Small Serendipities

I GO SHELLING (SORT OF)

2010-05-10T12:18:00.002-04:00

It wasn't the sort of shelling I'm used to, nor was it as satisfying as shelling has been for me in the past, but the important thing to me was that I was shelling again after a 4 month forced break. Being stuck in a wheelchair really cramps a girl's shelling style. But on this particular day I was already in the car, having just visited the doctor (who'd told us I have a tumor on my spine), so

BEAUTIFUL BIG SEASHELLS

2010-05-03T13:10:00.004-04:00

I've been collecting giant size seashells for decades ... the ones that are rarely found on the beach, like the 12" beauty that Pam of I Love Shelling found on April 4th. But, unlike that very lucky woman, I haven't yet found a single giant shell on the beach, and probably never will. Instead, I did my shelling for huge shells at garage sales, thrift stores and antiques shops. Whatever works,

MY SWEETHEART

2010-04-27T07:49:00.006-04:00

They grow up so fast.It seems like yesterday that my puppy boy was no larger than his head now is. Yes, he is a pit bull, but he's sweet natured and loving and seldom leaves my side. His name is Ricky. We've been very careful to raise him responsibly ... he is always either in the house or playing outside in our/his large stockade fenced back yard, with Beware of Dog signs on the fence doors.

MORE TINY TIDBITS

2010-04-22T20:53:00.007-04:00

I've been busy at work whipping up all sorts of 1/4" scale foods again and here are the results. It's funny to me how much sculpting these itsy bitsies makes me hungry... just goes to show you the power of suggestion, I guess. As is usual, all of these pieces are currently being offered on my eBay, but again I wanted to share them with everyone, not only those who might bid on them.Candy in

A LITTLE SHELL ART & OTHER TINY TREASURES

2010-04-09T12:17:00.007-04:00

Here are the latest minis that I've made. The shell wall art was probably the most difficult, at least in terms of picking through my shell stash to find enough teensy shells to make the flowers. But it was also my favorite piece to create. All of these pieces are currently being offered on myeBay, but I wanted to share them with everyone, not only those who might bid on them.Tiny shell box,

LIKE OATMEAL COOKIES FOR BREAKFAST

2010-04-06T15:42:00.004-04:00

My husband LOVES granola and eats it every morning for his breakfast. But a box of supermarket granola is very expensive and he would easily go through 2 or 3 boxes a week, so I decided to make my own from scratch. I found a recipe in a cookbook to get a basic idea of how it's made, then adjusted it to suit his (and my) tastes. It was a huge success and I've whipped up batches every 2 weeks

RHYNE VALENTINES

2010-04-02T18:15:00.004-04:00

First, I'd like to apologize for my absense the past 2 weeks. My crutch slipped on a splash of water on our bathroom floor and I took a fast dive onto the edge of the bathtub, hitting my right shoulder. Lucky for me I didn't break or crack any bones, but the painful impact left me without the use of my right arm until now. I think the universe is trying to tell me something and believe me,

ENDLESS VARIETY

2010-03-15T13:12:00.007-04:00

There's a wide variety of shell art catagories to be seen at the shell fair, ranging from shell wall art to jewelry, from sailor's valentines to paintings of shells and shell theme needlework. Here are a few other pieces I photographed to share with you.This blue ribbon-winning picture of flowers in a vase is composed entirely of pearlized shells ... well, except for the real lace doily the vase

A FEW FAVORITES

2010-03-13T11:29:00.006-05:00

In my humble opinion, every single piece of shellwork I saw at this year's shell fair was exceptional. It was an amazing display of style, design and creativity, all contained within a single room. Like others, I found had my favorites that drew me in like a moth to a flame. They are pictured here in this post.A small handful of shell artisans are allowed to have sales tables each year, where

MINIATURE SHELLWORKS & SPECIMEN SHELL SHOP

2010-03-11T18:17:00.007-05:00

The mirror this sweet arrangement is sitting on is only 3" in diameter, so you can clearly see how tiny the shells are that make up the flowers. Some of the shells are dyed, as are the gar scales used here as leaves. The basket the flowers are in is also a seashell.Another very tiny, fairy-like arrangement, this one a blue ribbon and special award winner. The shell vase is actually a land

