Another try at hanging shelves....

Today was a holiday so I had a few hours of spare time. Of course that means mini making time :) Since I'll be at work all day tomorrow I decided to treat myself to some minis today.

I've wanted to make hanging shelves from walnut wood for quite some time but never got around to it. I've also had the wood cut to size for some time and now I finally used some of it.

This one is a new design, although it is similar to a previous one. This of course needs to be further sanded and then it will get the whole treatment of shellac.

This one is from similar to one I made out of pear wood, but not exactly the same. It's smaller and a bit differently shaped. This one will also be finished with shellac. It will also be a bit darker after I apply paraffin oil and finish everything.

Sometimes, when real life deals us a plate of worries there is nothing more relaxing than taking a couple of hours off and doing a quick mini project. I love how these turned out and hopefully I will add a few more designs later on. First I want to make a few more console tables and probably one or two dining tables. Even though it's going to have to be stretched over a few weeks I hope everything will still get done.

Until next time!

*Poof*

OOAK Walnut console table now on Etsy

As promised, the walnut console table is now in my Etsy shop.

You can find it here.

Until next time!

*Poof*

Serpentine console table + large serpentine table

Hooray, two new tables :)

But first I would like to thank each and every one of you for all your nice comments and wonderful ideas! I appreciate every comment but sadly real life doesn't allow me to thank everyone individually right now. Please know that I love all of them and that they mean so much to me. It's always nice to know what others think of your work and it's such an inspiration to get such positive feedback.

Ok, down to business now, here's part of the process for another serpentine table and the result of the console table.

Before the final sanding, you can still see the rough spots that need some sanding.

It's still so nice to see the wood colour pop when I apply paraffin oil. I wanted to show you the difference again :)

Both tables with a coat of oil.

I love how this table top turned out. The specific grain and wood colour makes every piece unique and OOAK. It's truly beautiful.

I got this one to shine even more.... 

And the finished console table. I like how it turned out although I think I will change the sides a little on the next one. This one will probably go to my shop tomorrow.

I love making these! I will need to make some new designs for them.

I also have a question for all my wonderful followers.... If you could choose, which table would you rather have - a large serpentine table or a smaller console table? Would the console table fit better in your dollhouse since it's smaller and can be used for more things, or would you prefer the large serpentine table despite of it's size? I was wondering because I am thinking of a few new designs but I would like your opinion on what to make - smaller side tables/console tables or large dining room tables?

Until next time!

*Poof*

Serpentine console table part 2 + my new gadget

As always real life keeps getting in the way of making minis. And I had another distraction.... a new camera :D I bought a Nikon Coolpix L820 and couldn't be more satisfied with it. It suits my needs perfectly. Of course macro photography was a big factor in my decision and I can take great close ups with it.

I actually assembled the console table and sanded everything. Now it's going on the waiting list for shellac but I still need a few more pieces so I can coat a few pieces together.

I also started working on another large serpentine table. So far I have the table top and the cabriole legs cut. 

I love the way this one looks. There can never be another one the same :)

Roughly sanded legs. These will need a lot of sanding to become the way they should be.

And of course I had to play around with my new Nikon. A couple of shots so you can judge for yourself if it'll do for miniatures :D

Now another day of work and then we're off to our mini vacation in a spa. I can't wait!! 

Until next time!

*Poof*

Serpentine console table part 1

The last few days I've been busy cutting legs, skirts, table tops,.... I want to make another large serpentine table but I've also made new plans for a smaller side table or actually a console table. Again the plans are my own design although I did have a few inspirational photos.

The whole design was mostly based on this table. Of course mine won't be as elaborate since I haven't mastered miniature carving yet although I wish to learn that someday too. We'll see.

A rough work in progress..... just dry fitting here to see if everything is going according to plan. As you can see I changed the cabriole legs a bit too, actually slimmed them down as I didn't think the more bulky ones would fit on this smaller table quite as nicely.

So far so good. Now I need to do a lot more sanding and perhaps then it'll be ready for glue. Since this is made out of walnut wood I want to put on the same shellac finish as on the large serpentine table. This will again require a lot of time so I think I'll make a few pieces and then have two or three ready for shellac at the same time.

