New Quarter Scale 1:48 kit, Nautical Shelf and Boathouse Theater

I'm very sorry for being away from blogging for so long!! I had a surprise operation on my knee on March 18 during Shelly's Show, poor John had to take orders and send invoices until I was on my feet again but I managed with the orders. I say it was a surprise because when I went to see the specialist on the 17th he mentioned my operation probably wouldn't be until the fall but he had an opening for the following morning. I felt so tired for a while but it was a simple operation to fix a torn meniscus. I'm excited because we will hopefully get back to ballroom dancing again in September. I'm doing lots of exercises that are helping, biking and walking. It is sure better than it was before.

The first photo shows a new kit I recently finished in quarter scale with a Nautical theme shelf and Boathouse Theater. I thought it would be fun for a boys' room in quarter scale for him to put on the floor and change backgrounds and boats. It will be a roundtable kit for the quarter connection Yahoo Group happening in June. I'm designing other kits too that I hope to have up soon.

The bottom three photos I took while we were walking to the Oak Bay Marina, Victoria B.C. which is not too far away from us. We are so lucky to live so close to the beach. The middle photo shows Geese with their Goslings (5 I think).

I love nautical themes and have many nautical French postcards from the early 1900's that I have used in collages which are handy for gift tags in my Etsy.

Mini Hugs, Jean

A Mini Miniature Show, a terrific free online show starts March 17 to March 20

Very exciting news: Shelly's online "A Mini Miniature Show", starts tonight (10 pm mst USA) and goes through until Sunday evening. I love being part of this show, there are so many dealers, door prizes, roundtables and workshops. I am offering quite a few roundtables and have many new cotton laser laces and kits to offer on my show page. Since my prices at the show are in Canadian funds, that gives a 25% savings for US customers because of our exchange rate. Here is a link to the shows website. .http://aminiminiatureshow.weebly.com/

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Free Printable of a Spring Song

I hope you enjoy this new free printable.I really loved this sweet image that was on the cover of one of my vintage needlework books. Just imaging getting a magazine with this image on the cover in the mail, so many must have been delighted. It is filled with such joy and I can just hear the birds chirping. Outside one day I heard so many birds chirping all at once, it was like a choir, really amazing.

We just got back from visiting my oldest son Tony and his partner Georgia in Huntington Beach LA. It was wonderful to see them again and our favorite granddog Artie. We really enjoyed the sunny weather and wonderful restaurants with so many Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Vegetarian offerings. So different than when I started being Gluten Free about 28 years ago. They gave us such a wonderful time while we were there too!! Tony and Georgia are coming out with a new EP soon and produce their music under the name LIINKS, their song The Break was on radios across Canada last year. We are very happy and wish them loads of success.

I'm back to mini designing again and have been enjoying many new lace designs I hope to have finished soon. Shelly's show "A Mini Miniature Show" which is not so mini any more is coming soon  so be on the look out for that March 17 to March 20.

Happy Miniing or any other Creative Outlet you are into at this time!

Valentine Free Printables

Hi Everyone,

Look what I found in an antique Needlework magazine I was looking at this morning!! It was such a coincidence with Valentines just around the corner. I thought someone might be able to use them for a tiny greeting, scrapbooking or other printable uses. The middle one was in the magazine and I fixed it up a bit then colourized the others. I hope everyone treats themselves well and has a wonderful Valentines.

Hugs, Jean

New 1:12 Scale Laser Lace Designs

1:12 or Twelfth Scale.....These photos shows just a few of my new Cotton Laser Lace designs I now have up on our website http://jdayminis.com

My website is in Canadian funds which means a savings to customers. I have adapted these designs from my antique French, English and US Needlework magazines that I've always wondered why I have kept them so long. More recently I've been really enjoying the antique French cutwork style designs. I'm always so excited and amazed at the detail that the laser cutter with cut the designs. I like the Valentine handbag design with Valentines approaching

New 1:48 French Country Kits I am offering at the Quarter Connection Roundtables

These photos show my new quarter scale 1:48 kits that I'm offering for sale in the Yahoo Group Quarter Connection Roundtable and Mega Rountable sales that start today. I designed the laser lace and laser cut furniture pieces and John designed the shutters on his 3D printer.

