Let's NOT talk about my Etsy shop for a little bit :)

Don't get me wrong. I am really excited about it. I jump out of bed each morning and want to create, create, create and don't want to stop for meals and my husband confessed he feels ignored :P Have any of my followers "cheated" on their husband with their minis?

I need a break, as much as I love making minis. I also need to tend to my other Etsy shop, which I also love. I am making sugar scrub cubes, and I ship to the States now! I'm also making solid perfume, with sandlewood oil and probably some other essential oils added to add some spicy, exotic top notes. And I'll be making soap on a rope in a romantic pattern and heart shaped glycerine melt and pour soap with rose petals embedded in them. Is it shameless to plug my bath and body products on my miniatures blog? Maybe. Oh well! As I like to say, it's my blog, I get to make the rules!

I came across this article because I "like" The Collectors Club of Great Britain" on Facebook. It's packed with so many useful tips I thought it was worth sharing.
  http://www.collectors-club-of-great-britain.co.uk/Dolls-Houses-and-Miniatures/News/TOP-TIPS-for-all-makers-of-DIY-dolls-houses-miniatures-and-accessories/_ch27_nw1

Enjoy!

Ruth

Wasn't I supposed to be doing that Mr. Tumnus Scene this month?

At the beginning of January, I posted about how I wanted to do the a scene from Narnia to fit in with January's Creative Every Day Challenge. Luckily, the challenge is very low key, and not rigid. I have my Narnia scene completely set up in my mind, now I just need to do it!

I've been spending SOO much time on my new Etsy shop. Yes, it actually exists now! Look at my Esy shop widget on my right hand side bar!

So I will probably be getting around to the Chronicles of Narnia Scene in February. I know some of you are on Etsy and I've already favorited your shops and added you to my circle. I had already done a lot of this under my first Etsy profile, the profile I created when I set up my first Etsy shop, Sweet Heart Body Care, I was annoyed to discover I needed a new email and would have a separate account for my second Etsy shop. Currently I only ship to Canada, but as soon as I can enter all the tax rates for all of the States manually, I will be shipping to the States.

I will not be charging tax for my miniature items, since then I would have to go through and manually enter the tax rates for EVERY country. No thanks!

I believe I have gained some new followers. I have a serious sinus cold or I would be greeting you by name. I want to go back to doing that, but I've been so busy setting up my 2nd Etsy shop, making my 1rst one profitable, and feeding my very tall, meat loving husband (He stands 6 feet 3 inches in socks).
Gotta run!

Love you all,

Ruth

Some very exciting news

Those of you who have been following my blog for awhile know that it has been a dream of mine to open an Etsy shop. I didn't actually expect it to happen it so soon. There is something wonderful when you let yourself dream like you did when you did when you were a child. Before the adults starting saying "That's not going to happen! Choose something more practical! Stop daydreaming."

This time last year I was working at a day care. I absolutely loved the kids. I was working with 2 and 3 year olds and I found them very easy to love. We had dance parties on a regular basis, they gave me hugs when they thought I looked sad, and we did lots of crafts! But the owner of the daycare was another story. She ran the centre as cheaply as possible so she could make more money. The director of the daycare yelled at the children, and the staff on a regular basis. She left me alone for awhile but the day she yelled at me I walked away from that job and didn't look back, even though I felt a lot of guilt about living those beautiful little people in such a horrible situation.

It was February of last year I discovered miniatures and fell head over heels in love. I started reading blogs. I never thought I would end up selling them. And yet here I am.

I may have not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I've ended up where I needed to be

 ~ Douglas Adams

My Etsy shop will be open for business by the end of January, and I will be stocking miniature perfume  bottles, vanity sets, spa baskets, and eventually I would like to add items that the elegant miniature lady would require, including purses, trunks, elegant wardrobes, who knows what else? I am going with a shabby chic theme but am new to this technique. The picture I am showing is my first attempt at painting a white dresser with a different color, which I prefer, then applying an antiquing treatment, which comes in the form of a paint top coat (all I can find in my city). I have another white dresser, which I think I will paint a purple/silver color, and follow a tutorial that I have in the form of an article.

I know some of you have more experience in shabby chic than I do, so if you'd like to provide some tips, I wouldn't mind!

That white line is actually a bit of lace, I din't have time to arrange it artfully :) You can click on the photo to enlarge it

I want to thank all my followers from the bottom of my heart. I read all your comments and respond to them personally unless I am sick with the flu or something. Many of you have become dear friends, encouraging me, cheering me up, and cheering me on.

One follower (she knows who she is) emailed back and forth with me daily during November and December. Those months were so hard for me. I was getting almost no sleep, my beloved Grandpa's health weakened until he passed away in early December, and I pretty much fell apart. Of course I did not post about this every day on my blog. That's not what this blog is for. I find it helpful to have a place to come where I can focus on a hobby that brings me such pleasure. I sent my wonderful friend this song not too long ago. She loved it, and I love it too. It's not about bragging, and saying look at me,   I'm the best. You can be proud of yourself and humble as well. This is a song that I listen to when I feel like celebrating, and I feel like celebrating today.

