Showing my face...

Hello everyone!  Just like so many other bloggers lately, I have been guilty of being very quiet the last few months.  We have had an exceptionally beautiful summer and as this doesn't happen too often in Holland,  I and many others have been spending a lot of time outside.  

Of course on the hottest weekend of the year I was inside laying a new floor in my work room...My work room is really the garage, but what a waste of space to hand over such a big room to a car, right?  It is much better as my work room/studio.  

Work in progress.  Now the walls look like they need plastering.  I won't be doing that though, yet ;-)

Laying the new floor meant that everything had to be either taken out of the room or moved from one side to the other.  An enormous amount of work!  After the floor was laid I had to wait several weeks for my new cabinets to arrive and be fitted.  

But it is all finished now and I am in the process of putting everything back and weeding out the necessary from the superfluous.   Another huge task.  But an enjoyable one.  I am very happy with my newly decorated room and I know how lucky I am to have such a great space!

A silk embroidery doodle.  Getting a feel for fibers and stitching.  

The only miniature work I managed to do over the summer (apart from taking the 'bone chest' class I wrote about in my last post), was to finally try out some miniature embroidery.   I did a bit of freehand doodling, trying out some silk floss and stitches.  I enjoyed doing it and think I will be doing some more of this.  A bit neater, of course. 

The 'bone chest' I made in Bill Robertson's class two months ago had some work left to do at home.  My search for some tools and materials I needed took me days (yes really!) behind the computer screen.    On  Facebook my friends Hellie Durans and Elga Koster helped me out in my search, and I was so grateful for their input!  It would have taken me much longer to find everything I needed.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not a huge fan of Facebook, but in this case it was perfect.

Miniature Material & Resource Exchange   (click to go to the page)

My friend Hellie (of Durans Dutch Designs) has recently started a Facebook group:  Miniature Material & Resource Exchange.  The sole purpose of this group is to help miniaturists find anything miniature related (tools, materials etc.)  they just can NOT find.  Another miniaturist might know where to find it or have something left in their stash themselves.  

I think it is a great idea.  As a group we know so much more!  Any miniaturist can join the group, hobbyist or professional, doll maker or builder...as long as you're a miniaturist, you're welcome!  Of course we hope many people will join, because again, as a group we know so much more!