one on a recent visit, and we are planning another for her next visit.Here are the ones I have made so far

Firstly I made Emmaline for my Mum from a pattern (Stump Sisters) by Judi Wellnitz. I had forgotten how much I liked beading and got a bit carried away.
My second doll was from Cloth Doll Artistry by Barbara Willis

Finally, there is Gertrude, many of you will have seen her on Gill´s blog with no clothes on, she is from a pattern by Jill Maas. I made her a red hat lady for a charity raffle. I am now working on another doll but she has to stay secret for now as she is a present.

I have done a little mini work, trying to tidy up the shop. However I seem to have two very keen helpers who sense when the door is open and appear to watch and wait for their opportunity to get in there. Perhaps when it is a little cooler they will sleep so I can mini.
In the meantime I will show you my favourite mini I bought at our annual outing to the Andalucia Dolls House Fair.

 

I call him the Tourist, he was bought from m-nieves-artesana.blogspot.com and I think he is perfect.
My late summer resolution is to keep up with this blog, so watch this space.
Until the next time
Oly

Bottles, straws and clay

Hi everyone, been a while since I was able to post. This is mostly because my cats think my laptop is a nice warm place to sit! However they are sat on my husbands computer at the moment so I will tell you my latest makes.
Following on from Gill´s lovely perfume displays, and the hundreds of bottles that we obsessively made, I designed some for various departments in the store. Most I have not made up yet but I thought you may like to see a couple.The sharp eyed among you may spot the ironed straw, take it from me no glue available in Spain will stick these together! Fortunately Gill had a moment of inspiration.

I also had the idea that I would make a wedding buffet scene. Horror of horrors this included making Fimo food. I have never done much of this, and what I have done is usually not very good, and, as all miniaturists know, has to go at the back. There is some wonderful miniature food out there, but at the moment I cannot afford it as I am saving for the Andalucia Dollshouse fair in June which Gill and I look forward to all year.
The only solution was to get out the Fimo and start. I surprised myself as I don´t think they are too bad, at least they are a start, although the cheese board looks a little small compared with everything else, or perhaps the other portions are more generous.

The next problem will be running out of dishes, I really hope I do not have to make any from Fimo, my one attempt looked like something a 5 year old would make. I think I will attempt a wedding cake instead.
Mini hugs to all
Oly

Houses and Shirts

As you know Gill bought me some little house kits for Christmas, I made these this week, and Gill suggested I use Flowersoft (last years Christmas present) to add some dimension and texture. I am very pleased with them, they went together beautifully and the Flowersoft is easy to use, if a little messy. Now I will have a Miniatures Department in my store, which will fill one of the many remaining spaces.

I also made some more shirts and sweaters  for the Mens Department, they are very quick and easy to do. It usually takes longer to find and choose the materials than to make a pile. Although normally, like Gill, I prefer to make pretty and bling it is nice to have a change sometimes. It is always difficult to find things for the mens department, so usually the only option is to make, but it is one of the fullest departments despite this.

I bought a new camera yesterday so I am going to practise with it, I have even bought a light box so I can photograph my minis easily (I think). 
Happy mini making.
Love
Oly

Happy New Year

A very Happy New Year to all you miniaturists out there, I hope you had a good Christmas with lots of mini gifts. We had a great time with family who were visiting. The festivities are not over in Spain as we have the Three Kings fiesta this weekend which involves lots of parades on Thursday evening and a Bank Holiday on Friday. The big interest for miniaturists over Christmas here are the traditional Belens in all the shops, Town Halls and in the streets of the cities. These are mini tableaus of the nativity, and must take hours to put together, they are always a joy to see, and people are fascinated by them, especially the mechanised displays.

I had a break from making minis over the holiday, but just before I designed and made some boxes for the mens shop, now I have to find some suitable bottles to complete the displays. My first real attempt at designing boxes, so I was pleased that the tops fitted the bottoms and they were more or less the right size. I also made use of some cut outs from Dollshouse and Miniature scene to make some boxes of Christmas baubles for the Christmas department which needs a lot more things.

I had some nice surprises from Gill for Christmas,

and also some little houses to make, this will probably be the subject for our next club meeting.
Those of you who follow Gill´s blog will know we made Turkish Delight, a lot of Turkish Delight! I made six boxes like this, plus a box of chocolates which is nothing like the one I bought for Gill, there is certainly some improvement needed!

My Mum bought me a bar for the cafe in the department store so when inspiration strikes I want to start filling that, will post pictures when I make a start. In the mean time the best of luck to all, may 2012 bring you all the things you wish for.
Mini hugs
Oly