a few mini things (for Mom)

On Thursday, I had already picked out a vase of lilacs

This was one of the things I bought at the first Edmonton Show and Sale I ever attended after my hiatus from miniatures before I joined the Miniature Enthusiasts of Edmonton - so that's a LONG time ago! They're made from bunka! My sister Shirley's favourite so far.

 to add to Mom's flower cabinet when I picked up my mail and received a package from Marilyn D. in New Brunswick. I met Marilyn some years ago when Cheryl H. and I stayed with her and her husband, Bruce, on our trip to PEI. A wonderful couple who has since relocated to New Brunswick. Marilyn is a member of F.A.M.E. and has a blog. Thank you so much, Marilyn.

Mom was so excited to receive this!

Marjike asked me to post a picture of the cabinet as it progresses but that's very difficult to do even at home where I can control some of the lighting from the glass and mirrors. This one is pretty much full but I do have two more (and lots to go in them) so can keep this up as long as I need to. (The picture is part of a fuller picture of all the cards, etc. in Mom's window.)

Between the glass, the mirrored back and the etching on the front, it's hard to get a good picture but I think I have managed to display all the plants individually on the blog.

Mom and Dad spent several winters in Arizona so I've going to be adding these two cacti (commercial pieces from Danielle Perry in Prince George years ago) to the cabinet tomorrow.

These are quite tiny pieces - maybe only 1" tall.

Then I think I'll have to move on to another cabinet.

flowers

I took my camera up to the hospital today and got a picture of Marjike's daffodils.

This commercial piece will be my gift for tomorrow.

I snipped off the hanger.

Mom turns 93 on Wednesday (five weeks to the day of her stroke) AND she is finally being transferred that day to the Glenrose Rehab Hospital in Edmonton for stroke therapy. Her speech is the only real problem at this point so we're looking forward to getting help with that.

Since the trip will probably be very tiring for her, we're celebrating her birthday tomorrow at the Sturgeon with angel food cake, lemon curd and whipped cream which are all allowed on her diet.

more flowers for Mom

I took a picture of the daffodils I took up to Mom yesterday but it's disappeared from my camera. It is a lovely arrangement made by Marijke in New Brunswick that I received years ago at Camp Mini Ha Ha. Marijke is the author of the blog Pulcinella's Cellar. She does lovely work and quite often has tutorials on her blog, especially plants and flowers.

The flower I'm taking up tomorrow will be a commercial piece, an amaryllis that I really like.

vase for Mom's roses

You may recall the roses I made awhile back in a workshop taught by Barb S.

I thought they would be the second set of flowers for Mom but wanted to decorate the vase a bit.

This was the vase that Barb included in the kit.

So I put in on the end of a skewer and painted it with a lovely pearlized white fingernail polish.

 Some time ago, DD Leanne gave me a pack of about 30 rolls of VERY narrow tape (used for fingernails).

I put three bands of the tape on the vase.

And here it is with the roses in place.

Mom was pleased.

more flowers for Mom

When I found the pot for the flowers I did for Mom, I looked at my 'flowers, vases, etc.' bulletin board and came across lots of lovely small plants and flowers I could give her. There must be 15 - 20 arrangements here that would work.

Sorry you can't tell how many possibilities there are - but there are LOTS!

When Shirley and I talked tonight, she mentioned that Mom had asked her to move the original pot onto the shelf under the window.

We discussed my thought of bringing up some new miniature flowers every few days....and putting them in a small cabinet.

So I checked my stash and found this great little glass and brass cabinet that will hold at least 5 floral arrangements. It has a mirrored back so took a bit of maneuvering to get a picture of it.

So I think that's what I'll go with. Add to it every few days and see what happens!

Flowers for Mom

When Marie and Rob were out, they gave Mom a lovely little floral arrangement with a couple mums, a gerber daisy and a rose. These were also in the back of the arrangement. It wasn't until a few days had passed that we realized although the other flowers were real, these are silk.

When the real flowers finally gave up the ghost a couple days ago, I took the silk ones home to see what I could do with them.

Each stem had four silk blossoms:

So I stripped off the lower three

 Stacked them on the top one, put the centre back in place and trimmed off the rest of the stem.

And kept repeating that.

Then I found a mini clay flower pot in my stash and filled it with floral oasis.

I had a bit of Dollarama greenery that I put in the centre of the oasis then added the flowers.

Here's the finished arrangement.

from the side

and from the top

It's 3" tall.

Leanne and I took them up just before supper. She was pleased with them. They sit on her movable table.

DEALER - Collection of Jane Miles

Some time ago, Jane's husband, Ken, approached the club about selling Jane's miniatures. With the Show and Sale coming up in September, we will have a table of the items from her collection for sale.

