Dollhouse Diaries' Projects

Word Play Art

2012-01-19T23:32:00.001+08:00

Word As Image- Project by Ji Lee

A Lgophile?

Me too!

And if you have had a loooooooooong week

and need a sm;)e like I did

Then you must w@T@h this

I love words and when they are art, I go nuts.

I have had a long week , actually a long month.

Word as Image really brought me the smiles, and some out loud laughs, I needed.

I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I did.

Rain By CCIllus

2011-11-18T00:17:00.001+08:00

Illustrated by 大菠萝

Imagine that we all live in our dollhouses.

Imagine that all our houses were built under an umbrella.

Then

one day

it rained.....

I was browsing the web to escape work for 10 minutes and ended up being here for almost 3 hours. I even ended up blogging but I just had to. You see, I fell in love with this work-in-progress animation "Rain". The illustrator lives in China and calls himself 大菠萝 which literally translates to "Big Pineapple". I have emailed him about this post but I am too impatient to wait for his reply. Maybe you too can understand why I just can't wait to share it with you.

Singapore Iconic Lantern Design Competition 2011

2011-09-11T13:42:00.002+08:00

Display of all participating lanterns at Central Mall

This was a competition Cindy and I contemplated participating sometime in July this year. This competition called the "Chinatown Mid Autumn Festival 2011 Singapore Iconic Lantern Design Competition" was as its name suggested, a contest for the best lantern designed to the theme of Singapore Icons. Several discussions and one preliminary shopping trip (for materials) later, I decided I could not hack it. Too much work, too little time. I also remember feeling absolutely uninspired.

Win's entry- Singapore Merlion

I had however coaxed my brother into submitting a design and he did with this 3D replica of the Singapore Lion Head icon. The fact that it was an exact replica caused him to lose points on creativity, I suspect, but he got top marks, in my book, for execution. This was not a cheap lantern. Just the paper and printing alone cost S$250.00. He had wanted to make it collapsible but due to the lack of time and resource for experiments, he gave the idea up. Although he did not win any prizes, his was one of the top 10 entries.

1st prize entry- Vanda Miss Joaquim by Ivy Yeo

The 1st and 2nd prize went to MarG's mum and niece respectively. The local media dubbed them "the grandmother-granddaughter pair" . Auntie Ivy's lantern was made entirely with recyclable material and powered with rechargeable batteries. This is what one of the judges said about the lantern:

"There're a lot of great lanterns around but Mdm Yeo's lantern really stood out," said Mr Mitsuru Iguchi, managing director of SANYO Energy (S) Corp and one of the five judges. "Orchids are indeed very representative of Singapore. We are impressed that all the materials used are recyclable as it meets the contest criteria, given Singapore's limited resources."

2nd prize- Kriestel's Satay

Some of you may remember Kriestel She taught me how to make the tiniest origami crane mobile for my Maharajah's Emporium almost 2 years ago. I am really proud of her. She made the satay (skewered meat) with foam board and I thought they looked just like the real thing.

My personal favourite

This piece stood out for me. I regarded it as a work of art for the ingenious use of material and the skill involve in its execution. The dragon was made almost entirely from aluminium cans but I can see why it was probably more suited as an installation rather than lantern. This piece had no bulbs and could not therefore be lighted. It also did not really fulfill the Singapore-Icon criteria. I believe however that it came in 3rd.

The orchid motif painted on the lantern in the peranakan style was down by the maker himself.

The "what-in-the-world..... ?" pieces

FaiZ liked this piece although when I asked him, he was also at a loss what Singapore icon it was supposed to represent. This piece reminded me of how Win had said I should weave a basket when I told him I did not know what to make. He laughingly assured me that my mini baskets were testament to my weaving skills.

This piece would have made quite a funky lamp.

I believe this piece was to assimilate a burning joss coil

Changi Airport Control Tower, one of the icons Cindy and I thought we could explore or incorporate.

An easy way to showcase Singapore Malay Costumes.

A very patriotic ketupat.

Cone-y

What in the world.....

The Could-Have-Would-Have-Never-Was Lantern by me

No matter what my views are of these entries, I applaud each and everyone of the participants for doing what I could not. One thing I am sure, everyone of those lanterns will bring someone some really special memories.

Like the lantern Win made with my mum's granny panty when he was a young adult.

That, I vote, is my all time No.1 lantern for the laughter and joy it brought.

HAPPY MOONCAKE & LANTERN FESTIVAL(tomorrow), EVERYONE!

Gifts, Swaps & Thrills-Flora's Mini Dollhouse Books

2011-08-19T23:05:00.000+08:00

On the 19th of April this year, Flora organised a giveaway of a set of her adorable dollhouse books to celebrate the joy of having 400 followers , some of whom (like me) are so ardent in our following that we almost never miss a post at her blog, La Casa delle Bambole di Flora.

This is my comment on her giveaway post:

I have acquired many a dollhouse books , so many that I did not have the opportunity to even open some of them so they are still carefully wrapped in yellowing plastic, collecting a firm film of dust :).

But can I resist if I see more ? Of course not! You have made books close to my heart, dear Flora :). Please count me as one of your faithful follower, hopeful and thankful for this chance to win your books.

106 of her followers participated but I must have had about 107 lucky stars revolving around me on the draw date because I won. Lucky, lucky me. I finally have a miniature collection alongside my humble real life collection of dolls' house books which I started buying since about 3 years ago.

Today, I took out Flora's books and took pictures of them on top of one of my favorite, DOLLS' HOUSES -Domestic life and architectural styles in miniature from the 17th century to the present day by Olivia Bristol and Leslie Geddes-Brown. And then I thought, maybe I will show Flora my real life collection.

So here they are,

Flora and all of you who love books on dolls' houses,

these are mine, as at 18th August 2011.

Part of the Sandra Morris collection

More of the Sandra Morris' Collection with newer how to books.

The DVD ,"Creating With Kiva" was a gift from Kiva Atkinson.

My very 1st book on dollhouse was "Classic Dolls' Houses" by Faith Eaton,

bought way before I fell in love with dolls' houses.

Books that I have yet to read.

And those still wrapped in yellowing plastic, bought at the Miniature Museum of Taiwan.

Last but definitely not least, my latest and most beautiful collection,

hand made immaculately by someone I regard dearly,

Flora .

The Doll Affair 2011

2011-06-22T00:49:00.000+08:00

I attended The Doll Affair 2011 last Saturday on 18 June 2011 held at the Singapore Conference Hall. Started in 2007 by 2 enthusiasts who were collectors of BJDs or ball jointed dolls, it was a small but well attended event.

Most of the attendees were collectors themselves and many brought their own dolls to the show where they would spend most of their time discussing related topics with other collectors and taking pictures of their dolls.

Asuka's Doll surrounded by Asuka's creations

I attended the fair mainly because Cindy and Asuka were exhibitors and because this was a BJD event, most of their work for sale were mainly 1:3 or 1:4.

Cindy's brownie with ice cream- 1:3

Hardly any of the vendors sold dolls, just BJD accessories like clothes , shoes or wigs. I believe both my friends did well and I was really proud of them. Their creations were very popular.

I took mainly pictures of the dolls

because they were such a good looking bunch.

Isn't she beautiful? I found her sitting on the floor amongst bags and other dolls..

Drop dead gorgeous even when somber, I can now see the obsession with these dolls.

For these dolls, all their clothes were made by a lady clothier in Spain.

The price tags were for the dresses.

Settings where collectors displayed their dolls for photo taking.

The show and gathering was over all too soon

and for many of these dolls

they would be going home to be tucked away in their boxes.

They may be taken out once in a while for their owners to play with

but mainly these dolls live for the next Doll Affair or a similar event

where they will be shown off proudly again.

Gifts, Swaps & Thrills-Jollie, Glenda & Drora

2011-05-11T22:15:00.002+08:00

It has been a most exhilarating and intensely emotional GE 2011 (General Elections) for me. I had only voted once in my life thus far and it is too tedious to explain why but thanks to the volunteer work I did during this election, I have never felt so involved with the politics of my country.

Live, Love, Inspire, Believe

How apt that Jollie should send me these tiny charms a couple of months ago. And that is not all, she gave me a little sachet filled with charms. Charms she thought I might enjoy because they reminded her of me and she was spot on. I love them all.

And then she also made me this miniature magazine with lotuses on its cover.

I was very moved when I saw how she had used ethnic themed articles for the inside of this magazine.

Thank you, Jollie!

Almost at the same time, I received tidings from the shores of Israel.

What better gifts than Mother Nature's Miniatures?

I am thrilled that I now have seashells from Spain (Eva), Greece (Jollie) and Israel (Drora).

Thank you, Drora!

And then last month, I received these silk fabrics from Glenda.

They are antique kimono fabrics from Japan.

I am overwhelmed.

Thank you, Glenda!

I am high on LOVE now.

The love for my country where courageous men and women inspire and made me believe again.

And the love for my friends who constantly remind me with their thoughtfulness and generosity

that this is a life worth living.

Gifts, Swaps & Thrills-Fafa's Javanese Couple

2011-02-17T12:40:00.000+08:00

When Fafa returned from her hometown near Jogyakarta, Indonesia,

she brought home many gifts.

One of them is this pair of Javanese husband and wife on an old bicycle.

Measuring a mere 2 1/2" (base) wide and 2 2/3" high at its tallest,

it depicts the couple in traditional Javanese costumes.

The lady looks a lot like Fafa who is as pretty if not prettier,

and definitely just as voluptuous.

The lady, wearing a long Indonesian batik sarong,

is holding dried edelweiss found in the Jogyajakarta mountains.

The man, bare chested (very typical in our tropical countries)

wears his udeng (headgear) and loose checkered cotton pants.

There are also edelweiss on the ground.

Fafa's gift is now sitting on top of my jewellery box from Sri Lanka.

Like a perfect little box topper.

I love my Javanese couple soooooooo much.

Thank you, dear Fafa.

Gifts, Swaps & Thrills-Christmas

2011-01-05T22:38:00.000+08:00

I receive my smallest ever miniature from Rosanna this year. The side with the miniature animated scene that moves to the tune of jingle bells measures only 2" . This is a wind up box that is activated only when the box is opened. I am so tempted to open it up just to see how it works. This is an amazing work of marvel.

Thank you, Rosanna!

Gifts, Swaps & Thrills-Glenda Howell

2010-11-30T00:34:00.007+08:00

This beautiful scarf was made by Glenda Howell of Peppercorn Minis. She gave it to me for no reason other than that I had commented on her post that this scarf is "right up my alley".

Glenda had written that she made this scarf using Noro silk and wool mix for yarn . Although the yarn for this scarf was store bought, she had once spun these yarn herself after shearing the sheep , also by her. She then made rectangles using a hand held 6" x 4" weavette loom and then crocheted each piece together. The sheep was probably fed by Glenda too. I now own this scarf that is made by the multi- talented Glenda's hands. Can you imagine how in awe I am of her? Or maybe you can't. By the way, not only was weaving a big part of her life before miniatures, Glenda was also a lace maker and an embroiderer. I remembered how overwhelmed (and over the moon) I was when I found out that this super talented woman wanted a pair of my shoes.

I received her parcel on 8th July 2010 but did not post about it because I was waiting for the right occasion. Today is the right occasion and you will find out why when I complete my post on my other mini blog at The Maharajah's Palace.

Needless to say. this is now my all time favourite scarf. I place it near where I work on my minis so that I can use it , see it and appreciate it often. It also serves a reminder of the wonderful people I have met on blogland.

Thank you Glenda, very very much!

