WOOD YOU EVER GUESS?

Hi everybody, 

Check out my latest grab. Found this on Facebook market! You would never guess...it's a wooden replica of a BARBIE A FRAME! Separated in the three pieces,  yellow and huge it wasn't recognizable at first. I am going to be really busy refurbishing this one! SCORE!

Original circa 1978-79

For cuteness 

ROOF TOP JAZZ

Romance at the Golden Pineapple

 (PLEASE CLICK)

The picture you see may not be from the video)

 Hi Everyone 

There have been so many things getting in the way of this post. However,  I learned how to use my new phone to post by phone for the first time since I started this  blog 14 years ago. 

Here are a couple in-progress pics and a video of the  Roof Top jazz room of the Golden Pineapple Restaurant.

The white plastic thing was an air freshener pulled apart. It's going to be an outdoor heater to make the chilling nights nice and cozy with the help of red fairy lights inside the top and flowers in the bottom.. Which way do you think is better number 1 or 2?

12

The piano and other instruments will sit atop a low stage. Other little details are all prepared to make for a truly Jazzy experience. 

The night scene is from the internet printed on 17x11 inch photo paper. After lots of tries, I like the way it came out.  Still, I plan on enhancing it to give a real night glow.

Keep your eyes out for the continuing work in progress!   

Come and Get It!!!

Ok, all of the winners have selected what they want. Now it is time for everyone else to let me know which gift they would like! You have until January first to make your choice.

That would be:
Lisa=P
Marta
Ilona
Billa=G
Georgia Girl
Brini
Ruth
Nite Owl=I
Day Dreamer
Smaller Places
Carmen
Maria=D
Tatiana
Muff
Les Mains Calmes
Paky

The WINNERS chose:
Droro=A
Phylis=H
Chris P=B
Narina N

I hope everyone enjoys their prize and

I wish everyone the most joyous and peaceful holiday season ever!

 

Click on picture for a larger view

First the FUN then the FUNK

 THE FUN!
I just won a mini prize from Carmen @  http://pekevasion.blogspot.com/2014/11/lo-prometido.html
Look at these adorable books!

They are even more adorable up close!

                                   Thanks Carmen!

The Chess-taurant has been demolished!

I follow several really professional level miniaturists. When I see them take things apart for improvements or upgrades, I am inspired to do the same.  That is where the unintentional demolition happened.
 At first my printer would not print properly so I could complete the window outdoor scene. Also, It bothered me that with the picture on the inside what should I do on the outside to show there was a window there. So, I took that to mean maybe I should go with my heart and actually cut out a window. I held my breath, went to the Woodworkers Guild work room and cut out the window. The supervisor there helped me practice cutting straight lines with the scroll saw. Well, that is where it got nasty. lol I ended up making a few gouges when I finally tried it on the wall .
Trying to be true to my determination to be like my professional friends I knew I had to cut out a whole new wall. I could have just made a big picture window by cutting out the two sections, but for some reason I didn't think it would be as cozy as having three panes.




The wall on the left if the second one. You can see the gouges on the first one on the right. I have to do a little more sanding and open another jar of paint so all the walls would be the same color.

I re-cut the window wall...still not to my total satisfaction, but something I could live with. When I dry fit it in place a little sunlight shone through and I knew I had done the right thing. :-) So, now it will just take a few more hours of work and the Chess-taurant will be truly complete. So look forward to seeing the new look soon!

OK, WHAT IS THIS?  

Sometimes when I keep walking past something it will call out to me. Just like this one did LOL!
Can you guess what new project I have added to all of my other projects? The next four pictures are clues. What do you think it will be when completed?

One day, maybe last year, I bought a large container of popsicle sticks. I decided to try using them for this project.

Part of the fun was reading the jokes on the backs of some of them!



I used some parchment paper to keep it from sticking  to the surface while I glued them together. Yep that is the price...thrift shop of course!
 

