Only Two Days to Go to Giveaway

There is only two days to go until my giveaway closes.

If you haven't joined yet go to http://myrtlemanorminiatures.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/giveaway.html
and make a comment. Also make sure you are a follower of my blog on Google Friend Connect.

In the meantime below is a list of the 50 entrants so far:

Veronique Blommaart

Francesca

Lisa T

Fabiola

Shaairah

Ilona

Daydreamer

Narina Napertaa

Yolanda Moran

Maria Ireland

Tatiana

Eliana

Teresa Schubert

Plush Pussycat

Pippibar

Drora’s minimundo

Rosella

Carmen

Stacey Johnson

Malu 2

Emanuela Valenza

Kyle Lefort

Eva-tatalamaru

Diane

Hannah

Lindsey Domer

Jane Smith

Meritan Nukkis

Angeles Sanchez Ruiz

Neen

Nono

Blanche

Melli

Maribel

Ascension

Costrastes-Rosa Ma

Cinderella Moments

Mary

Juan Ferlop

Susana Sanchez

Angeles

Susan Korman

Victoria Cascales

Arantza Martin

Maria Carvalno

Thea

Indy_Poppy

Norma

Marja-Leena

Sognatriceabordo

These people also have an extra chance for answering my Spot the Difference puzzle:

Veronique Blommaart

Lisa T

Fabiola

Daydreamer

Tatiana

Eliana

Teresa Schubert

Pippibar

Drora’s minimundo

Jane Smith

Cinderella Moments

If your name is not on the above list and you thought you had entered please use the link to go to the giveaway page and check you have left a comment. I'd hate for anyone to be left out.

Giveaway - Second Draw Prize

I said that if I reached 100 followers before my giveaway draw date that I would come up with a second prize, so I've been busy this weekend.

Anyone who has entered or enters my giveaway at http://myrtlemanorminiatures.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/giveaway.html is automatically eligible for this second draw prize. There will be two draws - the first being for the shelf prize - the second being for the firescreen prize shown below.

(NOTE: FIRE PLACE IS NOT INCLUDED)

 The prize is the fire screen, picture, coal bucket and wood holder.

The firescreen with antique wallpaper decoration. You can see more about this wallpaper on my post for the giveaway.

The back of the fire screen.

Coal bucket and wood holder. These are both made of card.. (Please note the wood will not be included or I might get in trouble with customs!)

 

 For the picture I just mounted another scrap of the wallpaper behind this lovely frame. It could easily be removed if you wanted to put another picture in the frame.

 

I've also added a few more of my sisters' scaled down paintings into the Selina Rose Gallery today. All in all a very productive weekend.

Next weekend will be the draw of my giveaway.

100

It's party time... I'm celebrating 100 followers!

I started this blog on 8 January 2011, three years ago. Progress was slow because I struggled to make the time to sit down and create, therefore I struggled to have something to blog about. In 2011 I made a total of 4 posts, in 2012 it increased to 13. However last year, 2013, I finally gave my creative side some time and space and made a total of 67 posts. At the beginning of 2013 I only had a handful of followers. I now have 100 - amazing.

I initially set up my blog as a tool to motivate myself and it has worked. I didn't realise how much I would enjoy my adventure into this blogging world and what great on-line friendships I would form. It has become far more than just a motivation tool.

I love blogging, I love following your blogs, I love creating, I love swaps and I love this wonderful worldwide miniatures community that I have become a part of.

Thank you to all my followers for your interest and wonderful comments, thank you to the bloggers I follow for your generosity in sharing your ideas and giving me some wonderful reading at any time of day.

As promised, there will now be a second prize in my giveaway. I have decided it will be a fire screen using the same antique wallpaper I used on the shelf in my giveaway, along with some accessories such as a coal bucket and shovel. I have to go away now and work out how I am going to make them.

Christmas Chain Swap 2013

I participated in the Christmas Chain Swap 2013 organised by Fabiola of Il Mondo Magico di Fabiola.

http://fabiolamiominimondo.blogspot.it/2013/10/la-catena-di-natale-2013-swapthe.html

I included in a previous post the wonderful gifts I received from Francesca and Maribel. In this post I am going to show you what I made for them.

