The whole reason it has stayed in the box this long...

Yup! That Otis!!

A little over a week ago I won A Beautiful Giveaway from Casey over at http://caseymini.blogspot.com/!! I'm still in shock that I won it actually...... But very honored to recieve something so special. You see, Casey and I both started blogging in Feburary of 2008. We didn't know each other... I actually started blogging to find friends that knew what polymer clay was.... And soon after I started blogging, I discovered Miniatures, Again. But not as I knew once them.... I had a dollhouse as a kid and it never even occurred to me that I could paint the walls. lol...or decorate it for that matter..... So, here I was...googling miniatures and one day came across Casey's Blog. OMG! She knew everything! There was nothing that this woman couldn't do! I called her the Miniature Guru in this house:) ((Betcha didn't know that, Did ya Casey?)) Poor Casey.... she thought she was going to write a blog and not get comments, lol. And here I was.... eager to tell her how awesome her things were. 3 years later, and I'm happy to call her my friend:) ..........So, when I won her giveaway..... I was floored! :)

And like I said earlier! I'm still in shock. She let me choose my own fabric, and I choose the same material that Tessie's apron was made of. I love the material, and It would remind me of Casey's Talent and Tessie's Crazy antics every time I saw it:) And now that I have it in my possession.... I couldn't be more pleased!

No! I did not let Otis eat the furniture. I let him have one good sniff, then he had to go:)

I still can't get over how vivid the colors in the material are.
And all that weaving that was done to make something like this. I just don't think I'd ever have the patience to do something like this, So Thank-you again Casey!!!

Look at what else she put in the box..... A mini house!!! ~ and wallpaper, and carpet, and the tiniest trim I've ever seen... My poor head has been hurting thinking of all the possibilities with this!

....and she sent me these 2 tiny houses:) ((BTW... I just picked up some copper, so as soon as I can figure out how to make a roof with it, I'll decorate these houses for Katie's Corner))

And as if all that wasn't enough..... She had previously sent me one of her On the Go Mini Kits! I do have to say that I've already used it several times, so it doesn't look the same as when i first got it. And we((the bf and I)) loved that little glue bottle! But it happens to be MIA right now??)

*Ya'll are gonna have to remind me about the story of the bf and the glue, but later, ok...

And there was lots of goodies in it..... A pink basket~ A beautiful leather purse with high-heels to match:) Wood pieces, findings...... Yes! Lots of good stuff!

I've been racking my brain all week with what kind of roombox I want to put my new furniture in. I thought about doing one of those scenes in a bag, but with these cats, there's no way I'm taking the chance... I could just see it now...... I think I'd cry! But, I think my new furniture would look great in the glass house.... which got me thinking, I know~ scary thought, huh?! But I was thinking that I need a bigger house anyways for The Painted Lady... I just have too much Good stuff that I think needs to be in there. SO, my plan is to get a bigger roombox for The Painted Lady, and then I want to use the glass house to house the stuff Casey sent.... I'm thinking it's going to need lots of plants....You know, somewhere cozy to sit and read a good book... A Small Patio or something.... OMG~ Did I just say I need another house? Yikes! I better get to finishing the ones I've already started, huh?!

Thanks again Casey! This stuff is Amazing!!! Hugs!

Until Next Time.....

Happy Halloween!

And Happy 'Belated' Birthday to my youngest. His official birthday was yesterday, but we tend to celebrate it on Halloween. Before things get crazy around here, I wanted to stop by and wish everyone a Happy Halloween!

I even made a birdhouse to celebrate. No, it's not mini.... It's for my front porch. It was one of those $2 birdhouse from AC Moore's that I had picked up. The handle is a drawer pull I took off my neighbors dresser that he was throwing away. WHat!! Those things are expensive, and I think I got about 20:) ...lol... I was out there early one morning, using a little girl's barrette(someone had left it in one of the drawers) to unscrew each one, lol....glad no one saw me:)


...Yup, I'm still crackling over here... Would you believe my jug of medium is half way gone:(

...I painted the house with 2 coats of dark brown paint, then 2 coats of crackle medium went on, then the top coat of paint was applied. After everything dried, I went back and 'aged' it~ I took the Dremel to it:) Then I went back and inked where I had dremeled~ this adds even more character to it:) When the ink was dry, I sprayed the whole thing with an acrylic sealer. ((Actually, these are the same steps I use when I'm making my mini birdhouses.))

I really like how this turned out.....

