Fairewell for a while...

Well, it's that time again where my job will be going full tilt mode for several weeks. Then, right after that, we'll be taking the family down to California and Nevada  for a memorial service and a graduation. Great times to come, but no time for minis!

I'm about 3/4 pregnant on a lot of little projects, and there's a long list of other things I have to do before I can complete any of them. Most importantly, doing a dry fit of the RGT Barn kit before I go any further. That will have to wait until after June 21st at least.

For now, here's what I have finished or nearly finished:

I have the open kitchen cabinets filled up, and am almost happy with the layout and accessories on the top. Some flowers, and maybe some finished canning jars with fruit in them will most likely do.

The spice rack is nearly complete. I need to make an apron for the bottom hook on the side, and then attach the pot rack to the bottom skirt. The pot rack needs me to affix the measuring spoons and utensil.

There is a lot to do to this cabinet. I am going to make use of it as a baking station in the kitchen. I have a lot of items still to make for it, but the ideas in my head for it should turn out really cute!

In the meantime, I've been thinking about making the living room furniture. I found a treasure web site for making tons of things using mostly foam and mat board. I spent Sunday making the little chair. It still needs some boxing around the back cushion, some piping, and an adorable throw pillow to be complete. Not bad for a first try, tho! Thank you so much Kris from One Inch Minis for posting all the instructions! They are excellent!

I might post a thing or two if I have a spare minute, otherwise - I'll be back at the end of June!

Motherhood - The Gift That Keeps On Giving...

I've always said that babies are a gift. Very special gifts that are entrusted to you for a short time. The hope is that you will teach them all of the things they need to know, most importantly how to love. And then, once they are all grown up, and if you've done a good job, they become gifts to the entire world.

I've had the privilege to fall head over heels in love three times in my life. First, with the amazing person that I am still married to for 28 years. Then, with each of my babies, Natasha and Ande. I literally fell madly in love with each of them. I treasure the memories we share, and they will always be the best parts of my life. The great thing is that your babies fall in love with you, too. Every mom is the hero to every child, for a little while.

Then nature makes sure your little birds want to leave the nest - somewhere around 12 years of age. Then, you spend the next few years wondering why your kids are falling out of love with you. They don't want to spend all their time with you. They are embarrassed by you. They argue with you to get their way when you still know what's best. Suddenly, the little person that you couldn't get enough of, makes you want to help them pack their bags! That's the hard part of parenting.

Then, one beautiful day, you are the mother of grown up children. People that you are so proud of. People you'd choose as friends, even if they weren't your children. That is a gift that you get to enjoy, and get to see others enjoy, and that is all the Mother's Day gift I'll even need.

But these are my awesome kids after all, so in addition to being the best people I know, my talented son Ande makes me steak and kabobs for dinner. My amazing daughter Natasha gives me a very generous gift certificate for miniatures. And then comes over with Starbucks and an adorable purse on a day she has to work!

My kids are amazing, and when they tell me that I'm amazing, well, that's all I ever need to know!

I love you both so much! Thanks for being the little gifts that keep on giving!

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together!

One of the pieces in the Realife Miniatures kitchen kit was a spice shelf. In fact, it was the first piece in the kit that I made. I figured; start small and work up to the more complicated things. It was pretty simple and it is pretty cute. So, what to put on the shelves. Hmmm...

Why not some spice cans? I cut several 3/8" x 1/2" pieces, scored "lids" into them, then painted them.

I found some really cute and free chalk type labels online here. You download them, and then you can customize them to get exactly what you need.

After some trial and error (image resolution very poor) I ended up using my own font in Publisher, saving them as a high resolution photo, then shrinking them down to size. Round 2 went much better, and I even learned a little about vector images (they use math instead of pixels to preserve the image quality even when you increase or decrease the size). Good to know!

I made some printies for the things I know I'll need soon. The spray sealer will have to dry for 24 hours before I can cut them out and affix them to everything.

Meanwhile, the silverware fits perfectly into the center island drawer.

The plastic pieces I painted and aged to look like old enamelware turned out good.

The bisque items turned out great!

The "le creuset" cookware is awesome!

And these pieces will also soon be adorned with printies! Can't wait for the next step!

Happy Mother's Day to all my fellow moms! Remember, even if you haven't given birth, the minute you put your own needs aside to be there for anyone else, you're officially a mom in my book!