MORE MINIS AND SOME AMAZING DOLLS!

Let's take a break from wedding stuff for this week and enjoy some adorable minis instead! Here are the results of Baby Cat and Jennifer's final (at least for now) miniature trade! 

I adapted my own sweater pattern from one that Jennifer found. The original was cute but difficult to get on and off because it had no buttons or snaps. The new snaps in the back but looks like a pull on sweater from the front, or it can be worn in reverse as a cardigan!

Doesn't this bear look so cute in her little crochet dress? 

Green is adorable too!

The weather wasn't quite warm enough for dresses when we made this trade, so our little model decided to put her sweater back on.

And here's Strawberry shortcake modeling a sweater of her very own!

Another cute sweater and scarf set for Strawberry Shortcake. 

Unfortunately, the lighting isn't as good for photography in my house as it was in the library (where the previous pictures were taken.) I am going to have to figure out a better setup when I take pictures at home.

In other news, and mostly as a result of trading with Jennifer, my dollhouse is coming together bit by bit!

As part of the last trade, I received this comfy sofa and two chairs. The living room is looking cozy!

Also part of the trade was this nice big bed and end table. I love the detail of the turned spindles on the bed, they look just like they would on a full-sized bed! The little table on the end of the bed looks like it would be perfect for storing knicknacks.

And here is a lovely old-fashioned desk in what might soon become the office.

The final addition to Baby Cat's dollhouse (for now)  is this pretty dresser, made complete by these perfect tiny perfume bottles I found in the sale bin at Collage!

I also got this little wine and cheese plate in the sale bin at Collage! The stem of the wine glass was broken but it was nothing a little tacky glue couldn't fix.

Baby Cat also found this amazing art doll magazine at Collage. Isn't this doll beautiful in a sort of morbid way? 

She is designed to decompose and be used as food for the little sprouts growing on her dress. Although it seems sad to see such a work of art decay, it is wonderful that it will return to the earth and create new life, unlike so many things that end up in landfills when their useful life is ended. (Not that I would ever throw this doll away, I would want to keep it!) 

The magazine includes basic instructions for making similar dolls and I am considering trying to make something similar to it on my own if I ever have the time. Until then, check out the original artist at: http://burymebaubles.tumblr.com/ or https://www.etsy.com/shop/burymebaubles. I know I can't get enough of looking at her dolls!

-Baby Cat

LET'S TRADE!

What do you get when a knitter/crocheter and a miniaturist are friends? The recipe for a great trade, of course!

Baby Cat has been knitting tiny sweaters for Jennifer of Plush Pussycat's adorable critters in exchange for some cute miniature furniture for Baby Cat's dollhouse!

Jennifer found all of the patterns and yarn, then Baby Cat turned them into sweaters! Jennifer also designed the backgrounds and took the pictures of the little kitty, Grandma Bear, and Strawberry Shortcake and her friend in their sweaters.

This is the first tiny sweater pattern baby cat made, on the tiniest needles she and Jennifer could find, 1.0mm! Jennifer designed the lovely background for this photo she took of this little kitty wearing her sweater! This is the child size sweater.

And here is Grandma Bear wearing the grown-up size of the same sweater.

Baby Cat also made these two sweaters for Strawberry Shortcake and Orange Blossom using slightly larger (but still tiny) needles. 

Here is another cute sweater pattern. The only problem is, there is no opening in the back so this bunny has to be careful not to hurt his ears taking it on and off! This picture was taken inside the sewing room of Baby Cat's dollhouse.

In exchange for the sweaters, Baby Cat got several very nice pieces of furniture for her dollhouse! She loves this old-fashioned kitchen set:

Kitchen cabinets with a little flour mill inside.

An old-fashioned ice box.

This sink is similar to the one Baby Cat and Fiancé Cat have in their house.

And this desk and cabinet:

And this cute little end table and quilt or towel rack:

Right now Baby Cat is working on some tiny crochet dresses for the Calico Critters, as well as some more sweaters! Stay tuned to see them, and more dollhouse furniture!

-Baby Cat

Happy New Year! Check out these cute miniature houses!

Happy New Year! Here is my Christmas project, finally completed. I got the pattern for this crochet gingerbread house a couple of years ago from my grandma. I did all of the crocheting a long time ago but didn't completely finish putting it together. This year, I decided to finally finish it and turn it into a cute centerpiece instead of a bunch of little crocheted pieces taking up space in Momma Cat's house.

Front View

The crocheted walls and roof of the house have a backing of plastic canvas to stiffen them. Even so, the house was pretty wobbly once I sewed it all together. I consulted my favorite engineer, who suggested making a structural frame out of wire hangers to strengthen the walls against wobbling. I bent a few wire hangers and sewed them along the edges and corners of the inside of the house, and it worked very well!

Side View

The base is a foam disk that I crocheted around with white sparkly yarn. Then I sewed the house and all of the little candy decorations to the base. The little peppermints are my favorite, but the gumdrops, lollipops, and gingerbread men were all fun too!

Back View

The smoke billowing from the chimney is just some polyester stuffing I arranged to give it  a cozy feel, along with the warm glow from the yellow crocheted windows.

Side View

And now, for my next house project...

I bought this beautiful dollhouse kit from my friend Jennifer of plushpussycat.com. If you haven't seen Jennifer's blog she makes amazing dollhouses, miniatures, and adorable needle-felted animals! She even gave me a bag full of wonderful miniature treasures to put in my house when it is done. 

I have heard that when making a dollhouse it is best to do the painting and wallpaper before you put the house together. For me, the wall finishes are among the hardest decisions to make because they have such a huge impact on the overall look of the house, even after the rest of the design work is done. For this reason I might have to do a lot of thinking and looking at different color combinations before this house will be finished. Right now, I am thinking of trying to make the exterior look like stone. I am going to research this and see if it looks like something I can do. 

I can't wait to see what my finished house will look like and who will live in it. I guess I better get to work!

-Baby Cat

Grandpa's Miniature Tools

Momma Cat recently wrote a post on some of the wonderful things we found at my aunt and uncle's garage sale that had belonged to my grandma. We also found some very special things of my grandpa's, which I would like to write about now.

My grandpa was amazing at woodworking, and some of the precious toys he made for his children and grandchildren included a dollhouse and dollhouse furniture! (The dollhouse dining room set that I am putting together right now belonged to my grandpa too.) As I have also recently taken an interest in furniture, both full-sized and miniature, I brought back these precious miniature tools that my grandpa used to make dollhouse furniture, including...

A mini table saw, for cutting pieces that would be too small for a regular table saw. I'll admit, the first time I learned how to use a table saw and was told not to cut pieces smaller than a certain size, my first concern was what I would do if I needed to cut something out for, say, a dollhouse. Well, this is it!

A mini jig saw, for detailed tiny cuts.

And a mini lathe, for turning tiny table legs and such.

These tools are so special not only because of their unique purpose but especially because they belonged to my grandpa. I am so lucky that my grandparents and parents were and are so creative and talented! They inspire me so much every day and I feel closest to my family when I am creating.

-Baby Cat