Egyptian miniature project

Kassandra was telling me the other day that a member of her family is a woman born and raised in Egypt.  Then confessed that for obvious sunny reasons she has never visited Egypt, but also confided that some of her grandparents were supposed to have acted as pharaohs.  I am not sure how that could have been possible, but she is quite sure about the fact.  She also pointed out that vampires have been using the Egyptian cross, the Ankh, for many years as a symbol of eternal life.

In any case, she has developed a recent interest about all things Egyptian, and has acquired some art: a statue of a lying Anubis, that came from Stewart Dollhouse; and a collection of papyrus.  She says she likes Anubis because he is one of the gods of the Dead.  She is not quite sure what to do about the papyrus, so she is keeping everything at hand in her table of curiosities:

Images found on Google

She is also reading a book about Egypt, and some guides to learn to decipher hieroglyphs:

I scanned my own book to make the cover for this.

And of course, a famous Hercule Poirot novel that is set on a cruise through the Nile:

She says she feels fascinated by Egyptian history and she must visit the country soon.

Oh, if you would like your own Egyptian minis, you should definitely check Lilliput's Treasures!

Solstice decorations

December is here, and the holidays are around the corner!  Surely most of you are already getting your house ready with your preferred decorations.  

Yesterday, I found out that Kassandra also is, which was quite shocking.  I asked her if she would be celebrating Christmas or some other tradition.  She said that it is the use of her family to celebrate the December Solstice.  She specified that the longest night of the year was something worth celebrating for a vampire - unlike the Summer Solstice.

She has set up a lovely and tiny Winter tree in her parlor; but the most intriguing thing for me were the gift packages under it:

I found them very curious-looking, and asked if they also had the tradition, like humans, to exchange gifts.  "Of course!", she responded.  "It is the only moment in the year we get presents.  We do not celebrate human holidays, such as Valentine's Day, or birthdays.  Most vampires tend to forget what day of the year they were born.  I cerntainly do not know what day I was born.  I only know that it was Summer."

And then I asked about the original boxes she had used to wrap her presents.  "Oh, are they not delightful?  A very talented designer made them.  I do not like the overuse of shiny red, green and gold humans tend to use this time of year.  It all looks very fashion and stylish, but people have forgotten about the elegance and good taste we used in past times to wrap presents."

She proceeded to ask me to sit down to enjoy some spirits, and was talking about how difficult it would be for her to keep her daughter Perséfone from munching on the decorations.

Belly Dance Workshop with Jillina!

I have certainly been busy!  I had scheduled a belly dance workshop with the lovely and talented Jillina the same weekend as the Tom Bishop Show.

I booked the workshop (3 lessons of 2 hours each) last July, so it has been a darn coincidence that the two events ended up being at the same time.  I had to renounce to one of Jillina's lessons to be able to go to the miniature show; I have been very sorry to have to do that, because the lessons were beyond awesome.

It was so much fun, and we ended up learning two choreographies of about 3 minutes each.  But it was less about what I had the opportunity to learn and more about the good vibes, the energy, the sisterhood and being able to dance and chat with such magnificient dancer. 

I had been wanting to do a workshop with Jillina since I found out about her (circa 2005).  When I lived in the US I never had the opportunity to do so, and thus this has been a long dreamed moment. It was well beyond my expectations.  I did not have a moment rest in all the weekend (and the following week I was exhausted), but I ended up so so happy that it was very worth it.

I also had the chance to buy some DVDs from her, and I heartly recommend them: Immortal Desires, Dark Side of the Crown and Oriental Choreography with Jillina.

Taken when the last workshop finished :)

Very looking forward to the next belly dance workshop, whenever it is!

Tom Bishop Show!

My mom and I went to Tom Bishop Show last Saturday morning.  And it was awesome, as always. 

We met a lovely woman and her son.  She told us that she had to be on sick leave this year, and that that made it the perfect moment to start her dream of having a dollhouse.  Of course, she was ecstatic when she saw all the beautiful things the show had to offer her.  We hope we can met them again next year.

Here are the treasures I brought home.  These are a pair of DIY kits from Nalladris:

An enchanting greenhouse from Minis By Angie:

It even opens!

