~ A visit to cozy Summer Rose ~

Hello sweet friends! Well it's the day before Halloween and we had our first tiny snow storm last night, I believe that's surely a record for NY! Upstate and a little north of me I hear they actually got almost a foot of snow! I thought we would loose our electric last night with the hollowing winds, but fortunately we were one of few that didn't. So..... I thought it appropriate to give you a tour of Summer Rose, my tiny miniature Cottage... she's acquired a few new pieces and additions so it was time I thought for a new photo tour. Remember, in her little world, it's always cozy inside no matter what the weather is outside :) I was intending to get the cottage all ready for the holidays but I didn't want to rush to Christmas too soon, although I'm feeling the itch to get there :) So here she is , getting all ready for a cozy afternoon tea with friends...

Lets pretend a little ...

It begins in the early morning hours, just as the sun is coming up...


Warm cherry muffins, fresh from the oven is the perfect way to get start the day...


Sitting there with a muffin and coffee in hand, I look around and love to watch the play of light on the sweetness of the kitchen items that have that feel of being handed down for generations. The soft green bowls catch the early sun and make me smile. Years of mixing in them and cooking and loving the domesticity of it all makes me happy...


A loaf of bread from the much anticipated Country Fair yesterday still carry's all the aromas it did when I picked it up at the market stand...and it fills the kitchen...



There's a few dishes to wash , but the morning chores won't be rushed...after all, it's too cold to go out today and friends are coming here where the fires ready , and the tea and sweets are perfect :)...




I'll place a few special dishes out and keep things casual and simple in the dining room, right next to the fireplace....




Then it's back into the kitchen to set out the tea and sweets for after lunch...



It's when I'm in my little Cottage setting up for friends that I'm happiest....I always take time to look around and take in the all the pretty accessories , colors, foods, and warmth to make sure I've created a cozy home for others to enjoy and love with me...



The oven is on and the pastries and sweet scents meld together in the air to wrap my guests in a blanket of deliciousness...




Summer Rose is a haven for all things "Cottage".... with it's collected bowls, vintage plates, simple whites, soft pastels, well worn woods, dreamy sweets, candlelight, quilts, and all the little luxuries that make you relax and feel cozy, she is a home...



And today, she is all ready for friends to visit...




The sweets took a few days to prepare , but they are ready to be savored... I made a few extra if you'd like to join us :)




Well it's time to go, I hear a knock at the door, but I will leave room for you at the table of friendship...


The next time we meet for a tour of the Cottage she'll be dressed for Christmas, how lovely! :)


Speaking of friends ...I want to thank my dear friend Cheryl for the beautiful miniature items she sent me for my birthday. Thank you so much Cheryl. They will always hold a special place in the cottage , and also with me! What started out as a hunt for the perfect Christmas Tree for Summer Rose ( which was a gift from her and you'll see soon) ended with these beautiful gifts and an exchange of miniatures which was so much fun for me! {Yours are on the way Cheryl!}

An adorable picnic basket she made and of all things it has a rooster too, how did you know I love them? :)

And beautiful handmade hydrangeas for the porch....so pretty!

My camera battery didn't cooperate {it was over used today lol} for the beautiful cake she gave me too, but I'll show pics soon! Thank you again Cheryl!

I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead and I hope you enjoyed my little tour of the updates in Summer Rose too! Stay warm and cozy!

Hugs and appreciation!

Love,

Cynthia xo

Note: The Beautiful plates featured in some of the scenes were created by the talented Carrie at A Lavender Dilly at Etsy! Here's the link if you'd like to see her beautiful collections: A Lavender Dilly

~ Please come join me ~

Hello sweet friends!

I'm popping in for a quick little note... I've created a facebook page for my miniatures and musings. I'd LOVE for you to join me! I'm still working on it, so bare with me, but if you have a facebook page and would like to be updated about little projects , new creations and my daily ramblings , please come "like" me :) There's a link to the right here on my blog or you can click the picture above too! I hope to see you there!

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful Fall weekend too!

