Mortimer The Book Explorer ... OR ... Kyle Made a Weird Bookmark

Why hello there readers and fellow bloggers, long time no see. ^_^

Meet Mortimer! He’s an Explorer. He loves books. He is a Book Explorer! (It’s a bookmark, or is it?)
What I’m saying is that I created a classy eyeball person with ambition, and then made him into a delightfully weird laminated bookmark for you to enjoy, and quite possibly get creative with yourself. - As it turns out the average size of a standard bookmark is almost equal to a very tall 1:12 scale (dollhouse size) human, so while I was photographing Mortimer he wandered around the studio a bit.
 
If anyone wishes to bring a copy of Mortimer home and use him in weird photo ops, by all means please do. (and feel free to let me know what you’ve come up with!)  
#mortimerbookexplorer Wouldn’t be a bad tag for your pics, just sayin’. 

Ok, but how do you get a copy of Mortimer? 
 
Well here’s the thing: Because this was a weird/random project, I printed and assembled these neat bookmarks in-house. 
Depending on feedback, I can make many more runs of Mortimer and his friends to come, but for now there are only 12 Mortimers available. 
 
3 ways to snag one for yourself;

1. Head on over to ART247 in Lockport NY. There are some for sale just outside of studio 233
2. My Etsy shop, under the *NEW* Misc. Fun! section.
3. Now that you’ve read this far - This post is actually a giveaway announcement! *gasp*

That’s right, I am giving one of the very first copies of Mortimer the Book Explorer away to one of my lucky Facebook followers! 
To be entered, head on over to my Facebook page and hit the like button - You can find a post with the details there.

This is my first online giveaway ever and if it goes well I might just do it again, so share this post to make this giveaway happen and to get Mortimer out there exploring the books and world I would imagine he’d love to see! #bykylelefort #art #giveaway #bookmark #eyeballpeople #characters #dollhouseminiatures #artstudio #lockportny

* The 2016 Gingerbread House Series *

~*~ The 2016 Gingerbread House Series ~*~

Ha! You thought I wasn't going to get this year's tiny gingerbread houses done, but you were wrong! Here they are;

 I wasn't up for polymer clay and all the baking though, so this year I went up in size a bit and sewed a gingerbread pillow village + 3 gingerbread pillow friends. Brown flannel coated in Polycrylic for the gingerbread. Once again I used puff paint for the frosting and polymer clay was used for the candy details. I doubt the tiny dollhouse people would want to eat these, they're meant to be throw pillows or plush decor items this time around.

No scene at the moment, I just finished these today at home and I haven't quite figured out a good way to sign and date them yet..., I will figure that out after Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, if you missed it on Instagram, my fern buddies have gotten into the spirit;

 And if you celebrate the holiday, I hope you have gotten yourself into the spirit of it too (or at least finished with presents - avoid being that eleventh hour shopper, it does not sound like fun to me). 

As of typing this it is just a few hours until Christmas Eve, and I am officially done working. Time to take a break and spend time with my family.

Merry Christmas, and if I don't hear from you until then - Happy New Year too. ^_^

Undersized Urbanite - The Surrealism House

Hello fellow miniaturists, bloggers, lovers of all things dollhouse, random visitors, voters, and other special guests! It's that time again - The big reveal for Undersized Urbanite!

As stated in my WIP posts, my dollhouse did not get as 'done' as I had hoped, but I do have a pretty interesting exterior to show off, so here we go;

Now for close ups;

I think that the egg carton mosaic turned out beautifully

The re-design for the new front door was a last minute miracle. A big Thank You to one of my "Mantis" prints, which I decided to cut up for the cause (to be fair, it was a damaged print, but I just couldn't throw away those pretty metallic colors - planned to use it throughout the house actually).

I know that I changed my color scheme from gray to purple halfway through sketching out the mosaic siding, but I'm still not sure what possessed me to start painting clouds on the purple after that - It did turn out really well though,...

...So well that I decided to paint the top floor sky blue and keep those clouds going. ^_^

What house wouldn't be complete without some trippy racing stripes, right? XD

And then finally, I give you a little bit of Steampunk, 

because I can't stop going back to Steampunk (it's fun).

