Modern miniature news

* I was contacted last week my Modern MC who has a blog full of modern miniatures with some stunning photos (see above) and lots of lovely links.

* Dolls House Emporium have released a new modern dolls house design, Lake View:Plus some new modern furniture and accessories. I'm having a hellish time navigating round their online store, their downloadable catalogue isn't available so I've sent off for a hard copy catalogue which, no doubt, I'll memorise lickity split.

* While reading the lastest Powerhouse Museum members' magazine I came across an article about their recent acquisition of a dolls house. When I pulled up the Powerhouse website to find a link to send to Tiny Times, I stumbled across something much more interesting:The Dinosaur Designs Dolls House, made for an auction at a charity function to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation of NSW in November . Apparently Akira Isogawa and jewellery maker Victoria Springs also contributed houses but I can't find mention of them anywhere online.* I discovered a new-to-me eBay store, Lakeside Miniatures. They stock a range of modern food packages plus birthday cards and wrap. Also check out their website for more modern and period pieces.

* I've set up a Modern Miniatures Flickr group and would be very happy to see your photos of modern miniatures added for all to view.* Lastly, has anyone tried using these small digital frames in a dolls house setting?

Seven Things Spring week 3: I made it (just)

In:

* 2 pairs canvas sneakers (Kmart was having a sale: buy one pair get the second half price. So 2 pairs of sneakers were $15. I just wish they'd had more in my size...)

* 2 black and white serving bowls

* 5 pieces of vintage fabric, 1 white toothbrush, 1 book (and a bottle of Baileys which doesn't count!) from Taph

* Sept/ Oct NRMA member magazine Open Road

* Oct 2007 Madison (subscription)

* Black plastic storage basket

* Sun Herald Sunday Swing CD

* Dress (in fact, a dress so cool I had to buy one for a colleague in Sydney and post it to her)

* Short sleeved swing jacket (cause I was cold just wearing the dress!)

* October 2007 Elle Decor (subscription)

* Batiky short sleeved shirt (OK, I don't really need this but was imagining wearing it as I leaned on the railing of my ship watching everyone else head off to look at big lizards)

* 105 cm length of black and white spotty ribbon, frugalled on my behalf by Taph
* US voltage hair straightener

* 48 things from Friday

Total In this week: 69 (gulp!)

Out:

* 29 bits of memorabilia from my memory box: farewell cards from jobs left years ago, funny postcards that I can't remember why I kept, cartoons ripped out of magazines (you know the sort of thing!): recycled

* 1 Queen Mary 2 cruise T shirt: sold on eBay (I have another in white if anyone's interested?)

* 1 knitting bag, 5 recent magazines, 2 videos: gift to Taph

* Howard's Storage World catalogue: recycled

* 1 set fridge magnets: included as an early birthday present with a book I'd borrowed from Princess B's library and had to post back to her.

* 1 pair of shoes that were always just slightly too small, 9 videos that I've watched and probably won't want to see again, 4 pillow cases, 1 cap, 6 tops and 1 skirt, 1 necklace that I've never worn and the tupperware container I bought for my buttons (when my stash was so small it could actually fit in such a small space!): donated to The Smith Family* 12 misc travel and cruise brochures for trips taken or trips that by the time I start planning them I'll need more up-to-date information: recycled

Total Out this week: 76

Shake-it-all-about:

* Miniature side table
* Soldier knitting bag
* Skirt

Net items out so far during Seven Things Spring: 117

I'm in trouble deep....

Oh dear oh dear oh dear!

It all started this morning with a trip to The Lifeline Bookfair. I felt I was pretty restrained and delighted in the fact that all my purchases toned nicely (and the Charles Schultz one wasn't even for me)So that's 12 In within 1.5 hours.

But since I was out at EPIC, I figured I should swing past Mitchell Salvos. And once I left there Miss Daisy sort of automatically headed up over the new Gunghalin Drive extension to visit Colleen at Belconnen Vinnies and Ken at Belconnen Salvos. It was Friday, after all...

I bought some patterns for Taph at Vinnies so had to head to Woden to drop them off to her. And once again Miss Daisy just automatically headed for Phillip Vinnies and parked outside.

