A Day in The Life - A Miniature Life.

"The reinvention of daily life means marching off the edge of our maps." Bob Black

I have a feeling if you are like me, you march off the edge of your map daily.  By that I mean, we start off with one project and by the end of the day are way off the trail.  A long way from where we started.

I wake up thinking about miniatures and pretty much go to bed the same way. This usually entails what I plan for the day and then what I never got to that day.

I was working on some chairs recently that I wanted to reupholster and had all of that spread out on one work table.

 

Choosing fabrics for several pieces had me stumped so I looked for a distraction.Then some tea sets I had ordered caught my eye. These were meant to be made up into magically pouring tea sets like this:

Oh, and there's some finished chairs. Here's another one:

*The customer who won this on eBay said she was disappointed with the "quality of the chair" (Bespaq) because "it's light weight and cheap and small (again, Bespaq) and not worth what I paid for it. "I thought it would be oversized and not so cheap looking" (once again perfectly scaled Bespaq).  I told her to return it for a full refund. Never heard from her again. When this happens I have to think they were trying to either get  a partial refund or a full refund and then get to keep the piece. Not. But I digress and am off the path again, as you can see.

So there are the tea sets:

They are commercial pieces that I bought online or on eBay and the quality varies widely with one set being much too big for 1:12 scale. I have an order for a magical set but couldn't decide which to start with and ended up not starting.

BUT. Someone had inquired about a dormouse in a tea pot and I had just gotten this new modeling compound called Bees Putty from Germany. I sculpted this mouse in the too big tea pot because sometimes too big is just right. And the Bees Putty is pretty neat stuff.

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to", said the Cat. Alice  

I looked back at the tea sets, thought the silver tray was too big and thought maybe it should be painted to go with some Italian pottery I had done recently:

 Actually these were another wandering when I came across some turned wooden pots and some larger terracotta pots I got in a lot on eBay. Because I wanted the strawberry planter in the lot.  (Which I broke as soon as it arrived.) I came across them many a time and finally came up with something to do with them while trolling Pinterest.

So the tray got a coat of gesso. Black gesso. I do love the black stuff. 

I never went further with the tray because I got distracted again. I put away the fabric and tea sets - getting pretty crowded on all 3 of my work desks - and decided to clean up the whole lot. I probably don't have to tell you that once you start that 25 other projects present themselves. 
 Please tell my I'm not alone. Post your wanderings below.  

Shopping at the Philly Show

In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter and sharing of pleasures. Khalil Gibran

I must say I do enjoy when other bloggers share their show findings and purchases, so thought I might try that out here. 

I attended the Philadelphia miniature show last weekend, (which is actually in New Jersey in a very tricky to get to hotel), just for the day on Saturday. In missing the preview I lost out on my most desired items. I won't mention them here because, well, I lost out. I will say there were only 2 dealers who I wanted to catch and those 2 were just about sold out by the time I got there. 

The show is not at all what it used to be, sadly. I suppose partially due to the economy and of course, the internet.  So many top drawer artisans missing. Lots of smaller scales available too. Not for me, but popular when you start running out of room, but for now, tables that I could skip. (Here is a better review of the show 
By Susan Grimshaw)

Anyway, to business. I came away with a lot less than I did back in the day, but as mentioned, missing artisans and the internet (which is now a juicy place to acquire miniatures, a gift horse, so to speak, if you will).

 Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms.


I cannot control myself when it comes to animals and it looks like I did it again in one form or another. 

I have a pug collection and could not resist this one by Sarah Hendry carried by Karon Cunningham

Pug by Sarah Hendry

 I found this little monkey and the tiny mice at Kathi Kuti .  Made by Kathi the monkey will go in my toy shop. He is just about 1.5 inches high. I also have a monkey collection. (I once raised a monkey for Helping Hands, an organization that trains and places monkey helpers for the disabled).  The mice are porcelain and can go anywhere and I do like mice. I also had some pet rats at one time. 

I had a really good look at Henny Staring-Egberts table and while she has some widely expensive pieces some are less than one hundred dollars and her work is exceptional. And I walked away with these gorgeous pieces and that tiny dog just .75 of an inch high. (yes, again with an animal)

I did also buy some inexpensive bits and pieces for future projects that need transformation of some sort. Birds and animals for repainting and some kits because I wanted to see how kits are made and packaged. Maybe I'll make some one of these days.

So if you attended the Philly show, what did you get?  Tell me below.

To Patricia Love William

"Anyone who has lost something they thought was theirs forever finally comes to realize that nothing really belongs to them"  - Paulo Coelho

I love this time of year when Fall approaches because I am more than happy to see hot, humid, sticky God-awful Summer begone for another year.  And I take joy in knowing the flies, ticks and mosquitos return to hell where they belong. But one insect that makes me happy to see is the spider. (I know). Big fat ones come around announcing that Autumn is on the way. So for me that's a 'yay'.

