Always Interesting: Public Domain Day

 

(Art: portion of public domain graphic)

I love looking through vintage works: old books, movies, and music where the copyright has expired and that come into the public domain each year.

January 1, 2026 marks the release of works from 1930 - and there's some fascinating ones. These are works that copyright has expired on and you can legally play with, adapt, etc. into new works. I'm just including a few of the listings here.

Some fascinating books: There are thousands more. I love the Nancy Drew books... hmmm, maybe there's an idea there... 

 * Here are summaries of the four Nancy Drew books on Wikipedia.

• William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying
• Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon (the full book version)
• Agatha Christie, The Murder at the Vicarage (the first novel featuring Miss Marple)
• Carolyn Keene (pseudonym for Mildred Benson), the first four Nancy Drew books, beginning with The Secret of the Old Clock

  Comics: Oh, wow, always liked Betty Boop: Blondie and Dagwood, too!

• Betty Boop from Fleischer Studios' Dizzy Dishes and other cartoons
• Blondie and Dagwood from the Blondie comic strips by Chic Young
• Nine new Mickey Mouse cartoons, the initial week of Mickey Mouse comic strips, and ten new Silly Symphonies cartoons from Disney

  Landmark movies: 

• All Quiet on the Western Front, directed by Lewis Milestone (winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture)
• King of Jazz, directed by John Murray Anderson (musical revue featuring Paul Whiteman and Bing Crosby’s first feature-film appearance)
• Animal Crackers, directed by Victor Heerman (starring the Marx Brothers)
  

 Memorable songs: We've all heard many of these. I love old music so will be fun listening to some of these:

• Georgia on My Mind, lyrics by Stuart Gorrell, music by Hoagy Carmichael
• Dream a Little Dream of Me, lyrics by Gus Kahn, music by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt
• On the Sunny Side of the Street, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, music by Jimmy McHugh

Also sound recordings from notable names like Louis Armstong, which I'll have to check out.

• Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen, recorded by Marian Anderson
  
• Yes Sir, That's My Baby, recorded by Gene Austin
• Sweet Georgia Brown, recorded by Ben Bernie and His Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra
• The St. Louis Blues, recorded by Bessie Smith, featuring Louis Armstrong

There is an art section, too, many of which I am not familiar with so I'll have to look around more. 

So, some fun digging to do in the new year!

2025 Year-End Miniatures Round-Up

 

Another year, more projects done or almost done. Where does time go????

This year's project list. I'm thinking it may not be as long as usual. Not as many bigger projects, but it does take a while to finish them up.

January: First book nook project, "The Magic Library."

I also was working on the Lavender Cottage. Finishing it up here in August and with some Christmas items.

February: Got a kick out of these. I just had to make this candy box  (above) from a printie I found online after I found these teensy hearts at Hobby Lobby. 

April: Made the cutest carrot cakes and Easter baskets.  The baskets were cute vintage patterns I found online and shrunk down.

May: Halloween is never far away. Worked on this spooky corner, a kit from Teri Hanson at the Covered Chipboard.

June: Worked on this smaller Greenhouse kit and the inside accessories. I decided to paint it purple instead of the usual white. I still didn't finish putting everything inside.

August: Finished the Jack's Bookery book nook kit from Cutebee. I had to add some regular minis to it, too, like the pets and plants. 

October: I started the Witch's Bakery, still in progress! Finishing up the egg carton bricks and painting the sides before I start filling the inside. Here's the last inside view, done this month.

December: Did this cute Christmas kit. A fun little kit for the holidays. Also enjoy decorating the dollhouses for Christmas. I love how the outside of the mansion looks.

I finished quite a few really cool projects last year (2024), too, like the Half-Scale mansion and diner, the Tiki Bar, the Halloween Van Buren house, filled a garbage can, made a clematis trellis, finished the camper, and did a Christmas house. 

We'll see what the New Year brings!

That's it for now. Hope the new year is full of miniature projects!

(Free clipart animations)

More Christmas Miniatures

 

You thought it was over? ha! Well, I have some really cool things to share! (*Click photos for full size.)

