Loganberry Lane

For The Birds

2012-02-26T09:57:00.000-08:00

I've been on a bit of a bird kick this past week, artistically speaking. I picked up two unpainted wooden birds at Michaels Crafts, seeing lots of potential. So I had a blast painting and decorating them in unconventional and colorful ways. Here are the pix I took of them, and a couple of pix of my terrier Mick who wanted to see why I was paying attention to my inanimate objects, instead of him. Haha, he is so bossy, but I adore him. I'm nervous for him getting his cataract surgery on Wednesday, but want him to see so badly. Thank you Elizabeth for assuring my that your dog had a successful outcome, that gives me great hope.

Although I haven't yet thought of a name for these tweeters, I am certainly open to suggestions.

Next up is my first attempt at jewelry-making. I've been wrapping wire around beads to make earrings and bird's nest and egg necklaces. Here are some of the results, which I'm delighted about.

Sorry for the blurry nature of some of the pix. Maybe I will get a new camera for my birthday in March (hint, hint hubby, if you read this, which you probably won't haha).

That's it for now. I've loved my week off work, as I filled it with books, art, running, long walks, lattes, and house organizing. I also managed to see all 3 of my kids who live away at their colleges. Back to teaching tomorrow. Hope everyone has a lovely week
Hugs,
trish

Sketchbook Pages

2012-02-23T14:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from my sketchbook that I wanted to share;

The above pix are obviously inspired by my love of yoga, and bold colors.

The previous 4 pix are inspired by my love of all Celtic design (I was born and grew up in Ireland). All 7 of the above pix were created using oil crayons (yes, I still love to use crayons:)

This is a little poem I wrote to accompany my nature runner drawing

Here is a paper weave I created using scrapbook papers

Here is my Springing For Joy girl who is just a few weeks early, but welcome anyday because of her bright colors. So those are my choices for today. BTW I am loving being off work this week. I have been a busy bee; scouring my home, running many miles, taking long country walks, getting my dog ready for his eye surgery next week (trying to reverse his blindness, fingers crossed), getting 2 doctor checkups for myself,trying out new art projects, and inhaling books. I love all that, I will have time enough to sit on my behind when I'm ancient, so whilst I'm energetic, I'll cram as much into each day as I can, hitting the ground running, literally and figuratively haha.

Hugs,
trish

Blythe Girls Checking In

2012-02-19T13:37:00.000-08:00

It's been a wee while since we heard from Nanette and Opal. They've been very well, enjoying a mild winter, and working hard at their jobs. Today they're relaxing, single-tasking and loving it. Opal is on the left, Nanette on the right.

Nanette is none too pleased that Opal borrowed her felt beret without permission. "Just ask next time,alright"? "Yeah, sure, sorry about that. But hey, are those MY boots you're sporting there"? Of all the nerve.

The girls and I on a relaxing Sunday afternoon in february.

Next up is some cake toppers I got at the local antique store; so tiny about 3 inches tall each, but so incredibly full of character.

Lastly, here are 3 matchboxes that my Fiona decorated with little poems, paints, glitter and teeny, weeny themed miniatures.

I apologize for the blurry pix; I either need to invest in a better camera, or get a steadier hand lol.

Hope you all have a brilliant week ahead,
Slainte,
trish

More Steampunk Creations

2012-02-16T18:06:00.000-08:00

Hi blog pals,
I'm so excited that I have a week off work next week (school vacation week; yes, the teachers get just as excited about it as the kids do lol). I plan to do art til my fingers hurt, read til my eyes boggle, and run til my legs ache. Interspersed between lattes and multi-grain bagels loaded with veggie cream cheese; life is definetely good:)
I will make a quick trip to NYC to see my son Liam race in the Big East Track championships in the mile, but other than that, it will be hobby time; oh joy!!!
About half an hour ago, I finished creating this gorgeous Victorian Steampunk creature, whom I really like. She's made of clay, fabric, wire, and several other bits and pieces. She's about 10" tall and sits on a wooden base. I believe her name is Mavis.

I quite like her overall look; a nice blend of old world and modern, I think. I really enjoy using stone clay to mold the head.

Next up is an Altered book. I cut out the insides, created an articulated doll, inserted her in the cutout, then created her "family" history. I really love the outcome. I added wire and beads so that it can be hung on a wall:

So what do you think of the Altered Book?

Next up is the new book I'm going to read next week, a Stephen King one that's been getting excellent reviews from people whose opinions I value: It's called 11/22/63 and it's about a fellow who goes through a portal back to the events when JFK was assassinated. I'll bite.

Here are some doodles I've been doing during my breaks at work. I want to get back into drawing, and am trying to come up with a specific character around which I'll write some little macabre tales, just for fun.

Edward Gorey is/was one of my art inspirations, as I adore his sense of humour. I'm rereading The Gashlycrumb Tinies for macabre ispiration (a very quick read) .

Anyway.... that's about all going on right now with me. I will post lots next week, as my personal artapalooza gets underway. Thanks for reading, and for commenting. I love hearing from you, and want to know what you guys are working on and inspired by at the present time,
love
trish

This and That

2012-02-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

Hi there blog pals. A very warm hello and welcome to my 4 new followers:)

I am absolutely LOVING this unusually mild winter here in Rhode Island, USA ....oops I mean down Loganberry Lane. Work, teaching English everyday to 130 twelve year olds, whilst very enjoyable, takes oodles of the energy I'm still trying to regain after my hospitalization during the Autumn. However, I am feeling a tad bit better everyday, and that's brilliant to me.

Here's a little of what I worked on during the past week or so, when I had a little bit of me time:

The Avenger

The Avenger is made of clay, metal, gauze and found items

Nostalgic Kat Steampunk Shadowbox

Figure made with clay and fabrics.

Close up of upper portion

Close up of lower portion

A Whimsical turtledude with mischief on his mind. He wants to teamup with the Avenger to party!

Let me at 'em mamma

Little Kitty and Pelican buddy, made from stone clay, which I recently discovered and am in love with.

Ohhh, look at the brilliant shadows we are casting; eerie?

Look at how tiny we are; that's a regular wine cork (which mommy thoroughly enjoyed).

And just because he's adorable; this little fellow who started out as a mouse, and ended up as bear, or is that a "mear"?

Hope you have a fabulous week with lots of artistic inspiration and time to create,
Namaste,
Trish

Steampunk Art

2012-01-29T13:56:00.000-08:00

Hi there,

Lately I've developed an interest in Steampunk, both in literature and art. So I purchased two very good books on the subject from Amazon, and have been thoroughly enjoying getting to know the ins and outs of this genre. I'm especially loving 1,000 Steampunk Creations, which is sparking my own creative urges. These creations of mine are a direct result of my recent explorations into the steampunk world:

Brutus is showing his son Bruce the beautiful metal flower

Linx is befuddled by all that's around her.

This is Chastity, sister to "Jilted Bride" from my last post. Don't mess with this girl's virtue.

This is a steampunk shadowbox I put together, using vintage papers, metals, clay and bits and pieces.

This is the book I'm so inspired by.

My clay people together on a new shelf kevin put together for me this weekend.

Two of my dioramas on another shelf.

And lastly, though blurry (cheap camera), here's our meditating sculpted lad.

So, any thoughts, comments, observations? I wish you all a very happy week. I'm a tad bit anxious, as this week is my annual evaluation week at work. Though I know I'm very good at what I do, I am a perfectionist when it comes to my teaching, so I want to do everything perfectly. So, I may be a bit hyper/basket case til it's over with. Thanks goodness for my art to help me relax.

love,
trish

Zinx, Zulu, Beatrix, and Violet

2012-01-16T21:28:00.000-08:00

Hello there,
It's just after midnight, and I really should be heading to bed. But I wanted to share some pix of some "people' that I've created during the past few weeks. I'm still very excited about my new dollhouse project, but decided to take a diversion and try my hand at working with clay and found objects. Since I'm a huge fan of Tim Burton's art, there's definetely an influence of his here and there. Here are the new characters;

Left to right, Zinx,Zulu, Beatrix, and Violet

This is Zinx, the tubby clown, made from paperclay, about 9 inches tall.

This is Zulu and the mask he wears. He is about 9 inches tall, has wooden moveable limbs and stands on a wooden base.

Violet is hot to trot on her wooden base and is 7 inches tall. Clay body, chopsticks limbs

And here is our gilted bride, Beatrix who wields a scissors and sword, seeking vengeance on her beloved. She's made of paperclay, fabric dress and stands on a wooden base. 7 inches tall.

Lastly,this is a pic of a 20 section cubby that I recently purchased for just $20 at an antique store near me. Pottery Barn has one similar for $129!! Originally dark brown, I painted and distressed it, and had a blast organizing my little things into it. I mixed nature items with my miniatures and put it on my mantlepiece.

So what do you think of my new "people" and cubby?

Have a lovely week,
love trish

New Year, New House

2012-01-01T06:53:00.000-08:00

Hi there, hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Year's.I wanted to post pix to update my latest mini projects. My husband kevin bought me a 30 year old homemade dollhouse from a local antique store. The house has many good points, it's strong and well made. It's a traditional colonial with nice sized rooms. On a down side, the rooms were all adorned with HIDEOUS wallpaper, all of which had bad staining.
On Christmas afternoon, I promptly began the remodeling process. My plan is to create this as a very modern home with lots of unique furniture pieces I want to make myself. I cannot afford the outrageous prices of some of the mini furniture I'd like to own. The pleaure I get from browsing 2modern, locomoco etc to look at their furniture and then recreate it in mini is so enjoyable. I will update frequently to show the progress. Here are the first pix; let me know what you think:

The first room I'm really focusing on is the living room, though I've dabbled also in the bedroom. Here's the living room in which I made a sofa, 2 daybeds, a fireplace and a coffee table. I chose brown, ochre and light blue for the color scheme. I used scrapbook paper for walls and floor.

I absolutely love the wallpaper behind the fireplace (scrapbook paper from Michaels).

The coffee table is made from a painted cube/wooden block on top of which I place the top of an candle jar. A bead serves as a vase on top of the table.

Here is the first chair I made, using foam and beads.

I envision this chair beside a bookshelf in a reading nook by a window.

Here's another chair, I think I will repaint it, as the paint I used appears to me to be a tad too glossy. But It's a decent first attempt at this type of rounded chair.

I like that I've made it a 3 legged chair. Will probably make another similar chair soon.

This will likely be my prototype for a dining style chair. I will make it a little less reclined and use non glossy paint next time. The base is a single wooden block.

Frontal view really shows the lines and shape I was going for.

Here is the chair I call The Fenway (we live close to Boston) because of its shape. It's a whimsical side chair that could be used in any non-formal room setting.

as you can see, this chair also has a single wooden block as a base. Very minimal which I love.

