Challenge Reveal: A Love Supreme

Earlier this month, I began working on a scene to feature some of the new items I purchased or received as gifts. Last week I decided to pull the rest of you miniaturist in when I posed a quick and dirty little challenge but then I went and got all more is more. Hey it's all still very modern, plus it tells a story or 10. 

Welcome to the craft room/studio for two sisters. Meet the Illustrator and the Cellist, neither has a valentine this year so they chose to be one another's. Their month has been busy thus far. They've attended a number of events from a Wear Red dress fashion show to raise money for heart disease in women, to a National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day seminar, to performing in the Vagina Monologues which raises money to end domestic violence.

These ladies are so full of talent they each suffer a bit from adult ADD (attention deficit disorder) and this room truly reflects that fact.  

After spending time earlier in the week enjoying songs from the John Coltrane catalog like A Love Supreme and making cards and such, they've decided to spend the evening watching movies. Up first...Imitation of Life. A powerful story about maternal love. Followed by...KamaSutra. It's about...well, the name says it all! Breakfast At Tiffany's, The Notebook and Love Jones round out the roster of pull-at-your-heart-strings tales of love (and/or romance). The snacks are in place. Tonight they dine on sushi and chocolate. Why you might ask? Because it's great to feel sexy always, weather one has a man or not, no? 

Happy Valentine's Day! Be sure to click through the link to read more about the February Design Challenge reveals.

Details: Lil'Bratz Stylin' Space from eBay; cork side table with script from PRDminiatures, bottles filled with micro beads purchased from The Dollar Store; scrollwork mirror purchased from local flea market; red vase inside bookcase was swap gift from Mini Dork; "Love" cut-out was a gift from The Shopping Sherpa. 

Nail Art? Not!

These small jars are filled with extraordinarily tiny beads. Apparently manicurists use them to create create on-trend nail styles.  

The Caviar Manicure.
(Image from primped.ninemsn.com.au)

I take a fairly classic approach to manicures and pedicures. In fact, I generally forgo polish all together on my fingernails opting simply for a buff and shine.  Why? Because I hate chipped polish and I don't have the discipline or disposable income to keep up a manicure. For my feet I opt for short, well shaped nails adorned in a single bold or bright color. Think: Chanel's Vamp knock-off or orange. 

Thriftier Vamp option: Tell Me Moor! by OPI

Decals, jewels, micro beads...uh...not so much. Once, I did get daring. I purchased a bottle of gold glitter polish by OPI to complement the purple pedicure I'd just received. A coat of old gold glitter over my purple tootsies (just one on each foot) to recognize the centennial celebration of my father's fraternity...Omega Psi Phi! I didn't get too many comments on the pedicure when I went out that night. Oh well guess there weren't that many foot fetishists out and about ; )

Glitter top coat looked a little like this. 
(Image from www.luuux.com)

Color base coat looked a little like this purple glitter.
(Image from air-tan.com/blog)

Enough of the digression on beauty trends! I was lucky enough to pick up this pack of 8 bottles from the dollar store. Wow, that's a little more than 12 cents a bottle. I cannot wait to use these in a mini scene. Perhaps my next kitchen or artist's studio. Who knows...we shall see. Most of you in the miniature blogoshpere are a pretty thrifty bunch. This post is a simple reminder: don't forget your dollar stores. 

Remember Your 1st Apartment?

Remember your first apartment? You had to make do with hand-me-downs from relatives, thrift store finds or even pieces abandoned on the sidewalk. Well, that's sort of what I was going for with this scene.  Improvising a bookcase with planks of wood and concrete cinder blocks (or milk crates) was a ubiquitous piece in the starter apartments I remember. Immediately, that's what came to mind when I saw these miniature cinder blocks.  Each has a magnet embedded in real concrete and are intended to be used to keep notes and such on your message board. Of course, that's never stopped a miniaturist from making a thing or two work in 1:12 scale. Two folding chairs (albeit uncomfortable after a while) are easy to borrow from the family. Right? Placed facing the improvised-coffee table makes for a quick conversion to a card table. Bid Wist anyone? The guy who lives here has the basics: dice on hand for gambling, recycled cookie tins for extra storage, a place to shove books and hold up the TV and telephone. That's organization on a budget. When he's not playing cards, craps or watching the game, the dumbbells are nearby for a few reps of biceps curls and triceps extensions. Oh, yes a pair of souvenir sarapes (again, from family) warm the walls. So there you have it, a starter-apartment  in 1:12---circa 1987, maybe.  For me it was tiny cinder blocks, now tell me what miniature piece(s) have you designed a room around?

Concrete block magnet by Kalki'd fresh out of the cb2 packaging.

Details: folding chairs and dumbbells were part of action figures purchased from the dollar store; bowl, picture frame, 'H'-block, all wood, wheels and acrylic block from Michael's; rug is a sample from The Shade Store; telephone is Rement; model motorcycle is a Hallmark Keepsake Ornament; TV by Kikkerland; wire basket is an Etsy find; sarapes, brown book and white box from Minimodernas; dice from Morgan Imports (Durham, NC); books in basket from Dolls House Emporium; blue and yellow books are Kaleidoscope House accessories; thick black book and square tins are eBay finds