This made helped make me into who I am today

I have written very openly on my blog about my Grandpa, who passed away in December at the age of 97. We were very close. For the last ten years, I have known that he could die at any time. Nevertheless, his death hit me very hard.

My first miniature project was a gift for his 97th birthday. He loved it, and I was so pleased that I was able to give him a gift that brought him pleasure in his last months of life. Several of my blog followers have commented that I write well. I come by that gift honestly. My Grandpa was an Irishman. A wonderful story teller and writer. My father inherited this gift. Tonight my Dad forwarded me the obituary he wrote for my Grandpa. It's well written. I am glad that my Dad emphasized the lovely qualities of my Grandpa.

What I remember most is how much he loved his family and that he wasn't afraid to show it. He was also very generous with us. He took pride in his work, and was a skilled carpenter. Surely this are good genes to inherit for a future miniturist.

I would like to share the obituary with my blogging friends. I know that some of you have recently lost loved ones or are experiencing different sorts of griefs in your own lives. It gets easier. We don't want to forget the ones we lose, but peace comes with the passing of time. I don't think that death has the power to ultimately separate us from those with whom we are tied to with strong bonds of love and memory. I'm going to insert the newspaper article as a picture, I think that will work just fine.

Left click on the article and select open link in a new window, then click on the zoom icon to read

Something new for my Etsy shop and a lighting tutorial

Hello my blogging friends,

It's amazing that something so small can take so much time to create! I have been working on this small cosmetic display for my Etsy shop for awhile. I had to get the measurements and the proportions just right, which took some experimenting.

I will show you a picture of this small item, and then explain how I take my pictures.

To take the best pictures, I was given advice from other Etsy shop owners and miniaturists. You can create a "light box" using a small rectangular box. I use a small wooden room box that I purchased second hand last year, but you can make your own using foam core. 

To get rid of the shadows in the picture, find two very bright lights (LED lights are best) that are approximately the same in terms of brightness. Then you must set them up so that they are angled towards the object you are photographing.

All of this will make a little more sense after seeing the photograph I took of my light box set up. On your camera, make sure the settings are "best". I have a digital point and shoot camera with an enhanced zoom lens  If you can afford to buy a digital camera with a detachable lens  then your pictures will look even better!

Good luck with your picture taking. It takes a bit of practise but soon becomes easier.

Hugs,

Ruth

A solution to the google reader conundrum

As some of you may know, google is discontinuing google reader as of July 1rst. Why? I do not know. I have to deal with a government agency on a regular basis and for the most part these interactions are frustrating and nonsensical. This agency had a certain way of doing things that worked perfectly fine and for some reason  they changed their way of doing things and their new method does not work at all. When I complained about this to my mother in law, wondering why they had "fixed something that was not broken", she said "They changed it because it was working!"

I had to laugh. Maybe it's the same with google! Anyways, there is a very simple way to follow the blogs you have been following via google reader. You can actually follow any blog, including word press blogs, in this way. I contemplated writing my own tutorial on this but I would actually like to spend my spare time making minis instead. So I asked Brae from otterine.com blog for permission to provide a link from her blog explaining how this is done.

Most bloggers don't mind if you include a link to their blog, but I always ask. I think this is just good blogger etiquette. Brae said she will probably write a full tutorial about the upcoming changes regarding google reader, but in the meantime, this short explanation is fine.

Here it is! While you're at it, be sure to scroll through Brae's blog and look at her lovely creations in her Etsy shop. http://www.otterine.com/blog/blog1.php/following-my-blog

Ok, time for me to get back to my minis!

So long my friends!

XX

Ruth

Tips on selling your miniatures at a craft show

I was having a quick browse through about.com miniatures when this article caught my eye. We have a Miniatures Show and Sale coming up in Edmonton in September, and it has been on my mind lately! September may seem like along ways away, but the days sure have been zipping by, and I think most of my followers can relate to the feeling of not having the luxury of being able to devote every spare moment (or even a large amount of time) to minis. There are so many other demands on our time.

This article is from about.com. Be sure to scroll through the comments left by the about.com miniatures community. They have shared some valuable tips!

http://miniatures.about.com/od/buyingsellingminiatures/qt/saletables.htm

Now I must dash as I have allowed myself an hour to devote to minis before moving onto less enticing tasks, such as housework :P

Until next time!

Ruth

This is what miniatures is really about

I want to give everyone something fun to look at on a Friday, to kick off your weekend. I found this project on the craftser forum. The craftser forum is a very fun place, I think many miniaturists will enjoy looking around at all the different categories, including knitting, sewing, paper crafts ect since we use all of these skills when we make minis.

I drool over expensive miniatures like everyone else, but this little project reminded me that you can enjoy this hobby no matter how much money you have.

Enjoy!

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=419945.0#axzz2Mye7IyIK

I won Plush Pussy Cat's 2nd Giveaway Prize!

I almost missed the news that I had won because my husband and I were visiting my Aunt and Uncle on their farm when Jennifer announced the winners! The goodies arrived in the mail the other day and I was very pleased with my gifts. Jennifer even included some extra goodies for me!

I have been busy lately making foot balm, foot scrub, hand cream and lip balm for my other Etsy shop! And of course my printer just ran out of ink when I need to print labels :P I have miniature projects that are calling to me, but sadly they must wait.

Here is a photo of the treats I received from Jennifer.

Click on the picture so you can see the cute cupcakes, valentines, pink lace and a Card from Jennifer's Etsy Shop!

This is a shelf where I display the gifts I have received from blogger friends or won in giveaways.

Check out the two fabulous giveaways that are posted on my sidebar. Maria of Pretty Things Ireland and Jane of Mini Fanaticus are both lovely ladies and they are having some great giveaways right now.
Until next time!

Love Ruth

How to add social media buttons to your blog

Do you see the pink social media buttons at the top of my page? Wow, did that take me a long time to figure out. It took two sets of tutorials, advice from a blogger I met through Etsy, and a LOT of time on my part, fiddling around. But I am very excited to say that I will no longer refer to HTML code as "my greatest foe". We are now becoming friendly acquaintances. If you want to add social media buttons to your blog, I can guide you along the way, but it will still be hard! It might take several sessions and some yelling before your goal is accomplished.

 Here we go!!!!

1) Go here and chosse a set of free social media buttons. Follow the instructions on the blog as to how to download the buttons onto your computer. Disregard the link to the tutorial. It is not helpful!!
http://www.carrieloves.com/2012/12/free-social-media-icons-updated/

2)Go to photobucket, I have provided the link here. Sign up for a free account. You only need an email address and a password, and you're good to go.

3) Upload your chosen social media files to photobucket.

4) Go here for the rest of the tutorial: http://beautifuldawndesigns.net/tutorial-add-social-media-icons-to-blogger-step-by-step/. It is a very user friendly tutorial, but it still took me awhile to get it. If you run into any problems, leave a comment on this post and I will try to help you out!

5) As a general note, because this REALLY confused me, the pretty email icon does not allow your followers to follow you by email. It is a button your followers can click on to contact you directly by email.

Good luck everyone!