Hallowe'en theme project -- Bat Cushion

Happy Hallowe'en to all the witch, wizard and spooky aficionados out there! As a Hallowe'en gift for my fellow miniaturists, here's a little bat cushion I designed and the pattern for it.

This is quite a dainty cushion, stitched in stem stitch on 22 canvas.  If you want to make it bigger, or want to stitch it on a smaller canvas, then you could add an expanded border :)

Here's the pattern chart:

As always, this is my own design, and I'm thrilled for you to make as many as you like for yourself or for gifts.   (Just a note -- the little sample in the top photo doesn't have the contrasting grey sections shown in the pattern because I didn't have any grey floss :))

Hello! I'm back!

Oh my dears.  I'm so sorry!  I'd like to thank everyone who wrote me, asking how things were -- all is well.  David's health is good and I've just been really busy with my one woman show which closed last weekend, quite successfully.

Just a quick update about a few of the things I've been working on, then I'll put up a post tomorrow (I hope) for the giveaways.

I've been embroidering up a storm over the last few months.  Here are some of the things I've completed or almost completed:

The dragon rug just needs to be finished off -- the stitching is done, Hallelujah!  I've been working on it since before the England trip, in fact it was my travel project :)  The rest are all cushions, most of them patterns from Felicity Price's book Needlepoint 1 12 scale projects.  The one in the middle of the bottom row is from a Janet Granger kit -- it's the cushion pattern Yvonne.  A really lovely design, fiddly to stitch but worth it.

Eva and I have been working on House of Miniatures kits at Knitwits.  I love these kits, at least the ones that are not upholstered.  I've had NO joy with settees, sofas or wing chairs :(  They just don't work for me, but the straight-up wooden ones are fabulous.  I buy them as cheaply as I can on eBay -- just search for "house miniature kit".

I just finished this dower chest, and found it really easy to complete. It's going to live in David's workshop in the attic of the William and Mary house.  I love everything about this little piece -- from the chest top to the drawer to the turned legs.

Eva just completed this lovely Queen Anne side table on Thursday.  She worked very carefully at it, and did a lovely job. Such a useful table!

And I made up this tavern table kit a few weeks ago.  If you get a chance to pick up one of these (they come in two sizes,  this one, a smallish sqaure one, and a larger rectangular one), and it works with your project, do pick it up.  It's a very easy kit and I love the results!  Perfect for a tea table, games table or in a pub or kitchen.

More tomorrow, my darlings, and I'll scurry around and try to get caught up on all your blogs!

Love,

Nina

Witchy giveaway items -- preview!

Here are some items for the second part of our giveaway:  pieces for a stylish witch or wizard :) (We're going to have the actual draw post later this week, where you will be able to leave comments to be entered in the three draws).

Among the items for the draw are a little stool that I reupholstered in a bat-print.

I also made two little tassels in halloween colours, plus an open book with a black snakeskin cover which features a map of the heavens.  The kids made three classy necklaces, too, and I made a plain tray for them.

More to come!

Some items for our giveaway

For the last few weeks the kids and I have been working on our giveaway presents, our celebration of reaching over 250 followers. There will be three prizes, and today I wanted to share some items from the first group: Blue and White.

Among the other goodies we'll have for you is this screen, painted by Evangelista and then decorated with some of the leftover wallpaper from the WAMH dining room -- Jacobean by Itsy Bitsy Minis.  She did a really nice job on this!

I made this little tray and decorated it with the same paint finish that Evangelista used, and then I added some delft tile paper I'd picked up from Netherlands shop Silly Sisters online.  I think the tea cups are very pretty :)

More to come tomorrow!

A roast by Kiva, whitewood furniture and topiaries

Just wanted to show you a couple of things I got in the mail yesterday.  First is this amazing roast beef by Kiva Atkinson, one of the greatest polymer clay miniature food artists in the world.

I've long wanted a piece by Kiva, and my number one wish was for a beef roast.  In person it's even more eerily perfect than in photos.  Another thing I adore about this piece is that it would work in a miniature scene in almost any period.  Thank you so much, Kiva -- I'll treasure it!  Kiva's blog is Kiva's Miniatures and you can find her work for sale in her eBay shop, user name jklr4.

I've gone back and forth on what sort of display piece to use in the Blue and White Room in the William and Mary House, and finally I decided to buy this Queen Anne dresser from Minimum World in the UK.

It's unfinished (if you're searching for it on UK sites, it's called whitewood) furniture, and I'll stain it and maybe do a little surface decoration of some sort.  I'll certainly replace the handles.  I love the details on this piece:  the legs are quite elegant, the scalloping at the top and especially the bottom is lovely, and the little finials at the bottom are an unexpectedly charming touch.  I've ordered lots of whitewood pieces from Minimum World and they arrive promptly, well-packaged, and MW's shipping costs to North America are very reasonable. 

Finally, here's one of the projects the Knitwits and I made last Thursday to be part of our upcoming giveaway:  topiary trees!  I'm so happy with how these have turned out :)  More soon!