Art Running Routes- I Light Marina Bay

2010-10-27T21:13:00.005+08:00

Lumenocity Singapore by Sasha Crocker and Andrew Daly (Australia)

Some of you may already know that I run regularly. On Sunday mornings, I run with a group of very dear and wonderful friends who often look for interesting routes so that we are motivated to wake up at 6am , sometimes, 5 , just to run.

Positive Attracts by Edwin Cheong (Singapore)

It has become almost a habit now that even when I run on my own, I look for places of interest (once I even diverted and shopped for 6 hours instead). Monday night, we hit jackpot when we ran to see the outdoor light installations by international artists along Marina Bay. I took my camera along and even though we ran for 2 over hours, it felt shorter because it was wonderful.

( / ) by Angela Chong

This is one of my favourite installations. I love the title which is a symbol for the backside. The description says "This installation is a functional sculpture which illuminates at night while allowing the public to use it as a sitting area." Cher Kuan, if you are reading this, I took the last pic to prove that I took the photographs . Yes, it is with the same camera that you own. Eat your heart out!

Human Tiles by Ocubo, Nuno Maya (Portugal) & Carole Purnelle (Belgium)

Another of my favourite, the pattern on the wall changes depending on who is standing in front of the projector.

Singapore-Flora by Warren Langley (Australia)

Giant can also be beautiful which is why I have decided that I will make this post here featuring non-mini things for the first time.

The Living! Project by Kenny Eng, Allan Lim & Sun Yu Li (Singapore)

Details of The Living! Project which is made with plastic cups and

plastic bottles. The public is encouraged to add to the installation with their own plastic cups.

Last but not least, the changing colours of The Whirlpool by Martin Klaasen, Shane Richardson & Pascal Petitejeab (Australia & Singapore)

Thanks to my running mates, I have found so much more beauty in my country.

OOOPS! Nearly forgot this one:

Energy Saving Lights by Fai (Ipoh, Malaysia)

A Japanese Ningyo Doll

2010-10-15T19:59:00.003+08:00

I saw this Ningyo (human form in Japanese) doll at an Asian antique shop in Tanglin Mall when I was out running last Friday. The run started at 10am and I didn't get home till 6pm that day because I ended up shopping along the Orchard Road belt.

I usually do not go for traditional dolls especially the Japanese ones but this one caught my eye. It was supposedly 50 years old-the fabric does look faded and the details were quite remarkable.

Some of my friends who have read my post on the Krishnanagar dolls on the other blog will know how much I like hair on dolls. You can see why I am charmed by the hair on Ojiisan ("Granpa" in Japanese) .It's so neat!

But in the end, what really sold me was the fact that the doll is made of plastic! I did a double take when I found out. Are you surprise too? I had thought it was clay until I held it in my hands and it was so light.

Punch and Jiji chatting in my garden whilst Punch is working

Gifts, Swaps & Thrills-Tomohachi

2010-09-24T21:12:00.002+08:00

I am an avid follower of Tomohachi's blog. She was introduced to me by 2 other Singapore based miniature artisans, Cindy and Asuka who knew her from way back when. On 1st September 2010, Tomahachi organised a giveaway to celebrate her anniversary on blogland (5 for her Japanese blog and 2 for her English one).

She announced the winner on 8th Sept 2010 and 5 days later, my goodies galore arrived from Japan to Singapore.

Firstly, there is this absolutely amazing strawberry container. They are made with perspex material for the transparent part and plastic for the cover. Just like the real thing. A neatly packed trio of macarons are tucked inside.

She also made a charming country box with 2 bottles of olive oil, extra virgin and virgin with apples to match.

Here are her super realistic breads and cheese. There is also a bag of scallop biscuits that my nephew will love, if they are life size.

I believe she designed this mug herself and of course, she very considerately put in a bag of marigold tea and a paper crane for company.

Arigato gozaimasu, Tomoko.

I will treasure your gifts, always.

The Sandra Morris Colllection

2010-08-31T21:40:00.001+08:00

Sometime in April this year, Sandra Morris of Dimunitive Dolls made the difficult decision to part with some of her much loved dollhouse books, books which she had collected for the past 25 years. I wasted no time and made a beeline for them. I bought so many that Sandra had to split the parcels into 3 different lots. She is from UK and I am in Singapore. To save on shipping, I picked surface mail. I knew I would have no problem receiving them because my experience with UK surface mail is they come slowly but surely. I received Parcel 3 6 days after they were posted out. In Sandra's words, "That's not just amazing, it's practically impossible! It must have gone by air instead of surface mail. Even if I'd got on a boat in England along with the parcels I wouldn't have arrived in Singapore yet!"

These are the books in Parcel 3 :

DOLLS

by Max von Boehn

GREENWARE PREPARATION FOR DOLLS HEADS with Eye Cutting Techniques

by Neva Wade Garnett

DOLLS (The Collector's Corner)

Grange Books

DOLLS

by John Noble

HOW TO MAKE CERAMIC CHARACTER DOLLS and their accessories

by Sylvia Becker

THE DOLLS' HOUSE BOOK

by Pauline Flick (pic of inside page)

OLD TOYS

by Pauline Flick

DOLLS' HOUSES Furniture and Decoration

by Pauline Flick & Valerie Jackson (pic of inside page)

THE LITTLE DOLL ARTIST

by Beverly Parker

DOLLS' HOUSE DOLLS 1850-1900

by Magdalena Byfield

2 days later , on 29th April 2010, I received Parcel 2. Apparently everyone was surprised including the staff at the post office in the UK. Parcel 2 had the rarer and more expensive books:

MINIATURE INTERIORS- Inspirational Interiors for Dolls' Houses

by Nick Forder

DOLLS' HOUSES -Domestic life and architectural styles in miniature

from the 17th century to the present day

by Olivia Bristol and Leslie Geddes-Brown (one of my favourite)

Make and Clothe Your Own DOLL'S HOUSE DOLLS

by Ellen Bedington

JUMEAU -Prince of Dolls

by Constance Eileen King (Pic of inside page)

And then we waited and waited and waited. More than four months later , Parcel 1 arrived today. I am so happy because this parcel has my favourite:

DOLLS & DOLLS' HOUSES

by Roger Baker

DOLLS' HOUSES -THE COLLECTOR'S GUIDE

by Valerie Jackson Douet

DOLLS AND DOLLS' HOUSES

by Constance Eileen King

LETT'S GUIDE TO COLLECTING DOLLS

by Kerry Taylor

Thank you Sandra. I will love and treasure these books. I am keeping them all in one place and they will collectively be known as The Sandra Morris Collection.

American Architectural Styles And Suggested Colour Scheme Pt 3

2010-08-20T23:30:00.000+08:00

DUTCH REVIVAL/DUTCH COLONIAL

Modelled on the frame houses of the early Dutch settlers around New York, New Jersey and Delaware, the Dutch Revival house is a common suburban sight. The style usually features a sloping gambrel roof which jutt out over the facade, and a second-storey front that rises from the roof like an oversize dormer. These revived Dutch Colonials enjoyed their greatest popularity during the suburbia building boom of the 1920s to the 1940s, but variations on the type are still being built.

TUDOR REVIVAL

There's not much of the late Elizabethan about the American suburbs - except for the rambling Tudor Revival homes of the early twentieth century and their later more modest cousins. Thee slate roofed, half timbered houses were inspired by the English Renaissance houses of the sixteenth and early seventeenth century, and featured steeply pitched rooflines and rows of casement windows. Soon the style was adapted to smaller, more middle class suburban homes, though it made use of the same elements- steep roofs, overlapping gables, decorative half-timbers, or stone masonry and stucco exteriors. Tudor Revival was tremendously popular in the 1920s and early 1930s.

SPANISH COLONIAL REVIVAL

In the 1910s and 1920s, when architects and homebuilders in the Northeast looked to the past for inspiration, they tapped into their English colonial heritage. But in areas such as Florida, California, and the Southwest, the heritage was Spanish, and the style it produced was powerfully Mediterranean in flavour. Thick, textured stucco walls, red tile roofs, arched windows and heavy wood doors are all hallmarks of the style, which continues to be popular today, lending design elements to everything from new housing to shopping plazas.

GARRISON COLONIAL REVIVAL

The Garrison Colonial was one of the most popular of the later Colonial Revival styles, reaching its peak from around 1935 to 1955 (though adaptations of the style are still built today). The hallmark of the Garrison is a slight second-storey overhang with the first storey often clad in brick and the second in wood siding. Many have a gabled side addition that houses either a garage or a family room.

SPLIT LEVEL

As American as a backyard barbecue, teh classic split level was born during the post war building boom of the 1950s and 1960s. With a single storey at one end (usually the living room and kitchen) and two at the other (sunken garage and family room below and bedrooms above), the split level was soon a familiar sight throughout the countries as cars opened up farmland to residential development.

This is the end of the series on early American architecture. I hope you'll find this write up useful for the building of your dollhouses.

American Architectural Styles And Suggested Colour Scheme Pt 2

2010-08-16T20:17:00.000+08:00

COLONIAL REVIVAL

Following the patriotic celebrations of the 1876 Centennial, a new interest in American history inspired a revival of American Colonial architecture. Designs for houses for such fashionable architectural forms as McKim, Mead and White incorporated distinctive Colonial-era features, including the Palladian window, columned porticos, doors and windows pediments, and classical swags and urns. In its early phase, beginning in the 1880s, the Colonial Revival was limited to opulent, large houses in exclusive neighbourhoods and summer resorts. By the 1920s, it was the favoured style for more modest and suburban houses and has been popular since. The traditional colours for the early Colonial Revival houses was white, cream or pale yellow, with trim and shutters highlighted in a dark shade, such as green, blue, red or black. Red, brown, grey, blue and green have also become popular body colours, use any of these with contrasting trims.

GEROGIAN REVIVAL VERNACULAR OR FOURSQUARE

These plainspoken houses were built around the simple principle of the Georgian square or rectangular block, usually with a front porch and a sensible floor plan of four rooms on each floor arranged one in each corner. Foursquares were usually covered in clapboard, but there are certainly examples of the style in stone, brick and stucco. The style predominates in the small towns of the Northeast and Midwest, but at least one classic American foursquare can be found in most older residential estates.

EARLY SEARS PREFABRICATED

Between 1908 and 1940, Sears, Roebuck and Company sold more than 50,000 precut homes- kits that included everything from blueprints to lumber and nails. The kits were shipped by rails, so most Sears homes were built in the Northeast and Midwest, the areas best served by rail lines. Styles were wildly eclectic -buyers paging through a Sears' "Catalogue of Modern Homes" could choose anything from a simple bungalow or cape or English or Spanish Mission-style cottage. Many Sears homes still stand today, particularly in the Midwestern farming communities that were once so dependent on mail-order goods.

BUNGALOW

From its birth in the 1900s through its boom through the following two decades, Americans were crazy about the bungalow. These solid, snug, one or one-and-a-half storey homes fed the need for affordable, modern housing, and they became one of the most popular housing styles. The typical bungalow featured a deep porch, incorporated under a wide, overhanging roof; a long, low profile and a simple interior with lots of built-in cupboards and nooks. Cheap and easy to build, bungalow designs were published in magazines and sold through the mail. Their porches and shady interiors were intended for warm-weather Southern and Western climates, but the styles spread into far frosting regions before its popularity faded.

CRAFTSMAN

Inspired by the English Arts and Crafts Movement, the Craftsman style is closely associated with the furniture maker, and designer Gustav Stickley, who published numerous designs for modest houses and bungalows in his Craftsman magazine (1901-16). The style, which reached the peak of its popularity in the 920s, is also identified with the works of such California masters as the architects Greene and Greene, who rejected mass-produced materials and emphasized fine craftsmanship in wood and stone. The braod overhanging roof, deep porch, often sheltered by pergolas or trellises, and the horizontal lines of the Craftsman bungalows are the distinguishing features.The typical palettes incorporated natural greys, browns and greens to blend with the natural settings.

