Holy Moly long time since last blogged! New shops I like...

Yes it has been quite a while since I last blogged. Sorry sorry... I know. I will just say this - college courses with two week exam cycles, gull bladder hates me, family is crazy, my hair is blue now. Ta da. So that the excuses are out of the way. Let me introduce several new shops and artists I've discovered over the last several months that I kept meaning to tell everyone about.

1) "A Pagan Dollhouse" with the whimsical gypsy dolls by artisans Carolina Gonzalez And Fernando Abisaab.
Their magical Etsy shop is Gypsy Minis: http://www.etsy.com/shop/gypsydeluxe
Their blog: http://apagandollhouse.wordpress.com/

2) "Rustic Miniatures" on Etsy has just the cutest and very well made natural wood furniture sets. There's a lot of that out there but these pieces have a distinct sense of craftsmenship. Linda and Mabelline make furniture in many scales including the larger sizes for Blythe and Barbie.
Rustic Miniatures on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/RusticMiniatures?ref=seller_info

3)"Marfulhuz Miniatures" on Etsy. I love her mushrooms! Little tufts of fungus sprouting from logs and chopped brown mushroom caps ready to go into a boiling kettle. She has some cute ghostie potion bottles and other goodies as well.
Find these delightful minis at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MarfolhuzMiniatures?ref=seller_info

4)"Mrs Tiggywinkle Dolls" by Tiggy on Etsy. A costume designer by trade, she makes the most beautiful porcelain dolls. Her Tudors especially caught my fancy. These can be purchased fully finished, in a kit with everything included, or just the doll unclothed. Visit her shop at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MrsTiggywinkleDolls?ref=seller_info

5)"Copper Fairy Studio" also on Etsy. A magical selection of paper goods including books, scrolls, and fantastic fairy wings that she will create in any scale! I simply must have a pair... or two.

Visit this shop at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/copperfairystudio

Well this is just a fraction of what I've been finding here and there. If you collect fantasy or spooky miniatures, there is so much if you are willing to look for the little treasures! That's the fun of it really, for me. The discovery and sharing it. By the way, hope you like the new look of my blog. I used the free backgrounds and also the graphics packs to make my own banners by Itkupilli... love love love her stuff! Check out her countless beautiful free graphics at http://blo64rt.blogspot.com/ and her Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/Itkupilli?ref=seller_info

Haunted Dollhouse Video & Gallery by DollzMaker

Well, I found another spooky miniature artist on DeviantART today! Andie aka Dollzmaker is the name. She put together just the coolest movie of her collection of haunted houses, complete with screams and moody music. I am thrilled!!! So cool.

The video:
http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d6a4d324e7a59344e413d3d0d0a&campaign=blog_playback_link

Her gallery and profile:
http://dollzmaker.deviantart.com/

Her web site Mizfit Dolls, not your average rag doll...
http://mizfitdollz.com/

She creates custom one of a kind Haunted Dollhouses, miniatures, and unusual ragdolls. I don't collect ragdolls myself but I'm tempted... Andie describes herself as an Outside Artist and seems to have sold mostly on ebay. I can't find any new listings but she takes commissions, making one doll at a time. She has several beautiful dolls in her Deviant gallery and these are 2 of my favs.

Nature's Castles: Miniature Fantasy Homes by the Schramers

While surfing Etsy for hidden treasures, I typed in 'fairy' and dug through 20+ pages. Amid all the baby tutus and charm bracelets, I discovered this absolute wonder of a dollhouse in a shop called 'Sunflowerhouse'. I was in awe and keep looking at the pictures... the artist Debbie Schramer likes to go on nature walks and collect treasures with her husband Mike, who is also an artist. They have over the years collected a huge amount of drift wood and other earthly treasures. With all of this, they went to work building two of the most magnifiscent dollhouses I've ever seen. Although they are built in the spirit of the now popular organic 'fairy homes', these two pieces are much grander in scale and design. These are truly fairy castles and mansions!

The couple's websites:
www.artmajeur.com/debbieschramer
http://beautiful-art.blogspot.com/
http://www.michaelschramer.com/

THE FAIRY TREEHOUSE
About their Fairy Treehouse, Debbie writes:
"This is the most amazing, magical, intricate work of art. My husband and I created this house in 1995 when we lived in Washington state. We always have loved going for walks in the mountains and by the sea and have collected so many incredible materials in nature over the years. We've always wanted to build our own very different, unique house (to actually live in) so I think we put many of our dreams and ideas into this house (the first fairy house we made).

This house is 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide. It has 14 rooms (all completely furnished with little chairs, beds, tables, etc., dishes, books, sculptures, paintings, brooms, shoes, etc., also made from nature). We have used everything in nature you can imagine.....driftwood, branches, roots, vines, twigs, leaves, moss, flowers, stones, shells, seaweed, kelp, leaf skeleton, wild grasses, herbs, pods, the list goes on. We gathered nearly all of the materials we've used in the house as well.

It took us 6 months to make this house; towards the end of creating it, we worked 12 hour days quite often. Our Fairy Treehouse was exhibited at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland in 1995 for a year and was chosen the 4th favorite work of art out of the 400 artworks in the museum's inagural exhibit.

