Happy Holidays!!

Time has sure flown by this holiday season!

I finished up my entry for the Hobby Builder's Supply Creatin' Contest. It wasn't my best work, by far, for some reason I just couldn't come up with much. In the end, it was a minimalist sort of project, but I had a fun time with it. My favorite part of all is the floor, which I made with small strips of cloth from a sample book and the roof, which is made with palmetto fronds from the yard. It was just the middle part that I was stumped on!





The Christmas room box that I made for my parents was A Lot easier to fill up. My only problem there were too many ideas and possibilities. Pictures of that project to come, my camera and computer aren't speaking to each other at the moment. ;)

What's next, a left-handed template?

I had a hard time adjusting to being left-handed for the week that I was healing, but the perspective must have grown on me, for now I've chosen a left-handed template!

When I'm not working on miniatures, I'm usually busy with some other kind of creative endeavor. While shopping in Wal-Mart, I found Blackboard Paint(around $11 for a quart). We, or more precisely, I, had a few coffee cans filled with broken dishes and various other pottery pieces that I really had no plan for whatsoever...but who throws good potential supplies away, right? I found an area perfect for a blackboard, painted the square and set about to make a frame. I crafted some molds from aluminum foil, and filled those with plaster and pottery fragments. It was my first time working with plaster so much of that was trial and error. And error. And error.

Finally, it came together. At the top, we have a lovely duck head that for some reason(4year old daugher) was in our freezer.




The chalk holder came from the bottom lip of an old pitcher. Each panel of the frame has a different odd detail. I really love the way that it turned out.




There are many mini projects ahead of me so I'd better get busy. Have a Mini Day!!

Dedication

This week was a very productive one, before I cut myself taking out the trash, that is. However, I am very dedicated to my hobby and not even left-handed, one fingered typing will stop me. :) One of the things I did this week was to make some little balls for the coffee table of the crafty house. I'm not sure what one calls those little decorative balls that are placed into or on containers, but I made a few.



The two spinsters that live in this house have conspiracy theories. Whenever there is important news in the world, they do not hear about it. They are very concerned and have alerted the authorities. It's only the paperboy. He has terrible aim.




Our son Josh and our beloved dog, the dearly departed Shiner going back in time in the San Fran. Zoe the snake makes her first appearance.



I am absolutely in love with the new skirt on this bed. Handmade lace edging from my sister-in-law fits the bill perfectly.




My paint-covered hand waves a slightly feeble goodbye. Have a Mini Day!

Mini Terrarium

This is my tiniest, from scratch project that I like to pick up now and again, whenever an idea strikes me. I'm not sure of the scale exactly because it's made inside a chocolate box. There seems to be a theme involving chocolate here, as I'm enjoying some as I type and many of my storage boxes originally housed chocolate. Mmmmm, chocolate. :)

Back to business, I've added a new component to the room. Can you see it there in the corner? A miniature terrarium! I love it. It is made from an old button, an odd plastic cap, a few bits of natural and artificial greenery and the tiniest clump of sculpey clay. It was a snap to make. It's a little crooked in the pic, I'm trying out the location before I commit myself to glue. I love the look of it in this little room. It also looks nice on top of a desk or side table in the dollhouse.

Free Time and Creativity

I've been busy with the minis lately. Just last week I painted the shutters of the farmhouse. Next up, a coat of white paint and some shingles.


Today I laid some faux tile flooring in the kitchen of the Farmhouse, made lace cafe curtains for the living room of the San Fran, a floral curtain panel for the bathroom of the SF, a circular rug for the Christmas House and a few random pieces.




The blinds are made from folded fancy wrapping paper, scraps of lace on the edge, and a pullstring made from thread and a white seed bead.



The humblest of tools are what I use to make miniatures! Clothespins are great for flattening, hanging, weighing things down as they're hanging...lol. Here are three lace cafe panels and on the far right is a green floral for the bathroom of the San Fran. All of them hang on toothpicks with matching beads for finials.



Right after my pizza break.. Mmmmm I'll get back to the rose bush that I'm making for one of my bosses(pics to come). Lurve my job!!

I enjoy these days where free time and creativity meet halfway. It's time to get back to work. Have a Mini Day! :)

Another one??

I couldn't resist.

I'm not even sure how I ended up following the garage sale signs, but here's the result of my little detour last week. I remembered, halfway through painting the sashes and panes, that I almost never take a before picture. So there it is, the before-ish. Since then I've painted the shutters black. It's starting to look like a real farmhouse.




A rearview picture. Lots of possibilities with this one! I plan on removing the metal posts from the upstairs porch area instead of adding a railing so it is accessible from the rear like the rest of the house. As for supplies; I need two doors and some shingles, a little white paint and a few wood strips for repairs. All the rest will be added as the ideas flow. I'm thinking of using small pebbles to "build" the fireplace. It will be my first go at stone and "mortar". I'll let you know how it ends up.

