JackieS

Back at work fulltime now, already working on four projects and traveling... Missing the mini time I took for granted when I was on bed rest!

LOVE this idea!

I have a couple of old watches that I was going to donate back before my foot surgery (and subsequent passion for minis). I just didn't get around to it, though, and found my donation box in the guest room today. I'm excited to have come across some raw materials, but not sure how to get at the innards! How do you take apart a watch to get to the good stuff?

I decided to have a small piece of lemon pound cake this evening because it just sounded so good. Well, it wasn't! It was store bought and dry, and the lemon flavoring was horribly artificial. A few weeks ago, I would have been polite and eaten it all on autopilot, regardless of the taste. I didn't say anything negative, but I stopped eating it. That kind of unconscious eating is what has historically put the pounds on me. Of course we need to eat when we're hungry, and I think it's OK to have an occasional treat, but just eating because something's on a plate in front of me... that's what I call unconscious eating, and I'm really working on not doing that any more.

Another night owl here... Now that I'm back at work, I need to mend my ways!

I'm fairly new to miniatures, but that's exactly what I love about this hobby! It's multifaceted! I love that it isn't the same everyday, and I sometimes even have several different kinds of mini projects (all for the same house) going at a time. (Very impressed by folks who work on multiple houses at the same time!)

She loves Oglethorpe but is a bit disappointed by changes in their theatre program, which has been doing fewer productions the last couple years. On the other hand, she got a huge scholarship and has had some fantastic professors who truly mentor their students... I work at a large university myself and generally speaking, I think small schools are better for most undergrads. There's a great book about that called Colleges That Change Lives (http://www.amazon.com/review/RMRG30TNH7W09/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0140296166&nodeID=283155&store=books). OU isn't profiled in it, but offers the same kinds of advantages. Please feel free to message me with any OU-related questions! FYI, Thursdays are the best night for the ST! -- tickets are cheaper, and all seats are general admission. I see a lot of Shakespeare, and they're among the best! I hadn't heard about the Fox Theatre or The Varsity... our evenings are all booked, but we will definitely eat at The Varsity. It looks really fun -- THANKS!!!

I'm really hoping our 17 year old will decide it's okay if we don't hide eggs this year... She's the only one still at home and has spring break this week. We're all heading to Atlanta Wednesday to visit our other DD at college, so we'll deliver her Easter basket (probably in a gift bag; she just doesn't have a lot of room in her dorm). On Saturday, we'll head back home so that we can celebrate with our church family Sunday morning. Ham will be on the menu at our house too!

Thank you, Tracy!! Now I'm really excited!! I've only been to one miniatures store before (and I bet they thought I would never leave!). Unfortunately, I'll miss the Miniature Designs yard sale -- we're going on Wednesday. Our daughter goes to school at Oglethorpe, so I'm not JUST going for minis - lol! We love Shakespeare and will see Macbeth at the Tavern and Two Gentlemen of Verona at OU (DD's in it). We're also going back to the aquarium because it's so awesome! Anything else you recommend? We come down a couple of times a year, but this is my first visit since developing a passion for miniatures.

We're planning a trip to Atlanta, and I want to check out the mini "resources" there. My area has nothing, so I'm excited about this! I searched online and found "Ernie's Attic," which is only open every other Thursday and Friday -- fortunately we'll be there when they're open. I also found the website of a store called "Miniature Designs," located in Lawrenceville, GA, about 20 mins away from where we'll be staying. Has anyone been to either of these? Any advice about visiting? Are there other places I should also try to see? Thanks in advance for any guidance you can offer!

Thanks for sharing this site -- these are fantastic! I see some things I want to add to my Santa's Workshop and others that would be perfect for my nephew's Playmobil. I've made the paper dollhouse and toy barn available here: http://www.printmini.com/printables/p1.html If you print them on glossy photo paper, they look a lot like metal dollhouses.

This happens every time I take a picture for the Gallery! Years ago I was taught to proofread my own writing by reading it one sentence at a time, but going backwards, from the last sentence to the first. It works because it forces me to read what's written, not what I meant to write! Looking at a photo of something I've created does something similar; it takes my project 'out of context' just enough that I see it as it is.... Sometimes I even catch things just by looking through the camera lens.

I think I'll stop in at Big Lots tomorrow!! That clock is full of mini potential!

Anna, if you have a color printer, another option is printing your own fabric! I have a hard time finding fabric that's to scale, so I now print most of the fabric for my minis. I use a lot of mini wallpaper designs -- the web has tons of free ones. If you have a fabric you really like, but the scale is too big, you can also adjust the size of the print -- just scan the fabric into your computer, save it as a jpeg file and and paste the file into WORD, where you can downsize the scale. To create striped fabric, I just create a single row (long) WORD table and color the cells, customizing the colors and width of stripes exactly the way I want them. You can also do this using Paint or other design software (I have a lot of experience with WORD tables, so that's easiest for me). For printable fabric, I use "Blumenthal Lansing Crafter's Images" photo fabric, which is available in 3 kinds of fabric: a very lightweight cotton poplin, a sheer, slightly shimmery Habotai silk and a slightly heavier cotton twill. It comes in both 8 1/2 x 11 sheets and a 100-inch roll. I buy the roll so I can cut and print only as much as fabric I need -- plus, it gives me the option to print a piece of fabric longer than 11 inches (just change the length of the page before printing). I've found some good deals on this at Amazon and eBay, but I've also seen it in craft stores. There are probably other brands that work well too -- this is just what's worked well for me. I kind of feel like one of the kids in the Life cereal commercial -- "Try it; you'll like it!" There's just something really satisfying about making something with fabric you created yourself!

Oh!! I'm really excited now!!! This morning I told DH about this thread and my steampunk dream house plans for the DuraCraft Linfield ,,,and he said, "I love steampunk! I would really enjoy working on that with you." Wow! He's quite handy in RL, but those are words I never thought I would hear! We proceeded to discuss elevators for the next 20 minutes, and he was late leaving for the office (a sure sign of genuine interest!) Deb, thanks for mentioning Peggi's tutorial for her Coventry Cottage elevator. I looked at her Gallery pictures, but didn't think to look in the building team blogs. Still learning my way around!