My Kind of Town! I

 I am on a few hour hiatus today, yet I just had to start posting about my Chicago trip. This week will be hectic for me as well. I wish I had time to talk about all of the fun and cool people I met and the ones I already knew at the two miniature shows in Chicago. Miniaturists rock! This was my third time in Chicago, my fourth miniature show, but my first time putting the two together. I had a ball!

There was something for everyone and every pocket. I saw minis with not so mini prices like $75,000 and others down to $1! I will not add some of the pictures of the show just yet because I want to match the creator with the project. There were so many! I wrote hints on the back of business cards so I could match them up at posting time.

Some things I did with the cool people I met there. The foods and restaurants were so awesome.   Reminding me of New York. Then, being me, there was a lot I wanted to do on my own time and schedule.

The two shows were the worldwide Tom Bishop International Miniature Show and the more intimate, but just as exciting Linda Frye Three Blind Mice show at another  location.

Would you believe there were TWO museums with amazing permanant miniature collections in Chicago?

I was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. There was so much to see and do. I did make it to the Chicago Institute of Art to see the Thorne collection. The roomboxes are authentic depictions from various periods. I will only comment on a couple of pictures as time is short at this moment. Please excuse the quality of some of the pictures. They were behind glass enclosures and flashes were not allowed.

Enjoy!

This stands guard outside of the museum

Facing the museum this is to the left. The little park is so scenic and a great place for reflection

Surrounding area of the museum. I have always loved the architecture of Chicago!

 FLASH BULLETIN!

Two grandchildren just rushed in a few minutes ago to tell me they had something to show me. Out I ran with my camera! This is what they saw!  It took several shots to get a good one, because I was afraid the parents would come back and get me. lol I don't know what kind of birds they are. But, I thank them for sharing their babies with me and my grands :-D

 

 

Now back to our regularly scheduled program...

 

 

 These are life-sized works of art I just thought you would enjoy.

 

Dorian Gray

American Gothic

 

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Mini Humor

Got back from the Tom Bishop Chicago International Doll Show and the same night got grands for spring break. I am exhausted. Here is something to laugh at while I regroup. Be back with tales of the show, another artist highlight and what I have been up to.

Grandmommy

Enjoy!

 More funny stuff :-)
http://www.virtualdollhouse.net/Service/Fun%20Stuff.htm#Definitions
Then scroll up.

Mastering The Bedroom

 I worked on the "big house" a little more and sharing my progress with you. My goal is to get it completely decorated inside and out so I can set up the landscaping at least by the end of the year. Hopefully sooner. Because I have so much mini stuff, I want to see how much I can get done on all of my projects using what I have on hand without buying too much more. Also, because I have multiple projects going at once, things take me a little longer sometimes.

 

This is the master bedroom. Maybe one day if I get enough nerve to add an addition to the house this will become a master suite.
 

The picture over the bed will be framed once the right one is either made or shows up. It is just taped up temporarily.
 

If I can find something that resembles a vanity table in my stash, it will be added in there. Otherwise a dresser with a nice mirror will do. I need a place to put some of the nice perfume bottles and cosmetic jars I have already made.

 

I ran a pretty magnet, I planned to use as a poster, across my daughter and granddaughter for their opinion. They both loved it so expect to see it on one of the walls also. :-) A little paint touch up, nice window treatment and we will be good to go!

This room should be finished by the end of the week. I will share with you then.
Almost there!

Both lights work. The pictures in the foreground will go up after the window treatment is added.
Why not use living room tables in the bedroom? I think they work just fine.
The hanging lamps are made from beaded napkin rings!

These are earrings that will be fitted someplace in the room. I stumbled across the jewelry pieces that attached it all to the ceiling while looking for something else lol!

These lights are great for all sorts of things! Watch how they are used here.

The lamp harp cut out and ready for fitting

Re-fitting to the right size



Hole for the loop in the light is made with a hole punch. You can see the thin wire on the top left which was threaded through the top loop of the light and twisted. Then, the wire was threaded through a straw to help keep it straight (next time I will use a thicker wire inside the straws) and it all was hot glued to the ceiling. They got a little crooked during  the photo shoot



Still deciding on side chairs. 
The choice of vanity/dresser will determine the right chair
Those are area rugs on either side of the bed. They make it look like the bedspread is sort of   draping and too big for the bed in this picture



 

 

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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?

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FREE Half Pint Paint!

Hello friends,

Just wanted to let you know you can get free Valspar paint from Lowe's! Just enough for your next mini project. See you there!

