Furnished Dollhouse at Hospice of the Carolina Foothills

Furnished Dollhouse at Hospice of the Foothill Carolinas Thrift Barn

My friend, Tammy, let me know that there was a fully furnished dollhouse up for auction at the Hospice of the Carolinas Thrift Barn in Landrum, http://www.hocf.org/services/thrift_barn.php my hometown. So, as my Dad and I were heading to the cemetery to place Christmas greenery and bows on several graves, including that of my mother who died of cancer seven years ago, I told him I'd come up his way and we'd go see the dollhouse. You can read the poignant story about Lisa Owens who lovingly built it and furnished it but sadly lost her battle to diabetes in 1997. Her parents donated the dollhouse and to add to its bittersweet story, a man who is also under Hospice care and has a bad tremor, took all of the accessories out of the plastic bags labeled as to which rooms they belonged and put it all back together including the individual books in the bookcase and tiny figurines throughout the house. They graciously allowed me to take pix and to post about the house in my blog. The house is up for auction until December 19th and they are hoping to raise as much as they can for this valuable operation. As Hospice is dear to our hearts, I hope some local folks will see this and want this beautiful house for a special person in their lives. And to all, in case I don't get to blog much between now and then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christine's 12 Days of Christmas!

If you run over to Christine V's blog today, Candid Canine, http://candidcanine.blogspot.com two of my little Christmas scenes from Etsy are featured in her 12 Days of Christmas! I can't upload pix of my own just now as my laptop battery has decided to die right here at Christmas when any $$ has to go for presents, food, my son's senior trip, etc. so when I get Christmas funds, I'll be back in the saddle! I am actually typing this at work before the day officially begins! And I do intend to visit with everyone soon. It's been utter chaos around these parts lately but I do wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and a very Happy and prosperous and healthy New Year!

Been Gone Too Long!

A Christmas Goose

A Christmas goose in 1:12th scale for your holiday or year-round country decor. One of my goals is to create folk and country decor items in miniature. This goose is from polymer clay over a wire and foil armature and is painted with crackle medium. He has glass seed bead eyes.
A country Christmas living room scene. Pottery by Butt Hinge; chair and coffee table by Lee's Line and the pewter biscuit box is by Warwick Miniatures.
Polymer clay Santa figurine. The 'fur' trim is dusted with diamond dust glitter but it doesn't show in the photo. I was individually hand sculpting these little guys but finally was able to create a little poly clay two part mold so I can turn them out a little faster.
A Christmas living room scene. I've had this fireplace kit by House of Miniatures (remember them?) for about 20 years or so and finally put it together and love it.
Another Christmas goose with removable evergreen and 'berries' wreath. Polymer clay over a wire and foil armature painted white with glass seed bead eyes.

I promise I will get around to 'visit' everyone soon and my profound apologies for neglecting to stop in and admire all of your wonderful accomplishments!

Every time I get into a regular blogging routine of sorts, life intervenes and all kinds of things happen at once. I won't even bore you with all the details. Suffice it to say that poor little Joanna, 10, the child who still loves me fiercely (the other two are 17 and 19--need I say more?!) still has a shell of a dollhouse waiting to be finished. And I had such high hopes of displaying it this Christmas, all alit, furnished and resplendent. So, my guilt at having abandoned it to start up my little Etsy endeavors has also partly kept me from blogging but I'm going to get back in the groove and hopefully this winter, we'll be able to work on Joanna's house and get it finished.

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!