A belated welcome to all our new followers!

I am so far behind, my dears, in welcoming all the wonderful people who are reading our blog.We're at 255 followers, and I haven't even done my 200th giveaway yet!  Well, we've got some very special things that we're making for you right now, and will post about them soon :)

The kids and I really appreciate your interest, comments and kindness to us.

Welcome to:

Janny Warmaar from the Netherlands works in an elegant shabby style and blogs at Art of Mini.

Kim who blogs at My Fairytale Cottage.

Marleen is a Dutch blogger who blogs at Marleen's Miniaturen.

Esther Diaz is a Spanish blogger who blogs at Mi mundo de miniatura.

KCDesigns is from Germany and blogs at Meine Miniaturen in 1:144.

Francesca (Chipironini) is a doll and miniature maker from Spain who blogs at Petitissim.

Eu... is a Portuguese blogger who blogs at Tenho um blog, e depois?

Catherine blogs in French at Le monde créatif de Catherine.

And also to Natalia, Livia, AnythingMiniature, HazelC, Bob for whom I couldn't find a website.

John Ottewill table

Hello!

We're back from Moncton, and David's procedure went swimmingly. He's so relieved, now that it's over, that he's practically skipping around the house!  Happiness abounds ...

Here's a couple of photos of the John Ottewill William and Mary table David gave me for my birthday. 

Isn't it gorgeous?  The compass rose marquetry on the top is perfect, and I love the curved stretchers and the tiny drawer.  It's the most exquisite piece in the house!

And here's a shot I took tonight through the parlour door:

That's Sir Isaac Newton to the right of the chimney breast :) 

Birthday presents, lights and paintings

Oh dear, I've been such a bad blogger!

We had a great trip to Toronto, and when we got back there was such a lot to do, and I just didn't get around to updating the site.


And I sat down to take some photos this afternoon, and my camera batteries ran out after two photos!  So I don't have much to show, I'm afraid, of the work I've been doing on the WAMH.

Here's the hallway.  I bought quite a few picture frames while I was in Toronto, and managed to get a few things framed up for the house.  I also bought a wall sconce, which you can see next to the closet door on the staircase -- it's a lion's face with two candles, and was pretty darned shiny.  I dulled the finish a bit with raw umber acrylic paint and it looks more authentic now.

Here's a better shot of the wall sconce.  Above it you can see the portrait of Oliver Cromwell I framed: he's one of David's heroes, so I knew he'd have to make an appearance in the house, somewhere :)

You can also see the amazing carved chair, which is one of three birthday presents David bought for me at The Little Dollhouse Company in Toronto!  This is a hand carved Tudor chair by Canadian craftsman John Ottewill, and it's exquisite. I was stunned, totally overwhelmed.  David also got me a William and Mary inlaid table, also by John Ottewill and a library staircase.  I am a VERY lucky woman, but also a very frustrated woman because I can't show you the table and stairs yet because of my thrice damned camera ... :)

I've been cutting out foam for the first floor, and trying to make decisions about wallpaper and other things before I get started on the construction.

I'm leaving for a couple of days to go to Moncton with David for his brachytherapy (for prostate cancer -- the prognosis looks pretty good)  -- we'll both feel a lot more relaxed when this is done.

I hope all your projects (both 1:12 and 1:1) are going swimmingly!

Some miniature makers on ArtFire

I apologize for  the long silence!  David and I are in Toronto visiting some people, so our minds are on the 1:1 world, mostly :)  However, we made a little trip to the Little Dollhouse Company, and I know that David bought me some 1:12 birthday presents, so more to come!  (I'm so excited!)

I was browsing on ArtFire (a craft sales venue like Etsy but with better customer service for the sellers :) and just wanted to share a few of the craftspeople selling miniatures there. 

TheTwelfthDimension

The Twelfth Dimension is an artisan from the United States who makes a variety of items in 1:12 scale, most notably vintage-looking toys and games and household items.  Many of them are kits.  Such cute things!  Look at that giraffe pulltoy kit, for example :)  Or this bakelite-looking radio:

Marottesud

This French artisan makes 1:12 scale books, mostly children's picture books.  Very cute looking!

Fairy Furnishings

Fairy Furnishings makes and sells 1:12 scale rustic furniture suitable for fairies, of course, but also, perhaps, for a very nature-oriented witch :)  I love the little bench, below:

Evening lights in the WAHM

Here are some photos David took for me of the lights on the ground floor of the William and Mary house at night:

Dining Room

Hallway

Parlour

Kitchen -- there are no lights here yet, but we didn't want it to feel left out!

It's been insanely hot the last few days here in Nova Scotia -- it's just impossible to get up the energy to do anything :)  The KnitWits and I actually spent our afternoon in a saltwater pool, courtesy of Fred, and it was sheer heaven.

And now there's a hurricane heading for us - his name is Earl.  We'll batten down the hatches tomorrow -- anyone out there on the Eastern seaboard of North America, I wish you well!

Time to go and lie in front of our air conditioner :)