Miniature Scrimshaw for Your Nautical Scenes

I'm so in love with this new miniature that I've listed - a lovely bit of scrimshaw on a gold stand. For those of you who don't know, scrimshaw is an old art of engraving designs on ivory (usually whale ivory or walrus tusks) or whalebone.The etchings were then accented with pigments like candle black or soot. The images were traditionally nautical in nature, pictures of ships or whaling scenes. The art first became popular with sailors on whaling ships in the 18th century. Since the ban on commercial whaling and harvesting of ivory from other animals it has fallen off, but some people still do it using manufactured ivory-like materials.

These little scrimshaw sculptures are made of cast metal. I've painted them to look like aged ivory and finished the stand in 18k gold leaf with a shiny black base. It would be a great accent to any miniature nautical scene or New England-style dollhouse. It's also a perfect complement to the miniatures sailor's knot plaque I make, which I based on one made by my grandfather. Both are available on my website or in my Etsy shop. Thanks for looking!

ForestFaery Feature: TreeFeathers

I am very honored to have my work featured on the Dreams of Fae blog, written by 14-year-old Taylor Lynn. Taylor is a photographer and budding novelist who is very active on Etsy. She blogs about her art photography and her business, and writes about fellow Etsy artists.

A few weeks ago Taylor included some of my miniature books in a post. After discovering what a huge Harry Potter fan she is I sent her a set of my little Harry Potter books as a thank you. She then asked if she could interview me for her regular "ForestFaery" feature of Etsy artists. I, being easily flattered, was happy to oblige. So pop on over and take a look.

Also pay a visit to her Etsy shop, The ForestFaery, where she sells her original art photography prints. They are really beautiful, I'm so impressed!

Is my slideshow showing up?

Can anyone tell me if my slideshow is showing up properly, in the upper left corner of the blog? For some reason all I can see is a small portion of the pictures, except once or twice when I've refreshed and it shows up like it's supposed to. If others are having trouble seeing it, too, I might have to find a different way to do it (right now I'm using the Blogger slideshow gadget).

Etsy Treasury Features

I'm a bit behind on posting about Etsy treasuries. In the past month, my miniatures have been in three different treasuries. Interesting and colorful themes, so check them out!

She chose Pemberley. Frankly, I would too! by TeezLoueez included my Jane Austen dollhouse books.

Red gift, get your mother:))) by SibelDesign featured my Edgar Allen Poe set.

And my miniature House of Cards has been included in Baby, You're a Firework by NSpottery.

Thank you all! :)

As always, you can purchase my miniature books in my Etsy shop or directly from my website.

Contest prize from Lara's Miniature World

Back in March Lara Bijlsma of Lara's Miniature World held a giveaway, and amazingly, I won! The prize was this lovely little chest of drawers. Lara made it in Swedish style from a House of Miniatures kit. She did a beautfully hand-painted marble effect on the top and lined the drawers with floral paper. There was even a little home decor magazine stashed away in one of the drawers! I really like it, now I just have to find the perfect place for it. Thank you, Lara! :)

Photos by Lara Bijlsma, used with permission.

Shedding Some Light on Medieval Illumination

This month I wrote an article for the AIM magazine, "The Art of Illumination." It's a brief history of medieval illuminated manscripts and the tools and techniques of their creation. I hope that you will take a look!

The theme this month is 'Castle Life' - 140 pages of gorgeous miniatures! If you like castles, you're going to love this issue - magical castles, historical castles, smaller-scale castles, real-life castles, and a whole gallery of castle rooms, castle dolls, and castle accessories (including some of my books). Learn about the history of wall-hanging tapestries, the labors of the medieval baker, and the inspirational life of Queen Elizabeth I.




Pictures from "The Art of Illumination" by Grace Griffin


You also don't want to miss Jane Laverick's hilarious article, "The Agony & the Ouchstacy." Her humorous take on the surprisingly dangerous work of the professional miniaturist had me rolling on the floor. She even made the story of how I cut the end of my finger off seem much funnier than I remember it...

Grace stumbled around with paper towels clamped over her hand looking for the duct tape. I'll repeat that - looking for the duct tape. See now, this is the real danger with miniaturisation - it can lead you into extreme DIY.

(I was pleased to find that I'm not the only DIYer in the miniatures world, although I did finally end up going to the hospital, unlike some others you'll read about.)

Free projects this month: knitting a chain mail helmet, a printable castle room box in three scales, retro lingerie, and Part 3 of CJ Cormier's thatched roof project.

The AIM magazine is a FREE monthly dollhouse & miniatures magazine brought to you by the members of Artisans in Miniature. Packed with articles, galleries, tutorials, and miniature news! Regular features include show reports, member profiles, featured blogs, artist interviews, and smaller scales. Read it online or download it at http://www.artisansinminiature.com.



"Cutting off the end of her finger was just the start for Grace, who has kindly demonstrated in the photograph exactly how to cut your finger off with a craft knife." - from "The Agony & the Ouchstacy" by Jane Laverick