Little Shoes update and an Award!

Firstly I had to show you this. The lovely Doreen suggested I miniaturise and frame the pic of Liberty in her baby shoes. Of course I was left saying, "Why didn't I think of that"?! Thank you Doreen for your inspirational suggestion!

I am happy to be the recipient of this lovely award. It has been gifted to me by the some of the kindest most creative people I know.

Debbie who is incredibly talented and I can only hope to be half as clever as her some day.

Doreen who can make something out of seemingly nothing and with great speed it would seem.

Rosanna who is an absolute darling and makes me feel like I've always known her.

And San who is a kindred spirit and a tireless worker with great imagination!

Here is the spirit in which the award is given:

"This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!”

Now who to pass it on to. I would have chosen all those who gifted it to me straight away without hestiation. There are so many lovely, friendly bloggers out there who have enriched my life more than they will ever know. So here are my 8 choices:

Sylvia who is a sweetheart and has shown me great kindness, her friendship keeps me going

Katie who is also a busy mum and keeps me laughing (actually LMAO!)

Lena who is so lovely and leaves me the sweetest comments

Marlies who is a darling and a great inspiration to me

Synnove who makes me want to create a new dollhouse every time I see what she has done

Pussman whose house renovations leave me feeling like I have nothing to worry about in my own unfinished home

Shannon who was the first miniaturist to email me and make me feel part of the global miniaturists community

Meli whose little dresses leave me wishing I had so much more patience

It's late now so I'll try and let you all know tomorrow, no really, I will try.

Mercedes

Little Baby Shoes

Aren't baby shoes just the cutest things! A few weeks ago I finally framed Liberty's first walkers. I LOVE those little pink spotty shoes! And today...

I finally made them in 1:12 (well roughly)! Frame is just over 1 inch high.

And just because I'll use any excuse for a baby pic, here are the shoes in action on her first birthday!

I'd like to thank everyone for all the lovely comments you leave. I can't believe so many people thought the dollhouse bedroom was real. That has to be the ultimate achievement! Thank you all so much!

Mercedes

More Mail!

The mail is just so exciting these days! Yesterday I got two fabulous packages in the mail!

This was from Sylvia. She was sending me some more little corkballs to make hyacinths from (I haven't been able to find such things anywhere here) and she had included a couple of little surprises in the package. This darling little baby picture in the most beautiful frame and a gorgeous little tiny baby plate. My Dutch friend, Frederica says she remembers those plates from when she lived in Holland, they are given to babies when they are born.
Dank je wel Sylvia!
The next package was from Rosanna. These little bags contained two of the most beautiful hand-stitched pillows I have ever seen. They are exquisite, even the hubby was astounded at how detailed they are. This sweet little rosebud one and...
This unbelievably gorgeous one with a little teapot on it. Liberty was so thrilled to see her name on this one she claimed it for herself straight away!

Grazie Rosanna!

I am truly grateful to both Rosanna and Sylvia for these wonderful gifts. My dollhouse just looks better every day!

Mercedes

An Award!

A big thank you to Lena, Katie and Debbie for this award. I should add that my 12 year old son, Noah, finds Debbie's miniatures far more interesting than anything I make! LOL!!

Seven things I love are:

Little tables - just bought the little round one at Noah's school fair in the weekend. I have no reason for buying it other than I liked it. Almost ended up in divorce court because the hubby didn't like it however managed to trick him into thinking I was about to buy a bigger piece of furniture, so when I settled on a little table he was rather happy! LOL!! At the moment this table has ended up in the corner of our bedroom where hubby actually thinks it looks quite good - why does he never trust my furniture buying judgement?!

Tins - I bought the pink gingham one on the round table at a seconds shop, it was all squashed in on one side but for only $2 it was mine and I pushed the 'ding' out. The perfect ones were $20!!! The little heart one I got at the school fair, Liberty thought it was going in her room, tee, hee!

Pretty boxes - (also in the above pic) wooden, cardboard, anything. Just love 'em. Half of them have nothing in them and still I buy more.

Tin signs - this one is in Liberty's room. I had been looking at it on the internet for years but it was going to cost a fortune to have it shipped to New Zealand. So one day I thought I should just see if I could get it in NZ and what do you know there was someone selling right here!

Childrens chairs - these are old school chairs that I have covered with scrapbooking paper. My mum has 5 more of these little chairs and if I didn't have a minimalist for a husband they'd be right here in my house.

Fabric - any sort, just has to be pretty. As with anything related to crafting, I have more fabric than I know what to do with.

Friends - especially all the wonderful friends I am making through this blog! I appreciate you all more than you know.

I would have put my lovely children and husband if they hadn't driven me crazy all weekend...so now they're not even going to get an honourable mention.

And now I'd like to pass the award on to:

Sylvia

San

Katie

Doreen

Marlies

Pussman

Rosanna

By now most of you will have probably had the award already! Just takes me a while to get things sorted around here, especially over the weekend. I started this post on Saturday morning and now it's Monday night. Really every blog I visit deserves this award. I appreciate all the time and effort everyone puts in so we can all be creative together.