SEASHELL LAMPS & CROSSES

2010-03-10T16:09:00.003-05:00

A vintage or reproduction child's sand pail, an import store umbrella with a paper shade and a supply of shells gathered on the beach make up this cheerfully whimsical lamp. Not surprisingly, this entry won both a blue ribbon and the best-in-show award.Another blue ribbon winner, this one featuring a lamp base made up of larger shells, dried seaweeds, sponges and whelk eggcases arranged on a

MORE SANIBEL SHELL FAIR PIX

2010-03-09T12:09:00.005-05:00

There were many Christmas tree entries at the Shell Fair, either made from shells or decorated with shell ornaments. I felt that those pictured below were the most unique interpretations.This frilly beauty is made up of columella's, which are the interior spirals of snail type shells. Columella's are often found on the beach, although from my experience it must have taken quite a long time to

2010 SANIBEL SHELL FAIR

2010-03-07T13:42:00.005-05:00

Almost nothing could make me voluntarily go through the hassle of dragging the motorized scooter chair I have to use to get around until I can walk again into and out of the car so I can travel anywhere. But this past Thursday was the first day of the Sanibel Shell Fair and there was no way on earth I wanted to miss being there. I won't go into the efforts involved in getting me and the chair

SMALL BITES

2010-02-25T18:27:00.003-05:00

And I do mean small ... these are all sculpted in 1/4" scale and, as you can see from the sewing pin shown in each photo, that means a slice of tomato is barely the size of the head of a pin. I really get a kick out of making these! They're all up for bid on eBay right now, but if you're not in the market for such things, I've put the photos here for a pictorial Show & Tell of what I've been

BEACHED BEAUTY

2010-02-17T13:40:00.010-05:00

The subject of shells seldom found on the beach came up in the comments section of A Beach Lover's Place the other day. That got me thinking about the shells I've unexpectedly discovered during my 30 years or so of shelling Sanibel's beaches, shells that are seldom seen there for one reason or another. So I've photographed some of those from my own collection to share with those of you who

2010-02-14T15:31:00.006-05:00

Happy Valentines Day, everyone! I think every day should be Valentines Day, don't you?! This framed rhinestone heart is something I created not long after making the framed rhinestone Christmas tree one. I love making these beauties, but am rapidly running out of old rhinestone jewelry, darn it. And to purchase vintage rhinestone jewelry right now is prohibitively expensive. But I've been

SANIBEL SWAN SONG

2010-02-11T13:58:00.004-05:00

You may have noticed I've not been posting for a long while so I want to explain myself. It began this past November after a long day of shelling on my favorite Sanibel beach, the one shown here by the lighthouse fishing pier.Walking back to the car I noticed that my back hurt more than usual after all that bending, stooping, crouching, sitting and stretching I'd done to gather the tiny shells I

1/4" SCALE MERMAID & LADIES

2010-01-18T00:04:00.005-05:00

These are a couple more of the 1 3/8" tall commissioned dolls I've sculpted within the past few months. I don't have photos of all of them because I usually just print out photos of the dolls I make for my own records and don't keep them on on my computer. You'll notice I mostly sculpt the clothing rather than dressing the dolls with fabrics. I prefer to sculpt clothing because I am more

WEDDING CAKE TOPPERS

2010-01-16T01:28:00.003-05:00

One of the earliest collections my husband and I began was our bride & groom wedding cake toppers. Back in the late 1970's we were browsing through an antique shop and happened to come across a 1930's porcelain bride & groom cake topper. It was enclosed in a little matching porcelain and glass dome and I instantly fell in love with it. At that time, for us, the $20 price tag was a little

TINY BITES & PAINTED FURNITURE

2010-01-07T15:44:00.005-05:00

Here's what I've been doing lately ... sculpting tiny little foods and making handpainted furniture, all in 1/4" scale. I really enjoyed making these things; it's relaxing and exciting to me all at the same time. There's something intensely satisfying about creating. All of the pieces you see here are now up for bid on eBay at http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZserendipity*2*QQhtZ-1 .Roast Duck

