Shabby Miniature Bureau Tutorial

I made this bureau for my Orange Blossom and it's still one of my favorite pieces I've ever made from scratch! I'm going to let you know the secret of how I made it from a very ragged block of wood. Ready for the transformation?

I adore the crackle finish and the very chipped patch was a happy accident which is, of course, the very best kind! The open drawer is fun to drape items from and adds to the illusion...

because the drawers are all faux!

Here is the original block of wood that I salvaged from an ugly mini sofa. I cut a piece of basswood a little larger than the top and then went to work with my budget savvy molding method: I cut very bumpy case molding and cut it into long thin strips of various widths. It's the perfect scale for detail trim!

I then used precut wood rectangles and applied them as false drawer fronts, outlining them with my mini-molding from above. Next trick: the open drawer is simply held out with skinny strips for the side and bottom to give the impression of depth.

Here's where it looks as if I've lost my mini mind: I painted it shades of orange and red, using the deepest shades for inside the faux drawer to add the impression of depth. It is all very blotchy and smudged which adds to the realism for the crackle finish.

I applied the crackle finish according to directions and painted the whole thing a lovely shade of white. Add feet and a little hardware it here it is in it's proper home. Who says drawers have to open? :)

Beacon Hill Identity Crisis

Well, maybe not a crisis yet; but it could be if I stay this indecisive. Can I have a little sympathy? :)

It's fall which seems to restart my minis interest; some kind of nesting instinct, I guess! I've come back around to rehabbing my childhood Beacon Hill and was still wrestling with what to make of it. Another house? Modern family who likes antiques? PA dutch influence? No, that just clashes with the Victorian architecture. I just wasn't feeling anything until I thought of this idea:

I believe it's going to be a girls' school that takes in a boarder or two. I am a teacher and collect antique schoolbooks and recently found a "Elementary Home Economics" course book for girls of 1922 teaching everything proper about Cookery, Sewing, and Care of the Home." It is delightful!

Did you know that there are two kinds of "vitamines" and that fat is one of the 5 foodstuffs? Works for me!! If anyone has lost their recipe for Prune Whip, I've got you covered! :)

Look at this wonderful picture below:

Can't you just picture these girls working and learning in the Beacon Hill?

More Mysteries

I knew I asked the right group of people about my mystery items yesterday! Thank you for your responses! Punch needle and bias tape makers sound right. The clips don't have a hole in the end however; the metal is just folded with a chisel shaped tip; no openings except the side just like a big binder clip. Would that still work?

Here is the lovely sewing chest that started it all.How about the prices on these Boye hooks below? I wish my hobbies were that cheap now! 1930's-40's maybe?

The two below are unmarked on the other side of the throat, completely smooth.

These are my next mystery hooks. The first is marked "minerva".

#2 doesn't have a throat at all, #3 and 4 are stamped (not raised) with 10 and 13 but nothing on the other side and the last has no markings at all and that interesting hole.
The heads are so tiny!

Antique Find and a Mystery for all you Crochet Friends

I just made the most wonderful antique find that had my name written all over it... literally! My husband and I were looking through an antique shop and I saw one of those sewing boxes on a stand. Being nosy, I opened it up and it was as if I had opened a time capsule! The entire box (which miraculously still had one tray left) was full of antique and vintage crochet hooks, knitting needles, threads, and embroidery floss. I fell in love of course and took it home. (Did I mention it was only $39 on sale??)

Then I saw the labels on the cotton threads... it was meant to be found by me!
I even found two 3 foot sections of homemade lace, a wonderfully worn embroidery hoop, and more vintage Coates & Clark thread. What a precious gift from the woman whose hands created beauty with some thread and simple tools...
I've spent hours researching all my finds and found a wonderful site all about crochet hooks by the Hook Lady. There are bone knitting needles, lots of Boye and Susan Bates hooks, 2 "Non-Inflammable" plastic hooks from the 60's and a few unmarked and unsized hooks that I'd love to know more about. There are even 2 black Boye hooks that may be a rare kind made briefly during WWII? Any experts out there? :) Here is the mystery, friends; can you help me identify these?

1. The middle object below has a hollow tip and looks like it may be used for punch needle?
2. The other pieces are _____? They are marked GMA USA
3. One more hook that I missed taking a picture of... I have a hook marked VICTORIA which has an oval hole right through the throat where you rest your thumb. It looks as though it might give you a blister after a while! What is that about??

Thank you for any clues you may have to help me! I love a good mystery but solving them is even better! :)

A Little Pocketbook and Crochet Basket

Another crochet project... this time a little pocketbook for my neice. The yarn is a crinkly, stretchy yarn that is so fun to touch. It was one of those balls of yarn that was so precious that I just couldn't walk by. Look at those colors and the texture! It was perfect for this project for a special little girl. And lest you think I'm quitting minis, I used the same tube/crochet in the round to make the mini basket below using thread.

Does a Baby Blanket Count as Mini?

I thought I should show you the mini-distraction that's been taking me away from my dollhouses: crochet! My mom is a gifted artist in crochet and knitting and I'm doing my best to learn it too. It'll be a long while before my work is close to where I'd like it to be but here it is anyway :) This is a baby blanket gift for a dear friend. If only you could touch it through the computer screen!! It is a Chenille yarn by Bernat called Baby Blanket that is as thick as pipe cleaners and about the softest thing you've ever touched. My friend is decorating in blue but found out she's having a girl. That of course was the perfect excuse to make it feminine with crochet flowers of the same yarn in pink. The leaf and yellow center are made from a fuzzy yarn called "Moon and Stars" by Red Heart.

I had some pom-pom style yarn that I've been dying to use so when crocheting certain sections I used 2 strands at the same time; the pom-pom and chenille or a multicolor and the chenille. Here's a close up:
The pocket in the corner is the perfect spot to tuck a favorite stuffed animal. Good night and sweet dreams for the little one!

What do You Do When you're Done with a House?

Well, what I seem to do is 1. put is away, 2. admire it for a while, then 3. take it apart for the joy of creating something new with it! For me it seems, it's the process, not the end product that is therapeutic so I just can't leave well enough alone for long. I've been enjoying making lots of little things lately that really don't fit in any one house so what should I do with the shabby chic, country style and child accessories? I'll put them in a flea market style shop with booth areas of various styles, a wonderful hodge-podge of things that I like that don't have to match each other one little bit. The Orange Blossom is no more! As you can see, the owners are still moving in and getting their things out of storage...