New chest piece for the study

This one was so much fun to make, but very challenging too!  Here a picture speaks more than a thousand words:

I saw this original piece in Unique Miniatures' shop, and I wanted to make one as well.  Working with such tiny coins was difficult, but fun:

Now the piece is displayed on the cabinet in Kassandra's study:

Happy Holidays!

Kassandra wishes you all a very happy Winter Solstice

and nice holidays!

Making boxwood planters

Remember that YouTube channel from We Love Miniatures I told you about? Yesterday I tried a tutorial to make boxwood and here are the results.  I am very happy with them.

The tall urn is my mother's; she bought it at last year's Tom Bishop Show in Madrid; the small one is mine, and comes from Innovative Miniatures.  Kassandra says she is putting it beside her entrance door:

Lovely!

 Here is the video tutorial I used:

Instead of cotton balls, I used dark green polymer clay rolled into a ball and hardened in the oven.  And instead of the bulgar wheat, I used raw cous-cous.

Annie is so talented; not only to make miniatures, but also to make tutorials so the rest of us can learn something new.  Thank you so much, Annie!

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.

Free printable! Dollhouse magazine holders

I have embarked on a new project that requires to organize a lot of magazines.  

My vampire tenant says her stuff needs some order, and asked for some magazine holders.  I suggested she buy some of the pretty designs that are available, but she said that many of them did not match her taste.  She does not like "girly" things such as flower prints or polka dots, and wanted some Steampunk or Victorian holders.

Once again, I had to design them myself, and once again, she was very happy with what I provided.

She also said it was a pity that people were going to miss on the pretty and unusual design, and said that I should share them with my readers.  So, to satisfy my lovely tenant, here are the magazine holders for you to enjoy.

One is blank so you can add you own design if you wish.  Have fun organizing your dollhouse magazines!

The drawing room renovations

So, my vampire tenant said that the drawing room in the dollhouse had been planned for a human inhabitant, and that was fine, but she had no need for some of the items on it, and asked for some renovations.  Sometimes it is stressful to keep her happy, but I am happy to oblige because I adore her.  Let me show you how the drawing room was before:

She said she had no need for a china cabinet, or even china, since she is not so fond of tea or coffee.  Instead, she wanted it replaced with a bookshelf to have a library - the book cart was too small for her.  She also wanted new wall art - and for the dog to find another home.
This is the after, althoug it is far from finished:

I substitued the china cabinet for the bookshelf, and replaced the existing paintings for some with a medieval theme, which she likes very much.  The bookshelf needs still to be painted but that will be done soon.  My tenant says she misses her castle, but now she feels more at home.  The tapestry and the coat-of-arms are a nice addition too, she adds.  I have a surprise for her, since I bought 3 big shields that are going to be put on the wall beside the clock - but they will take some time since they are unpainted (don't say anything to her!).

The Pomeranian dog has found a new place to live in my mother's garden (they are doing a barbecue party over there, so he is quite happy with the change), and a kitty in his basket is sleeping now near the table.  I mentioned before the new chandelier with LED lights.  

But I wanted to note specially the books on the shelf.  Some I already had, but the new batches come from Treefeathers, and the big Dracula volume that is on the book cart is from Lee Ann on eBay:

The books from Treefeathers feature real antique editions of the covers of the books; and the Dracula volume is written: it has the first chapter of the book in tiny tiny print.  The shelf still have lots of room for books, but those will keep coming in time...

New absinthe design up for sale

A new creation for all of you absinthe fans!

This is a new design of absinthe bottle, created after the real absinthe Ridge, made by Joe and Jules Legate, owners of Ridge Distillery. Joe kindly gave me permission to make a miniature of their handcrafted creation - which by the way I recommend wholeheartedly!
The credit for the design of the label goes to no other than Mr. Gwydion Stone himself, absinthe expert, and owner of Marteau Absinthe - you should try that one too! If you are interested at all in absinthe you should visit The Wormwood Society for answers to any question you may have regarding this delicious drink.

A new design made specially for all of you mad scientists and medical geeks out there!

This is a set of 10 medical posters that will look splendid in any laboratory, asylum, hospital or medical office. They are real vintage medical drawings printed in parchment paper, for you to hang on the walls, frame or simply lay about. This set includes brains, skeletons, the circulatory system, the heart and muscles. Already available at my shop!

Dollhouse accesories from jewelry findings

I was doing some shopping at Michael's today and found some lovely jewelry findings that may work well in a dollhouse setting.

They belong to the Madame Delphine's collection. I saw some charms small enough that would look lovely on a dresser, as well as mirrors framed with delicate Victorian flowers that could belong on a bedroom or parlor. Here is a link to the collection.

If you have a chance go take a look before they are gone!

Refurbishing the shop

I always knew that my magic shop was not finished yet; even though it wasn't possible to stock up on more items, I was far from satisfied with it. So, inspired by the lovely Wise Ways Emporium (Deb's magic shop), I looked for new furniture for mine. I was very lucky, and found a double shelf that had just the exact measurements. So, here is a sneak peak...

Before:

After:

Even though it looks almost filled, I can assure that there is still plenty of room to add goodies. The black "wicker" shelf will be up for sale in my shop in a couple of days, filled up with witchy artifacts, so stay tuned...

Furniture in dollhouse scale

That's what you will find at minibuilder. Ray is an awesome carpentry artist that makes furniture from scratch in the most precious woods. He is available for custom work, and his designs are fantastic. Besides, you will not only find the classic dining rooms, chairs, coffee tables and shelves; Ray sometimes surprises us with out-of-the-ordinary furniture like this amazing coffin:

Oh, how I wish my vampire lady slept in a coffin! But she says she is so happy with her recently acquired bed from Wightcrafts...

I have been a fan of Ray's work for some time, and just recently custom ordered a tall book stand for my vampire lady' study. It arrived this morning, and it's fantastic:

I had been looking for one of these for some time. Ray was excellent to work with, and my order was ready very fast - and shipped fast too! I am currently waiting for an special book to arrive to display over the book stand - also artist made, more on that in the future...