Christmas Giveaway

Hi everyone,

I promised a christmas giveaway so to be in with a chance to win this:

Decorated Christmas Tree Kit

click here

Merry Christmas,

Jennifer,

Christmas Newsletter

I have published the Christmas newsletter this morning. You can see it here: Christmas Newsletter

If you would like to sign up to receive future newsletters you can either sign up here through my blog - see box top right, or you can sign up through my website.

Website signup

Newsletters contain information on new products, special offers and I am planning to include some tips and techniques in future editions.

They are published no more than once a month so you won't get spammed.

Hope you enjoy reading the current newsletter.

Jennifer,

Christmas already???

Hi everyone,

I realise it's been ages since I updated my blog.  Time seems to pass so quickly.  One minute I'm wondering what happened to summer in the UK and the next thing I know it's November, the clocks have gone back and the shops are full of christmas products!

I have been busy behind the scenes and I have a new product I've been working on that is almost finished. A little hint is that it's something to do with a jam jar.  Anyone want to take a guess?

I have also got a few christmas products available in my Etsy shop.  I realise I might be a bit slow getting my act together here but I'm sure that's a common problem.  Who wants to think about Christmas when you feel cheated out of summer?!

I have designed three 3D Christmas products - Rudolph the reindeer, Santa's Sleigh and a christmas tree.  They're designed to be both ornaments and 1/12th scale miniatures for a Christmas scene.

They are laser cut from 3mm laser ply and slot easily together.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Santa's Sleigh

Christmas Tree

I have also been asked to supply tiny battery powered chip LEDs by members of the Minis4All online group and these will also be on my website soon.  These are currently available from Evan's Designs in the USA but by the time you pay for customs charges and import duty it gets pretty expensive so I now have a supply in the UK, and can supply most of what is available in their shop.  If you are interested then please contact me as I have these in stock.

These tiny chip LEDs are perfect for 1/144th scale or 1/48th scale houses and are often used in model train layouts and model cars.  I also have bigger LEDs suitable for 1/24 & 1/12th scale projects. All come pre-wired ready for installation.

At just 3mm long they can fit in tiny spaces but give out a surprising amount of light for their size.

I will be doing an online workshop on using LEDs and there will be a choice of projects to try through Minis4All  so if anyone is interested please let me know.  I would be happy to offer it through my website too.

LEDs are really easy to use and the ability to power up to 10 LEDs off 1 coin cell battery makes them a great way to light your dolls house, room box or mini scene.  If you admire the work of Peter Tucker and want to have a go at recreating some of his lights and effects then this is the ideal opportunity!

Learn how they work, what they can be used for and choose a project(s) to try.  Possible projects depending on interest include:

Lighting a 1/144th or 1/48th scale house
Flickering fire effect
Table lamp
Ceiling spotlights
Strip lights for general dolls house lighting effects

I will be posting more information soon but if you are interested or would like a specific project then please don't hesitate to leave a comment or contact me as I'd love to know what you would like.

I will also be offering a christmas giveaway so keep a look out if you would like to participate.

Best wishes,

Jennifer,

Online Miniature Fair - This Weekend!

Hi everyone!
I've been busy the last couple of weeks preparing for the Online Miniature Fair that is on this weekend (17th - 20th Aug).

What better way to shop than to be able to sit back on your sofa and browse the 91 stalls without having to worry about sore feet or queuing for the toilet!

There's a good mix of tables from food to dolls houses and all scales are catered for.  There's quite a lot of tables from the US but also several from the UK and a few from Europe so there should be something for everyone.

Considering the wet and windy weather we're having in the UK at the moment it's nice to be able to sit here, keep an eye on my table and not worry about going out.

Check out my table here.

New Modern Furniture

Brand new on my website today I have two new items of modern furniture to share with you.  These are very unique, limited edition pieces that are already getting attention only a few minutes after listing. I will only be making 10 of each individual design and should you chose to purchase one, you will receive a signed miniature and a signed and numbered certificate.

First of these new pieces is a truly unique coffee table. It just looks like a simple cube doesn't it? But wait... what happens when we take a closer look?