I've also been busy at my entry for the Garden Party Gazebo building contest. I'm down to the details now, and of course, cleaning off all of those hot glue "spiderwebs". Just when you think you've gotten them all...you take a picture and twenty more are revealed...taking good pictures seems to me, to be the most difficult part.

There's also this thing with my spacebar sticking so either I've got zerospaces between words or lots. That will be easier to fix than the photography problem, I think.

In other news, I scored a nice little flower pic yesterday that had miniature holly leaves. I plan to use some of it for holly bushes, garland and plants in the Christmas house.

Thanks for stopping by and Have a Mini Day!

Empty!

Well, I did it. She's empty, dusted and ready for rehab!



The table she's sitting on is one that I found by the side of the road. It was in a shed on an old property on the river. I love the pieced-together look of it, and it has a shelf! That will come in super handy.

There will be some new curtains in the living room, a shade in the bathroom and drapes for the master bedroom. I'd better not waste time!

Have a Mini Day!

???

Isn't this house interesting? It's shuttered for maximum airflow. We found it while walking around on vacation. Everyone had a fabulous time. We're (somewhat) patiently awaiting another trip.

Our trip to Nassau proved to be unsuccessful in the miniatures department. We asked at every shop that we visited where we could find miniatures or anyone who makes "small things" and we got a few ??? blank stares but were always directed to the linen shop.

There were no miniatures at the linen shop.

There were, however, two pieces(60 and 80$) in an antique store that looked to my untrained eye to be just like dollar store pieces that I already own. Nothing special. So that was the Nassau Miniatures report. Better luck next time, I guess.

I've been kindof stuck on my contest project...I need a few more components and I'm having a hard time commiting to a theme because I've been letting the project build itself. So far, it hasn't come up with a strong theme. I don't want to purchase things willy nilly so I guess I'll have to wait until the idea comes.

Mom is home now and our family is taking turns with her care. Mini time has become Micro-Mini time! I have been toying with the idea of taking everything out of the San Fran and oiling the floors, dusting, doing maintenance and whatnot. It is just about as "finished" as any house that I have so I think that I should give it proper care.

Maybe that will spark my creativity! It's a plan.

I love thinking things out on the internet. :)

Happy Crafting and Have a Mini Day!!

???

Time flies...

I can't believe it's been weeks since I've updated! We've been busy making super secret things for my entry in the Miniatures.com Garden Party Gazebo Contest and some smaller projects too, because one can never have too many unfinished projects lying around the house.

My Mom has been recouperating in a nursing home and we've been busy making a little filled amiore for her and a filled kitchen cabinet for her roommate who will be going home this week. Good Luck, Daisy! :)

We will be going on a short Disney Cruise to Nassau, Bahamas and while we are there, I will be hunting down any miniatures that I can find.

That is all for now, Have A Mini Day!

Things I Have Learned

I've been enjoying miniatures by myself for quite a while, I didn't used to be cuckoo enough to start taking pictures of them. The Mini Bug has grabbed a hold of me and so here I am. At any rate, taking all of these pictures has taught me some important things.

1. My entire home is covered in cat hair. Even if you don't see it, it's there.

2. I really need to dust the dollhouse floors more often, that, or hire a tiny maid.

3. When someone mentions miniatures IRL, I can wax poetic. Here, not so much.

4. We really need more adequate lighting. It's like a cave in here.

5. My laptop makes funny noises when it's been on too long.

Hair's to you!

Friday's Fun

This was a fun project! One of my finds from last week, painted white, then painted yellow, then roughed up with an emory board. It's perfect for a potting cabinet. The next thing I'll scour the thrift shops for is some type of netting or screen to place over the cabinet doors.



















The Christmas House with new bedspread. Last Friday's cloth napkin find transformed into a reindeer bedspread.










A small rectangular craft mirror turns into a nautical treasure with a few tiny shells and some string glued around the edge. I've still got to trim and fix the edge, of course.











These are the garden items that I made from trash at work. The black "iron" fence posts are made from the bottom end of a flower pick, painted black. The "concrete" planters were part of a foam insert to protect a large box of chocolates. I cut them into blocks and hollowed out the center. Once I brought them home, I painted them white. I like them alot but want to give them a more weathered appearance. I'll try using an emory board and see how that works.







Here's one of the planters filled with synthetic foliage from the craft store and a dried flower bit from the trash. I think it looks pretty nice for a bunch of trash.

Even though we've had temperatures in the 90's and gorgeous clear skies, it's been a great week for mini projects. Who needs a tan, anyway?

Have a Mini Day!

