nid d'abeille

On a sudden whim I decided to make an ambulance volante, or flying ambulance, as invented by Dominique Jean Larrey, surgeon-in-chief to Napoleon's army.  He designed them in the 1790s, and I've always loved them and him.

Pictures:


( pictures )

More to come later!

I've made a new poppet for a friend. He's a mid-18th century British marine corporal and his name is McIntyre. I love him and think he's heart-snatchingly handsome and possibly my finest poppet yet (though still imperfect).



( pictures! )

I was commissioned to make replicas of the Chawton Cottage table and chair where Jane Austen did much of her writing.  It was a very enjoyable endeavor!  I hope the owner will be pleased when she receives them.  I think I can say they're some of the finest things I've made. 

The front legs of the chair and the turned pedestal of the table were adapted from existing miniature turned pieces, but everything else I made from scratch.



( pictures )
.

My latest poppets are Lt. Martin Jerrold and Isobel Dawson from The Reluctant Adventures of Martin Jerrold series by Edwin Thomas.



( pictures! )

My poppet of Elizabeth Bennet received a brown velvet bonnet as a Christmas present, made by me.  Actually it was a gift to Lizzy's owner, but it fit the poppet better than it fit her.

I'm rather pleased with my bonnet making of late!




( bonnet pics )

General Sir Arthur Wellesley, Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington, who of course belongs now and always to latin_cat .



( pictures )

I have at long last finished a set of specimens in jars, some to keep for Stephen's dispensary (though not for dispensing purpose, I hope) and the rest for Etsy.  

I also finished another batch of mini books.  I'm much more efficient now that I know what I'm doing.  It's nice to know what I'm doing.

No commentary, just pictures.



( pictures! )
.

I'm making some new poppets for a friend, and it reminded me that there were some Jack and Stephen poppet pictures I never posted after my Alaska trip, showing all the wear and tear they'd been through and their happy reunion with their wives.  Also, my niece made up a song about them when I stopped in California on my way home, and I have a video of her singing it.


( poppets )

A couple of days ago I was on the front page of Etsy!  At least, some of my miniature apothecary bottles were.  (First column, third row down.)  Amazing!  They sold quickly, and then I got several messages from other people who wanted to buy some, so I whipped up some new ones.  I feel really undeservedly lucky in my Etsy endeavor.  But I've just had my first repeat customer, so that's great!  I'm so glad people like my things.

Also, I forgot to mention that recently my miniature books were featured on Fluffy Bricks!  Thank you, longlongwaytogo!  I feel special and famous!

I'm mini-spamming because I'm mini-crafting quite a lot lately.  Here are just a couple of Jackish pictures, primarily to show off the new inkwell and quill I made for him.

   

( miniatures for Jack )

I've been making a ton of miniature books, filling up the bookcase that I recently made for Stephen's dispensary.  They're made with real leather and hand-marbled papers, and some have gold tooling in the labels.  They don't open, though.  They simply grace the shelves.  Or the floor, or any other surface requiring a book.

I might consider making and selling some more.  

And in case you ask, I get the leather and marbled papers from the place where I work.  I don't know where one would get such materials by retail though.



( mini books )

There was good lighting today, so I decided to take some daylight pictures of the cabin.  After all, its not always night time with music and candlelight.



( pictures )

linked at doll_houses  and little_world .

This is not one of my miniature projects, but one that was posted in hms_surprise  and in the Aubrey-Maturin Appreciation Society on Facebook.  It is James Choi's model of the Surprise, and it's just wonderful!  Look at it!  It will fill you with glee.  It's just marvelous.

       

     

Sigh, it fills me with glee AND with envy.  I want to make it too!  I wish I was making it.  However, I don't think I would enjoy the rigging at all, and I would also possibly get bored making dozens of the same things over and over, like all the guns.  Maybe not though.  But it would also be hard for me to work at that small scale.  Hmm.  Still, oh, it's very tempting.  Also, oddly enough, I don't really care to have the finished product of a ship.  I just want the process of making it.  What I really need to make is a 1:12 ship with no rigging.  Hmm...  Maybe a ship made out of lots and lots of roomboxes that fit together like a puzzle.  I don't know what it is that I want, but I WANT IT.

Edit:  Aww, look at this picture and caption particularly.  It will give you heartbubbles.

The last time we heard from Jack and Stephen, they were visiting the north pole (or close to it), having tried unsuccessfully to catch a ride with passing Eskimos in their umiak.  So they had to search for other ways to get home, having had enough of the cold and wanting to go home to their sweethearts.



( final arctic adventures )

The last time we heard from the poppets, they were in California meeting Captain Bob and his charming wife Rose.  Well, after riding on the back of a dolphin for a while, they found a suitable ship to take them north.