3 Blind Mice Show and The Miniature Show – 2019
We returned to the 3 Blind Mice show first thing this morning.
All About Miniatures. While these dragonflies don’t have clear wings, but they will be lovely in random landscaping.
And, who doesn’t love Dr. Seuss.
This is weighted, so much more realistic than an empty box.
Debra Rundle. Such a cute pig. :]
Kate and Mary Banner. Vintage towel holder that functions.
J and K Minis. I need something to tie up the horse at the Ivy Hollow Post Office.
Purple “B” Emporium. Years ago I bought a craigslist miniature lot, and included was a beautiful wood and brass toy train. Today, I bought a like item. The colors are slightly different and this one has more wear, but clearly it was made by the same person(s).
KMWohrstein. I have something great planned for this Chrysnbon kit. Stay tuned.
David’s Dollhouse. This stack is for the post office, even though they are dated 1977 – way out of range for my era. More on why they are for the post office regardless of this fact coming soon….
We then headed to The Miniature Show.
St. Leger. You push/pull the wire, and the little devil fans the flames. hahaha There was also a vampire in a coffin that rose and reclined. :D
Sandy McHenry. This is a great mini almanac.
It’s printed inside, but I didn’t want to break the binding by opening too wide.
Categories: Miniature Shows and Shops
April 27, 2019 | 0 commentsBishop Show and The Miniature Show – 2019
Today was a long, great and expensive day….but we bought a lot of things. The highest priced item wasn’t really that expensive, so even though plenty of funds were invested, a lot of loot was brought home. We spent the majority of the day at The Bishop Show, so those things are listed first.
Lamis Minis. I love all of things this lovely gal makes. I bought her amazing dandelion one year and her bamboo plant another year. This year, I was determined to have something with her amazing dragonflies. I was the first customer at her table, and she had one item with dragonflies — it had two of them! Mine!
There was no receipt in the bag, so I am not sure which vendor. There were mostly spooky items on the table.
Texas Tiny – this is the bridle only, but it might get me started with the horse harness.
Minis by Karen – bought some former Wright Guide Miniatures pieces here for the post office.
The crank turns, which spins the tiny worlds. The table is separate and was made from the back of an old clock.
Love the bunny in goggles.
We headed over to The Miniature Show for an hour before closing. We’ll go back tomorrow.
Wonderful eggs you paint yourself – so much easier than trying to achieve the right shape in clay. :D
The most realistic pussywillows I’ve seen. I bought four stalks.
Looking Glass Miniatures. Some great things for the post office.
sdk miniatures. My boyfriend bought this for my tiny A-frame build.
Categories: Miniature Shows and Shops
April 27, 2019 | 0 comments3 Blind Mice Show – 2019
Headed to the 3 Blind Mice show for opening night. I love this show — always some awesome vintage minis to be found.
All About Miniatures. My boyfriend has fallen in love with the miniature world and found some great things along the way.
Mod Pod Miniatures. I think this is Cyd’s first time selling at a show. I have a few of her miniatures purchased from etsy, but seeing all of her new minis in person was a real treat. I picked these up for myself. Her mod furniture is top notch!
Debra Rundle. This sewing basket doesn’t open, but I love the fabric and overall design.
Barbara Ann Meyer of Mini Gems. Her birds are always on my list, but her other animals are delightful as well.
Mini Decorators. They have great fabrics…
…and a great selection of random minis. These are my boyfriend’s buys for himself.
Kate and Mary Banner. Again, my boyfriend’s buys – things from childhood. He shared the duplicates with me. :D
A Pocket Full of Wishes. My boyfriend bought this darkroom tray of a naughty photo. It was marked Nantasy Fantasy.
J and K Minis. One of the best finds of the evening was an old desk that looked familiar. I have one of these from a friend; when his mother passed, he gave me her collection of random minis. I’ve always loved this desk, though mine was in rough shape in areas. The one I found tonight had a better finish, but it was missing its mirror. Mine has the mirror, though I removed it for safe keeping when it kept falling out. I had to have the sister piece, of course. My original one is on the left; the new to me one is on the right.
Categories: Miniature Shows and Shops
April 26, 2019 | 0 commentsMail Wagon in real life
After discovering the Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum, I figured I would try to find the real deal within road trip distance. As luck would have it, there’s one at an old post office about 40 minutes south of me. And, further to my good fortune, a lovely blog reader generously offered me her collection of miniatures magazine and a few books. Since she was also south of me, I made a morning of it. I met with her to pick up the magazines and then headed over to the Oak Park post office. This is a beautiful building, but there is no dedicated parking. Luckily, it was a nice day and the library parking garage was just across the street.
The mail wagon did not disappoint. :D
I knew the cabin itself would be skinny, but you can see just how wide the wheel axles are in relation.
It’s very shiny, so I had to be mindful of not getting my own reflection.
Now I have detailed pics of the undercarriage and detailing of an actual mail wagon.
Categories: Ivy Hollow RFD, Model Cars, Vehicles
April 6, 2019 | 0 commentsIvy Hollow – screen door, part 1
Before I can build a new frame for my Houseworks door and screen door, I need to build said screen door. I’ll want the screen door to be fairly thin but stable enough for hinges. I’m using the sandwich method I used on the Otter Cove modern door with a few changes. In fact, the solid door I’ll be using is the leftover part from Otter Cove’s door frame.
I started with a new package of Aluminum Micro-Mesh by Scale Scenics. This material is finer and stiffer than the screen material that came with the Greenleaf screen door, though I do like the black a little better. I have tried painting this mesh before without success, so perhaps I will try some blackening product on it to see if that will work. If not, I hope the silver metal won’t be too much for a darker color door. If so, I might have to change my planned trim colors.
The package comes with black cardstock to show off the mesh, so I used that for my inner portion. Nothing that can serve a purpose goes to waste. :]
I cut a rectangle the size of the Houseworks door.
I cut the mesh to fit as best as possible over the Houseworks door. I will build an outer frame similar to the solid door.
I marked the rough placement on the black card stock.
I cut out an inner rectangle that would encompass the mesh.
Using the solid door as a guide, I cut a border from 3/8″ by 1/16″ strip wood for the top and sides, and 1/2″ by 1/16″ strip wood for the bottom. I went with wider boards not only because the mesh is limited in size but also because I need the door to be substantial enough to function. If you look up vintage wood screen doors, you’ll find a lot of heavy, substantial doors. I can hear the bang as it slams shut in the wind.
The cardstock fits over the strip wood, and the piece of mesh fits inside the cardstock.
Another set of matching wood strips completes the other side of the door sandwich. :] I’ll add some crossbars and supports later during the final assembly.
None of this is glued, because it would never stay together during the painting process. I’ll paint the initial coat on these pieces (and crossbar strips) and attempt to darken the mesh next, then I will assemble and touch up the paint.
Categories: Ivy Hollow RFD
April 2, 2019 | 0 comments
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