Thursday, January 2, 2014

Bring in the New:

Happy New Year, I hope you had a lot of fun and happy times between Christmas and New Year's Day.

I have been working on my mini bathroom. People wonder why on earth it takes so long to complete a miniature bathroom. I have to do a lot of thinking and real life just gets in the way. I know the miniature world understands.

Elizabeth of StudioE Miniatures (go there right now and enter in her amazing give away and then come right back), had suggested I put a window-lite above the door to break up the dominant blue wall.  Obliging sidekick Bruce soon had a hole cut in the wall so it could be done.  I have to be very careful what I wish for as he interprets every wish as a command!



Yes, it greatly improved the look of the wall.  More mini consultations on the phone with Elizabeth. I do hope you have been over to her blog and entered her give-away!!  On her recommendation I have installed crown molding ...... and it is perfect!  The blue wallpaper is now contained and looks right at last.

A light fixture has been added. The bath has been spray painted copper. I have to give a nod to Brae of Otterine as she gave a tutorial on painting and aging her bath in the haunted house.  Thank you Brae. I did not age the bath as that is not the style of this mini house.

The upper floor that includes the childrens room, upper bathroom and attic has not been affixed permanently which is why you can see a different colour on the left edge of the ceiling.


Light switches for each room are made with domed jewellery findings. I added a small illusion of a toggle to the hole in the middle with a piece of flat toothpick painted black.


It is always fun to make bead bottles. The pedestal soap dish is made with a clear plastic suction cup. Can you see the little painting of a lady behind the button jar?
The bottom drawer of the cabinet is filled with toilet rolls.  This is need to know information only.


The towels are made from a linen handkerchief delicately edged. The previous towels had a blue stripe that I thought would help tie in the colour of the walls. I prefer these ones. I made the towel rod from a piece of brass rod and attached it to the wall with earring backs cut in half to create supports.


A new gold/black jersey dressing gown - previous one was blue paisley cotton.  Yes,  jersey is difficult to work but I was encouraged by Fatima's use of jersey for the dressing gown she made for the Green Dolphin Street cottage.

The floor mat is a photocopy on suede paper, sized for the area. I dulled the shine on the sconces and light fixture with Revlon matt nail polish $7 - a cheaper but effective alternative to Elizabeth's use of  Chanel matt nail polish that she illustrated on one of her tutorials.

Bath Side:
Bath rack, made by Bruce, contains bead bottles, fimo soap in a shell,  a natural sea sponge.  A towel of fine cotton corduroy drapes over the edge.



 The jewellery-finding candlesticks with pill capsule chimneys and Q-tip candles are two of a large collection that Elizabeth and I made several years ago. Roses in a glass canister.  I do note that the clock has taken a bit of a tumble.


Elizabeth made the bead brass-look pedestal and the fimo soaps it contains. Mini pom-poms for cotton balls. Towels in the cabinet and this utility shelf are made with white baby washcloths tied with silk ribbon.





The Attic:



The attic is beginning to fill. The metal child's bed came from the Seattle Show last year. The Edwardian hat and purse sits on a suitcase made by Fatima. The hatboxes were made by Elizabeth.


 At last I have been able to match the original rug by enlarging it and printing a copy on suede paper. I added the fringe using a piece of grosgrain ribbon that I carefully stripped to reveal the warp and then attached with glue. The doll's pram was made by Elizabeth, christening gown on cupboard by Fatima.

If you have not seen the children's bathroom, and would like to,  you will find it in previous posts: April 2010 Attic Bathroom and more on the children's room at: March 2013 Children's Room




It's time to pack away the Christmas decorations.

.... but before you go, a bit of levity - not Miniatures.

I noticed Liberty Biberty showed her vintage elves that she bought when she visited Kim in California.

I also have an elf. I estimate she is at least 65 years old. My Mother gave her to me when we first settled in Canada. The elf had been on my family Christmas' trees when I was a child but I will ask my Mother when I visit her for her 90th birthday in Australia in early February if she remembers just how old the elf is.




I wanted my Grandchildren 7, 5, 4 and 1 year olds to take notice of her - just telling them about her sentimental value to me did not seem enough for them to connect with her. I had noted the Elf on the Shelf blogs and decided we should do something similar to make it a special part of our holiday gathering each year.

So this is what we did together. In brief.


Elf decided she needed an adventure before she went back to the Land of Storage.



She met some of the GI Joes but they didn't want to share their play area and a snow-ball fight ensued.


Elf was captured.


A superhero came to her rescue.


They decided they could have an adventure together.