I do have a few more legs for the large serpentine tables cut but I forgot to take pictures.... I haven't done any more work on the chaise lounge though.... I will have to put everything together so I can put on shellac with the rest of these pieces. 

Well, this is all for now :)

*Poof*

Chaise lounge part 2

I've wanted to get to this project every day but somehow never found the time to actually sit down and continue. Today I was a little selfish and worked on it a bit.

I sanded everything and shaped the tiny cabriole legs. It doesn't sound like a lot of work but between all the interruptions it took up the whole morning. 

It's starting to look like something..... I'm still not very good at padding everything so I'm not sure how that will work.... perhaps I should have padded the back first and then assembled the rest. Oh well, it's done now so no use thinking it over again and again. I still have to shellac the whole thing before making the padding anyway. 

The front and the back legs. I need to let these dry and maybe I can continue tomorrow. 

This is coming along nicely although I'm not entirely sure I designed this project like it should be. But if it turns out ok in the end then who cares, right? 

Now I will have to look for some fabric.... I was thinking red velvet would be nice. I've also thought about leather but I think it would be too thick and hard to work with. Or I could always use the gold fabric I used for the bed tufting last year....

Any suggestions?

Until next time!

*Poof*

Antique chaise lounge part 1

Since yesterday was Sunday and we decided we weren't going to be doing anything around the house I finally got the time to start a new project.

I've wanted to do something like this for ages but haven't worked up the nerve to try it until now. Even now I can't be sure it's going to turn out the way I want it to, or turn out like anything at all.... but if I don't try I'll never know, right?

Since I've decided to make an antique chaise lounge I first had to come up with the design. This was mostly winging it and combining things from several different inspirational photos. After that came the cutting part.

The back and the front sides. Here you can see how this should turn out.... should being the operative word...

I also have the legs cut, all four of them. These are very small and so I've decided to leave them attached to the block they were cut from, making it easier for me to hold them while shaping them with my rotary tool. 

I still need to design the front part, plus cut the rest of the back and sides. At least I cut most of the pieces that will be visible after upholstering. The rest don't have to be as neat as they won't be seen anyway. Now I'll have to sand everything since you can clearly see that no sandpaper has touched this wood yet, hahaha. Hopefully I'll be able to continue this soon.

Oh, and I wanted to show the supervisor for the house renovations....

Nothing to add here really.... :D

Until next time!

*Poof*

Gifts from Jane!!

It took me forever to get these pictures done.... this week has been hectic!! Just as I was about to go do some errands on Tuesday morning, the postman brought me a fabulous surprise.... a package all the was from the US.

Of course I couldn't go anywhere without opening it first. Inside were this little treasures from Jane over at Minifanaticus.

A basket full of fantasy mushrooms :D these are amazingly detailed!!

A fly eating (flesh eating?? - you never know with witches) plant.... He's spectacular! He was already named Rolf by my boyfriend :D

A potion mixing board.... all of these items were made by the very talented Jane :) She really has a knack for creating with polymer clay!!

And a most detailed hand with a divination orb.... it's magical!!

And some mini supplies.... these will be used in future projects :)

Thank you so much Jane for your generosity.... these are amazing!! My pictures don't do justice to these wonderful pieces, so much detail and so tiny!! They are truly magical :D

Until next time!

*Poof*

Fantasy mushrooms

Oh wow, two posts in one day?? And during summer too!! Today must be a special day :D

So even though my life has been extremely hectic I did put my foot down and decided to take a break from real life today. It is Sunday after all.... And of course, taking time off means time for minis!

The making of.... you can see two unicorn horns in the corner..... I made a few of these too, and coloured them with mica powders. And since it's fantasy, why not make a black unicorn horn? More on these in another post, when they are all finished.

Potted mushrooms.... I decided to make them in various shapes, sizes and colours. They are all coloured with mica powders and they have a very nice shimmery look, although it doesn't photograph well (at least for me and my poor photography skills).

Two are potted with moss and one is potted only in soil *coughcoffeecough*

And here you can see a 10 cents coin to get a feel of the size. 

I also potted a few of them in a crate. I know that mushrooms can't grow in a crate but it's magic after all :)

Well there are still quite a few of these left for other projects so I still have to decide what to do with them. I can always make more of the cure little pots or crates. Perhaps a chopping block where the witch is preparing a new potion? It's very interesting that when you have enough time to make minis you usually don't have the inspiration, but when you don't have any time left you have a ton of ideas. I will have to start writing these things down!

