19 Tuesday Nov 2013
Posted in Christmas, crafts, home decor, miniature, On my Worktable
The tiny snowflakes are for a decoration I’m putting in our library/guest room.
Tiny snowflakes cut from a damaged vintage dictionary page. I have several vintage dictionaries that I cherish but this page was from a damaged book that is just for crafts.
22 Wednesday May 2013
Tags
bead crafts, crafts, mini, mini purse, miniature, miniature purse, miniature tote, purses, ribbon
Rainy day fun with ribbon and beads making tiny totes and miniature purses.
I started with the Klutz book Ribbon Purses (no longer in print) and made this tiny purse following their directions and using the kit materials.
A tiny ribbon purse made with Klutz book kit materials.
I really wanted to stick with just the kit items but then I thought of this one, using some of the kit supplies and adding my own seed beads and charms.
Tiny ribbon purse with charm dangle.
I didn’t follow the directions on this one but did use the kit supplies plus seed beads.
I used the purple beads from the kit to form the purse bottom.
Then I got a shiny new idea.
Tiny ribbon tote bag supplies: I used the ribbon from the kit but the chain, metallic trim, square beads, brass beads and eye pins are my own.
Tiny ribbon tote bag. This was fun to design!
For the last one, I used the Klutz kit ribbon but added my own embellishment. I would love to make a full size clutch purse like this. The hardest component would be finding large, clear, flat-sided acrylic gems to form the sides of the clutch. I love how the light passes through this purse. I used a tiny turtle from a pierced earring for the decoration on the side.
The light passes through the gems in the sides of this tiny clutch purse.
I used a tiny turtle from a pierced earring to embellish this miniature clutch purse.
09 Thursday May 2013
Tags
bead bottles, bead crafts, beads, crafts, miniature, miniatures
I was cleaning out old photo files and found these photos from way back in 2003.
All the perfume bottles are made of beads, earring backs and jewelry findings. They are tiny, some less than half an inch. To help the bead “bottles” stand up, I glued the bead on a pierced earring back. If you want to see the most detail in these photos, click on the photo to open a larger image. Then at the upper left of each photo will be a link that says “ORIGINAL SIZE AT (number) “. Click that link to see the largest image.
Miniature perfume bottles made from beads and jewelry findings. Please click on the photo to see a larger image.
A small plastic organizer with the lid removed served as an elegant “glass” shelf unit for the miniature bead bottles.
Miniature perfume bottles made from beads.
Miniature perfume bottles made from beads. This dresser tray is a mirror with trim glued around the edge.
To make the tray, I glued seed beads around the edge of a small mirror.
The first two photos were taken in my kitchen window… so many years ago, even before we planted the rose bush which has climbed all the way up to the kitchen window. I don’t remember where I put all the tiny bead bottles. When I find them, I think I’ll put the display case in the bedroom or bathroom window. I love tucking miniatures around the house. Most people never see them but I like knowing that my home has an even smaller story for those who have eyes to catch it.
19 Tuesday Mar 2013
Posted in All Sparkled Up, beading, crafts, Easter, flowers, gardening, home decor, miniature, sparkling, tutorial
Tags
All Sparkled Up, crafts, Easter, Easter decoration, Easter Egg Tree, egg tree, miniature, miniature eggs, miniature flowers, miniature plants
Last year I posted about the Hanging Plant Easter Egg Tree I made. It’s time to get it out again. Adding the drops of dew was my favorite part.
After I finished each miniature plant, with it’s tiny leaves and petals, I hung it on the tree. Though pretty, the plant didn’t seem fully alive it was all sparkled up with spring rain or drops of dew.
For each drop, I used tweezers to dab a single crystal seed bead in tacky glue and attach it where it should go, hanging from the tip of a leaf or puddled in the folds of a petal.
The tree was from Pottery Barn a couple years ago. The hanging egg baskets were cut from small plastic eggs. The miniature plants were made by cutting up full-size artificial flowers and leaves. Some of the hanging vines were made by gluing hand-cut leaves to artificial plant stems. Click on photos to see the full size images if you wish.
Miniature Daisies.
Miniature daisies.
Miniature Lily of the Valley.
Miniature ferns and moss.
Miniature Forget-me-not.
Miniature Burros Tail.
If you want to add realistic drops to an artificial plant, remember how real water acts. It flows down hill. So it will puddle at the bottom of a flower center, or hang from the lower tip of a petal or leaf.
Miniature Blue Flowers. The fluffy white balls were actually stamens cut from the center of a full-size artificial flower.
Miniature ferns and moss.
Miniature Tuberous Begonia, reminiscent of the colors of my mom’s beautiful begonia hanging plant.
Miniature Marigold.
Miniature Roses. To make a rose, I took one petal from a 1″ artificial rose, folded it in half and glued and rolled it up into a cone shape. The pointed tip of the cone was cut off and stuck down inside the top part of the cone to make center of the rose. Some cone tips are also used as the buds.
Placing the tiny bead droplets on the plants was a very contemplative task, like yoga or painting, with each moment crystallized and beautiful. No it was not tedious, it was restorative and full of light. All sparkled up.