I worked on this cute little Rolife Robotime kit (above), the Christmas Candy Stand, my friend Gigi got for us as a Chriistmas project. This is such a cute kit with lots of fun details! I added some sparkle on the roof and some sparkly snow around the front and in spots on the awning to give it more of a winter feel. It was a fun kit to do and actually got it done in one day!

It was a great Christmas for miniatures! My friend was pretty busy! She made this cute chocolate skull and cookie tray, which will look perfect in the Witch's Bakery window, And she made these dozens of fun little food boxes. So much folding!! Love 'em!

The gift I really got the biggest kick out of was this: a picture of my late 2008 Pontiac G5. I called it my Bumblebee car. I didn't think of framing a photo but she printed another photo for me, too, so I'll hang one in the half-scale garage I'll be doing soon.

But here's something really fun and sooo creative! She made these jars of some pieces of the car for my creepy bakery shelves calling it "Essence of Bumblebee." I'm going to add a shelf of "ingredient" bottles for the bakery chef, so it'll fit right in. I thought this was so cool and such a neat memento! It must be a memento year as I made her a mini memory box, too!

She also got me a very cool 4-poster bed set that will work with my later semi-modern Tudor project. I'll share more on that when I decide to work on it. The 2nd rare 1" scale kit I'll do.

We also shared the Miniverse Balls: I bought us the Books Series 2 and she got the Make it Mini Mini (the set that goes with the fridge.) Well.... the mini foods are pretty cute. And! Some of them would work with 1/12th scale. Uh-Oh!! ha! (The pizza has "nuggets" too which I forgot here.)

I also finally tried one of the Harry Potter Honeydukes balls, which have some intriguing dessert projects. I got a worm/snake mold so this one will be kind of fun to do. I'd really like to get those skeleton cookies or the skull cupcakes in that one.

Really nice was I got a couple kits, a garden kit from my friend Jean, and this vintage cabinet kit from Gigi. Both will be fun to work on. That's plus a few others I bought myself.(Shhhh!)

So it will be a busy year coming up with lots to work on. I have been thinking more on that garage, so that's probably what I'll be getting out next while I finish up the bakery exterior and fill the inside. I think I'm going to set the other building for the restaurant aside for a bit as I want to get back to half-scale. I can't stay away from it for too long! 

I even have been eyeing the long-put-aside smaller Raggedy Ann house which is all electric taped and ready to wallpaper. As both this and the garage are smaller, I just might do them together and make them coordinate on the outside until I do another house to go with the garage. I do have a larger country cabin-type house still in the box, too. We shall see!

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* Thank you for visiting the blog all year and reading my posts. I enjoy sharing my miniatures (and books!) and hope you keep following along next year. 

And so you know - I'm open to sharing any of your projects as well so email me via the profile box on the top of the blog. Or it might be fun to share ideas or things you are in search of. I can share a weekly running list of wanted items or things you need suggestions for if anyone needs help with something. **And who knows? In my giant stash I may have some things you are looking for!

* PS - don't forget: You can sign up for headline email alerts in the box in the left colum so you know when a new post comes up.

* Nope, this isn't the last post of the year. I'll have my Yearly Project Recap coming up so be sure to come back. 

* As the Golden Girls song goes, "Thank You for Being a Friend.!* 

After Christmas Skellie Video!

 Christmas isn't over yet! You know I like mini skeletons for some reason and there's none better than mystery author Leigh Perry (Toni L.P. Kelner's) sleuthing skeleton Sid. His miniature version appeared here on the blog in a past post of course!

Sid is also now a video star in a super cute Christmas video. This is so clever! Check it out below! 

 Perfect tie-in to book #6 in the Family Skeleton series, The Skeleton Stuffs a Stocking, in which the dog of Sid's human friend, Georgia, comes home with a real skeleton bone. The rest of the skeleton is found in an overgrown lot, leading sleuthing duo Sid and Georgia to find the truth before the ghost of a Chistmas past strikes again! (The series starts with book 1, A Skeleton in the Family.)

(Here's the YouTube link if it doesn't work here.)

Merry Christmas! Miniatures Story Part 2

 * If you missed the beginning, start here on Dec. 24th!