I used a tutorial from Mitchymoo miniatures to make the couch, and I'm delighted with how it came out. I put my own spin on it too with lines and dots etc.

I love using beads for legs on chairs. I used an old placemat for pillows to match the daybeds.

Daybed made from $1 wooden box, painted, beads added as feet, and placemat fabric as upholstery. I made 2 of these to flank the fireplace.

And finally, here is the fireplace with storage nook, both made from cheap wooden boxes which I painted. Twigs of course are free lol.

Thats about it for my mini projects this past week. Any thoughts, comments, suggestions?
love
trish

Kokeshi Dolls and Dark Dioramas

2011-12-18T09:42:00.000-08:00

I recently discoved Japanese Kokeshi dolls and just had to try my hand at making my own. My local Michael's Crafts shop sells the little wooden pieces in packs of 2 for $1.50. Each is about 3" tall and easy to paint. I've browsed online and can't believe the prices some companies are charging for theirs: anywhere from $15 to $100. Yikes, I will pass on that, and make my own. My 6th grade English students are working on dioramas and some are having trouble making their characters from clay. So I brought in these Kokeshi dolls to show them how these would be perfect in their dioramas. Have a look;

Visiting with the snowbabies at Silver Springs Pond.

All the pigtails are little beads I glued on, they can be painted if you like. I used regular craft paints for everything, and used gel pens to add swirls, etc. I love how easy they are to make and how cute they look. Of course now that I've started making these little ladies, the next logical step is to build them a home. Loganberry lane is getting busy with many new and eclectic residents this year. Will keep you posted on design plans etc.

On another miniature note: as I mentioned, my students are currently creating book related dioramas for my class. So I created these two to use as models. The first (built within a cookie tin from Target) is from a great book called The widow's Broom by Chris Van Allsburg.In this scene, a magic broom is being bullied by two bratty boys.
The second (built within a perfume box) is my take on the Little Red Riding Hood story: lost in the woods, Red (crafted by Sculpey clay) decides to sit and meditate in the woods, unaware that she herself is being watched by the wolf on the horizon. I love Tim Burton's scenes, and tried to impart a dark feel in this scene.

The scene is about 9" tall and 5" wide.

I first painted the horizon. Next I gathered twigs, and glued them and moss into place. After that I crafted birds, a basket and little Red Riding Hood from sculpey clay. I mad a tiny bird's nest from mini twigs and moss, and used two beads as robin's eggs.

The box is about 7" high and 8" wide.

As a base, I glued the box to the top of a cookie tin which I painted red. I like how that looks. Well that's about it for my mini work this past few weeks. What do you think?
trish

Oh Christmas Tree.....

2011-12-10T15:06:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at all the properties on Loganberry Lane:

The Cocoa Cafe has put up their tree and fairy lights. They;re offering gingerbread cookies three for a dollar; what a brilliant deal. There are all sorts of specialty coffees and teas, ranging from sugarplum to peppermint.

Our zenlike yoga instructor is taking a meditation break in the uber-modern apartment that's sporting a lovely silvery tree and a few minimilist decorations. All very simple, in keeping with the less is more philosophy.

This brilliant house is from the Hallmark 2011 collection, and I love it!

The folks on my mantlepiece are quite enjoying this lovely Saturday above a toasty fire.

The spot where this house resides, snuggled in among my antique books collection.

Here's my early Christmas present; an antique typewriter, from 1911. I'vehad this antique writing desk for about 10 years, and this typewriter just completes it. Love, love, love it!

The Neville seaside cottage is looking quite ready for the holiday.

The artist in residence, Raven,has painted a lovely Christmas Run At Night scene, inspired by the colors of her tree.

This year my Snowbabies have invited some friends over to skate with them. I think Angelina Ballerina might have been hitting the bottle before coming over, as she didn't hesitate to climb the pink sugar tower; crazy girl!

Be careful Angie: we don't want to be calling an ambulance for you if you fall; oh wait, that's not Agelina, it's her friend Alice; must be the wildchild tendency is contagious.

Phew, safely down from the tower, the girls are planning to spend the weekend at the Writer'sCabin. They are hoping to be inspired by nature to write some Ode poetry: Ode To A Deer In Winter.

Ahh, even the castle is getting into the holiday spirit.

Oh, la,la, Opal and Nanette are heading out to do some shopping.

Ahh, they run into Rayna and Vienna outside of Providence Place Mall. Hey, let's hit up Nordstroms.

Woohoo, look at what Robyn and Hazel have made; a large batch of gourmet Gingerbread cookies. Justlook at how Calico is eying them; methinks that gingerbread man is about to lose a limb; run, run, run, just as fast as you can.....

What's that Hazel? You're offering one to me? Oh yes, please, I do relish a tasty treat.

Well hello there, little mini Blythe ladies, I love your tree. And is that a wee Lalaloopsy in front of the tree? I love her.

And look who we have here; it's Gwen Stefani's Harajuku perfume women; they make me smell nice, and they're fun to play with. I like their caroling around the sugarplum tree and silvery tree. I hope santa brings me some more of these ladies.

And here we have three of the Logan sisters; from left to right, Helen, Trisha(me), and Nuala. They put up a wee tree in the bedroom, whilst on the other side of the partition.....

Sheila and Grainne are putting up their own wee tree, and reading stories to a tiny snowman whilst opening a gift.

Most importantly, here is the ultimate in Christmas. The baby Jesus with his loving family. Let us always remember, Jesus is the reason for the season.

To those of you who gave me feedback about the boothouse, I really, really appreciate it. Thank you. I'm not sure why, but lately I've not been able to leave comments on other people's blogs. If you know why it says I'm not enable to do so, I'd appreciate the assistance, as I read all of your blogs and want to comment on them, but can't: ugh, very annoying. Anyway, keep being wonderful, my blog followers and friends. I really appreciate and enjoy reading your comments.

God bless you,
love trish

100 Essential Reads for the Lifelong Learner - StumbleUpon

2011-12-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

100 Essential Reads for the Lifelong Learner - StumbleUpon

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T09:24:00.000-08:00

Hello, I want to thanks all of you for being my followers; I started this blog in March of this year as a way to connect with others who share the hobby of working in miniature. I've been so inspired by all of you, as I browse your blogs. I have created 9 or 10 mini dwelling places this year, ranging from ultra-modern apartment dwelling, to medeival castle dwelling.
My latest endeavors have been creating a multitude of miniature books; this takes much precision, patience and problem-solving. But is is soooooo rewarding; you should see the faces on my students or family members as they turn the pages of the mini treasures. I did however learn not to loan out my mini-books. One of my 6th grade students begged me to let her take one home to show her mon, and I allowed her to do so. She promised me faithfully that she would take great care of it, when I explained that I had devoted an entire weekend to that particular rendition of recreating The Hunger Games, and had even leather-bound it. What do you think happened? Yep, you guessed correctly; she lost it!!!!! I was as mad at myself as I was at her; I should never have let her take it home. That was a month ago now, and there's still no sign of my precious lilttle mini book. Lesson learned. Very soon, I will post pix of my mini book collection.

Here is a pictue of an adorable mini-home that was created using a wellington boot. I'm sorry I don't know the name of the creator, but if you do, please let me know so I can give credit where it is due. I am inredibly drawn to the piece; the detail, colors, and layout draw me into it and make me want to go cut up my favorite wellies to do likewise. During the new year, I will def. put one of these creations on my to-do list.

On a more personal, non-mini note, this Thanksgiving I'm especially thankful to get news that my clots are finally beginning to dissipate. I have been given the go ahead to resume running, cautiously of course.

This picture is me running a 1hr25min half marathon last Fall. Though I may never run that fast again, due to lung damage and scarring, I am hopeful that I can at least get back racing to a point where I can be competitive in my age category.

Here is a painting of mine that hangs in my living room. I love it for it's bold use of colors, and keep it as a reminder that much of the goodness in my life comes to me from opportunites I received from being a runner (college scholarship, husband, kids, job).
May you all have a terrific holiday.

Love trish

I'm A Giant Challenge

2011-10-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

Hi there from a lovely Fall leaf-laden Loganberry Lane. As you know I've been very sick these past 2 months, but I'm happy to report that I'm finally feeling well enough to get back to my life, work, and most importantly, my mini properties:) .
I've been reading lately on other people's blogs about stylist Emily Henderson's I'm A Giant Challenge, and I've decided I def. want to be a part of it. So I've resumed working on the Wizard's castle that I had begun working on before I had the ruptured appendicitis which led to the multiple blood clots. So here is my entry for the Challenge:

The Bedroom all filled for under $10

Downstairs; Wizard Adina with trusted owl Hugo Fireplace is made using leftover packing materials after buying 3 Macs for my 3 college kids (I'm so broke).
Pew and table are made from jenga blocks and scrap balsa wood.

The wall steps on right to go upstairs,I made from egg cartons painted silvery/grey to match walls.

Painted $1 Michaels craft's shelf with various bitsand pieces

Here we have a scroll made from scrapbook paper. 2 unicorn horns made from shells and sprinkled with sparkles. Also there's a bottle of magic dust, as well as a spell book I created using foam and paper.

Adina and Hugo want to show you Adina's wand, made from silver willow (aka toothpick painted silver). A little visitor has stopped by with his pearl to ask Adina's advice on attracting his frog princess, as he's tired of waiting. Hugo thinks he'd be best without a princess, whom he says are way too high maintenance.

Stained glass windows were easily made using sharpie markers on plastic covering from a men's shirt box.

Blanket for Adina's bed was made by cutting up one of my husband's old ties (shhh, he doesn't know).Bed itself is an upside down ipod case to which I attached and painted some foamcore. I also popped on a crystal and some beads wrapped around wire, so that the little wizard has some magical light by which to read when he's unable to sleep at night.

Well, that's it for now. I do have more plans for the outside of the castle, as well as the rooftop. I will keep you posted. I'd appreciate any feedback, as I love comments.
BTW it's great to feel well again, finger crossed that I will stay this way!

xo hugs
trish

Recovering

2011-10-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

My last post was from a hospital bed where I was laid up with 6 clots in my lung, a complication from an emergency appendectomy the previous week. I am home now recovering physically, but still reeling mentally. I basically went from athlete to incapacitated in the space of two weeks. For the next year, I will be on high doses of anti-coagulant to keep from clotting again. I have lost 10lbs whilst going through this, and have been out of work. So it definetely has been alife change for me this past month. Hopefully, I will feel better with each passing week.

To cheer me up, I finished a mini project that I had beenworking on during August. My son's friend, Steve, an 18 year old boy worked with me to create the colors and theme for the living room. Then he went off to college, and I got sick before we finished it. So now it's almost done, just needs a little lighting which will come soon.

