The Pacific Northwest Miniature Show Exhibits

Maybe I'll see some of you there in October! Click the title of this post to get details on this years show.

Egg Carton Slate Shingles for Garth Manor

I think I am going to use this method here for the roof shingles for Garth Manor as opposed to making them from clay. GREAT tutorial. Check it out if you have not already. I have never used egg cartons for shingles, just bricks and stones for pathways, but this tutorial inspired me to give it a try.

*Life in Miniature*: Making aged slate roof shingles

If you have used this method before, let me know how it worked for you and if you have any tips, even better! Forwarned is forarmed!

Help Needed!

I really want to cover some of the lower sections of Garth Manor with ivy. There are several reasons for this. One being that it would look super cool and the other will be to cover up bits of work I may not be totally satisfied with. The problem is, I have never done anything like this before. Any help or suggestions would be so much appreciated! I am a stickler for realism so using some of the "netting covered with green scatter" you see around is not going to cut the mustard. Thank you in advance!



Camping Trip and "Mini Eyes"

One of the things I love about living in Oregon is the incredible amount of almost mystical forests, rivers, and lakes we have at our fingertips. We decided to take a two day camping trip up on Mount Hood on the shore of the White River which is about an hour or so outside Portland. We were the only people for miles and had an incredible time. Just the sounds of the wild and the crackle of the fire. And the sound of many, many, many beers being opened.

 Aaaaahhhhhh

No hot dogs here! bacon wrapped filets with garlic grilled prawns. 

But I digress.......

Of course, as many of you probably know, if you have been doing miniatures for a bit, you develop "mini eyes". This is the condition where you look at buildings and say "future project" because you see them in miniature, or walk past a furniture store and only see 1:12 scale possibilities. I always snap pictures of random brick walls, interesting chimneys, etc because my eyes see them in miniature. Even scraps on the ground are seen as potential mini objects. I still digress.......

I am trying to read my book "Pirate Latitudes" by Michael Chrichton (GREAT book, btw) on the shore of the river when one of my eyes (just one!) wanders towards the shore line and I spy an interesting pile of rocks of various sizes. Next thing I know, I am on my knees picking through the rocks and finding perfect scale mini stones. Then I spy old peeled bark that has a very small pattern and think to use it on my mini trees. Then later, while on a short hike, I notice all the lichen and moss just hanging in the trees and laying on the ground. Needless to say, I came back with a whole bag of sticks, stones, pebbles, moss, etc. I can't even go camping without collecting bits of this and that!

The whole collection is now in my freezer being "de-crittered" in a plastic bag while I nurse a sunburn.

Time to head upstairs. Garth Manor feels neglected. Time to continue painting stone. And figure out what to do with all the things my "mini eyes" brought back!!!