News & Full-Scale Clearance!

**Stick around the bottom of the post is sooo worth the read!**

So it's been a ver-y long time since I've posted and that is a large reflection on just how busy my life has recently become.  I wish it was a reason better than what it actually is, however it's just the really simple things that are clouding up my crafting time. 

With that being said, I am refocusing and realizing that with my darling little girl I just don't have the time to "miniature" the way that I used to be able to... I have decided to narrow down my focus...

I'm going to *attempt* the finish of the 1/2scale Buttercup, the Christmas house, I'm making strides although I haven't blogged on them.  I also am going to keep the Glencroft (for the future), but I'm going to focus now on just building half scale*.  I really want to work on a Greenleaf Fairfield.  I want a place to house all of my coveted "Miss Lydia Pickett" items, and I think this is the perfect fit for me.

*The Glencroft will be my only full-scale house and I imagine that it will take me some time to complete it. 

That being said... ALL (as in my ENTIRE) collection (x3 LARGE bins) of full scale, 1:12, items are up for sale/grabs/clearance/discount, etc. ...  Bear in mind I pre-bought for houses I never built!!!  So there is more than necessary and it's ALL available. 

The majority of the collection is Lee's Line, with some Macintosh Minis and a few Bespaq pieces for sale.  I am also parting with the Woodstock, the Newport, the Newport addition, and the Foxhall conservatory.  If you have ever parused my website, my gallery, etc. and see a piece that you want... Let me know, it's yours and it's offered very cheap...I'm just trying to re-coup some costs and get rid of it all...

Please check out my Ebay page as even more items will be added as other items sell... Please bear in mind only 1:12 items are for sale.  I plan to continue working in 1/2scale as I find it's a fit for me...I really like it... :)

Other Work ~

Hello to my newest follower Laurie!  I hope you enjoy it here!!! :)

Thank you very much for all the wonderful compliments on my mom's Bungalow... :)

After going through photos and then trying to find some, I realized quickly that there is not much left I have to share.  The photos of houses I had that I sold, I subsequently deleted from my stash of photos.  It stinks because thinking about it over the last couple days I wish I still had them to look at even for myself.  :( 

I decided to show you a collection of my favorite photos ~ 

The 1/2scale Country Farmhouse:

Crown moulding on the staircase

Bay window w/seat cushion

Dry-fitted with some of my furniture pieces

The Woodstock

My favorite photo, the window that I created!

(from what I understand this is my own original design)

and I STILL LOVE IT!

My kitchen set

All my lovely Lee's Line

The very first dry-fit!

Just A Quick Note ~

Well, I'm humbled...I just got a surprise *glowing* review from my mini-friend Audra (well, she's not just a mini-friend, she's a friend) I figured I had to send out a little note.

I took it as a hint, O.K., more of a shove in the hallway! to get some pictures of my older work up on my blog for all to see.  So, I promise that on Thursday you will see a collection of photos of work that I have done so far, and then maybe a post or two on what's to come. ;)

So, don't forget...check back on Thursday!!! :)

Give-Away's...

I've decided to put my hat into the ring on a couple give-aways this year. 

Being that I might actually have a dollhouse to put these specatular things into, I've opted to have my name included on two, (so far!)...

The first is Audra at Honey I Shrunk The House... while there, venture over to her AMAZING Glenwood by RGT.  I love her color palette and how she's done her yard.  She's doing the coolest thing I've seen with dollhouses, and mimic-ing it to her own RL house!!!  Take a peek at how realistic she's getting into it...her son's golf bag, her father's apartment...and her basement!!! :)

The second is Keli at ISeeCerulean...while there, check out her Fairfield... I'm in awe on her ability to make her own 1:24 scale furniture, her kitchen table, cabinets, you name it!  Just gorgeous.  I cannot wait to see what she does with the 2012 Greenleaf Spring Fling Kit this year...WOW!!! :)

The generosity out there right now is rubbing off on me, and I'm trying to figure out what I want to do for my give-away...I'll keep you posted!!! :)

Where are the great finds coming from? I'll tell you... :)

So I thought I would spill the beans on my dining room finds...

I've been showing you in previous posts, here, here and here, that I've found the most gorgeous dining room, and I thought I should elaborate on where they came from. 

Small World Miniatures, and Ebay store, (a favorite of mine) is where I'm finding these pieces.  I had been stalking the store for a while, (new furniture auctions are typically uploaded on a weekly basis), when I came upon the dining room chairs by accident and completely fell in love!!!  Coincidentally within the same set of auctions there was a table that I thought/hoped would match...turns out it matched very well!!!  A week or so later I found the additional chairs and hutch and then most recently the sideboard and more chairs.