Steve opted for a modern, youthful look, with bold colors and a zen-like theme.

We made the couch from a wooden pencil box and some white foam that I trimmed for a couch backing. The bookshelf is a $1 Michael's crafts find that I painted white. The coffee table is also a $1 Michaels wooden box.

The lamps and sculptures are all made from combinations of beads and wooden blocks.

The buddha is a little necklace charm that I mounted on a small canvas. The white cushions are powder puffs. The floor rug is embossed felt, also from Michael's Crafts store.

So what do you think?
By the way, though I've been too sick to blog myself, I have enjoyed reading about all of your projects on your blogs. You all inspire me,

love
trish

No Fun Month

2011-09-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

Hello blogger friends. I wanted to let you know I have not been able to blog lately because I'm having a rough month. First, as you know Hurricane Irene knocked down a tree in my yard which crashed through my swimming pool, leaving it in smithereens. Cleanup after thT is only partially complete. The last Wednesday, Sept 7th, I had an emergency appendectomy. It went smoothly and I went home with an expectation of rapid recovery. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, I felt sicker each day. So yesterday I went back inro hospital, where a CT scan showed I have multiple blood clots in my left lung! While I'm glad they caught it, I do not like being in hospital. I hope to go home in 3 more days
Love trish

Good News & Bad

2011-08-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

Hello there,

Well the good news is that nobody here was hurt from Hurricane Irene and my summer work vacation wa extended by a much-needed day. The bad news is that hurrican Irene knocked down three trees on my home, one of which toppeled through my lovely swimming pool Surreally, I watched from my dining room window as the tree keeled over, smashed through the center of the 24' pool, and unleased a wall of water.

Tree in pool:(

Point of impact

Twins soccer goalpost

Oh well, at least they didn't fall onto the house.

Now for the good news; my wizard's castle keep is coming along nicely. While the wizard is currently out of town on secretive business, the keep is under the care of his young apprentice, the dragon trainer.

The baby dragons are quite testy today, so he has his hands full keeping them in check.

Progress on the top floor which has a resident frog guarding a precious pearl from a stray baby dragon which should be up on the rooftop. Unicorn horns are stacked beneath the window.

The ground floo rnow has a church style pew bench in deep burgundy. It also has a trusty white owl which has been at the keep since he was a wee egg. On the table lies a spellbook and a cauldrom ready for whatever the wizard cooks up soon.
More to come soon.
love trish

The Castle Keep

2011-08-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

Hello there from the very bottom dwelling of Loganberry Lane, where a Castle Keep is hidden behind a beautiful copse of tall oak trees. You will have to wait to discover who the inhabitant is; it may be a Rapunzel-type character.Perhaps it's an evil witch, or maybe it's a Gandalf-style wizard. Maybe it's even a beautiful princess waiting patiently for the day when her prince arrives to sweep her off her feet. Check out the pix and let me know what you think:

I started the project just last week by purchasing from amazon a 2 storey room box kit, which was super-easy to put together. I painted it light grey inside and a darker, silvery grey outside. Inside I created bricklines with colored white pencil. Outside I used a black marker to create bricklines. Because the window openings were square and rectangular, I had to use a tiny bit of foamcore wedged into the opening in order to create the cathederal shape. The stained glass effect was easy. I cut out some plastic from a box cover. Then I used Sharpie markers to create colorful diagonal designs before glueing the plastic to the outside of the castle. The fireplace I made from packaging materials that protected my twin son's new macbooks for college. The wall steps to go from the ground floor to the second floor I made from egg cartons.

So, what do you think? Fit for a witch? wizard? princess? herbalist? ogre? other?

Love trish

CB2 Neville House as Writer's Cabin!

2011-07-30T15:56:00.000-07:00

Hi there, hope everyone is enjoying summer, and having many rewarding experiences outdoors. It's been very hot indeed here on Loganberry Lane, RI, USA. Thanks goodness we have a swimming pool into which to jump several times a day, when we're overly hot.
A warm welcome to my new followers, from all parts of the globe. This miniatures hobby truly proves it is indeed a small, small world.

After I posted pix of the Beach Cottage, I emailed Crate & Barrel 2 customer service dept. to show them that what they're marketing as a coffee table item can indeed be taken to the next level, through creative thought and design. Not expecting to hear back at all, I was pleasantly surprised when their CS Rep. Deb emailed promptly to say that the company loved my ideas and were letting their Corporate HQ know about the blog. They kindly mailed me a gift certificate, which was very sweet of Deb.

Before that communication, I had purchased a second Neville house, and was planning to make it into a Japanese style home. Then my 18 year old son, Liam suggested that I make it into the kind of getaway retreat spot that a modern day writer might want to go to get some peace and quiet to get their creative juices flowing. That got me thinking of my favorite writers (so, so many to choose from), and in the end, I decided I'd create a Writer's Cabin that Jodi Picoult might like to work in, when she needs to be by herself. So with that in mind, I got to work and gave myself a budget challenge of spending no more than $10 to decorate the inside of the cabin. (Going online and buying furniture is just too easy, the real fun is in making furniture out of bits and pieces of boxes, etc). Thankfully, the home already camewith a modern fire.

And voila, here is a cabin for Jodi Piccoult ,whose book Sing Me Home I just finished (loved it, love her):

I painted the back wall in silver, and the side walls in a modern bold red color. I made a day bed for the times Jodi may need a nap, and a desk for the back of the room, facing the copious amount of daylight streaming in through the front. Do you see the skylight? I have no carpentry skills, so had to convince my hubby to cut a skyllight for me. I put a blue plexiglass cover on it, and love the way it lets in soothing light.

I added (non-closing) windows for a cottage look which I think compliments the modern interior. Overhead the bed is a bookshelf with miniature versions of Yeats, Robert Frost and Courtenay Bryce (Power of One) books. A mini ipad and a rough draft lay on the bed. A baby deer has crossed the front porch looking for its momma.

I love how the azure blue ceramic tiles draw the attention of the eye up toward the rooftop (packet of tiles for $1.99 at Michael's Crafts). On the desk in the back is a lamp I made from beads, and glass, a mini laptop, and some more books.

I made the desk from Jenga blocks which I painted. The laptop I made from a black and silver file folder. You;ll laugh when I tell you the cupholder on the back shelf is the top of a syringe needle I've to inject my dog with. I decided to keep the modern fireplace the color it came as, though I did add a few licks of colorful flames.

I covered the daybed ($1 box covered with scrap leather) with an aqua leather and made a little neck roll so Jodi could be comfy whilst playing on her ipad, or reading her rough draft.

bed, desk, lamp, laptop, books

My favorite piece is the modern metal birds nest which I fell in love with at Michael's Crafts. I mounted it on a large wooden block which I painted black and yellow, and am using it as an end table.

This teeny mini scene is on the shelf on the back wall of the cabin. I made it by mounting mini buttons on a glass bead, and adding cardstock to the back.

So there you have it; my Writer's Cabin. I have to admit, I could've said it was finished at least 10 times, but then I'd get another idea, and go back and change things up again. Wall colors, floor materials, moss/no moss, furniture placement etc; it was all changed many times before I felt like it was exactly as I wanted it to be. I did manage to keep the total cost to $9. I'm very happy with how it turned out. What do you think, would you want to hang out here if you needed to write the next Jodi Picoult, Anita Shreve, or Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child novel?

Let me know what you think

Love trish

PS My dog Mick (Miracle Mick) is on the mend, and has regained 2lbs already, thanks to insulin injections

The CB2 Neville House as Beach Cottage

2011-07-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Hello there, hope all my followers and readers are enjoying the summer. It's getting a tad too hot here in Loganberry Lane with no end in sight. But we won't complain, 'cos all my Ireland family are complaining they've had to put the central heat on already in their homes. I want to say thank you to each of my readers/followers. I always have you in mind when I'm blogging, and try to be informative and entertaining. I read as many of your blogs as I can, and am very inspired by the creativity that you all possess. Some readers have been having trouble leaving comments, and I'm not sure why. On the flipside of that, I've tried leaving a message on some of your blogs, and it wouldn't go through. Erika, of Corset Kitten, I tried to thank you for the kind remards and great advice regarding Mick, but had to give up after 6 tries. I do thank you, and hope you're having a better week than your weekend. Jasline, I miss you too, and look forward to seeing you as a 7th grader; keep being a wonderful girl. Anyway readers/followers, if you would like to contact me at all and are having trouble leaving a comment, my email is runnertrish@gmail.com (my real life-long obsession is running and racing).

Fiona and I teamed up to work on the Neville house from Crate & Barrel 2. Although initially she thought she'd like it to be a ski lodge, somehow that didn't feel light with the summer heat all around us. So, since this is Fiona's first mini project, I gave her free reign to design and decorate as she pleased, with me playing the supply-lady role. Here are some pix of how it turned out, I think it's lovely. What do you think?

The total cost of the items used to make "furniture", sculptures etc was no more than $10, as I used my usual cheap wooden boxes, disassembled, then put back together in unusual ways.

Yikes, sorry about the quality of this pic, it shows a white couch we made by gluing white felt over a wooden box.

Surfboard was made by cutting a little balsa wood, and painting it. Windhimes and light fixtures are old earrings.

I've tried showing you as many angles as possible, but my camera word isn't all that great. This was indeed a fun project, and I'll readily admit that I prefer working on a property that's already built, rather than building one from scratch.

Take care, love trish

Can We All Get Along?

2011-07-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here is my little terrier Mick who just spent a week in hospital being treated for diabetes ketoacidosis. He has gone from 15 to 7.5 lbs from March 'til now, because our vet (useless quack) misdiagnosed him, even though all his bloodwork clearly indicated diabetes. Thanks God for the people at the animal hospital who are awesome and have him on the road to recovery now. He still has a long way back to health, and I've to inject him twice a day with insuling. Luckily I'm off for summer and can devote myself to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since today is a super gorgeous day on Loganberry Lane, lots of citizens are out and about enjoying the weather. Our three teenage girls on school vacation were bored and in the mood to walk in the woods:

After walking just a small bit, the girls discovered a wee cabin that seemed unoccupied. "Cool, a girl's clubhouse," they thought. Oh the fun we could have in here:

Sunbathing on the rooftop..

we can drag some furniture from home and set up a really nice relaxation nook

Hhmm, then all of a sudden two very agitated (yet beautiful) ballerina clad mice showed up claiming ownership of the cabin. 'Well we don't exactly OWN it," they finally admitted. But it is where we come to practice our amazing dance moves....

... away from nosy neighbors who might think that dancing mice is a ludicrous idea."

"Yeah, I can see how some people might think that," responded the girls, although not in a meangirls way.