Thinking I should make this a contest...look for details later. :-)

 THE FUNK
Simply...to the fellow miniaturist who is saying those salacious (really bad for my foreign friends) things about The Grandmommy and discouraging people from my blog that is really mean and I would never do that to you. Like I tell my grands...Be kind !

I ask my fellow bloggers what would YOU say or do to someone who was doing that concerning you and your blog...

For my MANY miniature friends...thanks for being just that! HUGS!

Click on picture for a larger view

Free Stuff for My Minis!

My favorite question on my teacher's budget was, "Are you going to throw that out?" lol That is how I acquired so many supplies for my classroom. Now, I ask for mini purposes.

Mini Enthusiasts are everywhere. Some embrace their mini selves. Others don't yet know they are one. It is not necessary for one to be a crafter or even collector to be classified as an M.E.! Just start talking about or showing your minis and you will see that mini light go off in an M.E.'s eyes. I saw it happen when given two of the items below.

If you know Grandmommy, you know I am a true miniaturist or M.E. I interpret the world in terms of minis. What can that be used for in mini world?  Hmmm.

Because of either my constant mini babbling or from asking for valuable mini leftovers, I recently ended up with these fine additions to my studio supplies!

Many thanks :-D

 

This is a really cool assortment of Glidden paint samples. Can you believe this! It was given to me by a certain large bellied art teacher ( Best wishes for you and your son who is due soon!)

This is linoleum from an apartment repairman at my daughter's building

I asked for scraps, but he insisted I take the whole roll! I think he was excited because I requested it in Spanish. lol

This the color I chose for my free paint coupon from Lowe's



It is the perfect peach color I have been trying to mix-with no success. You can't really tell, but it is painted on the rear wall.  Great coverage and a little goes a long way. This is a future store in the Mall I am making. Update coming soon! 

I tried and tried to get good shots, but these were as good as it got.
 

 Sooooo, everything in this post was free! How cool is that?

Click on picture for a larger view

MJ is a Cheesehead!

 

MJ is now in Wisconsin with Teresa of creativeliveandme. She is enjoying the sights of buffaloes, Lambeau Field, even winter in the summer. I have visited at least half of all the states in the United States. Wisconsin is still on my list. So, everything MJ shares with us will be new to me.

I mentioned to Teresa that I was particularly excited to see the pictures of the buffaloes. Well, look at her last post! :-D 

Note: I don't know what happened with MJ's trip to Africa. When I find out I will share with you.


Click on picture for a larger view

Cool Pool UPDATE

Remember that pool I found last year? Well, I finally found out who makes it and what it is used for. Ketsiaelie of IttyBittyAdventures   shared with me that it is a Del-Mar pool made by Tech Deck. She was hoping her son would tire of playing with it so she could. But, no go. LOL The
 ad even called it a "cool pool" like I did. LOL Is that silver nail polish on that hand? hmmm  Anyway, I was afraid to look at too many other things available on the site...and you know why. LOL I know they at least had a really nice picnic table there. Come to think of it, I  already have a few of their ramps in my mini park! I added them because I actually enjoy watching skateboarding competitions myself! :-D

You can look at one now selling. on Ebay.

I certainly didn't buy it for that price!

Thanks Ketsiaelie! 

Click on picture for a larger view

Gone Tomorrow

Here are the other wigs from the thrift shop I promised to share with you. The Liv doll has on a wig probably meant for a clown, but she said it matched her dress so she got that one. As you can see, there were various colors, sizes and styles. There were also packages of curly hair that has to be glued on the head or made into a wig.  I stood there picking up and putting down one after another. At .49 cents why didn't I just buy all of them? This store is about twenty miles from my house.  I couldn't justify driving that far for the rest of them the next day when I came to my senses.  Besides, I convinced myself, they probably wouldn't be there anyway.

My blog buddy Brini of Brini's Doll Domain suggested the girls be named Faith and Hope. I like it. They told me they liked those names too. So it is.  Below is Hope.

