Meet The Little Piggies

Since my kids were very young (and my nieces and nephews), I have been putting my own spin on classic fairy tales for them. I wanted them to understand that those who are pure of heart and intention do win! The bullies always lose in the end, and when they fall, they fall HARD!

No project like The Three Little Pigs - Revenge could be complete without the most important element - it's characters! From the time I dreamt of this build I knew I had to find the perfect piggies. I searched and searched and then one day found these little guys on eBay. They were just the right height at 5" (without the bases), had bobbling heads and totally captured the look I wanted - fairy tale fun!

Each one would need to have a very unique personality. I began searching for costuming that would fit their skills and interests. Each one needed to stand out on his own, but look similar enough that you knew they were very closely bonded brothers. Without any further adoo, I present to you our three little heros:

Bob

Bob is a logical, level headed and handy young pig. He's gifted in brick laying, and enjoys a good round of chess. He's a methodical thinker, and often succeeds by applying common sense to a problem. He thinks of problems as opportunities. Safety and security are a priority for Bob. He's the oldest of the three, and feels a strong sense of protection for his brothers. He also just really enjoys their company!



Joe

Joe is the jokester of the family. He's always coming up with the funniest quips and often ribs his brothers in good fun! When it comes to the culinary arts, he could not be more serious or talented. Joe's specialty is combining the most seemingly odd combinations of ingredients to make a 5 star meal. He is also an expert at tenderizing even the most unforgiving cuts of meat. Joe loves to share meals and laughs with his brothers, for never a merrier bunch you shall find.


Sam

Last but certainly not least is sam. Sam is a caring and nurturing soul. His love and care for his brothers is evident in the way he takes care of them all. Keeping the house in tip top shape is a point of pride for Sam. He's an avid gardener growing not only the best produce for miles around, passers by are often seen admiring his flowers in abundant bloom.  Sam's gentle way and happy go lucky presence make him a friend to all.




I hope you've enjoyed meeting our little heros and will continue to check in on the progress for the HBS Creatin' Contest build. Coming soon... That dastardly villain; The Big Bad Wolf!

Back At It... Finally!

This blog is (mostly) about positive things such as miniatures. I bet that's why you are all here - making the rounds to see what other creative minds are doing in the mini realm. We all get each other, and I love that! Mini's are what I do to distract me from some of the tough stuff in life, and I am sooooooo grateful to have them. Usually, no matter what's going on in my real world, my minis are a way for me to escape and enjoy. But not always. I've had a tough couple weeks, so much so that even mini-ing didn't appeal to me. I'm sure you've all been there, and here's a hug for the next time you need it!

Thank goodness, like most tough times, it's now in the rear view, and I can focus a little time to the HBS Creatin' Contest build! When I last left off I had gotten the bunk beds and single bed made, and just needed to dress them. I found some awesome little quilts on eBay by tonis-treasures when I was buying things planning for this project last year.

I made mattresses out of foam core and covered the visible "sheets" with fabric.

Attached the quilts to the foam core...

Glued and clamped them to the bed frames...

And voila!

A perfect fit for the space! I think the piggies are going to squeal!

Next, I needed a table. I could not believe that in all of the kits I've been collecting for the last four years that I did not have a dining room table kit! I had to get creative! The hubs had saved me some nice thin-ish slabs of oak. He also happens to have hole saw bits in several sizes. Gotta love a man with tools! Then I found the cork from a magnum bottle of champagne (left the wine tasting with tons of corks, too - you know... Just in case...) with the perfect curvy character. I also had some circle shaped Woodsies. I was in business!

Glued...

Painted, stained and hole covered with a vase (cheap glass vial painted red inside). I did have some chair kits! Phew! That would have taken some major brain power to make three chairs from scratch, although I have done it before - from chop sticks, even!

But it was still missing something... The flowers! One rose (Bonnie Lavish kits) for each little piggy! I dusted the edges with artists chalk to give them some blush.

I believe that takes care of all of the major furnishings for the build!

Next up, I needed to remove the Geico piggies from their bases. When I bought them, I thought I could just run them through the scroll saw.

Ummmm, No. Too wide and too tall. I attempted to use a Dremel cut off wheel attachment. Ummmm, No. They broke. A lot of them. What the heck was this stuff made of?!? Apparently, some kind of epoxy. So, I swallowed my "I can do it all by myself" pride and asked the tool expert - the hubs. He (patronizingly) said "no problem sweetie". But it was a problem! I kind of felt better that he had trouble, too! ;O) He Dremeled, he hacksawed, he coping sawed and I helped him grip. Finally! A giant mess (it looks like a DEA smuggling photo) to clean, but free piggies!!! And an awesome man willing to help!

And now, the fun part! Getting to dress and personalize each of them! Very exciting! More kits are involved! They're going to be so stinkin' cute!

Except, I got word that my next crazy busy work schedule will most likely start a week early. So that means like next week. No mini life well into August. :o( I'm sad, but that's life! Gotta pay the bills and buy more kits!

Tonight, I get to catch up on all of my favorite blogs! Have a very happy week!

Touches Of Home

Do you ever feel like you've put a lot of time into a project, but don't have much to show for it? That was my impression when I started to process all of the photos to post on the blog. Tomorrow is Friday! I got back from camping Monday night. What exactly have I been doing for the last three days?

I started out putting together a Chrysnbon Dry Sink kit. In the past, I have successfully turned it into a "wet" sink, so that's what I did this time - minus the tap. I'm still waiting for it to arrive...

After I get the main structure assembled, I tape off the upper portion of the kit so that I can paint the base color. In this case, I went for DecoArt Americana Georgia Clay. Two coats, then a matte sealer.

Then I taped off the Georgia Clay, and used Krylon Fusion White Satin to paint the "porcelain" sink section. Then I added two coats of gloss sealer.

Notice how I drilled the drain hole? Once the paint and sealer were nice and dry I glued in an eyelet from the sewing kit I inherited from my beloved grandma. I just love looking through her sewing basket. I re-read letters we'd sent back and forth to each other after I first got married (I keep them there). It still smells like her house: homey and loving. I hope she smiles when she sees her old notions being used for something entirely different.

For the drain board side of the sink, I just made it look like a little cutting board. Here's what I did:

Here's the end result - I'll add the tap as soon as it arrives. Also, please remember that this project, even though it it being entered in the Creatin" Contest, is based on a children's story and will be donated to my local library after it is completed. It is supposed to look a bit "cartoony".

Here it is in the kitchen with a few little accessories added...

Next, I started on the beds for the little piggies. I originally wanted to make them a triple bunk bed, but the ceiling height just wouldn't allow for that. Instead, the gracious builder/mason piggy let his poor brothers, having recently lost their dream homes, to move into to his modest abode. Bunk beds for them were essential to the space.

See the two bags of scrap wood I've been accumulating/using for the last four years? I am proud to say that these beds are made from 100% recycled materials! They also seem to be a good fit for the space...

After adding a little color, it's starting to feel like home in here. Next, I'll make sure each of our hero's have comfy mattresses and homemade quilts! I know they are getting anxious to move out of their temporary drawer!

Here's to all of us having an enjoyable and productive weekend, which hopefully includes lots of mini-ing!