Thursday, August 30, 2012

The Big Black Suitcase, and Miniatures Spectacular report

The miniatues fair this year was everything I hoped it might be, and more.  There is no greater sense of belonging than finding yourself in a hall full of like-minded people, especially if some of them have been friends for years.  It makes me realize all over how quiet and isolated my life is.  I certainly made up for it over the weekend,  make no mistake! Here are a few photos taken at the fair.
This year we celebrated our 20th anniversary.  Can't believe I've been doing this for so long!

Apart from sales tables, there was a display of club members' work.  One needs hours to take in all the little details.

We recently lost Jean to cancer.  She was famous for making toilets, her wry humor had us begging for more every year.  This photo has the TeePee, Passing time, and Eggloo.  Don't they make you want to scream with laughter?
And one of my personal favourites, the Bear Necessity...

This is my sales table at the fair. 
Did you spot it?  Yep, the Big Black Suitcase.   In a future blog I will tell you the story of the BBS, and how I made it.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Minnow Update

I'm still moping because I miss Minnow.  Just had an email from Liz, her new mommy.  Minnow has a pair of adorable pink slippers, and is very happy in the big dolls house where she is living with lots of friends and toys.  I guess I can smile now :-)



In case you need accessories, or even a whole dollshouse for your own monkeys and bears, I'm giving Liz' website address here www.themillcottage.co.za  Stacks of desirable miniature goodies there, and best of all, one can order by mail!  I will also be adding her information to the Tin Soldiers website as soon as I have a minute.


Friday, August 24, 2012

Miniatures Spectacular - Nearly there!

‘Tis the night before Parkhurst and I’m very excited! Our annual miniatures fair is always a magical experience. The primary reason I take a table at the fair every year is so that I have an excuse to be there all day, every day. And of course so that I can have a base from which to shop, and a table under which to stash my newly acquired treasures. This year I am also offering for sale some of the best miniatures that I have made in a long while.
So what's with the suitcase?  I will tell you next week :-)
In the meantime, here is a sneak preview of some of the miniatures I will be offering for sale tomorrow.
This little one I've named Minnow.  She is only 9cm tall, made from polymer clay and mohair.  I don't know whether I will have the heart to let her go...
Two vintage style dolls made from polymer clay.  About 10cm tall, wire jointed.  I love the new glaze that I'm using.
Polymer clay 'people pins'.  these are always a winner at fairs, and fun to make.  I didn't have time to make too many this year though.
A tiny (8cm) jointed kitty with hand painted stripes.  This is another one I'm tempted to keep.
Needlefelted dog 1/12 scale about 4cm high.  I wish this one would find a home.  He was messing around with the crockery while I packed.
I managed to finish several of these micro tiny (4cm) polymer clay dolls.  They have wired arms, and take absolutely hours to paint.  This batch has particularly nice faces, the photo doesn't do them justice, I will try to snap a few pictures in better light at the fair tomorrow.

That's it from me.  Hope to see you at the fair, and if you can't be there, have a creative weekend.





Friday, August 17, 2012

Miniatures Spectacular

Yep, it's a big black suitcase.  Why?  And what's in it?
I'm not telling...  Treasures will be revealed at the Miniatures Spectacular next weekend.  See you there!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Snow in Pretoria!

Yep, at around one pm today we got a flurry of snow too.  Really just a smattering.  It was awesome.  Not like rain that falls down, the snowflakes floated in the air, and disappeared as soon as they hit the ground.
Snow falling around Cape cottage and the fountain. 
Henning, who is German, and who doesn't think it's snowing unless you have to dig out your car with a shovel, could not understand why we are so excited. 
Considering this is the first snow we've had in our lifetime, the dogs and I celebrated anyway.

Dino and Colani say it was definitely coming from the sky, but they could not see who was throwing it.
Shame, Attila got some in her eye.
So, this is how much snow we had.  Time to stop fooling around and get back to work!





Wednesday, August 1, 2012

New Teddy Bear Pattern - Schnozzle

Three cheers for technology!  My computer issues of the past few days are sorted out and I am proud to present Schnozzel.
At only 12 cm (4 1/2 inches) long, you might easily be led to think he's a small bear.  In fact, this cheery little fellow has a big nose, big feet, big tummy and he's BIG on charm.
A modern teddy bear design by Carol Casey from CAZ bears, we have reworked the original pattern to include lots more instructions.  For the experienced bear maker there is the opportunity to needle sculpt the face, and to do shading around the eyes.  Schnozzel is made from Loubear mohair, Tom colour 25
Printed patterns are available from Tin Soldiers, and the PDF pattern is available from Loubear and my Etsy shop
If you are into crochet, you can also make Schnozzel a pair of dungarees.  Crochet instructions HERE.