 

Look for this magazine

Not much to get free  paint and a cool magazine



Make sure this coupon is in the magazine

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Artist Highlight And Eat Something Off Your Chess!

It is the week after Mardi Gras when everything has finally settled down. In the morning, I stood on the balcony overlooking the courtyard and thinking of the fun and friends of the week before. Later, at night, I  slowly stroll the courtyard enjoying the quiet and sweet fresh air.

But wait...is that a stranger lurking just outside?

What am I talking about? Go to: http://jocelynsdollhouse.blogspot.com/2014_02_01_archive.html and see Jocelyn's New Orleans Creole Townhouse. It is beautiful! It is sentimental! It is true to life! As with all of her work, it is also very detailed.

For some reason, I imagine Jocelyn working quietly on her projects with her hand tools and pencil sketches. As a matter of fact, because of her, I now try drawing things out to get a clear idea of what would work in my future projects.

I find her to be a consummate, professional artist and have seen her perform magic with the same things I have sitting in storage containers waiting for a purpose!

Make sure you look at ALL of the posts about the townhouse to find out why it is sentimental!

And check out her other wonderful projects while you are there!

ENJOY!

 

This is actually the first project that I sketched out as a result of seeing how Jocelyn does it. This is something I work on while I order parts or wait for other projects to dry. It is a Chess themed restaurant that I am building from scratch. It is the first dollhouse project for which I used the Woodworker's Guild machines.

The mirror leaning on the rear wall will be behind the bar that serves healthy snacks, smoothies and such. It will be a place where you can either play chess, participate in tournaments on certain nights or just watch and /or eat. Also, look for posted notices of live entertainment performing on other nights. 

(sorry for the dark pictures...I will try to get better ones as I progress)

 

 

Just a close up of the wallpaper

 

The table tops are actually coasters.
The floor is a real life  sized linoleum tile. I will make the slit on the right unnoticeable

 

I had to replace some legs so they will be repainted

 

The two rectangles on the back wall are door frames for the men's and women's restrooms
The bar will go between them

 

 

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Digital Playspace-3D Printing through Digital Dollhouse...HUH?

I stumbled across this recently.  Three dimensional printing is still very expensive. Yet, I wonder if this will really take off and be the way we decorate our mini houses in the future? Something like this could make artisans and specialty crafters either obsolete or drive up the costs of handmade articles.

Would you use something like this if it were affordable?

            )

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An Artist and Dining in Greens

A few great artists have been highlighted on this blog. I see so many extraordinarily  talented miniaturist, I decided I would like to highlight them on a regular basis.

Because of his last post, I felt he HAD to be the first one on my list. He is such a humble and positive person. Many of us have had the pleasure of his support as a follower on our blogs. When I visit his blog, I realize whatever project I am working is not quite finished. His work challenges me to work just a little harder.

 I constantly tell him, whenever I see anything he is working on, I get a lump in my throat. It is like looking at a classic piece of art!

He was also the winner of my "guess how much this dollhouse cost" contest.

I introduce to you: GIAC of :

 http://englishmanordollhouse.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-art-gallery-and-hell-ceiling.html

Enjoy!

 

To show you how much influence Giac has had on me, you will see the changes I am making all through all of my houses.  I realized there was a lot more to do in one of my dining rooms. I decided to keep the green color scheme it came with. The door frames will be added soon.  Most of my houses are pre-made, so that overhang on the left was already there . I refer to myself as the HGTV of dollhouses which means I have to figure out how to make this better! lol.

 

Now, I can't decide what size crown molding I should add. In my mind, it seems it should be the same size as the extension on the left because it looks lopsided. At the same time, I believe I have seen rooms with two different sized crowns in the same room. Both the ceiling medallion and crown molding will be gold. 

 

Once the molding is figured out I will add more wall décor and the other accessories I have.

This table is too small. It is just to give me an idea of what I want there. The next time you see this room, it will be very different. The more I look at it the more new ideas I get!

 

This is one of the patterns of molding I have.
 None are as deep as the overhang on left.

 

The closer I look and the better the lighting I am beginning to feel the carpet color is a bit off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 





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Big and Little PEACE

Hi Friends!

A couple of weeks ago during the big snow, I was telling my daughter I spent the entire day on minis. She said, "that must have been very relaxing." I said, "actually, it was more like peaceful." So, I ask you to notice the new "Peace" gadget I added to my blog.
I hope my blog always serves to help keep you in perfect peace. After all, this is all about friendships, fun times and positive play right? NEGATIVITY or DRAMA!
Sorry, I was missing in action the past few days. My blog was sick. It seemed a lot of people around the world were having the same  problem. There are still a few problems.
Please let me know if you have trouble with it.

