Autumn..a time for planning

Fall for me is a time to come inside, reorganize my workshop, and take stock of projects started, but not yet finished. Of course, I have every intention  of finishing these over the winter, unless of course, I am distracted by all the new things I want to make, because fall is also a time for me to immerse myself in planning and designing new projects. In reality , at least a miniaturists reality, anytime, Anyplace, any season, is a good time to immerse myself in designing and planning new miniatures😁

This past summer, I had the time to  finish up a miniature bicycle that I started a long time ago. The flowers were the most fun, as the bike was a  purchased item that I painted.

Welcome to my blog and the most addictive world of miniatures!

My name is Lorraine Cosburn

I am a seasoned miniaturist (maker and creator of fine dollhouse furniture and realistic miniature plants and flowers for collectors ) sometimes referred to by non miniaturists as 'crazy person' or 'obsessed'  when it comes to miniatures.  I have been lovingly creating, collecting, and hoarding miniatures for some 30 years now. 

Being obsessed  by miniatures is not a bad thing;  it permits me to see the fascinating world around us through a different view than people who are non-miniaturists.  Although I do have trouble understanding why anyone cannot see the wonders of all things tiny.  But then again, we each dance to a different drummer. While walking, I am constantly scanning the ground around me, looking for tiny items that could be used in miniatures.  This tends to leave my pockets full of tiny things to be inspected and classified how they will be used in the world of miniatures.  Some end up in the bottom of the washing machine.

I love creating, love making miniature furniture, flowers, and accessories. I admit it! I am harboring an obsession, but it gives me great joy and allows me to see the world a little differently .

I have created this blog to share my love for miniatures, and to perhaps be able to share this passion with others.

I  had this blog started back in 2012, with a couple of years worth of posts and pictures, and somehow it was deleted a couple of years back.   Fortunately I was able to recuperate the posts, but cannot recuperate the actual blog.  I hate computer stuff.  In any case I have repeated some of the old posts simply because they still exist. And they tell a story.

Today, November 1st 2017 is the first day of my retirement.  I am thrilled that I will have the time to post new items here on a regular basis. And so happy that I will be able to spend days at a time in my workshop, like a mad scientist, creating new little works of art, sometimes well into the early hours of the morning. What the heck, I have to work when the energy and ideas are flowing! 

Back in 2012 when I started the blog, I was living in Quebec, married and working in an office at a job I  really didn't want to be at. Things change, I left my job, left the marriage and in February 2014 moved to Preeceville, Saskatchewan-a rural prairie town that I had fallen in love with during a visit in October 2012. 

Post from July  18, 2012

Yesterday, one real 'dog day afternoon', while hiding out in my basement workshop to escape the 37degree heat wave, I spent hours looking at different miniature sites and drooling over miniature scenes and 'How to's' and this morning I woke up with all sorts of ideas.  The problem is to organize all those ideas, and focus on only one.  Absolutely impossible - any respectable miniaturist that I know, whether an artisan or collector, would never (NEVER) have only one project on the go at a time.  It is just unheard of.  Part of the miniature madness is the scatterbrained inability to focus on one thing at a time.  Any true blood miniaturist knows what I am talking about:)

So today I am going to make a (another) list, (Its another scalding hot day today in the forecast) look through all my ideas and 'to make in the future' Pictures, and come up with some tangible new projects  to start when the heat lets up  (of course projects that I started last week are not yet finished - Never mind) 

Post from July 8, 2012

Its the beginning of July and we woke up to one of those warm, balmy, beautiful mornings, where everything smells like the earth and flowers - bringing with it promise of a gorgeous day.  I am sitting here on the deck, relishing my first coffee, listening to the sound of bees,  and asking myself what could be better than this.  We live in the country, albeit not far from the city, but I am surrounded by sweet birdsong in the trees  on all four sides of the house.  I cannot think of another place I would rather  be right now, and the idea of spending the whole day in my workshop, planning, building, creating and generally doing what comes naturally, leaves me with the particularly satisfying feeling that I am in exactly the right place, where I should be.  This is a feeling, that at this time of my life, is constant when I am doing what I want and need to do, and that is create miniatures :)

Here are some  new pics of items that I have discovered out there, that I would like to make in miniature.  One can spend hours and days even, surfing on the internet, finding treasures to create and buy.    But these are a few that I will be working on in the near future.

 Of course, there is never a lack of ideas, only a lack of time, or the ability to organize my time.  

 Post from May 21, 2013

Spring is in the air!

Hearing the birds singing their melody at 4:15am is probably  one of the nicest ways to be awoken (at least now that I am no longer working in an office  and can go back to sleep :)  And being able to sleep with the windows open now that it is milder is another little gift of spring. There is a lilac bush just outside the window and there is the constant heady scent of lilacs that drifts in through the windows and fills the house with the sweet spring scent.

Spring inspires me to go into my workshop and create.  Flowers inspire me to create.  Green grass inspires me to create.  Actually just about everything about nature inspires me to create.  

In the last few months, I have spent more time on creating miniature flowers and plants than ever before  in my life.  Miniature flowers has become another passion, and I have to admit that I have been negligent with  furniture making for a little bit - even though  I still have so many ideas for furniture - some put down on paper already, and some still in my head.  Winter is a time when I make and create most of my miniature furniture.  For some reason, when spring arrived this year, I just had to make flowers and plants.