Skateboarding was fun.


Elf taught superhero how to play Uno.


and they played cars too.  It's great to have friends!


So friends, thank you for visiting.  Enjoy all the small adventures in your life and keep healthy and happy.

regards Janine and Bruce

28 comments:

  1. Hi Janine & Bruce. I love Elf's adventures. When I grew up we had an elf (although at the time we called him a Pixie) that went on our tree every year. Mum still has him and I would dearly love him but Mum is also sentimental about him. He is so worn out the plastic in his pointy feet has worn through the felt. He is the same as the Elf on the Shelf elfs so I might have to find myself one to go on our tree next year. I love your bathroom with all its wonderful details like the light switches, bottles and the shelf running around the room to hold little bits and pieces and Bruce's bath rack. I hadn't thought of using Q-tips for candles but I could imagine they would work well. Best wishes to you both for a wonderful 2014.

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    1. I left a message with Sharee to let her know to check her Qtips. If they are hollow they are the correct ones to use. Simply pull a thread through an appropriate length of candlestick and glue it in place. When it is dry trim the wick and dot it with black pen to create a burned wick. If your Qtips are not hollow try buying some at a dollar store as the cheaper ones are usually plastic and hollow.
      Have fun!
      Janine

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  2. Happy New Year Janine and Bruce! Loving your bathroom, so many precise little details make it special and thanks for telling us how you made some of them. Heheh, the little Elf and the story brought a smile to me. I'm sure those grandkids will have very fond memories.

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  3. Hello Janine! A Great post with Terrific photos! Your bathroom is Beautiful and the new area rug looks Perfect on the floor. I love the deeper richer color that you have chosen. The larger area rug in the children's bedroom, anchors the bed and the other items, in a much more cohesive way. What a difference the right size rug makes to the space! :D
    Your elf adventures is so humorous! I too thought about your Christmas elf, when I saw the Elves on Mercedes blog! It seems that Great minds think alike. :)) I like the contrast of the aggressive "I mean business" pose of Batman and the soft shy look of Elf clinging to Batman's back on the skateboard! so cute!!! ..... I think that Batman and Elf should have new adventures every Christmas from now on, as new tradition! It really tickles me what that little Sprite has been up to in the past few days; first escape, then a snowball fight ,capture , rescue, and flight on a skateboarding, playing cards then cars... whew! Elf will have lots of memories to ponder back in the storage box .... but you still haven't said who won that game of Uno? :D

    elizabeth

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  4. ROFL!!! I LOVE Elf's little adventure. How flipping adorable and creative. You must have had a blast with that, Janine. Just love it. I'm going to show my husband and son when they get up this morning. They'll get a kick out of it too. I hope you have a wonderful trip in February visiting with your Mom in Australia and find out how old Elf is.

    Your mini bathroom is GORGEOUS!!! I love it and so genius. I marvel at the creativity of others and get so inspired. All these things I haven't thought of to try. Being so new to this all I've got so much to learn about miniatures. I was thrilled with myself to make a topiary out of an old spool, some moss and paper flowers this week... but what you've done in your bathroom, that's just beautifully creative. I can't believe you've used all those tiles. It looks fabulous. Very impressed, indeed.

    Bright blessings for a beautiful 2014,
    Bird http://birdsearthyspirit.blogspot.com/

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    1. Hi Susan, The tiles in the bathroom are scored white laminate. You can use a mat knife or a fine screw driver to reveal the under cover of laminate. It takes careful measuring! I think if you just wanted a backsplash it would be an easy beginning trial project.
      Janine

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  5. Oh, I LOVE the adventures of Elf!!! That made me smile ear to ear!!!
    Your mini bathroom looks great! Details are the key to mini rooms and I think you have made them just Perfect!
    Happy New Year!

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  6. Your bathroom is a marvel with beautiful details. It may seem stupid to say but I love your taps, they look so real. I love seeing your work.
    Happy New Year to you too! A sweet 2014!
    Geneviève

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  7. LOL I Love it, Batman came to the rescue. thank you for showing the completed bathroom I really enjoyed the tour. Happy New Year

    Hugs
    Marisa :)

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  8. This is a beautiful and elegant bathroom. I like the details.
    We still have Christmas decorations; the end of holidays is jenuary 6th for the feast of the Epiphany.
    Happy 2014!
    Faby

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  9. I really like the transom light. It does break the wall a little and give interest to the door *jots down notes for future builds*. The bathroom is lovely too, with so much detail.
    Elf's adventures had me giggling =0D
    Happy New Year!

