Stuff I've made recently

So the last couple days, I've been busy at my desk just brainstorming ideas and making things. I've just been in the right mood lately and I find it very pleasant to sit and create.

Here are some of the things I've been making since Monday:

This is a sign I made for my desk area. :) I got the idea from watching so many craft videos on Youtube and a lot of the crafters there had made these cute signs. Maybe I'll use it in a future video!

These are some new crystal balls I made. I'll be adding them to Etsy very soon. I like these new bases. :)

This is an experiment I have been playing with. It's a lotus floating in a bowl of water. I found some plastic flowers at A.C. Moore and repainted them to look more lotus-like and I put them in an acorn cap filled with Triple Thick/Mod Podge Dimensional Magic. It seems to work. Perhaps I'll make more and/or do a tutorial.

I finally made a sign for the historical society! I named the little town it is in "Kleinburg" because I needed something that sounded German/PA Dutch and "klein" means "small" so...I think it's pretty obvious. ;) It was fun to make and it even has that aged, weathered look! Here's a pic of the whole front porch. :)

This is a Daisy House Kit bed I put together tonight. I was going to dress it and consider selling it, but I like it a lot and might replace the brass bred in the Glencroft with it. I do need to make a mattress as the ones I had bought do not fit quite right. I will enjoy dressing this, though! I love the blue accents. I am also thinking of painting the unfinished part, but not sure what color, I think I'll go really light or really dark with it.

I hope you enjoyed the eye candy! :) I have a few ideas for Christmas minis as well as some other stuff for the shop, so stay tuned.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

I'm having an Etsy Sale!

Type in HALLOWEEN when checking out in my Etsy shop and get 10% off! Today and tomorrow only! (Ends 11:59PM US EST on 11/1/12)

Mention Monday

The winds are picking up here in upstate NY and my work closed early today. We are staying safe inside and thankfully still have power! We have plenty of candles and flashlights should it go out, though!

Anyway, I am debating on what to do with this windfall of extra time and so I am considering some mini projects. I have lots of kits I'd like to make up and maybe even get some new holiday minis started. Who knows?

In the meantime, it is Monday and a long, long time ago, I decided that meant that I would mention some fellow bloggers out there that you might be interested in! Of course, it's been months since I had a Mention Monday post, but here goes...

1) Jazzi Minis is doing her Monday Link Party (as she does every week) over at her blog. You can include a link to your own blog and Etsy shop and check out what others have posted. I have found it's a great way to promote my shop as I have seen several shop views come directly from her Link Party! Thanks, Jazzi!

2) Illyria is having a giveaway of some amazing books she created that are perfect for Halloween or a spooky scene any time of the year!

3) My Miniature Menagerie just finished an amazing dollhouse, 120 Copper Court, with so much realistic detail, you just need to see it for yourself! To celebrate, she is doing a scavenger hunt-style giveaway! I loved the extra challenge in this giveaway since you get to look through her blog posts about building and decorating this beautiful house! So much eye candy! :)

There it is - an edition of Mention Monday. :) I'll challenge myself this week to try to post everyday through Friday. We'll see how it goes. ;) (And if the power holds out!!!)

Findings and reorganization

Hi everyone!

I wanted to share with you a few finds I have made at our local Hobby Lobby. Sometimes I go to the craft store for one or two things, and then decide to look around a bit to see if there is anything interesting I could use for future projects. This habit, of course, gets quite expensive if I am not careful! ;)

I like to use jewelry findings in many of my projects, including Etsy goodies, and decided to stop by that department. Well, I spent some time looking at the charms, surprisingly not items I look at very often. I found some great charms that are perfect for 1/12th scale. Here they are:

On the left is a lovely hand mirror which really reflects, and on the right is a keyring with some old-fashioned keys. Both of these are now in the historical society. I placed the mirror in the display case and the keys are sitting on the curator's writing desk.

Another thing I have done recently is rearrange the herb shop. I took out everything, cleaned out the dust, and rearranged items. This resulted in leaving some items out completely to make room, but I like the way it looks now. Here are some pics:

I am finished with my work that has to be done before tomorrow and have laundry in the dryer so I am free to make some minis. But what to work on...? ;) It might be time to dig through my stash for inspiration!

Fireplace

I made a fireplace today! Originally I had the intention of finishing a couple wooden fireplaces I picked up to put on Etsy, but this one...well I really like it, and don't have the heart to sell it. At the moment, I have no project that it belongs to, but it's a great prop for Etsy photos to display items. :)

Anyway, here it is:

I painted the mantle to look like marble. This was my first attempt at this art form, but I am pleased with it! (I learned how to do this by watching Youtube videos!)

This is a picture of what the fireplace looked like before I finished it and after. :) 

I do have another unfinished mantle, and might make one to sell. I could also do a custom one if someone out there really likes this. :)

Hope everyone is having a good Halloween! Here on the east coast of the US, we are "battening down the hatches" to prepare for Hurricane Sandy. I live in the part of NY that will get less rain, but may still be in risk of a power outage or flooding in parts of the area. Hope everyone stays safe!

*Blows dust off the keyboard and starts typing...*

Well it certainly has been a while since I updated this blog! The semester affords me little time for creating art, and certainly even less time for writing about creating. Yikes! I have managed to catch up this past week, though, and even had some time that I took to relax at my desk to make some things. Many of these ended up on Etsy, so check there for some brand new crystal ball designs, a witch hat, and a new knitting basket! :) (Here's the link.)

I have also spent a little time today making curtains for my Glencroft dollhouse! I have been debating about what type of curtains to make and how to install them and today I found a nice, easy method involving barbeque skewers and wooden pony beads to do so.

Here's the living room:

 Hmmm, those pics make the curtains look uneven, but I swear the panels are the same length! Really! :)

I also made a small sheer panel for the bedroom:

 

(By the way, the material from both curtains came from free samples I received in the mail from Smith + Noble. They have a very wide selection of home decor and window treatments...I recommend their site.)

As you can see (from comparing the last post's pics to the above), I changed the bedroom around a bit. I like the more open layout. :)

Yesterday, I made some lovely new crystal balls (as I mentioned earlier). I made one that I just love and can't bring myself to put on Etsy so I put it in the Glencroft. :)

 

You can see it just beyond the little metal box. The base of the ball is a metal acorn cap. :) Love it!

I hope I will have more things to post soon, especially for the holidays! I do want to welcome all of my new followers and I am keeping an eye on both this blog and Linda's Minis on facebook to prepare for a giveaway when I hit the next milestone on either (200 here, 100 on facebook). So stay tuned!