HURRY! Time is running out to vote on the Readers' Choice Awards

Voting for the annual About.com miniatures Readers' Choice Awards ends on 21  March so you'll need to be quick!!

The Finalists in the Best Miniature Blog category are:

• Casey's Minis
• Mags-nificent Miniatures
• Mini Garden Guru
• Mini Modern
• Otterine

The Finalists in the Best Miniature Building Kit category are:

• Cerveny Shop by Victoria Miniland
• Crooked Stick Lane By Suzanne and Andrew's Miniatures
• Rosebud Cottage by Petite Properties

The Finalists in the Best Miniature Product category are:

• Antique McLoughlin Bros Children's Book Kits From Paper Minis
• Battery Operated Led Lamps and Chandeliers From Sutton Miniatures
• Dremel Stylus Lithium Ion Cordless
• In Miniature Style ll Book by Christine Verstraete
• Miniature LED Building Lighting Kits from Evan Designs

Clicking on the links above will take you to a page at About.com for each finalist. Each of those pages has a link to the finalist's blog or website, it also has a link at the bottom that will take you to the page where you can vote.

This 1/144th scale Victorian Dollhouse by Kristie Norman has Chip Lights from Evans Designs, Finalists in the Best Miniature Product category in 6 rooms.

Visit Normans Country Creek for more information about this tiny dollhouse.

Photo source Evans Designs miniaturists gallery: click here to visit and see some of their LED lights in other mini projects. 

You can see my original post (15 April 2010) about Evans Design lighting here - I think the chip lighting has been added to their range since then but I could be wrong about that, anyway the page for info the chip lighting is here.  The project that I mentioned in that 2010 post that sent me off looking for lighting solutions was put to one side shortly after but one of these days you might actually get to see it!  Hopefully sooner rather than later!

You can vote once per category of awards per 24 hour day until the voting ends on March 21st.

Be sure to support your favourite(s).

(RCA logo and some text and links sourced from the About.com website.) 

My giveaway surprise prizes revealed

This is the 'surprise package' that the winner of my recent giveaway, Jennybee, received: an aged table and cupid with a little set of mini mail as well as the set of doilies.  

The mini mail was included for everyone who won the doiley sets (I didn't realise until I saw this photo that I'd forgotten to 'age' the edges of the envelope and postcards!).  The tiny photo in the envelope is of my mother as a young girl.  She's now becoming a bit famous in the mini world - oh how she would blush at the thought.

A few of you have noticed that I haven't been very active around Blogland for a while - I've got quite a lot of non-mini projects going on at the moment which are taking my time and attention but I hope to see more of what you're all doing soon - as well as get back to doing some mini work myself!

My 'guilty secret' is that the dollhouse for the little girls hasn't progressed beyond what you see on the post of 25 January :(   If I don't get busy on that again very soon it'll be lucky to be delivered by NEXT Christmas!  I hope I'll be back shortly with some progress to show you :)

And lastly a note to say 'HI' to new Followers, thanks for dropping by!  

I've been lucky!!

I was recently the lucky winner of Susan's giveaway, the prize was this pretty hand-crocheted 1:12 scale shawl.  The thread is very fine and as you can see it's perfectly made. 

As always I'm amazed at Susan's skill with thread and hook. 

Be sure to visit her blog

minicrochetmad

and see more of her lovely work.

Photo credit: Susan @ minicrochetmad



Giveaway draw...

Congratulations to new blogger Jennybee!! 

The surprise package and a set of doilies is yours!

Click here to visit Jennybee's blog 

"The Dark Side of a mini addict"

The winners of the remaining three doilie sets are

Debbie @ debbie's mini thoughts and creations

TINK-SONIA @ MINITINK

malu2 @ Malu's Minis

Can you all please email your addresses to me at normabennett@hotmail.com so that I can post your prize packages to you.

As promised here is the link to the online miniatures

store where you can purchase these laser cut paper doilie sets

Fairy Meadow Miniatures

Lorraine presently has two sets on the website shown here with the stock numbers,  the price of each set is AUD7.90 so they are an affordable way to bring a little something special to your miniature setting.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the giveaway, and a big welcome to new followers!

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 My humble apologies for the dreadful quality of my giveaway draw photos - they certainly don't do justice to my handsome assistant :)  I have no idea what's going on with the camera today, or is it the photographer??  Next time I think I'd better leave the photography to the expert, my assistant's mummy, Lamina at doabit

500 Followers giveaway is finally here!! CLOSED on 14 Feb - WINNERS ANNOUNCED SOON

At last - my giveaway announcement! 

I have 4 sets of these pretty lasercut paper doilies (1/12 scale) to giveaway,

one set for each of the first four names drawn

PLUS

the first name drawn will also win a small 

The final day to enter is Valentine's Day - 14 February 2012

_____________________________________

As usual this giveaway draw is only open to Followers of this blog

(but it's not too late to become one!)

You may advertise this giveaway on your blog if you wish, but it is not a condition of entry.

Good luck everyone!!

(When the winners are announced I will also tell you where you can purchase these tiny doilies online, so even if you're not lucky in the draw you can still have some in your dollhouse.)

~ this giveaway draw is now closed  ~ 

the winners will be announced here soon 

Renovation rescue - way behind schedule!

I can't believe it's 25 January already! - and I still haven't finished the dollhouse renovation that I'd planned to complete by Christmas!

When I found out that the little girls who will be the new owners of this house would be out of town for Christmas, and several weeks afterwards, there was no pressure to finish it so quickly.   This also meant that I could take more time and make it look better than if I had to hurry. 

Click here to read how I found this house and rescued it from the garbage truck.

Progress so far...

The bathroom will be inaccessible when the front bathroom wall and the roof go on, but it will be able to be seen well enough through the doorway.  I bought the little table in a discount store for $2, painted it and added the basin, tap, etc.  The basin is a bit of packaging from a box of chocolates, the faucet is made of covered wire.  The toilet bowl is made from a laundry powder scoop.  The shower head is made from covered wire and a couple of buttons.  The shower screen is plastic sheeting with the blue plastic covering left on one side so that it looks like coloured glass.  The shiny white wall and floor surface is high gloss photo print paper.

The basic furniture for the other  rooms is all ready to go in when the renovation is complete - which it nearly is.  More on the completion of this project later.

Giveaway coming soon!! - please wait for details!!

I haven't forgotten I promised a giveaway in January - please wait a few days for me to post the details and then you can enter :)   Thanks for your patience!

Christmas Presents - big and little

How lucky am I??  Lamina (@ do a bit) made me these gorgeous cushions for Christmas - the 'human size' ones are her own screen printed designs, and the 1:12 little cuties are inkjet computer printed copies.  She's a very clever, very creative - and generous - gal :)  Thank you Lamina!!

Click here to visit Lamina's blog to see more of her creative projects.

Photo credit : Lamina @ 'do a bit'