Keeping busy in these strange times

I hope everyone is keeping safe and well while we try to weather this health scare together - while still remaining separate.

Luckily my DH and I returned from Ireland just before all this broke loose on a global scale. We have remained healthy and are limiting activities outside our home. My DH is doing any shopping needed - but then he usually did anyway so that's not such a big change. It's the almost emptiness of the grocery stores that is so surreal.

In the meantime come all of the cancellations. While I didn't mind having my dental appointments cancelled, I was disappointed to have my haircut cancelled as the length of my hair is really starting to bug me. Cancelling our St. Patrick Week festivities was one notch up on the disappointment scale but, the biggest disappointment?? - the cancellation of the Montreal Miniature Show! I so look forward to this show every year. Even though it is an 8 hour drive each way for me and my friend Louise, it's a weekend of pure joy when we hit the sales and exhibit floors.

The members of the Miniature Enthusiasts of Montreal do such incredible work. I love spending hours looking at all of the projects they have on display. Also, the ability to shop at so many different vendors is such a treat for us since the closest miniature store to us is a seven hour drive in the opposite direction (Freedom Miniatures in Kentville). Luckily the owner, Shelley, has a great website so I can still purchase anything I need between her shop and my other favourite - Grandpa's Dollhouse.

I know I have lots of mini tasks that need to be done but, rather than actually making minis, the last several days have been spent trying to sort and organize my craft room. Even though my craft room is all about minis, the task itself is Herculean! The good news is, while I'm mourning the loss of this year's Montreal Miniature show, I came across some of my favourite purchases from past shows. Once of my favourite vendors at the Montreal show is Janice Crawley. Here are some of the things I have bought from her in the last couple of years:

A teapot and two vases in the Jasperware style:

Here are the two vases next to a life-size one I own. The life-size vase is not terribly large as you can see by the Sharpie pen behind it. That gives you a sense of how tiny the two vases from Janice are. Beautifully done!

Here is a gold tea set with a rose design which is much prettier in person. I love it!

Next is a casserole dish in what I think looks like a Belleek-type finish, and a set of pottery beer mugs.

I love these Santa pieces and I'm sure they'll end up in one of my Christmas-themed projects in the not-so-distant future.

Next, I have two of Janice's china figurines. The one on the left looks very like the full-size Royal Doulton dolls my mother used to own. On the right,the porcelain-dipped lace skirt reminds me of the lovely Dresden pieces of my mother. The little china bird in front is a mass-produced piece from one of the other Montreal vendors. I just thought is was so cute.

The last two pieces of Janice's that I am showing you today are so beautiful. Take a close look at the jug on the right. The top of the jug and handle are actually a lovely swan. Janice then used blue on the body of the jug right under the swan to indicate water, with green leaves of water plants below. How gorgeous is that?

I have a few more pieces of Janice's that I haven't come across yet in my craft room clean up but I know they're in there somewhere! Janice - I sure hope you will be at the 2021 show in Montreal! I will have my wallet full and ready to be emptied!!

One vendor I only saw once at the Montreal show was silversmith Greg Matusovsky. His work, as was his father's before him, is beyond words. I was lucky enough to purchase this pair of candlesticks from him a couple of years ago. I would so love to buy more but the website on the business card I got from him does not seem to be active anymore. I hope he is still making as his work is exquisite,

So, after several hours of sorting and rearranging things in my workroom, I decided it was time to quit. Okay, I was greatly encouraged to quit when the two trays of small wooden letters I had set at the edge of my table were knocked off and went everywhere!

I didn't take a picture of the disaster on the floor - I decided to shut the lights off, close the door, and go back to it tomorrow. *sigh* The good news is that I will be sure to find many exciting pieces of eye candy that I totally forgot I had. With that in mind - I will actually look forward to tomorrow's work - even if it means starting off by picking up a couple of hundred little wooden letters and sorting them alphabetically again. Take care everyone and be sure to stay active and safe. TTFN - Marilyn