Mercedes

Playtime!

Today I had some fun ‘playing’ with my new toys from Sylvia. I’ll be moving them all around the dollhouse but here’s where they ended up today.

The dollhouse is still ‘under renovation’. The floors still need to be refinished, the stairs need to be fitted, the skirting boards need staining and most of all it needs electricity. Blah, it gets me down just seeing that list. Anyway on to prettier things. This is the master bedroom. The bed came with the house. I’ve made all the bedding on it. There is also a dressing table that matches the bed but Liberty had a little accident with it and now it’s waiting (along with several other things) to have it’s leg repaired.
Sylvia’s pretties are dotted all around the room. They’ve made the little house into more of a home I believe!
I made the bedside cabinet at the miniatures club a while ago. I never could get the door to work on it and I haven’t stained it or put a handle on the drawer yet…no excuses, I’m just lazy! This little chair came with the house. I’m trying to keep as much of the old furniture in it as I can because the fact that the house had history was part of what drew me to it. Frederica knitted the scarf. The little purse is two (very inexpensive) metal charms stuck together and painted. The sleepy puppy I got the other day, I’m not a ‘dog person’ (sorry Sylvia! LOL!!) but it’s pretty cute and Liberty IS a dog person so it can stay! This wardrobe I finished yesterday. I am very proud of it! Let’s just say it’s a miracle it’s standing (almost) straight because I discovered the measurements on the ruler I was using were not accurate. I used the table saw at the club to cut the wood and when I came to put it together at home I had to cut extra bits (with a craft knife) to add here and there, so it’s a bit of a patchwork but it turned out better than I hoped! i also made the little butlers tray in the corner, it's pretty wobbly!
And the most amazing thing about the wardrobe is TA DA! The door opens!!! Oh and I know it needs a handle, I just haven't decided what to use yet.The curtains haven't been hung properly yet, I just threw them up for the photos. The wallpaper is 'real life 1:1' wallpaper in a tiny print. There's a lady at our club who finds wallpaper with the tiniest prints wherever she goes it seems. She sells it to us by the metre very cheaply. All the wallpaper I've used in the house is 'real life'!

This pic is to show you the ceiling which I've also wallpapered. I'm lucky enough to have a wallpaper sample book and have papered all the ceilings with the same paper in different colours, I think it kind of looks like a ceiling in an old house.

Well this turning into quite a long post so I’ll show you the rest of Sylvia’s brocantje in my little kitchen next time.

Mercedes

Sisterhood Award

Thank you to Doreen, San, Every little thing, Rute and Minimaker for passing this award on to me. It seems that it has been passed to everyone I know already which is a great thing because I feel we really do have a fantastic sisterhood going! And San, Liberty thanks you too!

So I'm awarding it to everyone who follows my blog, reads my blog or leaves me comments. You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that other people enjoy what I do in my little corner at the bottom of the world.

The blogosphere really is bringing the world closer together - for me anyway. I am making the most wonderful friendships and learning so many new things.

So thank you all my sisters, I am truly grateful.

Mercedes

Today it felt like Christmas!

Today my mail from Sylvia arrived and I am happy to say that this time the Customs Department was not interested so it got here in record time! This morning I was just thinking I couldn't wait much longer for the package and this afternoon there it was on my front porch!

I almost cried when I opened that package and saw what was inside. I had absolutely no idea as to what Sylvia was sending me...and look at what it was, just some of the most exquisitely beautiful things that she made all herself and has been showing us all on her blog. I can hardly believe it, I feel like I must be dreaming!

I am truly blessed to have met Sylvia.

And now finishing my dollhouse has become my number one priority. Tomorrow I will 'play' with my new toys in the dollhouse and take some pics.

Dank je wel Sylvia!

Yes, today it felt like Christmas!

Mercedes

Rosebuds

And before all you miniaturists think this is miniature, I'd just like to say, 'I'm clever, but not THAT clever'! LOL!!

I'm posting this for my friend Saucy who has just posted an amazing tutorial on her blog about how to make frosting roses.

This is Liberty's first birthday cake. I absolutely LOVE rosebuds so I had a friend who is a cake decorator come over and he showed me how to make little rosebuds. They're not made from frosting, it was fancy cake decorator icing and I was able to make them a few days in advance.

I made some cupcakes too and I have to say I am much better at making them now but the little monkey did enjoy them!

The WISH letters are wooden and I covered them with scrapbooking paper and now they are on her bedroom wall.

Y'know sometimes I still can't quite believe I have a daughter! I found out when I was pregnant that I was having a girl but never actually believed it until she'd been born. We waited many years for her and she was definitely worth the wait!

The Hyacinth

Liberty and I made our first one of Sylvia's hyacinths last night. Liberty just has to help me when she sees me doing anything crafty, which can be very frustrating! However, I try and let her help as much as I can.

Cutting out leaves is the best fun!

Painting the leaves, it takes a great deal of concentration!

"You have to let me paint that bit mum, because purple is my favourite colour today"!

