Mince Pies for all!

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, I enjoyed an afternoon of baking these delicious mince pies yesterday and wanted to share them with you.

Little star tops !

Peace with you all and your families :o)

Chocolate Box Kit in DHMS

I could not contain the big beamy smile that swept accross my face in the middle of WH. Smith's as I quickly found the page and started reading the review about my '12th Scale Miniature Chocolate Box Kit' written by Ann Sutcliffe in the current issue (#163 January) of Dolls House & Miniature Scene.

The Boxoftrix Chocolate box kit was my very first kit designed in 2004 & is still my best selling kit to date. I guess there are a lot of miniature chocolate lovers out there.... :o)

I'm still so very proud of this kit and since this is it's 3rd successful review. I think it deserves a mention and posting on my blog...... a little bit of blowing my own trumpet!

A huge thank you to Ann Sutcliff and Dolls House Miniature Scene magazine :o)

The Chocolate Box kit which contains enough materials and full step by step instructions to make and fill 3 different shaped chocolate boxes.....including a tiny selection of miniature chocolates which are handmade by myself from polymer clay.

The kit is available to purchase in my ETSY shop, my CDHM Gallery & on EBAY

Have a lovely day all :o)

Fun Beaded Bracelets

It was fun going through my bead stash and getting out my jewellery tools again

I just cant think of a name just yet for this ocean themed bracelet. Made with glass fish beads which I purchased in Prague, Swarovski crystals & freshwater pearls.

I think the 'Aged to perfection' charm tag on this one gives it the perfect name.

I bought these charms about 3 years ago and have never found or made anything that was right to put them on until they resurfaced in a cupboard clear out last week ....... they just wanted to be put together :o) .......simple but quite effective.

I would keep it to wear myself ..........I'm quite partial to the odd glass or two of wine, but I don't wear gold............so off it goes to my Etsy shop

Christmas Holly Brooch

Finished Today!!!!

A christmas themed Holly brooch with a vintage look!

Now in my Etsy store

Embroidered Poppies & Stargazer Lillies

I was so delighted to hear that a little commission I worked on last month and posted around the same time as the postal strike has finally arrived safe and well at its destination in USA. So now I can show it here its called 'Californian Poppies'

I enjoyed stitching the Poppies onto the black background so much that I started another right away this time 'Stargazer Lillie's'

This one is for sale more details in my CDHM gallery.

Christmas Miniatures

In preparation for Christmas I have designed a new kit. It comes in a choice of 3 different colours, green, silver or white. With all the materials, instructions, including helpful pictures and template it shows how to make a lovely little Christmas tree for your dolls house or miniature scene. I have been looking forward to getting this little kit done and now its finally finished I'm delighted with it! See them for sale in my CDHM kits gallery

I'm also pleased to show off my new little embroidered hand embroidered

'Christmas Berries' cushion.

This tiny cushion measures on 1&1/2 inch square and has tiny silk handmade tassels.

I know its a little early for Christmas but some miniature minded people like to get there dollhouse's decorated in time for Christmas too!

You can see more of my tiny embroidered miniature items in my CDHM needlework Gallery

Miniature Embroidery ~ Calla Lily

I was delighted when Jayne, the winner of the hanging basket competition choose her subject for the hand embroidered miniature picture.......

A single Calla Lily hand embroidered onto a hand painted cotton background.

Miniature Hanging Basket Winners!

Here are the winners of the hanging basket competition.

It was so difficult to decide on the final winners from the entries received.

So much time and effort had clearly been put into these lovely little baskets & they were all wonderful.

1st Prize ~ Jayne Price

I think Jayne has made an excellent job of making up her Pyramid basket from the kit & she has filled it with a beautiful selection of eyecatching colourful blooms & well placed trailing plants.

Jayne says she had great fun with the kit which was very satisfying to make.

Congratulations & well done Jayne!

1st prize is a commissioned hand embroidered miniature picture.

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2nd Prize ~ Sharon Blackburn

Sharon handmade these beautiful fern leaves to fill her cone shaped basket.

I think it's full look is wonderful. Chosen for its different approach and originality I like the fullness of this foliage filled basket.

Sharon says 'I really enjoyed making the basket kit and I'm very pleased with the results'

Congratulations & well done Sharon!!

2nd Prize is £20 to spend on any Boxoftrix Miniature or Kits

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3rd Prize ~ Sue Wakefield

Although I had originally intended to have only 2 prizes, one for each of the basket shapes provided in the kit, I decided to award a 3rd prize for this lovely basket.

Sue says it took her enough time just to make the one basket which she filled with flowers made from kits it's the first time she has made anything really as she is quite new to it all!!

well I think its lovely & like her use of colourful flowers and trailers. Well done Sue!!

3rd Prize is £10 to spend on any Boxoftrix miniatures or Kits

Embroidered Casket

I have finally finished my little casket !