"You know what, I don't see any reason why we can't all just share the space. Besides, it would be great fun meeting new creatures, and giving you tips for you dances. Speaking of dance, what kind are you working on at the moment?" asked Elsa with curiosity. "Promise you won't laugh if I tell you," said the green tutu mouse. "I won't laugh, you have my word," Elsa replied........"I'm working on perfecting The Dougie dance!!!" replied the mouse with delight. Elsa almost made her inner bleed with the effort of holding back peals of intense laughter at the thought of a mouse doing the Dougie. But being thoughtful, she did not want to hurt the mouse's delicate feelings. We need more humans like Elsa.

So the 3 girls and 2 mice sdecided to create a girls club and called themselves the "Woodsy Chix." They spent the rest of the day enjoying each other's company. They even sunbathed on the roof.

Oh the fun they had...

It all ended when pink tutu girl pulled a muscle in her hamstring, being overly enthusiastic in executing a rooftop split. "Dear me, we need to get you some BenGay muscle rub and some ibuprofen or you won't be able to move in the morning." said Nina, the voice of reason among the group. So off they all went, back to Loganberry Lane, after a lovely outing in the forest.

WHAT THE GIRLS DID NOT FIND OUT WAS THAT THE CABIN REALLY BELONGED TO A FAMILY OF TINY BEARS WHO WERE OFF FISHING FOR THE DAY. Tune in soon to see what happens when the bears meet the Woodsy Chix.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope you enjoyed this little story. I was cleaning out my basement today, and saw the Christmas creche. I decided to borrow it (minus figurines) for the afternoon, so my "people' could have a bit of fun.

On a completely different note, I recently purchased the Neville House from CB2 and this Thursday, my daughter Fiona (aged 21) and I are going to decorate it with a modern beach house theme. I'm chomping at the bit to get started with it, but Fi isn't off work 'til Thursday. I literally had to hide it, so I wouldn't be tempted to do any of it.

Here's what it looks like:

I realize this was a super long blog. But I had a lot to share, and really enjoyed doing so. Please let me know what you think...I love comments. questions etc

Love trish:)

Protecting the Property

2011-07-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

Today I created a "front" for the modern girl's apartment (Robyn & Hazel). The spring pollen has taught me that much as I like to look at each scene without interrupted viewing, my mini properties really do need protection do. I used hard laminate and scraps of cardboard, and am pleased enough with the results.

Because it sits on top of my antique writing desk, I love the blend of the old and the new.

Today Sheila and Trisha are babysitting boy-girl twins who live a few houses down. The boy thinks he's a cowboy and won't leave home without his cowboy hat. The girl is adorable. The sisters take the babies off in the stroller to go to cocoa Cafe where they pick up a loaf of French bread which they'll have with butter and cheddar cheese when they get home, yummy.

This little girl loves a sugary doughnut

Poor Petronius (stuffed dog) is getting beaten by the "cowboy" while Trisha tries to take a breather.

Have a terrific 4th of July. BTW Jasline, I miss you too. You will always be one of my "kids," even though you're officially a 7th grader now :)

Free For The Summer!

2011-06-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

Hello, sorry it's been 2 weeks since last posted; I've been extremely busy with end of year to-do items with my students. But as of last Friday, I'm finished work until August 30th Woohoo. I have lots of creative ideas of projects to do, books to read, daytrips to take, muscle groups to tone, etc, etc. So happy to have the time to do it all.
I am delighted to share with you the progress I've made on the Big Girl 1:6 scale house, which I now consider to be about 85% complete. I have some things I want to do in the kitchen and dining area. Then I've to do the rooftop patio and lighting, and it will be complete. Here are the latest pix;

Almost all of the furniture in the whole house was made from cheap wooden boxes I took apart, painted etc. Also, I used a lot of cheap items I got at stationary stores (paper clip containers etc). What do you think? If you would like to know how I made any of the items, please don't hesitate to ask. The flooring of the kitchen and dining area is made from yoga mat, and the walls are cheap contact paper.

Next I finally put a roof on the Logan Sisters house;

Although it's now authentic to how our real roof looked, I decided to go with a "solar" roof. I made it from a cardboard box, clear contact paper, and masking tape.

That's it from a beautiful sunny Loganberry Lane. Have a wonderful day my friends,

love,
trish

Fairies on Loganberry Lane, Oh My

2011-06-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hi there,
Nanette & Opal are so excited to show off their new outfits, thanks to a swap with the lovely Dominique from Crafty Pixie.

Opal loves her purple and cream tunic, with matching crochet hat and shoulder bag.

Nanette was thrillled with her beautifully made red summer dress, which she has paired with her vintage red leather ankle boots. Today she has decieded to wear her hair down, which is unusual for Nanette. But she just washedit, she wants it to air-dry.

With smiles on their faces, the two gorgeous Blythe ladies head out for a stroll down Loganberry Lane. By the time they get to the meadow at the end of the lane, the girls notice something sparkling in the distance.....

..."Is that a faerie I see,?" squeals Nanette with delight.... as her eyes focus on a pretty creature hiding by the oldest of all the oak trees dotting the Lane.

..."Oh my, it's two beautiful faeries,' replies Opal, barely able to contain her excitement. "Let's go say hello."
"No!" replies Nanette with fright, don't you know you are never supposed to talk to faeries who are unaware of your presence? Besides, these two look pretty intense in their conversation....."

Alas, Opal and Nanette had to learn the hard way never to startle faeries, unaware. Our girls both instantly developed dreadful stomach pains, and had to rush back home, where they barely made it to the bathroom ontime!
Nevertheless, theywere both thrilled to find out that Loganberry Lane is indeed an enchanted place. But would anyone else believe them??
I do bellieve in faeries, I do believe in faeries.

Love trish

PS The faerie on the right is my daughter Fiona, who models. These pix were taken at the famous Newport Mansions in RI by Daniel Gagnon. The outfits were created by Jonathan Joseph Peters, a wonderful RI designer.
Here are some pix from my twin son's senior prom last week

Liam has yellow tie and vest, Kieron has blue.

My family:

India Bedroom, and more

2011-06-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

Hello miniature loving friends. Thanks you for visiting Loganberry Lane, and for following my blog; it really thrills me to see new followers:)
I've been working on the big girls house and am very pleased with the progress. Nanette & Opal (Blythe dolls) decided to switch bedrooms with the Pulllip girls, Vienna & Rayna, and all 4 are thrilled with their new sleeping spots.

Here is the newly decorated room for N&O. It's on the second floor of the house, to the right of the sitting room. The girls decided to go with an Indian theme, and had lots of colorful bits and pieces that worked well in the room. The bunk beds I made by taking apart a $1 plastic pencil case, putting blocks underneath, and putting thin balsa wood a the top and bottom. I painted the whole thing a light shade of robin's egg green. Making matresses was simple, blankets too; I simply used bits of old scarves I had lying around. The wallpaper is made from scrapbook paper, Michael's crafts shop has a brilliant assortment of every theme imaginable.

The room divider is made from a refridgerator sized dry erase board, and can be moved whenever I want to switch things around.

Opal absolutely loves her top bunk, which she can access either by the ladder at the end of the bed, or by stepping on the little ottoman.

The 2 drawer chest was a soap container I picked up at TJMaxx for $2, ditching the smelly soap and painting the chest to match the room. The drawers to the left were originally Barbie pink (eek), so I painted them a suitable black. The mobile was kindly donated to me by my lovely daughter, Fiona. I adore the felt elephant. The pink wall hanging I got in clearance for $2 at Michael's crafts. What do you think of the room?

Here we see Rayna stretchingher legs in her new room at the top of the third floor. The only changes she and Vienna made were to put up some wallpaper (Michael's crafts scrapbook paper).

Vienna wants you to see one the artwork she just put up, it's a terrific black and white urban depiction of Little red Riding Hood.

Here we have my very first attempt at micro houses, aka dollhouse for a dollhouse. I made this 4 roomed house entirely from cardboard and beads.

Here is a tiny little house I got from Minikits. It originally had 6 rooms, but I knocked down some walls. I used foam for making furniture, also some beads.

I am not sure yet how I feel about working with the micro houses. Although I feel they should be easier than the larger ones, so far, I am finding them a little more difficult. I will try several more over the summer, and hopefully improve from these scrappy looking ones.
Anyway, my mini friends, that's what I've been up to in the mini world lately. In my real world, I have 3 more weeks of teaching 6th grade English until I get off for the summer. My twin boys have their senior prom tomorrow night which is very exciting (they are my youngest). Saturday they are both in the state championships finals for the 3,000m. So we have a very exciting few days coming up in the Hillery household.
Take care,
love trish

My Followers are MIA

2011-05-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

Is anybody else having blog issues. All of a sudden, my list of blog followers has disappeared, although the title is still in place. I've tried all the usual edit options, but can't seem to get it back. I need to see that cute collage of pix so I know I'm not just writing to myself lol. If anyone knows how to get it back, or has any information on what might be going on, please let me know.

Here is Milo, a 5 inch teddy I made a few years ago for my kids.

Here we see boyfriend Blair, relaxing at Hazel's before heading out for a date at the Luna Bistro.

My little doggie Mick, jaded tired after an evening squirrel-chase. Note the bunny that he has chewed up in "I didn't catch those squirrels" frustration.

Me holding my little Mick as we both nod off on the couch. I'm sure the coffee-table lounging feet belong to one of my twin sons, Liam and kieron.

Madonna & Child

By me

Look To The Skies

By Me

Dollhouse for The dollhouse

2011-05-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

While I'm thoroughly loving creating my 1:6 scale dollhouse, I've also become very interested lately in creating micro-sized houses. So, I've ordered a kit online for a house that will only be about 2.5 iinches wide, by 3 inches high, yet will most likely be fairly complicated to put together. But that's the joy of it, the whole putting it together process. That planning got me thinking that I may actually have in my basement toy boxes, some little houses that my daughter Fiona used to play with for her dollies. I fished out 2 that I think are perfect;

Here you see two of the mini Blythes posing with a tiny blue dollhouse that I believe was actually a Christmas tree ornament, although not a Hallmark one.

Vienna tells us this was her Polly Pocket house when she was small.

When you look inside, there's a micro-sized Polly who can move along a pathway when you twist a knob beneath the house; very cute.

"Oh, I love both of these, which one should I display on the dresser of my new bedroom?" Hint, hint, hurry up with the room, trish! Okay, that room for Vienna and Rayna will def. be getting worked on this upcoming 3 day Memorial weekend.

