Monday, June 26, 2017

Truly Tiny....




It's All Relative.....

Life has been extremely busy recently, Dear Readers, between the visit of my Wonderful Mom and a new computer system at work coinciding with the end of the school year rush... leaving no time at All for minis! And because my house is quite small and rather full of dollhouses and partly finished projects, there was a fair amount of "shifting around" of piles of things.... the Castle Great Hall Ceiling had to return to the Castle Hall even though it is Not Yet Done..., The Cloud Palace had to move into the sunny window.... and "temporary homes" had to be found for the partly assembled Gypsy Wagon.... and The Park could not even come out of "Hibernation" until after all the visiting was done. Last weekend was the first time in Ages that I felt I could really dive back into my mini projects. And Perhaps it is because the Solstice had just passed and I realized we were already heading Towards Christmas, I decided to just have a look at all the furnishing kits for The Secret Christmas House.... just to find out how difficult and complicated they would be. Let me tell you, these kits by Robin Betterley are very well made and not too challenging to assemble! I started with the little Girl's Bedroom furnishings. They go in the smaller of the two attic rooms. Above you can see the dresser assembled and ready to paint.

But I quickly ran into a small problem.
My kit came with two dressers 
rather than one dresser and two side tables!
This room also has a small chair and a bed.

Here I have begun the mattress part of the bed. 
It is a block of wood covered with a layer of felt and a small linen sheet.

Here the corners have been trimmed.

And the Quilt is being added.
All the cloth pieces are printed in beautiful detail on cotton
 
And the "brass" head and foot for the bed assembled.

And of course, we have to see how they fit inside the attic room....
Even though the Dresser still needs to be painted, they look pretty cute!

And the pillow for the bed too!

Of course, once I was started, there was no stopping!
The chair needed the paint and the printed "cushions" added.

The dresser needed painting....

And the printed decorations glued on.

They look pretty cute so far!
But I had to decide about the bedside tables.... 
they are really necessary for the decor, 
and I didn't want to wait for replacement kits to be sent.
So I decided to "improvise" and make my own!

Alas, they are so much cruder than the kit pieces!
But I have no laser cutter, 
and I figured they would be tucked into the room
 and hardly anyone would ever notice
 how chunky and lopsided the bases are!

Especially once the printed details and all the decorations were added!
Oh, you want to see the decorations too....?
Well, I am only too happy to tell you I had to get out the Glitter!

There is a tiny Tree that stands on one of the bedside tables...
I apologize for the blurry pictures... 
it is really hard to get the camera to focus on the tiny pieces!

There are two tiny glitter houses and a church on top of the dresser.....!

There is a lace shawl draped on the chair....

And the other bedside table has a brass candlestick
 decorated with Christmas ivy....
And although it is difficult to see,
 I dipped the candle top in glitter...
and in the right light it "glows"!
But the best part, Dear Readers, is the Truly Tiny doll!

She is dressed in a pink gown
 (made from painted toilet tissue!) 
and she sits propped on the pillow of the bed!

Her name is "Clarice", 
and I simply cannot promise that
 I will Not tell you her stories...!
She is Truly the tiniest doll of my acquaintance!
Just How tiny you ask?
 
Well, here are the furnishings inside the incomplete Nursery of the Tree House.....
(again, I apologize for the blurry pictures...)
The Tree House is approximately 1:48 or quarter scale.

And just as I was taking the pictures, Salome showed up!
She was Very interested to see so many furnishings 
that seem to be just her size!

And almost right on her heels was Anna Maria!
She was wondering What all the noise 
in the long silent Nursery was about.....!
(Alas, it was neither the Family come home, 
nor the workmen to complete the room....!)
 
But I am sure you really want to know 
whether all those pieces of furniture 
can possibly fit into that tiny attic room....?
 
 Yes, they can!
It is a tight fit.... but they do...
even with a little room to spare!
(And I have some ideas about that!)

So you can see, Dear Readers, 
How Tiny it is 
is Truly all Relative!
 
And speaking of Relatives, 
I had a wonderful visit with my Mother 
and Sister and Nieces and
 Great-nieces and Great-Nephew.
It was a busy and boisterous and memorable
 time together with much coming and going!
And now that the dust is settling....
I have all those Teeny Tiny kits waiting....
And a Truly Tiny Doll....!