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you and your family have a Safe Halloween!

I'm off to get those last minute details done, And then it's time to Party:)

**Before you leave though, You should stop by and say Hello at the Party that Kat The Hat Lady is hosting.... You can find it here:) http://katthehatladyhalloweenhouse.blogspot.com/

Until next Time:)

A few new items on Etsy

Just wanted to let everyone know, I loaded up a few new things into my Etsy store.

Remember the candles I made... I have 3 sets listed, and 3 more ready to be listed. These were all hand dipped by me using left over candles and crayons. Talk about recycling, huh! These little guys are too much fun to play with. They really light and even burn properly. But, I will tell you, lighting and blowing them out so the wax drips down the side is pretty darn addictive. I really need to dig my candle making stuff back out, cause I'm sure there's a few of you out there that would probably use a few white/cream/yellow ones, right?!


This set of 'decorations' was listed. They look really good on a dresser.... I have my set in The Painted Lady, and I have a bird's nest that Mercedes sent me sitting on the tallest one. I plan on putting a candle on the middle one....


I also put this up. I have a few already, so I thought I'd pass it on to one of you. These kits are really easy to put together. The box is not the prettiest, but the kit and directions are in Great condition.

I have also put up some more signs...

~And soon I will have some signs that I turned into magnets available..

**And if you order anything Halloween related from my store this weekend.... I'll throw in a special Halloween Bowl. This includes orders that are placed anytime from now until Sunday night, Midnight, my time. :)

So.... Until Next Time

I'm excited about this one:)

Do you ever come up with an idea, and get super excited about it when it works out?
I did.....

The past couple of weeks, I've been looking online to find different birdhouses to build. I have lots of sketches about future designs.... just don't have the right wood yet. But what I did have was some beautiful acorns from Minnesota:)
**remind me later to thank Kim from http://flowerkim.blogspot.com/ again!!

I've seen a few in real life scale made out of wood and wondered how hard it would be to turn a regular acorn into a miniature birdhouse.... So, I talked the bf into cutting the top off of one~ which was more difficult than we thought it was going to be....we cut 4, I got one birdhouse outta the deal!? Oh... And before we/he cut it, I buffed it up with a dremel attachment to make it all shinny. And yes, I used just the attachment, I was to lazy to get the dremel out, lol!)

I gutted the insides, and then went back with another dremel attachment and tried to scrub out the sides. Then I used a drill attachment and made a hole in the front. I would recommend not being lazy, and finding your dremel... My poor fingers are killing me today.

next, I drilled 2 small holes into the top.... And found the only piece of string I could find to make a hanger. And then this morning I glued it together.

Isn't it awesome!!! I'm totally in love:)

If I can get my hands on some more acorns, you will definitely find some in my Etsy shop!!

Until Next Time.......

Oh Mr. Sun.....

I sure wish you'd come out.... I have pictures to take:)

So for now, you'll have to deal with these....
~Made some more signs using tongue compressor sticks.... These would be perfect in a beach house, don't ya think??


And here's what I made today...... Took me 2 movies to make these...... (Halloween I and II, the Rob Zombie ones, in case anyone is wondering, lol)

These little guys are a pain in the butt to mess with. I had to jam needles in them to be able to paint them, and when you're sanding them, they're constantly flinging out of your fingers.

But they're just so cute!
....Now, If I could just get that sun to come out so I could take better pictures:)

~maybe tommorrow?!

........Until Next Time.....

Tiny, tiny houses....

When I was working on my birdhouses, I naturally wondered how small I could actually make them. So, I pulled out one of my sticks of wood (I have them in various sizes) ...and started cutting. BTW, I use a hand saw and a miter box, but the hand saw is about to die...lol.... and I'll just keep using it till it does....Anyways..... Once I got a few houses cut out, and sanded down, I painted them.... then I changed my mind, and went to look for my tiny letter stamps. This is what I came up with...

After each one was painted, I then went back with a brown marker and 'stained' up the sides....meaning I went over the edges with said marker, and then went back over the edges with my finger to blend them in.
See how tiny they are?!

After I did the first set..... I wanted all white ones... And what better word to use then Dream.

I made a set to go in The Painted Lady and a set to go up on Etsy.

Just think of all the words that could be used!

OK

Until next Time....

More Random Pics....

Just wanted to drop these pictures off before I go run errands:)

So.... I bought this 'word' at AC Moore's and decided to age it a little....Thinking this will go live on a shelf in The Painted Lady....