I'm not a huge Ebay fan, I do utilize it if I choose to sell items, and I do like to scour to see if I can come up with a good sale item from time to time...there are a lot of dis-honest sellers and there is a lot of over-priced junk out there too, but this particular seller is great, I have never had an issue with them and they always ship super fast and most importantly great customer service!!! :)

P.S. Guess what arrived on Friday...MY MANSARD ADDITION WALLS!!! :)

Update On My "Give-Away"...

So I want to say thank you so much for the wonderful comments and emails that I received...everyone is really nice to tell me that I'm so nice, but trying to get the attention for it is not why I did it...these things from my "give-away" would never be used by me, so I thought they should rightfully find a new home.  Yes, if my mini-friend approves, I will certainly post the link to her video when she receives the box and opens it... :)

Thanks again, everyone, please pay-it-forward...send out some good karma, and good karma will find you!

My Own "Give-Away"

Each year at New Years, like many others, I embrace the resolution idea.  I decide on a motto of the year and this year my motto is all about change, change I want to create.  While I have already made some changes, a big change idea came to me in the form of karma.

I wait until after New Years to put my Christmas decorations away, it's a tradition.  This year, last Monday, while I was putting everything away, and lugging the bins down to my cellar, I noticed a rather large box of discarded miniatures that I've been meaning to go through and either sell or do something with.  I had put the box out of my mind until a day or two later when I watched one of my favorite mini-ers new video she posted to YouTube. 

In the video she remarked about how her dollhouse is so big and she still needs so much to fill it with.  Well, this hit home to me and I put two-and-two together.  I just love her videos and they often provide to me that needed inspiration for mini-ing, mainly the inspiration I needed to get started originally on my Woodstock.  So, in my mind, I owe her a lot!

Well, this was the perfect opportunity for me to pay up!  I contacted her and told her of my plan and she is very excited about it...which is the whole reason for me wanting to do this in the first place. 

I dragged the big box upstairs and began the arduous task of going through it.  I pulled out some things that I knew would bring a price, (to help re-coup what I spent on them) and put the rest into a box just for her...

This is the end result...

This box is F-U-L-L!!!  And I only hope that she loves everything inside!!!

Mini-Friend's Give-Away... :)

Check out a mini-friends give-away... :)

I'm not going to enter myself...(my mind is over-whelmed with 1:24 scale) so I will save the larger scale items for someone who can use them...but you should check out the give-away... :)

http://amysdelights.blogspot.com/2011/11/my-first-mini-giveaway.html

While you are there, check out the SIMPLY GORGEOUS Fairfield dollhouse (by Greenleaf)!!! 

JEALOUS = ME!

Changing Course…

So I spent most of the day Monday packing up the Woodstock and moving it downstairs.  It’s carefully put away, and along with all my grand plans, it’s awaiting it’s glory day…until then it will hibernate in the basement.

In having to pack all of these things up and move them, I did a lot of thinking.  I realized that while I’m down, I’m not really out… ;)

I semi-forgot that I have the 1/2scale Country Farmhouse sitting in a box, unfinished in the basement.  I'll have to go through the box and make sure I have everything I need to finish working on this…and we may have found the newest subject for my blog!

The next idea I have is inspired by another miniature maker…she is doing a sort of replication of her childhood home and turning it into a haunted house.  While I don’t want to re-create my home, or make a haunted house, the “childhood” theory struck a chord with me. 

My very first dollhouse was a Greenleaf Coventry Cottage.  My house was never fully finished, (no porch posts, no shingles, no windows or frames, and no paint really to speak of, I still loved it!!!  I remember my birthday party that year, I had gotten a bunch of pieces of furniture for it, I had decorated it with stickers and towels for rugs.  I had ended up giving it to my cousin,when I felt I was too old to keep it, and it got crushed by my grandpa when he accidentally fell on it. 

I had tried to re-create it a while back, and I didn’t have much success with my newbie status and since then have wanted to do it again.  I realized that I have just enough left in gift certificates from HBS to get one with a good sale, so that could be another possibility.  A third and final maybe is a Greenleaf Glencroft.  A close friend did one and I was able to help a little, I love it and think I could have a lot of fun with one, but I’d need a great sale at HBS for that to come true.

So for the time being I’m going to see if I can find some free time to work on the 1/2scale Country Farmhouse.  So stay tuned for more… :)