Show time!

I realised today that I've never taken a photo of the whole Sydney Mini Fair...There are (of course) more photos. But I'm exhausted.

Tomorrow, I promise.

If it's ugly you should put black paint on it...

(I'll run out of black spray paint eventually. Really!)

Today's mini makeover features these very shiny (and kinda ugly) side tables, which I bought along with some other (fabulous) items from an eBay estate recently: I figured that a coat of gloss black spray would turn them into something rather Adleresque.

And I was right:
(Call of the Small, and Top Design, you have a lot to answer for!)

Pretty. Early.

I woke up rather too early this morning, and know enough about how I work to know going back to sleep wasn't going to be an option. Since I'd already had 6 hours sleep, it wasn't too much of a problem.

So I made a cup of tea. And a scene.

I bought this hutch years ago, planning to paint it white for the shabby chic apartment in the apartment block I've been collecting furniture for (there's a project that's been banging round for almost 20 years...)Over the weekend I finally took it downstairs and gave it a first coat. Once I sanded it back, I started wondering if it needed a second coat:So at stupid o'clock this morning it was back upstairs being incorporated into a wee test scene.
(I'm still undecided about the paint situation...)

When I said I wanted Green and Blacks I meant chocolate

not another mini scene! Today I continued to play with my water slide decal paper and decided to turn your basic Dolls House Emporium shelving unit into a bench seat by making an upholstered top for it*.

Alas, I have no miniature Green and Blacks either so Hersheys and white chocolate from my Advent Swap will have to do.

What I do have is more new books, just the thing to peruse over afternoon coffee and chocolate...

(* I need black cushions. Or black and white cushions. And a throw. And... *sigh*)

I've been playing with the paint again...

And they've only just dried, hence the evening shots. Bunny (it's Easter, after all, a time for bunnies), a repainted Re-ment (Beauty storage #3, before you ask) and green ceramics created using this tutorial (and the same bottle of nail varnish) Oh, and I made me a mini version of my fave composition note book this evening too...

(Notes: Flickr. You know the drill!)

Scene in context

So here are the final framed photos, along with a few other things I've made this weekend: the desk (why it's taken me this long to make one, I don't know!) and some more books for the (mini) book shelves.(From left to right: Giant clothes peg in Philadelphia, Frank Lloyd Wright's La Miniatura in Pasadena, The Eames House in Santa Monica and The Guggenheim Museum in New York.)

My birthday book

Cycling S and I were talking at the beginning of the year and she decided I should write a book.

So I did (although there wasn't much actual writing involved...)

Moments in miniature by Anna-Maria C Sviatko Make Your Own Book

Framed!

While I was at the dolls house shop on Saturday I picked up a pack of cheapy wooden frames (and felt vaguely guilty that I wasn't making them from scratch like I used to.)

After a couple of coats of spray paint they were much more to my likingand I discovered, after ratting through my box of mini pictures to frame someday, they were the perfect size to fit my Kodak Gallery photo thumbnails from my 2006 US trip photos.

So now I have some of my favourite photos framed.

Big: And little: Oh dear, I feel another trip to the dolls house shop coming on...

Sliding through Sunday

The (extra) long weekend has given me time to get to lots of things on my To Do list. Including finally having a play with the ink jet water slide decal paper I bought off eBay months ago.

The results of my first test run inspired the scene above. These are images nicked off the internet (of course, what else would you expect from me?) and mounted onto a package of paper plates I discovered in the bottom of my work box.
And the shadow boxes? Drawers from a recent Re-Ment purchase, repurposed.

(Full details on FLICKR)

Green

Garden: I emailed a friend's gardener a few weeks back, after realising I was never going to get on top of the back yard (even if I wanted to), and an extension at work gave me another 6 weeks to catch up on stuff.

"I need Prince Charming", I wrote "except without the wall climbing or Princess kissing".

Today I had two non climbing (or kissing) Prince Charmings for a couple of hours and the difference is stunning.

(Here they are carting half my garden off with them: Did I remember to take "before" photos? No. And I call myself a blogger?)

Scene: Influenced by thoughts of my lovely trimmed garden, jealousy that two lots of friends are spending Easter in New Zealand (which is very green and grey) and a number of new acquisitions that fit the theme...
(I remembered the chair I'd made years ago after reading MitchyMooMiniatures' fabulous post on making four modern chairs for under £10)Details on the FLICKR photo. But before you head over, check out my new carpet:Massively huge (for minis) 50cm x 50cm carpet square discovered during this afternoon's trip to the hardware store for paint. $5.25. I picked up a couple of other bits: stay tuned...

Skul(l)king round

So I found the rest of the skeleton and the skull looked perfect for a quick vanitas-like mini scene using some of the paper Call of the Small sent me.

Look up

Found: Paul MacAlister furniture buyer!

Aren't we all terrible envious? (But aren't they lovely?)

(Photo nicked shamelessly from divi2007's photostream. Sorry)

Dolls house furniture as you've (probably) never seen it...

Bent Objects: The Secret Life of Everyday Things by Terry Border, via Brain Pickings, via Hannah.

And a video of the artist talking about his work:

This weekend...

I think I'll be coming over all Sibella Court: (Oh, what fun!)

Wrapped

Ready for tomorrow's mail.

Miniatures, stop motion animation and street art?

Like, like, like!

C'est fini

My February Red Swap is done*.

Well, apart from wrapping and crossing fingers that it comes in under 500g when it gets to the Post Office (US Post has a new rule that they charge an extra $9 "for customs" if parcels are over 500g. Grrrrrr....)

After I finished making this, I emailed Joann Swanson, who originally provided the pattern in the August 1991 issue of Nutshell News, to thank her.

I love the twenty first century: Joann now has a blog and contacting her is easy peasy!

(*Just in case you're worried: there's a lot more to it than this!)

A rainy day...

And, apart from bed, the only sensible place to spend it is locked in the studio: (Photos with notes on FLICKR)

The first 2011 Knitting in Movies report

Never Let Me Go:

rowupon rowof beautiful hand knitted jumpers and cardigans(and the odd hat)

An extremely crappy week

Finished off with some lovely feedback from Call of the Small (who will hopefully excuse me for stealing her photo for this post...)

There's a "February swap" in the works for Amazing Miniatures

Yes, I do realise it's halfway through April, thank you...

A new game

(Thanks to reader Susan who sent me the link)

Secret Little Gem has photos of Carolina Kecskemethy's Miniature furniture at the Museum of Things in Berlin:

I just want to play Name that Chair Maker. (Closely followed by Spot the Chairs You Own, then Spot the Chairs you Wished You Owned)

I'm drooling....

After work drinks

(It was that sort of day...)

More...