A Miniature Place

Life is good

2011-04-24T06:38:00.000-10:00

On this day of rebirth I'd like to introduce you to my new and first granddaughter, Tallulah Aislin, born April 20. My sister in law said that I have officially become stupid and she is right. I feel so privileged to be a part of her life and to share this experience with my daughter.
Life is really good.

I will see you soon, take care

Hello, checking in

2011-04-07T13:38:00.000-10:00

Welcome everyone! What a nice surprise to have so many new followers. Please excuse me for being absent for so long. It has been a long six weeks trudging through all of the moving boxes along with having to replace or fix every mechanical system in this 'new' house.

I have been keeping tick marks for each of the boxes with miniatures in them. If you would like to take a guess at how many miniatures boxes I unpack you can read about the contest here.

http://aminiatureplace.blogspot.com/2011/02/reluctant-transient-and-contest.html There are still some boxes yet to arrive from Hawaii so the final count is still yet to come.

My camera was left back in Hawaii but when it arrives I will have some photos of miniatures to share with you all. I am still hoping the roof to one of my houses shows up somehow.....

Contest and I've add a fourth

2011-03-01T18:17:00.000-10:00

I am leaving first thing in the morning so wanted to get this out again. Read previous post and take a guess.

There are three chances to win. First correct guess in each of the three will win. As a bonus a fourth will be picked from each of the comments left.

My husband just gave me the key to our house. I am so darn excited!

A reluctant transient and contest

2011-02-27T08:37:00.000-10:00

I have been a reluctant transient for all of my adult life. My husband served in the US Marine Corps for 30 years and I have been with him for most of that time. There are interesting experiences that go along with being a military spouse but for the most part I'd would have rather stayed put. When he retired a few years ago we had to move from the east coast to Hawaii for work. My mind had been focused for years on the retirement and settling down so this was a blow. Besides we had to eat. Moving every couple of years poses some challenges for someone like me. I am a very visual, tactile person and space with which I spend my time has to feel right, comfortable. If I am not creating somthing, I am cranky. The grass is always greener right? Anyway, at the risk of boring you to death, I am headed to Florida this week to set up our new house.

With this, I offer you to participate in my contest......

My husband traveled back east a few weeks ago to unload a large storage unit we left behind. Below you will see some of the goodies waiting for me to unpack. My husband insists they are mostly miniatures and if they are not an actual miniature, they are related somehow. I do not agree.
While he was there I was here packing boxes of miniatures and supplies to send back. Four boxes have arrived already.

It is hard to remember after a few years just what has been in storage but the photos below are certainly miniatures. Each of those drawer units below I would consider a box.

This is my Aster. It has been stored for about six years. This roof is covered in mini broom straw. I found out I was alergic to the straw and it remains unfinished. Hopefully everything is safe and sound, I can't wait to see.

I provide you with three chances to win the yet undetermined prizes for guessing how many 'miniatures' boxes I have ended up with. These are the moving type boxes like you see above and includes the white dollhouse shown in the first photo and supplies.

1) Those from the existing storage

2) Those packed and shipped from Hawaii

3) The combination of both

Place your three guesses in the comment section here. Good luck, I am anxious to find out myself.

I'm not stalking, really.

2011-02-15T17:15:00.000-10:00

It seems like blogger does not always help me keep up with the blogs I've joined, so I just rejoin. Really, I would not stalk anyone.

Hello everyone and welcome

2011-01-27T16:59:00.001-10:00

Welcome to all of the new members. I am so glad you decided to spend a little of your time here. It feels like I have been away forever. While many of you have been shoveling out from under the snow I have been trying to get hold of a mold problem. It rained here steadily for a couple of weeks and created more mold on, in and around everything than I have ever seen. We have cleaned out just about everything we own and decided to downsize a few of our belongings along the way (No miniatures included). My desktop computer decided to go kaput as well. Pretty bad timing right after Christmas. Isn't it funny how things just happen that make you get your business in order.....see you soon!

No resolutions for me... I will reevaluate and create another Dream Board.

2011-01-02T11:11:00.000-10:00

Like many people as 2010 moved into place I thought long and hard on what my resolutions for the year would be. If you look up the meaning of the word you will find that while not really negative, they bring to mind a sense of forcefulness, something that must get done or else. The word comes with a heavy weight and feels like an inhibition of my creative side. So this is what I did, I created my Dream Board. It is so much fun and you can put anything on it your heart desires. A Dream Board is a more creative way to keep a reminder of what you want to accomplish. Nothing has to have a timeframe. This one item on mine was a big deal AND I wanted it complete by the end of 2010. If I had to think and record every step that it would take for me to accomplish this dream I would have felt overextended. A simple rendiditon did the trick. Want to see what was on my dream board?

