Happy New Year!

And a Happy Birthday to our Darling, Newly wed, New Years Day Baby, Emma !
See you later ....

Off At A Tangent, Again.

It was back to work yesterday but considering it was an ordinary day, and my recent lack of mojo, I got a lot of mini-ing done, far more than the 1/2 hour I try to, at least, make every day. I made a bookcase  for my witch (more about her later) to store her potions in. I searched my stash to see what I could use, trying to keep the costs down again, I've said before I'm a Scrooge,. I knew I had the magical minis that Karin sent me a few weeks ago, which were the inspiration for this room-box, so they sat nicely on the bookcase. 

I then came across another prezzie, again from Karin, that I received last year, a little baking scene of making gingerbread men. Now here is where I wander off at a tangent, why would a witch be doing a nice homely thing like baking cookies instead of boiling bat’s blood or something as equally gruesome? To catch the children of course!! So a table was made for her to work at.

This is where the jumble of ideas on the back burner of a miniaturists' mind all come together. A couple of months ago Dollshouse and Miniature Scene mag reviewed a Sue Heaser kit for a newborn baby which they said was easy. Now dolls aren’t my thing really as I find some of them rather creepy but this baby looked kind of sweet and at £10 for the mould and enough Fimo etc to make 4 of him (or her) I thought it was reasonable especially if you weigh up the cost of a kiln if you wanted to make porcelain dolls. OK so there is £3 p&p, so to keep costs down, I ordered the man and lady moulds as well, is there a warped logic in there somewhere? I bet you’ve all done it, LOL! So I will also have the mould for a witch when they arrive. So the idea is to make a baby and put him in a cage on the floor while the witch checks her crystal ball to see when he is ready to ????

See you later....

What Is It With Photos?

Why is it cock ups only show in photos? There you are enjoying the fruits of your labours and then you take a piccie and all of a sudden something jumps out at you. So before any-one tells me, yes, I know the sticker on the right hand door on the Aga is wonky and I have rectified it!
See you later....

Today's Progress.

Another Bank Holiday so I've taken advantage and had another full day of mini-ing. I made an Aga,

Well, any witch worth her salt needs a stove to brew her potions on

.

The kettle's on the boil but I need to make her some pots and pans to brew her potions in.

See you later....

A Whole Day Mini-ing

Due to the extra days holidays I've spent the whole day mini-ing, whey hey!! I got all the egg carton flagstones stuck down on the floor and painted it with Matte Varnish and I'm really pleased with the way it has turned out, if you poke the photo you should be able to see the flower-soft "moss" between some of the flags.

I also made a coffin out of card stock to house a skeleton I bought off  E-Bay a few weeks ago, 

OK, it's not a lot for a whole days mini-ing but considering the lean times I've had just lately with the wedding etc  I'm pleased. Perhaps my mo-jo's back.

See you later....

Just For Karin.

The Bride's parents.





See you later......

A Wonderful Surprise.

As the majority of us are eagerly waiting for Daddy Chrimbo to arrive you'll be familiar with the feeling of Anti-climax on Boxing day when we think, "Is that it?" we plan for weeks and then it is all over in a flash. Imagine how I felt on Monday having planned a wedding for 12 whole months, neither the DH or I were at work and I seemed to wander around the house, aimlessly, not really knowing what to do with myself. Yesterday was just as bad with the added pain of being back at work so imagine my surprise and delight when I arrived home and the postman had been, later than normal due to adverse weather, and brought me a surprise.

They were made by Elly, you may remember she made me the cross-stitch portrait of Bracken, well she also makes these little flowers. I saw them on her blog the other day and marvelled at them and now I have my own, Thank You Elly. They are perfect for in my Xmas room box which is the only decorations we have up and that is only there because it never got packed away after I finished making it!

See you later....

The Real Bride and Groom.

Yesterday went off without a hitch and our darling daughter got her wish, a truly white wedding.

Mr and Mrs Harrison.

The day was absolutely perfect.

See you later....

The Bride and Groom.

May I present the Bride and Groom, my daughter and husband's handiwork.

See you later....

Be Careful What You Wish For.