 A pitcher and a pillow from Pilar Alén Miniaturas:

A lot of bowls and glass bottles (for the soap shop), and planters (to make plants for the greenhouse) from Chic Dollhouse:

A couple of jars for the soap shop from Viliaminiature:

A lovely pair of domes from 64tnt Miniaturas:

I am still unsure about what to do with the empty one

And I could not let the show pass without visiting Beatricce Miniaturas.  My mom gifted me the caramel-colored jar:

Some of them are already in their final place.  Others, I am still thinking about.  Have you been to any shows lately?

A marvelous gift

A couple of weeks ago, one of my classmates at the belly dance academy I go to dance and I engaged in a very animated talk about dollhouse miniatures.  My classmate, Cris, said that she and her sister used to make miniature hats out of antique and vintage materials; they even went to sell them as far as Japan, and they were part of several Tom Bishop shows, although they stopped making miniatures and selling them many years ago.  I was so very impressed, and asked her to let me see some pictures of their work.  She asked for the link to my shop to see mine.

She sent me some pics, and what I saw left me speechless.  What beautiful works of art!  I have zero talent to sew, so making clothes and other accessories is something I cannot do.  Likewise, they both were impressed with my minis.  Her sister wanted some maps to put in one of her scenes, so I made them for her, and included as gifts a couple of tiny button cards with pearl buttons.  And a couple of days later, Cris sent me a text saying they were gifting me with one of their hats.  And she sent me some pictures; and I was in awe:

The hat and the box are already on Kassandra's bedroom; she is ecstatic with them, as she loves antiquities and vintage clothing.

I will cherish this gift as something precious.  Cris told me that she only has gifted two hats in her miniature career: one for an old classmate, and one for me.  Needless to say, I was so very honored.

Thank you SO much, Cris!!

Using other scales accessories

My husband is a collector of other scale miniatures - mainly Warhammer, but also other brands.  Perusing for some stuff that he wanted to buy I found a lovely collection of wood crates and boxes:

Since I am working now on a shop, I wanted to have some boxes with freshly arrived stuff, and I loved the way these crates were designed.  Even though they are supposed to be for a Far West game, I think they look pretty standard for other purposes.  And for more fun, they were a kit.  They look awesome:

You can see they are obviously from a different scale, but they were so much fun to make, and so easy! The kit brings two of each, so if you need to fill a barn, an storage room or a wagon they will be great.

I will be using some to decorate the shop by putting stuff over them.  Some I will leave open to put stuff in, as if Kassandra was unpacking the merchandise.

What have you been up to?

Long postponed project finally done!

Today I did something that I have wanted to do for a long time.

Many months ago I purchased this canvas bag:

I loved the design the moment I saw it!  The colors, the insde, the straps... It only had one thing that I did not like: the featuring of the Converse logo in the middle.  For a time I thought I needed to buy some patches to cover it up, but quite never find what I was looking for.

But one day I came across this beauty:

I found it in Harlots & Angels on Etsy.  I have been an admirer of Jules Vernes since I was a teen, and "20,000 leagues under the sea" is my favorite book of his.  So I decided to join Nemo's crew and add this to my bag.  And lo and behold:

I absolutely love it!  It makes something quite extraordinary of an ordinary bag, and it is not too flamboyant for everyday use.

I wish I had the opportunity to use more of the marvelous pieces Harlots & Angels feature in their Steampunk section...

Mermaid blanket... because Winter is Coming...

LOL, sorry for the pun!

I bought a mermaid blanket last Winter when I moved to my new home, but even though I wanted to post something about it I forgot.  Today I was filing some pictures and found the ones I took of the blanket when it arrived.

Even though it is still Summer, just in case you were considering buying one for yourself, here is one of the many available mermaid blankets on the market:

You can see my minion pillow  :)

This is the Fin Fun Adult Mermaid Blanket in Aquamarine.  It is incredibly cozy, warm, and when you get inside you may not want to get out.  The adult size is BIG.  I can cover up to my chest with it, and there is still room at the bottom.  You can get your feet inside the "fin" part, and there is no opening at the bottom - no more cold feet with this blanket.  You have to get in and out as you would with a sack.  No walking with this tail, and I would not recommend jumping while inside.  

The fabric is very very soft.  It is a double-sided minky fabric, and you won't get tired of petting it.  I mostly use it for snuggling up in the sofa and watch TV.  I have fallen asleep inside, and it was awesome.

Fin Fun has 2 new models they did not have last year with a whimsical scale pattern.  

Perfect for those cold days in which you still want to rock your mermaid side without having to get wet.  I highly recommend them, for adults or kids.