American Architectural Styles And Suggested Colour Scheme Pt 1

2010-07-25T11:46:00.001+08:00

In this book is a chapter on the different styles of historical American architecture with suggested colour schemes for the buildings. I see American dollhouses and thought dollhouse lovers may be interested in a list of the brief descriptions of the styles and recommended colour combinations. There are altogether 17 styles. I will cover them in 3 posts. All the words and images are from the book.

CAPE COD

As the name suggests, the Cape Cod cottage originated in Massachusetts, with the first English settlers of Cape Cod. Typically one and a half stories high, the basic shape is low and broad to deflect seaside winds, with a pitched roof that slopes almost to the window tops. Capes were widespread through the first half of the 18th century, then underwent a revival in the mid 1920s, and they remain one of the most prevalent house styles in America. A popular Colonial colour was Spanish brown, a reddish brown often used on trim; white pale grey and pale yellow with black and green shutters have become favoured choices.

GEORGIAN

The term "Georgian " refers to the first period of formal architectural design to America, and is named for the succession of kings on the English throne before and during the Revolution. The classical-inspired style originated primarily in Britain, and was popular in the country from about 1700 to 1780. The uniform facades often feature matching end chimneys and symmetrically placed windows and doors trimmed with elegant classical details. The Georgian style resurfaced as part of the Colonial Revival around 1900 and remains extremely popular today. Many early Georgian houses were white. Dark browns and greys were also popular colours. Later in the eighteenth century, the fashion appears to have shifted from the darker shades to the lighter colours: creams, pale yellows, and more of the favoured white. Dark green used primarily for shutters, came into style around 1800.

GREEK REVIVAL

Inspired partly by archeological discoveries in ancient Greece, the Greek Revival was fashionable in America from about 1820 to the 1840s. Architect's pattern books spread the style to rural areas, where country builders and carpenters adapted it to the familiar "temple front" house. This form is often fronted by a classical portico, one of the style's distinguishing features. Early 19th century promoters of the Greek Revival style advocated the pale creams and whites they associated with classical architecture and these remain the favoured colours, shutters in a dark colour add a traditional accent.

CARPENTER GOTHIC

Carpenter Gothic was part of the general Gothic Revival movement, which took off in the 1830s and lasted until around 1875, and feature steeply pitched gable roofs (often with elaborate decorated trim) arched Gothic windows and intricate "gingerbread" porch and cornice decorations cut with a jigsaw (hence the term "carpenter"). Although the European prototypes were stone, American builders were also happy to use the abundant supply of native wood. Andrew Jackson Downing, an early advocate of the style, recommended grey and fawn to harmonise with "any situation in the country". However, less conventional colours were not unheard of. One of the best known Carpenter Gothic-style houses in New England, the Bowen House in Woodstock, Connecticut, was painted bright pink.

STICK

Stick is perhaps too stark a word for this picturesque style, named for the elaborate, decorative criss-cross stick work. The Stick style probably developed as resort architecture in the mid 1850s and some of its most famous examples are found in New Port, Rhode Island, and seaside communities in New Jersey. But the style spread across the country and remained popular well in the 1870s. These lighthearted often brightly coloured buildings can still be found in resorts, suburbs and small towns, mostly in the Northwest and Midwest. Typical body colours were pale pastels, pinks or light blues or sea greens, with the trim in a darker shade.

ITALIANATE

True to its name, this elegant, old-world style was meant to evoke the country village of Tuscany and Umbria. Italianate houses were popular from about the 1830s to the 1870s, and featured a square profile and very low roof with deep overhanging eaves and often a "belvedere" centered on top. Typically, the body colours were natural shades, inspired by their European prototypes, such as pale tan and greys, beiges and light browns with dark doors and windows sashes.

QUEEN ANNE

Queen Anne-style houses, popular between about 1870 and 1910, feature ornate asymmetrical facades distinguished by bay windows, towers, protruding gables and large verandahs. The eclectic style was rooted in the work of the British architect Richard Norman Shaw, whose highly original designs incorporated a free mix of many styles.Among the favoured colours for this style in America is muted browns, maroon, olive and terracotta. It was not uncommon to combine as many as three different colours on the main body of the house, with still more colours used to pick out the elaborate ornamentation typical of the style.

Flowers For Ira's Garden Swap

2010-07-08T20:48:00.001+08:00

Material: Plastic, paper (stems & leaves)

Measures 3" (flower portion) + stem is 4" each

(not assembled)

Plant on resin log (assembled by me)

Measures about 1 1/2"- 2" (depends on size of plant)

Clay Flowers (beads-not assembled)

Leaves (plastic) (available separately)

Sizes of each flower ranged from 1/2" -3/4"

Cactus plant not available, just flowers.

Mahendra's Roses and my 1st attempt at flower arrangement (clay flowers and plastic leaves)

(from way back when..)

Paper Flowers (Last Year's Giveaway)

Limited Numbers (Roses Only)

Miniature Museum of The World- Salzburg

2010-04-03T04:33:00.012+08:00

This is not exactly a miniature museum but it is a museum nonetheless. This is Mozart's Geburtshaus or birthplace in Salzurg and the exhibits posted here are scaled stage models built for Mozart's opera.

La Clemenza di Tito

Don Giovanni

Magic Flute

Mitridate, Re di Ponto!

The Abduction From The Seraglio.

Can't keep my eyes open already , see you real soon.

Miniature Houses For The Dead

2010-03-22T17:22:00.014+08:00

I always turn on the news channel as I prepare myself for work in the morning. Multi-tasking, it usually takes a lot before I stop my make-up or whatever I am doing to stand before the TV for a particular news item.

Well, Skea Design not only got my full attention this morning, I am posting about it now. See the house in the picture above, they built it, entirely with paper in a very luxurious 1:12 scale and get this, for the Dead!

Let me go back a bit further to tell you about this Chinese tradition of burning effigies for the dead. A long, long time ago, a dead emperor would be buried with whatever he would need to make his afterlife just like the one he had on earth. Sometimes, they would even throw in a favourite concubine or two while they were alive and kicking (and screaming too, I am sure) . That of course was a terribly wasteful exercise and soon, some very very clever people invented paper effigies as substitute offerings.

One of the most commonly burnt effigies are paper houses and a really elaborate one can cost as much as tens of thousands of dollars! I know of friends who had paid over S$30,000.00 for the whole works , house, cars, servants and even mobile phones. Most of these houses are terribly made, butt ugly and seriously, few would want to be caught dead (sic) living in one.

And then came Skea Designs. Go check out their catalogue which by the way is for sale at NT350 (about USD11). You will see houses ranging from

a simple "one room, one hall" type called the "Smart Space Apartment No.1" for
NT14,000 (about USD440)

which comes with 55 pieces of furnishings like " Large Storage Cabinets, more shoes, chairs, kitchen systems (including multi-function microwave oven, smoke-free infrared furnace, super Storage Systems cabinets, a set of cutlery, sinks, faucets, advanced refrigerator) the table group (including a table 2 chairs a fruit plate), TV cabinet, large plasma TV, fashion sofa group (including the two-seater sofa with pillow), fashion sofa table (including remote control, coffee mugs), toilets (including Hotel-class rule-free toilets, pot * 2, Health cartons and toilet paper, paper planes, incorporating multi-functional face wash station group (including wash basin, dual-tap group, Omo up mirror, cabinet, towel), SPA Faucet group, towels and towel racks, a private small balcony (with a lying or sitting on the tatami mat, pillow, pot), Fashion Bed Group (including a bed frame is a mat a bed a pillow 2), large wardrobes incorporating " as translated by Google from their website

BUT no parking space OR

the creme de la creme of "dead" houses, "Deluxe Bali Style Villa"
for a whopping NT160,000 (about USD5,000.00)

with a swimming pool

2 wooden decks (always wanted one for my real house), one over a pond (that too) with
a day bed

not to mention

2 floors with 2 bedrooms together with

74 pieces of furnishings and of course
your own car park.

To ensure that there is after sales service, they have also built a Skea Design Headquarters (HQ) and promptly burnt it on an auspicious day to attend to their "clients". You can watch the burning process here.

I really urge you to go have a look at their work. They are crazy amazing! Skea Design is so profitable they make in 1 month (right after they open for business) what others make in a year. Orders came from as far away as California!

For anyone of you who may want to get me one of these houses as an afterlife gift at the appropriate time, Don't Bother! I will build myself one if I have to. Don't worry about materials either.I will seek employment at the HQ so that the supplies are hopefully limitless.

*All photos (except the 2nd & 3rd) are courtesy of Skea Design.

Art, Artistry, Artisan-Johnny Two Thumbs

2010-01-23T00:33:00.008+08:00

Ask most people who's the best tattoo artist in Singapore, someone would inevitably mention Johnny Two Thumbs who's real name was Indra Bahadur , a Nepalese who had learnt the art of tattoo in India. He came to Singapore in the 50's and passed away in the 80's leaving his tattoo business to his second son, Richard. Johnny Two Thumbs got his nickname because he had 2 right thumbs ! A tattoo artist with 2 right thumbs, how cool is that?

I am trying to fit a tattoo post in my miniature blog because I have told Kiva that if she showed me hers, I would show her mine. In contrast to her freshly inked tattoo , so bold and beautiful, mine looks puny, old and rather unimaginative .

I did this when I was in my 20s, a fresh graduate, just starting a career and feeling rather adult. I wanted to do something to mark the beginning of an "exciting journey" , a new phase in my life, and after a night of partying, me and 2 girlfriends went to the famous Johnny Two Thumbs.

I was crazy about sun-faces then and was wearing a pendant like the one in the picture. So I told Richard from J2T to use it for my tattoo. The 1st piece of "art" I bought where my body is my canvas. My 1st indelible miniature art. It cost me S$50.00 and a hell load of pain because of where I decided to place my tattoo. (By the way, many had grabbed from my foot what they thought they have dropped onto the floor only to find out that it was my body art! ) It was painful because it was close to the bone and that's the thinnest skin. I was glad when the 10 minutes was over and that I had decided against colours. Richard told me later that there were some artists who would refuse to do foot because of the pain!

My tattoo look so dated now. I realised for the 1st time when I took the pictures that it is also blurring. Despite all that, I love my tat. Absolutely no regrets! For me, my little sun face speaks of an era and a time when life was an exciting new adventure, And I was immortal, And that I could do anything. I don't know why I never wanted a 2nd one because tattoos are addictive. Maybe it's because I don't feel like my "adventure" has ended. I may no longer feel immortal but thanks to my new found interest in miniature making, I sure believe I can still do anything I put my mind to.

New Books

2010-01-17T13:26:00.014+08:00

My very 1st dolls' house book was purchased years before I was interested in miniatures. It was Faith Eaton's Classic Dolls' Houses (1994 Edition) which I bought for S$10.00 at a Kinokuniya sale. I remember because I don't ever remove price tags from my books. I am a sort of bibliophile and my special interest is reference books on art & craft, architecture, culture and interior designs.

I remember not being very impressed with the book because it consisted mainly of black and white pictures. I did think however, that the subject matter was interesting because it featured historical dolls' houses. Today, I realised that these houses included some of the ones that I have fallen in love with, like the Mon Plaisir, The Thorne Rooms and Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle. I also realised that I bought the book at a steal because now, a new hard cover 1994 Edition is being sold at US$113.22 through Amazon.

