Welcome to our new followers!

Sorry, I still don't have my 200 follower giveaway organized (and it may be a little time before I get around to it), but I didn't want to delay welcoming our latest followers :)

Welcome to:

Maria who lives in Rotterdam and blogs at Diary of a Miniaturist.

La Belle Brigante, another Dutch miniaturist, who has a great blog at La Belle Brocante and has a tremendously cute cat named Ootje :)

Miniature doll maker Silke Janas-Schlösser is from Germany.  She has many blogs, but the main one seems to be Silke's Miniatures, and she has a shop at Etsy. 

Kiki blogs at Living in Food Harmony, among other interesting places :)  Her photography is gorgeous!

Christina is an Indonesian miniaturist and she blogs at Miniature Wonderland. 

José lives in Spain and is building an amazing miniature castle -- he blogs at Mi Prrimera Casita.

Mercedes from New Zealand is one of the best-known miniature bloggers out there (I've tried rewording that so it doesn't sound as if she's 6 inches tall :).  Her blog, Liberty Biberty, is full of shabby chic inspiration and the adventures of the Nylon family.  If you haven't checked it out, go visit!

Looking Glass Miniatures have several sites, including their principal blog, and other sites for their miniature apothecary blog and Hobbit dollhouse blog!  They also have an Etsy store!

Zsuzsanna Paláné Horváth is a Hungarian miniaturist who blogs at Dreams In Miniature.

Minnie Kitchen is a miniature food artist from the U.S.A. who blogs at Minnie Kitchen and has an Etsy shop.

Kabrina Dawn lives in Arizona and blogs at Kabrina's Miniatures. 

There are also Shelly, Nadia Navaez, fmagico, and , whose websites I can't seem to find.  You're most welcome, and if you do have a website, blog or shop, please leave the URL in the comments so we can all find you!

200+ followers! Welcome, everyone!

Imagine that, over 200 followers!  I'm gobsmacked.  Reading and commenting on other people's blogs turns what many people imagine is a solitary, self-referential activity -- blogging -- into a true community.  Thank you all for opening my eyes to the huge world of tiny things, and especially the wonderful people who share our interests in the miniature!

Welcome to:

Naty, a Spanish miniaturist, who writes at El Mundo Mágico de Naty and whose latest project is a bakery!

Jonna or "rudoo" who blogs about miniatures at  BuggaBoos.

JRB Creations, who makes gorgeous small stuffed animals, blogs about her work at JRB Creations and sells her work on Etsy and eBay!  She also makes some 1:12 scale minis :)

Susan aka "microcrochetmad", who, as her user name suggests, crochets the maddest little teeny tiny objects!  Check out her microcrochetmad blog!

Daisy is a Brazilian AIM miniaturist who has lots of blogs -- one of them is Daisy's Miniaturas 1/12.

Miia is Finnish, and blogs bilingually (Finnish and English) at Hallahovi.

Jamie is a Kansas Hallowe'en artist, and she blogs at Creepy Creations!

Emily is a young fashion design student who is taking up the family hobby of miniatures -- she's blogging about her latest project, based on the BBC Merlin series at EmilyClaireFashions.

And then there's rmartedal, ele B, Margriet van der Zee, otterine, Lyn and Kathy Beaman about whom I can find no extra information, but who are most welcome, regardless :)

If I've missed your site or shop, then please leave a comment so we can find you!

I'm going to stir around and work up some kind of giveaway to mark this milestone in the life of the Tudor Dollhouse Project Blog, but I want to consult with the KnitWits first :)

Almost at 200 Followers! Welcome, all!

First of all, Happy Canada Day (or Dominion Day, as it was known when I was a girl :)  Today we celebrate 143 years since the British North America Act created the Dominion of Canada.  Canada is one of those countries which, logically, shouldn't exist, but I'm very glad it does :)  I love my country, and am proud to be a Canadian!

Goodness!  We're almost at 200 followers -- we'll have to do another giveaway to mark that milestone when it happens -- I'll have to ask the KnitWits what they'd like to do :)

Welcome, everyone, to this blog -- we really appreciate your interest in what we're doing and your comments when you feel moved to make them! New followers include:

Carolina from Spain blogs at An Edelweiss Little Homestead.

Beatrice is a French dollmaker and blogs at Miniatures Beatrice.  She just got back from a successful fourth outing at SIMP!

Etsy Team MIDS (Miniatures in Dollhouse Scale) is a very active Team at Etsy.  They run many blogs, but their main blog is here.  If you buy or sell minis on Etsy, they're very welcoming!

