TreeFeathers: Life in Miniature

New Printies - St. Patrick's Day and Family Tree

2010-03-17T10:33:00.001-04:00

New printies for you for St. Patrick's Day! They are high-resolution images to give you good quality printies. They'll be available here and in the Printies section of my website. Enjoy!

These St. Patrick's Day postcards date from about 1900-1915. There is also a page of sheet music, "The Harp that Once Thro' Tara's Halls," and a vintage fruit crate label for Shamrock brand oranges. Click the images for a printable page.

The Family Tree printables below include:

Bible page: Family Record 1882-1932
Bible page: Births 1815-1924
Marriage Certificate, California 1892
Indenture Papers, Illinois 1815
Matted Family Photographs for framing

Click the images for a printable page.

Any Jewish readers who could answer a couple questions for me?

2010-03-14T03:53:00.003-04:00

Illuminated Mishneh Torah, c.1350

If you're reading my blog then you probably already know that my specialty is miniature books. I make a couple of different Christian Bibles, and have recently created a miniature Qur'an (soon to be listed.) I've had requests now and then for Jewish texts so I've been looking into it, however "looking into it" has left me more confused than ever. So I'm wondering if someone could answer some questions for me:

Is the Torah ever written in book form, or only in handwritten scrolls? (I've seen programs on TV about the creation of Torahs, which is absolutely fascinating, but leads me to believe that is the one and only form in which one is produced.)

Is the Talmud published in English at all, or should I make it in its original language? And is that Aramaic or Hebrew? It would only be relevant as far as the title on the cover (and which way the book would face), as I'm not about to attempt to make one full-text in miniature.

Should I make a Jerusalem Talmud, a Babylonian Talmud, or both?

Is there such a thing as a one-volume Talmud, or even 3 or 5 volume set? Or is it always a huge multi-volume set of books?

Are Talmuds ever made with fancy fabulous covers, or do they tend to have plain covers, or does it not matter? Would it ever have gilt page edges? Are there old medieval versions I could recreate, or should I just make a modern style one?

I have already made a Mishneh Torah (with English title) since I happened to come across a beautiful old cover for one. Just how common is this book? I read up on the background and history of it, but it didn't really give me a grasp of whether or not it's a common book these days.

I'd appreciate any direction anyone could give me on this, as I want to make them correctly. You can email me directly at info@treefeathers.com. Thanks!

Miniature compasses back in stock!

2010-03-10T01:22:00.001-05:00

I'm so excited, I finally found another source for my itty-bitty compasses! Less than 3/8" (9mm) in diameter - perfect for miniature travel or camping scenes. Black base and clear plastic cover, and just 4mm tall. They have a magnetic center and the dial spins freely, but don't count on them to point to true north - they're just for entertainment, not hiking trips. You'll find them in the travel section of my store (link above or in the sidebar). Get yours before they're all gone!

Mini storage solution

2010-03-04T16:40:00.001-05:00

Miniaturists are always looking for useful storage containers for mini collections and art supplies. Well I made a great find at Family Dollar today - tiny plastic storage boxes with lids. They're sold in packs of eight, for the unbeatable price of $1! They measure 2.5x2 inches, and about 1.5" tall. Perfect for all those little bits and bobs. They'd be good for shipping miniatures, too. You'll find them in the kitchen utensils aisle of the store.

I already know what I'll be using some of them for: holding the leftover bits of custom-mixed paints and plasters that I use. It takes so little for mini projects, I hate to mix up large amounts of custom colors and textures. They tend to dry out quickly in larger containers, so storage has always been a problem. These will be perfect! I'm also going to use them to hold different colors of flocking material, which currently stay in the plastic baggies in which they arrive. I have to pour out piles onto paper plates or into larger containers when I actually use it (and then try to pour the leftover back into the baggies.) This will be a much easier solution.

I think they'll also be handy for storing miniature works in progress, to keep the pieces together and clean. And I can stack them right on the work table within easy reach instead of away in a drawer where they might be forgotten. Maybe it will help me cut down on the UFOs around here!