But that's not all. In the spirit of a dieter who's just eaten a large slice of chocolate mud cake and ends up devouring the rest in one sitting as they've already falied, I finished the day by picking up the two guide books I'd had my eye on for months. Brand spanking new. With no discount.

*Sigh*

So let's have a count of the damage:12 books and CDs from the Lifeline Bookfair. Plus:

* 7 lots of fabric masquerading as linen (Hello, my name is The Shopping Sherpa and I'm a fabric addict.)
* 1 summer dress.
* 1 book to Book Cross on the cruise ("Hey kids! You're on a ship. Let's read about another ship which sank and lots of people DIED!") and another to read. Then sell.
* Spy Kids DVD. Yay! I love Spy Kids!
* The two guide books just mentioned...
* (Not really seen) a perspex pamphlet holder just in case I actually stop frittering away my days off work, make some bags and have a stall which requires some information to be displayed..
* (This is a killer): 15 pairs of knitting needles. Do I need them? No. Do I like my ever changing knitting needle sculpture? Hell, yes!
* Hangy thing for displaying err things somewhere like err a stall...

Total: 42 so far today

But wait! There's more!

* 3 very cool Enid Gilchrist pattern books (which I hope to eBay with much success very very soon, if only to redress the balance of my Seven Things Spring... (I'm desperate so also open to swap suggestions...)45

* The Life issue which covered Jim Henson's death. *Sniff*46

* Two wooden jigsaws - one about sewing (how cool is that?!) and one with Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Still deciding if these are swap material or eBay material.

48

As Taph so plaintively put it this morning as we had a coffee at the Bookfair "Why didn't we give ourselves a Get out of jail free card since we knew Lifeline was coming up this month?"

I hear you Sister!

A recipe for success

Take one part dogged determination.

Add:

* One Body Pump class
* One Trinny & Sussanah "yank"
* One pair of control top pantihose
* One holding in of the stomach muscles

Mix well and voila:

I'm so proud of myself

I made a skirt.

I made a skirt without a pattern.

I made a skirt without a pattern using frugalled fabric from my stash.

I made a skirt without a pattern using frugalled fabric from my stash and a frugalled zip which was from my stash too.

I made a skirt without a pattern using frugalled fabric from my stash and a frugalled zip which was from my stash too. And it went together beautifully.

I made a skirt without a pattern using frugalled fabric from my stash and a frugalled zip which was from my stash too. And it went together beautifully and looks fantastic.

I made a skirt without a pattern using frugalled fabric from my stash and a frugalled zip which was from my stash too. And it went together beautifully and looks fantastic. It would be perfect for summer.

Except for one little bitty incy wincy teensy weensy problem.

It's too small.

There's only one thing to do.

Eat chocolate to console myself? No - go to the gym!

Some random things I'm liking at the moment:

* Bell Shakespeare's The Government Inspector: OK, I figured I would enjoy this as I liked The Servant of Two Masters but Oh My God this was FUNNY. See it if you get the chance. PLEASE! (And if I hadn't already proclaimed myself Nigel Sutton's #1 groupie I might just have changed allegiances and decided that Darren Gilshenan was my main man after those two performances)

* The Rumble Strips: Thanks to a piece in US Elle which used the words "Soul" "Ska" "joyful" and the phrase "compared to Dexy's Midnight Runners", I was intrigued. Thanks to the joys of Youtube, I was hooked. Roll on the CD (or is that being terribly old fashioned in this era of downloads?)

* New Greg Johnson on iTunes:

(Video for Save yourself here)

* Supre's Ev Brushed Vintage Washed Tee. No matter if they're $5 each (Belconnen) or $10 each (Civic) I'm still very very happy that I've finally found a replacement for the Jeans West Ts that went out of production 4 (5?) years ago and that I've worn past death, to resurrection and back down again...

* Rob Ryan's blog (which I was alerted to by someone in my Bloglines who I now forget. Whoops...)

* Ratatouille which I'm still dying to see, but am being patient so other 642.4 people can come with their small people...

* Mark Ronson (especially when an animated Lilly Allen's involved)

* Snow Toffee Pops. Nuff said.

And the fabric pile grows ever taller...