Thanks and love,

Cynthia

~ Miniature Dreams ~

If anyone would have told me this time last year that I'd be sitting on my sofa wrapped in an throw, drinking my morning tea , and reading a magazine that had me featured on the cover and 2 articles inside I'd have told them their own tea was spiked :)

I finally received my copy of the November issue of American Miniaturist , and I'm still over the moon happy! It's such an honor to me, and as I said last week I could NOT be more thrilled. My first Miniature Dream came true :) I have lots more to dream about and fulfill still , but this was like that feeling you get coming down the steps at Christmas to see that Santa really did remember you ....

With that said, I could go on and on about how much my friends and blogger friends , family, and facebook community have always given me so much support and kind words when I started this "little" journey last year , because I literally could! You have all been so wonderful and if it wasn't for the encouragement and feedback, I would probably be standing at a construction site today in the pouring rain carrying 20 fabric books and slipping in the wet pavement with my heels stuck in mud. :) Not to say I didn't love the job of being an Interior Designer, because I did. But working in miniature 1:12 scale is so much calmer , and I get all the creative freedom I could ask for because I work alone :)

If you've read my blog or know me, I've been known to talk forever and I'm not sure I know the "art" of when to stop :) ... But, I just wanted to say thank you again!!

Now I'll try and let the picture do the talking. I hope they show my joy and happiness to you {even though it's hard to show gratitude in a photo} I'm hoping that all the love and time I put into my miniatures means I want you to know how much I want you to have something pretty to collect or look at. Something you can treasure as much as I do making them.

Here's a sneak peak of the inside of the November issue...and a few pictures that didn't make the cut for the article too....


Tuscan kitchen love...

The pantry's I made a few months back are still some of my favorite creations... I've wanted one in my big girl home forever, hopefully soon!



I was so excited to do the pictures and article with American Miniaturist , they were wonderful to work with! I'm looking forward to doing more.

I hope Santa brings me the camera of my dreams for Christmas this year too! :) It's on my to-do list to get this photography aspect as best as I can. It's always fun photographing the miniatures, the angles help us all feel as if we're right in the room. I'm a novice with this for sure! But I'm working on it :)

We'll I hope you enjoyed that tiny tour of a few pics that didn't make it. I also hope you get your copy soon too , if you have , let me know what you thought of it!

Now on to a few mini's I made during the last few weeks. I am sure I'm obsessed :) I cannot stop making them , and my ideas still keep me up at night sometimes too, but I've honestly never found a hobby/career I've enjoyed and loved more!

These below were in my Etsy shop but are already sold, but they each brought me so much joy to make!

** Special note to collectors and buyers:

I try and make things weekly to add to the shop and I'm working at it full time, but I want each piece to be so special and the miniatures are not things I want to "rush" at. So I apologize in advance if the shop is bare sometimes. I wanted to say this because last week I got an email saying: " Each of your items listed in Etsy has a saying at the end of your description saying: "Thank you so much for stopping in my shop, I hope you find something you love" , but there's nothing else for sale except one item on hold lol! We both got a giggle out of that and I'm actually making her a custom order right now, but I felt the need to let others know I'm always working on miniatures, but I don't want to speed it up for the sake of having a full store, I want each person to have something very special.

Ok that's said :)

On to more miniature love....(without me talking lol )



Cupcakes are such a favorite of mine to make!{opps sorry , I talked lol } Each one takes a long time but I tune the world out , forget the news, listen to some Italian opera { yes totally true } and focus on CUPCAKES and creating, that is such a good feeling to me! Anyone who explores their creative side (no matter what the hobby or craft) knows this feeling. It's like a "Zen"....you're busy cutting, pasting, knitting, sewing, painting, or doing whatever you love and good feelings come from that! Everyone I know who does that puts so much love into what they do, and to be a part of that feeling this year has been such a blessing! I always felt good being a Designer, but the "being away from home" or being hit with major deadlines and the hard parts were taking it's toll. So I day-dreamed about something else and it happened. How cool is that? If you haven't found your creative side, keep looking and trying, I really believe everyone has one and even if it takes a long time, you will be so happy when you've found it!









Ok Now I'll be quiet for sure :) I've got work to do! Thank you so much as always for being so wonderful!

