Great woodcrafting deal!

So, about a week or so, a friend told me about a pretty sweet deal he had seen online for a hobby tool set. This set is still on clearance for 5.99! He is a talented woodworker and so I was excited to hear he had one of these kits himself and recommended it. :) Of course, I decided to pick one up. One can never have too many knife blades or handles around. I just received it in the mail today and wanted to share with you what was inside. There are quite a few tools I have not seen before, but am excited to try out.

And...after several hours...I was able to finally upload a video on Youtube about toys that you might find suitable for your 1/12th scale dollhouse (at least here in the US). I hope it's helpful and I do apologize if it's a little rambly! :)

Featured Friday

I have been busy with prepping for the new semester, but also fitting some last bit of summer crafting in...and therefore have added several items to my Etsy shop this week. I am excited to say that 1 item has already sold! If you want updates of when items are added to my shop so you don't miss out, please check out and like Linda's Minis facebook page!

Anyway, here are just some of the items I've added this week:

Crystal balls with a Celtic knot base (I have added several different styles of crystal ball to my shop - please feel free to look around!)

Scratch-built occasional table with tile top

Rehabbed vintage dollhouse furniture (There is a matching dining room set listed as well)

Pumpkins

Again, this is only a handful of items that I have recently added. Please check out my shop for more goodies! I hope you see something you like!

Trade with Monika!

I have been lucky enough to participate in a swap with Monika at PuNo's minis!

It was a birthday-party themed swap, with just a handful of us sending along our own interpretation of what a 6-year-old might like and receiving some LOVELY minis in return. Since there was a small number of us, Monika made a scene with everything we sent along and sent each of us a package of party minis.

You can see what everyone had sent (and everything that Monika made) at her blog: http://puppenstubennostalgie.blogspot.com/2012/08/die-geburtstagsfeier-geht-los.html

Unfortunately, I am migrating all of my files from my old computer to my new computer (yay!), so I don't have the pics of what I sent at the moment. However, if you look at the 6th, 7th, and 8th photos on her entry, you can see what I sent: 6 cupcakes, a little dress in a shopping bag, and some extras, too. I am so glad they made it overseas safely!

Here's what she sent to me:



A little lantern, some yummy drinks, cookies, party hats, streamers, noisemakers, plates, a hair clip, a cute little ladybug, and a mini album, which, she told me, is real!!! Wow!

This was my first swap and it was so much fun! Thank you, Monika, for the opportunity to participate!

Some good ideas for wall decor

We have this awesome antique store about 45 minutes away called Camelot Village. The place is huge with room after room of stuff. As you may have guessed, I have looked for, and found, miniatures here. A few things are going to be rehabbed (couches, chairs with bad cushions) and possibly offered in my Etsy shop.

What I really wanted to point out were some of the vintage trading cards and ephemera they have. There is one room with loads and loads of postcards, ads, and other bits and pieces. I did not get to look through most of the stuff as we were getting ready to leave but I know where I am going to start my search the next time I go back! I did pick up some items that were perfect to fill up wall space in the historical society.

Here are some pics to give a better idea of what I am talking about:

Above, a soap ad and a photograph of a British noblewoman inspecting Boy Scouts add a little bit of interest to this formerly blank wall in the historical society attic.

There were a number of these small cards, about an inch to 1.5 inches wide showing different celebrities. Other such cards showed birds and flowers. (They would look pretty awesome in a frame. :-D ).

This is another ad for various clothing items with a lovely vintage picture. Again, it livens up the blank wall a little more, especially with the brighter colors.

HBS was also having a closeout sale so I took the opportunity to get some miniatures I have been wanting for my collection, including this replica of a chest in the Springfield (IL) Lincoln home. I am collecting the pieces little by little and hope to (someday) build the Springfield Lincoln Home from RGT. Once we move into a bigger and more permanent place, that will likely happen.

How have you used vintage ephemera in your dollhouses?

Wordless Wednesday

Gardening scene in a lantern - update

A while back I posted a gardening scene in a lantern in my Etsy shop. I have been waiting for an order of LED lights and finally received them today. Now I am including a light in with that lantern so the buyer can light up that scene! I love how the light adds to the realism and the general adorableness (is that a word?) to everything!

In other news, I have received my swap from Monika and can't wait to see what scene she makes from all the swap participants! After she posts her pic, I will post mine (I would hate to spoil the surprise for the other participants if they read this blog!). All I can say is that I have a little container full of CUTE things sitting on my work desk right now!!! :)