So there you have it - The exterior of My Surrealism House. ^_^

---

There are a couple other things I did get a chance to work on, but they're part of the unfinished interior, but you know what? I'm going to show you anyway (Why not?);

Did you notice all the gold accents on the outside of the house? Well I got the idea for that while I was attempting to get the inside of the house painted. This painting/mural on the third floor is a mix of green, copper, and three shades of gold metallic paint. No sketching, just painted whatever I felt like painting.

And on that third floor, I also started a pond. It's acrylic paint with a few coats of Polycrylic to get the water effect. (I was hoping to add ducks - maybe someday) The green around the pond is more of the "Mantis" print - I was hoping to cover at least half of the floor with those shiny sea-foam tiles I was making (again, someday...). Oh, but what's with the puddle on the unfinished second floor hardwood? I'm glad you asked!

 I don't know if it was ever mentioned here on the blog, but one very rainy weekend last fall I walked into the art studio to find a huge puddle on the floor and rain pouring down in through the ceiling. It was just traumatic enough that I won't forget it anytime soon, but thanks to the studio visitors (some of which are friends now) who didn't seem to think a flood made the space any less awesome, that day was also just entertaining enough that it made it into this project. (Of course, I'm sure there was not actually a duck pond on the roof -it's more fun to to think about than cold Fall rain though).

I even made sure the ceiling is leaking.

Maybe I'll hold onto to the house and complete the interior next year, maybe when I have some time I'll keep working on it just for fun, maybe I'll finish it for an upcoming show - who knows? - For now though, this project is finished. As with any other year, I would like to say Thank You to Christina over at Little Victorian, for hosting Undersized Urbanite once more (Thank You!).

 Best wishes to the other entrants, hopefully you all finished in time. Can't wait to see everyone's entries. I think voting is open to everyone, so if you're reading this I encourage you to head on over to the official contest page and pick your favorite dollhouse.

Undersized Urbanite - Not Sure I'll Finish On Time ...

I am pretty sure I will not quite get the dollhouse done on time this year, still trying, so without spending a whole mess of time blogging progress - Here's a quick shot of the newly finished mosaic work and pretty, pretty blue door. 

(You can also view this on Instagram)

 

I'm hoping to at least have the exterior all nice and pretty by the deadline, so back to work I go. ^_^

Undersized Urbanite - Progress With A Bit Of Purple

Update Time!

At the moment I am torn between working on the dollhouse for Undersized Urbanite and posting updates for you all to see, so bear with me while I try to fit in time to take/edit photos + compose the quick write ups. As of typing this, I am actually weeks ahead of what you are seeing here, but I still have a ways to go (Will she meet the deadline? Stay tuned...).


Theme - wise the surreal house has been coming along nicely, the plan in my head has changed a bit though. Not that you could really see what the original plan was to begin with, I just thought I'd let you know that there is a lot more purple now (with even more on the way). ^_^


 Here's how the dollhouse looked the last time you saw it;

(Artwork in the background by studio co-artists:

 painting on the left by Dan Covey, 

2 digital pieces on the right are by Michele Mirabella)

 I planned to do some faux-stone mosaic work siding, 

so first I had to sketch out that area.

For new readers: By "faux-stone", 

I mean that I'm using egg carton/packing materials 

made out of recycled paper products. 

It looks great, as demonstrated in past projects.

 I painted the mosaic area gray and then started cutting out the carton.

I'm going with a mix of triangles and some free form shapes this time around.

Painted the pieces purple and started gluing them in place.

 The tricky part is finding something to use as the mortar/filler that goes between the carton pieces. Previous projetcs I was using clay, but that can be time consuming and a little expensive. So this time around I am using Puff paint/dimensional fabric paint. 
So far, I am enjoying the results.

I tested the puff paint out on a few pieces at the back of the house - looks good.

And here is the first finished section of the mosaic wall. It needs some touch ups, 

and I might do some light painting over the bright white to dull it a little bit, 

but this turned out really well. I am super happy with the house at this stage.

For anyone looking for this paint to try out on their own projects:
I am using Tulip Dimensional Fabric paint, Slick White. 
If you can't find it at your local store, it is available on Amazon.

 (Yep, ending this post with an ad, but I do like this paint, so why not?)

