Goal Setting in the New Year

I put my own hobbies on the back burner since opening our winery in 2021. After a four year sabbatical, I'm taking the time now to get back to what I love doing. Reading, genealogy, traveling, and dollhouses. 

I've had the time this past fall to craft other other items as gifts and I enjoyed trying something new. But my time on earth is getting shorter, which means I need to leave behind only what truly brings me joy. I recently filled the back of my 2000 Isuzu Rodeo with donations for a local charity. It's a start. I hope what I leave behind will fit in the backseat.

While I have read only a few books last year, I think this year I will only set a goal to read one book a quarter. My genealogy projects get deeper and deeper and since September I have been working every Tuesday on finding new information and collecting documents. While I am sure my family doesn't care where their family came from, getting to know the struggles each family was faced with, and history of their journeys, brings me comfort in my our journey in life. 

It has been some time since I've traveled. I had traveled to New Orleans almost every year to visit with family since moving to Virginia. After my father passed away in 2002 and my mother in 2006, my visits were spent with my mother's brother and sister each fall. Each winter my aunt and I would meet in Las Vegas for a dollhouse convention, yes, there is such a thing. In her last few years of life, I met her in New Orleans and we flew together. Now my uncle too has passed away at 93 this past May, I as much as I enjoyed my time with them, New Orleans isn't that same city that I grew up in. 

Hopefully I made a well-balanced schedule that will be a great blend of personal development, social engagement and business management.  

Wish me luck!

Mary Beth

One Of The Most Useful Household Item Is Also Décor

Nowadays when we think of country farmhouse décor, blue jars come to mind and that famous raised imprint of BALL on the outside.  When cleaning out one of our many out buildings Matt came across some canning jars and I found a few in the woods.  I thought they would be perfect to put peony blossoms in and dried hydrangea depending on my mood.  Even some very early spring forsythia are a welcome from the hum drum of always unpredictable winter.  I cleaned this jars easily with warm water and soap and a soft toothbrush.  These jars have showcased them all.  We are lucky enough to have both growing on the property.  

The particular jars I have are from between 1923 and 1933.  

Ball canning jars have been around since 1840.  Although their original use was for canning fruits and vegetables many are using these for home décor.  Lots of knock-offs out there so check out this guide to find out if your Ball jar has some value.  

The Things You Find

I had no idea what I was getting into when Matt and I purchased the farm in 2015. So many amazing "farmhouse" style items that many of you would swoon over. Like blue Ball jars and old pots and pans and cooking utensils. Cleaning out the bunkhouse we found a great farm table and a meat grinder that has seen better days, but the pack rat in me is not getting rid of it.

This pot was being thrown out. Are you kidding me? Matt can make something out of that. And so he did. I love this little light about my kitchen sink.


I couldn't image tossing this aluminum pot. Now a great light about the kitchen sink.

The first time around he put an Edison bulb in it and although it looked like the perfect farmhouse addition, the smell of the melting aluminum was not something I felt comfortable with. So the bulb was replaced with this Philips one from Lowe's.

Tell me you don't think packratness pays off. While I couldn't find the exact bulbs used in this project, I did find the chandelier ones here. I plan to use these in a future project.

Welcome

Hello my friend,

I'm a miniaturist among other things (sometimes called a creative genius) and wanted a place to share the simplest ideas for miniatures with the hope that it will inspire you to create something that reflects your creativity.  Except for the sabbatical I took when raising my kids from 1980-2016, I have always tried to create something miniature.  For those that are miniaturists, you are very much aware that this is an addiction, an addiction that began before I started elementary school when I would spend summers and holidays with my grandmother.  She had a collection of miniatures in my uncle's bedroom that she would let me dust.  It sounded like fun, especially the part about opening the huge wooden glass front cabinet door and swinging it waaaay open so I could reach inside and hold that tiny candelabra.  

I really like this little house.  I hand painted each stone on the foundation. 

I learned a lot from my grandmother.  She was the ultimate in upcycling queen.  She took a Bunny bread wrapper, cut out the bunny heads and glued them on a shoe box to make me an Easter basket.  She also took her old stocking and stuffed a rabbit she made for me from scraps she had and even highlighted her embroidery skills.

My mother was no slacker either when it came to creativity.  I cherished everything she made and now I know why.  Her talents were remarkable.  My earliest memories were of her creating ceramic items for the home.  She would trace images from my coloring books onto the greenware and hand paint everything.  She made clothes for my sister and I.  I remember vividly some of many things she sewed for us.  I remember a peach embroidered dress with an organza embroidered pinafore.  I wore it Easter Sunday and then came home and played in it.  In fact I wore that dress every week until I outgrew it.  Then there was the similar herringbone outfits with black velvet collars she made for my sister and I for a Dave Clark Five concert.  I was 7 and my sister was 14 and mom drove us from Pensacola to Biloxi to see the concert.  She was a hipster.  

I'll never forget the white sleeveless dress with the red and blue pockets she made for my sister.  It was a perfect fit for a young college lady.  When it was time for my social gathering at school she made my homecoming dresses, prom dresses and my first wedding dress.  Everything she did was with precision.  I guess I get that from her and saving every little thing that I might be able to use from my grandmother.  

I hope you will find something here that will inspire you, help you and maybe even bring back a memory.  Thank you for visiting.  MB