Now let me introduce you to SW 3rd St.

This means much more to me than just owning a house. Its roots, a place where my family can come to stay without saving for a lifetime. I will be able to hop on a plane a get to them in a couple of hours. It is a quality of life that will allow me to do the things I really enjoy, the things that fill my soul and make me happiest.

Google maps puts me and SW 3rd St 6,017 miles apart and in order to live here it will take some major changes in every area of our lives. Looks like I have a lot of new choices for this year. Would you like to join me in creating a dream board?

Thanks to Silvia

2010-12-26T16:12:00.000-10:00

Silvia from Italy sent me the most wonderfully detailed miniatures for the Christmas swap Caterina hosted. The little game pieces and pumpkins are so tiny and the candles are perfect. Until my toy store is ready to be stocked these little treasures will go under my beaded tree. Don't forget to enlarge the photo to see all of these wonderful miniatures. Thank you very much Silvia, everything is truly masterful!

Iris' Giveaway

2010-12-26T08:28:00.000-10:00

If you hurry there is still time to join Iris's giveaway. The draw is December 27th. There are also links on my sidebar to giveaways hosted by Flor and Mimmi.

Greetings

2010-12-24T06:37:00.000-10:00

Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas

Celebrations

2010-12-15T18:58:00.000-10:00

I was thinking it was February but my blog turned one back in Novemeber. We are also going to grandparents for the first time in April and its a girl! It took a while to sink in but now it all about her. Life is good.

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum

2010-12-06T16:09:00.001-10:00

There are miniature trees all over my house. I wanted to share a beaded tree with you along with an update on the bottle brush trees.
Tammy from Dollar Store Dollhouse wrote in a comment about painting the bottle brush trees. My paint selection is rather limited so I stuck to white and green. The color of most of the trees was not to my liking so these were subjected to a bit of dry brushing. Huge improvement. Sorry my photos are not very good but they do look really nice. Take a look at Tammy's tutorial on using easter egg dye to recolor them.

Here is a photo of the beaded tree I picked up by auction last year. Truth be told it is my second. My original is in storage and the goal was to use this one to learn about lighting with fiber optics.

Circus toys

2010-11-28T21:04:00.001-10:00

For some time now I've been collecting toys to go into a shop. These are from some Kat Wingler kits purchased at a miniatures show some years back. This year they will be displayed under a miniature tree. Oops, looks like I forgot to place the drum sticks that the little bear should be holding. I just love miniature scale toys.

Thanks for you and miniature harvest

2010-11-24T16:48:00.003-10:00

On our american Thanksgiving holiday we gather around our dinner tables with family and good friends. It is one of the times where we stop and reflect on all the wonderful bounty that we have been given. We prepare and eat foods we might not normally eat the rest of the year, often to the point of gluttony.

Back when we had no high tech types of communication the gathering of family and neighbors allowed us to share ideas, form stronger friendships, solve world problems, to basically connect as human beings. Its funny but it is hard for me to remember back when there were no cell phones and no internet. Perhaps I just don't want to. I love being able to have these new connections to information and of course the people. We may not all write the best, using proper grammar and sentance structure but we know what each other means and we offer each other our talents and friendships. This is our dinner table and contrary to what some experts believe we do really connect as humans and for that I am very thankful.

I have so many reasons to feel blessed and wanted to send my warmest thanks to you, for following this blog, offering your friendships and for taking me places and showing me art that I may not otherwise ever be able to experience.

Dyeing bottle brush trees

2010-11-14T17:38:00.001-10:00

I'm in a 'use what you have' kind of mood lately and been wanting to dye some of the bottlebrush trees that I have on hand. The directions are to remove the original green color by soaking them in a solution of bleach and water. I used various strengths and as you can imagine came out with different shades of green down to a creamish color. Further directions said to used dye to recolor. With only some food coloring on hand I decided to give that a try. The blues and blue greens did not turn out well at all. The green trees you see below are the result of watching and removing from the bleach solution at different times. A dozen of the pink were sent off a few weeks ago for a swap, they are my favorite. They all look much better in person. One thing I'd like to add is that different results were achieved with the different brands of trees. One batch literally melted. I never did achieve a nice clean white color so if you have, please let me know your secret. You can play with the shape of your trees by fluffing up or squishing down the bristles.

