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!