Jounal52 Digital Photomontages for weeks 5, 4, and 3

I have always wanted to do a journal of some sort, aside from my daily planner that is quite impersonal and not artisitc. Mary Ann Potter from From the Starcatcher Blog. Mary Ann is a very talented poet, artist and miniaturist who mentioned on her blog that she was following Journal52. She has had her wonderful work published in Sumerset Studio magazines quite often.

Journal52 http://journal52.com/  has 2 artists who make two varied suggestions for a theme each week. There is also a private facebook page where all the artists who have joined share their photos from their journals each week. It is so inspiring and so many artist with such varied versions of the themes. I was a couple of weeks late and I'm still catching up. I started working in a sketch book which was great for ideas but I really enjoy working in Photoshop on digital designs which I will print out and add to the album. That way I can add scrapbooking elements too if I want.

Above I am showing my digital photomontages from 3 weeks. The 3rd week is the upper photo where I used the theme of a favorite song I called "Maizy Doats" from a song written in the 40's that my mom used to sing all the time, I remembered photos I took of sheep on a trip to Scotland, the illustration I did for a dress design in miniature years ago. The 4th was a moon theme I called Almost a Moon and I thought I would have fun with a bird image from and antique postcard, I puffed it up quite a bit. The 5th week was a monochromatic theme and your mood. I chose the digital image I gave as a freebie this last week and added some elements of other roses and trims to which I added a glow in the same monochromatic shade.

Have a great week!! Mini Hugs, Jean

Free Printables Roses, Update on previous post about Google Follower Changes and how it might affect you.

Here are a couple more vintage rose ads I found in my needlework magazines from the 1920s. I thought they were really beautiful and removed the lettering for you to add your own words or photos. I thought you might like them for gift cards, scrapbooking, miniature flower catalog covers or a nice miniature framing for a tiny photo of a loved one to frame in you mini house. I'm sure you can come up with many more ideas.

In my blog of Jan 8, I mentioned what I had read in my Google Blog overview and posted the message from Blogger Buzz about Google changing the google followers policy to only include Google Account holders as Google followers. It might affect you if you do not belong to Google. I have noticed that many of my followers are missing. If you noticed you are no longer a follower of my blog you just have to sign up with a Google Account and refollow me. You might enjoy belonging to Google. There are many benefits: Google Gmail, Google books to read for free, Google blogs to make your own easy to use blog and Google+ to connect and follow other Google+ followers and see what they are posting that they enjoy. Thank you so much to my followers, you inspire me to post more and I always enjoy following other blogs. I have always thought it was great to be able to ad images of people I follow down on the left side of my pages, it makes it so much more easy for me to follow others. If you are not on my favorite blogs list you and you would like me to ad you, please let me know and I will ad your blog and follow you. I don't always comment but enjoy reading so many wonderful blogs.

Mini Hugs, Jean

Free Printable Needlework Catalog cover and Valentine Pillow Case Ideas

Since Valentines is just around the corner I thought you might like the pillow case ideas for miniature pillow cases or other designs. You could use them as a tiny pattern in a sewing basket. I thought the catalog cover would look nice in a sewing basket as a catalog too. I always loved making tiny books and magazines from ads. This ad was from a 1927 February needlework magazine. The little girls could be used on the front of a miniature pattern. I just found this link to a great blog with more photos you might enjoy looking at from a different 1927 catalog, sure gives you a great idea of what was fashionable at that time.http://apronhistory.blogspot.ca/2012/03/herrschners-1927-8-catalog.html

Free Printable from 1926 magazine, Digital Download sale on Etsy

After viewing my last image of 20's hats I remembered this image from another 1926 vintage magazine that I loved. The entire design is so balanced and sophisticated. Loved the colours too by Helen Dryden.