Mincka is a Dutch miniaturist whose site is Markus & Minka Miniaturen.

Oiseau de Nim is a French miniaturist specializing in food.  Her blog is here and she sells at Etsy, too!

Terry is from Italy, has an AMAZING looking cat, and blogs at minihouse de terry.

Carolyn is a New Zealand miniaturist working on a wonderfully shabby cottage, who blogs at Carolyn's Little Kitchen.

Kristi blogs under the name "Fiver".  She's one of the most talented miniature animal makers I've ever seen -- do check out her blog, Mini Menagerie, if you don't already know her work!

Lainie is an American blogger in Texas who blogs at Lainie's Little Things.

Lorraine is the genius behind DFLY, a line of handmade creepy miniatures that looks fabulously detailed!  She blogs at Dollhouse Minis by Dfly Creations, and sells her work at Etsy and eBay.

Carol is Irish, she blogs at Wee Cute Treasures, and sells adorable little clothespin dolls at Etsy.

Klara is Dutch, and blogs about dolls houses, miniatures and scrapbooking at Klara's Blog.

Heather is from California in the United States, and blogs at Diary of a Dollhouse.

And there's May and Sara Carlson for whom I cannot find a blog.  If I've missed your info, please let me know in the comments!

More welcomes to come :)

New followers -- hello!

Welcome to our newest followers!

Miriam Sans is a Barcelona artist who blogs here.

Ara is the proprietor of the Addams Family Mini-Mansion, and also has an Etsy shop, Bentley House Miniatures. 

Tebbina is a new blogger, whose miniature work is in my favourite period, the Renaissance!  You can follow her at Tebbinas Traum.

Tippaliisa is a Finnish blogger and minaturist.

AuntB lives in Ohio and is building a miniature castle!  You can follow her progress at Castle in My Mind.

Finnish blogger Peikko blogs at Peikkoneidin tarinat.

Sylvia is a marvellous Dutch miniaturist whose English blog is at lotjesdollshouse.  She also has an Etsy shop.

 Paky is the lovely Spanish blogger who will be sending me miniatures for Cockerina's holiday swap!  Her lively and colourful home is Paquicheli's Blog!

There's also mairin,  Elis and bhdonnarose, for whom I cannot find blogs.  If you have sites and would like me to link to them, please let me know!

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to follow this blog.  We really appreciate your visiting here, at the Tudor Dollhouse Project :)

Welcome to our brand new followers - part two :)

As of this post, we have 160 followers, about 158 more than I ever thought we'd have! (I was counting my Mum and husband ... :)

Thank you, all of you -- you are most welcome here, and we really appreciate your interest and comments. I've said it before, but being connected via the internet to a community of miniaturists has been the most marvellous part, for me, of this trip into dolls houses.  We don't have a miniatures club in Nova Scotia where I live, so I really do think of all of us, all around the world, as one big club!

Welcome to:

Anneke, a miniaturist from the Netherlands, who blogs at pieplyts. 

Blue Kitty Miniatures, a well-respected miniaturist from the United Kingdom.

Nina (hooray, another Nina!), a German miniaturist who blogs at MiniMumm.

Tiina is a Finnish miniaturist and blogs at Kalmankuja.  (I love the design of this blog!)

Juliana is a Spanish miniaturist who blogs at Las Minis del Bosque.

Maria is an Italian who blogs at Il Cucchiaino Magico (lots of great tutorials here).

Casey is an American miniaturist from Arizona, who blogs at Casey's Minis (although I always think of her site as Tessie's Minis, since a tiny witch named Tessie seems to make an awful lot of things happen in Casey's mini life!)

And there's also maria de los angeles mendez gomez, aurus35, christine, Loli, Mares, mini_babies, Angela, Natalie, Wanda and Michelle who don't seem to have blogs.  Welcome, anyway, and if I've missed your blog or website, please let me know and I'll add it!

Welcome to our brand new followers - part one :)

I'm so grateful to all the new people who are following this blog! 

Contar is a Spanish blogger at Mis Miniaturas y Yo. 

Xisca blogs at Miniaturas de Xisca. 

Savannah (The Mini-Maker) is a young blogger from Kansas City in the US.  Her blog is Miniature Mumblings.

The Lone Dollier blogs at Dolls, Etc.  She lives in Louisiana in the US.

Peach Blossom Hill is another US blogger.  She has a number of interesting blogs, but her dolls house one is Dollhouse Minis. 

Cecilia Colo is a Mexican blogger at Cecilia Coló Miniaturista. 

Tiggy is an English IGMA Artisan and historical  doll maker, who sells her work at her Etsy shop.

