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.