“And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” Isaiah 58:11
18 Monday Mar 2013
About the size of a penny, they sprang from a package of Paperclay last year. I have no idea where they are now but fortunately I photographed them before they hopped away.
Five tiny bunnies, made of paperclay.
15 Friday Feb 2013
Tags
box of chocolates, chocolate, chocolates, doll-size, miniature, miniature food, valentine s day, Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine’s Day! Here is a miniature box of chocolates for you. Click photo to see a larger image.
Even though it’s just a couple minutes into February 15th, I still consider it Valentine’s Day since the day is not done. ;)
This is a doll-sized box of real chocolates. They are tiny, less than 1/4″ across!
I made the miniature box for these chocolates from tissue paper, cardboard and decorative paper.
The chocolates were made from chocolate chips and pieces cut from candy bars.
To decorate the tops, I drizzled melted chocolate on with a toothpick.
The papers for the chocolates were made by pressing a tiny circle of tissue paper over the flat end of a pencil.
07 Saturday Apr 2012
Posted in crafts, Easter, flowers, home decor, miniature
Tags
decorated eggs, Easter, Easter eggs, egg, egg tree, flowers, miniature
Last year I finally had time to make an Easter Egg tree and I’m happy to display it again this year. I’ve been wanting to make one for many years. I have a couple precious decorated eggs left from the tree of my childhood and some day I will restore the eggs and call that tree my Heritage Tree. For now, this Hanging Plant Easter Egg Tree will adorn my dining room table.
The tree was from Pottery Barn. The eggs are plastic, cut into little baskets with a craft knife. I made all the hanging plants from bits and pieces of full size artificial plants. The hundreds of tiny leaves were cut out individually with manicure scissors. Crystal beads were glued strategically from the tips of petals and leaves to look like they were freshly washed with a light spring rain. It took several weeks to make these eggs, working on them when I could during evenings last year.
Easter Egg Tree - click photo to see a larger image.
These little hanging plants are made from bits and pieces cut from artificial plants and flowers tucked into plastic eggs. Click on photos to see a larger image.
Egg Tree - The Purple Egg.
Egg Tree - The Spring Green Egg
Egg Tree - The Little Blue Birds Egg
Egg Tree - The Yellow Green Moss Egg
Egg Tree - The Blue Forget-me-not Egg
Egg Tree - The Orange Marigold Egg
Egg Tree - The White Lily-of-the-Valley Egg
Egg Tree - The Pink Peony Egg
Egg Tree - The Yellow Daisy Egg
Egg Tree - The Miniature Pink Rose Egg
07 Saturday Jan 2012
Host a doll-size Birthday Fiesta! This is one of the chapters that didn’t make the cut in Tiny Treats, a book I wrote in 2004. The centerpiece is a sweet little palm-sized pinata filled with real candy and plenty of delicious treats. Try the Three Teeny Quesadillas if you please or the Spicy Sombreros for a tiny treat. Use mini pinatas as place card holders or decorations on the table.
Miniature Birthday Fiesta!
For simple directions, see below.
For the Quesadillas, simply cut flour tortillas with a small round cookie cutter. Top with Beanie – refried beans and grated cheese, Cheesy – cream cheese with little slices of string cheese, sprinkled with paprika, or Sweetsie topping – apple pie filling with mini chocolate chips.
For the Spicy Sombreros, mix a little chili powder into cream cheese. Spread the cream cheese mixture in a little mound in the center of a round tortilla chip to make a hat. Sprinkle crushed corn chip crumbs over the cream cheese. Decorate with Pimientos.
Here are steps to make a Miniature Pinata.
You will need:
Toilet paper tube
Scissors
Masking tape
Paper punch
4 pieces plastic drinking straw, cut 1 1/2” long
Mini candies
Crayola Model Magic modeling compound
White acrylic paint
Tacky glue
1/2” wide strips of colored tissue paper
2 small black beads
Supplies to make a miniature pinata
Step 1: Cut a toilet paper tube in half lengthwise. Cut a 2” section from one of those pieces. Roll it into a tube to make the body and tape it.
Prepare candy-filled tube. Add straw “legs”.
Punch 4 holes on one side of the tube for the legs. Insert the pieces of straw for legs. Before inserting the back legs, add small candies to the tube. Cover the ends of the tube with masking tape.
Step 2: Use Crayola Model Magic to form the neck and head of a donkey or horse. Add more Model Magic to make the legs thicker. Let dry overnight.
Add Crayola Model Magic clay to make a head and legs
Step 3: Paint the piñata white. Let dry.
Step 4: Cut fringe from the tissue paper strips. Spread the legs with glue and wrap them with the tissue fringe, starting from the bottom and working your way up. Glue on more pieces of tissue paper fringe and crumpled tissue paper as desired to cover the whole pinata. Glue on a tissue paper tale. Add two black beads for eyes.
Glue tissue fringe around pinata
To remove candy from pinata, pull tissue and tape off one end of the tube.
Ole!
Tiny Pinata
All Sparkled Up 