Vasilinka is a Russian blogger.

Kimsminiatures makes lovely miniature food, she blogs at It's a miniature life and sells her work at her Etsy Shop. 

Lola is a a VERY young miniaturist from the UK who blogs at Princess Lola's Miniature Diary :)

Tabitha Corsica has an Etsy shop where she sells her handmade magical and fantasy miniatures. 

Vane is a Spanish blogger who shares her interests at PEKETIENDA.

And also welcome to Yvanna Ferreira, who don't seem to have a blog.

So many new followers to welcome!

We're so glad you could join us here at the Tudor Dollhouse Project Blog!

Karin F from Orr Lake in Ontario, Canada who blogs at mini ramblings and musings and has a list of online tutorials at Mini Tutes from Orr Lake.  She also has an Etsy store under the user name TeenyTrew!

Marion from Bribie Island in Australia blogs at The Witch's Cottage.  I love patina and she does it really, really well!

Catherine's blog is Kilmouski & Me.  She's a really cool American metalsmith and miniaturist who blogs about a wide range of tiny things.

Maria Narbon is a wonderful dollmaker from Barcelona who works in porcelein and blogs at Muñecas Miniatura. 


Wendie of Wendi's Mini World loves the darker side of fantasy miniatures (she doesn't do cute and fluffy :) and is, like me, a huge fan of Terry Pratchett!

Julie Kendall is an artist from the UK who creates beautiful, moving and spooky art dolls and blogs at Jakdaws Attic.  You can also check out her website.

Pikko is from Finland and blogs at Söpökatu.

Matilda blogs at Unicornio and lives in Alicante, Spain.

Brujita is another Spanish blogger, from Zaragoza, Spain, and she blogs at Buijita Minis.

Puppenstubennostalgie is a busy crafter and baker from Germany and she blogs at PuNo's Minis 1:12. 

Mary del Carmen is from Leon in Spain and has three blogs, including a mini blog, El Rincon Mini de Mary.

Macrupe is from Paraguay and blogs at Minialev.

Pity has a Spanish blog,  Las Minis de Pity.

Tom (who has recently moved from Alberta to Ontario -- those are both in Canada :) is one of the most respected mini makers in the community.  His wood, stone, acrylic and metal turnings in 1:12 scale are legendary.  He blogs at Turnings in Miniature and his newly re-opened Etsy shop can be found at  Turnings In Miniature at Etsy.

And there's also Cia, AMICA, Meli, kreattiva, Ukka and sagrario, our mystery followers!  If any of you have blogs you'd like listed, I'd be happy to include them here :)

Thank you all for your interest and support!  We appreciate it more than you'll ever know :)


Nina and the KnitWits

100 Follower Giveaway!

Honestly, I had so much fun getting little gifties ready for our 50 Follower Giveaway (which was less than a month ago -- my head is reeling :)  that I'm thrilled that our 100 Follower Giveaway has come so quickly!  I've spent the last couple of days putting my thank-you presents together, thinking about how grateful I am for this online community and the support and interest of my fellow mini-fanatics ...  Thank you all!

Here's the deal:

Be a follower of this blog, and leave a comment on this post, stating which of the three Giveaway Packages you'd like to receive (if you don't choose, I'll choose for you ...)  If you want to post it to your own blog, that's lovely and very much appreciated, but it's not required.

Tudor Package -- Two 16th century maps. One permanently open illuminated book (circa 1400).  A wooden plate and bowl. A tiny barrel. Three apples and a sugar loaf in cone shape.

Old Roses Package -- Little round table, made by me, antiqued white with faded shabby rose decals.  Two small books, non-opening.  One large book of Victorian rose engravings, non-closing :)  A small, very ornate gold framed mirror.

Regency Package -- A small oriental rug.  A hand-made feather fan, suitable for any time from the Renaissance onwards.  A large framed portrait by Ingres circa 1805 (Mlle Rivière, my fave).  A permanently open book of Regency fashion plates. 

I will have three draws on Friday May 14, one for each package.  Good luck, and thank you all!

Over 100 followers -- welcome!

Wow!  Over 100 followers have joined this blog, and we're so excited!

Welcome to Taenia from Vienna who shares lots of wonderful tips at her blog gleaned from her many years in the miniature hobby.

Ascension shares her lively blog posts at Mis Miniaturas.  She's based in Barcelona, Spain.

Jody's a Dutch miniaturist who blogs about all sorts of lovely projects at Jody's miniwereld.  

Emma's a university lecturer, crafter and mum from Milton, Ontario, Canada.  (Yay, Canada!)  She blogs at Purple Lizard Design. 