Undersized Urbanite - Pretty Sure I'm Entering This Year

Christina over at Little Victorian is hosting The Undersized Urbanite Dollhouse Contest once again, and although it's been open for entries since September - I'm just now getting to it. And honestly I wasn't sure I was even going to enter this year, but between months of working like a crazy person, and more recently coming down with a cold bad enough that it killed my ambition there for a bit (and got me thinking about how much I'd been working lately), I decided that it was time that I get back into the art studio and work on something just because I wanted to make something cool/for my own enjoyment. Sound good to you? Ok, then here we go;

A year or two ago I stumbled upon one of those puzzle dollhouses on a clearance rack for $3.00, because the packaging had been torn open and it looked like there were pieces missing (turns out it was all there, but either way $3 is a steal for any kit) 

I spent an evening in the art studio with my friends/co-artists. They worked on their projects while I popped together the dollhouse before deciding what to do with it.

A couple days later, at 5am or so while I was at work, I had this idea that the dollhouse is going to end up looking pretty weird this time around. At first I was referring to the idea as a "mushroom" (it does sort of look like that in my head), but my friends were getting too caught up in the idea of it being a mushroom house when really the better term is just to refer to the plan as a Surreal styled dollhouse - There you go, My plan is to make a Surreal looking dollhouse. The photo above is the color scheme I think I've chosen for the exterior (here's hoping that the red/green/purple combo doesn't come back to bite me). And I also had these 2 little wooden birdhouses I thought I could use as odd shaped additions.

Since the studio gives me more space to work I might attempt a small yard, and for that I might just use some of these floor tiles I picked up at a garage sale last summer. They look like stone and I've been wanting to find a use for them. Have to get a board or something to use for a base first, but it's do-able.

The puzzle house is not one inch scale like I'm used to (half inch scale maybe?) and I don't have any furniture that fits. Luckily, I did buy this furniture puzzle hoping the furniture would work with a different dollhouse, but it too appears to be closer to half inch scale and will probably work better for this project. If that doesn't work, I'm sure I could manage with scratch building, but since I only have until February it would be nice if the puzzle furniture worked out.

Back to the house building now;

After following the directions to see how the house is supposed to be put together (which you just saw), I started making changes. Here's me figuring out how to attach the bird house rooms.

And here's how I left the house in the studio on day #2 of this build. The roof is off while I paint it red. The porch is being all torn apart and redesigned to make room for the bird house on the right (which is attached with nothing other than tape and paper towels for now). I know it's starting to look funny, but the idea in my head is pretty cool, so I'm hoping I can make it turn out the way I want.

No promises that I can make the deadline on this one, but I'm going to try. Stay tuned. ^_^

A New Place To Work, A New Place To Work On

Time to catch up on blogging - Where to Start?...Ok, first some big news - I have an art studio to work in now. ^_^   ^_^   ^_^

A few friends and I are sharing the space, so it's both huge and affordable. We started renting the place in August and plan on being there for at least the next year.

Part of me wants to post photos of what it looks like right now, but right now it's a mess and my friends and I are still working on hanging artwork/etc., so for now, I'll just show you what the place looked like the day I picked up my keys.

It's part of a much, much bigger art building in Lockport, and I will post more about it once I'm better set up to let in visitors.

 Finding this space when I did turned out to be such great timing too because the week after I signed the lease, I crossed paths with a cool dollhouse at a rummage sale. Without the studio I would've had to pass, no room at home for another big (tiny) house, but with the studio I had the space for it - Hooray;

 (It barely fit in the back of the car, but chillin' in the studio it looks so small)

 It's a Country Manor Dollhouse kit by Skil-Craft, catalog # 688. Thank you too Kelly and the rest of the Greenleaf Forum community for solving that mystery for me. ^_^

This house was so well put together, and so well kept over the years (no idea when it was assembled, but the kit is from the 70's). Damage-wise, I need to fix some railings and the window "glass" is yellowed/cracked/covered in stickers. Compared to all my troubles with the Van Buren, this is going to be such an easy project.

Since it's living in the studio, the plan is to restore it and then use it as a tiny showroom for at least some of the miniatures I have for sale. It also gives me an opportunity to do more with mini furniture vs. the 'everything except furniture' I usually sell.

