New Year! New Project!

Yes, I know I already have several projects on the go but one more won't hurt, will it?

Over a year ago I started putting together an Orchid dolls house by Corona Concepts, a sister company to Greenleaf. The plywood proved to be a bit of a pain and after much anguish the dolls house was put to one side. I don't even have a name for it yet but over the Christmas holidays I had a sudden surge of mini-madness and started working on it again. I've not yet decided how the exterior should look so I started on the inside while I thought about the outside. First thing I did was remove the dividing walls as they made the rooms so small they were practically unusable. Next I found that standard 12th scale furniture I had in my stash looked a bit too big, hmm? So what's a girl to do but to make a custom-fit kitchen!!

Using my favoured mountboard, glue and plenty of paint I created a range cooker, cupboards and shelving. Here's one end of the kitchen, I couldn't help but start to 'accessorise' but no doubt things will change in time...

The wall tiles are also made of dark grey mountboard. I measured out a grid of 1cm squares and using a very sharp craft knife scored along the grid lines twice with a little gap in between each line. Then using the tip of your knife you can lift the coloured top layer of paper to reveal a pale background which becomes the grout lines. I picked out some random tiles and painted them blue and white to match the colour scheme and then painted over it all with an acrylic gloss varnish. I was so pleased with how they turned out!

I had some red gingham fabric in my cupboard that I bought long ago which was perfect for the curtain in front of the shelving.

I would love granite worktops for my RL kitchen but can't afford them so having them in my dolls house is the next best thing. These are made from Fimo in 'Granite' and I like them soooo much!

So that's where we're at .... back with some more soon x

Seasonal Catch-up!

Hi Everyone! I've had no time to be on my computer over the holidays due to a gas leak, water leaks, boiler and lighting problems - happy days!!!- so it's most enjoyable to be catching up with you all. I hope everyone had a happy and peaceful Christmas and are looking forward to 2011 and all that it will bring.

Despite the problems at home I took some time out to catch up with some miniatures (and calm myself down!!!) I was asked to make some more crocheted bags for a friend in the US so they're finished. A dolls house that has been sitting like a wreck for more than a year has been started - more on that in the New Year! And a good sort through of the miniatures I've collected revealed some lovely items I forgot I had - it was like Christmas all over again!

As usual I've also had another crafty project on the side to dip in and out of. I found a tutorial for crocheted snowflakes (and loads of other crafty crocheted things) on Attic24's blog (well worth a look if you're interested in learning to crochet!). After a shoogly start I got well away and found these to be so addictive!

They were pinned to shape and starched. Then sewn onto a length of ribbon and draped around our Christmas tree - aren't they pretty?

May I wish everyone all the best for the New Year and hope 2011 brings you everything you wish for

xxx

Swap Group Update

Just a very quick post today to show you the Christmas Gift I made for my fellow swap group member. Now that we've all opened our pressies I can share this with you. It's a miniature version of a real-life cross-stitch I have hanging in my home. I printed it onto transfer paper and ironed it onto fabric to give it some texture before making a little frame to go round it.

A Bear for my Sister-in-Law

Hi Folks! I've not been doing much as I've been laid low with a heavy cold but I've enjoyed looking at all your festive preparations. I'll finally be decorating our house this weekend too.

But first, I've been meaning to make a bear for my sister-in-law at Christmas for a few years now and I've finally done it. So here is ... Flynn!

He's approximately 8" from head to toe and made from mohair. As it's chilly out I knitted him a little sweater and made him some trousers and a wee scarf. Just need to nestle him into his gift box now but I thought I'd share him with you all first. Take care x

'Snow' Joke Any More!

There seems no let up in the snow here in West/Central Scotland. Today we awoke to falling snow and it hasn't stopped all morning. Traffic is grid locked all around and things are grinding to a standstill. This is the second year in a row when snow has caused so much disruption and serious thought needs to be given as to how we cope with it next time. Other countries manage it so why can't we?

Meanwhile here are some more photos of Cumbernauld taken last Thursday - we've had about another 12" of snow since then. It does look pretty but after a while all snow pictures seem to look the same...

Wherever you are, stay safe and warm xxx

And it's only November!!!!

Not had much time for mini-ing lately so nothing to report on that front! However, we are shivering under the heaviest snow fall that I can ever remember in our 20-odd years here! We had a 'team' of neighbours clearing our street yesterday but after more heavy snow we are now unable to get vehicles out of the residential areas and even the main roads aren't that great. As a result we've been stuck at home for the past few days. I'll try to rustle up some enthusiasm and get on with some projects today but meanwhile here are some photos from a very snowy Cumbernauld xxx

Such Tiny Knitting!

I have to share with you the items I received from my swap partner this month. Jennie does the most fantastic miniature knitting and made these two little dresses.



The detail in them is breathtaking and, having tried miniature knitting (ie. sharp needles, sore fingers, crossed eyes - and six hours to knit a 1" square cushion!!!), I applaud anyone who manages it. Aren't they wonderful? Perhaps I should try making a doll or two to wear them...maybe next year!

The Paper Crimper

Following on from my earlier post today, here is the paper crimper I mentioned. You put the paper between the rollers and turn the handle - it's that simple. It came from our local Hobbycraft store, found among paper punches, etc. and best of all it was only £3! Hope this helps x

Conservatory Roof Blinds

I've got a new toy.... a paper crimper! I've mentioned already my idea for blinds in the conservatory but the thought of fan pleating so much paper was too much to bear. Now with this nifty little gadget the vellum comes out with just the right amount of 'ripple' to look like blinds when they're closed. Perfect for the closed blinds on the back roof of the conservatory. For the front I wanted blinds to look more like they were partially opened so there was nothing else for it but to run the vellum through the crimper and then pleat the rest by hand. Some beading nylon was threaded through them and here's how they look in situ....

the back...

