One-Stop Miniature Party Shop

These beautiful miniatures are by Cathy of the The Fabulous Farmhouse. Based in Michigan, USA, Cathy creates a mouth-watering array of cakes, pastries, and candies for every occasion.

The Fabulous Farmhouse is a mini sweet-lover's dream, with desserts and accessories for every celebration. In addition to pastries and candy of all kinds, Cathy makes beautifully wrapped presents
and gift bags, wall banners, and other party accessories.

One thing I particularly love about her items is that they come packaged just like you'd find them in a real store or bakery - tiny little bagged cakes, candies on hang tags, boxed chocolates, and wrapped cookie bouquets. Irresistable!

Cathy's fascination with miniatures began in the Girl Scouts. On one troop outing they
went to see a miniature version of the White House, and she remembers being particularly impressed by the dining room table. These days she finds inspiration in many places, especially the full-scale world. "So often I see something and naturally think it needs to be made in mini," she says.

Cathy works primarily in polymer clay and paper. She says that her favorite part of making miniatures is creating new ones. "I love the creativity part of it. There is really nothing I'd rather be doing than what I am doing now."

The Fabulous Farmhouse Blog is holding a Mother's Day drawing for gift certificates good at their shop. You have until April 9 to enter, no purchase required, so get on over there!

Artist's website: The Fabulous Farmhouse
Artist's blog: The Fabulous Farmhouse Blog

Google wins again

Yes, I've given in to yet another piece of the Google beast... their RSS Reader. It would be much easier to refuse to use Google stuff if they would just stop making such useful products! Darn it... their Reader has so many great features, including things I kept wishing the built-in Safari reader had, and some things I never even thought of.

The reason this matters to you, Dear Reader, is because I can now tag interesting and relevant articles as they go by, and have them show up here in my blog! You will notice a couple of new sections in the sidebars (the big blue boxes, they didn't have a color scheme that matched my site) called "TreeFeathers Feeds," showing you the latest printies and tutorials I find on the web. They'll update automatically as I tag new articles. Cool, huh?

I also added one to show my latest eBay listings. I'm going to set up a feed box to show the newest items from my regular sales site, too, but that'll take a little more work while I figure out how to create an RSS feed for them. I realized that although this blog is ostensibly to bring traffic to my website, I forget to actually promote my own stuff most of the time. I just get so busy posting about everyone else's minis, and interesting websites and exhibits and tutorials and such, that I forget all about my own!

Hey! I just realized I can use this Google thing to put a box on my site showing the latest posts from this blog! I think... been wanting that for ages but hadn't figured out a way to do it yet. Well I'm off to see if I can get that to work...

Update: It worked! Plus in the process I figured out how to style the ugly box and the text, so I'll probably fix the ones here on the blog at some point.

Further Update: That worked, too! Now the feed of my newest eBay listings is a nice pretty list that matches everything else instead of a big blue box!

Last Update: As you can see, I've styled all 3 boxes now. The eBay feed I made look like my other link lists here, but I decided to do the printie and tutorial feeds differently, so they wouldn't get lost in all the links. So now they look like notes tacked up in the sidebars!

Miniatur Wunderland

Miniatur Wunderland, in Hamburg, Germany, is the world's longest model railway and the most visited permanent exhibition in Northern Germany. Built by twin brothers Frederick and Gerrit Braun, it has six miles of track, 700 trains with 10,000 carriages, 900 signals, 2,800 buildings and 160,000 individually designed figures. Its 12,380 square feet (1,150 square metres) cover the US, Scandinavia and the Alps, including scale models of the Rocky Mountains, Mount Rushmore, the Swiss Matterhorn, and a Scandinavian fjord complete with 4ft cruise ship. By the time it is completed in 2014 it will be twice as long and will include France, Italy and the UK.

The Braun brothers, 41, began work on the project in 2000. The scenery took 500,000 hours, 700kg of fake grass and 4,000kg of steel to build. So far it has cost over £8m (US$11.4m). The Brauns have pushed the limits of model construction, with a large part of the exhibit's technology being custom designed and built. In addition to the railway system, the Wunderland has a working carsystem, ship navigation system, airport, and light and sound control systems. There are over 150 pushbutton action sequences to entertain visitors.

"Our idea was to build a world that men, women, and children can be equally astonished and amazed in," said Gerrit Braun, according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

The website is worth a visit, with extensive photo galleries, videos, and behind the scenes information about the construction and technolody of the project. They also provide travel information and an online shop of souvenirs and model building supplies

Hamburg, Germany

Austria

Knuffingen, Germany

Finland

Denmark

Sweden (Pippi Longstocking's house)

Miniatur-Wunderland.com

Doll-Housing Crisis Set To Worsen

Doll-Housing Crisis Set To Worsen, Mean Older Brother Says

DAYTON, OH—According to 5-year-old Janie Wright's mean older brother, Dave, 8, if unsuitable borrowers Ken and Barbie continue to default on their high-risk subprime mortgages, it could spell the worst doll-housing crisis to hit the plastic couple since someone threw their dream home's roof out a window.

