The miniature shoe collection

 Hello dear readers,

Way back in the late sixties of the last century, when most of you were not yet born, my miniature shoe collection started. Those were the years when family members or friends returning from a trip abroad always brought little souvenirs back. My friends and family knew about my passion for r/l shoes,  so my gifts were souvenir miniature shoes from all over Europe.  Not wanting to offend the people who gifted them to me I displayed the shoes on a shelf. Those were also the times before online blogging, f/b, twitters, p/c smartphones, etc. There were only penpals from abroad with whom to swap hobbies and gifts. The penpals soon became good friends, some visited and stayed in our home here in Israel. Slowly and steadily more items from our own travels around the world were added to the collection, and it began to grow until it reached a monstrous number of hundreds of shoes most of them in pairs. 

A large part of the collection is now on permanent display in special glass cabinets. The rest kept in card boxes and hidden away.  Although I stopped collecting mini-shoes once there was no end to the variety, new and very cute ones still keep coming in.

Ten years ago I posted about this collection with more photos, (link below http://drorasminimundo.blogspot.com/2011/03/miniature-shoe-collection.html). I made one more shop facade for some of the hidden-away shoes. The shop is called in Hebrew "One small step"  I used a shallow wooden box for the interior and covered it with cardstock on which I glued self-made ceramic tiles, burned in my daughters' kiln. The faux windows and door are from craft sticks and bamboo skewers.

This is how it looks from the back. I glued on (to hide the check painting from the quarter part of the original wooden backgammon box and also to save scratches on the wall it hangs on.  This is also the way I usually add rooftops to the square boxes when I want the shops to look like country-style ones.

These are shoes from the display.

I wish to welcome all the new followers of this blog. Thank you for following.  If you have a blog please let me know so I can follow back.

Please take care of yourselves and stay safe and healthy.  Thank you for your visit and blessings!

Latest Xmas gifts and little wooden houses

Hello dear readers

Entirely unexpected, with no previous hint, a  surprise parcel for Christmas, sent from Spain to Israel over two months ago ARRIVED!  Dear Pilar sent me the most precious miniatures crafted with her magical fingers. This was a lovely and very generous gesture that moved me to tears. 

All the books are readable in spite of their tiny size. Pilar's work is totally amazing. I already have plans for the books. They will be in my future book-nooks and remain in my family where I can see them displayed all the time.

THANK YOU, DEAR PILAR, from the bottom of my heart, for your stunning gifts, and especially and more importantly for your friendship.💓

I don't have enough words to express my emotions to let all of you how lucky I am to have blog friends.  Every comment on my posts gives me all the encouragement needed to keep going on.  I don't feel lonely, and my days are full.  I know I have friends who care about me. 

At present, I am working on a new book-nook, preparing windows, doors, and other elements. I have not yet taken photos.  Later on, when the walls will be cut, I'll post pictures.

I'm also working on some small gifts.  They have to be ready for Pessah and Easter. I started with the laser-cut wood slices from Aliexpress.  There were 18 pieces from which I already used a few.  From the rest, I want to make little dollhouses for the dollhouse.  All I use for wood cutting is a hand saw.  I'm getting older and I find cutting wood much more difficult than before.  I'll just have to buy an electrical table saw.

What a messy work table and I have to clear all these several times a day as it's also my kitchen table. 

I wish you a lovely, relaxing weekend with blessings.  Stay safe!

While there is very little progress with my second book nook project and It's intended to be a surprise birthday gift in July not much will be posted about it until after it gets to its receiver.  Still, in between, I'm working with craft wood and my faithful saw and miter box.

Pinocchio's father Jeppetto's table was probably much tidier than mine. In the end, there'll be no escape, I'll have to buy an electrical table saw.  I'm getting older and my carpeting skills clumsier. 

I'm working on the house-shaped laser-cut wood slices which I bought from Aliexpress. Some I already finished and posted about previously/  My intention is to finish all the 18.