364 days ago our daughter rang me while we were at the van and said she and Joe had set the date for their wedding, the date she rang-  19th Dec 2009, the date they had set- 19th Dec 2010. As Steve and I set off for the Brown Horse, "Apres Shoot", it started to snow and we decided we needed to bail out and go home, as per 3 weeks ago, otherwise we would be snowed in, wise decision.Emma commented, off the cuff, "wouldn't it be nice if we had a white wedding?" to which I replied "Yeh, right!!" Fast forward to the present and this is what we have awoken to this morning,

My Car!

Hey Ho,....

On the mini front, last Sunday I got the Halloween box painted inside and started making the egg carton flagstones, I'm really pleased at the way they have turned out.

Please note the still tidy workspace after 2 whole weeks, my workshop acquired another double base unit this week so all units are in, although not fixed in place. As I was doing the flagstones last Sunday night I realised I would have to give it a rest this week as paint under the fingernails and dried glue on one's hands is not a good look for the mother of the bride so all I've done this week is smother my hands in Udder cream, yes you did read that right "Udder" as in cows. It is brilliant stuff and acts as a moisturiser and a barrier cream, great for me as my job means my hands are often damp. It's worked a treat as my hands are looking good.

Off now to get things ready for tomorrow, so much to do, so little time, but before I go I must show you my darling Bramble wearing this years must have outfit, a snowball coat.

See you later.....

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I'm On A Roll.

Yesterday was a really good day, I tweaked the hallway room-box and added a mouse, mouse trap (something I always put in my scenes) a couple of butterflies, (which were Fimo canes, a bargain find on E-Bay) and a clock (which was a button of all things) and then all I had to do was cover it with the double glazing film.Sorted!

This also turned out to be a bargain buy off E-bay as until yesterday I had never opened it and there is loads of the stuff and I could cover 100's of room boxes with it.

I also started my Halloween box, this one measures 12" x 12" x 7"  deep. I gave the outside of the box an acrylic wash of  "grungy" grey and splodged (if that's a word? spell check says NO) Polyfilla on the walls. It all took forever to dry as it was so cold yesterday, or maybe that was me being impatient! 

I am hoping to paint the walls today with a slightly off colour white and then "dirty" it with black pastels so it looks grubby. I have cut a piece of card stock to fit the floor and am going to use egg cartons to make flagstones, I've never done that before so it will be a learning curve. BUT , and there's always a but with me and minis, I must finish putting up the curtains (RL) in the back bedroom and make up the bed with the new bed-linen ready for Emma next Saturday night, OMG!!! 7 more sleeps to the wedding. EEK. 

See you later....

Update On Fern.

Fern was back at the vets last night and thankfully her blood-count was up 4 points to 25. It looks like reducing her chemo has done the trick, fingers crossed.
See you later...

It's Curtains For Me.

Just as Irene posted her comment yesterday I was watching the lunch-time news that was broadcasting about how bad it was in Edinburgh and now this morning they are saying that the Government are debating whether to bring in the army to clear the streets there. Why, Oh why does the UK grind to a halt when we have bad weather? Why are the side roads never cleared or even gritted? Why are there no Grit Bins on street corners? Why are there 7,000 schools across the UK closed? Why have I never in my life seen a snow plough? I despair, OK enough of my rant, back to mini-ing.

On Monday I said I had started my curtains for the "hallway" and they were drying on the radiator, I say drying, as after I have put them in the pleater I spray them with starch. Yesterday morning as I was having my first cup of coffee I removed them from the pleater but was disappointed as I felt the pleats weren't as crisp as they should be. I then remembered that I had read somewhere that hairspray can also be used so I put them back and re-sprayed them and when I came home from work I checked them again and success, so I think in future hairspray is the way forward.

Talking of work, as I mentioned yesterday, I am not snowed in so had no excuse not to go,  I reluctantly had to put the minis to one side and go and do some honest toil which also turned into something good as I had had an audit and I got top marks across the board."The girl done good"  When I got home, after having something to eat, I continued to work on the curtains. I seem to have got my mojo back and I think the reason it had gone was, sub-consciously, my mind wouldn't settle to it because I knew I had things to do for the wedding, now they are out of the way I am free again. Talking of free, last night I wan't really, as at 8.30 I had to stop, probably along with 3/4 of the UK population, to watch the next gripping episode of Corrie, OMG how much can go wrong? and then I had to watch 50 years 50 moments so mini-ing was slow but I did finish the curtains..

and I even picked up the "Tiffany" style lampshade that proved my downfall a few weeks ago and was the straw that broke the camel's back, it came together like a dream

After adding a mirror

And a mouse mat and mouse, I think it's finished!