I couldn't post this entry before today because Francesca (Italy) has only just received her parcel. I sent it at the same time as I sent Maribel's (Spain) who received her parcel prior to Christmas.

Anyway, this is what I made them:

First of all for Francesca:

 A Christmas bird house.

 A basket of Christmas Roses.

 A pavlova on a cake plate.

 A candle holder with candle and a silver angel on a doily.

 A Christmas wreath.

 A purchased Kiwi key-ring.

 Everything together.

A close up of the bird house.

And for Maribel I made:

  A Christmas bird house.

 A Christmas wreath.

 A basket of Christmas Roses.

 A pavlova on a cake plate.

 A candle holder with candle and a silver angel on a doily.

 Everything together.

I also gave Maribel a Kiwi key-ring. The kiwi is a flightless bird endemic to New Zealand. It is also the national symbol of New Zealand, and the association is so strong that the term Kiwi is often used to refer to New Zealanders.

As you can see I gave similar items to both my swap partners but tried to make them slightly different.

I did give a very mini tutorial for the candle holder here: http://myrtlemanorminiatures.blogspot.co.nz/2013/12/recital-christmas-surprises-mini-mini.html

If you want to know anything about any of the other items I made please do not hesitate to ask questions.

I thoroughly enjoyed making the items for the swaps. I just love Christmas things. Christmas 2013 has only just passed but I think I will start making Christmas items a lot earlier this year so I have some things to hand for the end of the year.


Just a reminder about my giveaway. It closes on Saturday 1 February.
http://myrtlemanorminiatures.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/giveaway.html

I said that if I reached 100 followers before closing date I will come up with a second prize. I now have 98 followers. So close. I might be making some more minis this coming weekend.

Selina Rose Gallery, New Minis and Timeless Toys

First of all a quick update on the Selina Rose Gallery. It now has some art installed on the second floor of the gallery.

I am sure there are more paintings to go in the gallery - art that my sister has done and I do not have a picture of yet and also art that she will do in the future. Luckily there is still some room on the walls of the ground floor.

I was very excited to receive a parcel in the mail yesterday from Spain from Carmen of Mi Pequena Evasion. I recently won some miniature items by answering a puzzle on her blog.  http://pekevasion.blogspot.co.nz/2013/12/jugamos.html


This is what I found inside the parcel:

 The lovely little box and the wonderful mini items I received within it.

 This gorgeous little house will look wonderful in Timeless Toys.

 As will this picture of a mechanical teddy and the alphabet blocks.

And this beautiful bird plate is so lovely and I love anything to do with birds.

Thank you so much Carmen. I am thrilled with the miniatures received from you. They are so lovely to have within my collection.

Talking about my Timeless Toys project, unfortunately I have had to withdraw from the Undersized Urbanite Contest this year. Unexpectedly earlier this week my husband (the main income earner) lost his job. This means for the time being I cannot justify spending money on miniatures so it will be difficult to meet the May deadline. However, I will still be doing the Timeless Toys project by making use of items I already have so keep an eye out for future posts. I'm sure I can make many toys from bits and pieces I have lying around in my craft room.

These cute little resin bears are waiting to be housed in the Toy Shop. I managed to pick them up second hand recently. Aren't they cute. They are only 2cm high.

Just a reminder about my giveaway. It closes on Saturday 1 February.
http://myrtlemanorminiatures.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/giveaway.html

I said that if I reached 100 followers before closing date I will come up with a second prize. I now have 95 followers so that is looking very likely. I will have to put my thinking cap on.

Have a great weekend.

Giveaway

I am finally doing a giveaway. I feel like I am really moving forward with my miniatures and my blog now and I have those I follow and those who follow me and leave lovely comments to thank.

The prize is a filled miniature shelf, two scrapbooking frames, a miniature plant pot and a vintage china wall picture as pictured below:

 

Entries for the giveaway will close at Midnight on Saturday 1 February 2014 and I will announce the winner on Sunday 2 February 2014 - so you only have three weeks to wait!

