Polar Bear enjoying a cool, refreshing snow cone

Here you go Carolyn, a baby polar bear! LOL I made him a blue snow cone, which used to be my favorite flavor as a kid (what the heck was that flavor anyway??) Unfortunately I couldn't get my camera to capture the sparkly look of the ice :(

Mutt or Purebred?

BEFORE

AFTER

I don't make mini dogs normally and don't think I ever made one that was furred, so this was something new for me. Here's some before the fur and after the fur pics. I had a lot of fun, but this little girl was supposed to be a particular breed, and I think she came out looking more like a mutt of some kind. CAN YOU GUESS WHAT BREED SHE IS? (and for the few of you who already know what kind of dog she's supposed to be, NO HINTS, LOL)

Bath Time for Kitty

This kitty needed a bath. He's not looking real happy about it however, even though I made him a little rubber ducky to play with. I wanted to play with my epoxy resin and always thought cats are so adorable when they are all wet and miserable. I had to do quite a bit of experimenting before finishing this one as far as figuring a way to make the cat's fur look wet and figuring out how to make the water look soapy. Such messes I made in the process (but such fun too) :) I do wish I had made the cat sculpt skinnier to begin with, but live and learn.

Last Raccoon...Hooorayyyyyy!!!

FINALLY!!! I've finished the last commissioned raccoon (for now anyway). I've got so many other things I want to make, and I'm free at last to make what I want. It's a great feeling!!

Miniature Wolf Pup

I finished this little wolf puppy last night for a customer. I still need to make his companion which will be.....can you guess......a raccoon!!! LOL

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY!

Pssst, I gots a secret to tell you mommy.................... Happy Mother's Day!!

The Graduate

I took a break from the raccoon making (I swear I was starting to see them in my sleep), and made this little mouse for my Aunt (to be a gift for her granddaughter who's graduating from High School in June). She's going to insist on paying me - I HATE that!!! I don't like taking money from relatives, I'd much rather it just be a gift. I'm thinking I'll just mail it with an invoice for $1.00 LOL

An Itty Bitty Thank You

People in the miniature community, both artists and collectors, seem to be unusually kind and friendly. But I was blown away by a recent customer of mine. She actually paid me more than what I was asking, and told me she thought that what she paid was more fair a price than what I was asking. Can you believe that?? WOW! So I wanted to give a little something to this special person. He's not much, in fact he's very tiny, but I hope it will put a smile on her face.

The Cookie Heist

Not a very exciting post, since it's so similar to the previous, but now he has his partner in crime with him (with a teddy bear under his arm). I love the names this customer has given them - Puck and Abernathy, LOL.

One Raccoon Down........

.......and a whole lot more to go. This cookie bandit will have a partner in crime on the lookout down below, a raccoon holding a teddy bear.
Raccoons seem to be the most requested, and I think when I'm finished with my commissions, I won't want to make another raccoon for a looooooooong time. I also don't want to make a mini book for a very, very long time, LOL.

Please don't hate me, but.......

I'm new to blogland, and I really don't understand the whole blog award thing. It's a nice thought, but isn't it basically just a type of chain mail? Is it rude for me to ask not to receive them?

Another Award, LOL (yeah!!)

Thank you Ascension, Mis Miniaturas , for this Happy 101 Award!! I shall cherish it forever. Ok, this is a hard one because not only do I have to name TEN others to receive the award, I have to name 10 things that make me happy - at least that's how I understand it.
So here goes:






Happy things:
1. Well duh-making miniatures (surprise, surprise)
2. Sunshine
3. My two kitties
4. My hubby (most of the time anyway :-P )
5. Making people happy
6. All animals
7. Pizza
8. Ice cream
9. Scotch (no ice)
10. Not getting blog awards

And as far as listing 10 others, I'm at a loss because I don't have many followers or followees yet, and most of you already have this award. So I guess I will just be a lazy ass and award it to ALL of my wonderful followers that don't already have it, LOL. Congratulations to all of you!!!

Anybody know of a suitable artist??? Help Please! :)

Hey there guys! I'm hoping somebody out there may be able to help. I had to turn somebody down for a commission who's looking for an artist who can make Beatrix Potter like rabbits for her half-scale Peter Rabbit Tree Stump House. She said she'd even make the little clothes for them herself. My rabbits don't look anything like the Beatrix Potter bunnies unfortunately, but I told her I'd ask around to see if I could find somebody. If anybody knows of an artist that could make these rabbits for her, it would make somebody very happy!!!
Thanks so much everyone!!

An Award?? For me??? Yippee!