I have some new projects I will show you very soon!
Peace,
Grandmommy

UPDATE!
Would you believe it was the PEACE widget that was causing the problem so I had to take it off! I will find something else nice to replace it. But at least...we are back in business again!(I hope lol)

For My Barbie-Lover Friends (sorry about three blank posts!)

 

I happen to run across an article about Barbie recently. She is one controversial gal who has gone through many changes over the years.

For some reason Barbie sales are down 13%! The adult market is unaccounted for. The article refers to parent consumers. Perhaps sales would increase if they made some of the changes adult collectors suggest! 

After listening to the song in the first commercial, I can understand why some shoppers would be concerned about the image that is portrayed for little girls... "really me? Petite?" Maybe, just maybe they should market to big girls and big boys a little harder! :-)

  Read further about Barbie's future with Sports Illustrated and a lot about her past and let me know what you think? Just what is your opinion on these Barbie topics?

 Let's start with her first commercial shown during the Mickey Mouse Club in 1959.

The words in the commercial which talk

about her purpose was really thought provoking!

 

 Coming soon!

 

 This is a depiction of how she and Ken might look today if she aged like the rest of us.

Is the one on the right the way Barbie should really look? Would you buy her?


 Through all of her controversy she remains "unapologetic"
 GO BARBIE!

 

MJ is Now In Finland!

MJ has arrived safe and sound in Finland. You can check her out here!


http://www.miniatureandcraft.com/blog/2014/01/mini-jazzi-is-here/comment-page-1/#comment-2245

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More MJ Visit Pictures

After getting Keva asleep, MJ spent a few quiet hours with Keva's mom, Nyla, dad (yet unnamed)  and her grandfather who lives with them. As you can see, dad is getting a little bored with all of the girl talk and is nodding off. Grandpa just seems to be very thoughtful about the topic.

It was just like in real-life. Having company, MJ, made me see even more clearly all that needs to be done around the houses and other areas. I am vowing to get on these repairs and remodel projects promptly and on a regular basis. Window frames, wall decorations, painting and window dressing are on the top of my list. Keva's bedroom still has updates which are ready to be added. Currently, I am working on three stores in the mall also. They make good locations for the stories.

I have Pretty Pleaters for making draperies, so I will continue to practice using them so I can hang some in the living room below after I frame the windows. The tabletop is actually for a ceiling medallion. I plan to replace it with a glass or mirror on the table.

Jenna's room is actually the attic of this house. 

 

Since her television still has not been replaced on the wall, Keva is excited that MJ volunteered to read her a story.

I wish I could get the true colors of this room. Believe me it looks much better up close.
 The paint isn't even pink. It has a bit of lavender mixed in.



A quiet evening with more friends



MJ and her new friend Jenna had a great time in Jenna's family
 room watching The Little Mermaid

This is the right half of the attic family room in the picture below



The white house has the attic family room shown in the above pictures

 



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On The Road Again...

Hi,
Everyone! I hope your holidays were wonderful whatever and however you celebrate. Mine was so full I am just getting back to MJ! She is all packed up and will be leaving in the morning (Friday). The hosts don't know until the last minute when she will arrive and that is just in case she gets held up in the mail or customs. I am the last visit in the United States. This was all put together and started in 2012! I can't believe how time is flying! She has been to 11 hosts in several different countries already. Each host decides where she will send her next. Twenty four people around the world were chosen with a two year window of travel.

 We all will miss her; my family, my wonderful true friends,  my dolls and those people she and I met together. We had such fun! This is an experience we will never forget! My grandchildren are still learning about the places she has been.

 I  have a few more pictures and videos that I will share in a few more posts even though she will be on her way to her next host/auntie. Oh, by the way, I call her hosts "aunties" because that is what R/L MJ calls us. :-) There were so many other places to take her but time would not allow.

There are two things I wanted to add about South Carolina.    

                                    
1. You are never more than a few miles from a train track. The South Carolina coast is an open waterway for cargo from all over the world. That cargo can end up anywhere in the US!

                                                    

2. The other thing is the statewide rivalry between Clemson University and The University of South Carolina. It goes back a couple of centuries. You will see signs of one or the other or both all over the state.

                                                    This is a Wal-Mart display     



This is a common site in any Wal-Mart.
Sorry for the blurry picture. Taken with a cellphone

Last, not in any way least, I was so excited to receive my gifts from the other hosts. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I didn't know whether to show them or not. I don't want to spoil the surprise for the future hosts.  I hope they all love what I sent them also.



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