Until next time!

*Poof*

Swap with Adriana

I'm finally able to post about my fabulous swap with Adriana over at http://minisdadrica.blogspot.com/

We arranged our swap quite some time ago but the packages took forever to arrive. But now we both finally have our wonderful minis and I couldn't be more thrilled with the ones she sent me. We decided on a very large swap since postage is very costly and so we crammed a lot of things in our boxes :) If you want to see what I sent her go and take a peek at her blog.

Lots of lace and some wonderful fabric for minis!!

Tiny bits for making all sorts of minis.... I love those little beads, they could be used for legs on furniture!

And the most impressive thing of all..... the furniture! I got all of these pieces, which Adriana made herself! I love them all. I will have to finish them myself since I asked her to leave them unfinished. I'm not sure yet where they will end up but I will finish them when I know where I'll put them. Maybe a shabby chic style? 

This was a wonderful swap and I can't wait to do more swaps in the future. 

Until next time!

*Poof*

Miniature top hat

2 weeks without minis!!! There were a lot of moments when I looked over to my table and almost sat down and started making minis. But I resisted the temptation! Hooray! 

I was very busy these past couple of weeks. I started working more, not to mention the horrible heat wave we had this week. Also we decided to do some major repair to our house and since my dad can do most of it himself we are all helping him with that. Of course on top of that there's my thesis.... Ok, I won't bore you any longer but I did get a chance for a quick project today. It's Sunday after all and everyone needs a break so after finishing what I could on my thesis I decided to treat myself to some mini-ing :)

I was also wondering if it's a curse that you feel the most inspired when you don't have any time left for minis? 

Ok, my little project was this top hat. I decided to keep the decorations to a minimum since this was just a prototype. I wanted to see how it would turn out. I'm semi satisfied with it, I think the top could be better but I will have to work out another technique for it. 

You can see the top isn't perfect although I'm not sure how else I could make this.

The little feather and rose work great and I think it doesn't need any other decorations. Perhaps I will try a steampunk version next time :)

Oh, and just for fun, I wanted to show you what I brought home from my walk in the forest today :) I decided to see if the wild blueberries were ready for picking and I did manage to get some. 

Mmmmm.... they're delicious!

Well, I hope to be finished with my thesis soon and then at least I'll get a bit more time for minis. I was thinking of making an apothecary or potion shop since I have quite a few potions now and some bottles left to fill. But I will need to make a lot of potion bottles from Fimo also. 

I did get a few blocks of Sculpey, which will be perfect for mini bottles and witchy accessories like unicorn horns and such. Perhaps a wand or two? We'll see.....

Until next time!

*Poof*

Sorceress' study lantern aka birthday gift for my mum

Ok, I admit, I broke my promise. But I did have a good reason - my mum's birthday. Granted it's not until the 20th but I just had to make her gift now. I did write a few more pages of my thesis though so I decided to reward myself with some mini-ing :)

Remember that lantern I showed you a couple posts back? Well, it was meant for my mum's birthday anyway but I didn't exactly know what I'd put inside. This is what I came up with....

Before I added the back "wall". Everything on the table is glued on. If you look closely you will see many of my creations from the past year. Everything here is handmade by me (except the kitty and bottles, which I bought but filled myself).

One of the books from my Burnt Owl Book range, a wand, some test tubes, potions,..... Everything a respectable witch needs!

And this is the final product. I added the back since I wanted a hanging shelf which I decorated with some potions. And yes, I know, horrible pictures again. I had to take these with my boyfriend's phone since the battery on mine died and also the battery on our camera. Like it didn't want to get photographed!

I love the little kitty on the right! 

I finished everything today and me being me I couldn't wait two more weeks to give this to my mum. I gave it to her today and she was super thrilled. Thank god she loved it! I really like how it turned out too. The only thing that's bugging me a bit is possible dust in the future. As we all know dust is our worst enemy in minis. I couldn't get the door to close any other way and so I'm a bit worried that after a while dust might start settling on the inside, but other than that I love it!!

Ok, now I'll be good and finish my thesis.... at least as far as I can get without another consultation with my mentor. 

Until next time!

*Poof*