"[Ken and Barbie] were dumb and ugly so now they're going to lose their home and it's going to wind up in the garbage," said the big jerk, who predicted that since the dolls have not made a single payment, he might just have to cut off all of Barbie's hair to sell it for extra money. "Maybe they can move into a shoe box that they barely fit into. But it won't have any windows so they'll suffocate and die."

The nasty older sibling added that since Ken and Barbie never insured the dollhouse, they would have no recourse in the event of fire, flood, or stomping.

From The Onion, "America's Finest News Source" (fake news, for those of you who are wondering!)

Päärynät

These crates of luscious pears (päärynät in Finnish - that's my new word for today) are by Mirja, of Lahti, Finland. She makes all sorts of fabulous 1:12-scale miniature food, working primarily with Cernit. You can see her work on her blog, Happy Little Muffin (she posts in both Finnish and English, for which I am grateful!)

Artist's website: Happy Little Muffin

Blog awards

I've received two blog awards recently (or is it three, since one was sent by two people?) Thank you to all of you, it's very encouraging to know that people are enjoying my posts.

The first is from Brenda's Miniatures:


The second is from both Casey's Minis and Rosanna at la stanza di giuggiola:


Both require passing along to 5 or 10 more blogs, but rather than list them here I suggest that you check out the list of blogs I follow - more than 50 great miniatures blogs! Whether you like checking out the work of professional artists, seeing people's personal collections and projects, or are looking for tutorials and tips, you're sure to find it.

New Printies Links

I've added two new links to the Printies section of my website:


Minnan Miniprintit (Minna's Mini Printables): An extensive collection of bags and boxes for various occasions. Also artwork and home decor items like wallpaper, borders, tiles, and some lovely rugs.





Miniature Cat Dollhouse Printables: Cat food, kitty litter, books and magazines about cats, cat wallpaper, cat rugs, cat quilts, cat puzzles, pictures, and posters - all things cats!

Toothpick Art

It never ceases to amaze me how people can turn the simplest of things into art. Steven J. Backman, of San Francisco, CA, has been making toothpick art since he was a child. Eventually he turned the hobby into a business, Landmarks of San Francisco, selling toothpick recreations of historical cable cars and other landmarks.

His most famous piece is a 13-foot replica of the Golden Gate Bridge that took over 30,000 toothpicks and 2-1/2 years to build. It is currently on display at Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum in Hollywood, CA.

The bridge is illuminated with more than 100 LED lights.


This cable car is 16" long and made up of 4,000 toothpicks.


This replica of the Golden Gate Bridge is made from just one toothpick and is less than 2" long.

ToothpickArt.com

Sidebar Links Part 3: Mini Blogs (part deux)

S. Mehreen's Dollhouse Blog - Sumaiya Mehreen keeps this blog very busy with posts about the world of miniatures. She posts about miniature artists, fascinating miniatures she finds on the web and on eBay, interesting miniature art exhibits, and more - with lots of beautiful photographs to drool over!

Tales from a Toymaker chronicles the life and art of Sandra Morris of East Sussex, UK (and the adventures of Small Dog.) Sandra makes exquisite porcelain dolls (1:12 and 1:24) and miniature toys as well as hosting an online doll club.

The Mini Food Blog features the work of numerous miniature food artists. They also provide information and links to tutorials, artisan websites, and other things food-related. I mainly like seeing all the photos of their amazing work, as miniature food is one of those things I just don't have a talent for!

Tiny Treasures is written by Debbie, who lives in southwestern Wales, UK. She posts regularly about her life and miniature projects, with lots of step-by-step progress photos and information. Currently she's working on an Apothecary shop, and I have total mini-glassware envy (wait'll you see the stuff she had made!)

Turnings In Miniature (and more), by Tom Saunders, of Red Deer, Alberta, follows the progress of the miniature Tudor house he's been building from scratch. He also posts about his miniature turnings, with interesting info about the woods and materials he uses to create them.

Un jour a la campagne is another "beautiful blog" (in fact, I think I'm gonna make a post specifically about beautiful blogs!) that I love for it's gorgeous images. Primarily chronicling the evolution of a French Country style dollhouse based on numerous real houses and chateaux, from construction to accessorizing.

Sidebar Links Part 2: Mini Blogs (part 1)

The next section of links in the right sidebar of my blog here is Mini Blogs. There are so many mini blogs I can't possibly link to them all... I try to focus my list on those that provide a lot of interesting information about the art of miniatures, good resources, beautiful photos, etc., and that are updated regularly. If you'd like to see even more blogs, then go to my profile and check out the list of blogs I follow. That oughta keep you busy!

Casey's Minis - Casey, based in Tucson, AZ, has been a miniaturist since the 1980s and has had her work published in several miniatures magazines. In addition to her art & design experience, she is an accomplished needleworker and has particular experience in restoring antique miniatures. And as if that's not enough, she's a creative and hilarious writer! Following along with Casey's projects and the exploits of her miniature people is a daily pleasure.