Taph came over last night for a spot of Thai and a mini local pub crawl (that would be a 2-pub-crawl, not a crawl of dolls house sized pubs, just in case you're confused!) to check out potential new venues for Northside SnB.

She arrived at the door clutching a large Allens bag. "Put that away!" I cried, not wanting to count any more Ins than I needed to. But she changed my mind with the magic words "But there's alcohol in here.." and so I let her (and the bag) in.

Good thing I did too. Yes siree! There was a bottle of Baileys in there (oh WHAT a shame Taph can't drink the stuff, and that it doesn't count for Seven Things) but also lovely fabricy wonderfulness including the most fantastic red black and white chintzy print:another white toothbrush for my collection and a copy of The Art of Selling Craft in Australia. I always love Taph's bags of goodness...

In return Taph got her own bag of goodness (she informs me that Private W. Conway is known as Bill to his friends) which held a bar of chocolate (alas not counted as an Out), 5 magazines and 2 videos. Which means we're about even :-)

And I think the jury's still out on the venues. I like Trinity for its comfy couches, nice music and the fact the girl behind the bar is knitting-friendly. But as Taph pointed out, the lighting's pretty bad for people who need to actually see their knitting plus there is no cake and they made a point of telling us they're not crash-hot at using the coffee machine.

The Old Canberra Inn has better lighting but the chairs are pretty awful. The open fire is a plus but the two TVs (playing different things) are a bit of a drawback. Oh, and I don't think they have cake either...

I think we need to undertake some more research. Any ideas?

Shaker Maker

Once upon a time (almost a year ago!) I made a knitting bag for Taph. It's been well used but recently she mentioned that it was just a little small for much other than a Time Thief Watch Cap or a pair of socks.

And so it came to pass that Private W. Conway of the 9th Australian Division is featured on a second one-of-a-kind bag: This time, lined with knitting fabric:

Modern miniature meanderings

As I mentioned yesterday, last week Twitchy Fingers gave me a couple of pieces of that cheap unfinished furniture that you can get in most discount stores for a couple of dollars. I thought it might be interesting for me to share how I create a miniature scene, from beginning to end, using one of the pieces.

I decide to play with the side table first as it seemed to be in truer scale than the cupboard (which I no doubt will find inspiration for at 3 am one morning!)

At first I think I can just stain it with the wenge coloured gel stain I have. But after mulling it over for a while I come up with this rough sketch:Paint the base white (not sure if it's going to be "chippy" yet or not) and the top to look like zinc. I think I'm going with that whole "light Swedish" look.

Except my table top's got beveled edges. So I might have to cut a new one if it's to look like the sketch (and the photo)...

As for what to display on it I head to my trusty miniature supplies cupboard and pull out a pile of stuff I think might work in various combinations. Lay it out and stare at it while drinking a cup of tea.

I do a few test runs, with the table still in it's packaging, leaning against some brick plastic I think would go well with the slightly industrial feel of the table as I envisage it....

And decide version four has the feel I'm after (and uses the framed doily I made last week!). But I tuck versions one-three into the back of the brain for future reference. Just in case...

The fun bit finished, the messy bit starts:1. I decide the table top definitely has to be replaced. So the table goes into the microwave with a cup of water and is nuked in 30 second increments until the glue is soft enough that I can prise the top off (from the back edge so any marks will be hidden when the piece is finished. I think it took about 5 minutes in total)

2. I draw around the original top onto a piece of basswood the same thickness...
3. ...and cut it out with my scroll saw (if you don't have one of these a metal ruler and stanley knife would work just as well.)

4. I discover I do have a silver spray can lid after all (drats!), which happens to be attached to a can of silver leaf spray paint. I spray the table top with several coats, sanding well in between to get rid of the woodgrain.

5. After popping out to buy more off-white acrylic paint (mine is so old it has solidified in the tin) I paint the base.

6. After everything is dry I glue the table top back onto the base using PVA glue.

7. I consider giving the the top a well-worn look by carefully placing it onto a patch of concrete and pressing gently until it has the right amount of battering. But I decide I like the pristine look better.