Mauve Violet

White Geranium

Bouquet of Lilies

Salmon Geranium

Lavender Plant

Lavender sprigs with Sachet

 As one can see, I have been very busy.
In a fit of flower folly, I have ordered over the last few months just about every mini  punch available on the internet, and the floor of my atelier is often covered with minuscule tiny bits of colored paper.(The punch often leaves tiny residues all over the place and who has time to clean up? - heaven forbid that someone should pass a vacuum in a miniature workshop! Hubby passed the vacuum  once in my workshop, and I guarantee you  he will never do it again.  He has been banned from my workshop as long as he has any kind of sucking or blowing tool in his hand! :) 

So the experimenting goes on, I spend a lot of time lately with my nose in flowers, trying to come up with ideas.  Lots of time googling images of flowers and plants - here is one that  I am tempted to try next.  Wonder if there is a market for it hmmmm..........





POST FROM APRIL 1, 2013
 To day is April 1st - I haven't been on the blog since I got back from Saskatchewan in January.  I have been spending all my days in my workshop on 'intense' production mode, building up stock for the MEM show (Miniature Enthusiasts  of Montreal) which took place last weekend (March 23rd & 24th).  This show is an annual affair, hosted by the Montreal group.  Many thanks to all the members of the club.  As usual, a very nice show.    
  This was the first MEM show I have done in years, I  used to participate as a dealer on a regular basis back in the 90's and it was a real pleasure to be back in the miniature show after all these years!  Met a lot of new friends and old acquaintances too!  Can't wait for next years' show now!  As usual, I came away from the show with too many ideas - I will need a couple of lifetimes to make all the things I want to make.  

Post from November 12, 2012

Hello fellow miniaturists! Its been a while :)
I am now retired from office work!  Loving it - don't miss the office one bit!

I have been away from the computer and away from my workshop for a few weeks;  I took some time off to visit family in rural Saskatchewan.  I had a wonderful time visiting and discovering a part of Canada that I had never seen before - Preeceville, Saskatchewan.  I fell in love with the golden fields, and the endless blue skies.

Yes, those little brown spots in the field at the top left corner are BUFFALO!

I discovered that small town life was very attractive to me and something that I might look very closely at as an option in the future! I found the way of life was much simpler than large towns, and the people are friendlier and more genuine than in larger towns.  It might be due to the fact that life is more laid back in smaller towns, people are less stressed;  but I think Preeceville is quite special in its own right and is unique amongst other small towns.  We have decided to go out there to spend Christmas with my family, and it promises to be a very nice occasion, with close family and their close friends.  Apparently the Ukrainian food is a real treat!

Did I mention that I don't miss office work at all?

Well, christmas is coming - I already have my two trees up, much to the dismay of H.  But it inspires me, and makes me happy.  Besides  Victor loves to hide and sleep under the tree.  He thinks no one sees him there. 

Of course at this time of year I am busy creating for an  upcoming  Miniature show   and for stocking my Etsy Shoppe  ,but eventually I will have to get  some christmas shopping done! One tip I can give to anyone who has presents to buy, is to check out the website ETSY.   The shops on ETSY are filled with mostly handcrafted items (some Vintage) but what is wonderful about this site is that  are made by unique artists from all over the world.    I love browsing through the handmade items - and most of the artists are stocking up their sites now with the christmas rush coming, so there are always new items on the sites at this time of the year.  One can find something for everyone on the site. 


 I have been trying my hand at making miniature christmas decorations, poinsettias and christmas wreaths.  This takes a lot of patience for me,  as working with paper has never been one of my greatest talents, wood being my favorite medium.  But with time and practice I was able to come up with some very passable decorations!

(In passing, have I mentioned that I don't miss office work and am glad to be retired?  :)



 





I am taking the time to dabble in Fimo foods, which is something I lack tremendous patience in.  I wanted some foods to add to miniature scenes so I picked up some blocks of Fimo and starting creating.  Fimo food is not that hard to create, but I simply do not have the needed talent for creating miniature food.  My talents lie elsewhere :)  But I tried anyway, I had lots of fun with it and here is a picture of the results!  These cookies will look pretty good in a miniature scene anyway!

I have also been busy designing some  new models of shabby chic furniture;  its seems to be all the rage in furniture collecting - full size and miniature ;  my own bedroom in full size is done up in shabby chic style. 

Here are a few new models that I have come up with and have, or will be putting them up on my ETSY SHOP. 

Have to say again that I am thrilled to be retired from office work and am consecrating all my time to making miniatures!  

 POST FROM AUGUST 11, 2012

Back from London, and my son and his wife's wedding were a stunning success!  I have never before participated in such a grand event!  A beautiful, grandiose affair. 

And because I didn't have time to post these pics before the wedding, here are the pics of the cake topper that I made for the event!  They were a hit! My son and his wife are avid bicyclists, to say the least, and wanted something on their wedding cake that represented their mutual passion!

My daughter-in-law wanted lots of flowers, and the books on the rack represent her hard-earned doctorate.

My son wanted his bike tools included on the bike rack, and also his bike helmut.


Here  are the happy couple and the finished topper! 

 POST FROM MAY 28, 2012

Spring has arrived in full bloom;  we are spending all our weekends camping.  We are surrounded by the sweet songs of birds during the day, and the harmonic symphony of frogs in the cool evenings.  I find I am inspired more than ever to create.  I have been taking along items to work on during the calm warm afternoons we have been experiencing lately.

I have started a new project, that is also a new experience for me and very dear to the heart.  I am creating a wedding cake topper, for my son and his bride-to-be, who are to be married in July.  Both are passionate  bicyclists and wanted something symbolic to put on their wedding cake.  So we came up with the idea to two decorated bicycles on top of the cake.  So after searching for several weeks on the internet, I finally found the miniature  bikes that were suitable and small enough to fit onto the top of a cake.

 I will be decorating the bikes with white miniature  day lilies and calla lilies, with a touch of white tulle and tiny white and sage colored bows and ribbons.  I will be posting photos shortly as the project progresses.

 

ABOUT ME

Lorraine

Quebec, Canada

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