What's your dollhouse wish list?

2010-02-28T21:48:00.002-05:00

Am I the only one who didn't buy a dollhouse or kit this week? The boards have been buzzing with people showing off their new purchases; I, unfortunately, was not among them. Can't really justify the expenditure right now, of money or of time! (I still have an Orchid kit that my friend Brenda sent me like 2 years ago, waiting to be turned into a toy shop. Now that I've settled into my new home, I'm hoping to get started on it soon. No, really!)

But that hasn't stopped me from doing some wishful window shopping lately. There are a few houses I'd really love to get, and my mind just starts spinning with ideas every time I look at them. The list that follows is my "Will Conceivably Be Able to Get Someday" list, not my "Ha! When I Win the Lottery" list.

The one that has been on my wish list the longest is the front-opening Gloucester by Corona Concepts. I like the arrangement of the house, but I think part of what attracts me is the windows and the corner details, which remind me of the houses in Brittany where I used to live. Because that's what I want to do with it, turn it into a Breton-style townhouse. (Actually, I think it was explained to me that leaving the corner stones exposed is a Norman style, while in Bretagne they tend to plaster over them, but you still see both styles a lot there.) I've been collecting bits and pieces for years for my maison bretonne!

Another front-opening house I really like is 333 Franklin Street by Real Good Toys. What is it about front-opening houses that is so appealing? Is it because they're unusual here in the USA, being more typical of English dollhouses? Is it the realism of an entirely enclosed house with all four walls? Is is the space you can save by not having to turn it around to get inside? Yes, yes, and yes. And add, less to dust since it's enclosed. Franklin Street is a simple style, but offers a lot of possibilities. I'd even like to do a couple of them - one as just apartments, another with a shop downstairs, maybe a dance school upstairs, and who-knows-what on the top floor. And another for the cafe, bookstore, and miniatures shop! You could do a whole street of them and each one could look completely different.

The Victorian Townhouse, also by Real Good Toys, is another with a relatively small footprint but big potential. I like the interesting bay tower (and not just because it opens in front!) It also has movable room dividers, so you can really customize the layout. I'd love to do one as a single home, and another split into apartments. I see another street in the neighborhood!

The last one on (this) list is the McKinley Wall Display house. Another space-saver, this one hangs on the wall but is still quite roomy. I love that it has porches (many wall-hanging houses don't) and an interesting shape and details (many wall-hanging houses don't.) It also has three handy storage drawers at the bottom. Has anyone built this before? I'd love to see more pictures.

So what houses are on your wish list? What dreams and plans do you have for them?

It's a Winter Wonderland in Indiana

2010-02-21T19:36:00.000-05:00

For a place that "doesn't get much snow," we've sure had a lot of it here in the last few weeks. Before moving here I was assured that they usually don't get more than an inch of snow at at time - we have a good couple of feet out there right now! The latest round this week was predicted to leave 1-3", but we got more like 6-8" (that's on top of what fell last week.)

This is a rural area, and there's 2 big hills to get out of my area to the main roads, so once they ice up I'm pretty much stuck here until it melts. After the accident I had trying last month, I'm not taking any chances. My face has healed up, but it left a scar by my eye. I'm now considering a career as a pirate supermodel.

The photos below of our road were taken by my niece on Monday (the one above was our front yard last week.)

This is the same red barn I photographed a few months ago, down the road from here.

Today was gorgeous and sunny, but they say there's more snow on the way this week!

'Chateau Antoinette' by Mulvany & Rogers

2010-02-17T20:06:00.000-05:00

Kevin Mulvany and Susie Rogers of Mulvany & Rogers have created a fabulous miniature palace called "Chateau Antoinette." Created for an American collector with a passion for Marie Antoinette, the miniature takes elements from Versailles Palace, the Chateau de Bagatelle and the Palace of Fontainebleau.