And so it is that we arrive here: Bricks: Precision Products 1101, $15.95 from a show. Flooring: "Marble" contact paper. Side table: See above. Framed doily: See above. Jug: I have no idea. There's a mark on the bottom which is no help in remembering where or when I got it! Covered bowl: From eBay - I believe it was part of a dime store miniature tea set. Woven lidded basket: Ahhh... This is where I start to understand the thinking behind keeping track of your purchases as, again, I have no idea who made it or how it came to be with me... Wool: Yay! I know this one! Shell: From a box bought at a mini show years ago for $4.50. Shopping bag: AMEA freebie.)

_________________________________________________________________________

Read my other modern miniature tutorials:

Paint a vase with nail varnish
Make a floor rug out of a placemat
Turn stickers into modern placemats
Print an iPod, mobile phone or other electronic device
Print on fabric
Make a duck-board bathmat out of tongue depressors.

The second Sunday seven

In:

* August 2007 Wallpaper magazine
* August 2007 Living Etc magazine
* 4 yards Michael Miller K2P2 fabric (partly for a bag I promised to make for Taph)
* Burda pencil skirt pattern, courtesy of Taph
* Howards Storage World catalogue, also courtesy of Taph
* Small furry zebra stripe pouch, again from Taph
* Two raw wood dolls house furniture pieces from Twitchy Fingers (side table and cupboard)
* CD - Erasure, Light at the end of the world
* CD - Ben Watt, Buzzin Fly Vol 4
* 7 CDs from Cuzzie C

* Powerhouse Museum members magazine (Powerlines)
* 12 frugalled goodies as shown on Thursday

* Passport holder
* 8 black T shirts
* Summer dress
* Cable turtle

Total In this week: 41

Out:

* 1 pair laddered pantihose, 1 pair holey socks: binned

* 6 books: sold

* 17 records: sold* 3 scooter mugs and 3 pieces dolls house furniture: sold* 2 grey plastic file trays, 1 pink woven bag, 1 tin, 2 Easiyo yoghurt containers, 1 pair of shoes, 6 napkins, 1 pair earrings, 4 pairs sockettes, 2 pairs patterned pantihose: donated to The Smith Family
* 11 ancient UK marie claires, 15 books and 23 design supplements: donated to Lifeline Bookfair

Total Out this week: 100

Shake-it-all-about:

* See here, here, here here and here!

Net items out so far during Seven Things Spring: 110

My type of crafting...

More fun from Flickr (this is the last lot, promise!)

Here are the framed letters I mentioned yesterday:Box frames from The Warehouse (set of 8 various sizes for $20 - you seen me use them before), backed with black card from the newsagents (20 cents an A4 sheet)

And in another late night brainwave I made some personalised birthday cards:

A?

Love love loving Spell with Flickr! I produced the picture above, printed it off with photo paper and plan to head to The Art Store to get a suitable mount tomorrow.

In the meantime I printed off some letters accidentally which got framed in wee box frames - pictures to follow when the lighting's better....

Know someone with a magnetic personality?

Spell with Flickr has been doing the rounds of the blog world recently. As you might remember I love old letters so this is right up my alley.

This afternoon as I was cleaning out a drawer as part of Seven Things Spring I came across a packet of magnetic paper and since I was in a present making frame of mind I had an aha! moment.

I spelled out my friend's name on Spell with Flickr, changing the letters until I had a pleasing combination.

I then copied the code and pasted it into an empty blog post. Switched to preview mode and picked up the picture.

Opened word and pasted the picture onto a landscape format. Played with the size of each image until they were the same height as each other.

Chucked the magnetic paper into the printer and printed using best quality. Waited for it to dry, tried cutting the letters using a cutter but gave up and used scissors.

And that's it. I'm a genius, if I say so myself!

(Oh, and Princess B, if you're reading this you see noooothing....)

Trying a different tack

Made from How about orange's tutorial which I'd tucked away in the must do this one day file months ago.

I used Premier 12mm 2 part self cover buttons from Lincraft, made following the instructions but leaving out the plastic backing. I then superglued the drawing pin on the back using the button covering tool to press it together. Easy peasy!

This set is a gift but I'm very tempted to make another set for myself...

Friday faffing...

Saw this quizz over at Chez Shoes and decided it was the perfect time waster:

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Mohair.You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with others, doing your share without being too weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely refuse to change your position once it is set, but that's okay since you are good at covering up your mistakes.