"Yes, I think maybe this is the one I'll pick, so it can remind me always of fun childhood days." Besides, we are all still kids inside, so play on my friends, it helps us all to stay young, and cope with the stress of real life. Let me know what you think.
Okay, it's 11.15pm here in RI, and I've to be at work by 7.30am.
Goodnight,
love trish

Nanette & Opal's Bedroom

2011-05-16T18:09:00.000-07:00

I just realized last night after posting the bathroom pix, that I'd forgotten to post the bedroom pix when I (90%) finished it last week. So here it is:

Nanette wants to let you know that she's responsible for choosing the artwork, whilst Opal chose the bed clothes, a nice coordination I'd say. Rayna gave them each a gift of the teddies she got at FAO Schwartz.

Making themselves at home on the platform beds (made by me from boxes and wooden blocks. I sewed the flannel bedding from a pair of American Eagle pj's my daughter disliked.

To the left is the armoire the girls are sharing for storing some of the multiple of accessories they own. What with shoes, scarves, bags etc. they could open a shop. As you can see, the Blythe boudoir is directly above the living room where Rayna's still making calls, trying diligently to land a decent job.

"Ahhh, can't a girl get some privacy around here?" yells Opal, as I accidently snap her pic. Well she was only going to brush her teeth, so I knew she'd be clothed. Jeez, calm it down girl.

I wanted to show you the overall house, s it's about halfway done. As you can see, I'm using a wooden book shelf that is about 4 feet tall. The downstairs will hopefully have an ultra-modern kitchen. Although there is some temporary furniture in there right now, the room to the right of the living room (on second floor) will become a bedroom for the Pullips, Vienna & Rayna. I will get to that over the summer, but as of now, I've not got a clear idea of how I want it to look. It will come to me, eventually, I'm sure. The rooftop will hopefully be a patio with twinkling lights, lounge chairs, etc. You may notice there are a few mini Blythe's on the rooftop, being babysat by Vienna, so they don't fall over the edge lol. These wee ones are believe it or not, from The Littlest Pet Shop collection, and are only about $10each. Since they are only being made this year, I wanted to get them while I could. The really are well made, come with accessories, and will be perfect for my other mini homes.
What do you think?
trish

Finally, Bathroom Complete!

2011-05-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

Greetings from an unseasonably cool and rainy Loganberry Lane. Most of the neighbors are complaining about the lack of heat and sun; not me, because I'd much rather have cozy, snuggle up by the fire weather than sweat before you've even had breakfast weather. Here in New England, we get extremely hot and humid summers, so I'll continue to enjoy the cool temps while I can; they are perfect for my running.

As you can see from this photo, Rayna is settling in well, and the dog has surely taken a bit of a shine to her, following her from room to room. Opal and Nanette have really enjoyed getting to know their new roommate Rayna this past week, and feel confident that they'll get along famously. Well, any friend of Vienna's must surely be a great person,they sensibly tell themselves. Although she doesn't have a job lined up yet, she's been working on it, and has been making plenty of phone calls. So hopefully, she'll find a decent job soon enough. Keep your fingers crossed for her.

Now I'm not sure how well you can see this, but I took the plunge on customizing a full sized Blythe doll (Opal), figuring, what the heck, if she turns out awful, I'll sand her, and fix it. Anyway, I first chose a lip color that's a bit warmer than Opal's original watery pink (she's Simply Vanilla). I really like this color, and think I did fairly well for a first timer. At least she didn't end up looking like Bozo the clown lol. Then because she's so fair skinned, I decided she'd definetely have freckles in real life. I gave her just a few over the bridge of the nose and beneath the eyes. I really like how they turned out; giving a bit of personality to a bit of an overly light face. Way better, at least to me.
Anyway, to some construction business. For some reason, the bathroom of the 1:6 scale home that I'm creating has been giving me trouble. This past month, I've installed a variety of "showers' and bathtubs, most fashioned by myself from real-life items I thought might work well. However, none of them looked the way I wanted, so I kept yanking them out and trying something else. In the end, I broke down and bought a tub made for "B," though I swore my home would never resemble anything like a Barbie home (and it def won't). I painted the tub and accompanying toilet black, as opposed to the original horrible neon pink. Still, I continued to be troubled by wall colors, fixtures, flooring etc, in a way that I'm usually fairly fast to make mini decorating decisions. The funniest thing occured when my 18 year old twin son's buddy Steve came over. He loves checking out the progress on all my mini projects. He checked out the loo, and said
"Mrs.Hillery I think you can do better with the bathroom." OMG I nearly laughed myself sick; this coming from a cool dude 18 year old high school senior. But he was right, I knew it wasn't brilliant, so I went back to square one, and pulled up the flooring, wallpaper, fixtures etc. Then I reworked everything this past week, and am FINALLY pleased with my new bathroom for my 12 inch girls. Here is is.....

I used real tiles on the wall and floor.

I love the towel holder, which I made from a pendant that was too weighty around my neck. I also love the Beegu books,so used an image as modern art.

I made some towels and added some more modern art overhead the bathtub. The wall to the left of the tub is actually a dry erase board (the small sized ones people put on their fridges). It serves terrific as a room divide between the bathroom and upstairs bedroom. I love the little press up lights that I've put on the ceilings of all the rooms. They run on AAA batteries, and give off just the right amount of light in each room. I also am very pleased with the wallpaper (scrapbook paper) as it blends well with the girl's bedroom colors in the adjoining room.

Anyway, I must run, as I promised I'd make a mountain of spaghetti bolognese for the family for tonight's dinner. Wishing everyone a lovely week. Safe safe, healthy and enjoy the little things in life.
love trish
xo

Happy Mothers Day from all on Loganberry Lane

2011-05-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

What a glorious weather day to celebrate Mother's of all kinds:) Here in New England mothers are being given the day off from chores to do whatever they like. For me, that means a nice run, large latte with a cinnamon raisin bagel, an afternoon of no housework to do art, followed by takeout. Just perfect.
Here is what some of the good citizens of LB Lane are up to today:

Nanette is rushing off to the Providence train station to go to NY for a fashion shoot tomorrow, and should be back tomorrow night. She hopes she got everything packed in the new Prada travel bag that she saved 2 months salary to buy; crazy for designers, that Nanette.

She says that as soon as she gets back, she's tackling the garden which needs a lot of work. That will have to wait for tuesday.

Sheila Logan meanwhile calls up to Grainne who's doing schoolwork on her bed, that they should round up the girls to take a Mother's day photo. Good idea, agrees Grainne (pronounced Graw-nya).

And here they are, the 5 Logan sisters, from left to right, in birth order; Nuala, Grainne, Trisha, Helen, Sheila.

Meanwhile,over at our Modern apartment, Robyn and Hazel are having a few pals over for the afternoon. Notice how the lone fellow is trying desperately look for an exit, claiming it's just a lady's afternoon. "Oh no you don't," claims girlfriend Hazel. I won't see you all week while I'm working, so you're spending all today with me, lucky you." "Oh joy" replies Blair, as he searches for the remote to put on some manly TV show. "No, let's watch Gilmore Girls" jokes Robyn, fully aware of Blair's discomfort at being stuck in an apartment full of 20 something females.

Vienna (right) has settled in so well to the Lane, that you'd think she'd always lived here. She's already signed up for Sage's wednesday night pilates class, which Robyn tells her will give her a killer 6-pack abs. Today she's introducing you to her plum-haired colored pal, Rayna who's also new to the neighborhood. Rayna is the quintessential tomboy. Although if Vienna has her way, she'll be wearing skirts and high heels any day now. "No way that will ever happen" chuckles Rayna.

This light-skinned girl is a 12 inch pullip, to whom I added a few freckles to make her more interesting. I also painted her lips a plum color to match her hair.

I love that this girl came with Doc Marten-style boots, and pinstrip coulottes. There's a matching fitted jacket and hat, but it's a tad bit warm for that today.

Lastly, I want to show 2 pix reflecting progress on the house I'm making for these 12 inch girls. My goal is to not have it resemble a "Barbie" house in anyway. That means cheating though! After many attempts at creating bathtub and toilet, I finally gave in and bought a Barbie tub and toilet. I promptly painted them black and put them with the sink I'd made from wood. The bathroom still has a lot of work, but I think this shouldn't be too hard not wht I've to these vitals in place.

On to the living/sitting room where I made the decision to change the sectional color from black to tan. I found that whenever the girls wore dark clothes, everything blended in "a black hole of darkness." With the neutral tan color, whatever they're wearing should show up nicely. I also added some modern art to the walls, and made some scarlet red cushions to match the rug. What do you think?

Well that's it for now, I'm off to walk the dog before he has yet another accident in the house. I wish you all a lovely week.
love trish x0

Vienna, The European Beauty

2011-05-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

Hi there, I hope everyone is thoroughly enjoying the beautiful spring weather,and not too itchy-eyed with allergies. I finally decided on a name for my gorgeous Pullip. First, I repainted her lips (very carefully) from orange to a fabulous plum color. This feel made her look European-chic, and when I mentioned that to her, she simply demanded that I give her a European-sounding name. So I did! Meet Vienna, named after the beautiful Austrian city.

What do you think of the new lips? To compare to last week's post, scroll down.

As you can see, Vienna loves wearing berets, to keep the wind from blowing her hair to Timbuktu. She's got long, model legs, and thoroughly enjoys wearing clunky heels.

Today she's meeting some friends for cappucino and cake at an outdoor cafe. They must be running late, so Vienna has ordered herself a slice of strawberry cake. She can't wait to taste it. She tells herself she more than deserves it, after working out at the gym for 90 minutes this morning.

Wait, I think I see my pals coming up the street, I better wait to start 'til they get seated.

"Hey ladies, I'm over here," beckons Vienna to Nanette & Opal, who've come to meet her for a ladies chat.

And so the 3 lovely ladies spent far too long laughing, chatting, and sipping the afternoon away, catching up on all that's going on in each other's lives. Isn't friendship grand?

Meanwhile over at Hazel and Robyn's place.....

Well, it's official.....Hazel and Blair are officially "going out." They even posted it on facebook lol. The deal-maker for Hazel was when she found out he is really great with animals. Since she works as a vet's assistant, she definetely wants a bf who is good with animals.

Today when she came home, shattered tired from a long day at work, he was waiting for her with supper and a dozen roses!! What a nice guy! Yep, he's a keeper alright.

Robyn is also having company tonight. Her (mini-Blythe) pal, Alegria is in a circus show this week. So she cameover to show Robyn her wild makeup."I love, love, love it, it's soooo you." declares Robyn who is showing off her new ipad with all it's cool new apps. She says she's even been taking it to bed with her for when she can't sleep at night. She goes on youtube, and watches funny clips.

....And last,but not least, we will say a quick hell too a very busy Cocoa Cafe today. Chloe's mother has been working behind the counter, making up some specialty scones and crumpets in honor of the Royal wedding. She's especially delighted that a real live British exchange student named Beattrice (minus ugly hat) is visiting the Lane this week. They're insisting she have a cup of Earl Gray tea, on the house.

