Itty Bitty Mouse (no fur this time)

I just finished this little guy-he's not even 3/4 inches tall. I decided to sculpt him some clothes and forget about the furring this time. He needed a friend, so I made a little stuffed dinosaur for him to play with too (with purple polk-a-dots ???, whatever, lol). When I was first playing around with polymer clay, I really enjoyed making the little critters like this with little clothes on, but seems most people prefer the furred guys. Some day I'll figure out how to make real little clothes for my furred animals (I hope).

P.S. Don't forget to tell me what animal you'd like me to make for my give-away!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

I guess my Google poll gadget broke you guys! :( If you happen to see this, maybe you could just post a comment for which animal you voted for the prize. So sorry! #@*#!!@*# Blogger Gadget!! >:-(

WHICH ANIMAL WOULD YOU LIKE TO WIN?
mouse, raccoon, rabbit, guinea pig, hedgehog, possum, or other (please specify)

100 FOLLOWERS ALREADY????!!!!! Well How About a Vote!

I so appreciate all of you that take the time to visit and especially those that take the time to comment (something I need to work on myself actually). So to all my loyal followers, I'd like to say THANK YOU!!
But actions speak louder than words, and I think you all would rather have a little critter, yes? On the right of my blog, I've set up a poll for you to cast your vote as to what animal you'd like me to make for my 100 FOLLOWERS GIVE-AWAY!! After 10 days, I'll have my answer and begin work on the winning animal. I wasn't sure how to make an "other" category, so if you would prefer an animal not listed in the poll, just post a comment here to tell me what you have in mind.
So have fun and go ahead and
CAST YOUR VOTE HERE---------------------------------------------------------->

Couple New Critters

Finished up a couple little guys. A little beaver (the official animal of the state of Oregon - my home ), and a very tiny little possum.

Ever Wonder Why Rabbits Are So Good At Multiplying....?

Okay people, get your mind out of the gutter. They go to school, of course!






I just finished this little bunny classroom set - it was a lot of work but a lot of fun. The photos were a pain though....I couldn't capture the whole set and show all the details in just one picture. For example, the little guy sitting in the corner with a dunce cap is there because he was misbehaving (on his desk is a little drawing he did of the teacher as well as a little paper airplane)

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!!!