Take this quiz!

Oh I give up!

I'm obviously incapable of sticking to Use What you Have Month as these followed me home from the op shop:

I couldn't leave them behind! Look at the patterns!

And especially the orange one!!

($11 the lot)

Two tops also followed me home, $6 each and perfect for the cruise:

And finally, there were a couple of books (I like Alan Cummings The Actor - I wonder if I'll like Alan Cummings The Author?) ($3 total), a CD ($4) and a couple of knitting books, including one I picked up for Taph but alas she already has - that'll teach me to go out without her spreadsheet, won't it? ($1 total)

Bags? What bags?

I'd planned to spend today making bags.

Instead:

I picked up this Kiwi care parcel from the Post Office, full of chocolate goodness (4 packs of Snow Toffee Pops!) and Grainwaves. Plus seven (7!) CDs full of my Cuzzie C's fave tracks.

I love belated birthday presents. Especially when they contain yummy food and new music. Thanks Cuzzie C, you're a star! (The Caffeine Fairy thanks you too as I've promised one of the packets of Toffee Pops to her)

Instead:

I'm answering last minute questions on some eBay auctions I have running that are finishing this afternoon.

Instead:

I decided it was imperative I clean out and tidy up my miniature supplies cupboard today:

Instead:

I got sidetracked with a brainwave use for the slide mounts Taph gave me ages ago which I rediscovered in the cupboard:Instead:

I bought US 110v hair straighteners off eBay for my cruise after discovering that it would seem a step converter wouldn't work with my 240v straighteners. I appeased myself by deciding I won't count them for Seven Things Spring until they arrive and that they cost about the same as a converter would have cost.

Maybe I should wander downstairs and stare at my machine and see if that gets the bag making vibe happening...

Af-Front-ed

Since I couldn't put it better myself.

Modern inspiration

One thing I love about working with modern miniatures is that inspiration is all around you.

While reading the August edition of Home Beautiful magazine which came free with entry to Sydney Design I came across this picture: Which got ripped out quick smart and turned into this:(The coffee table would have been silver but the shops aren't open so I can't go buy a can of silver spray paint to steal the lid from. So the lid from my spray adhesive will have to do...)

(Flooring: Black construction paper from the newsagents. Black leather sofa: Made by me years ago from balsa and leather scraps. Cushions: Sewn from scraps of fabric and upholstery samples. Poster: Cut from a magazine. Perspex and metal table and black leather and metal chairs: a vintage find from eBay. Aluminium bowls: Part of a set of mixing bowls by T.E. Brownawell. Potplant: Diane Cotterill. Red Jacobsen Egg Chair: Reac. White coffee table: Spray can lid. Magazines: Made by me. Flokati rug: Piece of teddy bear fur. Eames Walnut Stools: Herman Miller.)

How many is Seven?

In:

* Sept 2007 US Vogue (subscription)
* Oct 2007 AU marie claire (subscription)
* 50 cm long plastic ruler
* 4 lots of fabric (courtesy of Taph)
* 3 pairs black socks

Total In this week: 10

Out:

* Folder of pre 2000 accounts - shredded
* Sept 2007 AU marie claire - donated to Taph
* 27 balls of purple wool and cotton yarn - also donated to Taph
* 31 books - sold (including 4 to Taph*)
* 10 items of clothing I've not worn this winter - donated to The Smith Family
* 1 leopard print Supre envirobag - used to bundle up the donation to The Smith FamilyTotal Out this week: 71

Shake-it-all-about:

Zero

Net items out so far during Seven Things Spring: 61This week's trick: I put a large box on the landing at the top of the stairs and stuck on a large 7 to remind myself each time I go past that I need to put stuff in it.

(*amazingly she still seems to be talking to me even with a total of 32 items inward on her list this week courtesy of me. At least with some clever math the 27 balls of wool could turn into 2 items, assuming she has potential projects in mind for them...)

Making Modern Miniatures

Here's a recycled idea, first posted back in April last year. But I think it's worth repeating as it's a super-easy way to add a stylish touch to your miniature table!