Hubby is away and I had to pick Noah up from karate so the paint even got to dry before I continued on. LOL!

I finished it off after Liberty had gone to bed. When she woke up this morning she said,"Hey, I was going to do that". So I've had to promise to let her make the next one herself...maybe...

I've used San's trick of using a book for the background. Love doing that!

It was just a happy coincidence that the beam of light in the picture ended up 'shining' on the hyacinth. I didn't notice that until just now!

I made the 'library table' at the miniatures club, the lady who taught us how to make them was 90 years old!

Oh, and you may have noticed my photo's are looking a bit clearer - and I didn't even have to read the camera manual, just perfected my technique - well, just took the pictures from a bit further away actually.

Have a creative day!

Mercedes

Dank u Sylvia!

A couple of weeks ago Sylvia from lotjesdollshouse offered to send me some things to make hyacinths with. Sylvia is a genius when it comes to making flowers. I had thought the package should probably take about a week to get here, however when it hadn't arrived almost two weeks later both Sylvia and I were wondering what was going on! Well it finally arrived yesterday with a little sticker on it that said,'Passed Inspection - Biosecurity New Zealand'. Yep, it had sparked the interests of the customs officials at the Ministry of Agriculture! They would have thought they were on to something when they opened it and saw a little packet of white fluffy stuff! LOL!! Well, they must have been bitterly disappointed to have to send it all on to me.

I haven't made the hyacinths yet. I may attempt them tomorrow but Sylvia also sent me some of her beautiful tulips. Today I quickly made this little window box for the summerhouse and 'planted' some of the tulips. It was just what the summerhouse needed. Oh and I made the tiny birdhouses on sticks to go in the windowbox too, just can't help myself when it comes to birdhouses it seems!

I'm sorry the pictures aren't that great, I blame the camera, not the person who's never read the manual!

Dank u Sylvia! De tulpen zijn mooi!

Mercedes

A little re-do

When I gave the roombox to my neice I never imagined the fun she would have with it or that she would be moving everything around every five minutes.
The 'quilt' on the end of this bed was originally the duvet. It has the pink rose fabric on the back. One of the first things she did was to turn the quilt over because she liked the roses better! She also moved the bed to the centre of the room which was unfortunate because I made the bed in such a hurry and the dust ruffle was shorter on one side, which was why I used that old miniaturists trick of putting it against the wall.

I had put very silly skinny legs on the end of the bed and of course they had fallen off. Now I've given it super strength legs.

So now I've fixed it all up properly. I made a new rose duvet and turned the 'old' one into a quilt (the fabric is the 'Twelve Days of Christmas), and made an extra 'skirt' to go under the dust ruffle. Also made a new rose cushion. And now I'm happy with it...but will she be?

Oh and I dropped the bed when I took it back to her house and broke the bedhead...why does nothing ever go smoothly?!

Mercedes

Little Birdhouses

Here's what I've been making in the past week. Sometimes when I make something I think I might as well make a whole lot of them so that the next time I need the same thing I won't have to get all the craft stuff out again and make another big mess! I don't know why something so small should create such a huge mess but it seems to be that way with anything I create.

These little birdhouses are made from balsa wood. Most of them just have wood veneer for their roofs (rooves?) I had a strip of balsa wood left over from making my little garden so that's what I used. I painted them and then pushed a pencil in to make the hole, it worked surprisingly well. The tallest birdhouse is about 1 inch high.

And here's the vege patch for the garden. I need better 'dirt' but I'm really pleased with the way the wood around the patch turned out, it's just made from balsa wood too, painted with two different shades of grey paint. I think I've fallen in love with balsa wood this week!

Mercedes

Award Time!

Thank you Rosanna, Marlies and Every Little Thing for passing this award on to me! It means a lot to me that so many people like what I do!

As a recipient of the award I have to list just five of the many things I am addicted to:

1) Finding a bargain! It's almost become my mission in life to not pay full price for anything!

2) French things...of course nothing in the picture is really from France most of it's made in China! (Yes, everything pictured was either a bargain or given to me as a gift)

3) Scrapbook paper...too many pretty ones, just can't help myself!

4) Books. Especially childrens books and home decor books. These are (some of) Liberty's books, the ones on the top shelf I have made her myself.

5) Clocks. This gorgeous clock is from Liberty's room. I have to put it in the kitchen every night because I can hear it ticking through the bedroom wall, my hubby thinks I have supersonic hearing 'cos he can't hear it. I also have to close the kitchen and lounge doors at night because there are many more clocks out there and their ticking at night drives me nuts too!

Now to pass the award on to five other blogs. This will be tricky!

Sylvia whose minature work is outstanding, so realistic.

Lissu whose Gustavian furniture is absolutely beautiful.

Pussman who is mutli-talented and makes beautiful miniatures, super cute softie kittys and is redecorating her real house at the same time.

San who has to be the most ambitious miniaturist around building, furnishing and people-ing a Maharajah's Palace.

Shannon who appears to be 'missing in action' but is building the most beautiful dollhouse with the most exquisite furniture.