Wednesday, April 10, 2013

A new season brings new inspirations...

     
Hello sweet friends! I just want to start this post off with a big "Thank you"!! I realized I've come to 2002 friends and followers of my blog and I am just so grateful and thankful to all who stop by and share my passions with me, you are all so wonderful! I'm going to prepare another give-away soon to celebrate, so stay tuned! :) For now, onto a few new miniatures and my work over the last couple of weeks. I get so inspired with the beautiful weather we are having   (finally!) and my thoughts and creativity come directly from the new season we are in and whats to come! I've also designed a new header for my blog. It was time for a very tiny changed to celebrate the new season too :)

  




 
Making pies is still one of my favorites things to do in miniature. Probably because baking and eating them in real life is also one of my favorite things :) But I've also enjoyed making new books this week, I love scanning Google and finding vintage or cottage style cookbooks and creating them for my scenes. I've also designed some myself which has even been more fun! Coming up with cover ideas is a real treat for me. And playing on photoshop is always fun too :)

 
 
And speaking of photo shop, when I can't find something in miniature from the retail sites, I often find ways to create them myself and that's always been the biggest joy for me. Something that is created from conception to finality and has the look I'm looking for when I'm finished, is a great feeling of satisfaction. So if you're not seeing or finding things you love and want for your miniatures, always give it a try yourself! I created these "cupcake mixes" and "flour" sacs, and it was so rewarding to see my design come to life.




I also worked on a few pie bakery boxes, and cake boxes. I'm still learning how to perfect them, but they've been much so much fun working on. I wasn't happy with the color card-stock I was using here, (they were practice ones) but after a trip to Micheal's I finally found the white Swiss dot and cardboard color too I had wanted them to be. So I'm still working on the new ones.


The new ones I'm making have the wording right on the paper, (via printer) verses what you see here, which is an applied label. I've also designed some bakery stickers too that I'll use for the top. Playing is such fun! Isn't it?!



This canning shelf unit was another project I worked on. Another favorite thing in miniature for me is canned fruits, vegetables, and herbs in oils etc. Again , it's something I love in real life too.  This shelf unit was inspired by my love of canning. I've been making jams and honey's  for my mini creations for a long time. But I've always want one place to showcase them in a cottage. So I worked on this until it felt complete. There's something very special about shelves filled with a beautiful harvest and letting the sunlight highlight all their beauty. I'll never forget a movie I saw years ago called Funny Valentines. It was set in the deep south and one of the characters had a little cottage shed in the back yard filled with all her canning and bottles of herbs. It was such a magical scene when she spoke about her passion for what she did , and the camera showed every jar filled with light and bounty. It's stuck with me every since. I've tried to get the movie in DVD, but it isn't yet available. It's an older movie (1999) so I'm not sure it ever will, but I loved every part of the movie. Here's a link to my inspiration from one of the scenes. (Ignore the first few moments of the clip about a marriage gone wrong lol. Its after that scene when she goes into her sisters barn that I love! Click HERE to view. I hope this link works, and forgive the quality, it seems to be the only clip anywhere! Boo-hoo! But I think you'll get the idea of how incredible it was to see on the big screen. :)

Putting together the collection was blissful....There's something very calming about the "putting up" of jars and jars of  jams, honey's, and creating layers of fresh picked fruit and herbs.


Making them in different sizes and heights helps to add to the beauty of the shelves.



 
This one is almost 8 inches tall, so it's hard to photograph with detail and see it all at once...

This was such a passionate project for me. It makes me excited to get canning again this season in real life too!

And lastly, here's a little Vintage style Pie cupboard I put together this week for my Etsy shop. I adore the vintage chippy soft pink backdrop for the pies and vintage items, it's so nostalgic to me.... and I hope it's new owner loves it too :)

I had to add some homemade jelly and honey , of course  :)

With the photo below, I played around with photoshop, I like mixing a little bit of black and white photography in a photo. I think when you're trying to create a vintage look, it makes it interesting and a little magical. And after all, isn't that what miniatures are anyway?...... Magical :) 

So now I'm off to enjoy a little of the gorgeous weather today, get inspired again by planting my fruit and vegetable seeds for the window sill. It's the perfect place to start them. Then hopefully soon, it's off to plant them in the earth and begin again, the new season of natures beauty!