Modern plastic place mats

What you'll need:

* a sheet of overhead projector transparency (try your local newsagent or office supply store - my newsagent sells this by the A4 sheet, which lasts an awfully long time)

* a sheet of place-matty-looking stickers on a clear background (mine were $2 from the post office but I've also seen them in bargain discount stores)

* a pair of small sharp scissors.

1. Stick the stickers onto the overhead projector transparency sheet, smoothing out any air bubbles.

2. Cut carefully around the edges of the stickers.

3. That's it, you're done!

Other uses for your overhead transparency sheet:

* Colour photocopy or print small pictures onto it, cut out, and use as sun catchers in your dolls house windows (I used a page from a craft catalogue advertising sun catcher kits)

* Use as glass when framing miniature pictures.

* Create stained glass or frosted window designs, either by printing a black and white outline then colouring in using overhead projector pens (or just print the whole thing).

Table: Kim Selwood, $49 from The London Dolls House Festival. Chairs: Vintage German Panton chairs, $10 each from eBay. Orange glass bottles: Murano glass bought from a little shop tucked away in a square in Venice. About $3 each, Cutlery: From a set of handmade silver pieces from PienenPieni in Helsinki, approx $58 the set.)

_________________________________________________________________________

Read my other modern miniature tutorials:

Paint a vase with nail varnish
Make a floor rug out of a placemat
Refinish a discount-store side table
Print an iPod, mobile phone or other electronic device
Print on fabric
Make a duck-board bathmat out of tongue depressors.

Spotted in this week's Kmart catalogue:

Buy Dad a 4.5 kg Toblerone milk chocolate for only $119 (save $30!)

WTF?! Have I lost touch with reality?

I don't know about you but if I was dumb enough to want to spend $120 on my Dad on Father's Day pretty much the last thing I'd think to do was spend it on a chocolate bar....

(Although if you had a pathological hatred of your Father it could be the ultimate murder weapon - if he eats it then the clogged arteries or the extra weight might do him in. Failing that, just bop him over the head with it (preferably using the pointy side) and then melt down the evidence before the police arrive. They'll never guess he was Tobleroned to death. Gives the phrase Death by Chocolate a whole new meaning...)

Seven Things Spring season starts

At the same time I undertook my month-long Fiscal Fast back in June, Taph decided she was going to spend a 5 week period until she went away doing a couple of related challenges. The first was Cook from the Cupboard, the second was Seven Things, a project where she committed to get rid of seven things from her home and life each week.

Now this might sound fairly simple but, unlike the original Seven Things Project, she decided to get rid of NETT seven things (ie: if she bought 3 things that week she had to get rid of 10 to make up for them)

With spring in the air, she's decided to recommence her Seven Things challenge, this time for a three month period (and with the new title Seven Things Spring). And I'm going along for the ride (OK, I've only committed for September at this stage but we'll see...)

Here's her manifesto:

"In the spirit of the Seven Things Project, items will be thoughtfully dealt with. Just throwing stuff out isn't part of the deal. Mindful consumption and thoughtful disposal are tenets of this particular faith.

We will report each Sunday (most likely with photos and rationales) in three categories : In, Out and Shake-it-All-About. The aim is that "Out" minus "In" will be greater than or equal to 7.

In
The stuff we bring in to our homes. This includes:

• Stash items of ANY kind
• Other forms of entertainment such as books, magazines, cds etc.
• Items received by subscription, for example, magazines are to be counted.
• Clothes and accessories are to be counted.
• Homewares are to be counted.
• Gifts received are to be counted.

Exempt are consumables such as food and other groceries and items borrowed from the library (but not items borrowed from the library and copied for keeping because that is (a) illegal and (b) not in the spirit of the challenge).

Out
Items deliberately weeded from the house. Consumables do not count. Completely worn out and non-fixable/transformable clothing, household items etc do.

Shake-it-All-About
This category is about transformation. Having taken on this challenge before, I thought it important to acknowledge the creative transformation of items already in the home. This might be as simple as the use of stash buttons on an old blouse to revamp it instead of buying a new blouse or other transformation of clothes. It might be the creation of something new for ourselves or others from stash. Some items from this category will become "outs" which is perfectly fine."

Want to join us for the ride?