Pardon my dust...

In my ongoing efforts to declutter the sidebars and yet still provide information and resources, I'm rearranging things a bit around here. I've moved my TreeFeathers links to the top of the page; hopefully this will encourage more people to visit the rest of my website and check out my miniatures store! You may notice some other changes in the next few days as well, but it shouldn't be too disruptive.

All Aboard! Miniature Toy Train

I'm so excited to have finished this project! This tiny toy train was commissioned by a friend as a gift for her boyfriend, who is crazy about trains. He's also a big fan of the Polar Express book and movie. This miniature railroad layout is 4" square and fits in a clear lucite box for display.

I made the track entirely out of polymer clay. It has 210 individually made (and attached) railroad ties, each only 3/16" (4.5mm) long. A hill and some trees complete the snowy landscape.

The handpainted metal train is about 4.5" (11cm) long. It has three passenger cars and a coal car. The passenger cars are each just under an inch long and 3/8" (9mm) tall, the engine is a little bit bigger. The engine has a tiny brass bell on it and a wee engineer in the window, although you can't really see that in the pictures. I used whiskers shed by my cat for some of the finest painting on the train (I knew I saved them for something!)

I've archived this in my Minis Gallery. Click on the photos for a larger view and more detail.

Moose on the Loose: The World Travels of Herbert J. Moose

Meet Herbert J. Moose. Originally hailing from Moosylvania, now living here in Indiana. He's about 3" tall. He has a very famous uncle, but he doesn't like to brag about it.

Herbert has been traveling around the U.K. for the last month and a half, on the first leg of his It's a Small World Tour. He's visiting the homes of a number of miniaturist friends and having a grand time seeing the sights (pictured left in Kent, England.)

Herbert's trip is being chronicled in photographs and entries in the journal he took along, as well as on his own Facebook page (feel free to friend him if you want to keep up with his journey in real time.)

He arrived in Derbyshire, England on March 16th and spent a week visiting with Donna and her family. From there he went to see Julia in Kent, England, and then Tina in North Essex. He then travelled back to North America and caught up with Judy just in time to tag along on her trip to the Isle of Man and London. They got to spend a few extra days in London when flights home were cancelled due to volcanic ash (Herbert was disappointed he didn't get to see the volcano.) He just arrived back in Canada this week, where he is visiting with Lea and Arden and getting a welcome bit of rest after his whirlwind tour of the U.K. Lots of beautiful photos, be sure and check them out!

Herbert's Itinerary
Derbyshire, England: March 16-24, 2010
Kent, England: March 30-April 5, 2010
North Essex, England: April 7-25, 2010
Isle of Man & London, England: May 3-21, 2010
Ontario, Canada: May 22-29, 2010
New Hampshire, USA: June 8-14, 2010
Indiana, USA: June 21-28, 2010
Idaho, USA: June 30 - July 6, 2010
California, USA: July 9-21 2010
Home!: July 27, 2010

Catching a football game in Derbyshire, England.

Storming a castle in Kent.

Feeding the chickens in North Essex.

Isle of Man, overlooking the Irish Sea.

Riding a double-decker bus in London.

Learning to knit in Ontario, Canada.

Skateboarding in New Hampshire, USA.

Making friends in Indiana, USA.

Hiking and fishing in Idaho, USA.

Beating the heat in California, USA.

Home again at last.

"Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it." - Henry David Thoreau

Sale at Dejoux MIniatures - up to 75% off!

Heads up - Dejoux Miniatures is having an Inventory Reduction Sale on select miniatures from May 18th to May 23rd, some items are as much as 75% off!

Also check out their 'Super Specials,' 'Discontinued' and 'Scratch & Dent' sections for more great deals (links at the bottom of the Sale page.)

Craft project for a rainy day

As you may have noticed from reading my blog, I'm a penny-pincher, always trying to get things done within my limited budget. For a while now I've been looking for a good container to use to take my orders to the post office. Up till now I've been using a plastic basket with a handle, but it's not very pretty, and if too many things are piled in it they tend to slide off the top when the basket gets jostled in the car, and fall down between the door and the seat where I may not discover them for several days, which can lead to delayed shipping and irate customers. I've been wanting something with a lid to prevent all that (and also to keep out curious cats.) It also had to have a handle, because I always have to think up ways to make things more complicated.

Easier said than done. I've searched the plastic bin sections of every store that carries plastic bins without finding what I want; it's too big, it's too small, it doesn't have a handle, it doesn't have a lid, etc. And especially, it's too expensive!

So I decided to make my own. They were having a sale on photo storage boxes at JoAnn's, so I picked one up for just $2.50. Lucky me, woven belting was also on sale and cost me less than a buck, and a pair of pretty buttons for another buck. (So ok, I only saved about a dollar off the plastic bin WITH handle and lid that they also had on sale, but I thought that might be just a wee bit too small, and this would be prettier anyway, and then I could blog about it.)

I measured the amount of belting needed (and by "measured" I mean, held it up to the box and estimated an appropriate length) and used a lighter to melt the cut ends to prevent fraying. Luckily the belting was synthetic, or I would have been blogging about how I made a new wick for my oil lamp. I used hot glue to attach the handle to the box - be sure not to glue all the way to the top edge of the box, or the lid won't fit properly. I started at the bottom edge rather than wrapping it around the bottom, since the bottom of the box will probably be getting banged up and dirty. Also I didn't want it to be tippy, because my OCD tendencies say things have to sit nice and flat on flat surfaces, and it would forever after drive me nuts if it didn't do so.

The buttons are a decorative touch, but I also wanted them to reinforce the handle as this box will be taking some abuse and I didn't want the hot glue to start coming off at some point. For this reason I sewed the buttons on rather than just gluing them. Use a sharp tool or large needle to punch the holes through the handle and box. I used embroidery floss to sew the buttons on and tied the thread off on the inside.

Ta da! A cat-proof, wandering-package-proof errand basket! Cost: $4.40. Time: 6 months searching stores for a plastic bin, 20 minutes shopping for supplies, and 15 minutes to make. Now I better go get some orders done to fill it!

Fabulous Flower Giveaway!

I've posted before about Tallulah Belle's fabulous miniature plants - and now you have a chance to win one! She's hosting a giveaway on her blog, Tallulah~Belle Originals, and the winner gets to choose from one of five of her beautiful handmade plants (including some of her hilarious new "living flower" creations!) All you have to do to enter is make a $2 donation to the "Children's Safe Drinking Water" program and paste your confirmation number in the comments on Tallooley's blog. The winner will be drawn on May 14th.

Did you know....

* Every day more than 4,000 children in developing countries die, simply because they don't have clean drinking water.

* Contaminated drinking water is a major problem. More than one billion people do not have access to safe water.

* Diarrhea caused by drinking contaminated water remains a leading cause of illness and death among infants and children in the developing world.

* About 1.8 million children die every year due to diarrheal diseases.

* More children die from diarrheal illnesses like cholera and dysentery than from HIV/AIDS or malaria combined.

* It is well documented that simply providing safe, clean, drinkable water can reduce deadly diarrhea and other devastating diseases by about 50%.

This is a great charity that will help many people, especially children. AND you'll have the chance to own one of Tallooley's gorgeous creations - so hurry on over and join in on this worthy cause!