Good morning everyone ....although I guess it's no longer correct terminology these days when you could be reading this from the other side of the world just before bedtime. In my world it's morning & a great one at that.....
As you may all know my prize for winning 2nd place in the Greenleaf SpringFling contest was a $250 coupon for anything in the store and as they had a 24hour sale, I couldn't leave my decision any longer. It took me at least 2 hours to make up my mind between all the lovely houses, accessories, furniture and lighting that was on offer.
Like most of you, I'm sure... after a few years into this hobby there just isn't much display room left. However these days, as I do most of my reading on a tablet, I have given away more and more of my books and as my bookcase shelves are starting to gather nothing but dust, the thought came to me that those empty shelves would be perfect for displaying my houses. Both my Fishing Hut (SpringFling 2010) and my HarvestHome (2012)

 were either too wide or too deep to fit. But the idea became lodged in my head and thus my choice of Greenleaf items circled around 1/2 scale houses and my final choice were these....

The largest (the Tennyson) is 15"x11.5" and only 7.5" deep while the smallest (the Brimble) measures 11"x7.5" and 12" deep .....perfect sizes for adjustable bookshelves... especially if you add lights to the rooms and removable back walls to each house and view the insides only through the windows.
There's only one drawback .....of course there's always one LOL and that's finding the time to ensure these houses get the attention they deserve.
I've had a bread box sitting on a kitchen shelf for over 2 years, waiting to be turned into a vintage kitchen on baking day..... cowboy attire and a OOAK mule waiting for a western scene.... flower kits, patio furniture and garden statues to be turned into a secret garden.... a half finished Christkindlmarkt stand and another Christmas 4-part scene and lately a OOAK Frau Holle waiting her turn to shake out her feather beds and cover the world below her into a winter wonderland.
You can't say that I don't have my work cut out for me!

On another note, Caterina sent me an email invitation to take part in her Christmas swap...

....and since Christmas is for giving, I've accepted. If any of you feel up to the challenge of making at least of one item to put under someones tree, please join me; the invitation's good until Nov 12th. The more the merrier!

The trend these days for miniaturists is to strive for as much realism as possible. While I might look at historical dollhouses with interest, it would never enter my head to mix and match scales. Some people hesitate to add dolls to a scene and instead leave.... an open book, a half eaten sandwich or an overturned shopping bag etc. thus showing that the little people who inhabit the DH are out but will shortly return.
So here's an interesting comparison... take a look at these two photos. Each one is as lovely as the other. Then decide which one is photoshopped and which is an actual miniature:

I love eye candy and I save as much of it as I can, as inspiration for those "someday" creations.