Sunday, March 8, 2015

It Was Supposed to Be a Pretty Flower Planter!

Birgit from BiWuBaren left a comment on my previous blog post this morning which included the words:
 
"And now I foresee an extraordinary increase of the miniature snail population in New Zealand...".
 
I had to have a little chuckle to myself as indeed yesterday some little snails did take up residence in my craft room and I am sure there will be more to come. Once again thank you Jane for the idea and inspiration.
 
Yesterday I decided to honour a challenge made by my friend Susan and create a flower arrangement. I decided to do an outdoor planter with some flowers - at least that was the direction I was heading in when I started out. This is what I ended up creating:

 
I am sorry it is not the best picture. It is very dark gloomy weather here at the moment. We had a good thunder and lightning storm last night.
  
I made two other little planters at the same time so hopefully some flowers might find their way into those today.

Monday, March 2, 2015

The Hutch

It has arrived. I was expecting to have to wait at least a couple of weeks for the hutch to travel all the way from the USA to New Zealand but within a few days it has arrived. Exciting!
 
For those who haven't caught up with the news I won a Minifanaticus giveaway - see details of the giveaway here.
 
 
My response to Jane's giveaway question was:
 
"... I would love to see it (the hutch) as a wood colour rustic hutch to go in an abandoned house that has been taken over by creatures, whether they be fantasy or mice and birds, perhaps the odd broken cup and saucer plate, old jar of preserves, etc. Maybe some fall leaves that have come through a hole in the roof. ... I would have fun creating a little scene to place it in."
 
I was blown away when I found out I had won the hutch and when I saw photos of the completed hutch on Jane's blog. I was even more in awe of Jane's work when I opened the parcel this afternoon and saw it for real. It is fabulous and also came with some extras.
 
This is what I found in the parcel:

The contents of the parcel.












 
 
Isn't the hutch just fabulous - wonderful detail. There are mice, butterflies, snails, fungi, moss and plants, broken dishes just as I had imagined and wonderful autumn leaves. The mice are even flocked.
 
The extras included were:
 
Beads and jewellery findings.

Flower soft and green flocking.

Some greenery and flowers.

Some fun Halloween and Christmas embellishments.

Some gorgeous ribbons.

Some stickers and decals.

Components for creating leaves, flowers and butterflies similar to those on the hutch.

The card from Jane.
 

Jane would have to be one of the most encouraging, caring and sharing miniaturists I have come across. You really must have a look on her blog site. I have to say I love her fun slightly quirky creative ideas.
 
It was great to have a real good look at the hutch and see how Jane had made things. I was excited when I saw the cute little snails as I have recently been given the below bag of tiny shells by my friend Susan and I can't wait to have a go at making some little snails using some of the shells.
 
 
Of course now the challenge is on. I have to create a little scene to house the hutch in. Thanks Jane for a great dose of inspiration and motivation.