BUTTERFLY SCALES ART

2010-01-02T14:03:00.004-05:00

This incredible piece of art is entirely composed of butterfly scales, carefully removed from the wings of a number of different species. As you can see from the close up below, each flower petal and leaf is a single scale and, I assume, that each scale is it's natural color. My guess is that the "painting" was done during the Victorian era, although I don't know that for certain. I've had

CHRISTMAS GLITZ & GLAMOUR TUTORIAL

2009-12-18T13:52:00.006-05:00

Before Christmas arrives, I would like to share another of the little holiday projects I created this year. I dug out my stash of broken rhinestone jewelry and composed this glitzy little framed rhinestone Christmas tree. Hung near a lamp, a window or even by lit candles, this lovely tree sparkles like mad, adding a very festive look to the room. Framed rhinestone (or other jewelry) trees are

SHELLS & PEARLS ORNAMENT

2009-12-11T14:25:00.006-05:00

Last week I visited a long-lost childhood friend who, I was surprised to learn, now lives not too far from my current location. I wanted to give her something as my hostess gift that was very "Florida" and after some thought decided to make her this shells and pearls tree ornament. I already had the delicate clear glass wreath shape ornie awaiting inspiration to hit, although I could have also

MAKE A VINTAGE TULLE YULE TREE

2009-12-09T01:16:00.004-05:00

The instructions for this magical little tabletop tree came from a 1950's handout flier printed up by a tulle manufacturer. The fliers were distributed in the fabric departments of department stores and five & dime stores, both places where one could purchase tulle in those days. I remember seeing these pretty trees made up in deep green tulle and decorated with metallic gold cording or

1/4" SCALE CHRISTMAS MINIATURES

2009-12-02T16:41:00.005-05:00

I've been a busy little (ok, I'm not exactly little, but you get the idea) elf, creating a sleigh full of tasty miniature treats and festive decorations ... and even the guy who supposedly made them (even though it was really me). The lavishly decorated Christmas trees are suitable for all dollhouse scales, too. Everything is currently on eBay hoping to find a home, so if you like something

SIDETRACKED BY BARBIE

2009-11-28T12:25:00.007-05:00

About a year ago I developed a rather short lived fascination with Barbie, the doll. My interest focused on making clothes and accessories for her and I spent many happy hours at my sewing machine, creating little dresses, suits and playwear, then adding the appropriate jewelry, scarves, shoes, purses and so on. After my initial burst of enthusiasm, however, that particular interest waned and I

Staging a Scene (1/4" Scale Minis Style)

2009-11-23T12:39:00.013-05:00

For those of you who are interested in how I prepared the Altoids mint box to serve as the base for a 1/4" scale room or landscaped scene (such as my Patio in Old Mexico, pictured in an earlier posting), here's what I did: Materials and supplies:Altoids mint box, emptied1/8" thick foamcoreBox cutter, new Xacto blade or single edge razor bladeTacky glue (my personal preference is one of the thick

VICTORY

2009-11-21T12:27:00.006-05:00

The always charming Julie, of Being Ruby, has mentioned a couple of times that she feels an affinity for the World War II era. As a war baby myself, I also find myself drawn to the lifestyles of that period. I still have a vague memory of my mother standing in line in our small town's tiny department store - me in the seat of a shopping cart - waiting her turn to purchase a yard or two of fabric

FOR THE BIRDS

2009-11-09T16:39:00.004-05:00

My afternoon of shelling on Sanibel last week was absolutely for the birds. The tide was low, just as the tide chart promised, and a strong breeze had the surf rolling in nicely, but there were practically zero shells to be found. I picked up a few small pieces of driftwood and found a handful of colorful coquinas, but that was it. I don't easily ever give up, but finally told my husband I was

A LITTLE PATIO IN OLD MEXICO

2009-11-05T01:31:00.007-05:00

Do you remember the pretty senorita I sculpted and shared with y'all in a previous post? Here she is again, this time enjoying her own little patio in an altered Altoids tin. I truly enjoyed creating this scene for myself and want to do similar ones in the near future. Shown below are some more 1/4" scale pieces I recently sculpted. They, along with several other pieces not shown here, are