I used the crackle medium and then sanded it....Then I went back and dry brushed some gray paint over it.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
..... Casey and I were talking about different kinds of crackling methods the other day... And I was telling her that I had seen someone on HGTV take a blow torch to a painted piece of wood... and how it made the paint bubble up.... So I thought I'd try it in minis scale. I used a lighter...

It did bubble a little bit.... And I like how it aged the sign even more.... Kinda neat, huh.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
..... The kids went to Bush Gardens yesterday with their Godfather..... And brought home this:

That's my daughter on the right................ And my Boys on the left. Yes, they have dresses on?!?! Sometimes they're just down right Silly!! ((My youngest has his face painted to look like it's falling off....Bush Gardens goes all out for Halloween!!)) They had an amazing time, And I feel fortunate that there's someone in their lives that can do that for them:)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And how about a kitty pic before I go?? See Wilbur?? Rufus is laying on him in that bag on the back of the TV.... And Wilbur was sound asleep!!

OK... I will be back later with what I made yesterday....

And that special gift I got..... ((I haven't forgotten, and I'm not trying to be rude, Just Trying to find somewhere special to take pictures of it.... ))

So....

Until next Time!!

Random Pics today....

Happy Friday Everyone!
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend ahead of them. I'm hoping that today's weather comes back again, It was beautiful today:)

I'm still working on my little birdhouses ..... and/or houses.... And have listed a few more on Etsy earlier. These 2 will be up tomorrow, once I go back and paint that roof! Didn't realize I hadn't done it until I got them on the computer. I really like these ones! Very Girlie, and yet it has that Gothic touch.....


And I made a few more Halloween ones...


Thought you might like to see the Stickers that I ordered from Etsy! Aren't they Beautiful. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE Dragonflies!! So how could I resist! You can find similar ones here: http: www.etsy.com/shop/PoshGirlBoutique And of course you can order them to say anything you'd like!


And how about a kitty pic or 2.
Here's Wilbur dangling from the side of the couch. Yup! He jumps up, sinks his teeth into it, and hangs there....lol.... That's Jasper looking down at him trying to figure out what he's doing! Crazy kitty!!!


And one last pic.... Of Boogs!
This is Fred's brother, who hopefully will come inside permanently one day. He's the sweetest cat I've ever met!! And look at those whiskers, Have you ever seen em' that long before. Isn't he just beautiful!! Good Ole Boogers!! ((He was investagating me taking pictures of minis the other day, and I thought I'd get a couple of him! ....I swear he was posing for me:))

Until Next Time...............

Halloween Birdhouses

Thought I'd make a few Halloween Birdhouses to go with my other ones. One day I'll pull out Katie's Corner and show you where they're all going..... But for now, Here's a few that I have listed on my Etsy Page.

I'm also gonna talk about this darn Crackle Paint..... Last week Americana paint was on sell, so I picked up a few bottles in Halloween colors. I came home, and tried to crackle some sticks.... But had No luck. I thought maybe I wasn't using a thick enough coat of crackle medium, so I went back and repainted them, using 2 thick coats of medium.... and Still... Nothing!! At this point, I assumed it wasn't me, and it was the paint I was using, so I started all over again..... This time using Folk Art brand paint, and I had NO problems...... strange, huh!! Think I'll be sticking to the Folk Art when I crackle from now on.... Americana is good paint, gives me a pretty even coat, it just won't crackle?! So....

Remember the bookcase I refinished not to long ago? Remember the hardware I took off the doors?? Well, that's what I'm using on the purple birdhouses..... worked out pretty well, don't ya think?? I used the same knobs on the orange ones that I had used once before, But this time I painted them black. I also went back and highlighted the raised areas with gold paint, to make it stand out a bit more.

You can see the gold highlights in the following picture...

Then I broke out some of those (finger) nail stickers we have:) I used a cut down dollhouse shingle for the roof... and highlighted the edges to give it an aged appearance.

I just love this little skull!!

But this one has got to be my favorite!!! It's a Kitty over cross bones. Isn't it awesome:) One of these will be going to live in Cora's Gothic Room!!

Believe it or not, I still have a pile of houses to get listed, and another batch ready to get started after that... We'll see how long it takes me to get bored of it???

Until Next Time...

Wanna see what I bought off Etsy??

