Pause

Having to put things on pause as real life takes precedence. I'm behind on emails, be assured, I'll be addressing these as soon as possible. I probably won't be making any blog posts for a while, but will take the opportunity as it comes to comment back on previous posts and catch up on new ones.

With hope, I'm not gone long or forgotten quickly. :)

Outta here!!!

bbl.... ;)

News Flash!!!

I've reached 300 sales in my etsy shop!

Many thanks to all of my customers! :)

New Acquisition or the New Kid in Town!

So, what a find is this?! I think this deserves a second chance, don't you? :)

Hubby is so good to rescue this for me. :)

He was afraid I was going to tell him to put it in the trash, but,

Nooooo! This has potential!

I'm thinking this is from the eighties given the choices in colors.

Shame it's missing a dormer, but, I bet I can find a replacement or find two new ones that match.

I'm not sure whether this was ever all wired up, or did the owner just give up at this point?

Which makes me think of my other house. See this blog post here.

Both houses do seem to have a lot of similarities, but that might just be because they are both traditionally styled homes.

Wiring is what has gotten hubby and I stumped with the first house, but, I am determined now to get both houses wired and finished.

Determined! lol ;)

I figure we can wire the first house with wires and the second house with tape.

Then we can compare the two and see which we like better.

Who knows, there could be a third house waiting around for me next year! lol ;)

Well, I don't think that I need another house at this point.

At least not until I make some progress with the two that I have now.

So, when wiring a house with wire, you have to wall paper, right?

Is it the same when you wire with the tape?

I had wanted to just paint the first house. But, I'm told you have to wallpaper to cover up the wires.

I am warming up to the idea of wall papering. The idea of doing it on poster board first, is helping me out with the thought of doing it.

We know who made this house, unlike the first house.

I think it looks very similar to this house here.

And, we know who the house was intended for. :)

Maybe I can reuse the initials in naming the house.

CM

Any ideas?

The  cool part is that, now that I have two houses.... I can go forward with the ideas I had for decorating the first house and stop second guessing my decisions. Because I have another one to do different things with. :)

The ideas in the head are running amuck!

Late Breaking News!!!

This just in! lol

Hubby just trash picked a dollhouse for me! :)
Pictures and details to follow! ;)

(happy dance!)

Join my mailing list! :)

Just email me, dale's dreams, put mailing list in the subject line and you'll be informed of private sales. Your privacy will always be respected, I'll never share the list and you can opt out at any time. And, don't worry, they won't be that often! lol Maybe once or twice a year. :)

Got my background back!

it looks a little different to me, can't say why that is, but, it's back!

Thank you all for helping me! :) It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be and the same background was still available! :) (does a little dance in my chair)

:) Happy Day! :)

Oy!

I might have lost my blog background. :( So sad! There are changes going on at cutest blog on the block, two great gals and I've promoted that site a lot. Wonderful blog layouts. :)

Well, until I find some technical expertise... I'm not techno, no how ;) The blog might look a bit barren,  but, don't fuss!

The cornicopia is always full and flourishing! I might be back with a new look (sadly, I loved my layout and would never have changed it) but, I will be back, with or without a background. ;)

I'm sorry peeps! It's all about the visual, isn't it?

We carry on! :) We shall prosper once again! :)

C'mon in! We're having a little party! :)

 The table is all set, c'mon, don't be shy, have a bite to eat.

There's lots of sweet delicacies to enjoy. :)

Amongst all these goodies are the gifts I got from the girls. :)

From Pei Li

I very carefully, removed them from the box. :)

A sweet box of macaroons, beautiful hydrangeas and a tray of the most delicate, delightful desserts. :)

Amazing the details on things so tiny!

From Asuka

Lace cookies, all sealed in individual bags. To keep their freshness, of course! :) (how does she do that???)

Aren't these just super sweet? :) She made the box, too. I like how it's patterned on the outside and the inside.

From Cindy

A strawberry cake, that is pink, my favorite color. :)

Cute, cute, cute cupcakes. Look at the tiny silver sprinkles on them. All precisely placed.

A fruit danish, pain du chocolate and a croissant.

The best part, the tiny, tiny cupcake papers.

The size of them has me completely dumb founded!

