I'm still here

And so thankful that you are also.


I finally got around to making a few little things, but can't show pictures of some yet.
I took part in  Ninni's Christmas Calendar Swap, so I sent off 2 mini gifts that I made to Finland.  
You will have to be patient and wait until close to Christmas to see them.

I did pull out the beads and glue to make a few perfume bottles and a nail polish for Jaynie.  We decided on a color scheme for her loft bedroom, if I ever get around to putting it together.

We chose a denim blue as the main color, with green and yellow.  We also plan to add a few touches of purple so MJ will feel more comfortable when she comes for her visit.

The clear one in the back right is a bit large but I like it.
I think that they came out pretty good, if you don't look to close at the crooked lids. 
Which one do you like best?


I want to send a quick but  very warm welcome to new followers

Ruth of  Miniature Maven Diaries
Lilybets of  nel bosco di lilybets / In The Woods With Lilybets
ta_pazzo      Please let me know if you have a blog, I couldn't  find one.


A couple of updates

MJ had a lovely time with  Rosamargarita  in Mexico and is on her way to the USA.
I hope that she makes it safe and sound to her next destination.  It's too bad that she didn't make it on time to celebrate Thanksgiving  but there is still much of the holiday season ahead.

Thanks to everyone who left a supportive comment to my last posting about my bad purchase.
We finally got a response from  brinca dada  about a week after my rant post, they offered to give us a credit for the purchase price or to send out another 2 sets of blocks.  We decided to give them another chance (I really wanted those blocks) and asked them to send more.
That was over 3 weeks ago and have not recieved the blocks or even a note to say that they had been sent.  My husband has sent many emails without a response.
The only email that I recieved from them was ads for their Black Friday sale.
My husband opened a claim with AmEx to reverse the charges on our card.
We will not lose any money but I don't get to play with blocks :(


The first snow flakes of the season are falling here, forecast is for 1-3 inches.
I hope that you are having a great day.


Thank you for visiting, Mary

So disappointed

WITH BRINCA DADA

I've been looking at   teak blocks  at  brinca dada   for quite a while.   I thought that they would make interesting furniture and decorations in miniature.  They are a bit pricy at $59 for 22 blocks and I really wanted 2 sets, so I waited.   Then last week I read a posting from  Mini Modern  that used these same blocks in mini setting.  So I went and looked at them again, Wow they were on sale, $47, still not cheap but I figured that the price was not going to get any better.   Then I almost changed my mind when saw that the S&H charges were $31.46, but I took out my charge card and ordered 2 sets of teak blocks.  This was a big splurge for me but I was really looking forward to getting my hands on these blocks and playing.

Monday, 6 days after ordering I was very excited when my husband brought the box in with the mail, I couldn't wait to get it open.  I opened the box, pulled out on set of blocks that where wrapped in bubble wrap and taped up tight.  I took out my scissors and started cutting away tape, alot of tape.  I finally got the wrapping off, the blocks were still in a plastic bag but  there was a very strong nasty smell.  MOLD!   I took a closer look at the blocks, still in plastic, they are streaked with black and grey.   Mold YUK.

I never opened the bag, never got my hands on the blocks, I didn't unwrap the second set.  I had my husband put the box outside on the porch and I went and washed my hands.   Then I immediatly sent an email telling them that I was disappointed to find mold on my purchase.

I've had no respose.  My husband sent an email, yesterday, asking for the charges on our credit card to be reversed, for a mailing  label so that we can return the blocks and for a response.  We have had no response.   I'm very disappointed in this product and even more disappointed in the lack of customer service.


Thanks for reading my vent and warning,  I would have been much happier sharing pictures of beautiful teak blocks and telling you that even though they were a bit expensive they were worth it.

Thank you for visiting, Mary

I'm A Robot

No Jaynie!!   We don't want people to think that, we wont be able to leave comments.

I think that you need to try again Jaynie, I don't think that's a good idea.