Free soap box display printable

It's been some time since I made minis for myself instead of for sale.  Lately I have been doing printables to dress up the shelves in my soap shop.  I have still not picked up clay to make the actual soaps, but doing the boxes, the labels, and the box displays is being so much fun.

Funny thing, I had not realized that creating for others was as fulfilling as creating for oneself.  Now that my shop is closed, I miss sharing my creations.  So, since I do not think I will be selling printables again, I am sharing with you all one of my soap displays.  Remember the Ivory soap display?

Here is the printable for you to make as many as you like!  Just, as always, please do not sell them.

I hope I can post pics of my progress very soon.  Enjoy the crafting!

A gift for Kassandra

A couple of days ago Kassandra got a parcel in the mail:

I was with her when it arrived and I asked if I was allowed to stay while she opened it.  She said of course, and proceed to cut off the packaging tape.  She was very pleased when she saw it was a gift box:

"Undoubtedly, a gift from my husband", she said.  "How do you know?", I asked.  "The packaging is too gothic-looking to be from anyone else.  He knows I appreciate how gifts were wrapped in the past.  And there is no note, which is very like him.  But of course, I can be mistaken."

And then she proceeded to open the box:

"Oh, is not it delightful?", she exclaimed.  "It is beautiful", I said.  "And it suits you very well.  Your husband has very good taste."

She tried it on, and she looked like royalty.  I left her very happy:

I found out that the necklace comes from Nalladris, and the talented Sun is the maker.  I am sure Kassandra will be getting more pieces from there very soon.

Also, Sun will be coming to Madrid in the upcoming Tom Bishop Show in November.  I will be happy to chat with her again!

Mermaid home

A couple of weeks ago my husband bought for me some stuff suited for a mermaid home.

Every year Zara Home releases articles related to the sea, and I love to peruse them to see what I can add to my collection.  Here are some from this year's catalogue:

                                                                         Coral dishes

                                                                             Placemat

                                                                     Octopus pitcher

                                                                        Napkin rings

There's much more at their website or in their shops.  If you happen to live in Spain or are just passing by go take a look.  I am sure you will find something that you just need to have!

Vampire hunting kit for my dollhouse

Remember that project that I wanted to start with a chest box that I bought?  Well, it is almost finished, but I could not wait to share some pictures of it and to talk about what the project entailed.

I wanted to do a vampire hunter kit to display in Kassandra's shop.  I had seen some of these kits for sale, but the ones that I liked were really out of my budget.  So, I decided to try and make my own.

So I bought this box:

I had seen some kits that were made into a suitcase or a trunk, and they were absolutely gorgeous.  But I though "If someone is running or galloping after a vampire he or she needs something portable that could be carried without too much effort, like a small box".  So I chose this box that was, maybe, the size of a jewelry box or small chest.

The first thing I did was strip the box of everything it had inside:

Then, I took red "suede" paper like the one it had, took measurements and cut some pieces to redo the inside:

And then, I started making everything a vampire hunter may need.  First, a bible.  I made it by cutting small pieces of wood for the pages, and covering them with a nice vintage-looking paper cover.  I also painted the wood with golden paint, to imitate gilded pages:

Then I purchased some crosses and a silver dagger, and attached everything to the lid of the box with suede paper strips:

I knew I needed a very small glass bottle for the "Holy Water" - my usual apothecary glass bottles would not do. I had the opportunity of buying a very cute bottle at one of Tom Bishop's shows:

After that came a long hiatus of work and the move to the new home, so I was too busy with life things.  Today I retook the vampire hunter project after finally knowing how I wanted to continue. I cut a couple of pieces of plywood to redo the box compartments:

Then I covered the pieces with the red suede paper:

Next, stakes!  I took decorated toothpics, cut them to fit the box and filed the end to a point with the help of a blade. Then I used regular acrylic ink to paint them:

Next step, parchments rolls.  I simply took my parchment paper, cut a couple of strips, rolled them and tied them with black cord:

And finally!  My cute glass bottle!  I made a label saying "Holy Water", printed it on the parchment paper and attached it to the bottle.  And this is how the box looks now:

I still need to do a mallet and a garlic from polymer clay.  But I probably need to buy some new blocks for that - mine were rather unworkable.  I am so happy how well turned out!

I will post more pics when I do the mallet and the garlic.  I hope you enjoy this post.  I certainly did, both doing the project and writing about it!

UPDATE: This is awesome!  You want your own life-sized, portable vampire hunting kit?  Check these out!  Oh, one day one of these will be mine...