And, she folds each crimp by hand. She showed Sans! and I how to do it, but, I'll leave it up to Cindy to be the world supplier of cupcake papers. :)

and some of her tatting! :)

Cindy showed us how she tats, but, it's beyond me, I'll never get that. I can't figure out how she is able to make patterns, it's just little knots, you know?!

From Sans!

More flowers! :) As if she were not already generous enough. She shared some more of her flowers with me. We were supposed to hit Bangkok, but there was too much going on over there. That's where these are from.

and trims! I'm sure I'll find uses for both of these!

Thank you ladies, oh, so much for the precious, precious goodies and for making my stay in Singapore so memorable. It's nice having a little bit from all of you to remember the trip.

While we're at it, let's welcome some new followers to the party as well.

Welcome!

Minnie Kitchen

Nyork

Lainie's Little Things

Wanda

JRB CREATIONS

martimez

miniature wonderland

flyngreorgiabelle

duendes

Margaret

Fiver

minicrochetmad

Bozse

Veselina

Dark Squirrel Victoria

Terry

Emily

cecilia colo - Miniaturist

cinderellamoments

Trudy Hylant

C'mon in and make yourself at home. Don't forget to get a bite to eat. :)

It's virtual, it will never run out. :)

Additional credits for the party

Folding screen Yuki

Little black cat Hanna

Ferrero Rocher Paky

Additional croissants Betsy Niederer

Turning Mike Rowe

Brie, crackers and grapes NJD Miniatures

Bunny Bassom Bear

Pink flowers Tallulah Belle

Church bird house Sandy Copeland

Apples, wine and candle sticks I bought in Paris

Floral plates, pitcher, planter and stand I bought at my last local miniatures show

Table and chairs Ray

Everyone, thanks for coming to my party.

Hope you all had a good time. :)

All right, last one out, turn out the lights and blow out the candles.

I'm heading for bed. lol ;)

What I brought back from Singapore! :)

Isn't this just so cute?! :)

This is a Maneki Neko. I saw these all over Singapore and I had to have one!

Especially given my love of kitties and pink. :)

You can read all about them here.

The mechanical ones really cracked me up. I'm going to add this little guy to my sidebar and maybe he'll bring me some luck. :)

That one is a little large for the dollhouse, it measures 1 1/4 inch or 3.5cm, I'll probably have him sit on my vanity where I can see him every day.

I found this one at one of the bead stores. Perfect size for the dollhouse, it's only a half of an inch tall or .75cm. It's just too cute! I love it. :)

I really think I ought to be able to claim the trip to Singapore as a business trip. lol!

Well, we did talk shop (minis) almost the entire time and look at all of the wonderful supplies I have brought home. :)

Some ribbons, mouse tail (isn't that adorable, the larger version is called rat tail) and trimmings.

A lot of this trim is going to go on upholstered pieces that I plan to get real busy with soon. :)

Of course, my favorite, fabrics!

Christmas fabric, which you can never have too much of and some fabric that I think might work for some custom work.

Fabrics from Japan.  Love the details on the strawberry pattern and I think the fabric on the right will make a lovely room divider screen.

 These are Japanese kimono fabrics. The one on the right was very dear so I only got a bit of it, but I absolutely love it!!!

There was wrapping paper very much like it in another store, but alas, I feared a roll of paper would not travel well and I think I'm right! There would have been no room in my suitcase for it! :(

More fabric from Japan

I absolutely adore this fabric, it is so me! don't you think? lol

I know just what I am going to make out of it and I'll be sure to make some for myself and not just all for my etsy shop. :)

And some more fabric

I forget where the fabric on the left is from. :( Sans!??

The pink fabric will make a lovely table cloth, it has a wonderful drape to it and some gold threads running through it. It would be good in a shabby chic room.

Origami Papers!

Some luxury papers, see how the piece in the foreground is similar to the fabric up above? :)

and some less expensive origami papers

I have plans for these, of course! ;)

I  bought a lot of stuff from Japan! lol ;)

What can I say, I buy what I like when I see it.

The girls thought I was a very decisive shopper. ;)

I just try to make the most out of what I have to spend and try not to go off budget.

and the Mother load! lol

Just a few piecs from the bead store! ;) Okay, I admit it, I went a little crazy in this store. ;)

Yup! I got plans for these too! Some things on my list of things to do have been on the list for ten years.

Cindy has greatly enouraged me to get on these projects when I returned home, so, I'm gonna try.

