Thursday, February 20, 2014

Typo terrariums

Typo terrarium kit, including staue of liberty, tree, grass, figures, park bench and car
(Image shamelessly lifted from the Typo website)
I noticed three terrarium kits lurking in the Typo online new releases earlier in the week, which I found particularly interesting in the light of the discovery that Eckersley's is selling such things as well. Are we about to see a surge of miniatures as art in the mainstream consciousness?

Even with the 30% sale which was announced today, I won't be racing to buy any yet. I'll just wait for them to turn up in the outlet store...

(Further reading:
Christopher Boffoli
Isaac Corbell
Slinkachu
Let me know if I've missed anyone...)

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Serene scene

Modern miniature scene with mid-century sideboard, black ghost chair and chinese print of geese in colours of brown and black
 Take one Mitchymoo Miniatures sideboard, one sale-priced magnet from the National Museum gift shop (Geese 1982 by Ma Shulin, if you're interested), some mesh beads from the craft fair, an alarm clock bell and scrap booking paper from Typo and a Dolls House Emporium 'ghost' chair.

Add a roll of vinyl that you discovered in the cupboard.
Close up of items on the sideboard: chinese geese print, large copper mesh vase, smaller black mesh vase and copper bowl with black interior
Mix for 10 minutes and you're done.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

A triple treat

On the way back home after taking Miss Daisy in for a service this morning, I dropped past the newsagents to pick up my mags and took the opportunity to flick through the January issue of The Dolls' House Magazine to see if they happened to have used any of my photos in it.

The answer would be yes
Contents page of the January 2014 issue of The Dolls' House Magazine showing a picture of my miniature Mickey bathroom
yes
The Dolls' House Magazine's Review of the year 2013 article showing my modern miniature playroom
 and yes!
Bathing beauties article in The Dolls' House Magazine's January issue, including my Mickey bathroom
(I'm particularly chuffed that my playroom scene was their top choice for November...)

Monday, February 17, 2014

Having a whale of a time

While friends and I were chatting around my dining table yesterday afternoon, I found my hands twitching so fetched my cast-on rug and started knitting.

Which means that today I have a completed object to share:
Modern miniature flokati-style rug in teal
 I threw up a quick scene, as I realised how out of practice I've become.
Modern dolls' house lounge room with teal flokati rug, white sofa and drawers, black and white cushions and orca art poster
(One of my friends who was chatting while I was knitting commented that they should be called 'Fauxkati rugs' I think I agree with her...)

I have just enough yarn left for a second rug. Let me know if you're interested in a swap (they're still legal, right?)

Saturday, February 15, 2014

New toys (or The dangers of reading the junk mail)

Friday night's junk mail had me up, dressed and out the door before 8.30 this morning.

Why? Because ALDI's special deals were tools. Some of which had been on my list for quite some time, and some were more recent additions. And all of which fitted my (fairly narrow) range of acceptable colours for things that come to live with me.
Pile of four new tools, still in boxes.
I bought a digital caliper gauge,
Digital caliper gauge
a suction vice,
Suction vice
a table vice,
Table vice
and a gas soldering torch kit (which freaks me out about as much as my G11 camera, which is still sitting, pretty much untouched, three years after I got it. Let's hope I pluck up the courage to use this sooner...)
Gas soldering torch kit
There were sets of very tempting drawers in stock as well but I told myself I'm not allowed new drawers until I finally fill the empty drawers I already have. 

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Big box: lovely loot

There was a parcel waiting for me at the Post Office today. I thought it might have been the business cards I'd ordered for my new role as Assistant Editor of The tiny Times.

But I was wrong: it was something much, much better:
Modern miniature swap parcel
Swap parcel, straight from the Post Office
my swap parcel from Mod Pod Miniatures
Inside of swap parcel, showing bubble wrap and an envelope with Anna-Maria written on it
The first view of my swap parcel from Mod Pod Miniatures
 Care to join me for the unboxing?
Modern miniature swap parcel with bubblewrap removed from top
With the bubble wrap removed
 First out of the box was one of her funky retro lounges with a built-in side table. With lots of colour to give me a challenge.
Colourful retro modern miniature sofa created by Mod Pod Miniatures
Colourful retro miniature sofa
 This was followed by one of her credenzas with a sliding doors. Loving this!
Mod Pod Miniatures' retro credenza with grey sliding doors
Retro credenza with grey sliding doors
 Next up was the first box of treasures: a picture frame, beads, bowl, selection of fabrics and battery adapter. These will be fun to incorporate into my scenes.
Black and white modern miniature picture frame, bowl, beads, fabric pieces and battery adapter
Contents of the first box of miniature treasures
 Three small stripy boxes followed. The first contained a retro TV, a daisy finding and a plate.
Miniature retro TV, daisy finding and plate
Miniature retro TV, daisy finding and plate
 The second, a set of colourful plastic storage containers suspiciously similar to a set I had favourited on Etsy,
Four small coloured see-through miniature storage containers
A selection of coloured see-through miniature plastic storage containers
 And the third, a trio of her hand-made cushions.
Three modern miniature cushions with funny slogans on them
Mod Pod Miniatures' handmade slogan cushions
 There was a giant felt doily rug
Red felt doily coaster, for use as a modern miniature rug
Felt doily rug
and a fireplace to go with it (how did she know that, even though it's the middle of summer, I have a thing for fireplaces at the moment?)
Modern resin miniature fireplace
Modern resin miniature fireplace
 These mini coloured bottles were pretty cool
Set of eight nail arts miniature bottles, each a different colour
Set of nail arts mini bottles
 As was this retro clip-on light:
Red LED clip-on spot light reading light
LED clip-on spot light
 There were Matisse post cards
Two post cards with images by Matisse on them
Matisse post cards
 and some if the MiWorld pieces I've been interested in recently. (Yay!)
MiWorld miniature accessories cupcake set
MiWorld miniature accessories set
 And, finally, more battery adapters (reminding me that I really should go buy a soldering iron, follow Mitchymoo Miniatures' instructions and learn to solder).
Two battery adapters
Battery adapters
 And here's the full round up of lovely loot I received:
Photograph of all the items received in the Mod Pod Miniatures swap parcel
Contents of my Mod Pod Miniatures swap parcel
How lucky am I? How generous is Mod Pod Miniatures?