I started this at an 'Embroidered Caskets' workshop by Janet Edmonds which was organised by our local Fife branch of Embroiderers Guild.

It was great get my sewing machine out and have fun with it again. I tend to want to hand stitch everything but I had to admit as I was stitching away I was already planning a different shape for the next one.

I choose a blue/green shot poly cotton for the base fabric and added blue/pink shot taffeta squares and triangles. The squares were then edged with a beautiful ribbon I bought at a stitching show a couple of years back. It's a variegated hand dyed ribbon with an iridescent edging which suggested the next colour to use almost instantly ...... Pink!

The bead closure is made from a machined fabric strip which was then rolled and stitched together & glass seed beads to finish.

The taffeta triangles are sprinkled with bright pink bugle beads.

Pink silk thread tassels & feet. My 'YM' initial monogram on the bottom.

looking down from the top it looks like a starfish!

These little puffs are made from a very thin hand dyed silk & hand stitched silk thread onto a teal crushed velvet background which was stitched on top of the taffeta squares.

Each of the 5 puffs has a different coloured crystal bead in the centre.

Variegated dyed ribbon which has an iridescent edging & turquoise gimp are stitched with a variety of threads.

This was great little piece to work on why not have a go. This same 'Pentagon Box' design was featured as a project in the EG stitch magazine

Sketchbooks & Doodles

I have left my blog a little neglected the last couple of weeks but this is not to say that I haven't been busy. I thought I would post some pictures of some little doodles I have did recently.

I find these fun to do and they have been quite therapeutic at times!

I might work with them more, perhaps scan and print onto watercolour paper and add colour. I love little sketchbooks.... you can take them anywhere .... the pages are small and dont ask for much if you know what I mean.....

This is an A6 size sketchbook .......... if I dont like what I put down ...... well its only one little page ....... does anyone else see them this way?

Perhaps is because I work a lot in miniature, I see all you journal makers out there with those large A4 size books!! ....... My largest workbook at the moment it A5

Breathtaking Scenery in Scotland

Morar

Urquhart Castle




Glenfinnan & Loch Shiel

I have just returned from a much needed break and I'm looking forward to getting creative again! Staying within Scotland, we towed our caravan to a quiet touring site just on the outskirts of Oban and from here we took drives to Fort William, Inverness, Morar & Malaig stopping off along the way to take in some of the most beautiful breathtaking scenery!

Hanging Baskets

I'm running a competition with my 12Th scale Dolls house hanging basket kits at the moment. It's a great little kit to make up using the card templates, Jute and wire hangers which I personally make up for each kit. It has very clear step by step instructions & there is even a bag of soil to fill the baskets with for that realistic look. Each kit has two different shaped baskets.

Once you have made these little baskets up you will want to make more they are so much fun to do.

The best bit is filling the baskets with your chosen flowers & fauna. These can be your own from paper punch cut outs or tiny silk flowers or dried flowers. There are of course some lovely flower kits out there too! ...perhaps you might want to put something else in the basket....it up to you

To enter the competition you just make up the kit, fill and take pictures send me the pictures with the unique entry number supplied with each kit. I'm looking for nice pictures to promote the kit and they may be used on the kit pack. You have 2 basket & 2 chances to win !!

The prize ~ A hand embroidered commissioned miniature picture ~ winners choice!

Second prize is £20 voucher towards any Boxoftrix miniature purchase.

See the links at the side for where to buy the kit.

Pictures to be submitted by 31st August so theres still lots of time!

I hope you will join in the fun...........

Heart Pin

This is a little heart pin I made and have added to Etsy. These are a bit fiddly but fun to make and a great way of using up those little bits of silk and precious fabric. It also gives me the perfect excuse to get my bead box out and have fun!!! :o)

Three Little Ones

Thee little miniature embroideries, Goldwork Flower, Bullion Knot Roses & Satin stitch Poppy.
These measure only 1 & 1/4 inches across.
It was fun to do these little ones again! I hope you enjoy them.

A Link to my auctions http://tinyurl.com/37o4ln

Framed

This is the second frame I have made for this. I like things to look right and sometimes when you make something it looks right.... then you take a photograph and it doesn't look so right....it was too big ..... so it was back to the ruler, mitre and saw. I'm happy with this frame now. I feel that white best shows the colours in the embroidery.

A Little Monet

This is my latest little miniature embroidery, today I will be making a frame for it. The picture is one of Monet's beautiful paintings ' Les-Coquelicots Environs-dArgenteuil' or 'Poppies near Argenteuil' I love the colours in this piece, I lost count of how many I used!

This little piece is up for auction on ebay.

http://tinyurl.com/2ego2w

Inspiration

Redcurrants......

Hosta

Lillies

Petunia & Lobelia

We have so many lovely things to draw inspiration from in our garden.... Full credit goes to my husband Kevin for these beautiful healthy plants :o)