Trying my hand at miniature desserts

I have always been amazed at how wonderful the miniature cakes and desserts are that all of the mini artisans make. I tried my hand at making a few this week. First, I tried a red velvet cake with cream cheese icing, and then a key lime pie. The latter required that I make a lime cane, which was, well, challenging and only a few of the slices didn't come out completely deformed...

Anyway, here are pictures:

I'll keep practicing!! :) This was fun.

Muppet Show Theatre

This is really cool: http://lancecardinal.blogspot.com/2011/03/scratch-built-palisades-muppet-theatre.html


Apparently the artist  is in school for set design and has done a lot of other cool things as well. It's a must-see!

Kruger Collection

I came across this website on the Kruger Collection at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln while researching interior decorating ideas:


http://krugercollection.unl.edu/index.html

More eye candy! :)

Happy Spring, everyone!

Hiya!

Well, it certainly has been a while since I have posted, but so much has happened in the past few months.

1) I got a new job! I am now a professor, teaching biology to undergraduates.

2) Because of #1, I moved from NH to NY. I live in the Albany area. It's very nice, though I do miss the ocean quite a bit.

3) I went to Hawaii about a week ago for a symposium, and that was pretty awesome. :)

Due to all the craziness in my life, my hobbies have been on the back burner, but now that I am settling in, I hope to finish up some projects and start some new ones.

Hopefully this week (or at least within the next couple weeks), I will have shingled my Glencroft (finally) and finished off the rest of the work I need to do for it (add the front door, finish the chimney and attach the front yard).

I also want to explore some of the mini shops in my area. Apparently there is Lord Jim's Dollhouses in Schenectady, Linda's World of Miniatures in Greenville, and Judy's Tiny Shop in Delmar. I hope they are all still open so I can go and check them out. Have any of you been to these shops? I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments.

Jason still lives in NH (in fact, I am there visiting for the weekend), and this has proved convenient (but still a bit of a bummer that we live so far apart now) because I didn't have a lot of time to move and was able to just move what I need. I'll be taking the Glencroft with me and a box of minis I left behind.

So hopefully I will post more updates soon!

Cheers, and thank you for following my blog!

NH Farm Museum furniture; similar hutches

As mentioned in an earlier post, I had gone to the NH Farm Museum in Milton, NH over July 4th weekend. There I bought two pieces of furniture: one hutch and one chair.

Yes, the hutch's price is correct...it was 3.95. And the "captain's chair" was 0.95! Very cute and very inexpensive.

I also like the shopping bag the Museum used to pack my goodies in...

I think it would be awesome if the scale on the ads were smaller, for the antique shop. But I do have a camera and a computer, so I could make it possible. :)

Now, the thing that struck me about the hutch was that it looked an awful lot like two other hutches I have in my collection.

The hutch on the left is the one I found at the antique shop in Maine. The one in the middle came in a lot from eBay. The one on the right is the one from the Farm Museum. They all have the same heavy, sturdy construction and similar hardware. In fact, there were others at the Museum gift shop that were similar but I had to drag myself away before I bought everything. ;)  I am thinking of making a display with these three hutches if I don't use them in any of the houses.

 

Of course, if you're wondering, Oscar would love to have them in his yet-to-exist antique store, but we'll see. I told him he could have the chair.

But he complained his hind end didn't fit in there too well. Then again, his hind end doesn't fit in any other chair that well, either...

In the mean time, Esme is relaxing on the chaise lounge she insisted on having in front of the shop. It's the weekend after all, and it's time to kick back and relax.

Introducing Oscar and Esmerelda...

Well, two new folks have moved into town. Meet Esmerelda:

Esmerelda's dream is to run an herbal shop...with wares from around the world. Hmmm, I think I can hook her up with such a place. Tomorrow, I might have to show her a shop I know that needs such a person.


Her friend Oscar has also moved into town...

He's a packrat, and really into antiques. In fact, he's been known to wear some vintage early 1900s clothes. I don't know how he can stand wearing a suit in the middle of the summer, but I suppose if he isn't complaining, then neither should I. Anyway, like I said...he's a bit of a packrat:

Stuff he's inherited, bought, received as gifts, etc. has piled up considerably and he needs a place to keep it all. In fact, he'd love to open his own antique shop...something with an apartment above it would be ideal - nothing fancy, a studio would be fine...he's a bachelor after all. I might have another piece of property I could show him. It may need a little work, first, however.

The bedroom does need to be big enough to fit his antique bedroom collection, though.

Oscar: "I hope I can find a first floor apartment. I don't want to move all this stuff."


Esmerelda: "Well, don't look at me..."


Oscar: "Awww, come on. I'll give you 10% off at my antique store!"

Esmerelda: *Sigh...*



----
So everything shown above came in an AMAZING lot I received from a seller on eBay. I was looking at the listing, staring wistfully at the items, thinking it wouldn't be feasible to spend money on so many minis right now. Jason saw what I was looking at and decided to bid on it for me and he won! Yay! I was so excited to get all this stuff, and I love the dolls! Even though Oscar's wardrobe is a little dated, I think I can weave a story to make it work. Esmerelda's clothes translate nicely to a hippie/new agey style, especially when I make her some jewelry. :)


Here's the rest of the stuff in the lot:

New kitchen stuff. The copper items are definitely going into the Glencroft kitchen!

Flatware set. And I LOVE the whisk!

Some odds and ends...shutters, a window pane and a neat display.


Tune in for more adventures, when Oscar and Esmerelda check out their new digs and visit some of the other houses in the area. ;)

Goodies to come...

Hello everyone! I'd like to welcome all of the new readers to my blog. :) Thank you for following me...nearly 70 followers?! Wow! I am thinking of putting together a give-a-way package when I get 100 followers, but more on that later.

I've been away from minis for the last month or so, since this summer has been dedicated to career-job hunting. I am working locally for the time being, which is great for the wallet and the bills. ;)

I am inspired, as always, to complete some of the projects that are waiting for me in my craft room, first and foremost - Glencroft. She needs her chimney finished and her roof shingled. I think I made a decision on the chimney and that can be completed while I wait to get shingles (I want to be permanently employed first - lol).

Jason nabbed something awesome for me on eBay and as soon as we get it in the mail, I'll show you. I am very excited!

Here's something the New England locals might be interested in: the New Hampshire Farm Museum. I took my sister and nieces there on July 4th weekend. First of all it was a real treat for my nieces (one is 16, the other is 4), but also for us adults, too. We saw animals, old farm tools, and a very lovely homestead from the late 18th/early 19th century. For those working with a historical miniature scene, it's quite a treasure trove of ideas. In addition, there is a lovely dollhouse in the parlor, fully finished and furnished. :) I was quite happy with that. And in the gift shop are wooden dollhouse hutches and other pieces for very low prices. In fact, they are very similar to some pieces I already have. I did pick a couple pieces up, but for now I do not have pictures of them. I will get them up on the blog asap.

Another thing I have been working on in the meantime, not related to minis, is the website of our bath salt company. Jay and I create salt blends by hand and pack everything here in our home. I apologize for the shameless plug, but if you are interested, do check it out here! :)

I think that's it. I just wanted to update so you know I am still around! :) I enjoy reading my friends' blogs and am constantly inspired by all of the amazing projects I see on them. Keep it up!

Peace,
Linda