Just Checking In!

Business continues around here and yesterday my 10-year-old, Joanna, and I suffered a tragedy. Running late to pick her up from school, I jumped in the car and didn't see my sweet kitty of 16 years, Priss either darting into or out of the garage and I ran over her. I had to scoop her up and place her on the back step and by the time we got home, she had died. So this morning I am still grieving as I prepare to head to work.

I promise I am working on some mini endeavors and also preparing for a Bring Your Own Art show with some of my quilting/fiber arts pieces. I will be back soon and running around checking in on everyone. I hope you all are well and I miss you. I'll be with you soon!

Gracious! Where Does the Time Go?!

On the Passage of Time and An Award!

I can't believe I've had so much going on that I've neglected my little blog so badly. Now that our party is over, the house is looking better than it has in years and I've added several little things to my Etsy shop so it won't look so pitifully empty, I am hoping to get back in the saddle of posting more often and visiting everyone to see what you're all up to! This was the Halloween basket I threw together to fill an empty corner before my in-law's 50th wedding anniversary party at our house this past Saturday evening. (Of course, then I visited William Bezek, the Artist, at his blog I saw how simple and droll my little effort was! If you haven't visited his house for Halloween, head over there this minute for a treat! http://williambezek.blogspot.com/2009/10/haunting-house.html?showComment=1255650964954#c8200450395236479193

The anniversary party was wonderful. Everyone had a good time. And as one was brought from assisted living in a wheelchair, another is on a walker as she is a bad diabetic who can no longer feel her feet and another brother is on a cane and in his late 80's, I was glad we could host it. I'll post a few more pix soon but am just literally rushing through. The one drawback to the event was that my son, Ben, 17, called the night before to say he had run his truck off in a ditch with his girlfriend in the truck and it was a dark, rainy, bad night. We were able to get the truck out with DH's farm truck, they weren't hurt, hadn't been drinking, no other vehicles were involved so we have lots to be thankful for. However, the truck was pretty much totalled. But again, they weren't hurt--or killed. And her Mom showed up to take her home and couldn't have been more kind, understanding or gracious.
This is a little Gothic mirror I just listed in my little Etsy shop today (I promise I won't bore you to tears but as this is the season . . .). It is made from a press mold of a circa 1980's belt buckle, polymer clay painted and dusted with gold dust and glitter and spray-sealed). And it sort of represents a major milestone for me. I have had Photoshop for three years and never learned to use it. As I took pix of the reflection of my hands and camera in the mirror, I was able to 'paint' it out--TADA! Made me feel all accomplished. Oh, and I made the poly clay crow, too.
Back to the party, this was the centerpiece my SIL brought up from Georgia and below was the front of the house with newly spiffed up and re-stained front door, rockers, church pew and the mums I bought for the occasion.
And lastly, thanks to Kathi from Beautiful Mini Blessings and Victoria from Little Boxes for the award! I promise I will pass it on ASAP--although most of you have already received it--when I get another chance to stop by. I would also like to say I am so happy that Debbie is back with us and recovering from her open heart surgery. I've sent many prayers out for her 'homecoming' back to us! And a huge thank you to Nikki for listening and trying to help me resolve a big eBay/Paypal issue of late. I owe her in a huge way. What a wonderful community of mini bloggers we have. I am gratefu for you all and so admire your tremendous talents. I aspire to your levels! Oh, and I must post pix of the little gifts I received from another special blogger, Kathy Calhoun and I will have to pass it on to those who post a comment when I post pix! So, I will be back with you soon! Thank you for missing me. I've missed you, too!

Etsy Shop Now Open!

I've Opened An Etsy Shop!

Not that I will constantly blog about my little Etsy endeavors but I have opened a little shop, Peach Blossom Hill, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7945829 and am still hoping for that first little sale! I thought I had one but as it is with fishing, she nibbled on the line but then evidently changed her mind and the line went slack!

So, I have been feverishly working on a few mini paintings and other items but life in general keeps thwarting my efforts at every turn. School back in session always stomps me into the mud and takes about three months for me to adjust. We're hosting my in-law's 50th anniversary party the first of October so doing some major house overhauls and we're having a big yard sale this Saturday. Plus a few minor little hormonal and TMJ issues I'm seeing the doc about next week have really wreaked havoc on my emotions and creative juices lately. That, and the normal stresses of life in general.
In addition, while I try to be a good fellow blogger, I'm way behind on reading what everyone is up to so need to get around to at least saying hi and checking in. I'm hoping Debbie from Tiny Treasures is on the mend.

A Wedding and Some Mini Progress

A Few of the Min's I've Been Working On and a Wedding!