We did a bit of decorating,
not much really,
just mainly pulled everything out
and made a mess.

Jaynie also wanted to show you her new, but slightly damaged loveseat.  It was sold as a jewelry display so we had to do a little bashing.

There are 2 small slits in the seats, that need repairing and we need to add feet.  It is just sitting on a few wooden cups right now.

I also played with some little foam stickers from Dollar Tree.


Jaynie is off working on another costume, I wonder what she will come up with next.








Thank you for visiting,  Mary

A Few Small Purchases

I found a few things at the Dollar Tree that I think will be useable for a Halloween scene,
to meet the   Spooky Challenge   posted by Cyd of   Mini Mod Pod.

These are a bit too big (about 1 - 1 1/4 inch) to look like real leaves but as fall decorations I'm sure that there are lots of uses.

I like the colors, green, red, orange and 2 shades of brown, all in the 3 shapes. 

I found these rings in 2 different mixes.  I found the ones with some in purple and green first, then later at another store I found a bag that has just  black bats, white skulls and orange spiders.

Here's a close-up, they are nicely detailed,  I really like the bat.  The ring on the back make good stands but can also be cut off very easily.

Also from Dollar Tree

Sometimes I find things  that are more useful when used as something other than their intended purpose.


I don't really need the toothbrushes


or a toothbrush holder.

What I do need is more organized tools.

This container works great for many different tools,

I have some of my favorite clay tools in this one.

You can use it with the cover on,
      to keep dust off,
      makes it easy to carry

or use the cover to hold more tools



I allowed Jaynie to put an item in with my order from Amazon.

Look at what she bought.

She is very happy with her purchase.

It is a Fisher Price, Loving Family, Minivan.

It has a working horn, really cute, and a radio button, really annoying.

It also came with a dog and a bag of groceries,
I forgot to get a picture, if you are interest let me know and I will take one.

I'm going to go work on the Halloween scene now.
Jaynie has been digging through draws and boxes looking for things for a halloween costume.

We should have more to show you tomorrow, hopefully.


Thank you for visiting, Mary

Welcome New Followers

A Very Warm Welcome To New Followers

Cris of   Tiny/Pequininas minniaturas ,  in her most recent post you can see the cute mini kikitos, “God of Joy” that she made from cold porcelain and also many great pictures that she shared of her trip to The Mini World in Serra Gaucha in Gramado.  In a recent post you will see lots of her lovely mini work, a pretty pink kitchen and purple bedroom in The House of Gabriel.  Read her older posts to see many interesting works in miniature and some wonderful tutorials.

Sarah K of   The Old Dollhouse    is working on a big project, she has made a great start, has made some great purchases, has won a great give-away prize and is making interesting plans for restoring a beautiful old house.   Go by to visit and watch Sarah’s progress.

Teresa of   Creative Me and Life    has a blog full of wonderful pictures, lots of beautiful flowers, great scenery and a couple of very cute dogs.  You can also find some lovely doll houses, I’ve included links to bring you directly to a few of these posts      dollhouses,   dollhouses,  and  more  dollhouses .

Gosia  of     House Under Glass/Domekpodkloszem      has been experimenting with paper and has made a couple pretty little mugs.    If you look through her blog you will see many minis that she has made , including lots of very realistic food .

Conny of   It's A Mini Life ,   in her most recent post she generously shares how to stitch up a super easy gown.   Read her previous post and you will see poor little Samantha is suffering from allergies but still looks very nice in her pretty new robe and slippers.   Keep reading to see many more great minis.

Narina of    Narina Napertaa    has received some great packages of minis lately,  I’m looking forward to seeing how she uses her new items.   She is working on making a house from scratch, if you have not been following along be sure to take a look at her older posts to see the beginning of this project and many lovely minis.

Annette of    New Beginnings   is a new blogger who has had her mini making put on hold by an injury. Please go by for a visit and say hello to show her how friendly we are here in the mini blog world.

