Well Hello Again!

I have to admit that some significant time has passed since I last blogged about my miniatures.  It was a mix of things that kept me busy like the pandemic, life and moving.  My goal is to blog more and eventually redo everything in to a proper website.  But let's not get ahead of ourselves!  I post mostly to Instagram these days, so feel free to follow me there @kitty_and_kat_miniatures

Since this is a bit of a catch up, I'll just show you some items from about the last 6 months.

Berries

I had the berry pots in my stash for a very long time.  But I hadn't located a strawberry kit that looked accurate enough to inspire me.  Then about a year ago I stumbled upon Moonflower Mini Garden on Etsy.  The flower kits are amazing.  The have such fine detail, include everything you need and have step by step colour photos. 

Mini Modern

When I'm feeling inspired I often love to pull out my modern minis made by Pepper Micheson of MitchyMoo Miniatures. Its a bit like Where's Waldo in these images, there are so many of her pieces!  But lets try! The red sofa, blue floor lamp, coffee table, armoire, Ikea poang chair...and there may be more but just not in these shots.

After waiting and watching their website, I ordered myself a mini lava lamp from Shepherd Miniatures.  It lights up and is such a delight!

Random Bits of Fun

I am in love with this beautiful orchid from Martha Mclean Miniatures (orchid by Pat Richard and glass by Ray Storey).  The dinner setting was vintage and purchased on Ebay (no artist listed).

I really do have a soft spot for The Golden Girls.  1980's Miami vibe miniature are so much fun.  I made the couch from a vintage kit.  My first attempt at bending and shaping bamboo strips went better then expected.  The charcuterie came from MarshmellowHugs on Etsy and the tiki glasses are from Stewart Dollhouse Creations.

I have so much more to share!  Recall my Mid Century Build? Well that was finally finished and it looks amazing.  I will post about that gem really soon.

Hugs!
Kat

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  

2019 was a busy year.  2020 will bring lots more time for minis, so hang on!


I had a little fun creating this New Year's party scene.  These folks sure know how to party.

Where To Buy - Where To Find

Sofa and Sideboard - MitchyMooMiniatures (Etsy)

Coffee Table - Keenderson Miniatures

Chinese Food/Tylenol/Cake Box - Paper Minis

Bar Cart - Jane Harrop

Bar Mixer & Ice Bucket - Miniatures.com

It's Christmas Time! with HBS and miniatures.com

The Christmas countdown is on! While most of us haven't started Christmas shopping yet, if you want to get your Christmas minis ready, the clock is ticking.  Fear not, you have time and hopefully I can provide some inspiration.  Hobby Builder Supply (HBS) and miniatures.com asked me to put together a Christmas scene using an assortment of products from miniatures.com.

Those of you who have followed me all these years might have noted I haven't always posted elaborate Christmas scenes, but this year I started early (June!) and was determined to make a not one but TWO Christmas scenes.

The Room Box

The first part was choosing the road less traveled, meaning, I decided to make a new room box for the Winter White Christmas Scene.  If you're interested in a bit of that journey, check out my post The Formal Room Box. 

Two important features of the room box are the fireplace's brick wall and the fireplace itself.  The brick wall is a piece of MDF covered in the Embossed Light Brick Sheet.  I primed it and painted it with the wall colour.  The Jamestown Fireplace comes unfinished.  I chose to paint it my wall colour and used the same brick sheet to line the inside of the fireplace.

Once the room box was completed, I began assembling pieces from miniatures.com and my collection.  Many of the pieces from miniatures.com were painted or embellished to work with my scene, so please take a look at my shopping list at the end to find all the items.

Winter White Christmas Scene

We begin by peeking into the mini family's living room.  They're safe and warm from the cold snow.

The Tree

The Douglas Fir Trees make the perfect Christmas tree.  It has lots of flocked branches that are the perfect place to dangle Christmas balls and garland.  I simply cut a 1"x 1" square of wood, drilled a small hole in the center and glued the tree in place.  A small dab of wax held the base in place.  miniatures.com has an entire Christmas page where you can find ornaments for your tree.

The Fireplace

While this family might not be toasting marshmallows (given how clean the fireplace is!), I'm sure Santa can find his way down.  The Jamestown fireplace comes unfinished.  I simply added a little of the brick paper to the inside and then painted the entire thing  in my wall colour.

The fireplace features two trees, painted white using spray paint.  The Four Green Mini Trees, and many other bottle brush trees on miniatures.com, can easily be sprayed a colour to match your Christmas decor.

The Gold Bamboo Mirror....well, its not gold anymore!  Using an x-acto knife, I gently pried the mirror from the frame.  I then spray painted the frame white and glued the mirror back on.

Will Santa Visit?

It would appear the mini family left some milk and cookies out for Santa!

I continued to make some easy modifications to my furniture items.  I took the White Storage Table and cut off the tiny legs to lower it to coffee table height!  Even though it was already white, I have it a coat of white paint to match my walls.  This versatile piece has a shelf underneath of display baskets or other accessories.

