Father/Son Lego Night

I had a fun night with my son and our Lego kits that we got for Christmas.

I received Big Ben and he got The Brandenburg Gate

I have to admit, the number of piece looked a little overwhelming at first, but the directions were very clear and concise and had pictures !

The instructor books also gave a brief history of the building so it turned into an educational experience also.

Christmas Village 2014

Here are a few shots of this years village layout.  The village will be featured in the December e-magazine issue of Dolls' Houses Past & Present. 

 This last photo is of our christmas tree this year.  

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year!

Glass Bead Christmas Tree

This is a re-post!

My mother in law gave me a kit that she had purchased nearly a decade ago.  It was a Christmas Tree made from glass beads. The kit had a few ornaments and a wood base and a glass dome and hundreds of miles of wire and glass beads. The branches took a very long time to try and get into place and attach to a wire armature.   I added a few items including a string of working lights.  I hid the battery pack in the giant red present.  The lights are by Lemax and I was disappointed that they are not very bright.  I used a some antique ribbon that I found in an old building nearly 25 years ago in Nevada.  I believe it dates from the 1920's.  

Here are all the items under the glass dome.  I hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Village 2014

It's that time of year again.  As you can see, we have hauled the village in for assembly.

 My son was the urban planner this year and took the lead on the layout of the city. 

 The kids both get in on the final topping of snow.  

To see pictures of last years layout, click here  HERE

Recent Acquisitions

I was able to pick up a few unique items at an a estate sale last week.

I found a couple of miniature vases, a copper pitcher, a wooden milk bottle, a Buffalo Ranch plate, a plastic cup, a miniature bar of soap and a metal Coca Cola tray.

My interpretation of the label on the miniature white vase is"made in Czechoslovakia" but I will let you be the judge.

 I could make out JAPAN on the bottom of the orange vase.  I'm not sure if the other markings are intentional.

Here is an enlarged show of the Coca Cola tray.  It appears to be brass.

I was surprised to find this miniature Buffalo Ranch Plate from my home state of Oklahoma.  I looked up the Buffalo Ranch online and it is located in Afton Oklahoma on the famous Route 66, not far from here.  I think the plate might find a home in my Cozy Cabin project.  

Lastly I thought I would share this.  My brother-in-law and his wife saw this box of vintage miniatures at a garage sale the other day and picked it up for me.  She said that she was sure I could find a good use for it.  

Recent Acquisitions

I have picked up a few treasures recently at local estate sales and the flea market.

A brass stand with toothpick swords, a wing back chair, a wooden table and chair, a cast iron dog and a couple of ceramic thimbles.

I figured the swords would look great in my Victorian house.  

This vintage piece is marked Spain.

This wooden table and chair has some great hand painted apples and is signed "Houser"

It looks like it is from Germany.

I figured that the cast iron dog could stand watch over my Arcade Cast Iron collection.

The container of tiny people might end up as toy accessories in one of my houses.

The ceramic thimbles will most likely end up somewhere as an accessory.

This chair was actually in a bin of free toys at a flea market.  It is plastic and marked Spider Man on the bottom.  It has a place for batteries, but I cant figure out what it does?it is about 1" scale and I figured I could either paint it or  re-upholster it? 

Food for Thought -

I came across this old vacuum at a local antique mall.  It is marked Germany and I was interested until I saw the price. ($65.00)  I will think about it.

Haunted Pumpkin

Happy Halloween !  This is a project I made from a foam pumpkin, some paperclay, paint, and a few other odds and ends a couple of years ago.  The pumpkin and lights were purchased at 50% off after Halloween.

Do you dare trick or treat at this scary house ?

Lots of jack-o'-lanterns line the yard and the porch is decorated for Halloween.  I made the stone porch out of paper clay and painted it to look old.

I painted the windows and shutters with crackle finish to add to the effect.  Still contemplating what kind of plants to put in the window boxes.  Maybe some sort of man eating plant or something from Harry Potter?

The jack-o'-lanterns are from Lemax.  I hid the transformer under the floor. The table inside is just an upside down plastic cup that I covered with some Halloween fabric.  The cany corn floor lamp is also from Lemax.  The parlor stove is a plastic kit by Chrysnbon that I put together back in the 1980s.  I am still contemplating how to make a cool chimney for it on the outside of the pumpkin.

The scary skeleton is sitting lounging on a Victorian chaise lounge, waiting to hand out goodies to anyone who dares come trick or treating.  I used a piece of scrap book paper to cover the floor.  The floor is a piece of foam core that I cut to fit.

I created a niche under the stairs for the display.  Did you notice the Halloween candy decorations hanging from the lights?

Brass Bed

The other day I found a really great miniature brass bed at an estate sale.  

It is the perfect scale for 1"= 1'-0" and appears to be homemade.  I will probably put it with the items that I am collecting for my Victorian house.

I have to let you in on a little secret.  I don't just go to these estate sales for the miniatures - I love to see the architecture!  The house was located in an older neighborhood in Tulsa called Mapleridge and was built in 1924.

The sun room had these really great built in cabinets.

The house also had they wonderful arch-top doors.

The stair banister was a mixture of wood and iron.

 I loved the front door and its surround.  

The whole front of the house had more metalwork and lots of Italianate detailing.

Another element I liked was the pattern in the stucco along the top.

Tootsie Toy

I found this ad for sale online.  

To see my Tootsie Toy collection click HERE

Recent Acquisitions

I picked up a few new items here and there: some metal fence panels, some pewter milk cans and a small porcelain basket.

The basket matches some other items that I have been using to fill this Tynietoy corner cabinet with.  Some of these items were original to the Crescent Moon cottage when I first won it at auction.  It can be seen by clicking HERE and dates from the early 1900's.

My Tynietoy collection can be seen by clicking HERE

I found these metal fence panels at an estate sale for 25 cents each.  They are Christmas ornaments.  I think they will work nicely as fence painted black and placed in between stone or brick columns.

I came across two of these pewter miniature milk cans at a local antique mall.  They were in a booth that sold salt and pepper shakers, but I don't think that is what they are. Maybe Christmas ornaments? but they weigh a ton!  Land O Lakes is an American diary company. I think they will look nice somewhere in my Cozy Cabin project.  
Progress on it can be seen by clicking on the Cabin link on the right.