The chateau has six rooms and measures 42 inches high, 67 inches wide and 20 inches deep. Only the finest miniatures and materials were used - real crystal and gold, luxury woods, sterling silver. The table is set with porcelain Sevres plates, real glass goblets, and sterling silver cutlery. The walls are decorated with 22-carat gold leaf and tiny oil paintings. Over 10,000 hours of work went into creating the masterpiece.

Mulvany and Rogers have been making miniatures for over 25 years and are known for their miniature recreations of real castles and mansions. Based in Holt, Wiltshire, England, they travel around the world researching their projects. They are exacting about the details, even including fireplace soot and dust in the corners of rooms.

"The mood, the lighting, wear and tear are all considered. It all counts to making a true replica," says Susie.

See more photos and read the full article about Chateau Antoinette.

It's my birthday!

2010-02-12T13:11:00.002-05:00

Yep - me and Hammer Hammer Jenkins (that's "Abraham Lincoln" to the rest of you; when I was very little I was fascinated by Lincoln, and somehow thought that having the same birthday meant we were related. So combine my 2-year-old inability to say "Abraham" with my somehow morphing "Lincoln" into one of our family names, and you get Hammer Hammer Jenkins. Which my family still teases me about to this day. Geez, one mistake and they never let you hear the end of it!)

So, I'm now 41. I guess I got through the worst of my dismay at hitting my 40s last year - today I'm feeling pretty good. At least nobody makes me wear construction paper stovepipe hats on my birthday anymore. My niece is making my favorite meal for dinner tonight (spaghetti!), so I'm looking forward to that (I probably shouldn't have mentioned the stovepipe hat, now they'll probably make me wear one!)

Happy Birthday to all you Aquarian babies out there!

I loved that song when I was a kid! Still kinda do.

New Valentine's Day Printies!

2010-02-11T02:15:00.001-05:00

I've created some new printies for you for Valentine's Day. These cards and postcards date from about 1900-1915. They are high-resolution images to give you good quality printies. They'll be available here and in the Printies section of my website, where you'll also find some new links to other miniature printables.

Click the images for a printable page. Print at high-quality, and use heavy paper or light cardstock for the best results.

Enjoy!

And the winner is...

2010-02-03T21:30:00.000-05:00

I'm late in posting this, but I did do the drawing this weekend for fans of my new TreeFeathers Miniatures Facebook page. And the winner is... Kathi Laugherty! Kathi, you've won a 6-volume set of TreeFeathers Miniatures books, of the subject of your choice (cookbooks, gardening, children's books, Christmas, etc.) Thanks everyone for playing, we're up to 64 fans already!

And don't forget to check out the new Facebook group, Miniaturists: Visionaries with Short Attention Spans. You can post photos, participate in discussions, and keep up on the latest mini news on Facebook!

TreeFeathers is now on Facebook!

2010-01-24T16:13:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally gave in and created a page on Facebook for TreeFeathers Miniatures, so I hope you'll join as a fan! I added a badge for the page in the navigation menu here (left side) to make it even easier. I also added a tab for 'Life in Miniature' to the page so you can read this blog without ever leaving Facebook!

I'm going to do a drawing next Saturday for everyone who signs on as a fan. The prize will be a 6-volume set of TreeFeathers Miniatures books - the subject of your choice (cookbooks, gardening, children's books, Christmas, etc.) So be sure to get over there and sign up!

I also created a Facebook group, just for fun: Miniaturists: Visionaries with Short Attention Spans. You can post photos, participate in discussions, and keep up on the latest mini news on Facebook!

Ever feel like it's going to be one of those days?

2010-01-23T13:48:00.002-05:00

eBay store is open again!

2010-01-20T23:06:00.000-05:00

I've finally got my eBay store up and running again, so pop on over and check it out! I'm listing a bunch of new items, including the Twilight series books and some new Agatha Christie sets that I'm pretty excited about. I'll be adding stuff for the next day or two, so be sure and check back!