The table also features Three White "Simple Shapes" Vases and How The Grinch Store Christmas.  Santa won't be disappointed with his 3-Pc. Cookies for Santa Set (and a note written to him).

 

Other Secrets

The living room also features the beautiful unfinished Hudson Side Table.  To age the wood I diluted grey paint in water and brushed it on the table.  The paint darkens the nooks and crannies and a little light sanding distresses the wood.

The table is also topped with one of the Set of Three Pink Candy Dishes that I spray painted metallic to match my decor.  Just be sure to select a spray paint that can adhere to plastic.  I used a bit of wax to adhere the dish to cardboard before I sprayed, because I learned the hard way that the paint stream will knock it right over!

One of my favourite pieces is the Dress Form on a Stand.  This is a simple black plastic Chrysnbon piece that is very versatile. Using a make-up sponge I dabbed the form with gold paint.  Once dry, I used linen to cover the bodice, which was adhered using a regular tacky glue.   

The simple and beautiful Unfinished Demilune Table is tucked up against the wall.  I used a white, water-based stain and antiqued by dry brushing it with grey paint.

Christmas Dinner

Now, I couldn't just make one scene, could I?  When I think about Christmas, I always think of the delicious food and the groaning table.  The mini meal is much more exciting to work on then the real life meal.  Not that I don't enjoy it, but preparing that raw turkey tries my Christmas spirit.

The Dinner

I chose the Garnished Turkey and Platter, which is full of detail and the centerpiece of the meal. I added in the Turkey Dinner Plate with Side of Cranberries and the Green Bean Casserole to complete my meal.  For added realism I use the Carving Knife and Fork Set along with the 3-Pc. Silver Flatware Set.

Come Have A Look Around!

If turkey isn't your thing, try the Garnished Ham Platter.  I apologize, I didn't think to supply a vegan option at this meal ;).  

Those little Christmas trees I used in the previous scene made their way over here too!

The Book of Mini

As I may have mentioned, I was generously included in The Book of Mini by Kate Unver.  The great folks at miniatures.com and HBS also have 3 images included in the book too.

The holiday season is almost here!  Consider giving your loved ones a copy.  Kate is a huge champion of our hobby and you can follow her at The Daily Miniatures (@dailymini) on Instagram.  Her Instagram features mini artist from around the world.  It has led me to make a few discoveries that I would have never known about!

So, I can officially say that I've crossed something off my holiday list, my miniature scenes!  Thanks again to Hobby Builders Supply and miniatures.com for their support with this post.  

Your miniatures.com shopping list!

Here's the shopping list for the living room:

How The Grinch Stole Christmas book

3 pcs Cookies for Santa Set

Set of Three Pink Candy Dishes

Two Dress Forms on Stands Chrysnbon

Hudson Side Table

White Storage Table

Douglas Fir Trees

Jamestown Fireplace

Embossed Light Brick Sheet

Unfinished Demilune Table

Gold "Bamboo" Mirror

Three White "Simple Shapes" Vases

Four Green Mini Trees (painted white)



Here's the shopping list for the Christmas dinner:

Garnished Ham

Turkey Dinner Plate  with Side of Cranberries

Garnished Turkey and Platter

Green Bean Casserole

Carving Knife and Fork Set 

Four Green Mini Trees (painted white)

3-Pc. Silver Flatware Set

This post received support from Hobby Builders Supply and miniatures.com

The Birch Rug Tutorial

If you ever wanted to tackle a small stitching project, then I have THE project for you!  This cute little 3.5" x 1.5" birch rug can fit into any miniature space.  

My tutorial is available in American Miniaturist November 2019 (Issue 199).  It's two colours and one stitch (the tent stitch).  I swear, you can do it! Throw on the TV and stitch away.

Living In A Living Room

I started to organize some of my minis.  It was a scary thing, so I did two boxes of furniture and stopped.  I need to devote a cold winter weekend to taking everything out and sifting through it.  Including my work space and the cabinets who's depths I haven't ventured into in quite some time.

I'm not saying its a "horde" but I freely admit that there's a lot of stuff very nicely labelled cute boxes that need addressing.  I need to make a date with my label maker machine and attack!

But since I had a few minis out....and needed to store some of my summer finds, I took the time to play around in my new room box.

As you can see from my last post, I can easily swap out the fireplace which is held in place with museum wax.  Pro tip (and by pro I mean that it took a long time to figure out): museum wax residue (not clumps!) comes off easily with a rubbing alcohol swab/square or a q-tip soaked in rubbing alcohol.  It hasn't ruined any of my painted walls, painted paper, or other surfaces.  But test your surface first!

Let's tour the room!

This room is a bit of an homage to Warren Richardson.  He made the beautiful sofa and chair which I purchased in Florida.  These are still widely available and on eBay, both in tan and black.  They are beautifully made!  I also realized that he made the floor lamp too!  But I've had that for some time now.  