These are going to be fun to fix up and decorate.

Its Veteren's Day, here's how you can help and a Marine Tribute "On My Watch Tonight"

2010-11-11T08:56:00.004-10:00

On this Veteren's Day I'd like to say thank you to all of those, including my father, husband and nephews that have served, continue to serve and will serve in their militaries. The sacrifices and dedication that you, your parents, spouses and children continue to provided makes me proud beyond measure.

I am fortunate that my career is in support of all of the very fine Marines and their families serving in the United States Marine Corps today. It is easy to get caught up in our day to day lives but please keep in mind that our deployment cycles are taking a toll. We continue to suffer losses in combat, suicide continues to rise, operational stress is prevalent and the toll on our families is high so if you can support them in anyway please do so. It really does mean a lot to them.

Here are a few things you can do

**Embrace a couple of service members into your home for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. They love to be part of a family, playing with kids and dogs, talking to mom and dad or just watching tv in a livingroom. Contact your local base, recruiting station, wounded warrior or other unit. If you need direction for your area please contact me.

**Give to a charity that provides for our service members currently deployed overseas. Here is one http://america4rmarines.org They just now putting together Christmas Stocking for thousands of our deployed Marines.

**Give or organize a blood donorship. http://www.militaryblood.dod.mil/ This way all blood donated goes in direct support of military members.

**Adopt a unit. Gather your community resources, VFW, churches, schools, womens groups etc. Send care packages and letter to our troops. It does not have to be alocal unit. They truely LOVE IT!

The video below is by Mike Corrado, he is a United States Marine, family man and super nice guy.

Wow. What a difference a light box makes.

2010-11-06T11:46:00.002-10:00

With some extra time last week and the realization that my photo journaling skills need a big boost, I decided to make a simple light box for photographing miniatures.

In the next two photos, the subject, a birdhouse kit by Northeastern Miniatures, was photographed on a tabletop under the conditions offered by the day.

This next photo was taken in the lightbox with the white background in place.

These last few were taken with the black background. The lighting used was moved around a bit and they were taken on a very cloudy day. The daylight conditions still have bearing on the outcome, I think but these are much better to me than not having used the lightbox. You will see in the last photo a much different outcome.

This one was taken in the evening under artificial lighting conditions. I do like the outcome but obviously still have a long way to go.

My blog post title box is still missing..........has anyone seen it?

Trick or Treat

2010-10-29T19:05:00.001-10:00

We had no decorations to display so I decided to create one. Perhaps I will get the other side finished enough to share with you tomorrow. It was a real treat playing with tools.

It seems as though I have been tricked as well. The blog title box has disappeared from my posting section......spooky.

Fall flowers Asters and Zinnia

2010-10-26T08:45:00.001-10:00

I just love Autumn. The colors and smell of the leaves, pumpkin patches, cooler weather and cozy fires. My friends who are also from the northeast miss Autumn as well. Here are some miniature flowers made from kits by Bonnie Lavish.

A while back I wrote to Ingrid about her miniature metal pieces. She was very encouraging and her work showcased on her blog is inspirational. After running around yesterday collecting supplies the bench below is my first attempt. It was quite easy and this little project already taught me a lot about the order of things. I think I will be adding some detail today....

Lacy supplies and the 100 yen store

2010-10-21T15:57:00.001-10:00

The Japanese version of a dollar store, the 100 yen store, had some nice miniatures supplies for me to take home. I did not realize it at the time but they are mostly lacy type items.

This first group is made from the same type of paper as doilies.

This is the most delicate sticker. You cannot tell they are rubbery unless you feel them.

I went all the way to Japan and brought home a couple of punches. With the exchange rate they were less that $1.50 each and that is a lot less expensive than anywhere else I've seen them. Wish there were more to choose from.

These are the tiniest nail art decals I have seen.

Iron on and the designs are perfect size for miniature.

All in all I really enjoyed the 100 yen store and hope to return sometime. What would you do with some of these items?

2010-10-17T23:13:00.000-10:00

Surijo Castle, Okinawa Japan. What a lovely place to spend some time.

These are miniature replicas on display.

These dancers were brought in especially for the Family ReadinessTeams. The costumes were vert beautiful as were the dancers.

Recent Travels and Welcome

2010-10-09T20:18:00.000-10:00

Time has flown and I did not realize how long it has been since my last post.

First, I'd like to send a warm welcome to all of the new followers of A Miniature Place. I'm very glad you decided to spend some time here with me and I look forward to checking out your spaces as well.