On Thursday, four of us (Tina, Joanne, Maureen M. and I) got together to sort, clean and price her things.  We hadn't really looked that closely through the boxes we picked up so we were in for some wonderful surprises. These are just a very few of the things that I photographed as we began. Later, we set on a rhythm that didn't allow time for pictures.

This beautiful gazebo is one of the items. The four window boxes of flowers and the trellis (by Connie Stitt) will be sold separately.

This porcelain sink. There is also an incredible Roper stove and one of the old refrigerators with the circular fan/exhaust ? on top. Those two are metal and very heavy and beautifully detailed. And a Bodo Hennig parlour stove.

Matching crib and change table/bureau:

Lovely dainty crocheted piece (about 5" in diameter) that would be gorgeous as a tablecloth on a round table. (picture doesn't do it justice)

These are some of the needlepoint rugs Jane made:

There are also several rug kits (with thread) available.

Needlework frame (about 1" high)

Lovely wingback chair signed Mr. Z (think dated 1979 but not sure of the date)

Two hand-made chrystal lights (non-electrified) and a very nice little chrystal table lamp (I found a chimney for it in my stash)

The non-electrified desk lamp is very nice as is the beautiful copper shade on the middle lamp. And, of course, the electrified Tiffany-style shade table lamp.

There are two House of Miniature Kits and another full kitchen kit. There is a variety of furniture ranging from the run of the mill beginner furniture to some lovely better quality pieces.

There are some real gems in the accessories. Sorry but no pictures. However, there are two sets of dishes that are quite lovely. There is a doll case (wicker-style, if I remember correctly) that contains a pair of Mary Jane shoes by Sylvia Roundtree, the Dolls' Cobbler. There is quite a collection of decorative pieces to be displayed on shelves including some wonderful, incredibly delicate animals. And two exquisite millefiori paperweights.

Some wonderful copper cookware, Christmas decorations, a Christmas tree decorated with bows and fans, a tool caddy (complete with tools), several better quality tools, a really lovely sewing basket.

Plus bags and bags of uncategorized items that you will surely find a use for.

For collectors who have limited space, this collection includes a (mostly finished) McKinley wall-hanging dollhouse  by Greenleaf. (The box you can barely see below the dollhouse contains all manner of wood and stairs needed to complete it.) It does need work...but pretty much only on the inside where you would want to 'make it your own' anyway.

It's very hard to price a collection for sale. You have to tread that fine line between what you know the person probably paid and what someone else will be willing to pay. I think we've done well with this collection and we hope to see that reflected in the response at the Show and Sale in September.

MEE summer get-together

On Saturday, we had our annual summer get-together at Tina's. Tina showed her new laser cutter and workroom and we had a wonderful barbecue. Great to get together and visit. My camera battery  died on me so didn't get all the pictures I would have liked.

We had BBQ chicken wings and ribs, a wide variety of salads, roasted baby potatoes and an incredible array of desserts.

Guest Blog BITS BY BARB – Barb Striethorst, Edmonton AB

My main items are flower and plant related – bags of punched petals and leaves, plant kits (mostly 1/12 scale), completed plants/arrangements (1/12 and 1/48 scales), some landscape materials and flowers pot/urns.

I make baskets (which I may also have in kit form) and Inuksuks.

I sell a number of laser cut items by Volker Arnold of Germany, kits and assembled – furniture (1/48 and 1/144 scales) and Christmas ornaments (perfect for your Christmas Market stall!).

I have a selection of food items – fruit, vegetable, and fast foods. I don’t make these, but buy in bulk and package in smaller quantities.

Oh, I SO want this....

but I just don't know where I could put it :-(

Although when I was telling Sunni about it today (as four of us went to look at an estate), she suggested that it could be used as a "furniture" store - a temporary home for a lot of the furniture and accessories so many of us have. And since it's enclosed, dust wouldn't be a problem.

Kim  F. contacted the club for help in selling this incredible dollhouse.

I'll let her tell you about it:

My mother had this dollhouse made for me when I was 13 years old, many years ago.  The gentleman that made it was a wood worker as you can see from the detailed work.  When I first received it, it was wired and actually lit up in different places throughout the house.  Because of the age and being moved a few times, this feature is no longer working but with some TLC I know it would be operational in no time.

The dimensions are 44" across, 21" deep and 46" high with the stand.  If someone were to remove the stand it would be 13" lower.

I'm asking $150.00 obo for it. You can email me for more information.

Isn't it magnificent! It's front-opening which is my absolute favourite style and the inside is still neutral so you could have all the fun of decorating with none of the pain and work of building.

I truly hope this house will find a new home with someone who will enjoy it! Even if I can't figure out a way to make it my own ;-(