So, I had my 'pet' spider come around this year too, weaving a gorgeous web every night and putting himself right smack in the center.  Every morning both he and the web were gone and then every evening they'd be back again. Sweet and reassuring. (I know - the last thing you want is a spider bite, but my spider is out there catching all the hellish insects - and he's outside...)

Today he was gone. His beautiful web remains (still catching pesky gnats) . He might have been plucked out of his perch at dawn by a hungry bird. Maybe his time was up. Maybe it was a she and she went off to lay eggs and die like Charlotte. Who knows?

“It all goes away. Eventually, everything goes away.” - Elizabeth Gilbert

And so the point of this really is about miniatures. I recently acquired this gorgeous piece of miniature silver by Pete Acquisto. I found it taking my own advice. This very piece is a limited edition and at this very minute is listed on a website for $1400 and I got it for less than $100. Score, right?

Here is the poignant part, its engraved "To Patricia Love William". My namesake no longer has it and it ended up with a seller other than her. Did she give up miniatures? Did she move on to another collection of say, stamps? Did she leave this world? Did she lose the fact that she loved miniatures along with other losses?

This brings to mind several of the serious collectors and well known miniaturists whose miniatures were recently auctioned off. Adell Venus comes to mind since that one caused a lot of chatter. Other famous collectors: Flora Gill Jacobs, Mary Kaliski, Vivian Green who owned a dollhouse museum in England. And the rest of us no one knew.

Sad to think about. Endings. 

Treasure your loved ones, enjoy your miniatures. Take them out of the boxes and let them entertain you. Cherish the feeling they invoke. Remember the thrill you had when you found them or made them.

I'm thinking my spider's name was William. 
To William Love Patricia 

What do you think? About spiders? Endings? Treasures of any kind?

Step by Step.

 "There is no one giant step that does it, it's a lot of little steps". Peter A. Cohen

I have never done a work in progress like you see on blogs a lot. Step by painful step.
But might as well do one for the record.

This is a Trompe L'oeil called Le Pate after Jean Baptiste Oudry. I had done this one years and years ago but this was a request so did it again. Have to admit I have not painted in a few years so, something different. Keeps the old brain from getting tics, hopefully...

This one below was done long ago and I found it  on Google. Not the best lighting. For sure, it was not that yellow. I would love to see them side by side. See how close I came each time...

Let me know what you think. 
AND I would love for you to sign up for my NEWSLETTER - don't worry, I won't bombard your inbox. I am about as good at newsletters as I am at blogging. But...I have surprises up my sleeve so I would not want you to miss anything.

Mini Love,

TEN Tips for Finding the BEST Miniatures in Your Pajamas. (and at a bargain)

I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best. Oscar Wilde

You don't need the expense of traveling to miniature shows when the very best miniatures are no farther than your keyboard. We all came to earth with gifts and one of mine I know for sure is that I can find the best things in just about anyplace. And I know who has what gift. So when it comes to miniatures I am pretty good at ferreting out great stuff. To add to my own collection. And here are some tips to help you find treasures of your own:

1) Don't Overlook Ebay.
There are wonderful artisan miniatures available there every day often going for way below original cost. Check under 'Artist Offerings" in Dollhouse Miniatures (under Dolls and Bears). But don't neglect the larger category because many things there are not followed by most.

2) Check out the Artisan.
If you see something on a popular miniature website and are not thrilled with the prices, go directly to the artisan (Google) You may well get the better price. Plus you can find wonderful things from artisans who might not be dealers at the shows you attend.

3) Auctions.
For years I thought I would never be able to afford the wonderful miniatures that were coming up for auction. I did not even know how to sort out bidding on those auctions. So, sadly, I passed up bidding. Eventually when an auction got to be too tempting, I jumped in.  While things are usually sold in lots and you might be interested in only one item, charge in and get the lot. You can later sell off the unwanted bits and in the end come out ahead with your prized item costing nothing.

4) ETSY.
While I find ETSY to have a lot of miniatures less than top, artisan quality (lots of decal-ed plates and crockery, computer printed books, paper watering cans etc), there are quality pieces there, you just have to look.  As new artisans emerge with wonderful things you can score amazing miniatures for great prices. These artisans eventually move on for some reason, often showing up on eBay where there is great competition for their work. Strike while the iron is hot. (And hey, nothing wrong with decals and computer printed stuff, I use and make it myself,  but that stuff will not bulk up the pocketbooks of your heirs)

5) THE CAMP. 
This is a Yahoo group consisting of over 1800 members at the time of this writing. Its a great place to share anything about miniatures and ask for help with your projects or locating a item. Lots of help from many well informed artisans and collectors. When one finds something fabulous it gets shared and you can find great deals and great artisans by word of mouth. I believe it to be the ultimate miniature online group. Join HERE.

