Miniatures on Monday

Andrea Armstrong blogs that she's submitted work for an exhibition of miniature art at Place Des Arts called Positively Petite. Not much information online and I'm guessing none of my readers live in or close to Coquitlam, BC...Also spotted over the weekend, AnnaDenise reviewed her newly arrived copy of The Life of Mr. Mustache, a book by Camilla Engman and Elisabeth Dunker, newly translated into English:
(All photos "borrowed" from their respective blogs...)

My place in miniature

The beady eyed amongst you would have noticed I've recently been recreating parts of my real flat in miniature.

This morning I got a comment from Cali who has built her entire apartment in miniature:Which, in turn made me realise I'd never shared the miniature apartment Brinja 's building based on her own... Anyone else I've missed?

My creative space

This morning I finally finished packing up the parcels for a mini swap I'm participating in. It was originally supposed to be an advent calendar swap but I don't think this lot will get from my worktable to Finland in 5 days, do you?

And in response to a comment I received in FLICKR the other day on a photo of my worktable when it was newly arrived about how plain and uncluttered it was:This is what it looks like this morning. Guess I'll be spending this evening putting everything to rights again so I can start a new project and mess it up again...

Mary and Max

Exhibition reverb (and extended)

Also on the ABC, if you're interested...

And miniatures in the media generally

Gotta love the ABC. Miniatures seem to have gone viral within their walls since my radio interviews and TV spot.

This week sees Stateline Television visit Maureen Caelli (another Canberran) and a radio based By Design radio interview on Pendle Hall (apparently "Australia's greatest dolls house": please feel free to discuss) brought to my attention this afternoon via text by the rather ill Ampersand Duck (which propelled me into a frenzy of "how does this radio thingo work and where do I find the right station?")

Magazines in miniature

The latest issue of Uppercase arrived this morning.

Alas I'm too busy to read it right now.

Why?

Because I'm busy creating miniature versions of Issues 1-6and magazine boxes to keep them in...
(Edited to add: and some linky love)

Miniatures in monographs

This afternoon I was minding my own business and reading the latest book to make it to the top of the reading pile. The author started discussing dolls houses and then I turned the page and discovered this: Four pages dedicated to The Kaleidoscope House (plus a full colour picture later in the book).

I love serendipity!

What's on my camera?

Another photo of Clare Martin's work from her ANCA exhibition Notes on an imaginary culture:Street art in Kaleen spotted while dropping off Lovely Laura after brunch this morning...(No idea what Belco is?)More photos from Skyscape at NGA: (Di and I perplexed a number of people by taking photographs of a puddle until we pointed out what we were seeing in it...)

A random leaf found next to a sculpture at CMAG's Altered States exhibition:And, finally, some new art which came home with me:

Christmas crafting

What to do with your spare dolls' house furniture...*

Make a lightshade:Spotted on Moggit

(*Part 2 of a very occasional series)

Miniatures in magazines

I don't usually buy Frankie* but I was told that there were retro miniatures in the latest issue that I might like: And so there were. In 1/6th scale (a scale I don't work in) but that didn't stop me from poring over the fabulous scenes:They're by Georgia Smith (I can't find a web presence)

(*Well only if there are dolls houses or caravans within)

Edited to add: See my pictures featured on the Frankie Blog!

Under the table

So there!

I have a case of piles

There was a comment left on my last post saying I had a neat house.

So I thought it only fair to show there is mess. Usually in the form of piles of stuff waiting to be read...

Having said that there are now a few less piles. Although I'm not officially joining in this year's Seven Things challenge I've been influenced by Taph's work (and the habits formed from previous years) which meant that, yesterday, there was a large bag of stuff delivered to The Smith Family bin, a full carton delivered to Lifeline and a drop off at the local second hand book shop.

My creative space

I have lunch guests today. So I had to clear all my crafting off the dining table and set it in readiness... (I had fun recreating a corner of my own home this morning. The mini version:and the full sized version:
More (full sized) creative spaces over here.

A new to me mini blog

I was sent a link to this today: Yep, it's a blog written by a dolls house doll. (Surely that's a first?)

Danny the Dollhouse doll is hilarious and well worth adding to your blogroll.

A Christmas tradition

Tonight was the first DJs Christmas shopping night of the season. I appear to have missed last year but attended the year before (with much profit), the year before that and the year before that.

This year found me staring at the nail varnish colours with un-beauty-like intensity...(I didn't succumb)

Makeover Monday

Take one old table and chair from my bedsit scene and add inspiration from the zinc-topped side table I made in 2007.Remove seat cushion and paint the woodwork white,and the table top in aluminium.Then spend the time you'd planned to use to do a second coat seeing if the idea works:(And hoping the recipient is too busy studying to notice I've blown the secret of what I've been working on for her...)

Making a scene

It's a grey day today so I've declared it a PJ Day and am enjoying having the time to work on a couple of overdue projects.

I decided to try making a miniature version of this pouffe using this full sized pattern as inspiration and some lovely wool I picked up in New Zealand.

And once it was done, I couldn't resist throwing together a scene to highlight it.

(Credits: Wall: Side of a concertina file I got in a swap years ago. Floor: Sample of wood laminate found in the back of the mini cupboard. Rug: See here. Shelving unit: Dolls House Emporium. Bus roll art: fridge magnet bought in Wellington. Glass bottles: Picked up in Venice many years ago. Storage boxes: Rement, repainted. Uppercase magazines: Made by me from cover images sent by Janice. Tray: Lego Scala. Coffee plunger: Delph Miniatures. Cup and saucer, pear: unknown.)

Notes on an imaginary culture (and a caravan!)

At morning tea at ANCA a couple of weeks ago I met resident Clare Martin who gave me a flier for her opening this week. I couldn't go because I was working but received a text from Ampersand Duck telling me it was worth making the time to pop in while it was on.

So this afternoon I swung past on the way home from work and discovered this:Little things! Weehee!

My fave by far was the tin caravan:Fully furnished and in almost perfect 1/12th scale.Clare's giving a talk next Saturday (20th November) at 2pm which I hope to get to. The exhibition is open at ANCA Gallery 12 noon - 5pm Wednesdays through Sundays until November 21st and is well worth a visit if you like little things.

(More pictures here)

Here's a first...

No, not having an autographed copy of a Greg Johnson CD (although I didn't ask for it to be autographed so it was an unexpected surprise when the copy of his latest CD I ordered turned up today)
No, what's a first is being credited on a CD.

Have I got a secret side life as a musician or producer? No, afraid not.

So how did I manage to get a credit?

Greg's a very forward-thinking chap (as well as a brilliant musician) and decided to involve his fans in the making of his latest album. Earlier this year he sent us an email explaining how he was going to start working on his next release and inviting us to get involved. He figured we'd probably buy the album anyway, so why not get the cash off us at the beginning of the process and use it to support the production and marketing of the album?

There were several levels we could commit to (I almost typed "sponsor"). I can't remember the exact details but if you paid $30 you'd get your CD a week early when it was released. For $50 (the level I chose) you got the album early, an immediately downloadable exclusive acoustic album, access to a "behind the scenes" page and your name on the CD notes.

There were two more levels of support: the $300 included a meet and greet session and the $3000 option included a private Greg Johnson concert at your house in New Zealand. And, I dimly recall a T shirt that said something like "I gave Greg Johnson $3,000 and all I got was this lousy T shirt". Alas the official Greg Johnson donkey wasn't included in this bundle or I might have been tempted...

My non-creative space

I was supposed to be cleaning it up.
.
Somehow I ended up documenting it instead.
My worktable is, once again, a tip. But at least it's a pretty tip...