Monday, February 10, 2014

Mini Monday make, do and mend

There was a list for tonight.

It didn't include casting on some teal powder puff yarn I picked up in a recent op shop jaunt to make another flokati rug.

It also didn't include finally printing out and trimming the bookmarks I'd compiled some weeks ago and forgotten about.
Bookmarks printed from photos of my miniatures and the first row of a teal miniature flokati rug in progress
My miniature bookmarks and a flokati rug in progress
(I blame it all on the Book Depository bookmarks competition: are you planning on entering?)

Saturday, February 08, 2014

Big book: tiny treasures

Last Friday I invited some friends around for a Digital Arts Dinner. And one of them arrived with a library copy of Todd Oldham's book on Alexander Girard tucked under his arm, complete with slips of paper marking the pages he thought I'd be interested in.
Front cover of Todd Oldham and Kiera Coffee's book on Alexander Girard
Front cover of Todd Oldham and Kiera Coffee's book on Alexander Girard
 Now I'd certainly been vaguely aware of Girard's work, and this book had been on my radar of expensive things I might like to consider buying one day, but my only real knowledge of his work was from coverage in the now defunct Modernism magazine, where I'd got the impression it was all far too colourful and busy for my tastes.

Thanks to my friend's trust in my ability to look after other people's library books, I had the opportunity to spend a couple of evenings this week devouring the contents.
Realising that the Girards were great mates with my heroes, the Eameses (and that Alexander even worked on the fabulous Toccatta for toy trains with Charles and Ray, and had a collection of miniature houses.)
Admiring the many mid-century scale models included.
 Drooling over the eight miniature table settings he created for Georg Jensen.
 And the miniature dioramas he created.
Dammit! This book has now cemented its place on my list of books that are essential to the collection development policy...

Friday, February 07, 2014

February flick-through

Look what I discovered in my post box this morning:
Assistant Editor Anna-Maria C Sviatko holding up the February 2014 issue of The tiny Times
Me with the February 2014 issue of The tiny Times
My first issue of The tiny Times as Assistant Editor!


And, since Cider Teak wanted another vlog post:

Thursday, February 06, 2014

For the birds

Magazine article showing plans for a bird house in the shape of a dolls' house
Magazine article showing plans for a bird house in the shape of a dolls' house
A quite lunch at the cafe in our building at work.

A random magazine grabbed from the pile to keep me entertained. 

A dolls' house birdhouse!

(You can request a high-res copy of the blueprints for this Ultimate Bird House by Clas Ohlson by email)

Tuesday, February 04, 2014

Giving away the goodies...

The happy news is that the winners are:

Calendar
Twelve months in miniature: a 2014 calendar by The Shopping Sherpa
Twelve months in miniature: a 2014 calendar by The Shopping Sherpa
Anna!
True Random Number Generator showing that out of 14 numbers, it has chosen number 12
Bellabox of bits
Empty cardboard box with the brand bellabox written on the lid
Empty bellabox
Penelope!
True Random Number Generator showing that out of 2 numbers, it has chosen number 2
 Chalkboard laptop toy
Adelaide Cann's modern miniature laptop toy kit, completed
Adelaide Cann's modern miniature laptop toy kit, completed
 Susan!
True Random Number Generator showing that out of 4 numbers, it has chosen number 2
Pile of pegs
Adelaide Cann's lasercut miniature peg kitset
Adelaide Cann's lasercut miniature peg kitset
Kikka N!
True Random Number Generator showing that out of 3 numbers, it has chosen number 2
Poppy triptych
Dolls' house miniature poppy triptych on a wall
Dolls' house miniature poppy triptych on a wall
Rebecca!
True Random Number Generator showing that out of 3 numbers, it has chosen number 1
(Well done guys, and if if I don't already have your address, can you email it to me? There's a link in the sidebar)

The sad news is I've been made aware of the legalities of giving things away on blogs, and think that future giveaways/sweepstakes/whatever you want to call them will be firmly put in my Too Hard basket...