Modern Coffee Table

Modern Rotating Table

Modern Rotating Table - side view

We discover that this simple cube is actually made up of five individual slabs of which the middle three can be rotated through 360 degrees  to produce a coffee table with infinite positions. Ideal for those who like to change their furniture around and providing many surfaces on which to place your miniature items.














Made from American walnut with an ash veneer this is a beautiful coffee table with a lovely finish of oil and wax designed to protect and bring out the beautiful grain and colour of the wood.

Available from: JS Miniatures or if you live outside the UK and wish to purchase through Etsy you can find it here: Etsy

Table is 2" square x 1.5" high.




The second new piece of handmade furniture is a zigzag bookcase with red acrylic rod detailing to provide a unique design what might otherwise be considered a standard bookcase.

ZigZag Bookcase

ZigZag Bookcase with 'books'

It is made from American cherry and red acrylic rod and is perfect for a modern or minimalist dolls house where it can be used as either a bookcase against a wall or as a room divider.

It is finished in an oil and wax finish to protect the wood and bring out the lovely colour of the cherry.















I have made up a few wooden 'books' in sizes available from Dateman books to show that the shelves are built to fit both large and small miniature books (30mm high).

This unique bookcase is available from:
JS Miniatures

Bookcase is 5.25" tall by 5" wide by 1" deep.

Clay Tiles - Reduced Prices!!

I have been working on lots of things recently but one of them has been to reduce the production costs of my individual clay tiles.  I always try to keep costs as low as possible while still producing a very high quality product.  Everything is handmade by me, packaged up and taken to the post office so it's a very personal service.

I have found a much quicker method for making the clay tiles and so I've been able to reduce the prices quite significantly.

If you were thinking of buying some but you were put off by the price, then go and check them out here.  On most of the packs the saving is at least 50%!

I can make them up in lots of colours and in 1/4" or 1/2" but I currently have 700 1/4" black tiles :)

They are perfect for floors, bathroom or wall tiles, splash backs, fireplaces, even as coasters!  I'm sure you can come up with even more uses.

If you're not sure how many tiles you need I have a nifty calculator that works it out for you.  Just put in the size of the area in inches, chose the size of tiles, click on the 'calculate' button and it will tell you how many tiles you need and how many packs that is.  Tile Calculator

If you really don't fancy laying a floor yourself I can also make it up for you on thin mdf or mountboard  to fit your room.  Please contact me if you are interested and I will work out a cost for you.

Hope everyone is enjoying a glimmer of sunshine this weekend.  It's been easy to stay working in the workshop with all the rain we've had recently!

Tiles at JS Miniatures

Half Inch Terracotta Tiles

Quarter Inch Square Tiles

Available Colours

New Range of Modern Miniatures

For those of you who saw my 'Sneak Peek' post on Sunday my new miniatures are now available for sale on my website and in my Etsy shop.  For those that didn't see the post, here are the details...

I have been working on an exciting new range of modern miniatures that are a little bit different to what I've done before and I hope you will like them.

First up is a modern coffee table made from American walnut & cherry with contrasting whitewood detailing.  It has a silky smooth finish of oil and a wax top coat and is a delight to handle.

Second up is a funky 'light' / art piece which has no light source but when background lit, the red rods glow as if by magic!

Comments or feedback welcome.  I will be producing more of this range over the next few weeks.

Sneak Peek....

I have finished a couple of new miniatures that will be available for sale on my website and through my Etsy shop next week but I thought you might like a sneak peek....

I have been working on an exciting new range of modern miniatures that are a little bit different to what I've done before and I hope you will like them.

First up is a modern coffee table made from mahogany with contrasting whitewood detailing and a cherry insert in the top.  It has a silky smooth finish of oil and a wax top coat and is a delight to handle.

Second up is a funky 'light' / art piece which has no light source but when background lit, the red rods glow as if by magic!

Comments or feedback welcome.  I will be producing more of this range over the next few weeks.

Tamed Miniatures

I have a shop on Etsy - the american site for buying handmade or vintage collectables of all kinds.

A few weeks ago I sold some of my handmade tiles and it was to a fellow artisan, Dee of Tamed Miniatures who makes fantastic OOAK furred animals.  Doesn't he look real?

Red Setter by Tamed Miniatures

She specialises in custom replicas of your own pet and I particularly like the tabby cat she made recently for a commission as I can just see the curiosity as he looks in the cupboard!

