Stitching and Minis

I'm still recovering from our trip south last weekend, but I've been busy with projects.  Here's a look at the American Goldfinch.

 All that's left is the background.  I've got less than three skeins of the background color left to work with.  It shouldn't be long now.

While we were on the road last weekend, I wanted a stitching project that was small and easy to work on in the car or while seated with others.  I dug out six small kits for ornaments and got started on one.  This snowlady is baking gingerbread cookies here.

The same snowlady is/will be caroling in this ornament.

Whilst not stitching, I had to start making some minis for my sick friend.  The same friend who is loosing her battle with cancer.  She's been working on a holiday store... not just Christmas, but all the holidays, and hasn't felt up to finish stocking the shelves.  So I decided to give her a hand.

There are lots of teddy bears, six wall hangings, two Halloween pull toys, and two Easter baskets.

I've got some other little things for her holiday shop in mind.  Once I get them figured out I'll be sharing them here.

That's it for this week.  See everyone next time!

We're Alive

I thought I'd better say something here in case things trickled down from Facebook.  FH and I were in a auto+deer accident in the wee hours of the morning Sunday.  The car is still down south waiting on insurance people and estimates for repair. 

We were not injured an any way, thanks in no small part to FH's driving skills and a good dose of pure luck.  I have pictures of the damage, but can't post them until after the insurance company is done with everything.

My mom had to drive us back home as the car rental place informed us they would not do a one-way rental for that far of a distance.  We were not amused by that in the least.  Happily we still have my dad's car up here so we're not stranded or in need of a rental for everyday use.

There were a few other misadventures getting to the wedding.  Namely the washing machine draining all over the basement floor because in a sleep-deprived state I forgot to put the drain hose back in the laundry sink after I washed the gift for the wedding.  We were up all night cleaning up water and drying out carpeting.  Happily there was a finite amount of water... only one washing load.

We finally left here at 6:30am Saturday and missed the end of actual wedding ceremony by ten minutes.  Got there just as the bride and groom were walking out of the building.  But given the circumstances I think we did ok.  The reception was nice and we got to see many old friends and met some great new friends.

Anyways I'll be posting pictures of the wedding gift and the clothes I made to wear to this wedding this week.  For now I'm off to finish the clothes for the Steampunk wedding and their gift.

Very Late Pictures of New Minis

Soon after Castor passed away, but right before all the insanity with my parents begun, I received a package from N.W.  If you recall N.W. is the wonderful lady who made and sent four waves of minis for the Panda Nursery.  I still wish she'd do a blog so you all could see more of her work.  It's absolutely breath-taking.

Look at the tops of the soda cans!  You can see the pop tops!

And the spaghetti:

And look inside the box of microwave popcorn!

As always N.W. has an incredible eye for detail.

I'm thrilled to have these fun minis for the big dollhouse's kitchen.  Now to get through a few projects so I can get back to it.

How to Embarass A Teenager

Simple.  Sing "Happy Birthday" badly and pull out a camera.

You may wonder why on earth her cake is purple, aqua, and black... and you may also wonder what it tasted like.  So here's the story:

My best friend in this area had to move away.  [You may recall this she is one of the few people outside of my family to receive multiple stitched gifts over the last few years.  She is one of those people that loves handmade things and cherishes them... hence one reason we're friends.]  That's what I was doing all last week actually.  Her new home is 115 miles away.  Her kids haven't started school yet, or had the chance to make new friends.  Her daughter's birthday party was canceled. 

So then I find out what she wants for her birthday.... a new comforter set and the other bits and pieces that make a bedroom nice.  Great!  Then I saw it and thought twice... and remembered it looks like what I wanted in my room when I turned 13.  Ok then.  Another friend and I put our heads and wallets together to make it happen.  A third friend supplied the paint.  Here's the result:

So then I got the bright idea to match her birthday cake to the room.  And have a little fun with food coloring/visual perceptions connected with taste.  All I needed was my trusty checkerboard cake pan.  It worked great the first time, so why not again?

I used the Buttercake recipe from Wilton's.  Moist, flavorful, and simple.  Can't go wrong there.

Then I made a strawberry buttercream (1.5 sticks butter, 7 c. confectioner's sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla, 0.25 tsp salt, and just a little more than 0.33 c. crushed strawberries) and dyed it black.

 

Once the three layers were baked I assembled it all and had a chuckle.  This had to be the ugliest cake I've ever made to date. 

But when we cut into it...

And it was delicious!

Chicago International Show 2011-Long and Picture Heavy!

"Wow" does not begin to describe the wonderful people, great friends, gorgeous miniatures, and total sensory overload I experienced on Saturday.  I rode up with a member of the Stitcher's Guild and her husband.  We didn't stay together long since we were going at different paces.