Sarah, Teresa,  Gosia and Annette are also taking part in  MJ's World Trip

MJ is enjoying the first leg of her trip with   Anna  in Athens, Greece.  She has been having lots of fun, sailing, having a moon lit picnic and even getting a bit tipsy.  If you go by Anna's blog you can help her choose where MJ will travel to next.

I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to send out these welcomes and that I have not posted very much lately.  The humidity is hitting me very hard this summer and it has not let up a whole lot.  We had a couple of days that were drier but the humidity was very high again last night and today.

I hope that I will have some minis to show you soon.


Thank you for visiting, Mary

Prepairing for Company

Jaynie and I are very excited about being part of  Mini Jazzi's World Tour.  Mini Jazzi is going to begin her trip soon and will be spending the next 2 years visiting 24 mini blog hosts, including us.

She will be visiting Brazil, 2 places in England, 2 places in Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Poland and 14 places in 12 of  the United States. 



We don't know when to expect her, she may be here soon or may not arrive for close to 2 years from now.

So we will need to be ready for all seasons,


Autumn, the bright colors of fall leaves should not be missed if you are visiting New England.  We may plan a day trip (picnic included) to our favorite area in New Hampshire,  Franconia Notch ,  to see it in all of it's glory. 

Will she be with us for Halloween and a costume party, or here to celerbrate Thanksgiving with us, I hope that she likes turkey.

Winter,  we may need to bundle up but if we have snow:  it's fun to make a snow angel, have a snowball fight and build a snowman.  A new hat, mittens and scarf may be needed.

Will she be here for Christmas, that would be great fun, decorating, parties and gifts.  Or maybe for New Year's Eve,  Party.

Will she be visiting in Febuary so that we can celebrate her birthday and Valentine's Day with her.

Spring, as the weather warms and  flowers start to bloom again  it's a great time for day trips, one of our favorite places is  Roger Williams Zoo, it's in Rhode Island but it's still only about a half hour away.

Will she be here to join in an Easter egg hunt, She will need a new Easter outfit with a bonnet.

Summer, you can't be this close to Cape Cod and not take a trip to see the Sagamore and/or Bourne   bridge and the canal, and maybe stop for some seafood. 

Will she be here for the 4th of July, Cookout and fireworks. 

No matter when she arrives we will wecome her with a party.  Jaynie's friends and family are all looking forward to it, planning makeovers and new clothes, they want to be at their very best when she gets here.

We will plan some trips,  we will visit some place historical, there are many close by.  It will all depend on the weather conditions if we go to an indoor or outdoor site.  If the weather is mild I would like to visit the  Minute Man National Historical Park  in   Concord  and have a picnic at   Walden Pond .

We are looking forward to all the fun we will have with Mini Jazzi whenever she arrives.
I hope that you will enjoy a little virtual tour of a few of our favorite places to visit.

Thank you for visiting, Mary

Happy Friday 13

A warm welcome to new followers

Anne of   Little Things .   In today’s post you can see a wonderful home/castle filled with miniatures that she has collected and made.   Go by and see the lovely quilt that she has made for her cute little bear Caramel. Take some time to look at her older posts to see many great minis including her beautiful baby boy/girl room boxes,  (you can buy them  here )  and follow the activities of Caramel and friends.
Look  here   to see the great gifts that she received and sent for the Christmas in July Swap.


Mini Dork of   Modern Mini Houses  (formerly known as Dream Dollhouses )  recently posted pictures of a scene that she created for a Magazine Challenge, go visit to see the details; the interesting scene that she chose to recreate and her amazing results. If you look at her older posts you will find many great minis, wonderful ideas and lots of links to more fun sites.   If I started listing posts that I like I would have a very long list of links, so I’ll just say that you should go have a look for yourself and enjoy.

Elsa,  if you have a blog please let me know so that I can come by for a visit.


Thank you for visiting, Mary