Tata, two-daloo, cheerio, and all that....
love trish

Naming Dilemma

2011-04-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

Hi there, today we are following Robyn to work, at the local elementary school, where she's the art teacher.

Usually she gets in to work about half an hour before the kids, so she can plan her lessons and set everything up.

Here is where she displays the best quality work after they're complete.

Behind Robyn, you might be able to see the magazine advertisements that the students created this week. They had to come up with phrases and pictures to sell a new candy or cereal. She's amazed at how brilliant the kids are, and how well they know their target audience (other kids). All in all, the creativity is fun and rewarding for both the teacher and students. Next week they'll be working on creating posters to advertize their favorite book read in class this year. That should be enjoyable too.

"Hmmm, I have to figure out a way I can hang student work from the ceiling, so more kids get their work displayed. I'll have to ponder it a while," thinks Robyn.

Lastly, Robyn wanted to show you a picture she recently completed, whilst going through an "I love black" phase. She brought it to work to hang in a dreadfully ugly spot where anything will make the place look better.

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Next, I'd like to introduce you to the newest arrival on Loganberry Lane:

As you can see, she's a very pretty redhead, although I'll admit she came to me as a massively curly redhead. Thank goodness for scissors, conditioner and a straightner.

She's a 12 Pullip doll with an amazingly posable body. Her eyes can look right or left, and her lids can blink (I love that).

This fashionista came with plum tights, culotte pants, a cream colored blouse, a denim jacket, a silk scarf, a leather shopping bag, a leather cap, and a patio table and 2 chairs!! Great value.

Here she is up close; a very pretty face, wouldn't you agree? I'm considerring painting her lips a shade of plum (like her tights), as I'm not a huge fan of orange. She did present me with a dilemma though; I just can't seem to settle on a good name for her. I don't want anything that refers to her hair color (Ginger, Copper etc), especially since I might dye it if I get the courage up. Here are some options I'm comfortable with: AUTUMN, TARYN, HONEY, RAYNA, ELVA.
If I haven't thought of a better name by May 1, I'm going to do eenie, meenie, miney moe on thse five to pick her name lol. I would love to hear any reader suggestions for names or opinions on my current thoughts.

Thats it for now,
Take care,
love trish
ps excuse any typos, doggie is on my lap

An Easter Medley

2011-04-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter from Loganberry Lane, where there are plenty of spring flowers, and everybody's mood is a little lighter than usual.

Opal is busy unpackiing and settling into her new home (sharing with Nanette). There's lots to do, but she's very organized, so she'll make sure to find a space for everything.

Nanette meanwhile is downstairs relaxing with a magazine on the new custom-make sectional sofa, which she's loving for it's comfort and style.

A strange display has been put out in front of the Cocoa Cafe today; a mermaid with a slightly "out of it/hungover?" experssion on her face.

When asked by Hazel and Robyn what the mermaid chest was all about, John rolled his eyes, and said it was all the missus idea for drumming up more interest in the cafe. He quietly checked to make sure Chloe was out of earshot, before whispering that he hopes it doesn't attract any sailors looking for a good time, haha! The girls had a good laugh at that, sat for a cappucino, then off to work.

Here's a bird's nest that Raven found this morning on the ground outside the art studio. There were no sign of any birds, just shells. So she's thinking it must've been knocked out of a tree by the gusty winds we've had lately.

Raven wanted me to show you the painting she finished Monday. It's just in time for Easter, a bunny munching on a lovely red strawberry. Chloe has told her she can start selling some of her paintings in the cafe if she wants, but she's still a little reluctant to put it out there; fear of people thinking she's useless always holds her back, poor Raven.

And let's not forget the lovely Logan ladies. Sheila is home from school sick today, dreadful chesty cough. She's enjoying having the house and room to herself. Oh wait, here come the gang, quiet time over.

Here we have a momma bird and her 3 babs who seem to have moved in over my kitchen window; they've been very well behaved, only flying around the kitchen once or twice.

And last but not least, look what I found under a leaf in the garden this morning!! It's a leaf baby, naked and new(leaf and baby both made from sculpey clay). I had to take her in, dry her off and feed her something. But what? Hhhmmm I tried milk, but she's not interested. Then I tried lettuce and what do you know, she gobbled it all up. So I'm off to the supermarket to buy some more for my newborn baby "Twiggy.'

Anyway, I wish everybody a happy Easter, I'm going to NY for a couple of days for some much-needed quality time with my 21, 18, 18 year olds, and hubby too. I may bring some "girls" for some good photos in NYC if the weather cooperates and we do the walking about thing.
love trish

Nanette Meets Roomie Opal

2011-04-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

Hi there, Happy Wednesday from a rain-drenched Loganberry Lane. It's okay though, we'll just keep repeating the mantra "April showers bring May flowers.' I'm delighted to introduce you to the newest member of the community: Meet Opal :)

This little lady is a Simply Vanilla Blythe doll. I called her Opal because as soon as I took her out of the box, her almost white hair showed hints of several shimmery colors with the light shining on it. That instantly reminded me of lovely opal gem stones. that have the same features. I confess I didn't like the outfit she came in, so I made her this lovely dress (from a knee sock, beads and ribbon; took 5 minutes). She's wearing a ribbon covered headpiece I made to showoff her hair. I also made her a little magazine, a miniature "Somerset Studios" magazine.

I love the bright green eyes to the right. They go so well with her shimmery whitish hair.

I don't really love the orangy eyes, but wanted to include a pic with them anyway. Hey, she'll show them on Halloween lol.

The sapphire blue eyes to the left make her look Norweigan (I think). I lovethis look.

Opal is making herself at home, checking out my bookshelves. She tells me she'd an avid reader. Good, she will have plenty to choose from at my house.

Well, look who she's met; it's Jack the pumpkin king from The Nightmare Before Christmas. He's thrilled to have a good-looking woman to chat to, as he's stuck on this shelf talking to himself from morning to night most days.

So now to the living arrangement. Not surprisingly, Opal will be living with Nanette who's also sportiing a chic (sock) dress over leggings with high heel boots. Opal brought matching skull caps with her, so they'd look like sisters for a photo (made with the toes of stretchy socks). Nanette is delighted to get a roomate, as she was a little bit lonely. Tomorrow she'll introduce Opal to Robyn and Hazel a few doors down the lane.

Okay, I can see these two will get along brilliantly; they're already telliing me how to pose them for pix. They want this one to make them look Bond girls with pistols! Haha, fat chance of that.
Anyway, I have to go make tomorrow's lunches. Take care,
love trish

My Loganberry Family pix et al.

2011-04-09T18:14:00.000-07:00

Nanette relaxing in her living room with a stray dog from the neighborhood who seems to have taken a bit of a shine to her. She knows she'll have to take a stroll in a while to go find his/her owner, but for now she'll just chat away to her captive audience.

A pic of Mister Loganberry Lane having a cuppa with Mick in the "breakfast nook" while Mrs Loganberry Lane works on her minis before heading out for an 11 mile run this morning. We are loving this spring weather.

My twin boys Kieron and Liam (they barely ever let me take their photo), but I do love this one.

My lovely daughter Fiona and myself (taken at Christmas)

Okay, so today I took this little adorable mini-Blythe doll from this look (above) to.......

......tada....

Though none of these pix came out very clearly (cheap camera?), this littleone did come out looking like a performer in the Cirque du Soleil, and I LOVE how she looks. I painted her lids in purple, lips too, with a little shaping. I then put some mini "jewels" in the centre of her forhead and near her temples, before dotting her (Indian-style) to emphasize the eyes. Though nervous of messing up, I figured what the heck, it will be fun to do my first "customizing" on a doll. I'd definetely not have the confidence to do so on a full sized Blythe, but have a real interest in learning how to customize Blythe and Pullip dolls.

Another view, but again not so good camera-work.

I will try to get better pix and a name for this doll soon, and get her involved in some of the Loganberry Lane stories/groups. Maybe tomorrow she'll go for a cuppa at the Cocoa Cafe.

On Your Marks, Get Set, Go...

2011-04-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hi there, today we're following Trisha and Nuala Logan as they head off for a run in the lovely spring weather. The sisters are delighted the copious amounts of rain we've had lately has finally dried up, so they can sport their new Nike running outfits.

Oh no, maybe that rain will affect the run afterall! Just look at how mucky this field is; "now that's true cross country," says Nuala. "darn it," says Trisha, "these are my new running shoes, and now they're going to be all dirty."

"Now this is more like it, nice pine trails" says Trisha, as she heads into the wooded area aobut four miles into the run.

After an hour of running and chatting and catching up on each other's lives, the sisters take a well-deserved sit-down on the rocks near Cratloe Woods. It looks like they really enjoyed their 8.5miles together; they'll be in fantastic condition for their upcoming track races. We will keep you posted on how they do.

Meanwhile back at home, Grainne is listening to Kris Kristoferson on the radio and planning the rest of her day. Hhmm, "I'd love to do something fun tonight....Maybe I'll go meet the new girl on the block, I heard her name is Nanette, sounds kindof French. Why not, come on Sheila, let's take a stroll down the lane and say hello to Nanette."

"Hey there, is that a knock I hear at the door, I was just about to unpack my old suitcase, now that I've finally got all my furniture unloaded from the moving truck. Oh well, that can wait. I'd better go answer the door. You never know, it might just be a neighbor who could become my first friend on Loganberry Lane."

That's it for now, have a lovely spring day
xo trish

Happy April Fools!

2011-04-01T04:20:00.000-07:00

"You've got to be joking!" says Nanette as she walks outside on April 1st to see that it has snowed overnight. "I thought spring had officially come, somebody needs to tell that to Mother Nature."

"Oh well, I still look lovely in my velvet cape, and my newly crocheted beret."

"I can't stay to chat, I'm off to meet friends at the Cocoa Cafe for a cup of chai and a bagel."

Have a wonderful weekend, my blog friends, I'm off to work, somebody has to make money around Loganberry Lane.
Love trish

There's a Cute Boy InTown

2011-03-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

The girls Robyn are off to yoga class at the Loganberry Lane gym, to a great workout with Sage Smith. They want you to notice the new yoga outfits they picked up over the weekend at the Lululemon store, which of course they adore (even though it's dreadfully expensive).

Sage herself,is having a bit of a snooze before they arrive, as it's her 4th class of the day, and she's shattered tired.

About two minutes iinto class, both our girls similtaneously notice a drop-dead gorgeous looking fellow enter the room with a suave manner, toss down his mat, and join in as if he's always been a part of the class. Who the heck is that hottie, ponder our duo, getting flushed just thinking of him. The young chick on the pink leopard mat seems not to even notice his arrival. Sage gives him a smile, as though she's been expecting him.