* Post includes miniature Christmas rooms and decorations

Thief of Christmas Present, A Miniatures Christmas Story - Part 2

  

Today we feature the second part and conclusion to an original Christmas tale by Robert W. Walker, author of  over 90 - and counting -  novels including the fabulous gaslight thriller, CITY OF THE ABSENT, featuring his detective, Ransom.  Check his website for his latest thrillers and novellas. 

(If the photos don't show properly, you can read part 2 of the story at a previous year's post.)

Part 2 Continued --

 "The Thief of Christmas Present"

By Robert W. Walker

(Photos: Christmas Santa House by C. Verstraete; Festive gold and white holiday scenes featuring the miniatures of Lissu, used w/ permission. See more pix and visit her blog, Lissu's Dollhouse) 

To recap: the family are watching the film to see who is stealing the Cluewellens' Christmas from Julia's dollhouse. (See part 1 in the previous post.)

Shortly after, Stevie entered the room, asking, "What kinda movie is this?"

"The movie that's gonna prove you stole the Cluewellens' Christmas!"


"I didn't touch that stuff! I didn't do it, Mom!"

Joannie came down from her room and asked, "Are you still blaming that on Stevie? He wouldn't do that!"

"We got you on tape this time, Joannie...or Stevie...whichever one of you guys did it, so there!" Julia set her jaw, determined to watch every hour of the unmoving movie frame by frame. "Mom and me...we gotcha good now. Liar."

Joannie came at her sister. "Who're you calling a liar? Me?"

"If the shoe fits!"

"Enough, both of you! Stop it. Either sit down and watch the tape or leave the room, but please, no more accusations, Julia, and no more shouting, Joannie-and you, Stevie, stop crying."

"I didn't do it," he complained through tears. "I always get blamed for everything!"


"All I know is somebody stole the Cluewellens' Christmas tree now!" Julia shot back.

"Hey, what's that?" asked Joannie, pointing at the screen. "I saw movement-a shadow-back of the miniature."

Julia, Stevie, and Mother Waldron stared at the slight squeaking noise, too, and in a moment, they all watched a pair of whiskers and a brown button nose rise over the back of the miniature at the chimney.

"It's Newton, my ferret!" shouted Stevie. "He's escaped again."

Newton lived up to his name, always finding ways to escape his cage, and often, Stevie allowed him 'free run time' but Newton always returned to his cage. Newton had even found a way out of the house one night.

"What's he doing?" asked Julia. "OMG-he's going down the chimney."

"Like Santa," said Stevie.


"No...more like The Grinch," replied Joannie. "There's your Christmas thief, Julia!"

"But...I mean how...why?" she asked. "Why's he terrifying the Cluewellens and destroying their Christmas?"

"You really think Newton is thinking along those lines, Julia?" Joannie couldn't hold back her laughter.

"Shhh...watch him. Look, look," said Mom. "The little thief! He's dragging the entire tree out the front door."

With the tree clear of the door, it snapped closed, and Newton scurried away with the five-inch high tree, ornaments trailing. He truly did look like a miniature version of The Grinch except that he was brown and not green.

"Stevie's pet's the thief...the whole time," Julia muttered in disbelief.

"What's he doing with all the stolen goods?" asked mom. "Shall we find out?"

"I think you're gonna need a ferret whisperer or a pet shrink to figure that out, Mom," replied Joannie, still laughing.


"Nothing funny about that little rat destroying the Cluewellens' Christmas!" countered Julia.

"Why don't we all just go on a scavenger hunt?" began Mom. "To see where Newton is stashing all the decorations and presents."

"And stockings!" added Julia.

The four of them started for Stevie's room where Newton lived in a cage. Everyone in the family had gotten so used to Newton's escapes and escapades about the house that no one took great notice of him of late.

"What's going on?" asked Jack Waldron, their father, who'd caught them gathered at the foot of the stairs as he came through the door, home from the office.

Everyone spoke at once until Anna calmed them and pointed to the still action shot on the TV. "We caught Newton red-handed. "He's Julia's Christmas thief."

"Must be the shiny stuff attracts Newton, eh?" asked Jack.


"But he's never done this before!" Anna replied. "Any rate, we're heading up to Steve's room to see where he's stashing the goods."