Treetop House tutorial

 Hello dear readers,

While still enclosed at home, I started playing around with the craft materials Birgit gifted me.  First I made the tree for Birgit's little house then I made another one from the Rosmarin twigs in stock. This time I decided the tree to have a house on top with a ladder to climb up. I had some laser cut house embellishments, that I turned into little wooden houses with the use of Birgit's popsicle sticks. It was so easy to make that I want to share how it's done for any of you who want to make one for the garden around a country-styled dollhouse.

Materials - Easy to find

The little house embellishments are very cheap laser-cut slices. I got them from Aliexpress, 18 pieces,  3x6 different house shapes for about 4.00 US$, including shipment delivered to my home post box.

The foliage foam is one of Birgit's gifts.  It saved me a lot of work.  Before, I used to make the foliage myself by tearing teeny-tiny bits of pre-dyed thin sheets of foam which served quite well.

The ladder is made from two long thin round bamboo sticks with light brown painted pieces of Rosmarin twigs.  The tree is also a Rosmaring twig.

Here is how the houses look inside.  I added pieces of the popsicle sticks Birgit sent me. 

I cannot decide which house looks better on the platform ( made from the white craft stick. This house slice was blank.  I glued on a door and a window, cut from both ends of a coffee steerer.

Also, I haven't made up my mind regarding the color of the treehouse.  Maybe, I'll just stain it to make it look more weathered. 

I hope someone finds this tutorial useful.

Today I received my second shot of inoculation - Hurray! I'll have to wait a week before I can meet my family without wearing a mask.  But, according to regulations we all have to wear masks outdoors.

I wish you a nice weekend with lots of blessings.

Hanukkah and Chruistmas gifts (2)

Hello dear readers,

After the long wait,  nothing was lost or damaged.  I am very happy to show you the beautiful gifts from two great blog friends and one beloved granddaughter.

The first parcel arrived on Sunday. It was brought home from the post office by my daughter Galia. it was the parcel from dear Birgit.  You can imagine both Birgit's and my relief at its arrival. Nilly, my other daughter, surprised me by coming to visit a little earlier.  A visit from both daughters at the same time was a cause for celebration.  We sat down and happily opened the parcel, drawing out treasure after treasure.  Then we had tea and devoured the marzipans before I had a chance to take photos.

Craft stuff and delicious"have-been" marzipans.

 

Solly:  Why didn't you stop them? The three of them shamelessly ate all the marzipans and left nothing for us.            

Baalatova:  While they did it,  I silently confiscated the beautiful glass robin. Like you, it also has wings.  You'll be able to have a lot of fun flying around together. We'll keep the robin.

 from the German Christmas shop of Käthe Wohlfahrt

THANK YOU SO MUCH DEAR BIRGIT!

On Monday, Faby's parcel Fabiola awaited me in my post box with the lovely handcrafted items by Faby.  I'm very sad that my own gifts for Faby haven't reached her yet.

THANK YOU SO MUCH DEAR FABY!

Another parcel for Hanukkah, I received from my granddaughter Tali who for the time being lives with her husband and 3 little kids in a charming and very beautiful city, Utrecht in Holland.

THANKS, MY DARLING TALI!

I haven't started yet on a new BookNook. While waiting for the strict lockdown to be over, and having plenty of new lake shells from the Sea of Galilee, as well as seashells from our Mediterranean sea beach, I decided to make more shell items.  I also made some flowers again and used beads for 3 of the flower vases in the photo below.

I also used Birgit's craft supply to make a little tree.  The tree trunk is a Rosmarin branch and smells lovely.  I touched it up with a diluted brown acrylic paint, when dry, I stuck to the branched pieces of the ground green foam.

  

I wish you, my dear readers and friends, a nice weekend and good health with blessings.

Hanukkah and Christmas gifts.