Hhhmmmm, somehow the new guy midway through class is flanked on each side by our leading ladies robyn and Hazel,both of whom keep throwing him goo-goo eyes. "You can help with my downward doggie, anyday," mumbles Hazel with a slight blush. Haha, heaven help him if these two decide to fight for him.

...and wouldn't you know, by the end of class a name had been extracted from cute boy; he's Blair Nason, and he's relatively new to town. Though they're dyiing to know more, the girls didn't feel like it would be polite to ask too many questions on the first day they met him. Darn it, does he have a girlfriend? what does he drive? where's he working? living? ....Oh well, let's head home to facebook stalk him lol

-______________________________________________________________________

Now, let's check back in with Raven, our resident artist.

She borrowed Robyn's vespa to run errands today, and is thinking of getting one for herself. The feel of the wind in her hair gives her a bit of a Thelma & Louise "I don't give a hoot" feeling which surprisingly, she likes.

Raven is working on a "movement" series, and this is one of her favorites. She used to be a dancer in her younger day, and this represents the feeling of freedom and empowerment she knows dancing gives women.

Most of Raven's family are running fanatics, and she painted this with her siblings in mind. She's like you to know that she's still really shy about calling herself an "artist." Well we all think you're great, so keep up the new hobby, woman!

Finally, the 'new' Sheila Logan arrived, and doesn't she look beautiful (thank you Pullip). Herself and Nuala are relaxing together reading their Bunty comics. In a while they'll cut out the paper dolls on the back page, and have a grand time playing with them.

And finally, we'll say a very quick hello to Nanette who is still waiting for her furniture to arrive from her old apartment in NY. Unfortunately, she's had to sleep on the leather sofa while waiting for it to arrive, and has a dreadfully sore back from it. Not the best way for a model to get her beauty sleep. Oh well, soon enough.

That's about all for now for Loganberry Lane. Have a great week. Please leave a comment if you like what you see/read.
love, trish
ps forgive typos, I'm tired

Meet Blythe doll Nanette

2011-03-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday from Loganberry Lane, where a new girl has just moved in. Here is Nanette (Raspberry Sorbet Blythe doll).

Here she is wearing the lovely outfit she arrived in, although she looks a tad tired from the trip from New York. Since Nanette is into high fashion, she wouldn't be caught dead without looking her best. The houndstooth shorts go so well with the gold blouse and pink coat. I especially like the cream colored beret, and I had a crochet bag I thought would complete the look.

When I went to my car this morning, who should I see, but little Nanette, who declared that she might be interested in being a teacher someday (HA!), and would be "shadowing" me to work. Hmm, not sure how I felt about that, so I thought about it for a while, and she got impatient;

She literally sat on the stick shift and begged me to drive, saying she'd stay out of view of the students and just "listen" to what was going on in my classroom. Hmm, well, okay if you insist.

Here we are stopping at Lasalle Bakery in Providence getting my delicious Morning Glory muffin for breakie. Notice how green Nanettes eyes have suddenly become (envy)?

Nanette watching, as I write up my white boards with the learning goals and instructions for the day (before students enter the room).

Posing on the teacher's desk; beautifully blue-eyed. "Yes, I think I'd like to teach" she says, before the kids have even come into the room, lol.

Here is Nanette sporting the pretty pink-eyed look with blue beret, posing in front of some high quality student work.

Anyway, that was the point when the bell rang, and Nanette had to go into hiding before five periods of 26 students came in and out of room 206 for 55 minute English periods (yes, I teach 130 kids per day; good think I'm organized). Of course, she came out for lunch and nibbled at parts of my muffin, before declaring she thinks she'll reconsider the teaching career; "they're all sooooo noisy," she laughs. True, but you get used to it.
Well there you have it, Nanette is quickly making friends with the other girls on Loganberry Lane, so you'll see her back here often.
Before I go, I want to show you a couple of more pix of some other adorable people who live down the lane.

I call this lot the "teenies."

A strange youth whom I haven't yet spoken to, so I don't know his name, but I will let you know who he is as soon as I chat to him.

That's all for now, please excuse any errors, as I'm typing with doggie Mick on my laptop vying for attention.

Love trish

Sunday With Hazel & Robyn

2011-03-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

Hi there, today we're checking in on Robyn and Hazel, our two 20 something year old professional chicks from Loganberry Lane. They love weekends, as they get a chance to catch up on all the things they neglect throughout the busy. Plus, there's always time for some fun too.

Robyn is finally ready to let you see her mop of pink hair, but she insisted I photograph her with natural lighting in the background; hence the great outdoors shot. I didn't realize that Hazel was showing a bit too much cleavage, but never mind, I'll have to do some sewing on that dress of hers later, or else she'll be accused of a "wardrobe malfunction" if she wears it in public. Both girls are wearing dresses designed by Trisha (fingers of stretchy gloves!!).

Last Tuesday the girls had new flooring installed to replace the rugs that were down. The new floor is made of rubber (yoga mat) and both girls are thrilled with both the look and feel of it. The cat on the other hand, is a bit put off by it, and would like something he can have a good scratch on.

Here are some pieces I made myself for the apartment. The leather sectional is made by wrapping two blocks of wood in leather from a coat my cranky terrier refused to wear. I used small wooden blocks for the legs. The coffee table is made from the top of an ipod case, and I used to little knobs from the bottom of real chairs for the legs of the coffee table. Believe it or not, there's a tiny ipod and ipad on the table that I made from foam core and a silver folder. I did the same process for the laptop. Then the two candlesticks that are next to the laptop are made from putting some beads together. I love looking at objects and figuring out what I can use them for in my miniature hobby.

Heaven help us! Here are Hazel and Robyn posing with Robyn's new vespa scooter. Now keep in mind that she bought this little number without even having a clue how to ride one. Her uncle Tom told her he'd give her a few tips when he visits next weekend. So until then, she's happy to pose next to it, and go for a spin or two up and down the road. She's tired of taking the bus into work, and doesn't have the money yet for a car, so for now, she'd delighted with what she's calling "the silver bullet." Hazel, of course, is loving it too, and insists it's a great "in" for meeting fellas, haha.

Here's a picture of me through a mirror in my arts&crafts room this morning. I got this new crochet sweater at The Loft yesterday, and love it. My art room is full of bits and pieces of everything that inspires me, photos, colors, fabrics etc. It's officially a formal dining room, but since we're rather informal here, the room gets far more use with it's current purpose.

Oh, I better run, Hazel has just informed me that Robyn is about to rev the engine and go for a spin around the block, and she's wearing a skirt!! I'd better grab her before she scares the daylights out of the neighborhood.

Cheers, come back soon,
love trish

MEET THE LOGAN SISTERS

2011-03-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

A big almost Springtime hello from Loganberry Lane,where the snow is almost all melted, and little shoots are poking their heads above the ground, ready to spout daffodils in a week or so; very exciting!!!

I'd like to introduce you to the 5 Logan sisters (the real life girls of my family, all of us growing up in the 80's in Limerick city Ireland). From left to right in order of birth we have Nuala, Grainne (pronounced "noola"), Trisha (me), Helen, and Sheila. There are 4 Logan brothers too, but we'll meet them another time. I have created an exact replica of the dorm-like room that we grew up sharing. It was very small, but very cozy, seperated by a partition that went 3/4 of the way up the wall. Have a look;

Grainne and Sheila had the area on the left, with the door in the background, directly across from the one bathroom shared by 11 very efficient people. Trisha and Nuala had bunks in the room on the right, and Helen had the single bed.

I still need to make a shelf set for the room on the right, just to the side of the non-working fireplace. I tried to pick out wallpaper that had a real 80's feel to it. In this pic you can see a leather satchel type schoolbag I made just last night, and filled with some textbooks as well as mini replicas of the Bunty magazine that my sisters and I used to argue over;trying to get the cutout dolls from the back cover.

I'm using Pullip dolls for the sisters, as I really like their look and feel. So, Sheila and Helen will have a bit of a change in appearance over the next week or so, when their better self arrives.

Grainne sitting on top of her bed, listening to the radio

Sheila waving a big hello out the window to Robyn, one of the neighbors

My dog Mick checking out the Logan "dorm" while it was in the early stages of creation. I made the main structure by gluing together 4 photo wooden frames that only had a small hole for a picture. I let the glass in place and covered it all up with wallpaper. The carpet is embossed felt. I'm currently figuring out how to cut plexiglass to my exact specifications so that I can have a see-through roof and front. when I put a real roof on, it just blocks the view and detracts from the full picture, so to speak.

Anyway, I've a million things to do, so I have to go. I will be back later in the week to bring more news from the lovely people who live down Loganberry Lane.

Take care,

trish

Ps forgive errors; no time to reread

Yoga and Shamrocks and Coffee, Oh My!

2011-03-06T17:15:00.000-08:00

We're checking in today at Cocoa Cafe which is just about to open for the Sunday morning rush; just look at the line of lovelies waiting to be let in for the freshest brew in town;

The girl on the left looks like she might've been at a fancy dress ball, and hasn't been home yet, while I recognize Hazel Grant in the middle. Don't quite recognize her other lime haired pal, she must be from Gooseberry Lane.

Chloe is just putting up some St. Patrick's Day decorations to make the cafe a bit festive. On Tuesday she'll start offering her green shamrock cupcakes and sprinkled sugar cookies. She expects to be so busy that she's going to take on a high school girl to help her out, at least til the Easter holiday is over. The drink of the month will of course be mint chocolate flavored coffee.

Chloe is dying for me to show you this family picture, so she can showoff baby Ellen (or ellie-bellie as John calls her). Don't you think John has a bit of a James Bond, ala Pierce Brosnan, look about him? Well Chloe thinks he does, so we won't burst her bubble by saying otherwise.

Here's little Ellen who only started toddling a few weeks ago, trying to help put up the shamrocks with her mother. Soon she's going home for a nap at her gran's house so Chloe can work at the cafe. Oh, I better run, I see John has gone to unlock the doors to the public. I'll have a vanilla latte please with one splenda, and one of those sprinkle donuts that look so scrumptious.

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Now here's someone you'll definetely want to meet if you ever take a stroll down Loganberry Lane. Her name is Sage Smith, and she works teaching yoga and meditation classes at the gym at the end of the lane. Anyone who takes one of her classes raves about how good she is, and how she makes even the most timid of participants feel like they're yoginis. The gym owners even asked her after Christmas if she'd take on an extra class, because the demand for her classes is growing rapidly, as word gets around. She wasn't able to work it into her schedule for spring, but promised she'd add a class over the summer.