Tilt-Shift Your World

2010-01-15T01:03:00.000-05:00

Amazing miniature detail, you're thinking? Amazing and detailed - yes; miniature - no!

I've posted before about miniature art that's disconcertingly real, or that makes use of optical illusion to great effect. Well here's a twist that turns that whole thing on its head: tilt-shift photography. It's a unique art that uses camera lenses and Photoshop to make life-size locations or subjects look like miniature models. A shallow depth of field and high color saturation are key to creating the illusion.

The photos below are linked to their sources where you can see more amazing photographs, or check out this article at Smashing Magazine.

Let's Go Way Back Challenge

2010-01-13T20:33:00.000-05:00

Doreen has issued a challenge on her blog (right when I was trying to think of something to post about) so I'm taking her up on it! "Everyone find a picture of yourself when you were young and let's see how adorable we all were."

So here's my Waaaay Back photo - picking mushrooms when we lived in Alaska, early 1970s. Even then I looked pissed off! :P

So who's next?

Vampires and Werewolves and Redheads, Oh My!

2010-01-09T15:53:00.003-05:00

I've had several requests for this, and I'm thrilled to be listing it in the store: the entire 4-volume Twilight book series! All you vampire fans out there be sure and grab a set for your miniature library.

I've also added several other new miniature books to the inventory, including a gorgeous original-design Astronomy book that's sure to impress and some classic 1940s science-fiction.

For the kids' rooms there's a beautiful new Victorian fairytale, 'Princess Nobody,' and one that's been on my List a long time - Pippi Longstocking! I've created this one with the original Swedish title (Pippi Långstrump) as well as an English version. You can even get it in Danish, Norwegian, or Finnish!

These miniature books all have blank pages, but they do open for display if you so desire. Stop by the store and take a look!

Free Printies - Vintage Sheet Music and Ads

2010-01-02T17:41:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! A few original printies for you to kick off 2010. Some vintage advertisements, and sheet music and cover for "Auld Lang Syne."

Save the images below to your hard drive and print them out with your own graphics program, or print them straight from the web (just open image in a new window and set your print preferences to scale it to 33%.) Print at high-quality, and use heavy paper or light cardstock for the ads and music booklet cover.

Use a lighter-weight paper for the music sheets. Cut out, fold down the center, and glue into the cover. Alternately you can cut the two pages of music out separately and have them loose inside the cover.

Enjoy!

World's Coolest Mother's Day Present: The Construction

2009-12-31T12:29:00.001-05:00

And now a little behind-the-scenes look at what went into creating the roombox:

Once I'd decided on the case and had it ordered, it was time for some planning. I drew out a floorplan to scale so that I could get a better idea of how things were going to fit (and how much.)

Doors, and windows, and cabinet kits, oh my! A big ole' pile of construction supplies...

A dry fit of the case before beginning work. I marked out important lines and areas to be cut out for the door and window.

I stained the entire case and finished the walls before assembly.

These are the garden walls, with the siding being glued and clamped on one section at a time.

With the siding done and painted, and the door and window finished and installed, it was time to begin assembling the walls.

Living room - I've cut and glued on the stone sheet and used plaster to blend in rough edges. Also did the same for the hearth, which I constructed out of foam and wood. Since there's not enough depth for an actual firebox, I opted for a little trompe l'oeil instead - I painted the area black, and then covered it with a mesh firescreen later. I did consider building out the entire fireplace from the wall, but it would have taken up too much of the limited display space.

I took step-by-step photos of the entire fireplace process, so I'll post a tutorial on it later.

With the stone texture sheet applied and all the dry fitting done, it's time to make it look like real stone! This stage took quite a while, as I did the paint in many layers to build up a natural look.

The painting is done and sealed and the stone all grouted. The firebox and screen are finished, and the custom-built wood mantle has been added on. With all the walls now installed, it's time to add floors and then the really fun part - accessorizing!

I can't seem to find my other photos of the kitchen cabinet construction and doing all the floors, so the next post will show you some of the accessories I "bashed" for the project.

