Miniature Greenhouse

Still working on the Mini-Mini Greenhouse while I'm shingling the Lavender Cottage dormers. (*Update: The rows are done! Yay! Now to paint and paint and... ) (*Click photos for full size.) 

In the meantime, I also changed and finished the front flowerbeds on that house. Switched a few things around as I wanted to use these purple bushes on each end. That looks better! The center pieces are removable in case I want to change some flowers out for seasons later on.

The greenhouse kit is almost done. (In case you're wondering, the greenhouse measures 6" h and 6" square.) Deciding on interior layout. The furniture pieces are filled. It's a greenhouse shop, so visitors can buy plants to products. PS - there's a mistake on one of the stands that I noticed (and fixed) after the photo was taken. (Of course!) Can you spot it? 😅

The various plant food, bug stuff, etc. canisters are from the potting bench project on Joann Swanson's DIY site. Some good printies and ideas here. I wrapped the printie labels around dowels or you can roll the paper as she shows. The tops I used are made from a 1/8" punch. The seed box I made was cut from mat board, with a label printed out. The kids' and gardening books are front cover printies of books I found online. I also made a small chaise that I wanted to put in the corner. 

A fun, simple project.

Speaking of greenhouses, here's a small potting shed that I made before, attached to my half-scale Country house.

I hopefully will be painting the Lavender Cottage roof soon and then can begin playing and setting up inside. That will take awhile... then what do I do???? ha! But... I am already envisioning changing it all around for Halloween! 

* Thanks again for visiting. Stay tuned for more projects and updates! * 

Spooky & Eerie Stories, plus a Kickstarter!

 Bear with me... some new minis are coming up shortly!

if you like spooky and eerie stories then this post is for you!

Did Al Capone have a deadly secret? (And not just the St. Valentine's Day Massacre!) 

Well.. find out in my eerie story, Big Al's Revenge, in the upcoming Behind the Shadows III: Dark Secrets. 

 **** The Kickstarter on the anthology starts today - Friday, the 13th! (6/13). Click to get in on some goodies!

Then.... in my spooky crime story, a burglar gets more than he bargained for in "Cat's-Eyes" - now out in Noncorporeal III: Nightfall. 

Get it here:  Paperback - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/.../noncorporea.../1147539749

Digital - https://books2read.com/u/3njGy8

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My earlier stories were also in: books II of the series:

* "Blink!" in Behind the Shadows II   and "Secrets of the Lost Mine" in Noncorporeal II. 

Happy Reading!!

Shingles, Plants & a Tiny Miniature Greenhouse

 I didn't disappear! I had several projects in the works, but nothing was finished enough to show here, until now! ha!  (*Click photos for full size. * See last post of the Lavender Cottage interior and exterior so far.)

When the computer router dies, you shingle. All day. But... I got the shingles done on the Lavender Cottage. Front and back, too. Yay! (The chimney will be papered to match and I may put one short row of shingles under that front bottom edge.) I am doing the dormers yet. Halfway on those. The hard part is cutting the side angles that butt against the roof, but getting there!  Well, then there is the painting, of course. I'm really cured (for a while!) of wanting to do individual shingles again. NOT for a long time anyway! Any next houses will be strip shingles!

Did get one planter done for the front. Decided to make the center removable as I may, or may not, change the flowers later. I might do irises in the other one, then I can take that out as I already have a mixed flower bed made for another project that will fit this.

For fun, also made this potted tomato plant for the Lavender Cottage using some ivy-type leaves and small painted air-dry clay balls. Close enough!

 In the meantime...

Remember this stuff for the small greenhouse kit? (*Click photos for full size.)

I was on and off about continuing the kit, so I got an idea and decided to paint it! I have a couple larger white greenhouses, so who needs another one? And this will make it yes, Halloween friendly, too! That got me inspired again. I like it better this way.

I have to put the doors on, decorate outside and finish plants so it can be furnished then. (Ignore the hole inside which I have to cover since the battery pack got moved outside.).

Luckily, Gigi helped me glue the roof pieces to each other as it really took two people to do it. I wanted to make the roof removable, then you can get inside. Electrician Don came up with the good idea of hanging the center light from a post so it wasn't attached to the roof pieces, too. Another change was I adapted a light pole that didn't work to make the light post on the corner. I glued the parts on top but did NOT want to do the total piecing that you have to do with these kits. 