There is an observatory at the very top with telescopes, a sculpturing table and clay, pots to plant flowers, and little chairs. There are stairways that wander all throughout the fairy treehouse; there are nearly hidden little rooms, balconies, windowboxes, sleeping hollows, garden rooms, little ladders leading to separate little overhanging rooms and just endless, amazing detail that captivates a person for hours... Endless surprises everywhere"

Additional pictures and purchase details available on Etsy at:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/51064598/the-fairy-treehouse

THE FAIRY CASTLE
Debbie says about the castle, "My husband and I made this fairy castle 6 years ago. It is made from all natural materials.....driftwood, branches, vines, twigs, leaves, moss, shells, stones, leaf skeleton, flowers, pods and just really everything in nature. We gathered nearly all of the materials ourselves.

It is 2 1/2 feet tall; there are wonderful stairways waundering all throughout the house that lead one on a magical journey to fairyland. Your imagination goes wild. Even after seeing this house millions of times, I never tire of spending time looking at it. It is truely amazing. There are little bedrooms with beds made from flowers and leaves, a living room with shelves of books, a chess set and little twig chairs. There is an art tower with a painting and sculpting studio and an art library. There's even a mud room with a sink and pots for planting little flowers. There's a bathroon, nearly hidden behind shelves of lotion bottles and perfumes. My favorite area though is the laundry room with it's ironing board and iron made form stems and pods. There's even a little wash tub and a package of (fairy) soap. A little mailbox is filled with letters and a newspaper. And there are three towers made of stones at the top of the fairy castle. One of the towers is atop a little hermitage cottage; one can barely see in through the door to the tiny furniture inside. There are tiny dishes, paintings, sculptures and other amazing detail, all created from nature"
Additional photos and retail details are available in their Etsy shop at:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/51061672/the-fairy-castle?ref=v1_other_2

Moving on in life... my latest listing isn't a miniature!

Although I spend most of my artistic energy on miniatures, I do work in other mediums. I like to make jewelry, wreaths, collages, water color, alter books and clothes and dolls... basically I'm always collecting things and making messes. I have a lot of porcelain dolls in various states of usage. About a year ago, I played with different surface treatments on these. I gessoed heavily and dry brushed to pick up the texture. I did a matte spray and then inked. I then tried a combination of crackling with 2 colors. About 2 days ago, one of my taller dolls, a 16" porcelain beauty caught my attention. I had painted her a base of deep red then crackled on a pale gray. I was going to make her a vampire but never finished.

I have an article in the free AIM magazine about my altered art dolls, Issue May 2010 on page 72. http://www.scribd.com/full/30774876?access_key=key-2l20kuni9h3qddn6sz5f

Now, you all know I love to Steampunk! My wheels and gears are turning... I had the cutest pair of brass and dark glass doll spectacles that I picked up at a doll fair in the Spring. I also have a collection of miniature hats in different shapes and I really like my black felt top hats. Hmm, also have some vintage watch pieces and new charms to use. Well, it all came together and the nameless doll has become "Steampunk Sally" !

I imagine that she is a little orphan ghost who walks about collecting trinkets, talking to crickets, and generally minding her own business - although your watch might come up missing if she passes by! She is a bit lonely and so I gave her a pensive pouty look, using ink and acrylics over the crackle base.

All of Sally's trinkets, clothes, and hat can be removed so her outfits can evolve. I spent quite of bit of time playing with her attire. The dress has been soaked in a combination of dark cocoa and chicory for a deep rusted color... they still smell delicious! I added layers of vintage lace and polka dot fabric, fraying edges and adding stiches for a distressed look. Her brooch is removable and able to be worn. It is an assemblage piece with a tiny vintage doily, a black cherub in a cloud of pearls, and streamers of ribbon and charms. The hat is a felt base. I wrapped silver and black knit on the brim, applied 3 layers of veiling in the back, and finished with a skeleton band, mushroom sprouts, and clock bits. I made little striped stocking to match. Sally has brown leather shoes tied with satin ribbon, a little bouquet of moss and mushrooms, and her spectacles.
Steampunk Sally is available in my Etsy shop at: http://www.etsy.com/listing/49937547/steampunk-sally-ooak-altered-porcelain

My Gypsy Wagon Project Is Underway!

Confession 1: My art room is trashed again but I've been making minis like mad!
Confession 2: I've gained weight from sitting on my butt painting things or in front of the computer too much.
Congession 3: I bought a Tai Chi video and just need to do it.

Between my many other projects (Steampunk, Spooky, Alien) I've been working my way through my first Miniature Gypsy Wagon Project! I have several themes in mind but began with a Blue Celestial magic wares wagon. After much thought I will offer these custom wagons stocked with goods but without a driver or yoked animals.

Below are my first pictures of the Blue Celestial wagon. I began with a vintage wooden wagon kit that I greatly altered with wire, additional wood pieces, pressed aluminum to mimic carving, and found ojects and jewelry findins. After all the main components were in place, I spray painted it flat black. Then I gave it the basic acrylic blue, pale green, and a hint of lilac acrylic colors. This was then washed over with more blue and then drybrushed with the light green. Who knows what will happen next?

Here is the Snake Charmers Wagon still under construction. The cage will be removable so you can put whatever beastie in you want!

Creation out of chaos... hey I know where everything is!