Veggie Basket

This is one of the first baskets of veggies I attempted. Some nice carrots(a little worse for wear, I fear) with removable broccoli made from Sculpey clay and a tiny basket from the craft store. The broccoli started life as a rolled piece and five various sized little balls. I used a stiff brush to stipple the top and give it some texture.

Now that I've dug it out of the box, I'll go ahead and repair the greens of the carrots by adding some textured clay and rebaking, basket and all. The combination of the low temperature and short baking time make it possible, though caution is still necessary.

I'm going to get some rest, tomorrow is a new day for making minis! Happy Crafting!

Friday's Haul

A quick jaunt to the thrift store always brings me happiness. I was looking for Christmas fabric for a bedspread, found that, and a whole lot more! I love to thrift almost as much as I love miniatures! Off to wrap tiny presents!

Have a Magical Miniature Day! :)

Low Budget

Here at Just Add Glue, we like to keep our costs down. I do a lot of thrifting and recycling. It's amazing what can be made from the simplest of everyday items that we take for granted.

For example, one packing peanut doesn't seem like much but it can be made into a variety of things, the only limit being your imagination. I have used them finely crumbled for "snow", thinly sliced for Swiss cheese, and coverd with cloth for pillow stuffing.The cap of a tiny pencil, a scrap of moss, a ball of clay and a button become a terrarium in minutes. It's just that easy! Try to see things with a miniature perspective and you just might stumble on a project.

Have a Mini Day!

Free Stuff!

I LOVE Free Stuff! Thank You, Missy!!

















My friend Missy found this great house by the side of the road last year! Just like a stray pet, she kindly took it into her home and set it up with new stuff(furniture). However, they were unable to give it the love and attention it deserved but knew of a person who had plenty of room for it to run and play. That's me. :)

I am incredibly fortunate.


We rehomed some of the furniture to our other dollhouses. The new kitchen table works great in here. I think the little rooster looks extra proud today.

Have a Mini Day!

Weekend Warrior

After the white paint, I thought maybe that a bright color would look nice, mediterranean maybe...not exactly what I was going for...scratch that.
I gave it another coat of crackle over the yellow, dug through the paint box and found a nice blue plum color to top it off. Much better, more realistic looking and not so harsh to the eyes. Here it is filled with treasures.

Just in from the flea market and a few garage sales. Todays winners, for a total of $5.25, are...

...a small bookcase...a small drysink/credenza/kitchen helper thing...a pantry...a china cabinet! I have been wanting something nice for "my" dollhouse so the china cabinet will come in handy.

Here's a piece that I picked up at the craft store, unfinished, for $1! I've painted it white this morning and now that it's dry will do a coat of crackle glaze and finish off with blue, maybe? I'm not sure of that yet. The shelves are deep enough to display a variety of treasures and I'm looking forward to filling it up.



We've also been working here and there on a Spy Box inspired by the I Spy book series. It's something that we think our nephew would enjoy.

It's made from a display box that I found at a thrift store and decorated with bits of ribbon, ephemera and plastic doodads made to string on a gumball machine necklace. It's a fun little project.

Clever latch hook appliances gifted to us by a family friend for use in the girls house. Hamster proof.





The Christmas House. All Christmas, all the time.

Some people eat dessert after dinner...

Me, I like to glue things together. Shell cabinet with perfume bottles made from beads, a vintage button and jewelry bits. A nice addition to the bedroom or bath.

Weekend Warriors

Christmas dollhouse, a work in progress.

Outside of the Fairytale dollhouse, topiary is a ring holder, wooden doll is from an old lamp.

Newest dollhouse, gifted to us by my daughter's friend and decorated by hardcore Sims addict, of course, if you play Sims I don't have to point this out. ;)

Miniatures are fun for the whole family!

Miniature Mania

Delicious foods and snacks. Donuts, pigs in a blanket, cakes, hot chocolate, vegetables, ham, french fries and more. Mmmmm, yummy! Everything is stored in a recycled candy box. The compartments are the perfect size for little foods, the cushion design keeps things safe from breakage and the box is sturdy with a tight fitting lid, Perfect!

Gardening table blooming with springtime flair!Little elephant box for strength and good fortune. Cute and fun!

I'm not sure if it's a surf shop, or a surfer's house, or the lobby of a surf hotel...that part hasn't come to me yet.

I've been working on it on and off over the past 9 months, maybe 15 - 20 hours total. I still need to add some things and fix the top of the "mirror", I just haaad to move it a few centimeters. The weird blob on the counter used to be an alligator (lizard) skull, but I was a little enthusiastic and glued it down too early, it got crushed. Luckily we have a ready supply of little lizard skulls so that can be easily fixed. There is a tiny bikini and some swim trunks on the floor, but I'm not sure what to do with them yet.