To enter all you need to do is:

• Be a follower of this blog using Google Friend Connect (right-hand sidebar).
• Leave a comment on this post saying you wish to enter the giveaway.

It would be nice if you put a link to this giveaway on your blog but it is not a requirement to enter.

I also notice I am getting very close to 100 followers. If I reach 100 followers by close of entries I will come up with a second prize for the giveaway.

For those of you listed below who participated in my 'Spot the Difference' post prior to Saturday 11 January 2014, you have all won an extra chance in the giveaway. However, you will need to be a follower of my blog on Google Friend Connect and comment on this post to be eligible.

• Cinderella Moments
• Otterine
• Pippibar
• Lisa T
• Eliana
• Daydreamer
• Veronique Blommaart
• Steinworks
• Fabiola
• Elizabeth S
• Jane Smith
• Teresa Schubert
• Tatiana
• Keystone Crazy
• Drora

I will close with a few photos of the Giveaway prize: -

The shelf complete with items. The wooden fretwork at the top of the shelf is a piece of a Kaisercraft scrapbooking border.

The pattern at the back of the shelf is genuine antique wallpaper. It is a vogue wallpaper by Allen Higgens Wall Paper Company. That company was the second wallpaper manufacturing firm to exist in New England. They were based in Worcester, Massachusetts between 1880 and 1950, so the wallpaper is at least 63 years old. I need to do more research but I believe the paper is probably more like 80+ years old.

This is the wallpaper:

 

Contents of the top shelf. A fancy silver serving dish for tiny sweets and serving tongs. These are made from jewellery findings.

Next shelf down. A small green glass vase (bead) and a vase of pink roses.

Next shelf down. A picture using a scrapbooking frame (two frames are included in the giveaway prize) and an angel made from jewellery findings.

Bottom shelf. A planter (made from a piece of cardboard fax paper tube and a bit of lace) and a mini 'Good Luck' postcard as pictured at the end of this blog entry.

 

As I also have an interest in vintage miniatures and many of my followers do also, I have added as part of the giveaway prize a china(?) wall picture.

 

 



Also included in the giveaway is an empty planter pot and two scrapbooking frames.

I've had fun (and a bit of stress!) putting this giveaway prize together. I hope you like it.

Best of luck everybody.

Update on Selina Rose Gallery

I am waiting for paint to dry... on one of the items for the pending giveaway that I will be announcing on Sunday.

While waiting I thought I would do a quick post on progress with the Selina Rose Gallery.

In my last update on the Gallery I was uncertain how I would treat the exterior of the building. Daydreamer commented on my post suggesting: "... make it a bit like her home? or your childhood home?".

My sister has a wonderful white Art Deco styled home and our childhood home was white stucco with a green corrugated iron roof.

The Selina Rose Gallery now has a white stucco exterior with a green roof (albeit wooden and not corrugated iron).

I have also installed a flickering fire and lights (LED battery lights) and have added a few extra accessories.

(Sorry for the quality of the photos. It is a bit dark to be taking good photos but I wanted to get this post done.)

The attic studio now has a flickering fire, a few extra paintings scattered around, some art pads and a container of pencils. I will be adding some more art supplies.

 

I scaled down an 'Artists' magazine to go in the chill-out room. My sister loves her books and magazines so I had to have at least one in the Gallery. I will probably make some more magazines and one or two art books.

 I've also added one of Karen's paintings in a gold frame in the chill-out room.

 

 The desk now has some fan mail from art admirers and an order book. I still need to add some flowers in the vase.

 

 I have installed these green frosted lights in the bottom two floors being the gallery space.

 

 There is a much simpler light installed in the chill-out room.

 

The exterior. The door is not yet attached it is just sitting there. I still have a few touch-ups to make to the stucco and I need to decide what I am going to do with the windows and door.

 

 Like the door, the roof panel is just sitting there and not yet attached. I think I may need to add another coat of paint to the roof pieces.

A close-up of the stucco. There are a few places around the windows and doors where I haven't taken the stucco in far enough and there are little gaps I need to fill.

 

Now I just need to decide how to treat the windows and door. There are always decisions to be made!