All Xmassed-out!! Phew!!

1/12TH SCALE FROSTED FRUITS CAKE

1/12TH SCALE TARTAN CANDY BOX

1/12TH SCALE SNOWMAN CAKE

1/12TH SCALE 'WINTERS SCENE' CAKE

1/12TH SCALE GINGERBREAD BOARD

It seems like I have been making Christmas minis for months (which I probably have, to be honest), but tonight I listed the final few Christmas minis for this year & now I can breathe a sigh of relief & look forward to making new, original & fresh minis for 2011. I don't know if I will have chance to post again before the New Year, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for following me & commenting & appreciating my minis. I wish you all a very, Merry Christmas & a Prosperous New Year!! See you all in 2011. Lots of hugs, Kerry.x.

A Tad Of Bad Luck!!

Here in the 'Ella-Rose Miniatures' household we have had a run of bad luck this year, a lot of big things breaking down on us & we've had to replace, the boiler, the car, the bath, the toilet, etc, etc. I could go on & on...Last weekend was no exception, hearing a loud bang/popping noise, I went to investigate only to find that my computer had 'popped it's clogs'!! Gutting!! A very, very nice man came along to have a look at it to see if it could be revived, but sadly no! The powerpack had blown & 'frazzled' the motherboard AND hard drive, nothing could be retrieved, everything that was on the hard drive is now lost forever. 6 years of miniatures photos, gone. 6 years of Christmas, Birthday, days out photos, all gone!! Until I can afford a new computer I am borrowing an old one of my parents & it's taken a little bit of getting used to, but I will get there. Everything that was on my favourites list has been lost & I have spent the best part of two days trying to build up my favourites list again, just hard to remember everything that was on there. I have now learnt my lesson, I should always ALWAYS have a back-up copy of my photos. Thankfully my accounts were up to date, printed off & safely tucked away in a binder. But I am gutted about the photos. Anyway, I will be glad to see the back of this year I think & will look forward to 2011 with optimisism & hope!! Will be back before Christmas with pics of the latest minis I've been making.
Have a fantastic weekend!! Hugs, Kerry .x.

Candy Counters & Chocolatiers Table.

THE CHOCOLATIER TABLE
CLOSE UP OF CHRISTMAS CANDY COUNTER

CHRISTMAS CANDY COUNTER

CANDY COUNTERS

I will be exhibiting tomorrow (Sunday 28th November) at my last miniature fair of the year, York racecourse, York. I really enjoy exhibiting there as it is so big & full of top quality miniaturists. I don't normally get much of a chance to see what everybody is selling as it does get very busy, but I am hoping to have a wander around & see if I can pick up a few bargains because I know what Santa is bringing me this year!! It is going to be a very early start tomorrow as I have a lot of new minis to display & will really need extra time to make sure my stand is looking spotless, plus I don't know how bad the weather is going to be travelling there. We have had a few flutterings of snow, but not enough for it to settle, or make a snowman - much to my sons' disappointment. Everything was safely packed away & boxed, then I remembered that I hadn't taken any photos of the new candy counters & chocolatiers table that I have made recently, so I very carefully unwrapped these, quickly took a few pics & then packed them away again. Didn't want you missing out on seeing them. Have a fantastic weekend, Kerry.x.

Meet Mrs Claus...

1/12th SCALE CANDY CANE TREE
CLOSE UP OF MRS CLAUS

1/12TH SCALE 'LA PATISSERIE' DISPLAY COUNTER

MRS CLAUS WITHOUT HER CLOAK

MRS CLAUS WITH HER RED VELVET & FUR-TRIMMED CLOAK

Well I have finally got around to finishing my first poseable doll. Mrs Claus!! And I love her!! I must admit that she really was a labour of love, but I am so pleased with the result. Her deep red velvet cloak, trimmed with soft white fur, is removable, as is her basket of treats & apron. Her clothes are non-removable. Her snow white hair is fashioned into a bun with a few ringlets softening her features. She stands at 5 & 1/2 inches. I will be (reluctantly) putting her on eBay Monday night. I have also been busy making a few new items to take to the last two fairs of the year, a 'La Patisserie' display counter & a glittery, snowy, candy cane tree.

Enjoy, Kerry.x.

Cupcakes & New Dolls

Well, Halloween is over for another year & Bonfire Night passed by with little excitement, not sure if it's the recession or not, but Friday was not the usual 'big bangs' & constant explosions that it normally is, maybe people are finally being sensible with their money & not spending it on silly little fireworks that cause a moments amazement then disappear in a puff of smoke (sorry, but I am not a big fan of Bonfire Night & think they should only be sold to official organisations!!). We are now fast approaching the festive season & as usual I am getting into the spirit by watching endless Christmas movies while making my minis, I love 'The Santa Clause' trilogy with Tim Allen, I watch them over & over again & now know all three films word for word (sad, I know!!) I have finally made a start on making a poseable doll & when she is finished I will post pictures for you. In the meantime, here are a few new minis that will either be up for auction on eBay or taken to my next couple of miniature fairs. Enjoy, Kerry.x.

Something a little different...

I have always admired doll artists & wanted to have a go myself, but fear of 'stepping on someone's toes' has always prevented me from doing so. This week I decided to bite the bullet & tinker around with my doll clay that has been sitting in my clay drawer for a while. As Halloween is approaching I thought I would have a go at making a few witches, not your traditional 'all in black with green faces' type, but something a little different. I was also inspired by one of our Halloween decorations, an animated four foot butler, & made a couple of those, too. What do you think? In between making these little figures I also made a few more Halloween treats that are on eBay at the mo, & a few more besides as I am once again exhibiting this weekend, this time at Craven Park Stadium, Kingston-Upon-Hull, if anyone wants to come along.