6) Facebook. 
While not for everyone because I have heard that joining scares some people into believing their information might be shared, its still one of the biggest if not the biggest social media sites. There are many miniature groups there and you will find wonderfully talented artisans coming out of the woodwork from all over the world and many sell their work. I would start with IGMA: The International Guild of Miniature Artisans.Go HERE.

7) Pinterest.
Another social media venue full and I mean FULL of miniature eye candy. Again, you can find wonderful creators of minis there and many do sell their work. You can also leave a message asking to place an order.

8) Blogs.
Yes, there are millions of blogs these days. Just another sign of the times that the internet is where it's at. It can happen this way; you find something on Pinterest that links to a blog. That blog lists favorite blogs they happen to follow - miniature related, of course, and you can scroll through several at a sitting, see what the owner is doing and how they do it. Many show step by step photos of their own personal projects. But in and among this information is reference to items they collected and where to find the artisan.
 
9) Show schedules with dealer links.
Whether you go to shows or not, you can always visit the show's website. There posted are dealers for upcoming shows with links directly to the artisans. Click around and you will find something to please you in your budget directly from the artisan. Since you saved a pile of money not traveling to the show, spend away.
 
10) And last but not least THE IGMA Fine Miniatures Forum. This is an online forum of the very finest miniatures but anyone is welcome to view and post their work. You need not be a member to participate. But once there, you may well be inclined to be part of a group promoting miniatures as an art form. Which indeed they are. Check it out.

Did I miss anything? Found anything wonderful yourself off the beaten path? 
Tell all below.

Perfecting the Art of Customer Service, (or how not to treat your customers.)

"Take good care of your customers and they will take care of you".
 Biju Paulose

I am a miniature artisan and I do sell my work and have been selling it for over 30 years.  I pride myself on the quality of customer service I deliver.  I have rarely had an issue with anything I have made, so, grateful for that. Rarely, something arrives broken and I either repair or refund according to my customer's desire. Once a customer, who purchased something years, YEARS, earlier told me that a piece had warped and I actually gave them a full refund. A pricey piece. And, yes, they did return the item.  Miniaturists tend to be so pleasant and always happy with their purchase because miniatures so delight in them and making a customer happy is pretty much THE NAME OF THE GAME.

BUT I am also an avid collector and have been for even longer.  In all that time in dealing with artisans and dealers at shows and through catalogs and now via the Internet I have to say that miniaturists in the business of selling miniatures are the nicest, sweetest and happiest of business people. I don't think many of you could disagree.

Way back a good many years ago I did run into a less than pleasant dealer at a show.  She was not nice and I never purchased from her again. But recently I have run into a few nasties and thought I just might out them here.  I hope its not some kind of Karma following me. I tend to be a picky consumer. And I have every right to be. Maybe its just some sellers think they know better than their customers.

I purchased some flowers from an online miniature show and when they arrived they were not much like the photo, very messy and sloppy and well, I let the 'artisan' know. She went crazy. First telling me how wonderful everyone thinks she is, then turning it up to disparage my work and then for some odd reason IGMA as well.  Then claimed she was reporting me to IGMA so they could revoke my Fellow status. Remember here, it was me who was the CUSTOMER. She gave me one day to return them and would then refuse the return and my refund. I figured I had better steer clear of crazy. I have plans for those flowers...

Next comes a doll maker. In fairness, I purchased the doll a few years ago. It arrived broken and I suspected something was wrong with either the polymer clay or the baking time. I let the seller know and she did offer to fix it, but it was an easy fix and easily hidden so I fixed it myself. Problem was it broke every time it was touched. I have had it lying around for all these years and finally contacted the seller. Who said she would make me another one if I paid for it. A bit testy, too, I might add. We went back and forth and finally I came here to post this. I am unhappy. I will never be a customer for either of these two ever again. Serious examples of BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE.  I have had other dolls break and the makers happily fixed them and for FREE and guess what? I went on to purchase more dolls from them both.

 If you are not a fan of great consumer service, then you are not a fan of business ultimately not making you a fan of money. K. Abernathy

What's wrong with, "I am sorry you are not satisfied. Please return the item"?

How about you? Any frightful experiences? Do tell. 
And do you think I should post photos? Call them out by name? Surely they deserve it.

*** I welcome your comments, but if you post anonymously as a troll or claim to know the parties involved, your comments will be deleted. 
This blog is about CUSTOMER SERVICE.  Not individuals which is why they are not named.

Here's a great video about bad customer service. Consumers of anything deserve to get what they pay for, be satisfied and not treated like shit. Enjoy.