The wig on the left actually came with the ribbons. The one on the right is similar to the one Hope is wearing

The wig on Hope's foot is a little smaller than the one she is wearing

Liv insisted on showing the price. She just couldn't believe her fortune lol

Click on picture for a larger view

Cold and Steely Refrigerators

 Lately, I have been spending time remodeling the houses in the "neighborhood." I have ideas for two of the kitchens. One will have stainless steel appliances. The other will have black. I tried out "appliance stainless steel" spray paint from Lowe's. That is the one in the middle. I really like it. Believe me the picture doesn't do it any justice. I have already tried it on a few other things like Nora's luggage.

The one on the left will be black and I believe I will leave the one on the right as it is. I would like to remove the paint and just have an oak finish like the cabinets in the black and white kitchen to make it look like a built in refrigerator. I am not sure what is under the paint, so I think it is best to just paint it black.

Each family is in a different age group and income bracket so I want to decorate accordingly. 

They all have shelving

 I also thought of turning it upside down to make it seem like the freezer was in the bottom drawer with a change of the handle. If it seems like a lot of thought going into a refrigerator, it is because I promised myself I would stretch my thinking when designing rooms from now on. From now on it is details, details, details.

  

UPDATE!!

Before I could finish this post I found some other pretty cool refrigerators. For now, I will use the ones I already have. Maybe in a few weeks I might treat myself to a new one! 

Click on picture for a larger view

Hello Africa!

 

GREAT NEWS! 

Mini Jazzi is on her way to Africa!  Please read what Molly wrote: 

Molly writes on 14th June... "I leave for Africa - Safari Serengeti/Tanzania on Thursday, June  20....Wait til MJ meets up with our miniaturist pals in the shadow of Kilimanjaro! (edited)


Click on picture for a larger view

Who's That Lady?

 There she is again! She seemed like a figment of everyone's imagination.. Never in the full line of view. Like a grain of sand in the corner of an eye, a blink would make her disappear.

Her name is Gladys Bell Haversham. It is a composite of three women. Gladys was the nosy neighbor on Bewitched. Bell is the name I once gave an very nosy, trouble making and intrusive neighbor who I nicknamed Nosybell. She actually watched my house to see which bedroom I slept in. She also took packages from my porch. My precious dolly stuff! On another occasion she told me she bought binoculars! On and on... Miss Haversham is from the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.  She is a woman who is stuck in time. Hence Gladys Bell's outfit.

Gladys Kravitz

                                                                             

                                                                              I love that character! LOL

 

You may have to play twice for better viewing

My nosy neighbor

                                                                                                   

Miss Haversham

Stay tuned to meet the more cordial residents...

Click on picture for a larger view

Sweet Dreams...Clowns and Ponies

Here are a couple of rooms from the big house I bought a few months ago. I want the family to appear rather wealthy, because the house is so big. The wallpaper is actually 1:1 trim.

The boys' room belongs to a set of five-year old twin boys. I dug in my stash and came up with the circus theme. I have shelving and other things waiting to be added.

The girl's room belongs to their nine year old sister who loves My Little Pony. The little pony was also already in my stash! The My Little Pony theme seemed just right for the little girl in the family and a sleepover friend. I am still searching in my goodies for just the right carpeting and fabric for pillows. The comforters are a Barbie sized cut in two. As soon as I cut the wallpaper from around the windows and I find the right fabric, I will make the curtains. I am thinking of perhaps the pink I already have. It is cotton and I am not sure it will match up with the "satin" bedding.



Bedding and curtains are on the way!



Just as I was snapping this the picture moved. LOL

I couldn't believe the match to the wallpaper!

On the hunt for other matching mini My Little Pony stuff.

Click on picture for a larger view

They Will

In my treasure trove shopping, I often pick up things just because they look cool. Other times I get a whole scene in my head. This was a combination of both. It looked to me to be a reception hall for weddings and such. I thought the couple looked like the father-daughter dance at a reception so I paired them. I believe it is a Bratz house. I was too lazy busy to go out to the duplex studio to double check.