29 comments:

  1. It's wonderful to see a post from you again Betsy, especially featuring your new teeny tiny furniture kits, which means that your wrist and arm are definitely on the mend! :D
    The bed and the bedroom with all of that adorable furniture is simply Astounding, and that tiny doll is Incredible!
    You are certainly BACK with a vengeance Betsy dear, and all I can say is- HOORAY!!! :D

    elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. H Elizabeth! I am mending "by leaps and bounds"! And tackling the ultra small is my reward!!! I am so glad to be making minis again.... and these little ones don't require much "strength"! I am in Love with 1:144 scale... and Clarice will have to have her story told someday! :)

      Delete
  2. How happy I am, for reading that you're feeling well and are back into making of miniatures! How nice that you enjoyed visits of your family, it's always great to see each other again :)!
    And I am with Mrs. E. who concludes that your wrist is on the mend ;O! This tiny kit is a little treasure and you've edited it so wonderfully, the furniture is lovely and that teeny tiny dollie....so incredible and adorable. Even the fact that all of the furniture fits well in the attic room is a little miracle.
    It's good to have you back with your lovely miniature works and because, of course, for us there's lots to learn: welcome on board ;)!!
    Warm hugs, Ilona

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Ilona! I am so glad to be back making minis too! This scale is challenging... but the results are so worth the trouble! I am having a lot of fun!

      Delete
  3. Oh my! Teeny Tiny furniture...

    Good to hear from you again. Glad you had a nice visit with your mom even with all the rearranging!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sheila! I am glad to be back to minis too!

      Delete
  4. The furniture looks wonderful and so tiny. Great work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Fabi! I am enjoying the tiny scale pieces!

      Delete
  5. Sooo sweet Betsy! That doll is very tiny, but so are all the other bits! You have done a beautiful job of them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Shannon! The doll is the smallest I have ever seen! I am enchanted by her!

      Delete
  6. I too think it's a good sign about the state of your arm that you're not only back into miniatures but even back to teenytiny miniatures. Wow, that kit is awesome! I'm impressed how well everything is explained and that even the accessories are included. Glitter houses in that size! And my favorite: The candle stick... being not only a candle stick but a candle stick with ivy! Stunning. And it's great to hear you've had a lovely time with your family and especially your Mom.

    Hugs
    Birgit

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Birgit! Yes, these kits are very detailed! They explain how to make tiny pieces of "ivy" from paint which is painted on plastic wrap, allowed to dry and then peeled off and cut into tiny pieces!!! I never would have thought of that! But it looks so realistic! I am really having fun in this scale, and I am Sooooo glad to be making minis again!!! :):):)

      Delete
  7. Oh my word, Betsy! Each piece is just completely and deliciously intoxicating! I love the arrangement of the room - so charmingly displayed and I cannot wait to see more as you fill up the wee little home! It's so nice to have you back and on your way to a full recovery!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jodi! I am so happy to be back making minis again! Yes, these kits are amazing! I look forward to finishing each and every tiny piece!

      Delete
  8. Oh my Besty, that is truly the tiniest doll I have ever seen and I cannot imagine how long you held your breath whilst constucting all of those pieces. Beautiful! :0)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Pepper! That tiny doll is truly a "breath holder"! LOL! And as I am discovering... I can't resist this tiny scale!

      Delete
  9. Wow! Amazing work and so tiny! :D I love the bed the best.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Brae! I am truly amazed by the details in these kits! The doll on the bed is just the crowning touch!

      Delete
  10. Wow your tiny furniture is gorgeous. All the tiny details are stunning. I can't tell you how much in awe I am of your skill. It is always such a pleasure to visit your amazing blog.
    Warm Hugs Maria

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Maria! I am having a lot of fun with these kits! They are really well made and the results are impressive! I's wonderful to see a comment from you!

      Delete
  11. I'm happy to see you back at work on your miniatures, and happy too that your hand seems to have mended. I really cannot even relate to working in such a tiny scale; I think my fingers would be constantly in the way, obscuring anything I tried to do! But it's such a pleasure to see your teensy creations. The girl's bedroom furniture is lovely, and I think you've done a very good job making your own bedside tables. They fit in perfectly. I'm looking forward to hearing more about Clarice, the Truly Tiny doll. (She's almost too tiny to be visible!) You've done such beautiful work on all these amazingly tiny pieces - and you've made it look like fun!
    Marjorie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Marjorie! I am having a lot of fun learning how to manage these kits! It is impressive the details that are included.... and I am learning some good techniques too! I am so glad to be making minis again.... it was a long stretch there!

      Delete
  12. I love 1:144 scale!! Your pieces are beautiful! I love the bed and the pink theme is darling! :) What a special set!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kristine! I am enchanted by this scale too! I am finding more and more projects for this scale... and they can fit inside the bigger 1:12 scale houses! LOL!

      Delete
  13. Oh I do love that bed!
    And didn't we have a lovely, "boistrous" time! Yeah.
    I will comment separately on the next entry...
    Love, Mom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mom! It was wonderful to have you here... a rare treat! :)

      Delete
  14. Wowza! incredible work and detail

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lisa! Welcome to my blog! Making Minis is my happy place! Thank you for commenting!

      Delete
  15. They're lovely little kits - applause to you for working in this scale! It's too wee for me but my sister is dipping her toe in the 1/48th scale world and I've passed your blog link to her for inspiration.

    ReplyDelete