"Say, did anyone read that book that came with the ferret when you bought Newton at the pet store?" asked Joannie, who was browsing the book for any clues.

"Who's got time to read?" asked Julia.

They all went for Stevie's room, and looked into Newton's cage, a made-over fish tank. There, amid the usual sawdust and toy shelters and fake greenery, was a stash of Christmas miniatures, from the tree, to the presents and the stockings. All of it lay in a neat, orderly circular design. The look on Newton's face said, "I confess."

Joannie handed the paperback book on ferrets and ferret behavior to her mother. "Take a look at the last section on page sixteen."

She glanced at the page. "Oh, dear...then this means..."

"What is it?" asked Julia. "Nothing in that book could possibly excuse this rodent's behavior, and as for you, Stevie-this is all your-"

"No, Julia!" countered her father, who'd now read page sixteen. "No way is this Stevie's fault!"

"You owe Stevie and me an apology," Joannie said to Julia, having closed in on her, nose-to-nose. "And all our friends, too!"

"You do owe everyone an apology, Julia," her mother agreed. "In the meantime, Newton is going to need a new name."

"Whataya mean?" asked Julia.

"New name?" asked Stevie.


"Newton is a girl, and she's stealing shiny objects to make a nest, because she's going to have baby ferrets."

"OMG!" replied Julia. "That's it! That explains the mystery."

"But if Newton's not a boy...what're we going to call Newton?" asked Stevie.

"Newtonia?" suggested Joannie, a snicker escaping.

"Why don't we make it Madame Curie," suggested Mom. "I think she outsmarted us all. In any event, case closed."

Stevie lifted the flimsy lid and started to reach in to retrieve the Cluewellens' Christmas stuff-his sister's stuff, but Julia stayed his hand. "No, Stevie. She-Madame Curie-she needs it now more than the Cluewellens."

"Aren't you ahhh worried about the Cluewellens?" asked Anna of her daughter.

"They'll understand when I explain it to them," Julia replied and shrugged, "and besides, there's always next year."

Anna hugged Julia and Jack put a hand on his daughter's shoulder, and with the entire family looking on at Newton-now Madame Curie-every one smiled, and if ferrets can smile, Madame Curie smiled back, a knowing glint in her eye.

"I have an idea for the Cluwellens' Christmas," said Stevie.

"What's that? asked Julia.

"Why not give them a front row seat for Christmas?"

"Meaning?"

"Put their house under our tree!"


Everyone agreed it was a wonderful solution, and that Julia had a lot of apologies to make, and that she'd tell and retell Newton's story between now and Christmas quite often indeed.

The End.

(c) 2008, 2025 RW Walker published by https://candidcanine.blogspot.com

** I hope you enjoyed this "little" Christmas tale as much as I enjoy presenting it every year. 

Merry Christmas and the best in the New Year to everyone! 

As Tiny Tim said, "God Bless Us, every one!"

Merry Christmas Eve: A Miniatures Christmas Story Part 1

 It's become something of an annual tradition that I've been sharing this little Christmas story my friend and fellow author Robert W. Walker penned for me. It first ran here in 2008. Enjoy!

Today I have the pleasure of presenting an original Christmas tale by Robert W. Walker, author of - gasp! over 90  - and counting -  novels including the fabulous gaslight thriller, CITY OF THE ABSENT, featuring his detective, Ransom. Check his website for his latest thrillers and novellas.  

PS - While Robert is known for his spooky and often creepy-gory horror books, never fear, this story, which will run in two parts, is rated PG. 

(If the photos don't show properly, you can read it at a previous year's post.) 

(Come back tomorrow for Part 2.) 

The Thief of Christmas Present
By Robert W. Walker

(Photos: Christmas Santa House by C. Verstraete)




Julia rushed into her mother's room, her eleven-year-old arms flapping as she said, "Joannie stole my Christmas presents! I just know it was her!"

"Your big sister wouldn't do that, Julia."

"Then its one of her girlfriends."

"I've talked to Joannie, and she's given the third degree to every friend who has been visiting the house since Thanksgiving."

Julia's eyes filled with tears. "Musta been that boyfriend of hers then!"

"He seems like a nice, respectful boy, and whatever would possess him to steal your miniature Christmas presents from beneath your miniature tree?"