My first trip to the mainland took me aproximately 11600 miles and three weeks to complete. A mixture of business and pleasure, I found out that I will be a grandmother for the first time this spring. After coming home for three days it was off to Okinawa, Japan. Arrived home this morning and I must say thank goodness for a long weekend to rest. It was my first trip to Japan. We did not have much time to explore due to our work schedule but I did get a chance to visit a special place that I will tell you about in a later post.

Mail comes in and mail goes out

2010-08-26T17:11:00.000-10:00

My mail arrived in the mail today. No really, I ordered some miniature vintage mail from Jennifer over at Looking Glass Miniature and am thrilled that it has arrived. It must have taken forever to prepare and assemble these items. Look carefully as there are even some letters in the envelops. I am so glad to have ordered these.

Today is also the day I finally got some mail out. Along with Jayne and Eva's wins from the draw out went eight swaps to a bunch of gals in our yearly swap. This group of swappers is from one of my Yahoo groups. In case you are wondering what a yearly swap is; each person signs up for a month within the year that they will send out swaps to every other person signed up. My month for this swap was August and the other months I recieve a miniature in the mail from one of them. Been swapping this way for years, it really is fun. In October I have to send out 1:48 items for a different swap, yikes. These are 1:12th scalea and on their way!

2010-08-23T17:36:00.001-10:00

Anthoula was my swap mate in Caterina's traveling swap and she sent this beautiful array of food items that she made. Isn't she just so talented? Anthoula, now I think you should come to Hawaii so I can thank you properly.

Drawing time.......

2010-08-21T17:38:00.000-10:00

Thank you everyone for participating and a huge welcome to all of the new folks who joined. Our winners are very talented miniaturists, each with a business worth visiting so if you are not familiar with them please take a look.

Drum roll please..................

First drawn with first choice of vase lots goes to Jayne at

Tallulah~Belle Originals

The second set of vases goes to Eva

Mini-scenes

I have emailed each of you.

2010-08-19T18:50:00.001-10:00

I'm finding some of the same frustrations. My time is limited and very precious to me so I get thoroughly annoyed when I want to browse a particular category, lets say furniture and behold, I find plants, babies, blankets, magazines, signs, vases, and well you get the idea. Maybe I am just cranky but I do think I have a point otherwise there would be no CATEGORIES! Its not like these items don't fit someplace else. I go out of my way not to buy from vendors that push their items this way. This really is too bad for the vendors that do not take advantage. Where are those Etsy police?
Well, let me now apologize for subjecting you to my rant and please know that the picture should not suggest that I am really to that point, I just thought it was cute. OK, me and my purse are off now, to the nice websites that catergorize their items correctly and don't waste my time ......

So the conversation went like this…..

2010-08-11T18:17:00.000-10:00

Me: Honey, I just read about this guy who gave himself the 100 Thing Challenge

Him: Oh what’s that?

Me: Well, you challenge yourself to live with just 100 personal items.

Him: Chuckle, chuckle. Well do you think you could do it?

Me: Hmmm, sure, if my miniature items and supplies did not count.

Him: chuckle, chuckle……

Me: Well, you'll just have to count your own fork and plate.

Me to myself: If more people get on board with this there will be some really great yard sales out there.

Seriously though, I love the idea of living small and can see great benefit but really, I’m just not quite ready. Chuckle, chuckle.

Could you do it?

Don’t forget to sign up for my giveaway mentioned in the previous post!

To welcome and thank you, a giveaway for you

2010-08-07T12:54:00.000-10:00

I did not want to be remiss in sending a special welcome and a warm thank you to all of the followers of my miniature place here on the web. I've spent many years in online miniature communities and groups now and for a very reluctant transient these special places have remained a constant. Even though each move has brought me new opportunities to make some wonderful friends it has been a true pleasure being able to have so many groups and now blogs to be my local miniature 'club' . OK so you know the deal by now, leave a comment on this post if you are interested in the drawing for one of these two collections of sterling vases I made for you. First name drawn will get first choice of sets. No need to post this on your blog but you are certainly welcomed to do so. All new followers are welcome and will be included as well. The drawing will be on 21 Aug. That is two Saturdays from today. Again, welcome and thanks for choosing to spend some of your time here!

2010-08-01T14:13:00.001-10:00

Have I ever mentioned that I love old iron and metal things? Well, this vintage table has been my computer space for a few years now.

It is one of my all time favorite furniture pieces. I have been wanting it in miniature but didn't think it would happen anytime soon......and here it is!