Tabby Cat by Tamed Miniatures

She put a photo of the tiles she bought from me on her blog.  She bought them for her bathroom.

Tiles from JS Miniatures

You can read her blog here: Tamed Miniatures Blog

TamedMiniatures Etsy Shop

The Making of a Modern Fireplace

I am a member of the Etsy Miniatures in Dollhouse Scales Team and I recently did a guest post for their blog.  A behind the scenes look at making my modern fireplace.

Making anything in miniature can be a time consuming and fiddly process that requires lateral thinking and imagination to replicate an object from the real world.


It all starts with an idea and a design.  It is often an image from the real world that provides the inspiration.  Working out how you can make a miniature version is often not an easy task!


I had an idea for a very contemporary, modern fireplace that would be ideal for modern dolls house families.  It had a relatively simple, clean design for the surround with an eye catching grate as the focal point.


Read the full post here


http://teammids.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/making-of-modern-fireplace.html

Sign Up for Special Offers!!

I have just started producing a newsletter for JS Miniatures.  It contains news, information on new products and special offers.

New subscribers will receive the June Newsletter.

To sign up for the newsletter fill in the form below:

Newsletter Sign Up Form

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Jubilee Sale & New Products!!

Save 10% on Fireplace Kits, Room Boxes, Tiles, Kitchen Range, Fireplace Accessories & Mouldings until 6th June.

New Products!!

I have introduced two new ranges of tiles this month.  Made from a special polymer clay they are incredibly thin yet very strong and come in a wide range of colours so there's something for everyone.

• 1/4" Square & triangular tiles - ideal for 1/24th scale or wall tiles in 1/12th
• 1/2" Square & triangular tiles - ideal for 1/12th scale or floor tiles in 1/24th

1/4" Square & Triangular Tiles

1/2" Square Tiles

May Promotion - 10% Off

I'm having a promotion until the end of this month.  10% off most products in my online shop.

Products include room boxes, tiles, mouldings, fireplace kits, fireplace accessories and a kitchen range.

Please spread the word and tell your friends!

Blog Giveaway - the winner!

Hi all,

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway competition and to my new followers.

I used a random number generator to chose a number from all those entered  - 23 people in total, to make it as fair as possible.

It is with great pleasure that I announce the winner to be Elga http://elgakoster.blogspot.co.uk/

Elga, if you would like to email me with your address I'll get it in the post to you this week.

It's been great fun doing the giveaway so I'm sure I'll do another one in the future.

Thanks again to everyone who entered and I'm sorry you missed out on this occasion.

100 Followers!!

I have reached 100 followers.  I never thought, way back when I started, that my blog would generate so much interest and yet, here I am with 100 followers!

Thank you to you all.

It's been an interesting and different month for me as I was made redundant this time last month and since then I've been working hard on JS Miniatures focusing on making new products and trying to get the word around of what I have on offer.

It's been fun being able to focus on doing what I love full time but at the same time it's difficult because in sales terms it's more of a hobby than a business!

I've been busy setting up a Facebook page and Twitter account and perhaps some of you will also find your way to those sites too.  Links are at the bottom of this post or in the menu to the right.

As a small token of my appreciation for your interest and support, I will offer a giveaway of one of the coal scuttles I currently have for sale.

If you are interested please comment below and I will add your name into a draw to take place on the 1st May 2012.   There's just one rule - you have to be an existing or new subscriber to the blog.

Coal Scuttle Prize for the giveaway

Good luck everyone!









Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/Jsminiatures

Victorian Kitchen Range & Fireplace Accessories

"The Phoenix Kitchener" Victorian Kitchen Range

I have added some new products to my Etsy shop.  They are made up from kits supplied by Phoenix Model Developments & Warwick Miniatures who produce white metal and lead free pewter kits in the UK.

I have assembled and hand painted them and added coal to the fires.  The kitchen range was very fiddly.  They also make a 1/24th scale version and that must be really tricky to put together as some of the pieces are very small!

The products are highly detailed and I think are very good replicas of real products available at the time.

Other items available are two different coal scuttles suitable for either Georgian or Victorian fireplaces and a Georgian style grate for your fireplace.  All are supplied with real coal.