Kat the Hat Lady makes the most AMAZING witchy hats, ever!  She's from Northhamptonshire, in the UK.

Dutch miniaturist Josje has a wonderful blog at A Beautiful World. 

Angeles blogs in Spanish about miniatures, crafts and cross stitching at El rincon de Baldu. 

Sandye blogs about all sorts of things at Snail-Paced Stitching. This has to be one of my favourite blog names ever :)

Sabiha is a mystery visitor, as I can't seem to find anything more about her :) If I've got it wrong, Sabiha, please let me know and I'll add your blog link here.

Welcome to you all -- I appreciate your following us so very much!  And I will organize another giveaway to mark this milestone when I get back home tonight or tomorrow :) 

New followers -- welcome!

I'd like to welcome our latest followers:

Anama, an Argentinian blogger at Anama Vesi.

Ana Maria is a visual artist and published miniaturist who blogs at A journey through arts and miniatures.  Ana lives in Portugal and collects all kinds of dolls.

Thea lives in Texas in the United States and blogs at 17 Days in December.  She's a mystery novel addict! (I love mysteries, too -- they're my favourite genre).

Karin Corbin, a well-known model maker and miniaturist in Seattle in the USA.

There's Eva from Barcelona whose blog is Mini Escenas y Manualidades.  She's making some amazing things with polymer clay!

Margaret from New South Wales in Australia blogs at My Petit Parterre.  She's working on a flower/plant shop with a French theme.

Michelle lives in Antwerp, Belgium, and blogs about miniatures at poppenhuis en miniaturen.

Hannah is a university student in Coventry, UK and she blogs about her four dolls' houses at Spare Time Ramblings :)

De is from Indiana in the United States, and she blogs at De-Lightful Minis.

There's also Naomi, about whom I don't know anything more.  But I'm glad you're following, anyway!

Welcome, everyone!

Welcome to our new followers!

First up, hello to Rosy from Brazil who writes a blog, rosyminiaturas, with lots of pictures about her dolls and projects :)

There's Kiva from Hawaii, who is one of the world's finest food miniaturists, and whose blog I've been reading for a very long time now with the greatest enjoyment.  Not only is a she a great artist, she writes in a really fresh and personal way that makes her posts convey her personality as well as her artistry.

There Dale of Dale's Dreams, who is a prominent miniature maker on Etsy.  (She's having a giveaway right now to celebrate reaching 200 followers :)  She's also one of the founding members of the Miniatures in Dollhouse Scale team, and has a great shop at Etsy.

There's Susan of Susan's Houses, who says that she "recently acquired a couple of dollhouses at my local thrift shop.  It started an avalanche of miniatures", which has to be the best summation of how I feel, at least about this hobby -- it whacked me, and all of a sudden things have all got very, very small :)

And there's Nuri, from Spain who blogs at Las Minis de Nuri.  She's a new blogger who is working on quite a few small houses and roomboxes with plenty of colour!

Welcome to you all!

Welcome to all our new followers!

Wow!  So many new followers -- thank you all so much :)

There's miniaturist Heather Cutting-Rayl from New Mexico in the United States. Her blog is This Little Doll House, and she has a special interest in witch and wizard minis.

There's Susan from Istanbul in Turkey, whose blog is Kankadolls and Miniatures.  She makes incredible papier-maché dolls that have to be seen to be believed!  She also very generously offers all kinds of tutorial on how to make them.

There's Jeanette from Germany whose blog is Garden of Miniatures.  She doesn't just make flowers, she makes whole gardens (and graveyards ...)!

There's Ingrid from Belguim, whose blog is mijn droomwereldje.   Her aesthetic is soft, slightly shabby, turn of the last century (what the English might call Edwardian) interiors. 

There's Daydreamer who has a brand new blog with some wonderful photos and musings about the connection between her dolls' houses and her childhood.  Very evocative.

There's Flora from Italy, whose blog is la casa delle bambole di flora. Her header image is an Ingres portrait that I've always loved, which sets the tone for the pretty, slightly shabby mini objects and scenes she photographs. 


There's My Small Obsession, run by MiniMaker, who also runs the video site Creating Dollhouse Miniatures.  Her blog has tons of helpful advice and how-tos.

There's bogna from Poland, who has a number of blogs and interests, including I Love That Doll.

There's Cheryl from Hawaii, whose blog is A Miniature Place.  She shares lots of photos of beautiful, tasteful mini objects and decorating, and, in addition to work in 1:12 scale, shares pieces in quarter scale, too.