Wikipedia says:

"Helen Dryden (1887 – 1972) was an American artist and successful industrial designer in the 1920s and 1930s. She was reportedly described by the New York Times as being the highest-paid woman artist in the United States, though she lived in comparative poverty in later years.

In addition to her prolific career as an illustrator, in 1914 Dryden launched a successful career as a costume designer. She designed the scenery and some of the costumes for the musical comedy Watch Your Step, followed by designs for several other stage plays including Clair de Lune, the fanciful drama based loosely on a Victor Hugo romance. Helen Dryden's costume designs were generally given equal credit for the play's success.

Following the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, Dryden turned her attention to industrial design, producing a number of designs for tableware, lamps, and other housewares, for the Revere Corporation. She had a highly paid job with the Dura Company until the stock market crash of 1929, at which point she was replaced^. It seems Dryden never fully recovered from this blow."

If you google images by Helen Dryden you will find all of her lovely work.

I thought you might like to use this in a Hat Shop miniature setting or as the cover of a book.

If you are interested in Digital Downloads for your designing of finished products I have a sale in my Etsy shop of most of my digital designs. 30% discount, the sale lasts until Feb 1, 2016.
https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/jdayminis

Until nest time, have a wonderful life, Mini Hugs, Jean

Free Printable of 20's hats, TV shows

TV shows set in the 20's and 30's are always my favorite. I love Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, especially the beautiful costumes, so fabulous! Miss Fisher books are so interesting too. Love Downton Abbey too and wish it were going to have more seasons. Also Agatha Christie's Poirot TV series with David Suchet are terrific, wonderful furniture and settings too. The cars are so magnificent. These hats really reminded me of the 20's era of straw or shaped felt, very sophisticated and such a terrific reminder of an interesting era. I loved the way this illustration looks like a 3 way mirror with items laying on the table. This free printable was from a vintage magazine from June 1929 and I thought you might like it for a miniature hat shop, magazine cover or other items you are making.

For New Years we went with friends to a wonderful event that was 20's themed, great fun to dress up.

Mini Hugs, Jean

Free printable & My Reading List of favorites for 2015

This lovely young girl sitting on a bench I thought you might enjoy using for a gift card or other personal item you might make. I loved the sheep on her dress, all the colours are so lovely. This beautiful illustration was on the cover of an 1927 magazine.

I love to read!! In a blog of 2010 I decided as a New Year's Resolution would be to try to read one book a week...this has really expanded and I read 80 books last year. My favorites were

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society by Ann Shafer and Annie Barrows
Paris in Love by Eloisa James

Do you have books you really enjoyed reading lately?

Mini Hugs, Jean

3 Free Printables, Sepia Hooked Style Rugs for Miniatures or Crafts

After mentioning making miniature or dollhouse hooked rugs with bunka I remembered these Hooked Rug images from a 1932 vintage magazine. I scanned them, cleaned up the images for more clarity and colourized them in an autumn, sepia shade. These could be printed onto fabric and used as they are, coloured or used for bunka designs.There are other personal projects you could use these rugs for too. The first is a Grape-Vine Motif with an interesting border. The second would look good in a breakfast or dining room. The third rug's motive would look nice in front of a hearth or in an entrance way.

Mini Hugs, Jean

My Grandmother's Aprons

 When I was looking through a lovely old magazine from 1932 this morning I came across an ad for aprons and the illustrations reminded me so much of my maternal Grandmother's aprons. My mother was born in 1921 so she would have been only 11 when these aprons were so popular. These style of aprons were what my grandmother wore as long as I remember. Since she lived with us from the time I was 9 until I was 18, I remember her wearing this style on Saturday mornings especially when it was her baking day. (Monday was her washing day). She used to make the most delicious scones and potatoe scones that used to be rolled up and eaten with butter and jam melting out of them. She also made a huge raisin cinnamon pie in a baking sheet and her shortbread was the best. I loved the old aprons of my mothers and grandmothers and kept many of them for sentimental reasons. I do enjoy displaying a couple of them on old doors we have in our atrium. I found a couple more of her aprons to show you how similar in style they were to what she wore. The middle apron in the photo above was never warn because it still has a tag on it in paper. There is also a towel that I remembered of hers when I was little. The 2 photos above shows her aprons that are very similar to the ad, one has lovely embroidery too. Interesting what will trigger memories of lovely baking smells and times.