Unforgettable Halloween Images

2009-10-28T13:50:00.003-04:00

It's hard to find unusual Halloween photos, but here are the two rare shots I have in my collection, along with one that's not so unusual, but, for me, unforgettable:I wish this Victorian Halloween party photo was larger so you can see the abundance of whimsical decorations and party food details. This World War II photo speaks for itself.Let's just call this mid-century. I was wearing a Dutch

GOBS 'O GOBLINS TOY SHOP

2009-10-24T14:37:00.004-04:00

As promised in an earlier post, here's another of the buildings I made for my 1/48 scale (aka 1/4" scale, quarter inch scale, or O scale) Halloween village. For the building, I used an Art Nouveau shop facade designed by Anna-Carin Betzen (the instructions and pattern are in Volume 7, Issue 5 of Little Enough News). I hand painted the "leaded glass" spider over the door onto a piece of clear

Impulsive Characters

2009-10-19T12:15:00.006-04:00

Although I'm always insisting that I don't accept commissions, every once in a while I will impulsively take on a commission for a doll or two simply because the request sounds like fun to me. And there are also times when an idea for a doll pops into my head all by itself, demanding that I drop everything immediately and bring it to life. My dolls are all sculpted in 1/4" scale, also referred

Tickled Pink!

2009-10-16T13:47:00.019-04:00

I'm very happy to report that I've received a Kreativ Blogger award! Jean Day, of Jean Day Miniatures sent me the award ... thank you so much, Jean. I've known Jean as a sister 1/4" scale minis artisan & antique children's book collector for many years and have always admired her miniatures work and her warm personality. Since reading her blog, however, I've also learned that she is a

Cute & Clever Measuring Cups

2009-10-14T13:03:00.004-04:00

A friend recently mentioned finding a set of very cute ceramic measuring cups at a dollar store this week. That piqued my interest because I've used only the basic Libby glass measuring cup my entire life. I mean, who knew that there were actually whimsical measuring cups available to help make cooking fun? I did a quick Google search and found several different styles that can be ordered online.

Florida's Hidden House of Shells

2009-10-10T11:16:00.006-04:00

Few people are aware that hidden away on Demere Key, a stone's throw from Pine Island just north of Ft. Myers, Florida, there's a house - a former resort - covered from top to bottom, around it's patio and along it's walkways with large and ancient whelk shells. Had I not learned of it myself from a local some years ago I doubt I'd have known of it's existance. But after some extensive digging

Miniature Shell Collector's Study

2009-09-28T15:24:00.006-04:00

I've been a rabid shell collector and maker of miniatures for about the same length of time, and over the years have often combined these two favorite interests of mine. This 1/12th scale miniature shell collector's study is one of the very first roomboxes I ever made, having completed it in 1986. The glass front roombox and all of the furniture was purchased.On the wall are prize ribbons I

Button Bouquets

2009-09-23T01:16:00.006-04:00

Some of the crafting blogs I've been poking around in the past couple of days have had features on making flowers from buttons. There are different methods described for making the button flowers, but my hands down favorite are the button flower bouquets. They have the look of a Mary Engelbreit illustration come to life, very cute and kind of old fashioned. I immediately wanted to make a few

Halloween Time

2009-09-18T01:26:00.007-04:00

I absolutely adore making things for Halloween, but most of all I LOVE making 1/48 scale Halloween minis, such as the ones you see here! The wild colors, the magic and sparkle, the sheer silliness of decorating a dollhouse with fanciful furniture, odd accessories, bizarre landscaping and outlandish dolls representing the denizens of a strange land that appears, like Brigadoon, only once a year,

Hungry?

2009-09-11T16:22:00.002-04:00

A 1950's postcard advertising a restaurant. Believe it or not, the food looks much more palatable here than it does on the actual postcard. P.S. I think I've figured out why I haven't been able to leave comments on others' blogs and now can start leaving them again.

