My First Mini Swap

This is my first time participating in a mini swap. It's basically just an opportunity to exercise your skills, and make a certain number of dollhouse miniatures and mail them to a host. The host collects all the items that have been created, and then divies everything up among the participants. So I created 8 things, and at some point I will receive a box of 8 miniatures, all different.

Technically, you are supposed to make a certain number of the same item, but when I tried to do that the results were not encouraging. I tried making tiny Yankee Candles- they looked like tiny poop in tiny jars. I tried making miniature pies out of Sculpy clay- they were not appetizing at all.

I decided that my talent lies not in sculpting miniatures, but in finding them. I scour thrift stores for items that can be used or transformed into miniatures, and if necessary, I supplement them with other mini's, which are sometimes purchased from hobby stores. My 7 items are not identical, but I decided it was more important that they are constructed with thought and are unique.

I found this little ladder at a thrift store. I had the other stuff in my stash, but I did make the potted plant. It has kind of a English country garden feel to it.

This console table is done in a shabby chic motif, with a vintage doily as a tablecloth, a jewelry charm as a picture frame with a magazine clipping inside, a plastic plate which I painted, and a tiny jar of dried flowers.

Here's the second shabby chic console. The tables are from Dollar Tree, and I painted them a pale pink. This one has an arrangement of little cabbage roses in the center and a porcelain pitcher.

Another little table from Dollar Tree, as well as chair, that I painted with white chalk paint. It's a sewing station. 

Metal garden chair with potted flowers that I made, and a watering can.

This little vignette is themed to fit in a nursery or little girl's room. The furniture is plastic, painted by me. The teddy bears are having tea. The doll carriage is a baby shower favor from Dollar Tree, painted, with a scrap of pink fabric inside as well as a tiny Raggedy Andy doll (he's actually from a  very small wooden Christmas ornament).

I'm mailing it off tomorrow and I sincerely hope that that the people receiving them will appreciate them.