Lemon tree update

Even though this blog is getting spammed to death and is no longer any fun, if I am keeping it, I may as well post on it. 

The lemon tree is getting so big. It is hard to get a good picture, to get this one I was standing in the tomato bed to get back far enough. It is bigger than it looks here, I'm so proud!

 Just to the right in the black pot is a baby apple tree started from seed. I will plant it in the fall. I looked that up online. I have cages I made so deer won't carry the baby trees off. (This is my third apple tree. I have a thing for starting trees from seeds.) It is always scary putting something you started from seed in the ground though!

My table at the Chicago show

Thought I would post pictures of my table at the Chicago show last week. I am very pleased at how the new lighting set up worked out. Here is a close up:

I made the arm that the track slides into. It was cumbersome to cut it out on the band saw. I put cross pieces between the two sides to stabilize it which became a perfect spot to hang a photo of my IGMA pieces and "The Story Of Miracle Chicken" I think it looked totally cool! And it was perfectly straight! I thought I'd be shimming for sure.

Here are close ups of the various sections of work. After all this is a miniature blog. Kinda hard to tell with all the snow and ice we had :)

This is my room box, built as a setting to take photos, but works well to display minis at a show. I have hand made working lamps turned from brass and acrylic; a fire screen, turned, carved and painted in oil; scratch built tables and mama cat playing with her kitten. Here is a close up:

A shot of my oil paintings, with a hand carved Ash Hitty doll in the foreground.

Miniature chip-carving, "antique" trays and a chest, with hand made hardware. Oh and another fire screen, carved and painted in oil.

I really enjoyed carving and painting these duck decoys. It was therapeutic at a time I really needed it.

Same with these tool sets, very therapeutic. Once I started I couldn't stop! Real chisels in a tool box with a real leather strop and a turned mallet. To the right is a sea captain's chest. 

My furred critters. Hand carved wood.

Hand carved toothpicks and match sticks. To the right is carved stone.

This is a fun outdoor scene called Autumn Harvest. The tractor is wonderfully aged and dirtied by Scott Hughes and there is my beloved little Miracle Chicken! The girl is chasing her, which is exactly how we looked when Miracle would take off after a grasshopper and me being such a "mother hen" never letting her more than arms length away, would jump up to chase her!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And with that, I have to say that perhaps the sun has set on this blog. I'm thinking of deleting it. Over the next few weeks I am going to give it serious thought.  Google doesn't make it easy to want to stay either. Things keep changing, one day Feedjit works, the next it is gone....and I can NEVER see my followers list. Only on my phone. I think every site is gearing towards mobile.

Last minute for Chicago

Last minute work for The Chicago International. These are terrible phone pics. I'm thoroughly exhausted, and overwhelmed with everything.....and then there is the show... hahaha! Anyhow didn't bother to use my good camera. This cat is about to jump up. In the scene, there is a fat gray and white male cat up on a crate. This female cat is looking up at him, saying " hey, the baby is yours"!  :) and there sits the little kitten. The mouse is just because.

1:12 scale hand carved, hand painted wood. Then furred. 

The screaming tree

So creepy! Every time I go into town, I pass the screaming tree. I kept meaning to stop and take a picture. So finally I did. This is a very hectic time for me,getting ready for Chicago, so I am not posting work. So in keeping with my scenery posts, without further ado, I present to you "The Creepy Screaming Tree"!

Seriously?

Spring peepers, baseball and......snow...... Here we go again :(

Sure wish this was an April fools joke... 

but it isn't. 

Seems I'm wishing a whole lot of things are just April fools jokes.....

but they're not....

Miracle Chicken

My precious little Miracle Chicken in miniature!

1:12 scale, hand carved wood, painted then feathered.

She is the first bird I ever made. For a special display at the Chicago International.

She was a feather footed Buff Brahma. Here you can see her feathered feet.

Thanks for looking :)

Little piglet

A little 1:12 scale piglet, hand carved wood, painted, then hair was applied.

The hair was a challenge because on pigs, it is quite thin, and I had to make it so the pink skin showed through, but still cover the glue from the section underneath- the previous "shingle".

But it's always fun to teach myself new things, learn and figure out new techniques  :)

Thanks for .looking---

Today, 17 years ago....

...my website, Miracle Chicken Urns debuted. Happy Birthday to me :)

I didn't even know what a computer was. But I went out and bought one determined to create a website. I was terrified of it and promptly shut the door to that room. About a month later it was really bugging me, as I am not a quitter. So in I went, sat there and taught myself everything, and 2 months later, uploaded my site!

http://www.miraclechickenurns.com/

Below, is the urn that started it all, for my rabbit, Sniffy.

My beloved little Miracle wasn't even born yet when I made this first urn. The website launched when she was 2 years old. I named everything after her, the love of my life.

The urns are hand made of wood, with a miniature figure of the pet, and the name is chip-carved into the top. Everything is custom, I make favorite toys for example, and can put dates too. 

Back then the way to rank in search engines was good relevant inbound links. I worked tirelessly on my links campaign. Wrote to everyone who was linking to my competition personally and asked for a link. I was SO PROUD of myself the day I saw my site ranking #3 on Google! WOW the big time :)

  

Peepers!

The first day of March has brought with it the first time I heard my Spring Peepers! Always my favorite time, signifying Old Man Winter loosening his grip :) Even if there is a pile of snow I don't care because I know it won't be long now! 

It has also brought the first signs of things budding out. It is hard to see in the photo but today, everything has begun to bud out. Unfortunately it is also horrendously windy but hey, that's why they call March the kite flying month.

I know it is different the world over, but happy first signs of spring to anyone who may be reading this----

:) :)

OK I know this is getting old, but I can't resist making this post! The last post was Saturday with all the snow. This is Tuesday and this post has no photos unless you want to see my bare feet. It was 75F today and I was outside talking to my neighbor for a half hour---barefooted! It is still February. And the roller coaster continues......

:(

The winter from hell in oh so many ways........

"city" squirrel

When I was little, I used to call these squirrels "city squirrels", because animals running around seemed to be a country thing. I was quite pleased to have them in the yard. They are Grey Squirrels, although they are anything but gray! When I was a teen-ager, I used to buy bags of peanuts and feed them. They would practically come in the house when I opened the door to give them a peanut! I had to use my foot to block them :) I photographed them, they all had names and I certainly could tell them all apart. My little 126 instamatic camera soon became my 35mm Olympus SLR. A have a photo album that is at least 5 inches thick. I had a lot of fun, except when they would run into the street.

So in honor of all my buddies from 40 years ago, I decided to make a "city" squirrel.

1:12 scale. Hand carved wood, painted then furred.

Diamonds!

Just one more I promise Then back to minis :)

Ice--oh joy...UPDATE

Well now everything is encased in ice. Doors frozen, power lines... I can't believe I still have power.

Yikes, better go make my coffee before it goes out :)

Oh this winter just keeps getting.... nevermind...

COOL PICS!

I went down to the mail box and wanted to share these cool pics. The last time I saw ice like this the power was out for 7 days. Fingers crossed :)

The bird feeder, they really need it now!

I took this old stove from the farm, thought it would add a rustic touch.

The rest of the photos are ice encrusted foliage.