iseecerulean

l've been intrigued by 'squeeze me' shrubbery for a long time, and seeing and feeling it in person cinched it for me...I bought three small bushes and four small trees from A Little More in Miniatures.  I got the rake from Diane Burger.

One of my favorite booths at the IMA show was potter Jason Feltrope's.  I wanted to buy one of everything, but came home with two beer steins, a jar, four bowls and a modern style teapot.

I fell in love with this antique grill sold by picker Patricia Wehmeier.  I didn't get the name of the seller I bought the modern chair from.  The blanket was crocheted by Dorothy Stewart of Hickory Grove Studio.

I bought some fine paper covered wire from Japan to make plants with, and some small scale fabric to upholster furniture with.  I also bought several 1:24 scale kits.  The box from Summerville Miniature Workshop contains a kit for a loveseat. I got a dahlia kit from Grapevine Miniatures.  I got several kits from Teresa's Miniature Creations...a screen door, trellis, garden bench, stove, cupboard, and rocking chair.

I purchased a piece of marble from Tres Beertema of Unicorna, from the Netherlands, which I will hopefully be able to use as a kitchen counter in the Bungalow.  I don't remember who I bought the corbels or three styles of tiny turnings from.  When I got home I found that the corbels are too big for what I intended to use them for, so they'll go in my stash to be used later.

That's it, that's everything I bought.  Tomorrow I'll post pictures about the class I took.

I bought a goldfish bowl from Miyuki Kobayashi, from Japan.  She also makes really cool aquariums, but I didn't have a spot to put one.  This bowl will go outside in the garden of one of my houses.

I bought 1:12 candles from Victoria of Dark Squirrel's Miniature Asylum...they are made from polymer clay but look just like wax...I am planning to use them inside a 1:24 fireplace. I've been eyeing them on Etsy for quite a while, once I saw the finish in person I snatched them up.

The pot I got from Julie of CelticJuju.  I've talked to Julie on a miniatures forum, it was nice to meet her in person. The pot has a great weathered finish which I couldn't capture well with my camera. 

One of them, I'm not sure who, snuck some mini fruit in my bag...thanks!

I bought the tea table kit and the fireplace tools (which is a finished kit) from SDK miniatures.  I've bought several of her plant kits over the years and finally got to meet her in person.

I bought the beautifully crafted 1:24 chair from Rebecca Libscomb, and the perfect little wicker shopping cart from Uncle Ciggie's Miniatures.  The brass cold air return is an antique I purchased from picker Patricia Wehmeier, and the shelf brackets and pans were purchased from Hartland Miniatures.

The tiny, intricate paper doily is from Stewart Dollhouse Creations.  As a bonus Ruth included the artwork...the map is going to look great in the study of the Fairfield.

A darling little polymer clay cyclamen from Twilla's Tiny Treasures...Twilla is a very nice lady :)

I bought a lot of pottery.  I mixed up who I bought what from when I unpacked...most of this I bought from Diane Burger.  The chipped pot in the back left was a freebie from a man Brae bought some pottery from (I was out of both cash and time when we got to his booth).

I don't remember where I got the large pot from.  The porcelain dog and teeny turtle are from the Greenhouse Mini Shop, the porcelain cat from the Little Dollhouse Company, and the coffee pot from Hartland Miniatures.  The plastic kitty on the right was a free door prize at the Three Blind Mice Show. The barrel was made by Charles of Sir Thomas Thumb, he's who made the shovels, pitchforks, rakes, etc for the the mill....I got a big hug, then we sat and chatted for at least half an hour.

The resin baskets I bought from Greenhouse Mini Shop; I don't remember the name of the shop I picked up the wooden spoon and ladle from.  The macaroni and cheese was made by Jan Patrie of Autumn Leaf Studio...it took forever to decide which of her pieces to buy, they were all fabulous.  The coffee grinder was made by Alemikimikri, from Italy, the crocheted pot holders by Deb's Custom Crochet, and the teapot cozy by the very talented Helen Palenski from New Zealand...this is the third teapot cozy I've purchased from Helen, I think she blushed a little when I told her the two I have elicite many compliments.

