Hi and welcome to my blog. I hope you like my new look, I needed a change from black. Here you can share my miniature endeavours, perhaps be inspired by some of my photographs taken in France and of 'real world' treasures that can be made in miniature. My love of parterre-style gardens and study of horticulture made my decision for the theme of my little shop an easy one. I just hope I can successfully interpret my ideas in 1/12th scale!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Looking Rosey

More flowers, I thought I would try my first floral arrangement, the result of the last several days of fiddling. The roses are Rosa Grandiflora, a kit by Bonnie Lavish, with some white lilies, fern and some daffodils. I added a little ivy around the rim of the pot. I photographed it in a couple of 'locations', I hope you enjoy it.

This display will be in the Petit Parterre, and luckily the plants are very long lasting as I have yet to make up my mind about the interior decoration.
We are enjoying some lovely sunny winter days here, with spring officially almost upon us and I am certainly looking forward to the warmer weather. I think I might have to keep moving north as I seem less and less able to cope with the cold, I go into a type of hibernation.
I hope everyone is have a happy and productive week.
A bientot!

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Spring is Almost Here!

Whew, Mathilde is looking just a bit dishevelled after tending to all the early-flowering spring bulbs. There will be many more needed for the Petit Parterre and I have had fun making some roses too, photo of those later. All are from kits I bought some time ago, by Bonnie Lavish. I would like to try making some of Pascale Garnier's flower kits, if anyone has her contact email can you please let me know as I lost it when my old laptop's lights went out.
Flower-making requires concentration and, for me, strong magnifying glasses but I love to see how they evolve just from flat little pieces of paper.
A bientot!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Hello Again

Meet Mathilde, the part-owner of Le Petit Parterre. She will be overseeing the decorating for the shop, and of course tending to the plants as she has quite a green thumb. The perfect poppies are again by Little Rabbit Miniatures, aren't they beautiful. Mathilde has no intention of getting her hands or clothes dirty or spoiling her manicure though, she will leave that to her assistants. Mathilde will be the 'face' of the business.

Speaking of faces, I gave her a makeover, you wouldn't recognise her from the doll I bought a few weeks ago for just $8. I changed her fuzzy brown wool hair for this lovely blonde mohair which I still need to secure in place in a kind of chignon. Her features were almost invisible so I loaded on the 'makeup', just using my craft paints. I must say I quite enjoyed the process and am happy with the transformation. She is now wearing 'suede' pants and a glamorous lace blouse, as well as pearl earrings. Dressmaking for mini dolls is so much easier than for people as they don't need to 'move' and it is possible to cheat with a little glue here and there.
I have also been fiddling with this little antique infants travel trunk.
I wanted it to look like something stored away in an attic for many years. I spent way to long on this, if I do another I will take some shortcuts and make some improvements.
Today I have been sorting through the flower kits I bought some time ago and have made some daffodils. I shall try making more tomorrow and will post a pic of them.
A bientot!