It came as an unfinished kit and has been fun seeking it out.

Now for the glass fronted armoire. I'll bet that will be a bit more challenging.......

Mondodifavola is having a giveaway

2010-07-20T19:49:00.000-10:00

You just have to visit her blog here Mondodifavola, you'll be glad you did!

Holiday swap from Flor and for Anthoula. Thanks Caterina!

2010-07-17T10:43:00.001-10:00

Thank you Flor. Your swap items arrived safely and wow are they a treat! Please excuse my photos, I''ve had computer problems and have yet to reinstall some programs. The package is hand painted too.

Flor sent some special item as you will see below. I've never had something mini with my name on it so am really liking the sign. Do you see the cute little rooster and the cow? They are really adorable. Well as you can see everything is great. Mahalo again Flor!!

These are the items for Anthoula. Caterina did not get my photo so I thought to post it here. Anthoula's dollhouse looks to be elegant and traditional so perhaps she will find room for some of these items there. She also makes the most scrumptious looking food.

This was a fun swap. Mahalo to Caterina for her ingenuity and work setting it up.

First light

2010-06-26T15:26:00.001-10:00

The last time I was at the miniatures sale a new lady there had this chandelier for sale. After having shopped the internet for fancy chandeliers I thought this one was a decent price. I am very leary about spending too much on the lighting right now as everything metal rusts here very quickly. Some more bling would do this one good though.
At one time you could get chandelier kits, does anyone know of a source?

Cynthia's giveaway arrives

2010-06-23T10:03:00.000-10:00

Earlier this month Cynthia held a giveaway and I was the lucky winner. Everything arrived safely and she threw in an extra set of pillows!

Don't forget to visit her blog Cynthia's Minilife

Thanks Cynthia or as we say in Hawaii, Mahalo!

Holiday Swap

2010-06-20T19:06:00.001-10:00

Caterina must have been dreaming of her holiday and lucky us that she decided to take us along, well sort of.
She has organised a swap and I will going along with Flower to her destination of choice and Anthula will be traveling the country roads with me.

Since I live on an island there will be no beaches for me. My vacation of choice is to explore country roads looking for antiques and other treasures. This looks so peaceful and relaxing to me.

Decisions, decisions

2010-06-13T11:55:00.000-10:00

This is the second set of doors in recent weeks. The first set were divided down the middle. There needed to be a way to cover that opening line and still allow for a mostly symetrical design so off they came. Its almost like having a blank slate to work with.
What do you see?

I have been looking at windows and doors for weeks. The ones pictured here are just to get an idea of size and placement. Since so many are needed I'm still weighing making my own. The matboard you all suggested be used to cover that contact paper and allow for ease of papering has been purchased. I was also going to use the matboard to make faux slate shingles but it may be more cost effective to use the real slate. Some of the strangest things are very expensive here, the matboard alone will end up costing more than the house, isn't that funny. So windows along with the electrical system will be the next order of business.

Windflower Manor

2010-06-09T19:24:00.001-10:00

While browsing ebay I found a listing of plans for a dollhouse named Windflower Manor. It is dated 1974. Just how cool is that? Now that I know, I will have to use a part of or a variation of the original name but that will come later. Just wanted to share.

Studio garden update

2010-06-04T14:50:00.001-10:00

I was able to manage getting a climber for the vintage door. It is Jasmine and smells wonderful. I removed the screening and shabily sprayed the metalwork so that it would stand out a bit more. There is also new hawaiian floral fabric for the chair but I have been waiting about two years to get the seat put in so we'll move on for now.

The new studio garden patio

2010-05-29T15:47:00.002-10:00

Here are a couple of before and during shots of the new garden area we are building. You will see that we took down a very large scrub tree that was left to grow out of control. This does mean that a lot of shade is now gone that was quite nice during our hottest months here. Nonetheless this ugly tree is gone now to be replaced by some very nice natural light.

This area is right outside of my workroom and is my new view while working. Tim did a great job on the patio area, thanks honey. This screen dooris a favorite of mine, it was saved from a pile of trash in Pensacola after hurricane Ivan blew through town. I am undecided if it should be left outside to weather but really have not found a great place for it inside. What do you think? Do you see the little bird within the metalwork?

It has been a long time since I have been in the garden, my skin itches and breaks out but this is worth it so far.

Roberta is having a give away

2010-05-29T05:36:00.000-10:00

Follow this link to Robertas Blog to see what else she has going on there.

