Thursday 29 August 2013

I need YOU....

....to give me your feedback!

Last week I mentioned starting up some online workshops to teach you how to use LEDs for your dolls house projects or other model projects.

The first workshops will cover aspects of lighting a dolls house such as a "Beginners guide to LEDs" and making a table or floor lamp.  These have been very popular workshops when I've done them live.

I've had 1 reply so far to my questions but I really need a few more so I can tailor the workshops to what you really want!

It'll only take 5 mins... honest :)

  1. Would you prefer step by step instructions in PDF form, a video demonstration or both?
  2. Would you like a set time to complete the task or to do it at your own leisure? 
  3. Would you like to chat with me to ask questions and get feedback?
  4. If I set up a closed Facebook group to enable you to ask questions and show your finished items would this be of interest?
  5. Or would you prefer a Yahoo group? 
  6. Are there any topics you would specifically like covered in a future workshop?
  7. Any other comments?
To provide your feedback please E-mail me or leave your comments below.

jsminiatures[at]gmail.com (please replace [at] with @)


Jennifer,


Friday 23 August 2013

August in a nutshell

We had delivery of a couple of additional house guests last night.  As I have sorted out my e-mails and packaged up an order I have been followed by a pair of beady black eyes.  Apparently, the novelty of a printer and natural curiosity has got the better of my companion and it's been too much excitement to allow the usual daytime sleeping.

Now I have peaked your interest I'm sure you'd like to know who the house guests are?

Well, they are called Cinder & Treacle and they are a pair of female chinchillas that we are looking after for friends for a couple of weeks.  We have a pair of male chinchillas ourselves but they are kept in our spare bedroom so Cinder & Treacle are staying in our living room.

Treacle now seems to have lost interest and has decided that sleeping IS the best way to spend the day so I will continue my post...

July was a very busy month for me and so August has been a little about catching up with some of the back end stuff that often gets put off and deciding what the next new adventure should be for my business.

As a bit of a recap I launched a new website www.smallscalelights.co.uk at the start of August, dedicated to my LED lighting range and have been adding new products to that during the month.

I have had some interesting sales this month including selling some of my nano chip LEDs to a chap making a model of the Enterprise from the new Star Trek movies, some amber and warm white flickering LEDs for a diorama and some of my 3mm LEDs with clear lens clips are being used for spotlights in a modern art gallery room box.  Hopefully I will have some photos for my customer gallery when these are all completed.

At the start of July I took some workshops at the Stafford Making Day and I have received a couple of photos of my workshops which I thought you might like to see.  I'm the one in front of the window.

Stafford Makers Day Workshops - Beginners Guide to LEDs
Stafford Makers Day Workshops - Beginners Guide to LEDs

Stafford Makers Day Workshops - Making a table lamp
Stafford Makers Day Workshops - Making a table lamp
I had a lot of positive feedback from my workshops and I would like to offer these to everyone.

I already do Online workshops through the Minis4All Yahoo group and with the technology available to us today it's very easy to communicate and there are lots of ways that information can be provided making online workshops a popular alternative.

This is where you come in! I would like you to help me develop these workshops by telling me what would work best for you. I would like to tailor my workshops to fit your needs so if you can take 5-10 mins to answer a few questions I would be very grateful.

  1. Would you prefer step by step instructions in PDF form, a video demonstration or both?
  2. Would you like a set time to complete the task or to do it at your own leisure? 
  3. Would you like to chat with me to ask questions and get feedback?
  4. If I set up a closed Facebook group to enable you to ask questions and show your finished items would this be of interest?
  5. Or would you prefer a Yahoo group? 
  6. For a workshop lasting about 1-1.5 hours would you consider £10-20 to be reasonable? (Cost will be determined by price of the kit and associated additional material such as a booklet)
  7. Any other comments?
To provide your feedback please E-mail me or leave your comments below.

Your feedback is important to me so thank you for taking the time to comment.

Jennifer,

Friday 16 August 2013

Table Lamps at the Online Show

I have made some new lamps for the online show that's on until Tuesday 20th August.  This weekend is the ideal time to take a look if you haven't already.

These are all a traditional shape but there is a range of colours and options of base and lampshade available to suit you.

They come with a 3mm wide angle LED which gives a nice even light and is nice and bright.

There is a choice of wooden base in an Oak Stain, a range of cotton wrapped bases and also pink and green bases with a glittery finish.   You can also choose your colour of lampshade.

You can find them either at my table at the online show or on my website.




Oak Table Lamp

Green Table Lamp

Sky Blue & Violet Lamp

Cotton Base Colours

Friday 9 August 2013

Online Miniature Show - 14th - 20th August 2013

If you fancy visiting a dolls house fair from the comfort of your living room then this is the fair for you!

Shelly Norris has been running these online fairs, twice a year for a few years now and I've been taking part for the last couple of years.

Each Artisan has a table which is a page where they can display their products with only hand crafted or embellished miniatures allowed.

Shelly has improved the site at each fair so it's now a lot easier to find the tables you want.  There will be a show pamphlet available with a list of all the artisan's tables and a short description of what they sell.

There have been some problems in the past with specific Artisans being difficult to find but this has been acted upon and tables will be listed by scale to make it easier for you to find the products of most interest to you.

There will be Artisans from all over the world and all will be high quality pieces so it's well worth a look.

The show is open from the 14th - 20th August.


A Mini Miniature Show


Hope to see you there!

Jennifer,


Wednesday 7 August 2013

Dolls House Fabric - Now in Stock

I have some very pretty fabric in stock from the US which has been designed by a friend and fellow artisan.

She has some gorgeous and unique nursery sets but has also recently expanded her range and I now have in stock some beautiful roses fabric with a cream background that is available in both 100% cotton and a cotton & silk mix which drapes beautifully.  These would be perfect for curtains, bedlinen or upholstery.

There is also one 1/24th scale quilt & pillow kit available with an Under the Sea nursery theme.
Under the Sea Kit in 1/24th Scale
1/24th Scale Under the Sea Quilt & Pillow Kit

Please note these are all fabric kits for you to make up yourself.  The made up photos are to give you a better idea of what they look like.

Fabric Kits at JS Miniatures

Bug Buddies kit
Bug Buddies Quilt & Pillow Kit
Roses cotton fabric
Roses Cotton Fabric - made into duvet & Pillows

Friday 2 August 2013

New Small Scale Lights Website Launched!

I have been working hard behind the scenes for a few weeks now to bring you a brand new website dedicated to LED lighting for dolls houses and the broader world of model makers.

The intention of the new site was to focus entirely on LED products which are specifically chosen to be perfect for a range of model making hobbies, from dolls house projects to model trains and boats.

I have expanded the available products so if you want to do your own soldering you can buy the LEDs and wire separately.

It's designed to be easier to navigate if all you want are pre-wired LEDs or other associated products without having the other dolls house products on the website.

I will be adding more products and content over the coming weeks so it's worth keeping an eye on the website or this blog for updates if it's something you're interested in.

Pre-wired Nano chip LEDs
Pre-wired Nano Chip LEDs
You can visit my new website here: Small Scale Lights

I hope you like the new site and bookmark it for future use.  Comments welcome :)

Jennifer,