A blue jay and chickadee made by Barbara Ann Meyer.  Barbara is the artist who made the pigeons I used in the mill, the artist whose name I could not remember at the time....this time I put her business card in the background.

A half scale wine rack and spice drawers made by Mary & Ron Vogler of M&R Miniatures.

Some inexpensive mass produced pottery...I don't know which shop I got it from.

More mass produced dishes...I bought the dish blanks from True 2 Scale, they are sold to use with decals, which Carol also sells, but I plan to use them as is.  There wasn't a name on the receipt for the mixing bowl and pitcher.

A hens and chicks figurine from Stapleton Porcelains...a glass bottle from Gerd Felka, a glassblower from Germany....and a glass garden cloche from Grapevine Miniatures.

I'll post more pictures tomorrow.

What a blast!  I bought a lot of stuff and met a lot of interesting people.  There is such friendly camaraderie in a group of people sharing the same interest.  Even though I went by myself I never ate alone.  Brae and I had dinner together Thursday night, before an awesome class we took, then had lunch together again on Saturday with a very nice couple she knows from a miniature group she's in.  I had lunch Friday with some women I met at the show...had afternoon tea with an English couple I met, he is a master furniture maker who was very interesting to just sit and listen to (I loved his accent!)...had a long dinner one night with a charming woman from Miami who owns a miniatures business and has been coming to the show for twenty years.  I would sit at a table in the hotel restaurant for only a minute before I'd hear "I saw you at the show, do you mind if I join you?"  I'm so glad the show was as much about great people as it was great miniatures.  I even met a couple from my hometown who recognized me from the airport; we were on the same flight.

I'm glad the trip turned out to be just as much about the people I met as it was about shopping.

It was great to meet people whose blogs I read, online shops I've patronized, or who I've conversed with on online forums...seeing their work in person is so much better than pictures.  Brae had the needlepoint projects she's been working on in her bag...her Navaho rug is absolutely incredible. 

A couple of people tapped me on the shoulder to tell me they recognized me from the picture on my blog and love my work...I'm so glad I dyed my hair blue for the trip, even though I was feeling pink.  I wish it weren't so crowded at the show, I would have loved to chat a little longer.

Also...a big thank you to Brae for playing chauffeur and being a great shopping companion at different points during my trip.  :D

The shows were fantastic.  I've been to the smaller fall Bishop show, and the show in St. Louis hosted by the miniatures museum, but this was my first time at the big Bishop International Show, the IMA show, and a Three Blind Mice Show.  The Bishop International show was HUGE...people from all over the world were both exhibiting and attending.  Almost everything at the Bishop show was out of my price range but I felt honored to see the work, it was like visiting a museum.  I was awed and humbled by the artisans.  The two smaller shows were great...fabulous artisans and also some booths with vintage pieces...not as overwhelming as the big show, just as interesting, and friendlier on my pocketbook. 

Here's a quick picture of me (still contently smiling!) with my loot...I spread it out over the coffee table when I got home to show my husband and daughter.  I'll post close up pictures of everything over the course of this week.

I didn't take any pictures at the shows because it was too crowded and I was worried I wouldn't see all the booths if I kept stopping to get pictures of everything I fell in love with (which was practically everything!).

I bought the kit for the Greenleaf Spring Fling contest again this year.  I've had it in and out of dry fit a dozen times, and I've started priming the surfaces which will be painted.

The kit comes with several optional add-ons...these are the two pieces I am using.  I am planning some minor alterations to the kit, but before I begin bashing I need to test the final furniture placement.  I already had most of the furniture in my stash, so only needed to purchase a small kitchen set, which is traveling on a slow boat from Europe.  I am desperately hoping the kitchen arrives today so that I can see if the interior set-up I designed works out before I leave for the Chicago show tomorrow afternoon.