Making progress on the house

2010-05-26T17:08:00.002-10:00

However slowly, it is progress. I decided to go ahead a rip out what was once the front entrance, porch and bay window. This part of the house opened on the side an I felt it was a bit awkward. The whole front has been taken off to be replaced by new doors. This allows a lot of freedom on the style of house this one will become along with the type and amount of doors or windows to choose from. You can't really do that as much with a back opening house. All of the interior walls have been removed as well. The side walls have been filled and sanded and filled and sanded and dare I say filled again. I am undecided about so many things for this house right now save a few must haves that I have always dreamed about for my own house like slate roof, stone exterior and an elegant eclectic interior.

2010-04-17T19:59:00.002-10:00

Sorry for not keeping up here lately. Work has been taking all of my energy. I don't mind hard and challenging work but the environment I've been in has been down right hostile. Its an awful way to spend ones time and possibly illegal as well. Always been a firm believer in what goes around comes around so we'll see what happens. On a much lighter note, these photos are of some finds from a sale last weekend. The Bespaq pieces were an especially great deal.

Been away and Marleens Giveaway

2010-03-26T07:04:00.000-10:00

It has been a couple of weeks since I was able to check in here. Had to take a little trip as my dad was having surgery. All is well and I'm glad to be back home.

Marleen is having a giveaway to celebrate having 100 followers. The workshop photo below is her gift to the winner. There is still a little time to join in, just follow the link to her blog.

http://marleensminiaturen.blogspot.com/

Miniature Copper pieces

2010-03-07T12:43:00.000-10:00

A few weeks ago I mentioned finding a miniature garage sale here in my neighborhood. These are the best of the copper pieces I purchased. One of the pan lids is hammered which really intrigued me. Another needs to have its handle soldered back on so hopefully someday I will acquire that skill or find someone to do it for me. The second photo shows what seems to be some type of water faucet. If someone knows what the proper name for this piece I would like to know. There is some pitting going on this which will be ok if it does not get any worse. The ocean air here is very unkind to metals so for now it will be stored safely away. This piece is also signed; Elaine Ware, JCS 4-6-80 No 007. Wow 30 years already so certainly a nice vintage piece. Does anyone know about Elaine?

1:48 scale Greenhouse project

2010-03-04T18:08:00.001-10:00

Hello eveyone! Today I wanted to introduce you to my half scale greenhouse project and thought to pass on a little tip as well.

I found this little greenhouse while still living in Florida back in 2008 and started working on it after we settled here. It quickly got set aside again after I rejoined the workforce.

Faux painting has always been a passion of mine and I love playing around with colors like the stone on this project. You are still able to see the original color on the inside. Don't mind the empty vines, they will bloom again soon. Actually, you might be able to see that the glass cracked in transit so this really is a cover up. Speaking of cover ups, there is a product on the glass in these photos which is explained below.

This flooring is a section of wallpaper that has been in my stash forever. If you are like me you change your mind several times before making a final choices and I am now thinking that this floor is a bit too gray for the Hawaiian light. I have also started carving out the support columns and archways that mimic the front side.

Here is my little tip for you. Paint some type of masking product on the glass prior to painting. 'Painting' this product on was much easier than applying tape before painting or scraping with a razor after. This particular product is part of a line meant for glass etching. It is super easy to apply AND remove. If you look at the top right roof section you can see where it has been removed.

The Tiki Bar is now open

2010-02-28T11:44:00.000-10:00

The Tiki bar along with its new decor arrived on my doorstep this week. These custom items are what Kathi of Beautiful Mini Blessings, made for me after winning her giveaway. These are so much fun and I am so glad she was inspired by where I live to make them. The detail is supurb. She even used some lei flowers to seal the little packages. She is so creative wouldn't you agree? If you do not yet follow her blog I think you will find it fun.
Mahalo Kathi, these made my week.

Sabs is having a giveaway

2010-02-28T10:50:00.000-10:00

Just in case you do not yet follow Sabs Mini Interiors you might like to take a peek over there and see the great blog that she shares with all of us. To further entice you she is hosting a follower/comment giveaway
Have Fun!

Whew.....

2010-02-27T13:31:00.000-10:00

That was so stressful and I am a little out of sorts. Think I'll take a nap, have a drink or get out a little kit to work on. Maybe all three.
Thank you all for your well wishes.

Tabitha Corsica

2010-02-27T08:33:00.000-10:00

Tabitha! Thank you so much for your good wishes. Your blog was the first one I saw this morning and I was able to spring into action. Many had a early warning but they did not sound the tsunami warnings until 6 am.