The coal scuttle with shovel is available on my website here

Georgian / Victorian Coal Scuttle with shovel and real coal

Georgian / Victorian Coal Scuttle with real coal

Georgian Style Fireplace Grate

Royal Mail Postal prices increase this month...

In case anyone has missed the announcement, Royal Mail are increasing their postal prices quite significantly at the end of this month.

On the 30th April a 1st class stamp will increase to 60p and a second class stamp will increase to 50p!

Unfortunately, as a result of this I will have to increase prices on my website from the 30th April, because the increases are too big for me to absorb.

Full details can be found here: Royal Mail Prices 2012


This is a summary of the price increases from the Royal Mail website:

Our stamp prices are increasing from 30 April 2012:

• 1st Class stamps for letters weighing up to 100g will increase from 46p to 60p
• 2nd Class stamps for letters weighing up to 100g will increase from 36p to 50p.

Packets weighing up to 750g will be charged at one flat rate price:

• 1st Class packets weighing up to 750g will cost £2.70.
• 2nd Class packets weighing up to 750g will cost £2.20.

Special Delivery™:

• The price of Special Delivery™ Next Day by 1pm will be £5.90. Our guaranteed next day service offers great value, featuring generous compensation and market-leading quality of service.

International services:

• An Airmail letter going to Europe weighing up to 20g will increase from 68p to 87p.
• International Signed For increases from £4.95 to £5.15 per item (in addition to postage).

Georgian Fireplace with hob grate and coal fire

After a bit of trial and error with the prototype I have upgraded my Georgian Fireplace to a working fireplace with metal hob grate and real coal fire.

It is lit with an LED bulb which gives it a very effective glowing embers look - the photo doesn't really do it justice!

LED's are very bright, last thousands of hours and produce virtually no heat making them perfect for miniature fireplaces.  No worrying about replacing the bulb or dodgy connections though I do hate those little plugs for the socket strips.  Fiddly to wire up and the connections always seem a bit dodgy, but they work I guess.  It's designed for a standard 12v supply.

The fireplace is available as a self assembly kit or as a ready made fireplace.  The small hob grate is also available separately if you already have a fireplace.

Close up of the metal hob grate

Available from JS Miniatures

(Hob grate is available as an optional extra)

New Product - Real Wood Tiles

Last weekend I added a new product to my webshop.  Real wood tiles in 5 colours which can be mixed and matched to create a stunning floor for your dolls house.   Lots of patterns can be created using a mix of complimentary colours or stick to one colour  - either way you will create a beautiful and sophisticated floor.

The tiles come in various pack sizes and you can mix and match the colours - just let me know what you would like.  They are just 1/16th thick and 1/2" square but other sizes are available on request.


Go to:  Real Wood Tiles

Prices start at just £3.00

Online Workshops in 2012

Firstly, may I wish all my followers a Happy New Year and hope that you all have a great 2012!

I am running 3 online workshops this year through the Minis4All group.

For anyone who hasn't come across this group it's a mix of both professional miniaturists and dolls house enthusiasts who share ideas through the Yahoo Group pages and also the Minis4All website.

It's free to join the group and was set up by Hazel Dowd of Little People who formed the group 12 years ago when she was looking to share ideas with like minded people.   It's a nice, very friendly community and it's worth joining even if you don't want to take part in any of the workshops.

There is at least 1 workshop every month this year and sometimes even 2 workshops to chose from.  There are some great kits to make from a lovely 1/24th scale Labourer's Cottage by Herdwick Landscapes to a selection of bags by Joan Wareing this month.  Jane Harrop is also doing a workshop in June.  There's something to suit all tastes and budgets.

For my workshops you have the opportunity to make a Victorian Fireplace in February, a Georgian fireplace in May or my room box in August.

It's very simple to take part.  Join the Yahoo group and then choose and pay for your workshop through either Hazel or the workshop organiser.  When it's time for the workshop to take place the organiser will send out the appropriate kits in the post and you will be invited to join the workshop forum where detailed photographs and instructions will be provided to help you make the kit.  The organiser will also be available throughout the month to answer any questions you have, if you should need any help.

I took part in one in December and it's great fun.  Post your pictures of your completed kit and have fun making it.

I hope some of you might sign up for some of the workshops and perhaps you'll even choose to do one of mine!