Some DIY

I wish I could do more "do-it-yourself" things. I am always amazed at other modern miniature artisans and enthusiasts and what they create. (By the way, have you seen Ann's awesome shelf???) I like to re-purpose things, but I often combine and use what I have, rather than making magic from scratch.

My daughter actually inspired me to go DIY this past week. She was interested in making some items for a "general store" in one of her portable doll houses, and knew Michaels had a whole aisle with unfinished wooden miniature items, and was particularly interested in spools, buckets, and rolling pins. She indeed bought little spools and some friendship bracelet thread and proceeded to make a whole bowl of sewing thread, totally neat. I came home with a few pots from that aisle and found some cool-looking moss from the dried flower section...

and poof! Little moss-filled pots, thanks to some wood finish stain marker and glue!

I had the best of intentions after my minor DIY victory to clean up and store away some new purchases, among them a plexi nursery set from a dollhouse store ($14 for the set):

I originally picked them up at the store and put them down (twice), before snatching them up. I was put off by the pastel decoration but thought I might bring it to a more modern place ;)

I scraped off the pastel as best as I could and washed the pieces in some soapy water. Then, I chose some beloved paper and got to work on the shelf...

and then the crib...

A scene materialized from that. Yes, I know it is not terribly safe to have a child's room at the top of a double-height space without any stairs or barrier from below, but this is really a room for the parents ;)

Did you notice my lovely sea urchin? My son's preschool teacher brought a boxful of them home from her summer vacation in Maine and offered me my pick of a few! I just love their color and texture. And, a Petite Princess table fit right into the hole, creating a clear tabletop! I think it could work as a pouf, too. Perhaps this counts as a DIY??!

I thought I would end where I began, at Michaels. I just read Mini Modern's post about what you can find in craft stores, and she showed some really cool jewelry trinkets and embossed felt. I love how we were on the same wavelength -- I saw her post was as I was finishing my scene, which has some other craft store finds: the fish picture and the modern wall etchings are all jewelry accessories, on clearance ($2 or less). As Modern MC said, those racks are definitely worth a look. I've not only used them for art, but for tabletops and other accents.

Crafty!

Speaking of Mini Modern and utter craftiness, if you should find yourself in San Francisco this coming Thursday, September 16, head on over to the Design Within Reach store on Jackson Street, where a mega modern miniature gathering will be happening! It is from 5-7 p.m. (followed by an after party) and I wish I could teleport myself there from the east coast to attend. I know it will be great, and I cannot wait for the full report! Best of luck to Modern MC, minimodernistas, Paris Renfroe, brinca dada, and also Megan of Modern Mini Houses (her Antrim will be on display)!

Credits: Plexi crib and shelf and wood and plexi side tables (where the tea set is) are from Freda's Fancy doll house store; drum chairs and table top in sea urchin are vintage Petite Princess; whirlygig above crib and lamp are AG Minis; cradle in corner is vintage Fisher Price. Accessories are Re-ment, AG Minis, eBay finds, my local toy store, Barbie by Jonathan Adler, and Bozart.

Re-ment: I have written about the Re-ment in this scene with a few exceptions. The baby bottle, baby jars on the second shelf, and duck pull toy are all from American Kitchen #4, "Cute Little Nursery," and are slightly large for 1:12. The teapot is from Tea Time Collection #5, and is good for 1:12.

Mini Modern and Call Small: Gone Fishing

It's not too often this mini community of modern collectors can "synch" up our houses and do a joint post, but Mini Modern and I thought it would be fun to do one, sight unseen, of our own takes on the Fish Condo from the SFMOMA store. Cool idea, right? Totally her idea, by the way...she's got tons of 'em :) This joint post is also apropos because Mini Modern and I met up when I was in SF and had a fun chat in the lobby of the actual SFMOMA -- a very nice birthday treat for me! She is as nice and clever as you think she is, and very funny. It was a pleasure!

I like the concept of using the Fish Condo since it is not intended as a doll house or modern setting, and as I found, it offers many possibilities. The tank actually comes with a glass insert that I decided not to use this time around, but will try to in the future. I have two, so was playing around with the configurations, which led me to devise this as a guest "shack" in the Hamptons. I jokingly say "shack," because the Hamptons is a very chic and popular location for summer homes out on the southern fork of the eastern end of Long Island, NY. The beaches are lovely, and the real estate prime. Some houses look like this:

Photos courtesy of Chictip

My condo might be the guest house to a pad such as that! I photographed this by one of the windows in our living room, to help with the outdoor beachy vibe, but it ended up raining, so the sun took a dive.

It was fun setting this up, and now I cannot wait to head over to Mini Modern's blog for a look at her condo setup! Enjoy!

Credits: Couch is vintage Bodo Hennig; orange chair is Reac; coffee table is Bozart; console is by Paris Renfroe; stools are from Manor House Miniatures; both lights are by AG Minis (I flipped the blue table lamp up on the ceiling); "rugs" are cardboard covered with two different Marimekko fabrics; marble bust is from my husband's collection; front outdoor plant is vintage TOMY; smaller plant in the back is Playmobil; statue is vintage Petite Princess; dog is from a game called Lucky Puppy Math; textured wall covering is a place mat by Chilewich; orange dot wall covering is scrapbook paper. Accessories are Japanese erasers, Re-ment, Manor House Miniatures, and our local toy store.

Jean of West Germany?

It's a whole new exciting world as I educate myself on the range of modern and vintage minis out there. It's been great reading some fantastic blogs, like Mini Modern, Altera's Mini World and The Shopping Sherpa, among others, as they are filled with inspiration and information. The scope of my buying experience has thus far been on Ebay and the web in general; there's really no miniature stores in close proximity. At this stage I've been gravitating to things that look interesting and are (hopefully) the right scale for what I have in mind.

I had not heard of Jean of West Germany when I saw this set on Ebay:

I purchased it for $9.99. It has not arrived yet, but I look forward to pairing it with some of the Miele kitchen minis I purchased from Mini Bijou and Elf Miniatures. Anyone know anything of this maker?

I also bought some vintage Fisher Price minis, but mostly for the table with tulip chairs:

Who knew?? My more recent associations with Fisher Price toys have been pastel, bulky plastic, and noisy.

My husband took our camera on a biz trip this week, so I unfortunately cannot play and post. I hope to get some of my buys in the mail so I can see how they all work out this weekend.