I've got some secondary double glazing film, the stuff like cling film that you heat with the hair-dryer, to put over the front to keep dust out and I will put picture frame round it.

See you later.....

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The Weather and The War of the Roses.

There is always great debate between Lancastrians and Yorkshire men as to who lives the right side of the Pennines.With Britain being it the grip of the "Big Freeze" I think Lancashire has come out on top, again, as while most of Yorkshire is covered in snow, where I live in Lancashire has had virtually no snow at all. We had a very light dusting last Wednesday and that was it until this morning when it tried, but didn't get anywhere, again. Of course we've had the freezing weather, like everyone else, but it is just freezing the moisture, not piles of snow.

     Lancashire 1- Yorkshire 0

For all of you poor people snowed in, use it as an excuse to mini (as if we needed an excuse lol) and above all, stay warm and if you do venture out, take care.

See you later.....

Teapots.

Having got my workshop sorted out on Saturday it was a pleasure yesterday to get my sewing machine out and get the Ascot ties and handkerchiefs made for the wedding.

OK, so it wasn't mini but it was creative and they did need doing!

Those of you who know me will be aware that I make tea-pots out of washing-up liquid tops and I always have several on the go.

Over the time I have been making them they have been a great stand by, either as a diversion when I'm getting bogged down by a project or commission or just as something to do when I don't feel like starting a project. My teapots are always there in the background but since I fell out with mini-ing even they haven't been able to raise any enthusiasm  :-(  that is until today when I made one for my Halloween Room-box, yes  I know I haven't finished my hallway but I have to find my mojo somewhere, I'm getting desperate.

Boy those cobwebs were a pain to paint.

I even measured the window in the hallway, got out my material and started making the curtains,they are drying on the radiator as I type , Oh happy days.  

BTW, if any one wants the instructions for the teapot just let me know.

See you later......

Workshop update.

Steve's worked like a trooper this afternoon  and my workshop now looks like this

Finally, stash away and in cupboards and a relatively clear work desk to work at. Hooray  ;-) Just the other side to do now but it's a start and sooner than I thought.

See you later.....

Deck The Workshop With New Units,Tra,la,la,la,la,la,la,la,la!!

My New Years resolution is to get my workshop kitted out with kitchen base units and worktop so I can get organised, be able to put stuff away and keep it dust free.I'm a bit OCD about cleaning (it is my job after all!) and I hate things being "mucky". My workshop went up at the back end of last year but because of the wedding, and the fact my purse isn't a bottomless pit , not much has been done in it. It is basically a conservatory but without the double doors that lead onto the garden.

And the inside

Yes, yes, I know it's a tip but I do know where everything is and woe betide anyone, man or beast, who touches anything. The idea is to leave the right hand table in situ and have kitchen base units all around. The table is in an ideal position as it over looks the garden and fields at the back and as it is South facing it gets excellent light.But that's in the future, or so I thought. Imagine my surprise when I got home from work last night to find this on my living room floor....

A corner base unit and a double base unit  :-ooooo 

 Unbeknown to me Steve had been out and ordered them for me, whey hey!! Happy days.

So that is Steve's afternoon taken care of, although the air might turn blue, lol, and maybe while we're in there I will find my lost mojo and get my enthusiasm for mini-ing back. Some one kindly gave us a brand new length of work top a couple of weeks ago and when Emma had a new kitchen fitted at the beginning of the year we snaffled her old sink and taps so that is one side of the workshop sorted.

See you later with a progress report.....

The Vet Called.

Since Fern's blood-count drop last week we have been on edge all week waiting for this weeks visit and result, bad news it was down again to 21. :-((  It's so frustrating as she seems so bright in herself, take a look at the photo of her in the snow at weekend, does that look like a poorly dog? The vet can't understand it either as all her other results are normal so she decided to send the results to Liverpool Veterinary Hospital to see what they make of it all and we got the results today. Good news :-)))) at last,  we hope. They think her Chemo dosage is too high and as well as suppressing her immune system, which we want, it is also suppressing her bone marrow production, which is not good. We have to cut her dosage down and hopefully, fingers crossed, when we go back after the weekend there will be some improvement. Is it any wonder I'm not in the mood for mini-ing.
See you later....

Are You Following?