Hello dear friends,

Because of the COVID-19 situation, the mail service is very slow.  The first of my overseas gifts, sent by a blog friend, arrived 2 days ago.  And. as we all know the proverb "BETTER LATE THAN NEVER" I am touched and moved to tears with my gifts from one of the most generous persons on the blogs, Ricardo.

There were two parcels.  One of them containing a collection of postcards from Charles Dickens's novel "A Chrismas Carol".  I remember seeing on my friends' blogs the little shelf with the 3 files held by the wooden corners displaying a cute little bear.  Don't be mistaken, I was glad for you, my dear friends but a little envious. Now I too am the proud owner of these. 

The second parcel was beautifully crafted especially for me (here comes the part of the watery eyes).

The Hannukah Menorah, (remember the children's work I showed in one of my previous posts).  It is packed in a red felt-lined wooden box, with a pyrographed cover, saying Happy Hannukah in Hebrew. A lovely little Hannukah card and a traditional Hannukah Dreidel which I'll explain separately. The Jewish religious with Hebrew letters scroll is really beautiful.  The round wooden box the scroll packing is a clever work of art by itself. There was no way to show its inside on a photo.

The dreidel is a small spinning toy.  It has a Hebrew letter on each of its 4 sides. נ ג ה פ  - Ness Gadol Haya Po which means a Great Miracle Happened Here. The letters have a numeric value.  In addition to their holiday gifts,  each child gets his turn to spin the dreidel and gets a prize of small change according to the value of the letter which shows on top of the toy at the end of the spinning.  This is what is called in Hebrew Hannukah cents.

I am thrilled and happy with my wonderful new treasures and don't have enough words of thanks to express my gratitude for your kind gesture, THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, DEAR RICARDO!

Blessing and safety to all my friends. Have a wonderful weekend.

Book-Nook procect completed

Hello dear readers,

I finished my first BookNook, lights, and mirror are installed. It was a lot of trial and error work but I'm pleased with the results.  The only thing left to do, as soon as the lockdown is over, is to order a framed glass front to keep it dust-free.  One of my daughters has a wall to wall library, the other one also has a large collection of books, and so have my grandchildren.  From now on  I'll be busy making a BookNook for each of them. I don't have any special theme for the future BookNooks, I just want them to look pretty with lots of plants and flowers and if possible, a book shop in each.

Without lights

With lights on

The balcony which was made over a few times.

2020 has been a terrible year for us. I lost my beloved husband, and because of the epidemic, couldn't stay with him during his last days.  It was either sink into a large dark void and cause the family anxiety and more sorrow or gather courage and go on living independently as usual.  Our beloveds are never forgotten, they stay in our hearts and souls forever. 

A few days ago I received my first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.  My second and last vaccine shot is scheduled for the 28th of January.  By the end of this month, over two million citizens here in Israel will be inoculated and by the end of this mild winter, we shall all hopefully be inoculated.  Meanwhile, we stay in strict lockdown until further notice.

I'm looking forward to a Happy 2021 and wish safety and good health for all.  

Blessings!

Decorative wooden hangers

 Hello dear readers,

I needed something to stand out from the walls of my book nook and remembered that once, years ago I made decorative wall hangers.  In my stash, there are many laser cut triangles that can easily be turned into lovely wall hangers.  I made two and here is how these were done.

After the two wall hangers will be painted and dry with the baskets on them, they'll be fixed between the windows and balcony

The light fixtures have arrived.  I plan to install the light from above and am debating how to make it. Here is a glimpse of how the book nook looks with the mirror installed.

That's all for the time being.  We are back in lockout starting today.  It will be strictly guarded for a fortnight. while most of us will get inoculated with the VOD-19 vaccine.  For me it makes no great difference, I'm still alone but not sad or lonely.  There is so much to do between cleaning, crafting, reading, keeping in touch virtually with friends and family, watching movies.  (I love black and white oldies.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcgHGRLYaIw

Happy Holidays!