It is small, but maybe... I can switch it out at Halloween, put in spooky plants. I'm always looking for a small Halloween project to work on between larger projects. Or I might make a sitting area inside. It's a cute structure so figuring that out. Right now I'm making a bunch of "faux" plants to go inside. I also will have a shelf full of gardening books. I'll show more soon and hopefully get pix to show it better.

An idea I had was making wreaths from circles of cloth-covered wire, glue on fake plastic ferns, and then attach pix of seed packs for the doors. I think it adds something! The doors will be glued next and propped open. I have to put on door handles also. (Done since this pic.)

I found these fake bamboo stalks at the Daiso Japanese store. (It's kind of a glorified slightly-more-than-a dollar stare. Some interesting things if you need household goods and some craft things. Supposed to have minis, but didn't see any furnishings. The plants were $2.25.) Thought they'd be good for pots. I kind of like the idea of putting several in pots to use as a room/space divider. 

Well, that's it for the moment! I'll be doing some real-life fiction book posts soon as projects coming up, been doing some writing, and a giveaway will be coming too!

* Thanks again for visiting. I appreciate your stopping by! I'll share the other small dollhouse kit next time. Just a couple things to finish on that! * 

Miniature Lavender Cottage Interior - So Far

 
A friend on FB asked to see the inside of the Lavender Cottage, and I realize that it's been awhile since I showed the full house. I have several posts of the different floors (see left column archives) but in different months, so I guess it's time I combined the pix I have so far for easier viewing. (Here's the last post on some furnishings.) 

* Don't forget to check out the latest dollhouse-related books post!

  (*Click photos for full size.)

I'm still working on decorating, adding pictures, decor, etc. and working on the outside (and shingling) so it's far from done. I'll have a ton of pictures, plants, books, to add. Just like real life!

The house (the 1:24 Abriana Country Cottage, Laser Dollhouse Designs) has been empty as yes, still shingling as you can see.

 (Left: the outside so far. I have some trim to do yet under the lower roof.) I had some wood blocks, so I glued on wood strips, put painted Model Magic clay in for "dirt," and covered them in the brick paper for matching planting beds. It'll look different once I add plants and outside vines.

In case you're wondering: it's the first time I'm using LED lights on the whole house. We use electric tape, solder lights to the tape, and this time I'm using a small transformer set to 3 volt. There are lights on the porch side roofs, too. I used small clear Christmas tree globes for the porches and the attic ceiling.

Here's the full back: I added the trim but still have some to do on the small roof sides. I've started the shingles since this photo.

First floor: kitchen on left. I had to use the green scrapbook paper for the kitchen as I loved the design! All the papers are scrapbook paper, except the textured white brick (Starboc2 on Etsy.)The right side will be a living room and TV area. (The lamp on the floor goes on a table by that window.) The stained glass on the doors was made using gold floral design scrapbooking stickers.

Kitchen testing set-up: The kitchen wall is deceptive as here's the secret: I had to adjust the whole thing to fit the kitchen counter. I shortened that window and took off the bottom sill to fit right above the countertop and papered the rest of the wall inside. The bottom of the longer window on the outside then shows a small part of the back of the counter cabinets, which is actually the back of the wallpaper to make it look right.

(Yes, that's a mini-fridge (photo) under the counter. I kept looking at the plain cabinet and since a fridge wouldn't fit, I thought that was a perfect solution. We'll say the full fridge is in a hidden back room, like the bathroom. 😏 - And the stairs; they took up too much room so I took them out.) But I love the results. First time I had to figure setting up one long kitchen counter to fit a space. The bright yellow-green countertop is textured cardstock over mat board. The cabinet handles are shiny bugle beads, which were a nice color contrast. 

Materials & Kitchen:

 The sink unit is from CastleCrafts; the stove is a modified Petite Properties kit; the upper and modified lower end cabinet are from MiniEtchers (they have full 1/24 kitchens you can design.) The 3D printed green painted hanging lightshades are from ShopMiniDecorandMore (Etsy). The counter was a swap gift that I painted and decorated. (I added the top paper and side shelves.) The first and second floor flooring is from Melvin's Miniatures.