Since then it has been quite an uphill task trying to find books on miniatures and dolls' houses here. Slightly over a year ago, I actually blogged about my frustration when I was just starting on the hobby. Researching has always been one of the 1st thing I do when I pick up anything new. So buying books on the subject has always been my modus operandi.

You can see from my shelf that my collection was very modest. I had more reference books on India than dolls' houses. Even then not all these books are on miniatures and the last stack with the Chinese characters were bought from Taiwan.

That is, until my visit to Kinokuniya yesterday. I had wanted to buy only 2 books, Orhan Pamuk's "My Name is Red" because I lost it at the airport when I was going to KL and Patrick Suskind's "Perfume". Well, I came home with 14 books, all related to my hobby, 4 on the cultural aspects and the rest on miniatures. I probably bought more books on minis and dolls' houses yesterday than the whole of last year minus the ones from Taiwan (I went crazy there too because I thought I better grabbed them when I could find them).

These are the books on dolls' houses:

Books On India :

And all that were bought after I have gone to the National Library to borrow these books:

I can no longer complain that there are not enough reference books here. It was a bumper crop of books yesterday and I didn't even go to Borders!

Perhaps interest in dolls' houses and miniatures have grown in our little country. Just this week, there was an article in one of our Chinese papers on miniaturists in Singapore. You can read about it of you wish because snowfern had translated the article into English in her blog!

Finally, I say. That is good news, very good news indeed!

Art, Artisan & Artistry-Kiva

2009-11-05T19:22:00.008+08:00

A Toast! And a big thank you to Kiva Atkinson, IGMA ARTISAN, Queen of Stargazies (nope, I don't know what that means but she name some of her food that) and all food, small and beautiful. Entitled "The Poisoner In The Box", the platter above is just one of the many macarbe, weird and over-the-top wonderful work of Kiva that I love. The pic clicks through to her website.

Yes, I am a huge fan of Kiva and have collected as many of her Indian Feast Meal Sets as I can lay my hands on for My Maharajah's Palace. And I tell you, not only does her food look real, they even feeeeeel real, it is unreal.

On 2/11/2009, Kiva passed me the Kreativ Blogger Award for this obscure blog that has hitherto been just an index blog for my other one, My Maharajah's Palace. No more though, now that I have re-titled my post, I will stop posting the ongoings of my palace here.

I thought a good start to the change is for me to celebrate Kiva's new blog called "Kiva's Miniatures". Yes, our friend has finally succumbed to the world of blogging and succumbed she did with a vengence. 55 posts in October alone !

So do pop over and pay her a visit. It is everything she is, funny, passionate, beautiful, creative. Even her comments are worth a read and if you leave her one, she will most certainly reply. That's what endears me to her and I am sure, she will you too, in no time at all.

And to whet your appetite, here's some of her work she thinks is goofy :

Bon appetit! Now, go say hi to the weird and wonderful Kiva.

PS If you want to know who I pass this award to, you will need to click

My Maharajah's Palace-Bazaar-Rolla n Ro

2009-09-20T10:00:00.004+08:00

This is an excerpt from the post which 1st appeared on Day 93 of My Maharajah's Palace:

The 2nd scene for the bazaar is completed and it is of the opening day of the store. There was a musical performanace by the gypsies led by the Rollas. Rolla is on the tabla and Ro on sitar.

The other dancers too, take their place on the stage, frozen in their starting pose before the tabla begins.

If you look to the left of the stage, you'll see Sumaiya in a flowy orange sari and matching veil, her famous mehndi-ed hand around her man's neck.

And even the resident mystic has taken her place, shielded by a panel of delicately embroidered tapestries and surrounded by the various heirloom pieces from Rosanna. There's Ganesh in his lotus position on OM's table and Sissy, peeping through Sans! copy-bag.

Jai is sitting in the VIP seat.

A crowd, drawn by the music has also gathered.

And before they can sing "Jai" Ho (in honour of their VIP), dancing in the crowd has started.

The lone girl in the ribbon of orange veil with no partner can't help swaying to Rolla's drums and you can see she risks spilling and dropping her jug of goat's milk,kindly supplied by Sylvia.

A mother laden with a baby and 2 pails of wood and charcoal has to stop too as her baby gurgles in delight and wriggles to the beat.

I added her veil which is plain cotton with a mere slice of ribbon at the edge bought at the S$2 store.

A group of palace servant girls with their brass pots filled to the brim sit firmly on their heads.

They take their place at the far right hand corner. Their work cloth is made of fabric from S$2 store and SuZ's stash. The rings of cloth holding their pots are the same ones I used to make holders for handbags.

Then there are the students with heavy loads of their girl friend's books in pink basket (ebay junk to some)

or her shabby satchel and more text books, (more ebay junk)

They stand right at the back.

Only 1 couple seem oblivious to the celebration, incredulously occupied with the Royal Fan.

Standing behind the stage, they stare at the ridiculous size of the peacock feather on the fan. Comparing it with their albino baby peahen, they wish they have a giant one instead.

And here are the wares at the store:

For a start, we have the tapestries which are actually bookmarks.

Then there are plates of powder paint fronting the stall which are actually incense cones from Bangkok sitting on Thai plates. These incense cones represent gulal in India, the powder paint are used to celebrate the Festival of Colours or Holi.

The carved wooden toys were bought from my regular bead shop in Chinatown.

while the cloth ones were from Bangkok

Then there are the cushions on centre stage while

heritage Indian painted toys on "6 in 1" and traditional drums flank the right.

An update of the flower stall next door:

I have added dried flowers to the topiaries and they look like the have bore fruits!

Finally, the aerial view of Rolla n Ro.

My Maharajah's Palace- Mehndi

2009-08-23T17:33:00.002+08:00

This is an excerpt from the post from Day 88 Pt 5 & 90 of My Maharajah's Palace:

I have given my "Banjaran" female dolls mehndi and tattoos.

I used less than 1 packet of Body Tattoo transfers bought at Daiso for S$2.00. To apply, I peel away the pattern, put it on the side of the hands which can be seen, wet it with a tissue and then remove the paper leaving the design on the palm or the back of your hand and their waists as tattoos.

My Maharajah's Palace- Mini Cushions

2009-08-23T17:29:00.001+08:00

This post 1st appeared on Day 92 of My Maharajah's Palace:

In India, where furniture was not introduced until after the 16th century and even tables and chairs were regarded as Western and untraditional, an important furnishing must surely be the floor cushion.

Even in decor books or movies on great Maharajah's palaces, I often see vast sitting rooms of beautifully tiled walls and intricately carved columns standing on floors that appear to be covered in miles and miles of the most luxurious carpets with nary a piece of furniture. But always, there are pillows, bolsters, floor cushions.For even the Kings and the Queens sit on the floor.

And thus these floor cushions were made using my most precious material, so that they be fit for the most delicate of bottoms.

The most exquisite jacquard ribbons I have ever seen, I found them in a quaint little shop on a side narrow lane in Delhi, India.

For those of you who do not feel like clicking through to Day 21-22, this is what I had written about the shop:

"I shall not tell you how badly I was fleeced at the lace shop but no, no, no regrets for it is the most incredible tiny 3 level lace shop I have ever seen. Can you imagine 3 levels of lifesized room boxes filled with nothing but ribbons, laces and tassels of all shapes and sizes and every colour ever conceived or not? Yes, I swear I met a few new colours at the shop!"

It was a good thing I only had 10 minutes at the shop or I would have been completely broke.

With this range of ribbons, I already knew they were going to be fashioned into floor cushions because of the designs. Each "mandala" is a 1 3/8" square and there are 2 alternating patterns and 4 combinations of colours. So each ribbon can make 2 different cushions with 2 different sides.

I cut 2 "mandalas" for each cushion and used glue instead of threads. This ensures that the integrity of the designs remains with no unsightly sewing.

I then stuffed the cushion with dried shells from bean sprouts before the last side was glued.

The eventual cushion measures 2" by 1 5/8" (because of borders). I believe they are the perfect scale for the smaller life sized throw cushions.

I am going back to India, even if it is just to buy more ribbons.

My Maharajah's Palace-2 Tables & A Pot

2009-08-23T17:09:00.002+08:00

The making of these items were 1st featured on Day 90-91 of My Maharajah's Palace:

I made my 1st Indian Side Table for Ranjit Singh, the carpet merchant who eventually occupied the tent that I built.

This "rosewood" version was built using the same method . Instead of merely 4 panels for the I had used the top part of the fretwork wood which although filmsier, had more intricate designs. To compensate, I used 3 pieces for each panel. The carved table top is one of a pair of ear-rings bought for a few cents.

The rosewood side table (1 1/2" high, 1 1/2" wide tabletop) is more beautiful, sturdier and better in many ways. As such, it is to be put to a more important use as well.

It will grace Ganesh and Rosanna's gold plated "tableware" given to me with her set of pillow and bolster. Using the gold pieces, I crafted bowls (ranging from 1/4"- 1") for offerings to Ganesh. These bowls and cups hold a huge rose, a macaron made by Rosanna and a "sandalwood" incense (made from a cone like pot pourri).

The basket below (2 1/2" high and width for base) was made using a broken pottery and ribbons together with resin roses.

I glue the S$2 ribbons and resin roses onto the pot for a "over the top" look. This is because it will be used in a setting that is a la Moulin Rouge.

This pot is made to hold the Royal Fan because it could not stand without falling in a windy room (when I turn on the ceiling fan). The pot will be placed against on a pillar with the Royal Fan leaning onto the pillar.

Using the same method for carpet chairs, I made the following table.

The blue and gold damask ribbon used for the top was bought in India. The lace for the side is S$2 dyed "antique gold". Oriental beads with butterfly, grapes and flower relief were used for the legs. The table tops were bigger pieces of the wooden base for the dolls.

I built 2 tables, one higher (2 wooden base instead of 1, 5" length, 2 7/8" wide, 1 7/8" tall) than the other by a slab. Now at 1st glance, these tables look fairly ordinary. In fact, the print on the damask may be regarded by some purists as too big. The beauty of this piece is not however, in its form but functions .

FUNCTION NO. 1

Display Table

FUNCTION NO 2
Coffee Table

FUNCTION NO. 3

Sofa

FUNCTION NO. 4
Hutch
(where you can keep unsightly things underneath the table)

FUNCTION NO. 5
Daybed

FUNCTION NO. 6
Chaise Lounge

This table has been named "A 6 in 1".

My Maharajah's Palace-Mini Royal Fan

2009-08-23T16:58:00.007+08:00

This is an excerpt from the post which 1st appeared on Day 88 Pt 4 of My Maharajah's Palace :

If you are building a Maharajah's Palace, there are a few iconic items which are almost inevitable. One of them has to be the tall feather fan.

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 33 of "Accessories Of Dress" by Katherine Morris Lester and Bess Viola Oerke:

The fan, like the sunshade, originated in tropical countries. Here it was in daily service as a protection against the sun, as a means of cooling the air, driving away bothers insects and, when necessary, fanning the fire into a flame. In the Far East the fan was extensively employed in the service of religion, but its use as a costume accessory also dates back to remote antiquity. Some authorities state that the fan was known in China three thousand years ago. The Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Hebrews, Chinese, Japanese, and the people of India used fans as far back as their records of history go.

Among Eastern potentates, the fan was a badge of rank. The dignity of these rulers required that their fans be carried by slaves or attendants. The ancient form of the fan is therefore pictured with a long handle, and resembles a standard. Figure 529 A wall painting at Thebes pictures twenty-three sons of Rameses the Great in a procession, each carrying a ceremonial fan of semicircular shape attached to a long staff. The office of fan bearer to an Egyptian king was one of high honor, one to which only princes and other sons of the highest nobility could aspire. Figure 529. These attendants served standing at the right and left of the monarch as he sat in state; they attended him when he rode forth and during ceremonies in the temple. When not serving in the capacity of the fan bearer, they waited upon the king as members of his staff or in some other service of distinction.

