Maine Yankee's Projects

Isn't it great when a plan comes together? In this shot I'm working on placement of the props. This is a weak point for me, knowing how to balance things for pleasurable viewing.

To finish things off, I made two silly little stocking to hang on the mantle and I had Li'l Bea make a nativity out of her Crayola clay set. She has been making wonderful things with that clay, which I hope bodes well for the future. Judging from the perfect little chocolate donut with sprinkles (her favorite) that she made, she is well on her way to being a mini artist.

The finished room is just what I had envisioned to hold the sweet little tree. It feels like Christmas on the day before Thanksgiving :)

I'm going to take the roombox to work and display it in my office through Christmas Eve. That should help to keep me from concentrating on work too much, not to mention remind me that I have Christmas shopping to do :D

Since I had to modify the fireplace anyway, I decided to do something different with the opening over the fire place.

I made the recessed panel area smaller and put a snowy winter scene behind it, turning the recess into a frame. This gives it a much different look than the standard, elegant fireplace.

After being sanded and painted (a few turns each), it really fits the decor of the little room, better than the original would have, in my opinion. Not so grand, but still lovely. What a fun kit!

I recently won a raffle. I used to do that quite often, especially at miniatures shows. That was a very long time ago. When it happened again recently I was inspired.

The item I won was a lovely little hand-crafted Christmas tree. I decided to build it its own room, a roombox that would be both a worthy setting and something to enjoy every Christmas for years to come.

I had an 8x10 frame, so I made a foam core box 10" across the front, 8" high and 8" deep. I thought about going deeper, but I wanted to keep everything right up close to the glass.

The tree was made by GJ's Miniature Christmas Trees and Decorations and is quite a little marvel. Bows, balls, and candy canes adorn the tree, which is frosted with snow and also lighted. I gathered some of my better props, including a number of toys that I got in a swap on the AllThingsMini Forum, a rocking chair that I rescued and refurbished, a train that I've had since early childhood, some tiny packages from a junky shadowbox, and a fireplace kit from House of Miniatures.

The fireplace would not fit straight out of the box, so I made a number of modifications. First was to shorten it, but I also wanted to make it more homey than the standard Colonial piece.

The lower opening will be the firebox, but the upper one needed a homey touch.