House Plant

 Now for something completely different - a walnut house in a planter!

The idea came to me when I saw the beautiful hand turned bowls made by Tom Frey. The bowl I've used for this piece is cherrywood, with a natural rim.

The house, as always, is made from a real walnut, with acorn caps as roof and awnings. It's supported on oak twigs from our yard, and embellished with bits of dried grapevine.  The tiny landscape inludes agate pebbles from the southern shore of Lake Superior, collected for me by friends who were vacationing there.

One of the real pleasures of what I do is receiving unexpected gifts of natural bits and pieces from friends and family who have seen the walnut houses and think I might be able to use some interesting pebbles, tiny shells, fragments of bark, driftwood or fungi. I'm so grateful to them! It's helped me to build up quite a collection of wonderful things, which I dip into all the time.

The interior has a cozy bed, tables and a comfy chair; a shelf over the door holds books and dishes.

Her Dream House

When I first saw Todd Krueger's beautiful mermaids, I wondered what kind of dollhouse these magical creatures would have. Finding this wonderful piece of driftwood gave me the "nudge" I needed to build one.

Perched on a piece of coral that is studded with tiny rhinestones, the house has a sand dollar floor and a sea urchin roof, supported by columns of coral and pearl.  All the furnishings are made from natural shells and coral bits; the decorations include gilded starfish and more impossibly tiny shells.

Everything is adorned with seed pearls, beads and crystals.

The mermaid seems pleased with her work, and is musing about whether to add just one more thing.

Come see her at Chicago International 2011!

Petite Patisserie II

This version of the Patisserie is a bit different from the framed one, but retains the overall composition and color scheme. 

You'll notice that the alcove on the left of the back wall is gone, and the inset shelves on each side have been replaced by "glass" shelves mounted on the walls. To accommodate the projecting shelves, I had to make the box about 1/4" wider. The baker's rack in this version is a bit larger, and is painted white. The total number of tiny cakes and pastries is about the same.

This version of the Patisserie and my other new pieces will not be available for sale until the Chicago International Show, April 8th - 10th.

Getting Ready for Chicago

I've finished putting together my class kits for Chicago. It's going to be a fun project, and "doable" even for people who may not have worked in 1:144 scale before.

Now it's time to make some new pieces for my table. I finished a walnut house, and am now working on a frameless version of the Patisserie. Pictures will be up shortly!