In india, a fan made of swan and peacock feathers is a symbol of status and so I decided I will have to make one too.

I found my swan and peacock feather and some decorative wild grass I picked from the park behind my house.

I used an old chopstick for the handle. First thing I did was to spray paint the wild grass "French Blue". I also added some glitter to the peacock feather which I had removed from a cheap Venetian mask I bought for a costume party.

A little side note: peacock feathers can be bought quite cheaply in Little India, 50-70 cents per stalk. Hunting a peacock for its feathers is illegal in India and the feathers can be sold only if shed from the birds, which they apparently do very regularly. Peacock feathers are considered auspicious and "protective" here.

This project was time consuming because feathers are very difficult to handle with sticky agent since they bunch up and stain very easily.) I used double sided tape, spray adhesive (big mistake!), and little bits of wood glue for the part around the handle.

As you can see from the 3rd picture on the left, it wasn't easy.

Each time I make a mistake with the glue, I just kept adding feathers (my poor feather duster is very bald at one spot). It was a frustrating exercise and often, I would throw it down and go to sleep only to come back to it again.

Just yesterday, I wanted to junk the fan and thought, finally, my 1st piece of work that I will trash. Well, I am obviously still gutless when it comes to "rubbish". So this is what I did with it.

I realise that the fan is not spreading properly because the back is floppy so I added a "fan" of 8 toothpicks (painted) to give the back feathers some support and a frame (see top pic 2). I then cut and shaped the edges to round it so that maybe my fan will look more "regal" . I also changed the decorative head of the handle by using a more suitable earring.

The final result is a 11 1/2" tall feather fan spanning 5 1/2" at its widest. Huge by 1:12 standard but a rather effective flywhisk (for me) and

My Maharajah's Palace-Bazaar-Mini Flower Stall

2009-08-23T16:51:00.003+08:00

This post 1st appeared on Day 88 Pt 3 & Day 89 of My Maharajah's Palace:

After I did the post on the flowers from J.J, I decided that I liked the stall so much that I would keep it for a while. I thought I could display it as a centrepiece for my dining table until I eventually build something more permanent for it, if at all.

There were not enough leaves at the stall, so one of the 1st thing I did was to convert this banana leave tray (above, about 10 1/2" long and 1 1/2" wide) into a signboard for the stall. It was inspired by the header at Tallulah-Belle Originals.

Next, I made some sword ferns.

I think I am addicted to the impossible tasks of trying to make fake plastic plants look realistic. These were 1:96 (?) palm trees that came with a packet of plastic animals I bought a while ago. I did my usual spray paint thing and then use a black marker to "draw and smudge" out the veins. Hopefully, one day, I will master the technique but it is useful to record my attempts.

I also made some pruned hedges (pom pom topiaries) for the back of the stall:

For these hedges, I used materials I already owned for ages. The pots were used to store salt. Two of them were mine and the 3rd I stole from mum. Wonder if she found out yet.

As if there is not enough green at the stall, I decided to add one more for Tallulah:

Here's a hectic Tallulah wiping the sweat off her brow and holding a pot of geraniums made by Jayne.

For the structure, I used 2 candle holders and the dome is a coin box I found at Mustapha during one of my 4am sleepless jaunts (20/6).

I have also added different levels to the display of the flowers so that they don't look so flat. I also made one more basket for the leaves and the ground is laid with a bamboo placemat.

Except for the topiary "trees" and the stall frame, I have tried to use material that gives a sense of portability, hopefully to suggest that this is a stall at a bazaar and not a shop. Tallulah is to be able to "pack everything up" at the end of the day, put a chain round all the stools and empty baskets and go home.

This is how my not so temporary flower stall in a bazaar look at the moment.

Except for 2 pairs of dolls, all the "characters have been "modified" to distinguish them from each other. Eventually, I hope to work on their dresses as well so that no 2 are wearing exactly the same clothes.

In this setting (above pic) , we see a bit of a lull at the stall. Most of the customers save for 2 girls, have already finished their purchases at Tallulah's and are on their way. The rest are browsers or chattering. At one corner is our romantic, loving and somewhat clumsy couple, with a new handbag. Her green kerchief is sticking out of her bag.

At the other corner, we see Tallulah. I have displayed all the flowers (except the lotus) made by Jayne on the tray between the girls. Thanks to the lull, she is able to speak to Tulip SriViNa, possibly about how she's looking for a partner, since business is going too well and she can hardly cope.

But actually a customer, standing next to SriViNa is waiting to pay for a bouquet and her basket on her head is getting heavy. If she operates on battery, I would have made her tap her foot impatiently.

Diametrically opposite from SriViNa and standing far far away from her is Saffron Syvia. You guessed it, Tulip Srivina and Saffron Syvia are the Kashmiri Twins. Syvia is talking to one of the Delhi Triplets, possibly about how to make money from saffron.

The rest of the Delhi triplets and their eldest sister are leaving the flower stall, making their way towards the Emperor's Emporium, which is 1 day away.

Standing at the middle of the stall is Moran, the lead dancer of the Nautch Girls from the palace. As she turns around, she catches the lecherous looks of a man whose arm is wound tightly around his girl, giving her a false sense of security. Moran is used to attention like this as her beauty is renowned.

The couple next to Mr Roving Eye are fighting. The lady is upset and the man is trying to explain

why their basket is filled with nothing but toddy. You can see here one of the 2 "shabby" baskets I made.

Here's the other one, carried by another girl riding pillion on a 3rd bicycle.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Eva for her comment on my flower post where I posted the picture below.

Art, Artisan, Artistry- Huang Xin & The Human Hair

2009-08-11T19:28:00.008+08:00

If you have not heard of Huang Xin, he is the artisan who built the miniature Tiananmen Square entirely out of his customers' hair.

Huang Xin is a hairdresser from China and in his spare time after work, he scooped up his customers' hair, dye it and then use it to make sculptures, toys and monuments.

It is reported that he only uses women hair because it is softer. He usually have to wait for months before he can collect enough hair to build something. He washes, dyes and then glues the hair into paper before he uses it to craft.

Huang's Tiananmen measures 2 ft 10 inches long, 1 ft wide and 2 ft high. It is made with 11 kg worth of hair and US$71 worth of dye.

Huang will make your portrait out of your own hair if you fancy. He thinks that portraits made with hair will last longer. What do you think?

And speaking of artisan, Treewizard Chris and I went shopping for my Dremel on Sunday. It was a significant moment, that "ka-ching" of the cash register when I made the purchase. For it marked the next milestone for me in miniature making. I am finally going to drill, saw and dremel..(wow!)..just like the other artisans.

By the way, I soldered for the 1st time on Sunday too, albeit with a little help from my dad but just a little. My lights in the tent are working again although my switch is not. I am still mighty pleased. It's just a matter of time...

My Maharajah's Palace Project-Mini Baskets

2009-08-08T18:55:00.002+08:00

This is extracted from a post in My Maharajah's Palace entitled: Day 88 Pt 2 - Rosanna's Baskets

I followed RoSanNa's tutorial on how to make beach baskets and made 4 bags cum baskets for my girls at the Maharajah's Palace.

These were made within 24 hours of the last one I made for the lady who has no feet.

I used caps and lighter for moulds. And some hemp and twisted paper strings and these lovely green round hoops which are used for ethnic dresses for handles.

This one is made with the cloth that I also used for the interior of the tent and I added a chrysanthemum.

to hide a flaw. See this corner where the flower is? That's where I made the mistake of not cutting enough cloth.

Now this little one is made from ribbons from Delhi.

The colours actually match the clothes worn by the girl with no feet and her man because I made this for her.

The last 2 are made of hemp ribbons (left) and hemp cloth (right) and are aged to give it a shabby look. It's all the rage now.

They are made for hardier use too. These can be sold cheaply and quickly.

My Maharajah's Palace Project-Modifying Dolls

2009-08-08T18:51:00.003+08:00

This post 1st appeared at My Maharajah's Palace, Day 88 Pt.1:

Good evening, everyone. Today I want to give a tutorial on "How To Save Your Dolls". This is my 1st tutorial and I am a little nervous. There are also a few false starts so please, do bear with me. I am also sorry I skipped Day 87C but I will get back to that soon .

SO, here goes nothing..

This morning, I made an important decision which entail cleaning and clearing my work space aka dining room. And of course, I had to accidentally knock down a pair of dolls which fell 3 stories from the shelf.

Now, some of you may know how important dolls are to my project for without them, my project is nothing. And these dolls are extremely fragile, especially around the neck. This is in fact not my 1st accident and I have a pair who were sadly decapitated. I cannot tell you who yet because you can still see them in some of my stories.

Anyway, this pair is similar to the pair in the 1st picture,. A man and his lady, waltzing in front of a tacky gate. with grass and all and of course, the dreaded wooden base with the same brass tag.

Luckily for me, their heads didn't fall off. And even luckier, the awful gate, the wooden base and fake grass patch broke into pieces.

The only damage as you can see was that my girl has lost her feet. Thanks to the missing grass patch and feet, this pair of dolls are now shorter than the other 69 dolls I have.

Now if the same thing happens to you, the 1st thing you must do is to weave a basket.

Would you believe I forgot how to? Even though I have already made 9 or is it 11? So off I went to Casey's minis who has a tutorial or more on almost every conceivable mini (except if I may say so, How To Save A Doll). I stayed too long, thanks to Tessie PLUS Casey had like 13 different tutorials ranging from "very easy" to "rocket scientist." I decided that at my level, I should pick the "Not So Easy Baskets".
I don't have all the materials she said we will need but I figured I could use whatever I have and add the 14th tutorial to her "Complete Blog of..."

And so, instead of woodsie for the base, I use the cap of my contact lens box. I also replaced the poster board with a glossy advertisement card I tore up in the morning when I was cleaning up and cotton strings instead of waxed linen.

3 hours later, this was the result:

Now, this is unlikely to happen to you but as far as I am concerned, these Not So Easy Baskets might as well belong to the rocket scientist.

I gave up and thought, at this rate, I might as well knit one. And so 15 minutes later, here is my 2nd attempt:

I can hear cooing already..yes, isn't she perfect? Well, she would be if I really knitted it. Not so. This is in fact a "toothpaste cap" basket. Find a suitably shaped cap, 1/2 way decent glue and cotton food strings and just glue the strings onto the cap. Don't forget the base. Check my Day 68 for how. You need not worry about the inside because this is a basket and baskets are meant to carry things and this one must carry many.

Now if you like leaves like me, that's the 1st item that must go into the basket.

These were in fact plastic leaves I used for my Queen Anne. I sprayed some "Moss Green" paint on it to lend some realism because who can stand plastic. For maximum results, use paint meant for dried flowers.

Then if you have, like me, bought a whole load of junk off ebay like this:

don't junk them, even though you really should. Instead, start stuffing as many as you can into the basket, like this:
After that, glue the completed food basket onto the dolls and Voila!

Now, that still does not solve the other "short"coming. Here's THE CRITICAL STEP: Place them on a bench as precariously as you can, as if the girl is about to fall off, like this:

And finally, put the whole piece de resistance into a crowded scene that you are planning, like ..er..maybe a thriving flower shop?:

And there we have it, a few simple steps to saving your precious dolls. And not only that, you also have a story to explain the awkward way the man is holding his lady because you do not want your friends wondering why your dolls are dancing around their food, do you, even if it is Discount Tuesday?