My husband made it to the grocery store before the real craziness started. We are very close to the coastline but not in the evacuation zone. For now we are staying home but are all packed up just in case. Thank you again Tabitha!

Welcome to A Miniature Place

2010-02-22T20:11:00.002-10:00

I wanted to take a moment to welcome eveyone to my blog. Having 80 followers from all over the world is quite hard to believe. It really is wonderful to have you all coming and going and I am having so much fun following your blogs as well. To celebrate you, today I have chosen two of my favorite friendship quotes to display here.

It is not so much our friends' help that helps us, as the confidence of their help. ~Epicurus

In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. ~ Kahlil Gibran

Thanks for stopping by!

Today I saw three rainbows

2010-02-19T18:48:00.001-10:00

On my way to work this morning I was fortunate to see three rainbows. I live on the winward side of Oahu and it is so beautiful I decided to share a few photos with you. Hopefully they will take you away from the winter for a few moments.

Unfortunately the rainbow photo as not one I took but it is represenative.

My backyard~sort of

The town where we live

Dancers at a popular attraction

Valley of the Temples

If you watch Lost this is the location Sun and Jin were married.

These are of Hanauma Bay

Hibiscus in my backyard

Aloha!

I won! I cannot believe it!

2010-02-15T12:01:00.000-10:00

I won a give away Kathi, who's blog is named Beautiful Miniature Blessings ran to celebrate her recent winnings. She is undoubtedly a very talented and generous person to have made the items she made for me. They are so personal it makes them all the more special. Please go and have a look through her blog and don't forget to visit the beach house she is renovating. I will post more photos when my gifts have arrived.

Happy Valentines Day

2010-02-14T08:08:00.000-10:00

2010-02-09T16:59:00.003-10:00

It was me that changed my settings to moderated so you would think I would check and do my job.
Thank you all for your patience, encouragement and suggestions to help me with those horrid blue walls. I tried acetone and it still did not budge. After several tens of dollars spent on this problem I am resigned to putting up some false walls and more than ready to move on. So far this rehab is not unlike working on a real house in that you learn to really love it layer by sometimes frustrating layer.

I am considering moving some of the walls around even though they are nailed in quite well. A few of these rooms are large so stock flooring is not an option for them. The room behind the bay window contained a stairway but I can live without the stairs in prefererence of another room. In this photo you can see this room with some of the original 'wood flooring'. Wouldn't you agree that with the stairway removed this is a great space for many types of rooms? Another thing you are able to see in this photo is a sampling of the condition of the siding. I've already started filling in the grooves and have always wanted to own a stone house so this baby will have a stone type finish. Old world of course.

Heavans, I am so glad to be old enough to laugh at myself.

Change of comment settings

2010-02-08T18:34:00.000-10:00

Hopefully by changing the settings comments are now working.

Day one and a dilemma, any suggestions?

2010-02-01T16:27:00.001-10:00

Progress is being made. This is after a day's worth of scraping, peeling, sanding and cutting away at this house.
The roof had some type of sand mixed into the paint to resemble asphalt. It was fairly easy to scrape but did result in bleeding knuckles. The dormer trim has been removed. My husband removed the windows for me but rather than retrofitting holes that already exist I decided to rebuild the doors allowing for any new window choices. For now the bay window remains until I decide what changes will take place there. One side has been filled with wood putty to allow for a smooth surface.

As with many older homes there were a few layers on some of the walls. A couple of rooms were covered in fabric which I did consider keeping but this refurbish will include electricity so alas there is no room for keeping the old wall coverings.

Now for my dilemma, do you see those royal blue rooms? They are covered in a type of contact paper and it will not budge. I tried everything short of melting the surface with a chemical as I am sure this will make a huge mess not to mention the environmental drawbacks. The thing that gets me is that the small flakes that did come off seem to indicate dry rot but that is not working in my favor. Tried a citrus stripping product but nothing happened. A possibility could be to attach thin new wood to the walls but the humidity here scares me. Any suggestions?

Acquisions and Mergers

2010-01-21T20:10:00.002-10:00

I am so excited to be the new owner of this vintage dollshouse. From the first time I saw it last week on our local Craigslist it really did not get far from my mind. There was a point where its renovation was all planned out so I went for it. It is huge and there are 11 rooms complete with contact paper flooring and wall paper. The outside was crudely routed out to resemble lap siding and I truly love it just as it is.