Care for a drink? I have a nice Chianti in a sweet wrapped bottle tucked in the bar. 

Or maybe you want to relax, play some cards and enjoy a cigar.  

No matter what you choose, listening to some music is always a good idea.  

It's always nice to dig out items in your collection and see them up close.  I enjoy re-envisioning them every time I take them out.  

Where To Buy / Where To Find

Leather Bag - by Jose Gomez

Bar and Bookcase - Jane Harrop kits

Pottery - Alex Meikeljohn

Leather Sofa and Chair - by Warren Richardson (via The Toy Box in Cocoa, Florida)

Ashtray - Atomic Miniatures

Guitar and Chianti bottle - Grandpa's Doll House

Records and crates - Keenderson Miniatures

Coffee Table - MiniModels

Blue Floor Lamp and reading glasses - MitchyMooMiniatures

Credenza and record player - by me

The Formal Room Box

The room box is now emptied of its mini bounty....and ready for its Vogue photo shoot.  

The room box is made of MDF and measures 18.5" long 14" wide and 12" tall.  The fireplace brick bump out is permanent.  However, the fireplace isn't glue in, its just held in place with a dab of wax.  This way I can change the style or era of the room.  

The brick wall is embossed brick paper that I glued to the MDF, then primed and painted.  Even 3 coats of paint (primer + 2 top coats) didn't provide complete coverage, but I loved the shadowy effect so I didn't continue to paint.  I highly recomend painting the embossed paper if you're looking for an easy way to bring brick into your project.  No egg cartons, cork or paper brick cutting.  Just glue on the paper and paint it!

I was originally going to put a removable left and right built in cabinet on either side of the fireplace.  However, I ran out of steam and decided that I'd do it later or.... never.  We shall see!

The windows were made of plastic model making quarter round strips and clear acrylic sheets. I did this same window technique for my Real Good Toys room box a few years back.  

When I say "window technique" all I really did was sandwich the acrylic between the strips of plastic.  The strips are also glued to the frame.  It's a cheap and efficient way of making large windows.

So there you have it!  One project done, 30 more to go!

The Summer (mini) Round Up - Projects On The Go!

I'm writing this asking myself how summer is almost done.  Good thing I didn't set too many mini making goals for myself!

I have actually finished the room box since I last wrote. But before I could take pictures I began staging it for a scene for Hobby Builders Supply and miniatures.com.  Got a little too excited to start the room and I didn't take pictures of the finished product.  But soon, I promise, I will have the room box emptied and I will show it to you.

Summer Travels

We took Miss Kitty to Florida and had a nine day adventure at every theme park imaginable.  As a reward for surviving, I convinced everyone that we should stop at two miniature stores in Florida.  Thankfully, they were both located in the general vicinity of where we stayed or were travelling near.

Our first stop was at Ron's Miniature Shop in Orlando.  The store had an incredible amount of inventory.  My challenge was shopping with a six year old that wanted to explore and have all my attention.  It was a balancing act, but we both came out happy.  If you're in the area, definitely check the store out.  I would have loved it if items were not all behind glass so I could have explored more.  It's challenging to keep asking to open up locked displays as you browse!

Lots of acrylic letters (by Ron), a resin skull and a whip (made of wire)

Non-electrical acrylic chandelier and bench (by Ron)

Fun little bits!

Moroccan inspired table (laser cut cardboard by Ron), two vessels by Alex Meiklejohn and vase trio by Susan Johnson

Film reels!  I've never seen a mini version before so I had to get them

Working table top chest of drawers (by Ron)



Our trip to the Kennedy Space Center also included a stop in Cocoa to visit  The Toy Box.  The little store was packed with fine collectibles and general miniature items.  My best find was a leather and metal sofa and chair set by Warren Richardson (not pictured).  In fact I didn't have a chance to photograph the Toy Box items yet!  I got a clear jug of beer, the sofa/chair, and a vase by Alex Meiklejohn.

Other Bits

The scene I'm staging, of course, does not fully match my style of miniature collectibles.  While I had lots of items for it, there were more then a few things I had to make.  Nothing is worse then not being able to have your vision come together. For the last month I've spent my evenings working on furniture, decor and rugs.

One item was the Bay Tree which I made from a kit from The Miniature Garden on Etsy.  If you're new to florals or like me just want to get to the end product without a whole ton of fuss and cursing, these kits are perfect.  I've never run out of leaves or petals, lots of wire and great instructions.  I got the tree and a weeping willow kit for Christmas.  One of two down, now will I get the other one done before this Christmas?

And you get a peek into the room box and some of the other staging I've completed!  

Don't even ask about that advent calendar I was going to make for myself.  It's still sitting there 99% untouched waiting for me.  Waiting for Christmas 2020....maybe.

I'm looking at the start of school and a lot more free time up head, so I plan to translate that into a lot more miniature making and blogging!