Here's the story: It is a cold and rainy Tuesday and their usual groceries day . As part of their rounds, a stop at the florist is a must for the lady of the house. They are a little late because of the rain but that did not stop the crowd, already gathering at the stall. Thanks to their height or lack of, they have to stand on a bench just to see what's still available. The lady, anxious to catch a glimpse of her favourite flower shop, leans over a little too much and is about to fall when her man grabs her.

Now if your doll should unfortunately fall because of THE CRITICAL STEP as mentioned above, watch this blog for I most probably will have a tutorial on that as well.

I hope this tutorial has helped you and thank you, for reading this far.

Oh, I forgot, there is still the remnants of the 1st basket case. If you are a dud like me, then I am afraid you will have to junk that. BUT KEEP THE CAP. You never know, it may save a doll someday.

My Maharajah's Palace Project-Carpet

2009-07-04T08:44:00.005+08:00

This is an excerpt of the post that first appeared on Day 80 of My Mahrajah's Palace:

This is my second carpet (8 1/2" by 5"), finished in the wee hours of this morning (2/7/09), 48 days after my 1st stitch.

I am pleased with it, only because my 1st one was really bad. Yes, the one that took me 81 days!

This time, I followed Casey's advice closely. I used a frame, 3 threads instead of 2 and I poked instead of scooped. Now if you do not know what in the world I am talking about, then I am afraid you have to go start and stitch your 1st carpet.

I enjoyed working on this piece tremendously because for the first time, I could see how it would turn out nicely for a change. This must be how the nomadic women felt when they weaved their carpets and really, there were moments when I felt suspended in time, transported to where they were, as I stitched away, lost in my own pleasure.

I used the following threads with number in brackets :

COSMO 169 (3)-Indigo
COSMO 2241 (2) - Maroon/ Liver Red
COSMO 800 (4) - Crimson
COSMO 1000 (1)- Ivory

I have also started on my next carpet today. This one is small Afghan rug again based on the Gul design. The design on this rug is versatile and can be expanded if desired. I will post a picture of the design when I have sorted out how to upload image without using the "Add Image" button as it is broken again! Has been so for the past few days.

My Maharajah's Palace-Tent or The Emperor's Emporium (2)

2009-07-04T08:36:00.003+08:00

This post first appeared on Day 76 & 77 of My Maharajah's Palace

LET THERE be light and there was Light, on Day 77.

I don't know why I had "electrifybia", maybe it was because everyone I know told me it's hard. The articles I read said it's a pain . The must-do, must-have list is a mile long and I kept forgetting what they are. Of course, the fact that there is no dedicated dollhouse shops here where I can just buy a pack of "everything -you -need -to -electrify" adds to my dread. That's why it is already Day 77 and I have yet to start on Termite House because everyone says you need to electrify 1st so that all the wires can be hidden behind the wallpaper/ceiling/floor boards.

Many things happened on Day 76. One of them was this strange resolve that I must get the lights done. It suddenly became numero uno on my Urgent-To-Do list after lying dormant for 7 months. Must be the Light Award...Anyway, I took off at 3pm from work and called Treewizard Chris to check where I should go for mini light-fittings. I don't know how but I was persuaded to drop by his place. He said I MUST check out these "fantastic LED lights that turns on when your hand move over the sensor". Wow !! Ok, so I took a cab and rushed down only to be shown this awful gadget. "OMG! It will look like a spaceship stuck on the ceiling of my tent !" I protested! By the way, you turn the lights off with a switch!! Sensor works only with "on". Shikes!

I made Chris give me one of his trees to appease me . So that's the other thing that happened that day.
I got this beautiful Darwin tree in 1:24 scale. It came with a black base which I modified that night so that it looked like a shrub growing up from the floor of the tent. I also added some more moss and the ferns (made by Chris with paper) to the tree.

While I was at it, I also modified the 4 flower pots Mercedes gave me earlier (Day 63) and this is the transformation process:

I didn't like the 1st version so I redid them again.

As you can tell, in line with the yarn factory, I changed the flowers into cotton plants. A very unruly bunch too. I liked using real materials from my garden for plants because you can't make them any more real than that. So the dried leaves, moss, barks are all real. I dried them and painted them a bit but not the fern leaves which are so beautiful just being themselves. Cotton flowers are made with real cotton.

That was some digression but I did say many things happened that day. Back to the lights..

And so, after 2 quick glasses of coke light and a cup of ginger tea with Chris, I went home, dumped my bags and headed straight for Sim Lim Tower, THE place for L.E.D lights. I forgot to mention that both Chris and FaiZ told me to use LED. All this rushing had given me a headache which grew worse at Sim Lim. It is one of those places where everyone there know exactly what they are doing or at least what they want. There I was, not even knowing what to look for! After asking 6 shopkeepers and another call to Chris, I found Shing Lee Hardware (Pte) Ltd.

At first, the lady at the shop was irritated with me because she kept telling me I had to let her know exactly what I need or want done before she could help. Luckily I had the good sense to bring down my "chandeliers" to show her that I wanted to convert them into lights. I also drew for her where I want them placed in the tent with dimensions of the tent.

She warmed up after a while since I was not a complete dud. She's used to working with students in their art projects and told me I made the chandeliers beautifully. I didn't have the heart to tell her they are christmas decor but I did confess that they were not made by me. Anyway, 10 minutes later, she showed me how a row of LED lights could tranform my ornaments into bringers of joy. I am so, so pleased with my lady angel of light. I thanked her like a million times.

What they do is they solder the row of LED lights (these come in multiples of 3 depending on how bright you need them to be) to wires (you have to let them know how long) and then to the adaptor (or power source which already steps up or down the voltage). As my tent will need 3 lights, powered by the same source, her colleague soldered 4 wires together, 3 of which with a row of 6 LED lights and the other with a switch. So when everything was done, they look like this.

I am completely in love with this little switch. He really turned me on! Seriously though, I think I am a lucky gal if little switches can make me so happy. This is where my darling ended up:

It's on the left side of the tent where Chris' shrub is. I made a little cement holder for it with Blu-tack.

I showed SuZ my light fittings and she gave me some suggestions on how to place the bulbs. I went to work on it the very next day after work. And it was easy peasy (Merce), lemonade pancake (Rosanna). Really! I took longer making my Indian stool and for the amount of time I spent on my baskets, I can wire 3 houses, ok, make that 4!

Too bad I can't photograph this better but I swear by LED. They really add a sparkle to hanging lights and they are so unobtrusive, you can't really tell that they are there. I am not sure if they are expensive but here is the breakdown of the costs for everything:

LED lights: S$2 each but she gave me S$6 discount and charged me S$30 for 18 bulbs.
Wires: S$1.50 for the whole lot
Switch:S$1.50
Adaptor:S$15
Labour:S$5
Grand total :S$53.00

This has to be the cheapest therapy ever for my fear is now completely gone. I am already planning to go back to my angel of light with the requirements for Termite House.

After I fixed the lights, I knew I had to change the tent top. This has been the bane and pain of my whole tent experience. Here's the evolution of the tent top:

The black and white one was done by my dear sis, SuZ who gave me a very good structure. I changed the pillow case into a torn white Indian piece (thankful I could never throw away anything Indian even though it was really torn to bits, owned it for 20+ years) that had laces at the fringe and pick the striped orange cloth from SuZ's stash. The top piece is a cloth coaster I bought in Little India for S$1.

In that stash, I found gorgeous cloth samples from India . They were perfectly scaled for mini carpets and so I hung them at the side of the tent where the yarn factory is.

I had wanted to hang coloured threads as Katie had suggested but when I saw these colours, which matched my "Dye" post, I knew I had to use these. So beautiful that all my girls were immediately drawn to the tent. I added uncoloured balls of cotton yarn next to the wheels , ominously, I hope, as a warning to my unsuspecting girls.

On this side, you can also see the subsidiary company of The Emperor's Emporium, "The Emporium Freight Forwarders Co" and here's the ever expanding staff members:

The main change for the left side is the new home for Sissy and of course, my new love, the Switch

The love seats are still there with a new plant.

For the front, I have added a ladder, some pots with ingredients for the dye (left) and cotton plants (right)

For the inside, I have changed the legs to Taenia's table .

The emporium also now sells elephant candle holders standing next to Kiva's perfect pastries.

And I have placed an immaculate beauty Fafa found in my garden, at the feet of Maharajah Ranjit Singh.

I told her I would post it on the blog and claim that I made it . Eat your heart out, Jayne, stamens that you can see!

And so here it is, my Tent project in all it's entirety sitting alongside my next project..

Thank you for being a part of this. I couldn't have done it without you.

My Maharajah's Palace-Mini Mobiles & Windchimes

2009-07-03T08:17:00.008+08:00

I love mobiles and wind chimes, in all shapes and sizes, loud or silent. At home, every 100 sq ft, there is one, collected from one of my travels or when I could not resist.

It is therefore inevitable that I will end up making mini versions so that they can decorate my dolls' houses or my friends'.

I made one for Mercedes' porch, cutlery in a row because I have seen many homemade ones and my friend is Mrs Homemaker of the year.

I made one for Sylvia's beach house, spiralling dolphins with blue chime because everything else can be done much better by her and I thought, windchimes? She could not have thought of that.

I made one for my carpet seller, birds and elephants on dark strings because 9 year old Kristel inspire me and it will always remind me of a great weekend with her. It will forever be "The Weekend of the Mobiles" and the one I bought such an expensive vacuum cleaner, I had to pay it in 36 instalments. All because Kristel woke me up on Sunday for the "cleaning demostration" by a travelling salesman.

This is an extract of the post on Day 79 at My Maharajah's Palace

Extra! Extra! New stocks at the Emperor's Emporium!

It all started last Saturday when Kristel, MarG's 9 year old niece came to visit. You know how kids are, attention span the length of their nose. MarG sent her to me , my very own child labour, she said, to help me build any mini I want.

Drats! I had just finished lighting up the tent and was in a " research " and not "make" mode. In any case, what possibly can a 9 year old do that I will want for my palace, I thought a trifle scornfully.

And then I remembered. ORIGAMI! I had, just the week before, bought these origami papers from Daiso, to entertain my nieces when they come over.

I passed Kristel the papers and before I could say "dinosaur", she had folded a Hiroshima peace crane. She even showed me how to flap the wings! My goodness, an origami child protege!

To keep her interested, I told her I needed it to be dollhouse size. So she kept halving the size of what she made earlier. After 3 versions, she finally hit on the perfect scale using 1/16th of the paper i.e. 2cm by 2cm. I was thrilled to bits when I saw the result. You are a genius, I told a beaming Kristel, now you can make me 2000 of these. 1000 for Hiroshima and 1000 for me.

Kristel made me and Fafa do it with her of course and we "worked" from about 9pm Saturday till 1am on Sunday. By about 10pm, Kristel had finished 10 (in between teaching me like a trillion times and many many breaks for chips, water, computer game, cementing etc etc). Fafa did 5 and me , I was still struggling with my 1st. By then, my child labour had become "Master" and she was quite scornful, politely of course.

Now for those of you who are as disgusted as Kristel on my progress or lack thereof, please click http://origami.org.uk/origamicrane to see how you can make this bird. Then try doing it on a 2cm by 2cm piece of paper.

See how small the bird is? Eventually, the 3 of us made a total of 33 birds. 2 by me. The "diamond" step was impossible!

Unhappy that I am not smarter than a 9 year old, I took out my encyclopaedia of papercraft to see if I could try a even more difficult piece. Was I in luck! This book has a section devoted to origami with projects divided into 3 categories, Simple, Intermediary and Advanced. And guess what is the the most difficult of the difficult? An elephant! How perfect is that?