There's also Peggy Fowler, KLC,  Susanne and Mary, whose profiles didn't seem to be linked to a blog of their own.  If you do have a blog, please let me know and I'll correct this :)

Welcome, all!

And the winners of the giveaway are ...

I decided that since there were 36 entrants in the draw to celebrate the blog reaching 50 followers, there would be three prizes :) (That made sense to me at the time ...)

According to random.org, the winners are ...

Thank you all so much for entering!  Would Cynthia, Julia and Old Maid please email me their mailing addresses, and I'll start putting together their prizes :)

My email address is nina [at] ninascottstoddart.com.  Just replace the [at] with the symbol @ :)

Welcome to our new followers!

I'm more than a little stunned and amazed (in a very happy way) at how many followers have joined this blog in the last day.  Thank you all, so much, for your interest and support!  For those whom I have not had a chance to thank personally, please forgive me.

There's Annie from Denmark whose blog is Obsidian Hall (I love that name.  It's so evocative).  She's got a dark, patinated, slightly grungy or distressed (in a very good way!)  aesthetic which I really enjoy.

There's aru, from Spain, whose blog amounts to a beautiful photo essay on miniatures!

There's annina from the UK, who specialises in modern miniatures (which I love, as well) and who is featured in an April 7 story in the NY Times about modern design in miniatures!

There's Bözse from Hungary, who loves making her own miniatures (and I have to agree, it's pretty addictive :)

There's Julia of Bear Cabin Miniatures from Wales, who started building a dolls' house for her daughter and now makes and sells wonderful furniture, needlework and accessories from her Etsy store!  (That's her Victorian sofa at the top of this post ...)

There's Kat who runs the Mini Madness Virtual Tea Party with her "co-conspirator" Wendie.  This blog's goal is to give miniaturists from all over the world a place to gather, chat and do all the things we might do if we could meet in person!

There's Sylvia from Spain, whose aesthetic is warm, romantic and slightly shabby (very European) and whose blog is full of delicious photos!

There's Tallulah-Belle who makes amazing miniature garden plantings and floral arrangements, and whose blog also has some tutorials.  She also has an Etsy shop!

There's also Synnøve, a Norwegian blogger, whose blog mixes photos of beautiful Nordic style miniatures (lots of patina, soft colours, very romantic) with photos of mind-blowing Norwegian scenery.  Gorgeous!

There's Teresa from Tiny Ter Minaitures, an IGMA artisan from Spain who makes an extraordinary range of miniatures from flowers, fruit and food to modern grocery items.  So perfect!

There's another IGMA artisan, Mags Cassidy, a busy miniaturist from the UK who also has an Etsy shop (in fact she's got a very tempting Tudor food board for sale right now ... :)

There's Katerina from Italy whose blog is lively and has some great tutorials (like a basket making tutorial that I simply have to try with the kids)!

And, finally, thanks also to our mysterious follower Monique!

Giveaway! Woo hoo!

First of all, I want to thank everyone who has been reading,  following and commenting on our blog. The KnitWits (the group of children with whom I play every week, and with whom I've been building this dolls' castle) are coming over this afternoon, and I'm going to show them how many kind and interested people from all over the world have been looking at our work. We all live in a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada, so it's a really big deal for us.

I have been immensely inspired by the work of other miniaturists (I guess I can call myself one, too, now :) It's an extraordinary hobby, this, isn't it?  It's really  much more an obsession or a way of looking at the world, I think.

Anyway, I'm rambling on, and what I want to say is that I'm going to have a giveaway to thank the over fifty people who are now following our blog!

I make (permanently) open books from different periods -- mostly medieval/Tudor, but I do other periods as well.  They work well as large books in 1:12 scale.  I love books in real life, and my husband and I have a sizeable library, so it seemed natural that our miniature houses should have libraries, too.  I started making them because of the dearth of early books available for miniature castles :)

This one shows two colourful pages from the famous Macclesfield Alphabet, a 15th century "pattern book" of source material for calligraphers.  It has a leather cover, but doesn't close.  It makes a pretty display item on a table or bookstand.

I will send a book plus a secret surprise to the winner of a draw from all the people who comment on this post until Sunday, April 18th.  All you have to do leave a comment on this post telling me your dolls' house's historical period (or the age of book you'd like), plus whether you prefer a colourful book or a more restrained one that's largely text (like the breviary on the table, above).  If you don't specify, I'll pick something I think you'd like :)

If you want to link to this giveaway on your blog, I'd be grateful, but it's not necessary for you to be entered.

Once again, thank you all so much for making a small town Canadian feel connected to an entire world of miniature enthusiasts!