I hope no one is setting a timer. ;) These will work with a probably equal amount of beads that I have been hoarding from my great Aunt. :)

I ended up checking in my carry on bag, as I was afraid there was no way I could lift my suitcase into the over head compartment. Those findings are heavy! Especially, when you buy an embarrassingly huge lot of them. ;)

Well, it seems like a lot when it's all spread out, but, it only took up half of my suitcase. If I had brought the box of krimpets with me, I probably would have had less clothes to wear and more room to bring back treasures. LOL! ;) I left the krimpets home with the kids and brought all my clothes. :)

I wonder if Sans is through all of the goodies yet? ;)

Well, come back and join me on Sunday and we'll have a little party with the real treasures that I brought home from Singapore. Gifts from "the girls." :)

Beauty every where you look!

Warning! Picture Heavy Posting!

grab a cup of tea first ;)

(all of the images are clickable, which means if you click on them, they get larger and then you can click on them again and get an even larger image)

Some glimses of Chinatown. :)

I'd say there were about three major highlights of my trip of staying with Sans! in Singapore.

First, the first full day I was there, we had dinner with Cindy, Asuka and Pei Li. All delightful women and the chicken rice was very good!

Then of course, getting to meet San's mom. She made her famous chicken curry for us and she even made some mild for me. All of her cooking was just delicious! It was a pleasure to meet her and get to see her lovely home.

There are pictures of San's mom's home as you scroll down, don't worry, there's much to see!

I loved her home, it had wind chimes and Chinese laterns and just like Singapore, there was beauty every where you looked. :)

The third highlight of the trip was visiting the bird park, which I just loved immensely!

You can tell by the amount of pictures I took!

More pictures are on my facebook page, for you facebookers out there. ;)

This is a park right next to Sans' house. Nope, I never climbed all those steps!

Singapore Bird Park

San's has such a lovely home and she put me at ease right away. It was like being at a resort, between the warm weather, beautiful locale and lovely, cosy home. :)

We did a lot of shopping! I'll show next time the treasures I brought back. :)

We did a lot of walking! By the end, my feet and legs ached, but it was all so worth getting to see all that we did.

And we did a lot of eating! Every meal was like a buffet, as San's wanted me to try a bit of this and try a bit of that. I felt like they were fattening me up like a Christmas goose. lol ;)

Even Cindy's Bf joined us one day.

He's a real cutie and suits her just perfectly. :)

Cindy did a great job of showing me around even if we did meander off from our agenda. ;)

Such a beautiful country!

I felt very safe there and most people spoke English. Which was good for me!

The MRT which is their transit line, is written in English, Mandarin and Indian.

I thought that was pretty cool.

This guy scared the bajeebers out of me!

A very rich and diverse population, there seems like there's a little bit of everyone in Singapore.

A very international, metropolitan city. Very modern!

Oy and so many escalaters! They were every where.

I guess their malls tend to be more up and down from what I am used to, hence the escalaters.

It was fun looking at all of San's minis! The tribal house is so cool, much better in person.

I loved looking at all of her ladies and the fruit/veg market. All the hookah pipes.

Fun to see the different things that starred on her blog over time, like the wrong way and stop signs. They were just hanging out on the bookcase and I was like, "hey! I recognise these!"

I highly recommend visiting Singapore, it's just such a beautiful place to be!

Thank you so much Sans!

And thank mom again for me! :)

Thanks Cindy!

and Asuka!

and Pei Li!

Thank you all for showing me such a delightful time. :)

At the Malay Heritage Center, the grounds were phenominal!

Bali Lane to the left.

Bali Lane to the right.

The night sky, one night as I was walking up Sans' street back to her home.

Gorgeous, gorgeous sky!

High above the roof tops, is where San's mom lives. :)

Four girls heading into mom's place. :)

The view of the patio, soon after our arrival.

A peak at the grandchildren and their little toys in the containers on the right.

Beauty in every corner. :)

I wished I had asked to take pictures earlier when it was lighter out. The sun sets around 7pm there and rises at about the same time in the morning.

There's a koi pond in there!

Her alter.

On our way out, I snapped some more pictures, as I didn't realise on the way in that San's mom was responsible for all of this greenery!

Fini! :)

I hope you enjoyed the show and I didn't wear you out too, too much! ;)

slumish?