Age of Aquariums

2009-09-07T01:00:00.005-04:00

As I mentioned in one of my early posts I collect a lot of different things. One of my favorite collections is of vintage images, mainly photos but also the occasional postcard or illustration. The photos here are from my "Animals" file because they are all aquariums and once housed fish and probably other sea life. I have an antique aquarium in my home that I display some of my fossil shells

Twiggy

2009-09-01T12:08:00.009-04:00

A couple of years ago my husband and a friend cut down a dead tree in our back yard, leaving me with the job of picking up all the smaller branches while they dragged the limbs and trunk to the curb. I probably kept more of the branches than I took to the curb, though, because I wanted to make things with them. The next day I sat outdoors and crafted several signs, mostly for my container herb

Gifted!

2009-08-26T12:55:00.005-04:00

I have been very a lucky woman lately. Within the past 2 weeks I received two fabulous gifts in the mail, both of which I want to show y'all because I'm absolutely tickled pink with them.For my recent birthday my wonderful longtime friend, Anna-Carin Betzen, who lives in Sweden, crocheted this darling potholder for me. The pattern is an antique one from the 1920's that I absolutely fell in love

Life in 1/48 Scale

2009-08-20T17:23:00.010-04:00

My life pretty much revolves around the world of 1/48 scale, also known as 1/4" scale or quarter inch scale, meaning that 1/4" is equal to 1 foot in real life. I've been involved in miniatures for about 30 years, but have focused on 1/4" scale scale now for around 20 years, so you could say I'm in it for the long haul. There's always something new to learn and experimenting with untried methods

Supermarket Shelling

2009-08-16T14:20:00.003-04:00

Driftwood Frame

2009-08-08T00:57:00.010-04:00

There's seldom very much in the way of driftwood on the Sanibel Island beaches I haunt, but when I do find a piece I pop it right into my collecting tote. Last year I covered an inexpensive, plain 5" x 7" wood frame with some of the larger pieces of driftwood that I've found there and then used it to frame a photo I took of my adorable husband on one of those beaches at sunset.P.S. That isn't

DIY Garden Plants

2009-08-02T18:12:00.006-04:00

To me, the best outdoor plants are those that I grew from seeds, small starters or cuttings. I've had pretty good luck with that sort of thing down here in Southwest Florida, to my surprise and delight. For example, just as I used to grow sweet potato vines in my kitchen window when I lived up North, I've been able to grow a few things from seeds and cuttings here, too, although here I grow them

The Tudor Bakery

2009-07-31T00:58:00.008-04:00

This was my absolute favorite project to create. I'd been researching foods of the Tudor period in order to sculpt some foods in 1/4" scale to sell, and in the process I found myself totally absorbed in the cookery of that period. Bakeries in particular fascinated me for some reason, and soon I became inspired to make myself a quarter inch scale Tudor bakery, as you see in these photos. For

In the Tropics

2009-07-12T14:32:00.006-04:00

Summer's heat keeps me away from the beach more than I'd like, so to compensate I've been working on some things with a tropical and beach theme to sell on eBay soon. I thought maybe y'all might enjoy a sneak preview. For size reference, there's a common dressmakers pin in the foreground of each photo.

1/4" Scale Gardening Accessories Tutorial

2009-07-05T10:48:00.008-04:00

Everyone enjoys a garden, even those who don't enjoy the actual gardening itself. For that reason, it seemed like a good idea to offer you a tutorial for a few garden accessories I came up with. I do hope you'll enjoy making these for yourself and your friends!WOODEN RAIN BARREL Supplies: Wood barrel-shaped bead, index card, metallic silver paint, .005 black drawing pen 1. If bead is not

Big & Little

2009-06-30T01:05:00.005-04:00

I never had any trouble growing anything when I lived in Northern Illinois; I just stuck plants in the ground and they soon became lush, be it flowers, plants, vegetables or fruit. That's not the case at all here in Florida's zone 11, much to my dismay. But after 20 plus years of experimenting I've finally found a number of plants that do very well, several of which I show you here. I should