Its the antique collector in me that wants to keep its original condition but the finished picture in my minds eye has surely won. As for the merger, well thats a simple placement of this project at the top of my project list. What was I thinking?

Studio Redux

2010-01-11T19:55:00.001-10:00

To me working smarter starts with organizing and this is especially true when multiple projects will be going on. I did want to spare you the mess that this closet started out as so just imagine a regular ole' closet with a couple of bars and shelf that was also badly in need of a paint job.
Here is the start of my work area redux with the shelving and workspace additions along with a fresh coat of paint. I think the space is 48" wide. I chose a raspberry color as it is a great complement to a bit of color in my chair and also to some paper that I intended to use as my inspiration print.

All creators need storage for their wares and I love collecting little containers and such to store mine. If they are old and worn or lovingly used all the better. Here are some that fit pretty well into this space so far. The little brown boxes on the bottom shelf are cd storage and are perfect on this narrow shelf. They may get a redux too.

The addition of another table creates needed workspace.

The round piece of marble was a tabletop that I had no base for. It now provides a great work surface. I love vintage metal trays and often use these tip trays for my miniatures work.

A favorite vintage chair that was slated for a redux works well for me here. I am happy to have traded a wood table for glass as it makes the space feel larger.

We're not finished yet. I must add some fabric in the form of a curtain to close of the work area when ~~it gets messy~~ guests come to visit. This room may have to provide double duty as a guest room and it has great windows just begging to provide a pretty view. I'll be sure to share the rest of this room as it progresses.

Thanks for visiting!

Work Smarter Not Harder in 2010

2010-01-01T07:53:00.002-10:00

For some reason I feel quite a bit more resolved at the start of this new year to work ~~harder~~ smarter on my personal goals. These of course include my miniature projects. In the past I have always started collecting the items to go into my miniature projects while dreaming about the structure. Now work is on the structures while dreaming about the contents. Don't get me wrong I have been purchasing but these have been limited to the more major pieces of furniture that will be used. I do not want to give the impression that I think my this process is better its is just neccesary since I left most of my miniatures in storage back on the mainland. Why in the world would she/anyone do that you may ask. Well, we have lived a fairly transient lifestyle so I thought I ~~would~~ could take a little break. HA one thing is for sure if I do not have creative projects going on I tend to get a bit cranky.

Happy New Year Aloha Style!

2009-12-31T15:01:00.000-10:00

Welcome 2010

Here in Hawaii we really know how to ring in a new year!

If you ever have the chance to come for a New Year celebration you are in for a real treat. The fireworks displays are widespread in just about every backyard along with special displays given throughout town. Last year we had a 360 degree display. It is a good thing the wind has picked up a little as the air gets, shall we say, quite cloudy later on in the evening. Have fun!

Lawbre greenhouse kit

2009-12-27T17:41:00.008-10:00

This is a photo of an assembled Lawbre greenhouse kit.

The walls of my kit are mostly complete although I ran into a stop point recently after discovering that a few of the plexiglass panels were scratched.

I am undecided exactly to what purpose this greenhouse will be used but do intend for it to be part of the street of shops.

Miniature sale finds

2009-12-26T15:57:00.004-10:00

Here are a few of the treasures I found a few weeks ago as we happened upon a miniatures yard sale in our area. I love all of these hand painted little metal trays. They remind me of the vintage toleware and trays that I have been collecting.
The pottery bowls are delicate and fine. The little stools are going to be fun to use and one of them is tole painted.

The furniture pieces with the exception of the huch were also finds at this stop. Can't wait to rework these.

I'll save more of my finds for another day.

Cheryl

Pink Passion give-away

2009-12-26T14:36:00.004-10:00

http://www.shabbyvintagebliss.blogspot.com/

Shabby tree? Nahhhh, but plenty chic.

2009-11-29T10:48:00.001-10:00

Back when we were still living on the mainland I was an antiques and vintage collector/dealer.

We found this tree in a store in Alabama and it quickly became on of my favorite pieces. These were popular ceramic makes back in the 70's but I have never seen one with this incredible shape. This one stands 34" tall. Isn't it a wonderful shabby piece?

Cheryl

Storybook Cottage

2009-11-29T08:48:00.001-10:00

This is my little 1:48 scale Storybook Cottage made from a kit by Suzanne and Andrew's Mininatures. This kit was certainly a lot of fun and it is oh so pretty!

Most of the major furnishings have been completed although a pair of chairs have gone missing and will have to be replaced.

I am looking forward to getting back to this project and landscaping the grounds!

Cheryl