Blog
April 2025
April Thought of the Month
"If you think you're too small to make a difference, spend a night with a mosquito."
~ African Proverb
It's a hot summer evening. The bedroom window is open and a cool breeze is flowing in. You're on the edge of sleep when that whine starts up. A mosquito is on the hunt. Distant at first, but it keeps getting closer. Now you're wide awake and tensing up, waiting for the inevitable attack. Then it's divebombing your ear, and you slap yourself half silly trying to kill the darn thing. Sound familiar?
March 2025
March Thought of the Month
"Comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable."
~ Buckaroo Banzai
The first months of 2025 has been devastating for so many people, and the trends indicate that list is only going to grow. More than ever, we need to find more ways to assist those needing help and encourage those immunized from the problems facing the rest of us by their wealth and power to contribute from their considerable resources for the betterment of the whole.
DIY Project: Tissue Boxes
This year I'm starting a new line of Diorama Downloads. These will be basic patterns with instructions that you can use to make accessories for your playscale scenes.
The first of these is Tissue Boxes. The download has patterns for both square and rectangular options.Just download and print out the pattern and follow the instructions. Use scrapbook paper that matches the color scheme of your dioramas and dollhouse rooms. See the images below for the stages of creating the sample at the right.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
February 2025
February Thought for the Month
"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."
~ Japanese proverb
From the day each of us realizes we have a say in our future, we set out to accomplish good, great, even magnificent things in our lives. But not enough of us live up to those goals. Some never get passed the dream stage. Others take up the dream and run with it but with no clear plan to accomplish it. With no vision of how to achieve it, a dream is practically guaranteed to fail.
January 2025
January Thought of the Month
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."
~ Steve Jobs
As we get older, it's almost inevitable that we look back with regret on time wasted, decisions made, and the paths not taken. No one wants to have such regrets in their lives. But too many of us make decisions - big and small - to make others happy rather than with our own best interests in mind.
DIY Project: Lighted Bar Frig
When I decided to make a bar diorama, I purchased Gloria Happy Hour playsets to customize. This included a lighted bar frig under the back drinks storage rack. The original base was printed cardboard. To make it more useful, I inserted the bottom part of the separate wine cellar. This left a space that would hold a 4 x 2 inch area.
I started searching for something that would fit but wasn't as tall as the wine cellar so I could add a light feature. The finished product is at the right. Below are the steps to its creation.
December 2024
December Thought of the Month
"You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream."
~ C.S. Lewis
At this time of year, we're usually focused on holiday tasks: shopping for presents, decorating, travel plans, etc. But it should also be a time of begin preparing for a new year. Without a plan, we are at the mercy of Life's currents.
November 2024
November Thought of the Month
"I have found that, rather than dwelling on the negative, if we will take a step back and consider the blessings in our lives, including seemingly small, sometimes overlooked blessings, we can find greater happiness."
~ Thomas S. Morrison
October 2024
October Thought of the Month
"To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there."
~ Kofi Annan
DIY Project: Bunkbeds
The bunk beds I originally purchased for my boys’ bedroom diorama ended up being too big, and none of the options I found online were suitable. So I decided to make it myself.
Materials: clear tacky glue, mini wooden pallets, large and small popsicle sticks, square dowels, I got most pieces from the craft aisle at Dollar Tree and the woodworking department at Hobby Lobby. Tools: jumbo binder clips for holding parts in place while drying; emery board for sanding cut edges; Exacto blade, scissors, and small saw for cutting the wood when needed; ruler and pencil.