This is what Paul Jackson, the designer of this origami says in the book :

The final design in the advanced origami section is appropriately the most difficult. Step 7 contains a fiendish closed sink, which will have the most experienced folders fumbling a little. The Step 11 half closed sink is a little better...

So Fafa and I started working on it. Kristel did the 1st 6 steps and gave up. I struggled and then waited for Fafa to figure out what in the world is a "closed sink". About 1/2 an hour later,Fafa finished her "big" elephant while I was placing birds on Kristel's finger nails and taking pictures. We both started working on the "mini" version with her intrepreting to me what the book said. Since it was so complex, we used a 4cm by 4 cm paper. Surprisingly, they took a shorter time than the birds (actually, it was easier because we cheated and cut a few steps including the confounding Step 7). You can check out the easier version here.

My 1st mini elephant (1/2" tall, 1/2" wide", I made 3, Fafa 4) :

A week later, i.e. today, I strung them together and made Indian wall hangings or mobile.

To protect the paper, I used Krylon "Preserve It", a paper protectant which is also good for other material. I sprayed on the mobile after they are done.

Here they are in the tent:

Kristel hasn't seen them yet. I am sure she will be thrilled that her masterpieces are displayed here. I am very proud of her. Just so you know, she can also make origami lotuses and stars and loads of other "advanced" pieces and she learnt it all by reading an origami handbook, no coaching.

Thank you, baby, for these precious gifts.

By the way, there are other "new products" but they pale in significance.

I am sure Kristel will want to dedicate her peace cranes to the memory of all those who have left us, including Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcett, if only she knows who they are.

My Maharajah Palace-Tent Or The Emperor's Emporium (1)

2009-06-17T22:54:00.003+08:00

This post 1st appeared on Day 71 of My Maharajah's Palace. Since then I have made certain changes to the tent which will be the subject matter of another post. This is an excerpt of that 1st post

It has been a long and frustrating journey, the making of this tent aka "The Emperor's Emporium". I believe I had wanted to make a tent even before I wanted to build the temple (Day 42) and when I saw what Mercedes first made for me, my resolve became even stronger. You see, in the beautifully wrapped "Palace Parfumerie" box are tiny gorgeous little bottles screaming to be displayed.

So came the Evil Maharajah Ranjit Singh, my carpet/perfume/hookah trader on Day 48 and the urgency grew. Although I have this book called "Making Miniatures" by Christiane Berridge with a tutorial on Arabian tent, you will have to drill holes (stumped!). I also didn't understand the steps for making the tent top as there was sewing involved.

Nevertheless, I started gathering supplies, bought a piece of plywood and thought I would just go from there, still not knowing how to make the walls. After I glued some really nice sticker on it, I junked it as it was too dark.

A light bulb moment when I went to Arab Street and found beautiful handwoven Kashmiri carpets which I thought would be great for the walls. Another such moment when I saw barbecue skewers! Woohoo, that's how I can make the walls stand! I also have a table mat made of bamboo which I thought would be great for the floor. What about the top? Paper mache!

I was getting very excited because although that was a mere paragraph describing my thought process, I had been cracking my head for at least 2 months on this ! I was getting anxious as I had even spun stories around the non-existent palace tent (Day 62 ). I set to work with high hopes and

took pictures of my progress in case people want to know how I make my spectacular tent. You can imagine how I felt when it turned out like this:

To torture myself, I let this structure stand on my dining table for 2-3 weeks until last Saturday when I went over to Chris' to see his even more damaged building. It did nothing for my ego. By the way, I posted his work on my projects blog if you want a closer look.

The trip was really fruitful though for Chris showed me this wonderful material called Simona (?). Anyway, it's like the inside of the cover of a Bodyshop scrub which I used to make the table on Day 43. And it stand! Like a block of wood! Just glue! He also showed me how to cut a circle with string, nail and penknife to make the tent-top. I was not that adventurous though and took the easy way out. So my tent last night looked like this:

No pics of progress for obvious reasons.

The best part was of course doing up the interior which took me from 10pm to about 7.30am this morning.

I knew I had to change the top so I consult with SuZ, my sister and the palace architect when I tricked her, my mum and dad to come over to my place- we live 3 minutes from each other.

In 2 minutes, she found the right material in my house and taught me how to build the top. I used an old pillow case from India, which was already torn, for the "canvas". It was not the greatest work and very filmsy but at least, it look like a tent.

Details

Interior (10 1/2" W, 11", 11 1/2 H)

As you can see, I have used almost all the carpets I featured earlier in this tent for the obvious reason that this tent belongs to a carpet seller. I was really thrilled to find, from the cloth stash that SuZ gave me, the "straw" weave fabric which I used for the lower half of the walls. Top half featured the mini carpets from Turkey. This is how the carpet sellers at Arab Street show off their better looms. By the way, the shape of the tent is cross sectioned heptagonal, if you know what I mean.

The screaming bottles

Set above sits on the rugs that Mercedes gave me. The next set is displayed with Mahendra's Roses of Misgivings that took me a ridiculous 4 hours to arrange. There are like 20 more beautiful bottles which I will use in the other houses and The Palace.

My hookahs on My Indian Side Table

The best find of the week

I gasped out loud when I found these mini elephants on Friday, because they stand at an exquisite 1/2" ! I think people around me thought I swallowed some because I was quite loudly choking from my gasps. These elephants are displayed on my favourite coffee table, the one that Taenia gave me on Day 62.

Home with Ranjit Singh

I know you can't tell but he is very pleased. He is also admiring the chandeliers. The blue one was bought in India and the 2 silver ones at the side are Christmas ornaments from last year that I bought on Day 11. (My goodness, I didn't even know how to upload my own pictures back then!) Look closely and you can see Ranjit relaxing against Sylvia's pillow. Her other one is on my Indian Carpet Low Chair. Green tassels were bought from Little India.

External (20" high from floor to top of tent)

Expanded picture reveals camels. I know you think they are the palace camels. Wrong! I have since acquired 3 more! I have also bought 4 more cargo cum "supporting" elephants.

Base Support (5" high)

Why? Hmm, because I like high ceilings? And if you are wondering how you climb up to the tent, here's how:

Tent Top- (enough said)

Left

If you are wondering why Sylvia is in the picture, well, you will find out soon enough..perhaps the next post?

Right
Those chairs were upholstered by Mercedes in the prettiest Mughal fabric.

Sissy (my favourite palace animal)

Miniatures Museum of The World-Taiwan (8)

2009-06-11T19:13:00.013+08:00

Fairy Tales & Fantasy Pt 2

Raccoon House

The Witch & The Seven Dwarves
(This is a very hard to photograph exhibit which shows the dwarves' house and the cave where they work)
The Witch
The Seven Dwarves As you can see, Snow White is noticeably absent.

Alice In Wonderland

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, the famous hookah scene:

Miniatures Museum of The World-Taiwan (7)

2009-06-04T22:51:00.007+08:00

"The making of miniatures is a combination of art, fantasy, and history," Tsao states. "Through the appreciation of these displays, you learn about the history and cultural significance of the period and the place. At the same time, you can enter the imaginary worlds of Alice in Wonderland, Gulliver's Travels, or Snow White."

Today's post is the 1st of 3 parts on Fairy Tales and Fantasy:

Pinocchio

This exhibit is in a glass case with 4 scenes depicted on each side of the case:
Details

Jack and the Beanstalk

Cinderella

This is a very unusual exhibit. Both scenes are actually from at the same side of the glass exhibit. The scene changes everytime the light goes off and comes on again. So you see Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother, light goes off and when it comes on, it is Cinderella running away from the palace ..

Gifts, Swaps & Thrills - Sylvia

2009-05-31T15:47:00.007+08:00

I made my 1st miniatures for someone else. I know it's corny but it took some courage. Anyway, after I received the gifts from Sylvia, I thought it's time I make something for the people who have spent their precious time making things for my palace. And I guess, Sylvia was the "lucky" first although Mercedes, if you are reading this, you know I wanted to make you something sometime back but for for the lack of a crucial part. Didn't help that you kept receiving beautiful minis from Sylvia!!

I was inspired to make a wind chime for Sylvia after I saw her beach house. My own home has like a hundred of them . I hang 2 on my poster bed! Which means I think every beach house should have a wind chime. In line with the sea theme, I used tiny dolphins and 2 Indian cushion bells in the blue of her beach home. I made it "shabby" and tried to make it rusty or at least with paint that is wearing off. I wanted it to look home made and I am sure I succeeded.

Above is the 2nd version and below is the 1st:

Version 1 doesn't look so bad today but I didn't think it look like a wind chime that day. It also was too long. So I took it apart and made it in progressive lengths. Also added another bell hoping that it would chime louder. Kept testing it by shaking it at my ear. Does it chime well, Sylvia?

The barrel of flowers were much easier to make. I used dried moss from my home. So Sylvia, you have the Singapore soil in your beach house !

I dried tiny flowers picked from the road side and sprayed them "French Blue" again to match the house. Painted the barrel off white. The red flowers are from my pot pourri.

I made all these while staring a lot at Sylvia's house on my computer and visualising where she can put these. I picked the exact spots where she could place them and she did! (see her pic above which you can click through to her post about my parcel).

Sylvia thanked me in her post. She said they made her happy. The funny thing is when I saw her put my work at her porch, I really wanted to thank her! It's a deep deep satisfying feeling. Very pleasurable.

It was also a tremendous experience, making something for someone far far away, just by looking at their pictures.

Three days ago, you had that mini in your hand and today , they are in the Netherlands , in a far away home. Its not the same when you buy than when you make even though I take a lot of care in choosing my gifts.

So, I have quite a few tiny creations in the pipeline for houses far away that I have come to love and for the people who has come to mean so much. You know who you are. And don't worry, I won't be upset if they are not suitable. Just return them to me and I will make you another.

My Maharajah Palace-Hookahs

2009-05-30T18:29:00.003+08:00

I made 2 types of hookahs for My Maharajah's Palace and posted it on the other blog on Day 67 and Day 69 . Here's the excerpts from both posts:

Day 67:

.....I knew immediately what the Maharani wanted. I set to work immediately and after 7 hours of toiling, I made her these hookahs (2 1/8" tall (for the bigger one and 2" for the smaller, 1/2" at base)-.

Fashioned after the best by nargile craftsmen from Turkey, the base which holds the water are handblown glass (to borrow a quote from my 4 year old nephew, "pretend please") covered with the most exquisite cloisonne from China. The pipes, made from Persia's purest gold has been delightfully fashioned into little melon balls so that they match the sweet taste of the molasses. Little clay bowls, painted the colour of antique gold sits on top with the coal tray just beneath it.

Wooden straight hose have been used instead of gaudily decorated rubber ones to elevate the elegance, both of the implement and its owner. Just like how old ancient hookah pipes were made (see pic below).

After I completed the hookahs, I immediately sent them off by the fastest mode of ransportation to Ranjit.
And they quite clearly reached Ranjit well and early. Ranjit however had other ideas. Instead of sending my hookahs straight away to the palace, he held on to them for a month, smoking himself half to death (see how his eyes are almost rolling back into his head in sheer giddy delirium).

Alas, the delay turned out fortuitously fortunate for me. For it created such a pent up demand for my pipes (thanks to Ranjit's daily sale puffs) that "Sans! Pipping Hot Pipes" became instantly "to-die-for" and remain so for the next 6 decades. No girl was more proud than when she held a Sans! in her hand. Murders were committed over limited edition San's!. It was rumoured that a young princess even attempted suicide by jumping into the garden well when she found out that she would be 72 years old before she got her 1st San's! thanks to the long waiting list.

The funny thing is no one cared that the hookah was not even really well made because the glue used was not strong enough. If anyone out there can recommend a really good glue for metal, Sans! will be eternally grateful.