Creating Dollhouse Miniatures - I've posted about this blog before, brainchild of Gaye Coonce of Anderson, CA. All the best handpicked videos of scale miniatures in one place - virtual tours of dollhouses and personal collections, tutorials, inside looks at artists at work - currently there are over 166 videos to watch. The site is also a great resource for links and information about the art of miniatures. Gaye encourages all miniature artists and collectors to create a video and submit it to the site.

Following Troll Tracks features the work of Dolores Maple of Versaille, IN. She is an excellent sculptor, managing to combine realism and humor into some really charming little characters (I love those little sleeping mice!) In addition to regular photos of her latest creations to inspire you, she posts very helpful sculpting tutorials that almost make me feel like I know what I'm doing.

Mini Leaps and Bounds - Jody Raines of South Carolina writes this blog - lots of eye candy here! She posts regularly about her own projects as well as featuring the work of other miniaturists, with lots of beautiful photos.

Miniatures By Rachel - Rachel (based in either Germany or Thailand, or both, according to her profile) is a miniature food artist who works mostly in cold porcelain and Japanese Luna clay. She posts regularly about her latest creations, which are all gorgeous and will make you hungry. I find her work inspiring, so detailed and perfectly scaled!

O Mundo de Zaphia - This blog by Sofia is in Portuguese, translation is provided for numerous languages. But you don't even have to translate it to appreciate her beautiful photographs! She has a real eye for design and color, with a romantic European "chic shabby" sort of look (that other term is copyrighted!) that I just love. She often recreates antique rooms, looks, and items in miniature, so it's fascinating to see how she accomplishes it.

Tomorrow: Mini Blogs, Part Deux!

Check out them links!

If you haven't taken a look at the links in the sidebars of my blog here, it would be well worth your time. I thought I'd run through some of them and give you a preview of what you can find. So we'll start with the Miniature Eye-Candy!

Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle - This castle was one of the things that originally inspired my fascination with miniatures when I was a child. I checked the book about it out from the library constantly, and spent hours poring over the photographs of the elaborate miniatures.

One of the most famous silent film stars of the 1920s, Colleen Moore began work on the Fairy Castle in 1928. Her position and fame allowed her to enlist the help of over 700 designers and craftsmen - including art directors, interior designers, jewelers, and even surgical lighting specialists! Altogether it cost nearly $500,000.

The Fairy Castle contains only the best: floors of marble and jade; working plumbing fixtures of gold and silver; murals and paintings painted by Walt Disney himself; chandeliers adorned with real diamonds, emeralds and pearls; real antiquities over 2,000 years old. The library holds over 100 books, all first or original editions, many hand written by some of the world's most prominent modern authors. The bible in the chapel is the tiniest bible ever to be written, dating back to 1840. Every piece is a work of art.

In 1935 Colleen Moore organized a national tour of the Fairy Castle to raise money for children's charities. The tour stopped in most major cities of the United States and was a huge success, raising more than $650,000 between 1935 and 1939. Since 1949 the Castle has been on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.


The Great Global Online 24 Hour Dollhouse Museum Tour - This site puts a world of miniatures at your fingertips. From the antique dolls houses and cabinet houses of The Victoria & Albert Museum and the Rijksmuseum, to the work of modern artists like Bill Lankford and Bluette Meloney, Grazhina has organized a list of online displays that will keep you busy for hours!






Miniature World - This museum is located in downtown Victoria, BC, Canada, and someday I will visit it. They feature over 80 miniature dioramas, including two of the world's largest dollhouses and one of the world's largest model railways.

With their website's handy-dandy interactive map, you can visit the different areas of the museum and see slideshows of the miniature displays. Visit the Circus, the Enchanted Valley of Castles, Frontier Land, Fantasy Land, Space 2201 AD, the Fields of Glory, the World of Dickens and Olde London Towne of 1670.


Musée des miniatures & décors de cinéma - This museum is based in Lyon, France, and is another place I will visit someday. In the meantime, I'll have to be content with this virtual tour of their 120 miniatures scenes and over 1,000 other amazing miniatures.



Rik Pierce's Webshots Album - What can you say about Rik Pierce except, "Wow!" A master of design and detail (and PaperClay), Rik's work is simply amazing. His incredibly detailed stonework brings castles and fantasy cottages to life like no other.










Sally Wallace's Mini Projects - A truly spectacular collection of miniature buildings! My particular favorites are the Dollhouse Factory, the Tudor Village by Gerry Welch, and Hogwarts by Rik Pierce. There are tons of photos and detailed descriptions of each project, so be prepared to spend a while!







Thorne Miniature Rooms - Conceived by Mrs. James Ward Thorne of Chicago, the Thorne Rooms were constructed between 1932 and 1940. 68 different rooms depict European interiors from the late 13th century to the 1930s and American furnishings from the 17th century to the 1930s. The Rooms are at The Art Institute of Chicago and can be viewed through this website tour.