The deadline for the contest is September third, so I won't show you the kit again until then, except for an occasional sneak peek here and there.  Wish me luck!

As a thank you for hanging in with me when Google Friend Connect did not, I made a 1:12 scale plant stand and three potted plants to give away. 

The chair is not part of the give-away, it is in the picture to illustrate size.

The plant stand measures 9.3 cm wide, 3.7 cm deep, and 7.8 cm tall (3 5/8" wide, 1 3/8" deep, 3 1/16" tall).  It was made from tiny turnings, stained a medium wood tone, and sealed with satin varnish.  The acrylic shelf is not attached, so it can be removed if you'd like to paint the plant stand a different color.

The plants are permanently fixed in the pots, and the saucers are glued to the pots...but the pots are not attached to the stand, so you can use them elsewhere if it suits you.  The plants are made from archival card stock and paper covered wire. The tops of the leaves have been coated with satin varnish.

To make the color scheme neutral the two shorter clay pots were painted with an ivory colored enamel paint.  The taller wooden pot was painted with a white and tan crackle glaze.  A close up of the taller pot was shown two posts ago.

I will pick a name at random from all who comment on this post that they'd like to be included in the drawing.  I will draw the name and post the winner on May first.

Thank you for reading my blog, it means a lot me to know you're there.   :)

I wanted to finish the give-away yesterday since the Spring Fling 2012 contest kit I bought is going to arrive today.  I almost got it done.  When I reached the point where I was tired and my hands were cramped I knew to quit...because working beyond that point is when silly mistakes happen.

It's nice working in 1:12...I can pick up and manipulate the leaves with my fingers instead of with tweezers :)

I shall finish the plants tonight and post the give-away announcement...then I will have to 'run silent' for a while as I work on the Spring Fling.  The deadline for the contest is September third, but I don't expect I'll need that long to get it done because what I have planned is simple and I already have the furniture.  It is nice to have more time this year, I can pay more attention to detail when I'm not rushed.  Plus, an artistic friend of mine, a dollhouse newbie, also purchased the Spring Fling kit...she warned me she may show up at my house on weekends needing help...I told her to come over any time.

I finished this pot then sanded back off the unsatisfactory results seven times before I got the crackle-glazed look I wanted.

I built the plant stand to fit three clay pots I had left over from making the mill last year.  After I was done building I thought the pots looked too short in the stand...and that they looked funny without saucers.

I tried my hand at making a saucer out of cardboard.  It turned out well, but the pot still looks too short.

I found some wooden pots and buttons in my stash that are taller, but aren't quite wide enough.  I sanded one down to have a realistic shape.

Then I thought it would be nice to make hand-made pottery, so the pots would be unique.  My supply of air dry clay (which took forever to find in the depths of my craft supply closet) is as hard as a brick, and I didn't want to wait for it to soften with water, so I grabbed the paperclay I bought a while ago to experiment with.

I can't believe how light paperclay is...I understand why it's used for stone finishes on dollhouse walls...I think if you put it on a scale its weight would be a negative number.

I had fun making some lopsided pots, but they didn't turn out good enough to use in the plant stand.  With some practice I'm sure I can turn out nice pieces, but I don't have time to practice right now.

The next day I tried my hand at making a pair of square pots from scraps of wood.  I finished one, the second is still unassembled...I wasn't thrilled with it.

I also made a pot from textured paper and a round metal thing I found in my stash.  I like how it turned out, but the style doesn't fit the look I'm going for with this piece, so I'll save it to use elsewhere.

Now that I've played around with some ideas I've decided to use two of the clay pots, one on each end, since they are what I built the plant stand to fit and I've got an idea to make them a bit taller...and in the middle, between the clay pots, the taller wooden pot I sanded so hard to shape.

Now that my decision is made...whew!...I can proceed.