Charlotte 2012 Roundtables

Hello everyone! Below are pictures of COMPLETED roundtables from NAME's 40th Houseparty Convention in Charlotte. It took me 2 weeks to finish these, so it can be done if you put your mind to it. Some definitely take more than 30 minutes, but I found almost all of them were worth the effort.

144 scale Asian Tea Room  (Amy Rauch, rauchfam@aol.com) Everything you see is included with the kit.

Mini Manor (same baby house offered as Seattle souvenir in 2010, but as a dollhouse for the dollhouse; Lew Kummerow). I also bought the furniture (separate roundtable) that goes inside the mini manor, but have not painted them yet.

Micro Antique Toy Theater (sized to go inside a dollhouse); Barbara Kummerow. There are 3 scenes and figure cutouts offered as a separate roundtable.

QS Cabin Fireplace (Debbie Young, www.youngatheartminiatures.com). This is supposed to be rustic style and comes with a mantle, twig branches, and door cabinet handles made from 1/32 stained wood dowel.

QS Dollhouse Dreams Bed (Jeff Packard, www.youngatheartminiatures.com)

Clothespin "Minnie" (Carol House, petticoat-lane@juno.com)

Log cabin for the dollhouse, 1 inch finished size (Ruth Stewart, stewarthousecreations.com)

NAME's 40th Birthday Cake House, half scale dollhouse, includes wallpaper and flooring for the inside (Shawn and Robin Betterley, robinbetterley.com)

Pair of QS Stickley Style end tables (Stephanie Engeseth, fujin200@usa.net)

QS Shabby Chic Wall Cabinet with Chintz Plates and mantle clock (Kathy Abdinoor, kitkatminis@yahoo.com)

1" scale Framed Vintage Sewing Accessories Wall kit (Dorothy Hansen, DDooDads@aol.com) She also offers a kit version for a Table Top.

QS Bedtray (Barbara Thornton-Hill, bathca@gmail.com) A 1" scale version also offered.

1" scale strawberry shortcake dessert plates (material provided to be used as earrings & pendant). Alexis Hunley, Artechr@gmail.com

QS sewing basket & accessories (Charlotte Krauser, charkrauser@gmail.com). Also offered in 1" scale. She gives you enough material to make at least 12 sewing baskets.

1" Raggedy Birthday Box (Jenny Fortin, cim410@aol.com)

1" Painted Watering Can (Sandy Whipple, sewhipple@comcast.net). Also available in half and quarter scales.

144 scale Adobe Courtyard (Drue Conrad, sundrue@aol.com)

School House Penny Box, finished size 1" (Charlotte, Spinweaver@peoplepc.com). Don't use the plaster of paris included with kit. Use Deco Art Snow Writer and sprinkle glitter on top.

QS Alice's Tea Cart (Cynthia Lucas, Lifecourse@aol.com)

QS Lamb Pull Toy (Winnifred Holloway). I added bunka for realism. Without the bunka, takes 5 minutes to complete. Also available in half and 1" scale.

Organizing Your Minis

Happy New Year everyone! I finally got around to organizing my minis and my house is no longer an embarrassing hodge podge everywhere. It's actually presentable to guests. This is how I did it.

This is my work table and where I work on my minis. It's actually a dining table in our eat-in area of the kitchen. The table wasn't always clear of clutter. For two yrs, it was FULL of unfinished or in-progress minis. It got so bad my hubby would ask me to clear off a little space so he could eat his dinner.

This is a built-in hutch next to my dining/work table. It finally occurred to me that I could turn the hutch into a SUPPLY CENTER for minis. I kept the top shelf clear of minis because I can't reach that high anyway.

The middle shelf I used inexpensive containers in the Hardware section of Walmart to hold things like pens, Sharpies, paint pens, stain pens, scissors and rulers. You can also use coffee mugs for the same purpose. I also use one of these containers as my TRASH receptable when I work on minis. Notice that I did not fill the entire shelf ---it gives it a neater appearance and it makes it easier to locate things if you can see everything that's on the shelf.

On the bottom shelf I placed a multidrawer cabinet that you get from the local hardware store. It holds things like paper clips, binder clips, nails, quarter scale minis etc. I also keep a supply of ziplock bags readily available so I can sort and organize whenever I need it. I have ziplock bags in all sizes and save all the ones that come my way when I order kits because you never know when they will come in handy.

These drawer cabinets can be found in your local hardware store (Home Depot, Lowes, Menards) and are great for holding all manner of mini stuff.

The bottom half of the hutch holds more supplies like paint bottles, no hole beads, glues, tape, sand paper etc. You can double your shelf space by using cabinet helper shelves (kitchen section of Walmart or hardware store)

Small baskets from the kitchen section of Walmart can help organize items like paint bottles, no hole beads etc.

This storage box has 56 compartments! I have one for beads and another for my tools.

I keep a supply of baby wipes at hand to clean up my work/dining table.

The doors of the cabinet can be used to hang rulers. Use the 3M Command small wire hooks.

More tools and supplies are in a kitchen cabinet.

I included a small flashlight so I can see in the back of the cabinet.

This is a small bedroom that is partially a craft room, storage for my son's toys, and ironing room. A 6 foot long table holds a printer, scanner, Xyron Wishblade, and various paper types.

This is an inexpensive shelf I got from HobbyLobby (unfinished wood section). I used the pegs for my collection of gift bags.