Have a beautiful, magical, and fabulous week ahead!

Hugs and love,

Cynthia xo

Thank you and we have a WINNER!

Thank you Thank you Thank you! You all were so sweet and your kind words warmed my heart!

I used the random generator to pick the winner and the winner is:

Kathleen Reynolds!!

Congratulations Kathleen!!

{Please send me an email with your address so I can get your Shabby Chic Bakery rack out to you}
I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend! I wish I could have given everyone a gift!, you were all so kind with your words of encouragement and sweetness!

I'm still waiting for my copy of American Miniaturist to see the inside, but hopefully soon! :) In the meantime I'm busy mini making and loving the fall weather so much! I made the table above this week and hope you love it too!

Hugs and Thank you again , so much!

Cynthia xo

~ GIVE-AWAY and CELEBRATION ~

Hello sweet friends! I have a reason to CELEBRATE and I couldn't think of a better way than to have a give-away! I just found out my miniatures made the cover of the November issue of American Miniaturist. To say I'm thrilled, blushing, and ecstatically happy is probably an understatement. I am over the moon! :) Somebody pinch me! { I asked my daughter to and she actually did, lol, and hard, ouch!}. I haven't seen the inside of the issue yet but they did an article on me and my miniatures and I also did a tutorial for them on deep dish apple pie. I am beyond thrilled and so honored too!

Soooo, I wanted to create a very special miniature for you as my give-away. It's the bakers rack above and everything on it comes with it too! I've been working on it all week. It's my way of saying Thank You! Thank you for all your support and encouragement and friendship, always!

Here's a preview of the cover :)

If you'd like to order a copy , here is the link to this issue {It comes out in about 2 weeks} American Miniaturist , November 2011

I got off cloud nine long enough today to do the finishing touches of the Baker's Rack, I hope you love it as much as I did making it! And as the picture below shows, you don't have to have a dollhouse to collect or love miniatures, they make great conversation pieces and are so much fun to have around.


I add a piece now and then to my kitchen shelves. I like nostalgia in my home scattered about and sometimes a miniature that I've created brings me back to a feeling I loved. Like grandmothers hutch, or a mini table-setting of a big celebration I want to remember, or a little remembrance of a birthday party etc! Or, sometimes I just want a simple mini apple pie resting on a shelf next to a cookbook. :)

With that said, you don't have to have a dollhouse to love them and you don't have to have one to enter the give-away either!

Here are the rules: {simple and sweet} Just leave a comment on this post and you are entered. If you want 2 chances to win, post about this give-away on your blog or facebook (linking to this post) and make sure to come back and leave another comment so you have 2 chances. That's it :) You can use any of my pictures you'd like when blogging about it.

Here's the miniature Baker's Rack:

It's filled with sweet delectables! A yummy deep dish apple pie under a glass cake stand, sugar cookies, cupcakes galore, a slice of cake, 2 glass jars filled with decorating sugars, copper hanging pots, a bakery sign edged in pink gingham, and so many little sweet details! The Bakers Rack is painted a soft pale pink and distressed back to show a hint of it's black original color, and it's back is closed off with a beautiful bounty of pink and red roses....





I put a lot of love and care into my miniatures and I hope it shows! I wish you ALL could win because you've all been so wonderful to me. I'm coming up on my one year anniversary into the miniature world {from Interior Design} and I could not be any happier with the transition and change of careers! That old saying is so true, " If you dream it , you can find a way to live it"....

Thank you to my followers, friends, and family too, for sticking with me and for always encouraging me to "Go for it". And thank you to American Miniaturist and Traci for making my little dream come true with your November issue! Big Hugs!

I left you all some Country Fair Cupcakes :)

Ohhhh Darn lol, I forgot!! The Winner for the give-away will be announced on October 15th! That's a couple of weeks before my 50th Birthday, how the heck did that happen? Meaning, turning 50? I think Miniatures make me feel even younger, so that's why I do them :)

With hugs and appreciation!

Cynthia xo

Ps: Here's the other link to American Miniaturist if you would like to subscribe, it's a great little magazine and they do a beautiful job putting it together!