Upstairs in the Fifties Moderne

2009-06-19T00:42:00.005-04:00

As you can see, I chose predictible 50's color schemes for the bedroom and bathroom, but I make no apologies for it because, well... because it was fun to do them in those colors. The bed, dressing table, night stand and dresser are 1/4" = 1 foot copies of real life Haywood Wakefield pieces. I made the chenille spreads and stool cover by gluing unraveled bunka to cotton fabric. The ballet

Fifties Moderne

2009-06-15T01:00:00.009-04:00

While looking through some vintage 1950's Better Homes and Gardens magazines in the Spring of 2001, inspiration struck me hard to design, build and furnish a 1/4" scale 1950's house. The house I eventually came up with turned out to be a composite of one I saw in one of those magazines and of some homes in my neighborhood during that era. The project was easier than I'd imagined it would be, so

Beach House, Upstairs

2009-06-11T01:27:00.009-04:00

The second floor of my beach house is now relatively complete. I'm already thinking about a few changes, but for now I'm going to leave it alone. The bathroom has surprised me by becoming my favorite room in this project. It makes me want to redo the main bath in our real life house with a nautical theme. The mini tub and toilet I used are resin and made from molds of my own sculpts, which I

Inside the Beach House

2009-05-31T12:48:00.013-04:00

iniI've pretty much completed the interior of my little beach house, although I know that I will probably add to and/or make other changes to it sometime. The 2nd floor isn't quite finished, so I am only showing the 1st floor for now.I covered the wood floor in the living area with a floor cloth rather than a rug... with all that sand being tracked in it just seemed impractical to use a rug.

See the Sea

2009-05-26T18:37:00.003-04:00

I was asked to share close up photos of my beach house, so here they are! You can see the plants much better now. I drybrushed white paint onto the pots to give them a salt spray aged look. The ammonite is from a mold I made of a real ammonite, then cast and painted it. That wreath on the door is made of bits of dried seaweed & micro tiny real sea stars. And, finally, one of my favorite

By the Beautiful Sea

2009-05-19T19:32:00.014-04:00

I did it... after working on it for 2 weeks, I finished the exterior and beachscape of the beach house I've named "Pam's Petite Paradise". It was fun to make, from the planning to the actual work and then the accessorizing (my favorite part). Take a look:The kit for the house, complete with wharf and steps, is by Karen Cary (Karen Cary's Miniatures) and I've got to tell you that it was super

Tiny Tropical Lanai

2009-05-11T01:45:00.007-04:00

Last week, while browsing a shelf of minis on display in my workroom, I came across this little lanai that I made several years ago. It came about after I found and purchased a great looking rattan picture frame at TJ Maxx for a photo I wanted to put in it. But, of course, once I got it home I realized the frame was standing on tippy toes screaming at me to turn it into a roombox. So I did.The

Dolphin Bedroom

2009-05-03T17:11:00.006-04:00

The dolphin bedroom set turned out beautifully. The kit by Ellen Crane (http://www.riverswood.com/shop/) was so easy to put together and it painted up nicely. I painted the furniture is a soft aqua, like the color of the Gulf of Mexico at my favorite Sanibel shelling beach. While digging through my fabric stash I found a small piece of fabric that couldn't be more perfect for the bedspread and

A Start on My Mini Beach House!

2009-04-29T01:18:00.008-04:00

After a couple of months of planning to do it I've actually begun work on my quarter inch scale beach house. Yesterday I put together a pretty display cabinet that I made from a laser cut kit by Thumbelina's Furniture (HappyHobby.com) and filled it with some of my choicest, teensiest shells. Because most juvenile (the reason they're so itty bitty) shells are either white, beige, tan or brown I

Favorite Minis

2009-04-24T13:23:00.007-04:00

For your viewing pleasure I thought I would share some photos of a few favorite pieces in my mini collection today. The tiny, and gorgeous petitpoint rug you see here was hand stitched on 48 count silk gauze by my very gifted Swedish friend Anna-Carin Betzen. Just look at those teensy tiny stitches! If you'd like to try stitching an equally tiny rug, Anna-Carin has free downloadable

The Beauty of Shells

2009-04-13T14:38:00.006-04:00

This will be my last posting about shells for a while, I promise. Part of my writing so much about them lately is due to wanting to keep a permanent record of them in one spot and another is due to the hope that I'll come across someone else out there who views shells the same way I do.Last week I did my first shell picture, which you see above. One of my favorite shells is the common coquina

BIZZARE BEACH FINDS

2009-04-07T14:23:00.009-04:00

There are some interesting and unusual creatures that live in the waters surrounding Florida's Sanibel island and once in a rare while I come across one on the beach when I'm shelling. I wanted to share photos of a few of these with you. I should mention that none of these creatures was alive when I found them.Below is a horseshoe crab. It's a very primitive animal with a prehistoric past.