World's Coolest Mother's Day Present: The Garden

2009-12-30T04:34:00.003-05:00

The Garden

From the kitchen a door leads out to the patio garden. It's a very condensed version of the real one, as Fran's garden is huge. Besides cutting in the door and window, I also finished the walls with siding to add to the illusion of an outdoor space. I made all of the individually-laid pavers from clay, and the "cinder-block" garden beds from sculpted foam and plaster.

Special items included in the garden are tomato plants, herbs, yellow iris, the hummingbird feeder and the birdbath, and of course, the turtles! (And yes, I realize one wouldn't have tomato flowers, tomato fruit, blooming iris, and mature carrots all at the same time, but just go with me here...)

The beautiful tomato plants were kits from Belara Beach Originals, wish I had close-up photos because the detail on them is amazing. The lovely iris, the carrots and herb plants, and the gardening gloves were all kits from Bonnie Lavish (I used bits of leaves and branches from a variety of plants to create the "herbs.") I repainted commercial garden tools, turtles and the hummingbird on the feeder.

One of the turtles enjoying a drink of water in the shade of dandelion.

Next up: Construction of the project.

World's Coolest Mother's Day Present: Living Room & Kitchen

2009-12-28T16:43:00.003-05:00

The Living Room

The fireplace wall was a key feature of the real living room that I wanted to reproduce in miniature. Rather than make the individual stones, I started with an unfinished textured plastic stone sheet that I cut to fit and painted in numerous layers to get the natural look I wanted. Once the painting was done, I used tinted spackle to grout the whole thing. I built the wood mantle and the hearth to match the real fireplace as well. I took photos of the process so at a later date I'll post a tutorial on it.

A coffee table to match the real one, with some of Fran's favorite magazines. More magazines are stashed in the holder next to the couch.

One of the special items A. wanted to include was a replica of his father's guitar. I found a close match, then modified it and added some painted details to make it as exact as possible.

The real fireplace.

The Kitchen

Of course the true heart of any Italian home is the kitchen. I built all the cabinets from kits and custom-stained them to match the real ones. The floor is done with peel-and-stick marble tiles and then grouted. The door leads out to the garden.

Every year V. and A. send Fran delicious Georgia peaches, and she then uses the same box to send them fresh tomatoes from her garden. This miniature box is addressed to the kids, and full of ripe and unripe tomatoes individually wrapped in newsprint.

Fran's favorite cookbooks reproduced in miniature, along with vitamin bottles and a bowl of fresh fruit for her yogurt smoothies. I also repainted a blender to match her real one.

Next up: The Garden!

World's Coolest Mother's Day Present: The Craft Room

2009-12-27T12:02:00.012-05:00

Well as you may remember, oh so many moons ago, I promised photos of the commission project I was working on. My good friend V. and her husband, A., came up with an idea for the World's Coolest Mother's Day Present for his mom (we'll call her Fran): a scene incorporating all her favorite things, set in a (loosely interpreted) miniature version of her house. We settled on four rooms to be represented: a living room, a craft room, a kitchen, and an outdoor garden.

V. and A. came up with a list of particulars to be included, from beloved cookbooks and pet turtles to favorite foods and family traditions. "Bronx Italian decor" and "Catholic" were the main interior design directives given, which meant very little to my New England pirate puritan sensibilities. Luckily a local relative was able to sneak around and photograph her garden and home in a very non-stalkery way (he lives there) and email them to me so I had some specifics.

We looked at a lot of possibilites for cases, and finally settled on the 4-Plex Display Case by Houseworks. With four separate spaces I could get a lot in there, but an overall side dimension of only 16" kept it manageable as far as display space (what do you mean "not everyone wants their house taken over by miniature displays?!")

With a limited time-frame I had to rely more on purchased and kit-based or 'bashed*' items than I might have otherwise, and limit my handmade work to really special items (or things I just couldn't find.) The case itself also took quite a bit of work to finish out the different spaces. I'll fill you in on the details as I post the photos of each section.