OH JOY!!!! I just received this award from Kim (Flowers & Art) - THANK YOU SO MUCH KIM!!!!!! It looks like I need to send it to five other deserving "artisan friends", so I think I've found my five and I don't think they've received this award yet. If so, well....I guess you just get another one, so there! :-P

Ok, I hereby award this prestigious Amigo Artesano award to:

Carolyn Mohler Kraft
My good friend and maker of gorgeous miniature indoor plants (ha ha ha Carolyn...now YOU have to do this too!)
Kiva Atkinson
Someone I consider to be not only one of the absolute best miniature food artists, but also my good buddy (and I'm surprised that I didn't find this award on her blog yet -probably just missed it, lol).
Ernesto Baldini
(Punto Sur Miniaturas)
I met Ernesto through CDHM probably almost a year ago. He's funny, talented and one of the kindest and most generous people I've met. I think anybody who knows Ernesto can't help but love the guy. (Besides, he's from Argentina and his name is Ernesto - CHE!!! :D ).
Mariella Vitale
I also met Mariella through cdhm, and I just love her itsy bitsy teeny weeny crocheted animals. She's also got a great sense of humor and is always full of compliments and helpful advice.
Catherine
I just met Catherine recently, but was awe struck at her miniature work, especially her metal smithing! I'm just really disappointed that she doesn't sell her things - she's keeping them for her own dollhouse - DARN! Not only that, she seems like a real sweetheart of a person.

So there you have it, my five choices for my Artisan Friend Award!! All well deserved, and I hope you check out their blogs if you haven't already! Thanks again KIM!!!

One of the Mini Advantages of Making Minis

Most of us know the advantages and disadvantages of making miniatures, right? For me, one of them is meeting all the new people, and I swear miniature people are the nicest people I know. Another one is getting to swap your minis with their cool minis. I thought I'd show some of my miniatures I've received from some great people and talented artists! And I have to add that these minis are much much better in person, but I suck at taking photos.



First up, is this super adorable tiny crocheted bear named "Raspberry Jam" wearing his little removable hat. He also came with his own tiny crocheted raspberry. Mariella Vitale from Italy is the artist and you should see her teeny tiny little guys (Raspberry Jam looks like a giant compared to some of her other creations.) Check it out:
http://www.wix.com/Muffaminis/Muffa-Miniatures


Next is my little "Book of Shadows". Sooo cool, because it's actually readable and is full of spells (not that I believe in that stuff, but you better be nice to me anyway, LOL). Pat Carlson is this amazing book artist - all of her little books are actually readable. And let me tell you something, making those tiny books is a huge PITA - I recently took a tutorial from Pat to try to make a little journal and I about had a fit. I don't like paper and glue so much :(
Take a look: http://patcarlsonminiatures.com/



And Last but certainly not least, I got a killer deal on this one! The swap was for that little bear with the scarf in front there - and instead I not only received the adorable little bear but also all these fantastic miniatures you see here. I think the artist who made these is probably the most humble artist I've met. But he's amazing - he can make anything (I mean anything!!!) Food, furniture, animals, plants & flowers, entire room boxes and vignettes, he even blows his own glass miniatures!!!!! And I know I'm forgetting something. Anyway, from Argentina, Ernesto Baldini is the artist who created these little pieces, and I believe his wife helped (at least I know she made the little bear's scarf). Check out all their work here: http://puntosurminiaturas.jimdo.com/

Animals' Smoking Area

"..bum a smoke?", asks the turtle. This one is for a friend of mine :D

Happy Easter Everyone!!!

POSSUM PLAYROOM-Finished :)

Finally, here are the possums (all warm in their fur coats) with all their little toys.

Possums' Playroom (Naked Possums...LOL)

Here's a picture of the possums in their birthday suits. They will look completely different once they've been painted and furred. I'll get to work on that tomorrow. :)

"Possum Playroom" (getting closer)

Well I've added a few more toys as well as a wagon, LOL. And the possums are in the works. I'm hoping to have the sculpts finished by tonight. Maybe I'll post pictures of the naked little guys before I paint and fur them.
(I feel like I'm writing a personal journal, hee hee)

Tiny Toy Box (no critters yet)

Here are a couple pics of my little toy box (it has a hinged lid that works). As you can see, making tiny toys and boxes are definitely not my specialty and was really difficult for me, but I'm hoping once I make a couple baby animals to go with it, it will be okay.

I thought of a new thing - WIP

I rarely show pictures of anything until they are completed. So maybe (just maybe) I can do a topic on stuff I'm working on.
I'm working on a toy box with all kinds of tiny toys, and it's been a big PITA but I think I'm almost finished. Then I just have to make a couple critters to go with it. I'm thinking of having one sitting on the floor playing with one of the toys, and the other looking in the toy box for a toy to play with. Maybe I'll post a pic of what I've done so far if I have time.
By the way, do you guys know where the emoticons are??? I have to have my emoticons!!!

My Very First Article :D (American Miniaturist April 2010)

My Fascinating Blog

Enjoy this wonderful fascinating blog of mine. I'm sure you will be entertained for hours on end, LOL.