I wish you all a beautiful week ahead!  And again , Thank you to every one who pops into my little cottage of dreams! I love you all!

Cynthia xo

17 comments:

Deb said...

Every picture was a delight to look at! I loved them all. My aunt Louise had a little canning building in her back yard. It was made of concrete blocks & was lined with wood shelves inside that were filled with her canned fruits & veggies. I love your black & white photo too, very magical. Love the rolling pin towel bar too. I tried to print some vintage mini can labels (like your peach can in pic) mine came out micro-mini. I couldn't even read them. I never could figure out what I was doing wrong. I chose 1:12 scale. Any advice? Thanks for sharing all these lovely mini pictures. Enjoy your nice weather.

Sam said...

Wonderful photographs of exquisite pieces of art! It is just pure joy to look at your blog!

Fabiola said...

Beautiful inspirations. I like the sacs and jars.
Greetings, Faby

Rebecca Nelson said...

Totally delightful. Last year my hubby's co-worker gave him an antique CONCERVO and I just fell in love with it. That motivated me to learn more about canning my own food and I can't wait to learn more about it.

Love your sweet blog. Congrats on the huge followers...

xoRebecca

debi said...

Cynthia, a visit to your little kitchens is always such a beautiful treat!

Susan said...

Love, love, loved everything, Cynthia. Your new header is gorgeous. You are VERY TALENTED! Susan

miniacollection said...

It is always a pleasure to see your photos. I love your jars, the coloyrs are amazing and I love your cupcake mixes and flour sacs.
Geneviève

Unknown said...

You're the best, Cynthia. I'm sitting here and staring at your photos. Oh my... Whata a giftes artist you are!

elizabeth s said...

Hi Cynthia! What a treat to be able to view the preserves on the shelving unit with the sunlight streaming through! It really emphasizes the transparency of the colors and illustrates the variety of the contents in the assortment of containers. Most gratifying to see and for you too I would imagine. I think that you captured the essence of the movie clip beautifully!

elizabeth

Lucille said...

Hi Cynthia! So happy you are having nice weather! It's snowing here today in Ottawa and then it will rain. When I see what you do, I am so tempted to get photo shop! Love your new header but I think I've already told you this on facebook. I also love the box that says The Vintage Kitchen! Your jars of pickled vegetables, honey, and jam are so impressive and exceptionally beautiful. That tall shelf is an absolute work of art. I adore your work! I looked at the clip. You have succeeded superbly in reproducing the look of that shelf in the movie. That shelf is quite an inspiration! Nothing like Hollywood to inspire us with their staging.

Skiddi said...

Hallo Cynthia !
Ich bin so fasziniert von deinen ganzen Gläseren mit den ganzen Leckereien, es ist der Wahnsinn.
Dann hast du immer so schöne Glasgefäße, die hauen mich um.
Super toll.
Liebe Grüße
Skiddi / Germany

Suze said...

I love your canning jars! The lighting shows just how exquisite they are. Wonderful job Cynthia!

Big Hugs,
Susan

Ribbonwood Cottage said...

HI Cynthia, I'm lovin' the direction you are going. I've been making little doll bedding for doll houses and loving the creative side. I love to sew...so it is wonderful therapy for me. I recently bought your 2nd book...enjoying it so much. I can't seem to get enough of looking at it. More therapy! Hope you are doing well.
Blessings,
Debbie

toko baju muslim murah said...

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Anonymous said...

Wonderful memories you have shared with us.
Modular Kitchen Collection

ruzzel01 said...

Another inspiration work for us.

tx

Joyce said...

Completely wonderful...in every way! I just found your blog recently. It is a visual delight! Thank you for sharing.:)