Even though we aren't doing Christmas this year (because of the wedding) I still like to see what Santa is up to.
Are you following him?


http://www.noradsanta.org/en/index.html

Update On The Weather.

I said yesterday that the weather was forecast to dip to -6, well it got even colder than that, -9. What is it with the UK weather? Last year we were all shocked when it snowed before Thing-mas, contrary to popular belief the UK rarely has a white Thing-mas, our first snow fall usually comes in January but when it came last year it came with a vengeance and now we have bad snow, in some parts of the country, in November. It hasn't reached here yet but is forecast for tomorrow, the temperature is now -5 and it's only 10pm. So much for global warming!!

WOW!! White Out Weekend

We arrived at the caravan last night with the intention of having a long weekend, Steve has booked Monday off, but this is what we woke up to this morning.

3" of snow!!! Needless to say we made a hasty retreat back home, it is forecast to dip to -6 tonight and if that 

lot freezes it would be nigh on impossible to get off the site, it was fairly tricky as it was even with my Freelander  4x4. When we got home there was no snow in sight but it is forecast over the next few days. The dogs enjoyed it though

Bramble taking in the scenery.

And Fern, the poorly one, who looks like she's been hit with a snowball, she had just run through a bush. It may not be snowing at home but OMG it is cold. Brrrrrrr.

See you later.....         

I Spoke Too Soon.

 We have had a call from the vet this morning and unfortunately Fern's blood count has dropped to 24 (from 32) and we have been told we can't reduce her steroids  :-((   It never rains but it pours and just when we thought she was on the mend.

See you later......

Update On Fern.

Welcome to my newest follower Kim R.

 Good news on the Fern front, the vet has decided the time has come to start reducing her steroids, although it could be months before she is off them completely. The bad news is her fur has been dropping out along her back and they thought it was a re-action to the steroids but because they are repressing her immune system she is open to infection and they now think she has picked up ring-worm! Even more tablets to take, I'm sure if I listened hard enough I could hear her rattle and she has to have a  bath every 2 days, she's never had a bath in her life!! Springers don't need bathing as they have an oil in their coat that sheds mud, you can always tell where they have been lying after a shoot by all the little dust piles on the floor.

See you later....

Update.

This is the window that is waiting for curtains, I hope it's not holding it's breath as when I'll get round to making them I don't know LOL

At the moment it is just attached to the wall with "Blue Tak"

 Also a piccie of the wedding favour buckets with ribbon attached, not strictly mini but either way, they are small. They're 2" tall.

Talking of the wedding, Emma is due to go to the Isle of Man tonight on her Hen weekend but due to adverse weather across the Irish Sea some ferry crossings have been cancelled EEEK! let's hope the weather calms down.

 See you later...

I've Lost My Mojo :-(

I have seriously fallen out with mini-ing, I can't seem to settle to anything at the moment. Today I had some free time and decided I would attach the chains to a Tiffany type lampshade I made for the Hallway Room-box but after half an hour of things going wrong I gave it up in disgust, it was a simple thing to do and would mean I only have a couple of things to make to finish it. I need a PC mouse (Fimo) and a mouse mat (half done!) and a window for the landing which, is again half finished :-(  it just needs the curtains which I usually enjoy making, but I really can't seem to get motivated. On a better note, after I  gave up with the lampshade, I finished the Wedding Favours Buckets I am making for the wedding BUT I still haven't started the Ascot ties, so much to do and so little time. If I get time I will post piccies of the buckets tomorrow as I know everyone likes eye candy (even if it's not mini)

BTW:- If anyone finds my Mojo please post it back asap as I feel weird without it!!

There's Snow On Them Thar Hills.

It has been a fantastic Autumn weekend up in The English Lakes although with the gales that battered the UK on Thursday much of the colour has gone but it did bring out the child in me as I can't resist kicking up the leaves. :-D  This morning in the distance towards the Langdales the snow had fallen on the mountains and it was a glorious sight, I don't care what anyone says but the English countryside, and Scottish for that matter, are the most beautiful in the world, hey we may not have the brilliant weather but we have some of natures fantastic eye candy! Bramble worked her little cotton socks off yesterday on the shoot and all the shooters commented on it, which gave me a warm fuzzy "glow" as I am the one who works with her during the week to come back to the whistle and obedience, and Fern is rallying to going on walks so life is sweet, pity tomorrow is Monday! but I can't have it all.

Update On Fern.