I was thinking that the ad could be useful if you are designing and sewing miniature or larger aprons of your own. I found a lovely designed apron from Portugal last year in a second hand shop, that is yellow with bright primary colours. It is such a treat to wear it while cooking or baking. The bright colours make me feel energized.

Mini Hugs, Jean

Free Printable Miniature Carpets or Rugs

This morning I thought I would add another couple more miniature dollhouse rugs or carpets to my blog. The top rug, which could be for a baby or children's room from the 20's on was from a vintage children's book that makes up into rooms. The second was from a small image in a magazine that I had to fiddle with in Photo Shop, it is a bit skewed but looks quite home made by rug hooking. Good for a house with a miniature lady who loves making had crafted items for her home. It might look nice in a farm house or older home by a bed or entrance way. A suede like fabric or fabric with a bit of a nap works well if you use an iron on transfer for your rugs.

I taught a bit of rug hooking years ago and I remember at the time and there was a group called The Happy Hookers, a very innocent group that loved to hook rugs. My mother used to hook rugs too and she would strip woven wool into many strips and dye them in lovely soft rose tones, she started a beautiful rug but never finished it, sometimes it is all about the journey. Making miniature hooked rugs with bits of pulled bunka glued onto a background with your design drawn on it is fun too. I did a few of those and they look good in many settings. There are also some miniaturists who make beautiful hooked rugs that I have bought from, wonderful work.

Mini Hugs, Jean

Free Printables a Rose Miniature Carpet, Baby in Pink Painting and Important Google Followers update

I thought miniaturist's might enjoy this carpet which can be printed onto fabric for other scales to for your personal projects. There was just a small part of it in an antique magazine but I loved the design so I cloned some of the parts and gradually turned it into a full carpet. The edges are not as nice as I would have liked them to be but if you could trim it or add fringe to match. I loved the baby painting and thought you might to. It is also from an antique magazine. I thought you might like to use it for gift cards or framed in miniature etc.

As of January 11 there will be an update on Google Blogs and I am posting the info below. I wanted to add this update from Google about everyone who is not Google Blog connected will be removed from our followers.

Posted: December 21, 2015

In 2011, we anounced the retirement of Google Friend Connect for all non-Blogger sites. We made an exception for Blogger to give readers an easy way to follow blogs using a variety of accounts. Yet over time, we’ve seen that most people sign into Friend Connect with a Google Account. So, in an effort to streamline, in the next few weeks we’ll be making some changes that will eventually require readers to have a Google Account to sign into Friend Connect and follow blogs.

As part of this plan, starting the week of January 11, we’ll remove the ability for people with Twitter, Yahoo, Orkut or other OpenId providers to sign in to Google Friend Connect and follow blogs. At the same time, we’ll remove non-Google Account profiles so you may see a decrease in your blog follower count.

We encourage you to tell affected readers (perhaps via a blog post), that if they use a non-Google Account to follow your blog, they need to sign up for a Google Account, and re-follow your blog. With a Google Account, they’ll get blogs added to their Reading List, making it easier for them to see the latest posts and activity of the blogs they follow.

We know how important followers are to all bloggers, but we believe this change will improve the experience for both you and your readers.

Posted by Michael Goddard, Software Engineer to Google Blog members

Project for Miniature Perfume Bottles and Roses

Happy New Year for 2016!! 

Welcome to 2016. I hope you have had a wonderful holiday and are excited about starting a New Year with new projects and ideas. Here I have added a simple project I wrote for Artisan's in Miniatures magazine's Christmas Projects http://artisansinminiature.com/issue10.html

This December issue of AIM magazine is full to the brim with projects you might enjoy.

I also scanned in lovely roses from an antique needlework magazine that was from a gardening ad. I thought you might like to use the roses in your own projects, gift tags or other ideas.

Hugs, Jean