Have a fantastic week,

Kerry :o) .x.

I'm in a 'TrIcK oR tReAt' mood :o)

1/12TH SCALE HALLOWEEN 'COFFIN' CAKE

1/12TH SCALE CHOCOLATE PUMPKINS TOWER

1/12TH SCALE PUMPKIN DISPLAY WITH 'CREEPY' HANDS POKING OUT

The nights are getting darker, chillier & more crisp, but I don't care!! As much as I love summer & the warmth of the sun, I also like the autumn/winter months, the scrunching of leaves under your feet & the chill of the wind on the tip of your nose! Wrapping up warm in thick wooly scarves, gloves & thick socks, so comfy. When the seasons change it helps me make more Halloween minis, which I love to make!! I am even considering carving my own real pumpkin this year, I have never done it, but have always been tempted & this year I think I am definately going to go for it. I have seen some fantastic templates that I would like to try.

Have a great week, Kerry .x.

Oh, What a night!!

After months & months of careful planning & buying I celebrated my 40th birthday on Saturday with a fun-filled retro 70's style party surrounded by family & friends. And I can honestly say, hand on heart, that it really was the best night of my life so far, I had so much fun!! It was fantastic to be surrounded by people I love & everyone had a great time, so much so that the last person to leave didn't leave until 10 a.m. Monday morning, LOL. I recieved a mountain of birthday cards & some lovely presents, but I also got the shock of my life. My partner of 3 years surprised me with a proposal & engagement ring!! Even after 3 days of trying to get used to the idea that I will be getting married I am still in shock. I guess he thought I might be bored of having nothing to plan now the party's over, so now I have a wedding to plan!! :o)

With all the party planning going on I didn't plan on getting many miniatures made last week, until I recieved an e-mail from the wonderful Martha Puff (American Artisan) who is doing a couple of features for Dollshouse & Miniatures Scene Magazine (U.K.) & Dollshouse Miniatures Magazine (U.S.A.) who would like to feature my miniatures for the up-coming Festive/Holiday editions, so I had to quickly rustle up a few festive miniatures & send her the photos. This will be the first time I am to feature in an American miniatures magazine & I am quite excited about it, Martha has even promised to send me a copy of the magazine when it comes out over there!!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the photos & have a fantastic week. Kerry :o) .x.

Just a quick post :o)

1/12TH SCALE TEA-TIME TREATS SET
1/12TH SCALE THREE TIERED CHOCOLATE MARBLED CAKE

1/12TH SCALE JARS OF PRESERVE

1/12TH SCALE SUMMER FRUITS CHARLOTTE

Just popping by for a quick post today as I realised I hadn't posted for a little while (been quite busy with minis & home stuff), so here are a few piccies of the minis I have been making recently. Not only has my time been taken up with commissions & mini-making but it is the school summer holidays so my son is demanding my time (bless him :o)) & it is only two weeks now 'til I turn the big 4-0!! Preparations are well underway for my 70's themed party, invites have gone out & this morning I found the perfect accessories for my outfit. Will post pics on a later blog post!! Hope you like the minis, Have a fantastic weekend!!x.

Lost my 'mini-mojo'.

It's been a strange couple of weeks, and not many minis have been made :o(. Three weeks ago I took an impromptu break from mini-making to help my partner 'landscape' our garden, which desperately needed doing as we hadn't bothered with it since we moved in almost two years ago (we concentrated on decorating the house as it was more important). It took two weeks of very hard labour to get the garden how we wanted it to look, but now it is finished we have a garden we can sit & relax in during these glorious summer evenings. While I was helping with the garden I had a lot of ideas of what my next mini project would be & thousands of ideas were running through my mind, but now the garden is finished & I have (almost) all the time in the world again to mini-make, I seem to have lost my 'mini-mojo' & am struggling to get it back!! This is proving to be very frustrating for me, I still have a lot of ideas but cannot find the energy or inclination to actually make anything & the more I think about it, the more frustrated I become! I know that once I get my 'mini-mojo' back I will be on a roll & won't be able to make minis fast enough, but until that happens I am just going to have to be patient & make minis as & when. I did manage to make a 'busy baking day table' last weekend & that is on eBay at the moment, I was hoping this would inspire to me carry on mini-making all week, but sadly not. Oh well, I'm sure I'll get my mojo back eventually. In the meantime, here are a few pics of our new garden & the 'busy baking day table'. Enjoy.x.

If you look really, really closely...

...you might see some non-sweet food!! Have you found it yet? Lol :o) I've been unbelievably busy these last few weeks & the reason for this is my last fair (York Racecourse) was almost a complete sell-out!! I had a fantastic day chatting to customers old & new & other miniaturists, too. I now have to replenish my stock in time to exhibit at Kelham Hall on July 4th. Here is little preview of some of the minis I have been making recently, including a handful of masquerade masks on stands. Enjoy :o) .x.x.x

*Having a Pink Week*

*1/12th scale White Chocolate Fountain with treats*
*1/12th scale Candy Basket*

*1/12th scale Selection of Party Cakes*

*1/12th scale Selection of Pink Pastries*

*1/12th Scale Birthday Cakes & Birthday Balloon Display**

Having had looked at the calendar I realised that for the next couple of months it's nothing but birthdays! birthdays! birthdays!, which is what has given me inspiration for this weeks' minis. I also tried something a little different, the birthday balloon display, with princess castle, pink pumpkin carriage, flowers, hearts, glittery bows, birthday banner & of course, balloons!! Very pink & very girlie :o) These are all on eBay this week. Hope you all have a great week. x.