I am grateful for each and everyone of you, that you have chosen to follow along with me, it's an exciting journey when you never know where you'll end up :)

The 2012 Advent Calendar's Doors are open!

All the doors are are open now, so if you go here http://www.artisansinminiature.com/photo_25.html and click on each door, you will be able to access all of this year"s projects. I usually download each issue on my tablet, because I don't want the issues to take up precious space on my computer hard drive.

With the advent calendar it works a bit differently. Until the next issue of AIM magazine comes out, you can download and print out each individual project, you don't have to print out or download the entire magazine.

I was very sad to learn that the AIM magazine will now be only releasing magazines every other month instead of every month. 'Insert dramatic sob'. How will I survive? But we have to remember these talented artisans are doing this all free of charge, and the editorial staff is also working for AIM staff for free, and it's a LOT of work. So I think I'll survive.

I'd like to welcome all my new followers, I'm so glad you have come on over and joined the fun, I feel bad that I cannot welcome you by name but I'm kind of slapping off a quick post before a friend comes over, and I haven't been sleeping well (still).

I would also like to draw your attention to the sidebar. Look at the fabulous giveaways I have posted! Be sure and enter!

Love Ruth

The Creative Every Day Challenge

I learned about the Creative Every Day Challenge Through another blogger that I follow. It seems like a good idea to me. It's simple and low pressure; a way to push through the creative blocks we all run into now and then. Since I am usually attempting to do about 5 creative things at once, I signed up for the 2013 Creative Everyday Challenge.

You can read more about it here http://creativeeveryday.com/creative-every-day-challenge. January's theme is Dark. I'm not willing to go too "Dark" on my miniatures blog, since I have experienced too many dark things in my life and see too much dark things in the world. My blog is a place of light!

But the idea of Dark got me thinking. I fell in love with a project about Lucy having tea with Mr. Tumnus from the Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe that I found in the AIM magazine's 2010 Advent Calendar.

Many would argue that this project is not particularly "dark". Oh well! The great thing about having your own blog is that you get to make the rules :P So this is my project for January, although it may not get finished by the end of the month. I will enjoy doing it.

I forgot to welcome all my new followers in my last post! I appreciate each and every one of you and I always try to respond to all of your comments. I try to keep my blog posts interesting, helpful and fun.

Hugs to all,

Ruth

Two lovely presents on my Birthday

Today I am 33 years old! There are many things to be grateful for, including wonderful friends that I have met through my blog.

Right before Christmas, Jane, who writes http://minifanaticus.blogspot.ca/ surprised me when she emailed me to let me know I had won her giveaway. The wonderful goodies haven't arrived in the mail yet but they should arrive any day. This is a picture of my prize:

There are a couple of things you should know about my lovely friend Jane. She is sneaky (she entered a bunch of us in a giveaway and then told us we were eligible to win this prize!) She has an Etsy shop, and it is fantastic. She is a very generous person.

A couple of days ago I was really shocked that I won the 1rst prize in Drora's Giveaway. I kept going back and checking the comment entries to make sure it wasn't a mistake. Drora writes a wonderful blog at http://drorasminimundo.blogspot.ca/ . She is warm, generous and caring. Drora always tries to help out new bloggers/miniaturists. She is very genuine and sincere. This is what I won from Drora's giveaway, and I can't wait for it to arrive!

Now, since it is my birthday, I thought I would include 5 random facts about me.

1.  I don't have a belly button! Really. I used to tell people it was because I was hatched in an egg, but the reason is actually that I had an umbilical hernia when I was a baby, and it was removed then.
2. I can't watch scary movies, or really violent ones because they give me nightmares! I do like a good suspense drama though.
3. I often make up rhymes and songs that I sing when I'm doing household chores as a way to amuse myself. I think this is because I spent many years working with young children and because I'm naturally goofy!
4. I love to read. Magazines, Non-Fiction Books,  Fiction Books (Maeve Binchy is one of my favorite authors, sadly she passed away last summer.) I will read pretty much anything I can get my hands on.
5. I often come across as shy, but people who know me really well know that is not true. I am very silly/affectionate with my close friends.

Happy New Year!

This is the way I strive to live my life. I fail, of course. Then, with help from friends and family, I pick myself up, dust myself off and keep on trying.

I collected many wine corks and other things while I was staying with my parents' for a week to celebrate Christmas. I also bought materials to make polymer clay food, and am busy planning MANY miniature projects for 2013.

Just now though I am doing a lot of...sleeping. I have a lot of missed sleep I need to catch up on. So join me in wishing for a happy and productive new year, filled with chances to try new things, make more mistakes, and meet new friends.