Shellwork

2009-03-22T19:04:00.004-04:00

I've been seriously interested in shells since the mid-1970's, and actually began the hobby with a serious interest in the habits and forms of mollusks and their shells. But after discovering how varied and breathtakingly beautiful shells from all over the world are, my urge to create quickly overtook me and I started to do paintings and pen and ink drawings of shells. In the late 70's we had

1/4" Scale Traditional Furniture Printies

2009-03-09T01:27:00.008-04:00

I dug out some more printies from my stash to share with you all. These might be helpful to those of you who like to reproduce rooms from earlier historical periods. Library Table TopThis came from an antiques journal and pictures a pair of world globes with the signs of the zodiac in the center, bordered with a decorative design. It would also be useful to a wizard.American Captain's Chest.I

DECOrations

2009-03-02T19:23:00.010-05:00

I'm not following through on my original plan to keep my blog updated regularly and I feel terrible about it. There's just so much to do, most of it stuff I need to take care of but lots of stuff I love to do, as well. I'm trying to fit too much into one lifetime.Anyway, going through my collection of 1/4" scale printies I noticed that there's a number of them that aren't on any other printie

2009-01-15T12:31:00.011-05:00

It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but to me learning how to make things from scratch is profoundly interesting. Over the years I've tried all sorts of things, from making dog food from recipes I found online (a time consuming effort, the cost more than canned dog food and something my dogs didn't particularly like) to making lemonade concentrate from homegrown lemons (delicious!). Not

SALT and PEPPER SHAKERS

2008-12-12T14:09:00.021-05:00

I collect a lot of things. Some of my collections are fairly sizeable, but most of the things I collect are little so they don't take up much room. One thing I collect is salt and pepper shakers. I collect whatever appeals to me, whether it's brand new or old, found in a pricey kitchen boutique, a discount outlet like HomeGoods or Marshall's, a thrift store or an antique shop. As you'll see

AN INCREDIBLE FIND

2008-11-26T13:49:00.011-05:00

Do you take reuseable bags to the grocery store? Lots of people do, I've noticed, but most of them are sort of small, good for picking up a few things on the way home from work or whenever.A few months ago I was online looking for a reuseable bag to carry our groceries home. We usually shop every other week, so it wasn't unusual to have to haul 10 to 15 plastic supermarket bags to the car and

1/4" Scale DIY Christmas Kits

2008-11-22T13:03:00.018-05:00

Over the past several months I've occasionally been asked whether I had any DIY kits available. I haven't had any, but the idea stayed in my head. To my surprise, this past week a couple of different ideas suddenly came to me that I thought could be appealing as kits. I worked up designs for them and the finished pieces turned out to be very cute and simple to make. So ... voila!! ... allow

Frozen Mango Yogurt Pops

2008-11-11T11:13:00.005-05:00

I've been a popsicle addict most of my life. My childhood favorites were rootbeer, chocolate, banana and lime, but today the flavors of those popsicles (when one can find them available) fall short of the originals, probably due to strange chemicals and who knows what else that are put into them. So out of frustration I devised my own frozen pops to enjoy. These are addictively delicious and

Back Issues of Little Enough News (LEN)

2008-11-10T15:52:00.005-05:00

Index of Back Issues Projects & Articles in Little Enough News Back issues are available for $4.00 each in the U.S., $4.50 each in Canada & Mexico, and $4.75 each everywhere else. Shipping is included in the price. To place an order, email me at Daisy21@aol.com with a list of which issues you want, showing Volume & Issue #'s. I gladly accept PayPal, checks & postal money orders.