Day 69:

Katie of Katie's Clay Corner made a comment on Day 67 about looking for a "perfect hooka ". That was the day Sans! Pipes for Palace Girls made their debut. I told Katie then that she had given me an idea and here it is, the idea in fruition: Sans! Pipes for Marlboro Men:

This silver hookah is the Father of all hookahs.It stands at about 2 1/8" high and if made entirely of silver would have sold for USD1000.00, like the one on your left.

Many would have thought this hookah is better for display but really, a silver hookah smokes better than any other hookah (according to the ad of the Thousand Dollar Hookah).

For another reference, hookah on your right is a real life Silver Harem Hookah. According to discoverhookah.com: This imposing Harem hookah tops out at 5’7” and weighs 45 lbs. Coming with three 60” hoses, this inspiring decorative piece is sculpted from brass and is ideal for use on a special occasion.

I have designed my silver hookah to be masculine with a boxy body and black hose. The double hose may appear "couple-like" and smoochy-woochy but they are really meant for a couple of guys on a game's night, sharing a smoke. I made a plateful of pipes in case the boys turn out in throngs which they generally do.

In the meantime, I have updated the girls' pipes by giving them a new hose:

Art, Artisan,Artistry-TreeWizard And the Bombed House

2009-05-25T17:52:00.006+08:00

Last weekend, I met my friend, Chris aka Treewizard who's trees I featured on Art, Artisan, Artistry-Tree Wizards and Bonsai Priestess. Chris was so excited with his current commission, he could not stop talking about it.I had to go and see it for myself.

This is a 1:24 model of a Chinatown shophouse that has been attacked by a terrorist. Chris was commissioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs to build this model for a particular occasion.

He is especially proud of the "bomb" that he made (Clue 4). There was also a decapitated head at 3, a crashed oil can at 6 and a broken circuit at 8.

Below is a pic of the other side of the house and you can see more body parts on the floor. This model will come complete with sound, maybe even smoke and definitely lights where "live" wire will be flickering dangerously.

For those of us who prefer pretty things, I found out that Chris also built the row of shophouses I featured at Miniature Museum of the World-Singapore. Chris did all the houses, the wayang stage, bumboat etc. A friend of his did the human beings.

I am very proud of my friend, Chris.

My Maharajah Palace-Indian Carpet Chairs

2009-05-21T01:17:00.006+08:00

This post 1st appeared on My Maharajah's Palace Day 66. This is part of a weekend "carpet project. I had wanted to make a few things out of carpets which I bought for the palace:

MY 1ST CHAIRS, these low Indian chairs are made to accompany the "carved table" for Maharajah Ranjit Singh, my carpet seller. The measurements are: Base- 4 3/8" by 3", height 1" without the bolsters and another inch, with.

I did this while working on another project. They are my "carpets" projects with carpets that I showcased on Day 64. This one took me 2 hours while the other which I shall not name at the moment has taken me almost 2 months from conceptualisation to Step 1.

Anyway, I thought of making these chairs when I bought the handwoven coasters for S$2 each. The wood base are from the clay dolls which I pried off so that they can fit into the "party house".

The "legs" of the chairs are beads I picked specially for the chairs. 24 of them cost only S$3.

Apart from sanding the chair base, construction method is really just glue, glue and more glue. Sanding really makes glue stick. So it is highly recommended.

Here's the 7 steps to successful carpet chair making:

Step 1: Sand base

Step 2: Glue carpet onto base top

Step 3: Stick 2 beads together for height

Step 4: While waiting for glue to dry, make bolsters
Step 5: Glue beads onto base of table
Step 6: Fit bolsters onto chair base and admire or groan

Step 7: Make a scene (optional) and take pictures (must)

This is so simple, you don't even need all 7 steps.

On the other hand, the other project is still at Step 1. If I can finish it by tonight, I will post it up and then I will have completed my Weekend Carpet Projects.

I sent one of these carpets to Meli of Casita de Meli and she posted it on her blog on 20th May 2009. I wonder what she will do with it...

My Maharajah's Palace Projects-Carpets

2009-05-15T19:34:00.008+08:00

This post is an excerpt from the one at My Maharajah's Palace Day 64. I have added 1 more picture and more pointers from Casey in this post. I hope that my mistakes and Casey's pointers will help newbie-"weavers" with some "do's and don'ts" of stitching a mini rug.

Picture above is added. I am showing off the back of my carpet. Despite many shortcomings, one thing I am rather pleased with is that my back can pass off as the front for a few seconds. MarJ saw the back when I was holding it and actually went "wow, your carpet is looking good" not knowing any better. When I showed her the front, she actually said "oh..." I guess to her, my back looks better than the front. Quite an accomplishment, don't you think?

Saryk-Turkoman Rug (5" by 8 1/2" including fringe)

I started this rug on 22 Feb 2009 according to this journal at Day 32. I finished it today, 81 days later.

At 2 months, this is where I was (left pic). The carpet was crooked and it was getting more so by the stitches. I remembered I was very demoralised at one point and actually stopped working on it for a while. Didn't help when I saw how other "mini -weavers" are doing such a great job with theirs.

The thing about stitching though, is that it is very portable, calming and makes waiting for anything tolerable. Just take out my carpet which I bring with me everywhere and I can wait, even for hours.

To say my rug is not exactly great is being kind. I made so many mistakes. 1stly, wrong number of threads,-should have used 3 instead of 2 (see white spots?). Also, not sure how I created a trapezium rug. Mum said it could be me pulling too hard. Maybe it was sewing through to the next stitch in 1 move instead of patiently doing the sew through and then out method . Perhaps I should have used the hoop.

Anyway, as I was also not sure how to finish the rug edge and fringe, I sought help from Casey who so very kindly did a post on finishing a rug. When I still couldn't get how to straighten it, she told me this :

Sans, Take your rug and face down, spray it with water and stretch it, pulling diagonal corners so that it goes back to square. Sometimes you can simply do this several times, ironing with steam between pulling and it will eventually square up. If that doesn't do it, then I resort to pinning it. When you do that you have to just let alone until it dries completely....

That's what I did. I watered, pulled. Next day, I steam-ironed and then got Fafa to help pull. It became better but I lost patience. So I decided to edge and fringe 1st (using Casey's suggestion -3rd method).

After that, I called on my men for help:

BUT they kept falling down. Spoilt, rich and completely useless! So my next resort:

Yea, see my baby elephant? New to the palace and so very cute. Alas, he was too strong for my camel. So my LAST RESORT:

Ok, some defects can't be cured even with a whole convoy of camels and elephants.

With that, I decided this shall be the story of my rug. It is an old antique piece not unlike this Dowry Kilim, Inventory Number: 3725. Age: Indeterminable, Price: Expensive.

Tomorrow, I will try and pin it. Thank you Casey! Don't give up on me, my next one will be straighter!

The following pointers given by Casey are very useful (you can also find them at the comments box of the post) :

Sans wrote to me privately and asked that I post a little check up on her rug. Sans, it is beautiful, but I fear that you may never be able to get it quite square. I wouldn't try pinning it now because you will probably pull out some of the stitches along the edges! Always pin in the margins outside of the worked area before you trim the rug.

I think that you have already realized that you are pulling too tightly when stitching. You have also already hit on some of the remedy. Using the "poke" method of stitching leaves less distortion that the "scoop". If you use the poke method(up and down in each stitch) it might also help to put your fabric on stretcher bars or a scroll frame. You do that before you start the stitchery. This will force it to stay more square. The main thing is to learn to relax and use a good light when stitching. As you go, you will be able to see to keep the stitches at a uniform size.

As for the rug that you just finished, putting a double edge on it may be keeping it from being straightened also. With your next rug, just do a single row like the rest of the rug. Now that you have done one with the glue, I think that you will have more confidence about cutting the edges.

This is part of my reply:

Hi Casey, your comments are deeply appreciated. These pointers are so useful for newbies to stitching because most how to books just assume (rightly of course) that most users are beyond elementary. The remark you made which really hits the ail on its head is a) that I was probably not relaxed enough and b) not enough lights. I stitch to de-stress so yes, my 1st few lines each time maybe a trifle "angst-sy" lol. I also like to stitch in bed just before I doze off. That's why lighting is not great. I will not pin the rug. Knew there must be a reason why I should have done there before trimming. I am going to post this and your comments on my projects blog. Thank you again, Casey for your encouragement. I am starting a new one today.

New Rug starting today:

Musings-Tribute to My Mother

2009-05-11T22:08:00.003+08:00

This post is a short tribute to my mother. It does not in any remote way say ALL my "thank you"s and "love you"s but I am glad I am finally able to pen and share with you a tiny dose of my mum's selflessness.

I have often whinged and whined about how no one else shares my mini passion. Having said that, my mum did something so wonderful for me I am now taking all of that back.

Mum is the kind of woman who is really good with her hands. I have no doubt that she can be a great miniaturist if she ever had the chance. But life was a lot harder then and not only was she deprived of an education because she was an adopted child, she had to start work when she was barely in her teens, hawking cigarettes illegally.

Now that she can afford it, her eyes are no longer good enough for mini work. Even then, she had been knitting for me, little blankets/ rugs / throws and each time she showed me unfinished samples, I kept saying: "smaller, mum, smaller" and she would go "Ok, I will try, no problem I can do that". See the little white cover (4" by 4" without fringes") and the round rug with colourful flowers (5" in daimeter)? They were made by my beautiful mum.

After I picked up miniatures, I just wanted to do as many of the craft work myself as I possibly could. Mum is the one who points me ever so often in the way I should go with them . I wished I had started this earlier then maybe by now I would have learnt all the needlework from my mum. She can quilt, crotchet, knit, sew, embroider. I remembered how she had crotchet or knitted an animal from balls of wool.

I was young then and thought many of the stuff she made tacky. Now, I wished she had kept all her handiwork so I could show them off here.

These days whenever she goes "you should not have stitched so hard, you pulled the string too much, that's why your rug is now crooked" or "just be patient, and do it a few more times..." or "hmm, that's not bad" (all in my dialect of course ), I feel really close to her. As I was never interested in cooking, sewing and all the other girl stuff, I believed these are our 1st real mother-daughter bonding moments.

And during these moments, I feel like a teenager again. Its a nice feeling, this Curiosity (which I thought I had lost), or the Awe of my mother's talent, better yet, the sense of Accomplishment after I have completed a simple craft. But most importantly, this feeling that my mum loves me and is teaching me something that she is good at...now that is a feeling few can top.

You know, making these little rugs was hard for mum because her finger was injured from a bacteria attack that never went away. But does that stop her? No. Even after I told her not to make any more, she just kept asking me to buy her more threads.

So on some weekends, after Mum, Dad and I had our breakfast, she would ask if I want her for company, either to hang out at hobby shops or Daiso or Little India. Most of the time, it was for me to shop for My Maharajah's Palace but sometimes, we hang out at Spotlight to look for threads for both of us.

Now, the next time, you hear me whinged and whined again, give me a kick in the butt and tell me to shut up because you know it is not true no one shares my passion.

Love you so very much, Mum! I know I have wished you already but here's another " HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!"

About the picture at the top of this post, it was done by my ever talented bro, Win. He made this poster for my mum on her 68th birthday this February. The photo is of my mum when she was pregnant with her third child, Shir, also my 2nd younger sister. My mother who is as vain as all beautiful women should be, had an 18 inch waist before that and I think, 21 when she had my sis! Mum was over the moon that Win made her so beautiful again. In case you are wondering, it was a poster selling fabric set in the early 50s or 60s. Isn't that just so apt for this post? If I didn't tell you that is my mum, I am sure you will be wondering who's this Oriental beauty is, no?