So..... When I first opened my Etsy page, I wanted to know what it was like to buy something... Yes, you can laugh at me... I was stuck in the stone ages.... Still have to tackle that ebay... But for now, I think I'm getting the hang of it! ((Oh and before I forget I was put into a treasury...... don't really know what that means, but the page the lady set up looks good with all of our Halloween minis! ... You can check it out here if you'd like:)
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cbd9496fa3d8eefa915f928/big-love-for-tiny-things-halloween?index=0

OK...back to what I bought. Another reason I wanted to buy from a few different sellers, is so I could see how different people ship there stuff. Kinda like doing my homework, but fun homework.... :)

I ordered a few things from Snapcrafty.... and I will be definitly be going back:) Look at this Cameo! Isn't is amazing!! I got it to go in Cora's gothic room.... It just needs a 'frame'. I sure hope she likes it!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/snapcrafty

.....and I got a pink one for me:) Actually I got 2 of each.... not to sure what I'm going to do with my pink one, but it was one of those things that I just had to have:)

And then check out this ribbon! I love this ribbon! And those cute little deers... I just had to have a yard:)



Next I ordered something from Terrariooms... Isn't it just one of the cutest Toadstool Cottages you ever seen:) This will be going to live in Katie's Corner when I get it pulled out. I have lots of goodies to go in there.....
http://www.etsy.com/shop/terrariooms



And this little guys was actually my first purchase. I might of not been able to buy anything off of Etsy before, But I sure spent a lot of time looking at all the wonderful things that is in there. And this little puppy I have had my eye in for sometime. It's a kit, and as soon as I get a free moment I will put him together, so he can go live in Cora's Nursery! I got it from twelfthdimension. They have all kinds of older toys in there.......
http://www.etsy.com/shop/twelfthdimension




I also ordered some Beautiful Dragonfly stickers that will have my shop name on them:) They were made for me by http://www.etsy.com/shop/PoshGirlBoutique ......Hopefully later on down the road, I can get her to make me some more things....

Everyone was really nice, and very prompt about getting my orders to me. But OMG.... I can't keep looking in there, Or I'll go broke:) There's so many things out there that I'd love to have:)

That's it for now.... I'll be back later with the birdhouses I've been working on.
Actually I have lots to catch up on!
~The blog giveaway I recently won....
~More Etsy questions....
~More on that crackle effect!
So... Until Next Time...

From Trash to Treasure!

Good Morning!
So.... The bf has a friend that cleans out houses after people move out.... And he's always trying to bring me Good junk! However the bf is not for for having junk, so when the friend asks, the bf normally answers No before I can get a word in, lol. ( I do have to agree with him, I do have a lot of Junk, already)..... But the other day, when the bf had stepped out of the room, I told the friend to Stop asking, and just bring it! LOL

I was sooooo glad he listened!

Cause look at what he found! It had it's own labels on it, which I replaced with scrapbooking stickers.... I really needed something to get organized, and this is just Perfect! The top drawer is labeled.... My Life Right Now.... It houses my ruler, out going mail....pens, picture taking stuff....

**Oh... and it was full of craft supplies:) Paint, polymer clay, Beads, more beads.... a paper making kit... a bead weaving loom.... clay molds.... Lots of goodies:)

The second drawer reads " Confidential information" ......... It houses 'the books'.... my records, stickers, thank-you cards....

The next one Reads: Items Listed... So I can keep track of what's on my Etsy page...

Then there's the drawer for Shipping... packing material, bags, tape......

Then there's the 2B Listed drawer. These are items that need to be put online....

And the last one is my UFO drawer. LOL... All that unfinished stuff that needs it's finally step to be put online.... For example... I have gnomes that need gardens... so this stuff will go in here until I can get er' done......

I'm just so pleased to have a portable area that I can use to work with:)

Now..... You ready for some kitty pics??

I just couldn't resist this one! Isn't Wilbur soooo cute when he sleeps? I love how he has his paw up around his head, with his mouth wide open.....

Look at ole bright eyes.... He sits here when I'm on the computer, unless my lap is free~ then he wants to be right next to me... Him and Freddy have been competing all week for my lap! And sometimes they both get to sit in my lap while I blog.... I love them an all, but can't they give a girl a break??

*And what do you do when your grandchildren won't behave???

You sit on them!! LOL
Too funny!

Well, Alrighty then.... I'm off to go work on some birdhouses... I've made some Halloween ones, just have to put the finishing touches on them before I can show you. :)

So....

Until Next Time