The "chariot" was painted black with intentions of adding gold trim as a gift for a fashion doll's wedding last year. I never finished it and of course never sent it, so I never mentioned it LOL.  It can be used by a fashion or 1:12 doll.

Now, I think I will paint it white with gold trim to match this scene. What do you think about that? Black and gold or white and gold?

I have several ideas to add. This is of course part of the growing neighborhood!

The reception hall and outdoor accents

Please excuse the man at the bar during the father-daughter dance.
He is one of those cousins we all have.

This is the back or front depending on how you look at it. :-)
I would like to paint it, but it has so many details it feels daunting.



The outdoor gazebo for pictures.

Partial view of the chariot.

Click on picture for a larger view

Laugh Break!

 Come on and take a minute from your crafting to have a laugh! Someone from one of my Yahoo mini groups shared this with the group. Funny!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2297585/Wild-squirrels-pose-charming-pictures-photographer-hides-nuts-miniature-props.html#

I'm glad I did!


Something for you to enjoy while I get new posts ready for you. :-)

My Cup Runneth Away With Me Part II

Warning...long post!

Okayyyy,
Thanks to a little playing around with Blogger and Roville's and Vanessa's  suggestions it looks like I am back in business. Thanks Roville and Vanessa!

 As promised, I have a couple of great things I want to share with you. 
  This project is waaay on the back burner. I bought it about two years ago not knowing what I was getting into. I just knew that I loved it. Once I got it home and compared it to my dolls, I realized it was too small for 1:12 scale. So this will become my 1:24 scale arboretum/conservatory...one day. It opens by lifting the whole glass top. I have a lot of the accessories for it, but I just want to do a few other things and get more experience first with lighting and such.  So, for now it will go back into a box in the back of the studio.

This seems to be a bird feeder. Not sure. It has a nice Greco style to it. I thought it looked like someplace for my dolls to hang out and experience warm bubbles or maybe just a place to pitch pennies and watch birds. I painted the roof with textured spray paint to give it a shingled look and covered the pillars in marble looked wallpaper.  It will be an easy clean up when I finish and put "water" in it. Mini Barbie thinks it just right for posing.

Then there are these tiny 1:144 waiting to be furnished

Now for my Grand Finale. TADAAAAA! My Craigslist purchase!

You might remember, in Part I of this post, I said I didn't need any more projects...then if you noticed I mumbled something (  mumble mumble.) LOL Well, I happened across another deal. LOL

It had been riding around in my daughter's SUV, because it would not fit into my car. Both her back seat and one middle row seat had to be folded down in order for it to fit. She finally brought it over this weekend. I was like an expectant mother. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. The fellow I purchased it from must have thought I was a nut because I kept squealing and jumping up and down. AHAHA

  It is huge at over a yard tall and wide and vintage hand cut from lumber not a kit! It has nine, yep, nine rooms and opens from in the front and the back as well as the middle sections. Don't you just love that little landing in the front hall? All of the windows are glass and several of  the floors wooden. The carpet will of course be changed to match the decor.

Even the little front door is cute. I am thinking of using a white stucco type finish on the exterior with black window frames and lots of landscaping. The color looks different because some are from the Craigslist ad and the bad ones are mine. LOL 
Good things come to those who wait on God! 

You can see where it comes to next to my daughter

Closed front

Kitchen area

Front

Back

Front center hall

Side

Here is a comparison between my Victorian one and the new one

As if that weren't enough, I got a bag FULL (16) of books to go along with it...check them out.

Now, you have to guess what I paid for all of this...Whoever gets it right or the closest without going over wins this: a pathos plant in a ceramic vase. It works for both 1:6 and 1:12 scales{battery not included :-)} In the event of a tie, the first one to comment wins!

Oh, and-ah...this is, ahem...the last new project...for real... :-x

Click on pictures for a larger view