Last day of the shows 2017
It was the last day of the shows for me, though the Chicago International Bishop Show is still open tomorrow.
Diane Paone – clam/oyster basket
Lighthouse figurine
Back to The Miniature Show, too.
Arjen Spinhoven – always a pleasure to see Arjen, who makes wonderful and unique kits.
I took some photos of the finished items as well for reference.
The rent table has an interesting story: the top slid forward to keep the tax payer unable to reach the money collected by the tax collector. :O
Looking Glass Miniatures – wonderfully made paper scrolls and ribbon tied letters.
Until next time… :]
Categories: Miniature Shows and Shops
April 22, 2017 | 0 commentsBishop Show and Miniature Show 2017
Today was the preview day for the Chicago International Bishop Show. :]
I made a beeline for Jane Graber’s table, because her pottery goes so fast. I think a plate display in Watson Mill will be lovely.
Barbara Begley Miniature Gardens. Hand thrown and hand painted pot, natural wood table with twig legs.
Spencer’s Nook – frog garden statue
Vilia Miniature. I don’t even drink coffee, but I loved the look of these.
64tnt Miniatures. Magical brooms.
Bindels Ornaments were back this year. Always a great selection of bits and bobs. They had more silver metal this year in addition to brass.
The Little Dollhouse Company. How cute is this snowman?! :D
Designing Ways – woven red rug
The Enchanted Garden – terracotta pots
Wright Guide Miniatures. Tire for a Model T. :]
They had new displays this time along with new minis.
Michael of Atomic Miniature. Always a pleasure to see his new miniature scenes.
I later headed to The Miniature Show. Included with the price of admission was a drink ticket for happy hour. :] Champagne and minis! Cheers!
Arjen Spinhoven. So awesome to finally meet him in person and to see the wonderful furnishings up close. Such fine detail. I bought an unfinished biscuit mold for the mill. He has items that are both finished or DIY.
Art of Mini. Another favorite of mine.
Love the dapper rabbit art. There were so many fantastic designs to choose from, but I picked only one.
This door has such great detailing.
She had the most delightful Dutch candies — simply divine. I could have eaten them all!
Looking Glass Miniatures. Jennifer is not only a talented miniaturist, but she’s a fun and friendly gal. :D I had a nice time catching up with her.
St. Leger. Picked up an automaton: mama bird with babies. You spin the crank, and mama feeds the baby birdies. :D
Atelier 1:12 – written scroll
Monopoly game
Categories: Miniature Shows and Shops
April 21, 2017 | 0 commentsDrill press class and the 3 Blind Mice Show 2017
Today was my adventure in learning to use a drill press at the Bishop Show. The instructor was Tom Walden, and he taught us so many great techniques. I can see a whole new world of minis opening up for me. I bought the set-up that holds the Dremel I already had (there are more accessories in a bag and it’s obviously not fully set up here…just home from the show).
We did inlay and mortise and tenon. Tom did the pin routing curve cut for me since I couldn’t get a feel for it and didn’t want to ruin my inlay piece. :D I’ll just need to practice.
We routed edges and so much more. :] He encouraged photos and note-taking, so I have a lot of good material for continued study. I highly recommend this class, but it sells out quickly.
After class, I headed to the 3 Blind Mice show for opening night. I love this show — always a good mix of goodies in need of discovery.
A Little More in Miniatures. Crazy daisies kit.
All About Miniatures. Doors and a seltzer set. Greg has a whole room full of goodies!
Gayle Dolls. A wonderful strombrella kit.
JoAnne Roberts. Always a wonderful selection of fabrics.
Categories: Miniature Shows and Shops
April 20, 2017 | 0 commentsHe’s just misunderstood
I grew up reading Dr. Seuss books and have always loved the whimsical characters. My childhood copy of The Lorax is still on my bookshelf and is in rather good condition. I’ve even been to the Dr. Seuss National Memorial in Springfield, Massachusetts. It rained the day I went, but I still had great fun viewing the sculptures.
So, I was over the moon when I discovered The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss (as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases). You can see many of the works here. My personal favorite was Cat from the Wrong Side of the Tracks. I contacted the folks at Dr. Seuss, and they granted me permission to reproduce this print in miniature for my personal collection. Hooray!
I think it will end up in the Brownstone ultimately, but it might make appearances elsewhere in the meantime. I also plan to make a frame for it eventually, so I made the art crate a little larger than the print. In this photo, you can see the slight texture of the scrapbook paper I used that gives it a canvas quality.
I made the art crate from basswood scraps darkened with a touch of brown paint mixed with staining medium. The nails are bronze paint. It is non-opening.
I cut a stencil using the Cricut to dry brush lettering and symbols. :] I used recycled office supplies for the material since it’s very close to true stencil plastic.
Considering the success with the small parts of the letters, I could likely make even smaller stencils. I did have to pause the cut a few times to remove tiny bits of plastic that popped out so they wouldn’t get caught or interfere with the blade.
The trial was a success.
I cut away the excess so they would sit flat against the wood.
These were relative large in scale, but the crate is large and needed clear markings.
One side turned out better than the other, so I have a definite right side. Yes, that’s a packing list pocket, bill of lading, invoice and certificate of authenticity. :D
Categories: Art and paintings, Miniatures
April 19, 2017 | 0 commentsGustav’s Mill
One of the reasons I cut new walls to make Watson Mill larger on the inside was to accommodate Gustav’s hobby. Turns out, in addition to avid reading, he’s a miniaturist. :D In researching mini mills, I found this delightful Archistories Windmill “Marienfehn” in Z scale.
Here’s a penny to show the size of the pieces. There’s excellent detailing as well. The pieces seem to be made from some kind of chipboard material, and they recommend the use of wood glue. There are 10 pages of illustrated instructions, but it seems fairly straightforward.
There’s even a motor for it. Yep, the sails go roundy roundy. :D It’s a DC 3V motor, so this should work with a battery holder and switch. I can build a work table to disguise the switch underneath.
I bought some 21-gauge tipped glue syringes since the portions to be glued are so small. Elmer’s wood glue worked well with them (as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases).
The kit goes together easily since the parts are so accurate. The instructions are clear with good drawings.
The motor does work with a 3V battery holder. There are two diodes included to slow down the revolutions per minute (from 33rpm to 15 rpm according to the instructions). Those will be added later once I get the display table built for it. The motor has a quiet wind-up toy sound that’s rather satisfying.
I got out my soldering materials to attach long wires to the motor. I left a lot of length so I can have more to work with later.
The X brace has been left unglued. I plan to make a modest landscape for the display, so I’ll add it once I get that in place.
I didn’t take many photos during the building process since the tiny dabs of glue dry too fast. :] The sails are also just lightly glued right now. I’ll add a stronger adhesive once I’m done. I want to be able to remove the sails during the landscaping process.
The tiny doors can be displayed open, but I like them closed. There was no breathing when handling those tiny hinge accents.
The hub looks so big and solid, but the centers are thin black paper circles applied with needle tip tweezers.
I love the wee windows. Yes, they have “glass” in them.
One of my favorite parts are the red stone slabs. Just a pop of color in the mix. You can also see the fine siding texture here.
Of course, I know you want a movie.:D This was taken with the two diodes taped in place, so this is the final speed of the sails.
Unfortunately, Gustav’s Mill is too large for Watson Mill’s interior. So, we’ll just say Gustav built it to display elsewhere, a museum or gallery. :]
Categories: Micro Scale Models, Watson Mill
April 18, 2017 | 0 comments
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