Second floor: bedroom and game area:

Third floor attic: storage and an extra bedroom space: Flooring is a faux wood sheet from Hobby Lobby.

I'll show rooms again as I decorate and have the furnishings in. I set up each floor as combination multi-purpose rooms as I figured this as a vacation cottage. But, I can always switch things around later if I want to change the furniture and give the rooms a different look. I might do that to decorate for Halloween and Christmas, which will be fun! I never tire of setting up for Halloween especially and I have tons of Christmas decorations, too!

* Thanks again for visiting! Come back soon for more updates! * 

The Latest Miniatures, Craft & Fiction Books

 There have been a lot of new and interesting, crafts, dollhouse-related fiction, and miniatures books -   & BOOK NOOKS!  - come out lately.

 I'll add other books as I find them. (Links are to bookshop.org, where you can order via any bookshop. All are affiliate links which may offer a small compensation to the author.) * Keep reading to the end! There are several new dollhouse-related fiction releases marked with ***  

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NEW- see below! Added some miniature bookstore book nook kits!  PS- there are often sales at the sites! (** Click Photos for FULL SIZE.)

NOTE: This post is also linked on the top tab under the banner.

Dollhouses/Miniatures:

*** NEW! These are so addicting and fun,  I had to include some miniature bookstore Book Nook kits. Saved you the searching!

Every bookshelf needs one (only one? haa!) of these!  Click links below to go to the sites.

Robotime Bookstore, Arcade Dating/Amazon

 

  *** Owl Bookstore, Fsolis Book Nook/Amazon -  *** Owl Bookstore by Cutefun/Amazon

*** Cutebee Green Life Bookshop/Amazon

*** Cutefun Green Life Bookshop/Amazon

*** Cutefun Corner Coffee Shop/Amazon

*** Cutefun The Scholar's Bookstore/Amazon

Bonus!: There are several categories (Cutefun/Amazon): Cooking Bookstore;  Muse Bookstore

This is cute! (Cutefun/Amazon) Literature Bookshop

(Cool stairs!) Macro-Trend Abby Library/Amazon

(Admired this one!) Macro-Trend Beyond Max Library/Amazon (Dinosaur!) - And the Deluxe version! Beyond Library Max

Quanquer Magic Bookstore/Amazon

DOLLHOUSE BOOKS:

50 Makes for Modern Miniatures, Chelsea Andersson -  A prop designer who was part of NBC TV's Making It craft-competition show offers her own take on modern minis. - Amazon

Collectively Speaking, My Passionate Pursuit of Miniatures Vol. 1, Kaye Savage Browning - A beautiful photographic account of Browning's decades long dedication to collecting and curating exquisite miniatures. - Amazon

Making Mini Food, Lynn Allingham - Make 30 assorted food items with polymer clay from realistic pancakes to pizza, burgers, ice cream and more. I still want to try these! - Amazon

 

Making Miniature Period Furniture for Dolls' Houses, Angela Law - Recreate an assortment of realistic Tudor and historical furnishings in 1:12th scale. - Amazon

Making Miniatures with 3D Printers, Frank Fisher and Angie Scarr - Scarr, known for her polymer clay foods, teams with her husband on a book to explain the in's and out's of 3D printing. - Amazon

 Miniature Food Masterclass, Angie Scarr - Great selection of miniature food how to's from eggs, to gray, sushi, and more from the Queen of Polymer Clay! - Amazon

The Dollhouse: Pop-Up and Lift the Flap Book, Grace West - Cute Idea that caught my eye. Something fun to get the little ones interested in dollhouses! - Amazon

Fiction:

A Dollhouse to Die For, Cate Price (eBook) - Deadly Notions Mystery Book 2 - At an estate auction, Daisy is delighted to find the perfect present for a young girl she knows—a charming dollhouse in need of restoration. But when local collector Harriet Kunes tries to strong-arm Daisy into selling it, she’s in for a shocking—and deadly—surprise when an intruder breaks in and steals the dollhouse. Daisy soon suspects the mini house holds the key to a second, unsolved murder. - Amazon (ebook and papeback) - Book 1: Going Through the Notions