Unfortunately the steroids are again upsetting Fern's stomach and she hasn't eaten for 2 days, a trip to the vets was called for tonight where she was given an anti-biotic shot and a 3 day course of meds to hopefully settle her tummy down. The good news was they did a blood test while we were there and her count is up to 32, only 3 points to go although she won't be out of the woods until we start cutting down on her steroids and we see whether her immune system is working properly again. If she has a relapse there is nothing they can do but I'm trying not to think about that as it's too upsetting. The vet is convinced the reason she has done so well was because before all this started she was an extremely strong, fit dog and we can only hope that it will carry her through, fingers and toes crossed.

Welcome.

Welcome to Beatrice.

Makes You Think.

I've just received this E-mail and if you are having a bad day it makes you think...

  1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
 
 2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
 
 3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
 
 4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and
 parents will. Stay in touch.
 
 5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
 
 6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
 
 7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
 
 8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
 
 9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
 
 10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
 
 11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
 
 12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
 
 13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
 
 14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
 
 15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
 
 16.. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
 
 17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
 
 18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
 
 19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
 
 20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
 
 21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't
 save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
 
 22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
 
 23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
 
 24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
 
 25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
 
 26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will
 this matter?'
 
 27. Always choose life.
 
 28. Forgive everyone everything.
 
 29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
 
 30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
 
 31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
 
 32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
 
 33. Believe in miracles.
 
 34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
 
 35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
 
 36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
 
 37. Your children get only one childhood.
 
 38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
 
 39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
 
 40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd
 grab ours back.
 
 41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
 
 42. The best is yet to come...
 
 43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
 
 44. Yield.
 
 45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Little Prezzies To Brighten My Day.

As you'll know by now I hate Mondays and today is no exception, Steve is away on a course for a few days and the weather is grey and miserable, matches me perfectly! That was until the Postie came and rang my doorbell to hand me a package, I knew straight away who it was from and look what I found when I opened it.

Aren't I lucky? One of the apples even has a little worm in it! I was sat there last night thinking it may be nice to make a Halloween room box to sit in the window, perhaps a witch brewing up potions, and now I've got all the spooky bits to start it off and I've even got the perfect wine crate to do it in. Maybe Mondays aren't too bad after-all. ;-)

 BTW, They were from Karin in Canada, Thanks K.

Welcome.

Just before I go to bed, welcome to my latest follower, Irene. Posts are going to be few and  far  between at the moment as last night we had the hair and make up trial run for the wedding, great fun even though I had had a crap day, but it brought it home how close it is! Had to spend tonight making bows with Joe and Emma's name on a ribbon and the date of the wedding and to try and make them so they could say everything that is on the ribbon "Emma and Joe,19th December 2010  making bows isn't easy at the best of times but trying to get the writing the right way up was tosh , they are to be stuck on 3" galvanised buckets that will hold the wedding favours Not easy!! 12 down  8 to go. I finally got the material to make the Ascot ties to day, so next week will be spent making the ties, I really don't think I will find time to post. Thanks for sticking with me, it's early days  ;- ) but I need to sign off until New Year, I've fallen out with minis, not through choice but because I need to sort RL out, we've only got one  child, a daughter, and this is her wedding day.

Good News at Last.

As predicted yesterday I didn't get any mini-ing done but I did get through my laundry, although not without the washing machine tipping it's entire contents onto the kitchen floor at one point but that's another story. The vet has just rung with Fern's results and her blood count has gone from 18 to 29!!! only 6 more to go. Finally some good news. :-D No mini-ing today either, too much RL stuff but my mood has certainly been lifted.

Monday Morning Blues.

I have a serious case of the Monday Blues :-(

1. It's Monday but it started last night after we arrived back home from the Lakes. I was looking forward to getting home and re-starting my room box but the blues set in and I seemed to have lost my mojo and couldn't seem to settle to anything.

2. It's seriously frosty this morning, it looks like it has snowed and it is COLD! Apparently it is the coldest October day since 1993.

3. Back to work.

4. I have piles and piles of laundry to do and with the weather as it is I can't dry it outside.

5. I think the biggest problem to my mood is Fern, she is due back at the vets tonight for another blood test and it is playing on my mind. It seems to be taking an age to get her back to health and it sort of gets you down.

Enough wallowing I'm off to start my laundry pile, no mini-ing for me today.

See you tomorrow.....