Here is Sage pictured with the daughter of one of the women in her classes. This little girl adores Sage, and so Sage gives her a pretend private lesson for ten minutes whenever she can. Isn't that very kind of her? Anyway, the girl's name is Lizzie. All the other women in the class have started calling her "the apprentice." Sage thinks Lizzie's about 6 or 7 years old, and is actually quite impressed at how well she can calm down ,and focus long enough to actually quiet her busy brain and focus on the flame of a candle, or the little cairn pile.
Anyway, we better leave Sage alone now, as she has a new group coming in about 15 minutes for a Bikram yoga class; that's where they heat the room to 87 degrees and sweat themselves into twisted pretzels. Then it's over to The Cocoa Cafe for a cuppa before getting ready for thee workweek ahead.

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Have a lovely week my blog friends. I saw the first shoots of flowers in my yard this weekend, and most of the snow is almost melted; sooooo exciting. Come back soon to Loganberry Lane, and leave a comment, as I love hearing from readers :)

Back To The Girls Apartment

2011-03-01T16:45:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome back to Loganberry Lane. Robyn and Hazel can't wait to show you around their little modern apartment. Although small, they fill it with things they love. Unfortunately, it only has one bedroom, so the girls take a month at a time alternating using the bedroom, with sleeping on the pullout bed in the sitting room. It's far more comfy than you'd expect, so they thoroughly enjoy camping out in front of the fire.

Here's Robyn showing you the bookcase that she built with her uncle last summer. She had searched everywhere for one she'd like, but just couldn't find any in the regular furniture shops. Can you tell her favorite color is pink?? heehee. Today she's got her hair in two very long pigtails, as she's not yet ready to fully unveil the massive mop of hair to you; she thinks you might laugh at how wild it looks. You wouldn't, would you? Notice the book about dogs on the shelf to the right; that's written and photographed by one of her coworkers at Magpie Elementary, it's even autographed to "Robyn with love." Oops, she just noticed the bottle wine by the mini bike, and wants you to know she did not finish off that bottle all by herself last night; alright, maybe she helped it along haha. Where's that recycling bin when you need it?

Here's Hazel showing you the leather sectional her dad made for the apartment; she's not thrilled with this picture though, as it doesn't really show the sectional as well as she'd like. Look at the other pix for a better view, she says. But she told me to include the pic anyway, so you get to see th new lacy dress she bought at the mall over the weekend for a very reasonable price. Also, she wants you to notice "calico" the kitty who loves following the girls around when they're home.

Here's Robyn, checking in with her Facebook friends on the Dell laptops she got for Christmas. Calico is cozying up to her, looking to be allowed relax on the bed beside her.

Hazel is showing you her favorite vase, a treasure given to her by one of the doggie momma's from the vet clinic. Supposedly, it's a 4oo year old tribal vase used in harvest festivals in Africa. She's thrilled to have it, and makes sure to keep it well away from anywhere that Calico could knock it over.

And here we have the two roomies relaxing after a long Tuesday at work. The only question now is, who is cooking dinner? "Not me,says Robyn, I made spagetti last night." "Fine then, let's make chicken and rice," says Hazel," who apparently only know how to cook chicken or beef, like airline stewardesses, lol.

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Here is my treasured dog Mick, a 5 year old Aussie terrier who wants to be a part of everything I do. Hence, he's checking out the beginnings of a roombox I'm making to replicate my childhood room I shared with my 4 sisters in Limerick, Ireland. I'm having a blast mining my brain to remember detail of what we had and how it looked growing up in the 80's. I'm making schoolbags, comic books, stuffed animals etc; so much fun. I'll show more pix as I get further along. Right now, I've the frame, wallpaper and carpet in place, plus a bookshelf we referred to as the family library.

More Mick relaxing in the Logan girl's room, wearing his hotty harness.

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That's it for now friends. Though it's only been a week, I'm delighted to have 13 official followers, and welcome you all to my little creative outlet nook. I will post about 3 times a week, and welcome your thoughts as well as enjoy checking out the blogs of those of you who too love minis.
Take care,
trish xo
ps forgive any typos; it's been a long workday for me

The Awesome People at no's 4&6 Loganberry Lane

2011-02-26T11:32:00.000-08:00

Hey there,

I want you to meet Raven Collins who's renting the art studio at # 4 Loganberry Lane.

Though she says she's 29, Raven is a 57 year old fiesty retired school nurse who is finally taking time to have fun with her hobbies. Since her husband Jeff is away on business for half of each week, Raven found herself a bit bored after the initial "whohoo" of not having to work anymore had worn off. So, on a whim she decided she'd rent the small studio that's in back of the Cocoa Cafe, and try her hand at creating art. Although she's always been creative, Raven wasn't sure if she'd be any good at painting at all. In fact she felt like a bit of a phoney when buying all theart supplies and signing the contract to rent the "artist's" studio. Well here we are, a year after she decided to rent the studio, and although she's still not confident enough to show her paintings to more than a handful of close friends, she's thoroughly enjoying the process of painting. Most days she comes over with her terrier Chip, and stops in for a latte and a quick hello to the wonderful people at the cafe before settling down to paint for a few hours in the afternoon. Next time we pop in to say hi, Raven will show us some of her work up close (if we promise not to laugh; she says she's no Picasso).

Let's move on now to say a quick hi to Chloe & John Rogers, the lovely couple who run The Cocoa Cafe.

Here they are posing at the counter of the cafe, which has only been open for about 6 months. Though slow at first, business is starting to pick up, especially among the locals of Loganberry Lane and Gooseberry Road. Lots of children crash through the door after school to buy one of Chloe's to-die-for chocolate muffins. The morning regulars come in for a flavored coffee or tea, with a bagel or scone.

Here is John posing with man's best friend Shep (sshhhh, don't tell Chloe, she'd be mad at him for bringing the dog into the cafe). Chloe had to head home to feed the baby, Ellen. She was being babysat by neighbor Robyn Ballard while Chloe had to run a batch of muffins over the the cafe. Most of the customers love seeing Shep, but the health inspector wouldn't be a bit pleased, so poor Shep isn't often at the cafe with John. Or if he is, he's usually outside on the patio, greeting customers, hoping they'd drop a crumb or two his way,clever dog.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here is a quick peek some of the other locals you'll meet in the coming weeks. All of these and more residents are excited to meet their new friends in miniature blogland. They and I had no idea there are so many people who enjoy miniatures as a hobby. I for one, am loving it.

Take care, have a lovely weekend,
trish xo

Meet The Girls!

2011-02-23T17:16:00.000-08:00

Hello again, I'm very happy to introduce you to the two ladies who live at number 2 Loganberry Lane. They are Hazel Grant and Robyn Ballard. The two met in college, and hit it off right away. So after college it seemed only natural that they'd get an apartment together, since they were both living in the same town.

That's Robyn on the left, and Hazel on the right, posing for the camera. I'm not sure why there's a bit of a glare in Hazel's face; I will check my camera settings and see if I can remedy that for future photo opps.
So let me tell you a bit more about these beauties. They are both 26 years old. Robyn is an art teacher at the local elementary school, Magpie Primary School. She loves her job, and the kids adore her. The principal isn't too thrilled about Robyn's bright pink hair, but can't really say too much. She is after all, the art teacher, and merely embracing her artistic side. Let's hope the students don't start showing up with pink hair anytime soon, or then there might be a spot of bother for Robyn.
Hazel is working as a Veterinarian's assistant and is saving up to go to full Vet school. Since it's dreadfully expensive, she's hoping in the next 3 years she'll be able to afford it. She'll have to cut back on those fancy handbags and designer shoes she impetuously buys when in need of retail therapy. But, oh well, she'll deal with that when it comes time for school. For now though she gets a great kick out of working as a Vet's assistant. The animals, she says are marvelous, and most of the pet momma's are lovely too. Only once did a particularly fierce terrier take a nip out of her, but even then, she completely understood he was scared to death getting blood drawn from him.

Hazel showing you some of her favorite treasures.

Robyn relaxing on her new lounge chair after a long day

Hazel & Robyn saying hello to their new friends in miniature blogland.
So there you have your introduction to the ladies at #2. They can't wait to tell you all about their lives, jobs, family, boyfriends (they wish) etc. They're also dying to tell you about their apartment and how they went about furnishing it on a shoestring budget.
Come back soon to meet our resident artist at # 4 Loganberry Lane; she's got quite the lifestory to tell.
BTW I've changed the comment settings so that anybody can now comment. Please do let me know what you think. This blog is my way of enjoying my hobbies of art, creating miniatures, sewing, writing fiction, and of course, playing with dolls:)
Take care,
xo from Trish, Robyn, Hazel.

Take A Stroll Down Loganberry Lane

2011-02-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

Hi there, welcome to Loganberry Lane's first post. I have been fascinated by everything miniature for several years. With my kids in their late teens, my carpool days are almost over, and I now have the wherewithall and time to venture into minis as a hobby.
Just after Christmas, I decided to create a coffee shop (Cocoa Cafe) using a roombox kit I bought on amazon. I had fun making all the furniture etc from scraps of this and that around my house. In January I got a running injury and had some extra time on my hands. So I just figured I'd continue working in miniature. I decided to create a roombox that would be an artist's studio. I knew I had the perfect person (doll) to occupy it, so I created it with her in mind.
We had so much snow here in New England recently, that working with my new hobby was a perfect solution to being stuck indoors. When I finished the art studio, I got the urge to work on a much bigger space, aka a full house. I didn't want to work on a tiny room, old fashioned style doll house, so I started researching modern mini homes online. Wow, was I surprised when I saw how incredible some of the newer doll homes are, architecturally speaking. The Emerson and the Brinca Dada homes are amazing, but ridiculously expensive. Along the internet, I've found and bookmarked many great websites on miniatures.

So I gave up the full house idea, at least for now, until I can afford one of the ones I really want. Instead I came up with the idea of creating a thoroughly modern studio style apartment. That is what I've spent every free moment working joyously on for the past 4 weeks. I made almost every piece of furniture by hand, using bits of wood, leather, old ipod cases, beads, etc. I will post more in another post about how exactly I made the frame for the apartment.
My mind has started thinking in miniature now, converting everything I see in the big world to its potential in the mini world. Though it's not yet finished completely, the apartment is about 80% there.
Soon I will be posting regularly about the inhabitants of these spaces, all of which are located down my fictional street Loganberry Lane (Logan is my maiden name).
Up next I will be recreating the childhood bedroom/living space of my 4 sisters and I, located in reality in Limerick, Ireland. It will hopefully look exactly as we remember it, sagging bunkbeds and all. It will come complete with the sisters and will have many fine stories of our childhood.
Also in the works (most likely over the summer) is a home for the wise Sage and apprentice, as well as a local pub where the inhabitants of Loganberrry Lane can meet to socialize.
Cheers,
Trish
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