Tiny tote bags

I don’t know why. I just felt like turning some colorful scraps into tote bags. They were really pretty easy. Here’s how I make them: Just choose two coordinating fabrics and some 1/8″ ribbon. Cut the fabric. The top one is 2 3/8” H by 3 1/8” W and the small one is 1 1/8” H by 3 1/8” W. Cut two pieces of ribbon 3 3/4” long.

Place the ends of the ribbons at the long edge of the large fabric. Use a drop of glue to tack the ends of the ribbon 1/2” from the edge and leaving a 1/2” space in the center.

Fix it Friday

Like some of you, I was frustrated that leaving a comment on my new blog was not straightforward. I searched all the available themes and was not able to find one I liked as well, so I contacted my WordPress Happiness Engineer (yes, that is what they call themselves). Now I’ve installed a work around.

The problem was that you had to click on the title of the specific post. Not anymore. I’ve made my posts into “teasers” or summaries. Once you click on “Continue reading” you will be positioned to finish reading and then scroll to the comment form.

Time out for the club

Our Eugene Miniatures Club makes something tangible to take home after each meeting. This can be a challenge because we have a two hour time constraint and a variety of skill levels. Different members research and teach the projects. Some can be completed in one meeting, some are started at the meeting to finish at home, and some comprise multiple steps and extend over several meetings.

But be careful. If you suggest a project, you likely own it. I did that with our club’s bookshelf project. The club wanted a project that would last several meetings, but not take up too much display space. I found these “book rooms” by Kerri Menchaca and Lesley Shepherd, respectively, and the members loved them.

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Must you make a scene?

Many miniature projects are realistic scenes down to the most intricate detail. This just isn’t for me. My themes are typically simple, interactive and make me smile. I like to change up arrangements and photograph them for the best effect. Consequently, my builds are more like dollhouses that can be played with.

Our club puts on displays about the city a few times a year. I want to show my work, but 1:12 dollhouses are awkward for shows. I wanted something smaller with a protective cover. I hit upon a pied à terre (or a house in the city). The design inspiration would be a converted manufacturing building and the structure could be used for indoor or outdoor scenes. 

To market, to market…

… The Portland Flea Market that is. On Sunday, members of the Eugene Miniatures Club gathered up their unused items and headed to Portland to find new homes for them.

This was the first time we displayed our new club identity banner! Our sale items were more than the table could hold. The show seemed well attended. I was even able to say hello to Janine of MinWorks. I recognized her from my visits to her blog. She and her friends drove all the way from Vancouver, Canada to attend this event.