Anna Waldron hugged her daughter to her. "We'll find the stolen goods. They're likely somewhere on a shelf. Thoughtlessly moved by one of your little friends."

"No, no mom! I don't let anyone reach into my dollhouse and take out anything, not the figurines, not the furniture, and certainly not the presents under the tree."

Anna wondered how this could keep happening to her daughter. Julia had put heart and soul into her miniature house this year. In fact, she'd begun creating the tree, the ornaments, lights, stockings hanging over the fireplace, and the presents beneath the tree since last Christmas.

She'd got it in her head that her dollhouse ought to have all the ornaments and decorations of any home, that Mr. and Mrs. Cluewellen and their three children who lived in the miniature house ought to have a wonderful Christmas too.



Julia had worked so hard to make it happen, and now, day-by-day, all her work was coming unraveled. The day before she noticed an ornament missing from the tiny tree. The day before that one of the stockings she'd labored so hard to make was gone from the mantel. Poof. Now two of the tiny presents from beneath the tree-gone. Stolen.

"At this rate," moaned Julia, "by the time Christmas gets here, the Cluewellens won't have anything left."

Anna patted Julia's hand. "And The Christmas Crook of the Present will have won!"

"We can't let that happen, mom!"

"We must act, set a trap."

"A trap?"

"Yeah, we'll wire up a trap that will snap on those sticky fingers."

"Then you think it's Stevie?"

"I hope not, but your little brother is at that age. I sure hope he hasn't lied about this."

"Well...it's not a ghost. I asked the Cluewellens if they'd had any problems with anything like a poltergeist, and they said no."

"You believe them?" Mother Waldron laughed, but Julia stared at her, eyes saying, 'not funny'.

"They don't lie, cheat, or steal, mom."

"Neither does your brother or your sister for that matter, young lady."

"Well I'm not lying about it! Someone's stealing the Cluewellens' Christmas right under our noses."



"You set the trap," suggested Anna. "I'm going to set up a concealed camera, so we can get to the bottom of this before..."

Julia looked up at her mother, wondering why she'd stopped talking. "Before all of the presents and decorations are gone?"

"Before you make your sister and your brother angrier with you than they already are."

"Angry with me? I'm the victim here. Me and the Cluewellens."

"Honey, you have accused both of them of stealing and lying about it. Then you accused their friends."

Julia nodded, and for a moment Anna thought her child understood and agreed, but then Julia said, "It could've been one of Stevie's dumb friends."

"Well now, we're going to find out, aren't we?"

"You think it'll work, Mom?"

"At the rate things are disappearing, my hunch is that whoever's behind the theft will be back."

They put the trap into play.

They wisely left the miniature house untouched and unmoved, the same enticement as ever.

An entire day and most of the evening went by with young Julia wanting to check the Cluewellens' living room and tree every hour, while her mother insisted they wait and see. When Anna decided the camera's battery would be in need of help, mother and daughter went into her room to determine if anything had been taken. They found the front door closed. Julia gasped when she looked in through the windows. The entire tiny Christmas tree had been taken! All about the front door and steps, glitter appeared like colored snow. Whoever was behind the theft, cleaning up after him-or herself-wasn't a concern.

"It's got to be Stevie or one of his goofy friends," Julia said, tears forming. "Maybe Stevie's too chicken to tell on Tad."

"Let's reserve judgment and see what the camera says."

They made popcorn and popped the film into the USB port of the TV and sat down to watch the unfolding events. Unfortunately, during the first hour, nothing unfolded.

"This is a real snore and a bore," Julia complained, tiring of the popcorn as well.

After a while, Julia began making up a storyline to go with the miniature people inside the house on the screen, and it was so vivid that her mom could almost imagine that the little Cluewellen family was as real as Julia believed them to be. She began to see Mrs. Cluewellen move that feather duster in her hand. But clearing her head and eyes, Mother Waldron thought better of saying she'd begun to see the miniature people roaming around inside their miniature house. Maybe the miniature was haunted at that....

(c) 2008, 2025 RW Walker published by https://candidcanine.blogspot.com

* The story continues tomorrow, Christmas Day - see Part 2.)