First off I was able to meet several blog/Facebook friends in person.  April from Every Little Thing was there and we browsed quite a bit together... while we looked for my Guild friend.  I had the double pleasure of meeting Julie Campbell of Bellabelle Art Dolls and Jain Squires aka The Giddy Kipper.  I came away with one of Julie's dolls... more on her in a bit.  Ladies it was fantastic to meet you in person and I hope we have the chance to meet again someday!

Now for the fun part!  There we so many beautiful things it was hard to choose.  Happily I was able to come home with several pieces that spoke to me.

 Let's start off with my treasure from Julie.  Her name is Becka and Julie blogged about her last year.  I had forgotten that I'd loved her then until I went searching for any mention of her on Julie's blog. (There is a much better photo on Julie's blog.)  I do not know yet if Becka will move into the little girl's room in the "big dollhouse" once it's done or if I will construct a special setting for her.

 

 Here is a close up of my lipstick fairy by The Ladybug.  The butterfly cut-outs in the main picture also came from her table.

 These baby rabbits are a real treat.  This picture does not do them justice in the least.  The artist's name is Sylvia Mobley. Her blog can be found here and her website here.  Please, please visit them both.  Her work is stunning on a bad day and breath-taking on the best.  (And I blame Julie for my inability to resist these bunnies.)

 Now for some of the littler things.  I wanted to expand my collection of mini liquors and I needed the chocolate syrup for "Not Quite Fay's".  It was the only missing ingredient for mudslides sitting in the back corner of the hutch.  I feel in love with the mouse toy whist waiting to pay for the liquor bottles.

 Of course I was drawn to the mouse when I saw this panda bear in a basket close to the checkout area.  I think the panda will look great in the Panda Nursery.  I also had to have this little pig when I saw him.  (There are 4 tiny pairs of scissors in front of the pig.)

 The little pig looks just like a beloved toy of mine from my junior high school days.  Aren't they cute together?

 Another shot of the baby bunnies alongside a pewter candle mold and candle holder.  Perfect for either my witch's house or a Rendezvous miniature.  Come to think of it I should have grabbed a couple more of each.  Drat.

 A little something for FH's hunting cabin that I really should get back to...

 I thought he'd be fantastic in the Trading Post.

 A piece of silk that I couldn't ignore along with some flocking... black and white of course.  I bet you can't guess how I'm going to use that.

 Now for the part where I had to keep my composure and not turn into a gibbering fan-girl of epic proportions.  I was able to meet and chat with one of my heroes in the doll-making world, James Carrington.  He even signed my copy of his book.  I also received some (more) encouragement to attend the IGMA guild school. 

And I came away with this lovely.  This photo doesn't do her justice.  I really needed sunlight but I couldn't wait to take all the pictures. 

 

She's pretty much an early "everything" gift from FH.  I'll be settling for flowers and his fabulous cooking for many special occasions.  Oh darn. ;-)  This lady will definitely big getting a scene made around her.  It must include a grand staircase and doors to other rooms... I think.  For now I'll be getting domes or something to display both her and Becka in so I can enjoy them without them getting dusty.  Although Becka might come out to play with Maddie from time to time.  One never knows.

Oh and I did find my Guild friend again and we both fell asleep in the car for a bit on the way home.  Happily her husband was driving. ;-)  I'm going to go collapse now.

Parcels and Envelopes!

I was going to work on the birth announcement today and show you all but all kinds of goodies for the Panda Nursery have arrived!

First let me start with the gift from A. Wright at Every Little Thing.  These decorative buttons came last week and somehow I forgot to post the picture.  I'm not sure why, but here they are:

Aren't they adorable?  I can't wait to use these, especially the yellow rubber duck!

Next up are the items from N.W.  She doesn't have a blog, which is unfortunate because her dollhouse is beautiful and the minis she makes are too awesome for words.

N.W. made the changing table and everything on it.  Look at the diapers!  They squish and sound crinkly and everything! 

I'm in awe over these minis ladies.  Thank you both very much for contributing to this project.  Speaking of both awe and "awwww" if you'd like to see some of the other minis being sent hop on over to Beautiful Mini Blessings, Flowers and Art, and Katie's Clay Corner for sneak peaks.  I say "sneak peak" because apparently Kathi is on a roll and keeps making things and Katie only blogged about part of her gift.

I'm also expecting a package of furniture from San at The Dollhouse Diaries and a little something from Debie at Piskies and Poppets.

Now for the really crucial bit.  The roombox kit arrived today!  Just as I was about to start the posting I heard a thump at the front door.

Along with the cradle and a few mini books that I had when I was little.

The cradle needs new linens, but that won't take long.  I'm going to crochet a blanket some time in the next couple of weeks. 

