This week I have had a few moments of concern for the future. Not my real future, my miniature making future! I can see that my present project is nearly complete: there are a lot of wee bits and pieces to do. But the big makes that really challenge me are very close to being finished.

Why is that a bleak prospect? Because I am running out of space. There are numerous finished projects in the spare room, something in every other room, yes including the loos.

When my next inspiration strikes, where am I going to put it!

I could put up more shelves but the room would become closed in and it is supposed to be a spare bedroom.

My son has said sell some but I know from my painting days that as soon as I sell something I will want it back! It is like selling the kids.

I have considered buying old houses and remodelling them and then gifting them to a charity or to kids who don’t have one. But as soon as I make for someone else, there are health and safety issues that will drive out all pleasure. Oh the confusion of it all.

Meantime I am going to keep enjoying what I have left to do.

This is my first attempt at making a Judges wig. To put it in context , I am making a series of scenes based on Agatha Christie books. This is for the book ‘And then There were none‘. To prepare for this project I have re read the book and hence the judges web.( No spoilers here) But I digress.

The wig is a symbol of how I have changed during the years of miniature making. I spent a few days thinking about this wig, working out how to do it and what scraps I could use to do it. Then I sat one evening and did the top. Over a couple of other evenings I finished it. I sat it on various bits and pieces until I found a cotton reel, just right. It is sitting on a beehive (1 of 2 I made as part of the scene. )Read the book. Is the wig perfect? No. Did I enjoy making it? Yes. Do I have a feeling of pleasure and joy in the final item? Yes. Do I need affirmation from anyone else? No

I now find when I am doing other things, like sewing, cooking etc, I no longer battle on when it goes wrong. I either stop and try another time or just stop! Yes I feel disappointed if something doesn’t work out as good as I hoped but now I just write it off to experience. Having a go is as good a learning experience as any.

Making moistures taught me that!

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Over the last few years I have become focused on making little scenes and decorating houses.

Previously I have written books, mystery chick novels(Lois Quinn) and painted watercolours. On each occasion I become engrossed and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Surely that is the aim of a good hobby, it is absorbing. I realise too that I find it difficult to relax, having a hobby allows me to worry less. Both writing and creating miniatures also give me complete control. I guess that shows where my anxiety comes from, when I don’t feel in control. And when do we feel in control of all our lives! How I envy people who can allow things to happen instead of examining every possibility especially the worst cast scenarios.

Happily my worst problem at the moment is that I am fast running out of places to put my ‘works of art’

My lack of posting reflects a period of instability when everything was supposed to be returning to ‘normal’. Of course we know that it isn’t the old normal it is the new normal!

We have to learn to live with Covid still rampaging around, it’s effect only reduced by hand washing masks and vaccinations. But we have to keep reminding ourselves that we could still get quite poorly.

I have found it a difficult balance and it has caused bouts of anxiety with which I struggle to cope.

Yet again my hobby is the place where I can be in control and enjoy myself. But it isn’t always giving me the relaxation I want. But I will keep trying.

After 12 months of a pandemic I am not alone in feeling battered and bruised.

What began as a frightening and anxiety experience slowly developed into a long hard slog. Optimism and strength were worn away by tedium and the exhaustion of fighting loneliness of not seeing and hugging friends and family. Constantly reminding myself how lucky I was , gradually thinned out.

Anyone who has read my infrequent blogs will know that making miniatures was my go to happy place. It was the place where all negativity could be blocked or at worst dimmed.

Thankfully I can still enjoy my hobby but now I long to be outside and visiting places and people I have not seen for a year. I think we are all exhausted, physically and mentally by this struggle. But it will end and we can reflect back to the positives that will be our long term benefits.

This is a little gift made for a friend and relative, it gave me immense pleasure to make for someone else.

Soon we can stretch our wings a little, enjoy the freedoms however small.

I have forgotten to share a photo and it seems I have forgotten how to do it. Lesson unlearned!

Yeah, muddled through and another lesson learned.😂

This is a little school room and I am so proud of the desks. One of them was a kit but there should have been 2 and it was missing. So with the help of my other half, who is much better with a saw, we made the second one!

The seller of the kit was so good at returning 50% of my costs cos he didn’t realise the kit was incomplete. There are some lovely people out there.

So no posts for months and 2 in 10 minutes.

Who’d have thought.

Mabs January 2021

My last blog was all about trying to help others with my hobby. Sadly my attempts to get help to sell the room fell on deaf ears.

I know I don’t have a network big enough to raise the funds and so far there isn’t an avenue to advertise it. Lesson learned, I can only make the suggestion.

So I am back using this as my hobby and immersing myself in the benefits of it for my own health and well being. Lesson learned it is okay to do it for myself.

Like many who make things I am rapidly running out of space to store them. But fear not after a wee bit of reorganising I have managed to make a bit more space. Lesson learned, there is always room.

As we face another lockdown, like many the Groundhog Day feel of life is a scary negative black hole that needs to be avoided. Instead I am focussing on the positives, some folk have died and don’t have a chance to experience a Groundhog Day. Lesson learned.

The vaccine means for me that we have turned a corner in the long dark tunnel and there is a tiny wee gleam of light in the distance. So I know the end is in sight even if there is a long way to go.

Stay safe and well.

Mabs January 2021

I have written a lot about how my hobby has been good for me, mentally and physically, especially during Covid.

For many years I have been a volunteer with a charity that raises funds for projects in India for vulnerable children. The charity is called # Scottish Love in Action.I have recently been given the honour of becoming their Depute Chair.

In these difficult times for so many, charities are struggling. All our fundraising activities are dependent on people getting together so we are searching for Covid resistant ways to get funds.

To that end I made a wee room with the idea of trying to raise some funds. But it isn’t as easy as it sounds.

I had thought of a raffle or it being something in a silent auction. But who would buy it, not suitable for children. Are enough people interested?

I am on a couple of Facebook pages linked to dollshouse but they aren’t for selling. I think you need a licence for a raffle. Not so easy eh?

So I am still trying to help these kids but watch this space.