 Death in the Details, Katie Titejien, Book 1 - Inspired by the real-life mother of forensic science, Frances Glessner Lee,  - Maple Bishop is ready to put WWII and the grief of losing her husband, Bill, behind her. But when she discovers that Bill left her penniless, Maple realizes she could lose her Vermont home next and sets out to make money the only way she knows how: by selling her intricately crafted dollhouses. Business is off to a good start—until Maple discovers her first customer dead, his body hanging precariously in his own barn. Something about the supposed suicide rubs Maple the wrong way, but local authorities brush off her concerns. Determined to help them see “what’s big in what’s small,” Maple turns to what she knows best, painstakingly recreating the gruesome scene in miniature: death in a nutshell. - Amazon

*** New - coming in Sept.!   Murder in Miniature, Katie Tietjen, (Pre-order: Publishes Sept. 23) - Second book in the Maple Bishop historical mysteries, inspired by the first miniature crime scenes of Frances Glessner Lee - In post-WWII Vermont, Maple Bishop has a thriving dollhouse business and a new career as a crime scene consultant for the local sheriff's office. when she discovers the body of a childhood friend in a burned cabin. Called in to help solve the crime, she also recreates the cabin in miniature as part of her investigation.  - Amazon

***Recently published! The Library of Lost Dollhouses, Elise Hooper - The head curator at a beautiful small library in San Francisco discovers a pair of beautifully-made dollhouses hidden in a secret back room. Her hunt for the history of the dollhouses turns her life in an unexpected direction when she learns of their personal connection to her. Great read! - Amazon

The Miniaturist, Jessie Burton - Was a PBS series. Set in seventeenth century Amsterdam, 18-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office—leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin. Her world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist—an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways .- Amazon . .

***Just released! 

The Miniaturist's Assistant, Katherine Scott Crawford - 2004: In historic Charleston, recently divorced art conservator Gamble Vance throws herself into her career restoring centuries-old miniature portraits. But one portrait haunts her: a woman in a fox stole, with familiar hazel eyes. When Gamble meets a girl in an alley, she's convinced it's the same woman-- and it's not the first time they've met. For help, Gamble turns to African American Studies scholar Tolliver Jackson-- a former foster kid with secrets of his own. But as Gamble's memories resurface, the pair discover a connection which may endanger more than one life... in more than one lifetime. Then there's a switch to a miniature portraitist in 1804. - Amazon

The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone, Audrey Burges - From her attic in the Arizona mountains, thirty-four-year-old Myra Malone blogs about a dollhouse mansion that captivates thousands of readers worldwide. Myra’s stories have created legions of fans who breathlessly await every blog post, trade photographs of Mansion-modeled rooms, and swap theories about the enigmatic and reclusive author. Myra herself is tethered to the Mansion by mysteries she can’t understand—rooms that appear and disappear overnight, music that plays in its corridors. - Amazon

Crafts: 

Creepy Crafts,  Ashley Voortman - Signed Copy/Etsy  - Amazon

Bring various chilling creations to life including a - One-Eyed Pumpkin - - Spider Teacup - Barbed Wire Frame - Severed Ear Chain - Bottle of Lost Souls - Tooth Fairy Stash - Pincushion of DOOM - Death Mushrooms Ring Holder

The Amigurumi Workshop: A Beginner's Guide to Crocheting Miniature Toys, James S. Ward - I don't crochet but these tiny animals are so cute! Would love to see if anyone makes something from this book.

Van Gogh Collage Paper - Assortment of 8x8 scrapbook paper sheets. Because I like Van Gogh! - Amazon

My Books:

 

Dollhouse Decor & More - Christine Verstraete and Joanna Campbell Slan -  My co-authored book - an assortment of over 50 projects, from simple accessories to slightly more complicated furnishings to fill your miniature home! - Amazon

Searching for a Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery, Christine Verstraete - In my oldie but goodie kid's mystery, two friends and their mischievous dachshund, Petey, search for a lost miniature painting. Ages 8 and up. - Amazon

* More to come when I find them, so check back periodically. Thanks for visiting!

 -- C. Verstraete, candidcanine.blogspot.com