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  10. The bathroom is simply stunning. The details are incredible. Elizabeth was correct with the window lite. She has such an eye, doesn't she?
    The elf adventures made me smile...especially the capture & playing Uno. Happy New Year!
    Lisa

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  11. I am loving your bathroom....so many lovely details to look at. Isn't it the best part about miniatures to have 'like minded' people around you that you can bounce some ideas off on....does that make sense.....lol???

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  12. Your bathroom is absolutely fantastic. I love every detail. It wouldn't shame a 1:1 real one.
    The elf is so cute! Lovely scenes.
    Happy New Year!
    Hugs, Drora

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  13. Love your rooms and all the special little items made by friends and from bits you find around the house, very inventive. I also enjoyed you story of Elf, he really took to skateboarding it seems! I am sure the grand kids will appreciate him more now they have seen what an adventurous life he's had.

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  14. Cette salle de bain est une petite merveille,que de détails,c 'est splendide!!!
    Isabelle

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  15. Hi Janine! I love the style of your bathroom! I can even see it in a real house! Ohhh, how I wish my apartment was blessed with such a room!The colour of that wallpaper anchors everything. I love all the delicate touches such as the candlesticks and all those gorgeous fancy bottles. I like that shelf that goes around the room and is able to hold so many interesting objects -- extra eye candy! Love that rug! I very much enjoyed the adventures of your little elf and batman. I love stuff like that and I was very amused by it all. Especially the beach scene where elf seems to be hanging on for dear life. I'm still chuckling! Your grandchildren must have liked that! It's a good way to build memories and in the future, they will learn to love and appreciate the elf because of those amusing adventures you are putting it through! Such fun! Wishing you and Bruce a very Happy New Year! I almost forgot! I absolutely adore that gorgeous little armoire. It looks perfect in that bathroom! Also, I am crazy about that little pram Elizabeth made. Of course I love everything Fatima makes. You three girls are so talented!

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  16. Hi Janine, I love your bathroom. I want it in RL!! All the little touches and details, so beautiful. The Qtip candles, what a brilliant idea. So are the tiles made from white scored laminate. As for your Elf's adventures, they are very funny, especially skateboarding with Batman. I second Elizabeth' motion to make it a recurring adventure :-)
    Thank you for sharing your incredible bathroom and your tips and tricks.
    And also thank you for your comment on my blog!
    X
    Veronique

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  17. Hello Janine
    Finally got around to visit your blog as I like to have time to read and go back and forth through the blog. The bathroom looks spectacular. I love everything about it. I was trying to figure out the "handles" with Qtips? Not sure what that is about.
    I also love the new feature on the blog.
    fats

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    Replies
    1. Hee hee ....I wasn't trying to be funny! My cold/flu seems to have effected my reading skills....I read "handles"...thank you for clarifying. I really thought I was missing some new and exciting technique.

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  18. Tu cuarto de baño es precioso, muy bien hecho y con unos detalles monísimos.
    La historia de Elf he muy simpática.
    Feliz año nuevo
    Besitos
    Isabel

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  19. Oh my goodness! That bathroom is amazing! You did not miss a single detail. I think I will "steal" your idea of using hankies for towels. Great texture. I also love the light switch! Little things like that really complete a mini space. I would love for you to enter my giveaway going on this month! http://www.toddlindsey.com/2014/01/giveaway.html

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  20. Thank you so much for commenting on my post! That gave me the opportunity to find you and I'm now a follower. I love your bathroom and there are so many details that the eyes can't focus on just one thing! :) Well done for following Elizabeth advice....it does look very good. I'm fascinated by your travel too.....it must have been amazing.....it would be nice to sit with a cup of tea and just listen to your adventures!! Hugs!

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  21. Hello Minwks, the tiling is superb! love all the details, spotted your bead bottles, I had a go at making some recently, great fun and so quick, not like scoring out those tiles at all, but definitely worth the time doing, they look fantastic.

    P.s. things like wonky clocks happen to me all the time, you think you have the scene perfect, then later on you see it, whatever it is that fell out of place :D

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  22. Merry 2014 Christmas Janine!
    I wish that you had your French House decorated for the holidays like you dld in 2013!
    Oh well, here's hoping for MORE next NEW YEARS, which would actually be this New Years, if you get my drift. :D
    Happy Holidays!:D

    elizabeth

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  23. It's always wonderful to gaze at your beautiful minis! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your entire family.
    hugs♥,
    Caroline

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  24. Wonderful! I'm so glad you commented on my blog so I could find yours again. I've been a follower for a long time, not sure why I haven't kept current.

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