You don't have to spend a fortune on shelves and cabinets. Buy 3- or 6-drawer plastic drawer cabinets, don't use the wheelies, and stack them on top of each other and voila! Instant see-through drawers/cabinets. Cardboard, foam boards, mat boards are stored in the space between the wall and drawers.

Open bookcase shelves hold unfinished mini projects. Sad to say, I have THREE of these bookcases of UFOs.

You can use an over-the-door shoe organizer to hold stuff.

This is a closet. You don't have to use any nails in order to get shelves. Buy an inexpensive resin shelf unit(s) and place it right in the closet for instant shelves. You can also remove the individual shelf units and place them in the closet for instant shelves. Gift wrapping organizers can be used to hold long items like stripwood, wallpaper without getting them bent. Small drawer cabinets can be used to organize fabrics, lace, dolls trims, etc.

See through shoe boxes can be used to hold kits.

This is a built in bookcase in my bedroom closet. It holds my mini magazines and books.

Closing thoughts:

1. It's never too early or too late to get organized. Goes faster if you start earlier than later.
2. You may have to give away or throw away stuff, but don't be afraid to let go of things you don't need, already have, or will not use. You can donate items to Goodwill, give to friends or a mini club, or sell them off at a garage sale.
3. Label, label, label. This last step is really important. I've organized in the past, but I didn't label my stuff. I thought, "They're in see through organizers." Wrong!!!!! Label even if you can see the contents from the outside. Having labels helps you see what you have in the box/drawer, makes it easier to locate items, and makes it easier to stay organized.

I recommend using AVERY 8167 address labels. You get 2000 labels per pack and they are REMOVABLE. The removable labels don't leave a sticky residue when you take them off.

Just make sure you download the AVERY 5167 template to use on these. The Windows Office 1997-2003 version doesn't have the correct template to use with these and when you print out the labels, they will not be aligned correctly.

I hope this helps give people ideas on organizing.

NAME 2011 Convention With A Song In My Heart

Souvenir: Violet ballgown worn by Deborah Kerr in The King and I, by Joann Roberts

We also received a shelf with peg to hang the dress, which I gave to a friend because she did not receive one.

Souvenir #2: Music stand with NAME logo engraved by Tom Walden

The music rack with readable music booklets are from Cleveland Mini Clubs

Souvenir #3: Blue suede shoes and box from Sylvia Rountree

Gold album of Blue Suede Shoes & Elvis from Cleveland Convention Steering Comte

Totebag favors: I-pod, wrapped gift box, laser cut bird inside heart from Gale Welch, champagne glasses, florist flowers, album jackets (many, many), fabric gift bag, printed rug, earphones, laser cut NAME convention plaque, music books (none readable), music posters, record player, clam shell display, guitar charm, variety of Fimo canes, NAME T-shirts, jewelry box, pinwheel, bangles, broomstick (after a hit song)

More Totebag favors: a pipet box and mink jacket

Gift from Sue Edmiston (awesome!!!!)

Door Prize: The distribution of door prizes for QS and 1" tables were uneven. There were only 7 door prizes for QS tables, but some 1" tables had an excess of prizes because of absentees. I wasn't supposed to get a door prize, but I must have looked so sad or pathetic Phyllis King gave hers to me.

Table gift: QS calla lilies and tiered what-not shelf from Phyllis and Richard King

 Gift from Sue Edmiston (AZ). I sat next to Sue and we were talking about swaps for general scales. I did not participate, and plop, Here you go, I got an extra she made for the swaps. Lucky me!

Table gift: QS Ladies vanity set & lamp. Can't remember who it's from. I threw away all excess packaging so I could fit into one carry-on and suitcase.

Table gift: from Cindy McDaniel

Table gift: QS tiki bar

Table gift: QS aquarium from Rhonda Simpson

Table gift: QS dog from Sandy Davis (made by Gayle Clausen)

Table gift: QS elegant screen (I believe this is from Michelle Faleshock)

Table gift: QS radio, rugs and framed music albums (not in pic) fom Sue Edmiston

I was seated at a QS exchange table, and all the table gifts I received were wonderful and real treasures. The variety and ingenuity displayed was amazing. Never would have come up with the items I received. Thank you all.

Roundtables from top to bottom: QS highboy & desk, 1" guitar with real strings, 1" cigar box banjo

Roundtables, top to bottom: QS kitchen island ME style with plant or cake, QS/HS Adirondack chairs

Roundtables: irises in 3 scales (JohnnieAranda), 144 scale vignettes

Roundtables: grammophone from Judith Andraka, QS harp & chair or violin & chair from Bruce & Judy Steinke

MiniMart: QS dolls from Sharon Jarvis

More dolls from Sharon Jarvis

The dolls were very reasonably priced from $16 to $25

MiniMart: from Winifred Holloway

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MiniMart: from Cindy McDaniel, all QS. These were some of the best finds ever at the show. Cakes were $3.50 each, snowmen $3.50, (awesome) trunk $4.50!!!!

First stop on our mini tour was the home of Emma and Cathy Lincoln in Shaker Heights. Their collection is housed in a room the size of a 4-car garage. Every shelf was stuffed with roomboxes. Dollhouses in 1", HS and QS were placed in the center of the room. The adjacent sun room had more interesting objects collected from their many travels around the world. This was only part of their collection. They had even more items in storage in the basement.

QS rooms in a cigar box