...and the front, if a little crooked!

I'm pleased with how they've turned out...now what else needs pleating?

Swap Group Update

You may know that I'm a member of an online swap group, Dedicated Mini Swappers. It's quite a small group, very friendly and there's no pressure to take part in every swap. I'd signed up for swaps in October and November but as none of my swaps were 'themed' I hummed and hawed for quite some time before deciding what to make. October was my month in our Half-Yearly Swap so, with my new found crochet skills everyone in my little group each got one of these, a little shopping bag ...

For November the swap theme was an item of my choosing, so I chose to make this little Christmas rug and cushion..

And finally, our annual Christmas Swap has to be mailed out by the end of November so we can all open them together before Christmas. I have made .... oh no, sorry, you'll have to wait until then before I can 'show and tell'!

I hope my partners like my gifts to them and if anyone is interested in joining our group please drop them an email and say Allison sent you!

A Comfy Sofa for the Conservatory!!

I'm still thinking about the roof blinds so while I was thinking about them I made the sofa for the conservatory. This was a fairly cheap sofa that I bought some time ago always with the intention of stripping it. However, having stripped the sofa to the bare bones I now realise that it's basically simple shapes joined together so I'm tempted to build a matching chair from stratch using foamboard as I don't really like cutting wood.

I wanted a sofa that had a rattan-type frame with some plump cushions and here's how it came about. The original covers were removed and the sofa base recovered using Aida, the fabric used in cross stitch. (For any fellow cross stitchers out there this was justifiable as I had a large piece of bright yellow, 14 count fabric that I knew would never be used for cross stitch because of the colour - see photos for verification!!!!) Here are all the bits recovered in Aida!

After reassembling the sofa it was ready for painting. I painted it with brown acrylic paint, several coats to mask that yellow! Then a light coat of satin varnish to seal the paint and add a bit of a sheen.

I then got on with the cushions for the seat and back. I bought this dark red fabric at the same time as the blind fabric because I thought it complemented it well. Some little scatter cushions (these might be changed) and the sofa was done.

I'll let you know how I get on with my matching chair! Until next time x

Blinds for the Conservatory

Following on from my last post, sewing won over landscaping!! The blinds for the conservatory have been made. I chose simple blinds because I didn't want a cluttered look at the windows and have made them different heights - intentionally! I made them by sandwiching together the fabric so the pattern would be seen inside and out and then trimming them with ribbon. They were then fixed to the frame above the windows.

I'm toying with the idea of making those pleated blinds for the roof - you know the sort, with cords running through them? I was thinking perhaps that I could make tiny pleats on vellum paper and then cut to shape before running thread through them - hmmmmm, might be one of those little jobs that seemed a good idea at the time but half way through and.....argh!!! Something to think about!!!

I'm really enjoying making minis again and my next post will either be about the above mentioned roof blinds or the sofa I'm ready to start. Until then x

Back to Miniatures!!!

Over the last couple of months I've been doing allsorts of crafting but not many miniatures. That's just me - I flit from project to project. I'm now back onto miniatures and decided it was high time that my conservatory was glued together and glazed. I started this conservatory so long ago and it has sat forlornly on my shelf, in bits, collecting dust, so here's its story to date. Firstly though the photos were taken with a flash which seems to distort things slightly. So...it was painted green to start with and, as I wanted a more weathered look, roughly painted over with a walnut wood stain to tone it down a bit. I think in places I've overdone it a bit so might have to rub it back in places.

The lower walls were painted cream and then 'bricks' were cut from a sheet of black card which I had painted with terracotta, black and a touch of grey paint. These were glued onto the lower walls of the conservatory inside and out - it took forever!

I was going to tile the floor but the floor panel already had floorboards scored into it so I stained them as I thought a wooden floor would be more in keeping with the style I have in mind. More about that another day...

The back wall was papered and painted over in cream and then I searched the internet until I found the type of wall art I wanted. I found this print, resized it and printed it so it could be stuck on the back wall. Some wooden moulding was cut and stained to frame the print. For some reason in the photo it appears to bend at the top but it is straight..honest!!!

Finally the glazing was added, correctly on the second attempt as I managed to stick it to the wrong side the first time round! Don't ask!!!

So that's where we're at just now. I plan to fix it to a base and landscape around it so I think I'll work on that before starting on the inside. That said, however, I have found some rather pretty fabric in my stash that would be perfect for some blinds and you know how I like to sew.....

Esmerelda - or Esme to her friends!

Hello! I can now introduce to you my newest raggy doll, Esmerelda - a little witch who adores Hallowe'en and her little cat, BlackJack.

I always find that these raggy dolls never seem to turn out to plan, they seem to evolve so I never know what they're going to look like until they're finished but finished she is and I think she looks like a friendly little witch.

She is approximately 21 inches from the top of her hat to the tips of her toes. She's wearing black tights with orange stars and moons (wouldn't mind a real pair like that!) and her new skirt with matching top shows her favourite ghosts and bats! She has just completed Grade 3 in Witchcraft and proudly displays three gold stars on her hat.

She's been given a flat bottom (if only it was as simple in real life!) and has joints at her knees so she can sit happily on a shelf without falling about! Hope you like her x