*bash (v. bashed, bash·ing, bash·es)
1. to adapt or rework purchased items into customized miniatures: she's bashing a dollhouse she found at a yard sale
2. to adapt or rework kits into customized miniatures: it's a kit-bashed dollhouse
3. to strike violently: I bashed that stupid dollhouse kit!
4. a drunken spree: Kit? What kit?

So without further ado, the photos:

The Craft Room

Fran is a creative person with many talents and hobbies, so including them was a top priority. In her real house she's limited to part of the living room for her crafts, so in the miniature version we gave her an entire room of her own.

Sewing is one of her favorite hobbies, she once dreamed of going to Paris to be a fashion designer. I repainted a commercial sewing machine to match her real one, and filled the shelves and tabletop with supplies (hard to see all the tiny spools of thread and other sewing supplies on the table.)

I made miniaturized versions of the purses and microwave potato-cooker pockets that Fran sells for charity. She also crochets scarves - this little scarf and hat were made by a friend from an online miniatures group.

V. helped me make this ornament tree display, to show off the tiny painted and beaded Christmas ornaments.

Vive la France! An antique copy of "La Marseillaise" in a frame finished in 18k gold, and a tiny French flag.

The miniature version of an entire wall from the real house. My spy even photographed the photographs so I could make mini versions! I made many of the frames from scale wood molding and from clay, and refinished some purchased ones. I built the shelf from scratch and filled it with more photos, some nicknacks, a silver crucifix, and one of my 18k gilt-paged Bibles.

The real wall of photos in Fran's house.

Next up: The Living Room!

Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T12:05:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas, everyone!

A Christmas treat for you all - some printable miniature Christmas cards made with Victorian clipart from my collection. Save the image below to your hard drive and print it out with your own graphics program, or print it straight from the web (just open the image in a new window and set your print preferences to scale it to 33%.) Use heavy paper or light cardstock and print at high-quality settings for beautiful miniature cards.

You'll find more Christmas printies on my website - cards, wrapping paper, ornament boxes, and sheet music: Christmas Printies

I'm still here - again!

2009-12-03T17:07:00.008-05:00

Well it's been kind of a nightmare last few months, but I think things are finally coming back together. Thank you to those of you who have continued to visit my blog, I hope you've still found the resources useful during this time that I haven't been posting.

So, if you're wondering where I've been - I moved across the country! During the move my computer kicked the bucket once and for all, so it took me some time to get another one. On top of that, just about everything that could go wrong, did. From my hosting service messing up and losing my website, to the dog chewing through the internet cable, right down to getting bit on the a** by a giant ant that got inside my pants when I stupidly stood too close to the giant anthill (durn thing bit me THREE TIMES on the rear - took hours for the pain to go away, and then my whole right leg was numb for over a day.)

But things are looking up now. Thanks to the help and support of some truly great friends (I'm so blessed!) I'm installed in my new home, got a new (used) computer, got most of my work stuff up and functioning again, and I'm finally getting caught up on everything. I'll soon have some blog posts about the Mother's Day project I last posted about (which has been finished and delivered since then) and some new tutorials. I'll also be listing a lot of new items in my store, so stay tuned!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and thanks again for your continuing support!

Some of the local scenery - I love old red barns.

My new roommate, Little Man ("laid-back" is an understatement.)

I'm still here!

2009-05-08T16:10:00.002-04:00

Just been crazy busy working on this Mother's Day commission. I had planned to blog about it as it went along, but I've just had so much to do. This weekend is the big day, though, so next week I'll be back with photos!

Anniversary Drawing Winner!

2009-04-07T02:28:00.003-04:00

There were 17 entrants in the drawing, pretty good! And the winner is... MiniMaker of Creating Dollhouse Miniatures! Congratulations, Gaye, you've won $15 to spend at TreeFeathers Miniatures. And thank you to everyone for playing and for supporting this blog!