Molly Cromwell dollhouse miniature show in Tyson's

greetings!

well my poor poor dollhouse projects have had to take a backseat to the massive holiday shenanigans i have going on in the studio.  however, we went to a dollhouse show yesterday and i wanted to tell y'all about it.  i learned lots of good stuff - mostly that even if i live to be 200 years old i will not have enough time to do all of the things and ideas i have in my head!

we went to a show put on each by Molly Cromwell.  it was in Tyson's Corner which is quite a hike from where we are but not as bad on a sunday as it is during the week!  my favorite part of the drive - seeing the work being done on the new subway line that should extend all the way out near my house eventually - man i can't wait for that!  just 5 more years to go :P 

i did not get to take any pictures of the booths inside because i was too busy looking AND keeping small hands out of the displays.  When we first got to the hotel i thought hmmm...the whole show is in one ballroom - i am used to giant craft shows in a convention center.  but remember this is miniatures - it does not take much space to display THOUSANDS of teensy tiny goodies!  these were not the miniatures you go buy at a store that are mass produced.  these were miniature artisans' displays - and WOW were these people amazing artisans.

here are a few of my favorite things i saw:

hands down my favorite artisan was M. R. Daniels.  but her stuff is so fantastic i will be doing an entire post on just that later this week!

my next fave - Minnie Kitchen - handmade miniature food from polymer clay.  that alone is something i am totally obsessed with and want to learn how to do.  but this girl's stuff is by far the best i have ever seen!  and it is all available on etsy at MinnieKitchen!  her oysters on the half shell are unbelievable.  well let's be honest everything she makes is amazing!  oh how i would love to spend a day sitting next to her and learning some things!  it was very difficult to tear pezza away from her display.  i daydream of spending a whole day in the studio with my polymer clay.....

next up was an interesting one - "The Fairy Lady" - adorable whimsical fairy furnishings and supplies to make your own.  not only was her stuff adorable but i had a very interesting conversation with her.  she is apparently the original Flower Soft creator - though that is not what she calls it.  and frankly i think hers is prettier.  i have often thought that flower soft started as a miniature landscaping medium and reminds me of the stuff my brother used to use for his model railroad landscaping.  according to her she was friends with the flower soft folks and told them how she creates her landscaping fluff.  next thing she knew they were producing it and marketing it on a large scale.  but she seems to have no animosity over it and is perfectly content to sell it at shows like she has always done.  be sure to stop by her Gallery too.

and the funnest part of the day - a FREE children's workshop!  this was put on by George and i believe donna.  They are the state reps for one of the miniature groups but i am not sure which one.  i have an email in to them to get more info which i will post when it comes.  being new to all this i still have a lot to discover.  so pezza went to the workshop and set to work:

 

 

Why is poor Mr. George blurry in this pic when the rest is in perfect focus?  because pezza was running him RAGGED.  and bless him he never missed a bit and was perfectly lovely and patient with her the ENTIRE time.  what a saint!  i think he may have even been a little entertained by her :)

and here is the adorable little project she created:

the kitties were not a part of the original project but came in a free grab bag for the kids at the show so she had them join in the scene...the scene uses great stuff like acorn caps, a tied rubber band piece for the chew toy, a golf tee, toothpicks and paper for the kite, the leash is ribbon and two jump rings - perfect kids workshop!

Here is a little peek at what it takes to get a pic in this house:

our new kitten - my adorable little bubba - is ALWAYS in the middle of whatever i am trying to do.

and now i am off to get my day under way!