So now I'll really be working on the room and feel less like a slacker.  Everyone else has been so productive and I've just been stitching here and there. It's time to get to work! ;-)

Why I Couldn't Say No-Letting Off Some Steam

A few of my real-life friends already know about this, because I had to vent my frustration and get some creative input on this mad scheme.  I haven't pounded my virtual head against the proverbial wall on Facebook yet either because I've been so busy with guild things.  This will be a very brief description of a project I find myself in the beginnings of that I really, really don't want.  But I couldn't say no.

I took Serenity's Nursery to a Guild meeting on Monday to show her grandma, who just happens to be a fellow stitcher and someone I'm trying to bring over to the mini dark side.  Everyone loved it and many "oohs and ahhs" were crooned.  Until one particular lady saw it and burst into tears.  Her first grandchild (a girl) was born in December and has a rare condition (I don't know the name and will not share the details) that will give her two years or less to live.

In a wash of tears she asked if I would take a commission to build a mini nursery for her granddaughter.  She also spilled all the sad details about the baby's health, which I had already heard from other Guild members.  This woman is my friend.  She has a heart of gold bigger than Texas and life is being unfair.  I could not say no.  I was wishing I'd left the room at home though.

I figured, ok... I have lots more pink things around.  Another cradle is easy... I can make it a bit bigger than Serenity's...  I was figuring I could go home and get one done in about a week, then get back to my other projects.  You know... the ones with deadlines.

And then she dropped the other shoe.  Could I make it in greens and blues with panda bears?  Because that's what her room is done in.  A room she doesn't get to use and may never use.  Oh hell.  Right.  Yeah I can do that.  Whilst I'm rapidly thinking, yeah I can do that if given weeks and months, not days.  Hmmm....

So I thought fast and said if I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right and that it may take time since panda-themed things are impossible to find.  She was find with that.  Then instead of working on Rose Cuttings while it was in my hands my mind was racing, coming up with ideas for this room.  All the details that I had put into Brenna's Nursery would be a must.  

That night any hope of making my own wallpaper borders were dashed when I could not find anything that would work online.  Then I started thinking about a mural on the walls instead.  I found a really cool example in a real life child's room.  But I am not 2-D artist.  Ok so I'll make a background and find rubber stamps of bamboo and pandas.  Then I can paint inside the outlines.  That how I painted the potato and onion bin.  

I ran that idea by a friend the next day (who is a 2-D artist) and she's offered to paint the mural herself.  Yay!  She is a mutual friend of this Guild member and hadn't heard the sad details yet.  Ok so that problem was solved.  Then we moved on to the room structure itself.  The three of us at the table all agreed that perhaps I should get an actual roombox instead of using a bag.  The bags are great but if she wants to move it around and even take it to her son's home in a different state it might not hold up too well. 

I think it dawned on all of us that I wasn't making this room for a dying infant.  I am making it for a grieving grandmother as a keepsake.  My head started buzzing with more ideas at that point.  I'll need to crochet a blanket....  I can resign the growth chart in Brenna's Nursery as pandas...  The teddy bear ornament Cathy taught me to make!  I can just do a head and turn it into a hobby horse type toy...  I'll need to dig out the polymer clay and start making pandas; maybe flock a larger one and make tiny ones for decorations on things.  I could put a tiny one on a lamp!  

So now while I should be finishing the Guild website, finishing Rose Cuttings, finishing FH's Black Bear cross stitch, working on my Porch, and doing a few small stitching projects for the upcoming Judged Show in April, I've got pandas and a sick baby on my mind.

Sorry for the rant.  I really needed to get that out.  That being said, if any of my mini friends around the world have ideas, suggestions, panda themed minis for sale... anything that will help.  Please let me know. 

Painted Plus

With the help of my committee (FH, Brad, Castor) I picked the green.  One coat was put on last night and a second one this morning.  The door is stained with rosewood.  Its frame needs at least one more coat of white though.

I also cut some foam board to see about using it for the interior back and side walls.  I'm honestly not too sure about it, I'd much rather use wood.  But that comes with it's own issues too.  For the moment it's nice to use for placement of interior details.

I'm adding these two doors on the inside to give the illusion of the house being bigger.  The door on the back wall may get centered on the middle window.  Still playing with that one.

I have wall paper picked out but haven't decided about either the inside or outside floors.  Of course I can't do anything with it until I decide what to do about the back wall.

I saved the best for last.  Katie sent me a little something in the mail.  Two adorable signs which I have homes in mind for already.

The cupcake sign belongs in a bakery.  It's too perfect!  The other one will either go into Shabby Chic or the inside of the Porch scene until the Big Dollhouse is finished.  Thanks so much, Katie!  These really made me smile today.