Grace and I were recently invited to join a miniature craft group here in our area and this is the little picnic table I made while attending the first meeting. It made a nice prop to photograph my Valentine candy box. I'm working on a few more. Like a good box of chocolates, my revised interest in crafting miniatures has become addicting!
As you can see, the candy box made a sweet addition to the pink bedroom. I also added a "tuffet" made from a plastic recycled lid (from a jar) and a heart-shaped basket fashioned from a bit of wired burlap ribbon glued to a wood heart-shaped base, perfect for collecting the Valentine greetings that are arriving for the Mistress of this miniature manor. I am also happy to report that the lost slipper has been found (thank you Ginger) and they are once again a proper pair.
So, as I wrap things up on my dollhouse makeover I'm already thinking about the next challenge. For one, our original dollhouse bakery, the inspiration for The Dainty House could use a few upgrades. Grace uses it for some of her product pictures and also takes it to doll shows for display. So, I'll probably do that one next. While thinking on that, and researching for ideas and attempting to learn some new crafting techniques, I discovered some cute and fun things. . .
Coming from the Netherlands . . . a huge "dollhouse", het muisenhuis (Dutch I think, for 'the mouse house') captured my heart. I love that it's built on a base that can be maneuvered about on wheels and displayed so beautifully. I really wished this video was longer. I wanted to study each and every nook and cranny of this towering adorable mouse habitat and then--had to know more about it. So after a bit of poking around, I found a website and the usual online platforms and had a good long look at some of the most amazing details all done up in miniature scale. If you are so inclined to make a virtual visit yourself, before you go, fill the tea pot and plan on staying awhile. There's a lot of see! Apparently this has all been created as part of a marketing tool to sell books, theater tickets, merchandise (there's a shop) and even a TV series (primarily for children--but hey, I found it quite entertaining and perhaps you will too!)
Closer to home, and along similar mouse tracks, I recently ran across Maggie Rudy's website, an artist in Portland, Oregon who's created an enchanting tiny world she calls MouseLand. This premise is used as a backdrop for the amazing children's books she's been creating for about a decade. And I must say, her set creations (mostly crafted from found and recycled objects) and her tiny mouse characters are just so exquisite and expressive it's hard to believe they aren't real. Her latest book, City Mouse, Country Mouse is sweet and charming, and complete with a traveling diorama in the form of a miniature city that precedes and accompanies her book tours and special venues. There's a schedule on her website if you want to see it and meet the author/artist. I may just have to go and take a peek.
Happy Valentine's Day!
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