The above picture is of a sewing cabinet I've put together in hoping I can reopen my Etsy shop soon with an emphasis on miniatures. It's either find ways to make extra dough or find that dreaded mind-numbing full-time 9 to 5 gig. In the foreground are hydrangea's. I am a messy crafter so you see all the bits and pieces of glue and paper lying around. The true me.
I've also been working on some poly clay pumpkins, a rooster decorator item and a rabbit. The rooster will be painted some more before he is done. Now this rabbit is to be furred. Therefore he is probably entirely too big and fat! I've got to learn to sculpt smaller and leaner but at least, I think, he captures the essence of 'rabbit'. At least I hope! The pile of leaves are some I've punched and painted with acrylics.
Joan A. from one of the Yahoo Groups I'm a member of announced a mini e-mail yard sale and I wrote asking for this china set and the brass pitcher. The tea kettle was a Dejoux Miniatures purchase. Joan kindly offered in lieu of an outright sale, a trade. I'm to make her some drapes and Colonial diapers (so if anyone knows how Colonial diapers may have differed from modern cloth diapers, I'm all ears--I Google'd it and found nada except that babies during that time wore long dressed regardless of gender).
I also got around to pouring some of my House of Caron housewares molds. Alot of pouring to go before I fill up the Skutt kiln with these tiny wares!
And this is the bride and groom, Victoria and Justin. I grew up with his mother and as my late mother used to direct weddings, I am sometimes asked to direct them for folks from my hometown. Jerry, Maggie and I did Justin's older sister, Erin's wedding and his, last night, was the fourth we've done. It went very weel. She was radiant and beautiful and he was very handsome in his tux. Plus there were two precious flower girls, a beautiful little miniature brider, her young sister and a handsome miniature groom as well as the beautiful young maids, matrons and groomsmen. It was a fun wedding and reception. And as Maggie and Jerry do most of the actual traffic control, Jerry heads up the ushers responsibilities and Maggie the bridesmaids, I mainly run around pinning on corsages, checking on the guest arrivals and wring my hands. So, a good working relationship. And as this bride and groom are both sherrif deputies, I wish them a lifetime of happiness and safety!

We Got Our Bike, Me 24 Years Ago, Stuff . . .

We Got Our Bike!

Remember I wanted Joanna's house to have a bike like Amyla's on Flickr (see my previous post a few weeks ago)? We got our bike from Hong Kong and I love it! It is 1:12th scale and the back wheels even spin when you turn the pedals! We got it from Speedfind on eBay, and the price was great. I think it was $2.95 plus about $10 shipping. So, I highly recommend them now!

ANIMOTO. Another great site I found through the Etsy forums is Animoto!! You can upload your photos from a photo site or your picture files on your computer, choose a song and they create a little short movie for you. A lot of Etsy vendors are using it to promote their shop items. I made one of my three children when they were small and plan to make more. You have to scroll all the way down to the bottom to see it.

Also, check out the Back to School Sale at Dejoux Miniatures. I feel party responsible for Charles Deyou, owner, extending the recent sale he offered on his already low prices. I wrote and told him it was back to school time and therefore I couldn't take advantage of the sale because of back to school expenses. He wrote commisserating with me but also pointing out how difficult it is for businesses to survive with their normal margins which I do understand having owned businesses and working for a small business. So, go shop at Dejoux and enter code 0904BTS to save 15% on your entire order! I'll go there this week as well.

Now I thought I would show you what I looked like 24 years ago. I found my engagement picture taken when I was a 22 year old college senior and ready to get married a month after graduation. Look at all of that hair and the lack of pudginess and wrinkles! Three children and almost a quarter of a century later, as you can see from my profile pix, I don't quite look the same!

Bunny Rug Attempt and Official Documents

My Attempt at One of Joan Grimord's Rugs

I've sent this pix of my nearly completed attempt at her punch needle bunny rug to Joan Grimord to see if she thinks the 'extra small' needle for the Cameo Punch is actually not small enough for her little rugs. I'm not entirely happy with this poor little guy but he is going in Joanna's nursery anyway when he's finished. I teach quilting classes, do thread paintings, mastered heirloom sewing and smocking but punch needle is kicking me! And, my gosh, the technique is pretty simple: Punch, drag, Punch, drag . . . . .
I finally put up our building permit--good thing we weren't fined before now having not posted it!
Now I know all of you true mini artisans in our little blogging community usually show your exquisitely beautiful finished--and perfect--creations. But being an old country shoe as I am, I show the good, the bad and the ugly. This is the progress I've made so far--the roof gave me some difficulties and I admit having to go at it with a hammer to loosen the wood glue and reposition it but I am bursting with pride: I didn't have to whine to DH! So give me a gold button. I 'done' it my own self. So there.

And as an aside, I'm actually thinking of opening an Etsy store for mini's. Between my part-time job and three children, I can't put a ton of things in but I've either got to augment my little part-time gig or go to work digging graves (about what my late great 'liberal arts' degree and my resume which screams, "Has avoided full-time employment like the plague" will qualify me for). Hay isn't selling gang busters this year and we're still trying to climb out of the hole life left us in in April when everone's cars had to have major repairs at once and some of the household appliances joined in the melee for fun and DH had to have $800 worth of wisdom teeth removed. Anyone have any advice or suggestions about Etsy mini shops?

We Got Mail! Thank you, Donna!

Lookie What We Got!

Donna at Hager's Bears, http://hagerbears.blogspot.com/, was so very kind to send us one of her precious and detailed little poly clay dolls and a little teapot for Joanna's nusery! They came in the mail yesterday and we were thrilled! Her work is just exquisite as you can see. I've put them here in Joanna's nursery furniture piece to photograph. The little pink bear and the stacking toy were earlier gifts from Katie at Katie's Clay Corner, http://katiesclaycorner.blogspot.com/. They will add so much to the nursery! Thank you, Donna and also Katie.
I couldn't get Dolly to stand up but was hastily snapping these pix before I have to get ready for work. Isn't it great to be a part of such a sharing, giving community of mini friends?!