I strongly suspect I'm not the only Pinterest aficionado who avidly collects pins on a multitude of boards, never to look at them again. It doesn't help that once Pinterest knows what you like to pin, it sends you emails every few days with pins you might like... it's like offering someone who's on a diet, but has no willpower, a selection of chocolates.
Irresistible.
As regular readers will know, there's nothing I like better than spending some time many hours on Pinterest, flitting from one delight to another, pinning freely as I go. It's my favourite time-wasting procrastinating research tool.
It's definitely a form of electronic hoarding, and there are very probably PA groups which operate like AA with members having to admit to their addiction before they can move on....
"Hello....my name is Sandra, and I'm a Pinaholic"
So, in an effort to justify my Pinterest addiction I'm going to make a concerted effort to actually DO something with them, as opposed to keeping them locked away in cyberspace.
I have one board in particular, which taunts me every time I pin something to it. It's titled Inspirational Toy Dolls and contains 245 pins showing beautiful vintage dolls which I particularly admire and which I'd like to try to recreate in micro-miniature.
Here is a small random selection.....
Exquisite, aren't they?
However, with one exception they are all quite large dolls... most are taller than 24".
Whereas I'll be trying to recreate their costumes and style using porcelain dolls under 2" tall.
Quite a size/scale discrepancy!
But hey.... you know I like a challenge.... right?
So, starting this week, I'm going to pick one at random and attempt to recreate a micro-miniature version.
My plan is to do one each week, many of which will end up in La Mignonette (my own French doll shop) but others might find their way either to the website, Etsy or Ebay.
I'll also document the results here..... what could possibly go wrong?!
*cue hysterical laughter*
Yes, I know I haven't posted for absolutely A-G-E-S. There's been a lot going on.... most of it good, including a wonderful holiday in France with lovely friends.
While we still have a few things in the pipeline for the second half of the year, it's mostly business as usual and I've been back to work, continuing the workroom downsizing exercise, which has finally reached a 'point of no return' tipping point.
Cupboards are beginning to echo, boxes have emptied and disappeared, many of my storage drawers are similarly empty and my stash of miniature goodies is now irrevocably depleted. That said, I've downsized all the 'easy' stuff, and I'm now spending longer considering whether to keep or sell particular miniatures from my collection.
I'm also now at the point where I will not be producing any more toy kits.... the small number I have left are in the Discontinued Kits area of the website and there are no more than a few of any of them. Which leaves the boxes of assorted kit components, which are also now being listed on the website HERE.
I am still planning my final workshop project pack which should be ready in the autumn and full details will be posted here in due course. It should have been done and dusted ages ago, but I keep adding more and more to it from my dwindling stash.
So what next...? Well, probably a slight change of direction, a website makeover and a different path for a while, pursuing a project close to my heart, which will hopefully take me up to full retirement in a few years time.
In a way I'm going full circle, back to my 'first love'... tiny dolls. Hopefully my new offerings will find favour with non-miniaturists too... collectors of small, lovely things not necessarily for doll's house purposes.
We'll see.
Still lots of ideas swirling around, bouncing off each other and forming new and different possibilities.
In the meantime though, the August Mini Miniature Show kicks off on 2nd August, and although I'm not offering a workshop pack this time, I still have lots of things to photograph and list.
Better get on with it then.
Toodle pip!