Already got started, and even with the crazy schedule I have right now, I'm slowly making progress on everything. So more updates should be on the way soon.

Ahhhh! It’s been so long since I’ve posted anything.

Ahhhh! It’s been so long since I’ve posted anything. I’ve been working nonstop for weeks, but online it looks like I just dropped off the face of the earth. I have been so busy this summer with so many potential plans just sort of up in the air. Couldn’t post any updates for a while, hopefully that will change soon now that I have some of the major stuff worked out.

What I can post about right now though is this;

1. I am working on more mini patchwork dragons ^_^ (once I’m done beading, this will be #21 in the series, with 2 more also in the works) If you want to see the whole series so far, they’re all in my DeviantArt gallery (click on the photo to go there)

2. If you’re one of my customers/followers that have contacted me asking when I will be restocking certain things in my shops - I made a list and am working on making more of everything that was asked for.

The new dragons will eventually be up for auction on eBay; http://stores.ebay.com/Kyle-Lefort
Everthing else, I will try to split my inventory between eBay and Etsy; https://www.etsy.com/shop/KyleLefort

3. And if anyone was wondering - Yes I will have a table at the WNY Miniature Enthusiasts show this year; http://stepoutbuffalo.com/events/wny-miniature-enthusiasts-35th-annual-dollhouse-show-sale/

I am scrambling to get everything on my to-do list crossed off by the end of summer, but by this fall I should have a lot of fun things to share, so stay tuned. ^_^

The 2014 Mini Gingerbread House Series

~*~ The 2014 Mini Gingerbread House Series. ~*~ , by Kyle Lefort

 

This year I wanted to make a little bit of everything. So we have one inch scale choo-choo trains, one inch/half inch scale (they should work in both scales) gingerbread houses, and quarter inch scale gingerbread houses. And as you may have noticed, the gingerbread houses this year are all A-Frames. Cute little A-frames, trying something new. Hope everyone likes them. ^_^

As is tradition, all the houses in this series are initialed and dated with the year on the bottom, except for the trains - There was nowhere for me to sign them. (No worries if you purchase one though - I do sign the receipts I send out, so you will have proof of the series)

Normally these are Etsy exclusives, but since my new eBay store is up, running, and doing well I decided to split the lot between the two online shops. 

~ Click here to browse my Etsy shop ~

~ Click here o browse my eBay store ~

As of typing this, roughly half of the series has been listed and I plan to add the rest as each piece is sold off.

You may also find a few leftovers from previous years, as well as other delightful items in my shops.

Something worth mentioning here: Normally I say if I run out of these before the holidays end, I'll make more - Not happening this year. I made so many pieces already, I just can't make one more gingerbread anything for 2014. So this is it, ~ Enjoy ~ ^_^

Oh and for the record, one house/train for every yearly series, so far (2012-2014);

Call For Entries - Mini Halloween Challenge!

Back again this year - My mini Halloween Challenge!

Last year I waited to see if anyone else had something planned first, but I thought about it - If there does happen to be another miniatures blog out there hosting a friendly challenge, just enter both. Or make two entries, I sure enjoy seeing all the cool things people come up with, Don't you?

This is a really informal challenge, so don't go crazy with it, just have fun!
(And this isn't a requirement, but if you're reading this and want to post a link to this challenge on your blog/sidebar so more people will see it, I would really appreciate it.)

Here's how it works;

1. Make a miniature scene for Halloween.
-You can make miniatures, buy them, re-purpose stuff you have lying around-Use whatever you want.
-Scale does not matter, but your work has to clearly be in miniature.

2. Take a picture.
-You can keep your work, we all just want to see it.

3. Leave a comment for me at the bottom of THIS POST, where I can find it.
-I need your name/screen name,
-a link to the photo you want me to post,
-and a link to your blog or website (if you have one)

4. I will make a super special Halloween post displaying all of your wonderful work.

No prizes or anything, this is just for fun. ^_^
-If you needed an excuse to make something for Halloween-You've got one now.
-This is a great way to advertise your blog/website-links will be publicly posted under your photo.
-And if you aren't a miniature artist, but maybe want to give it a try, this is a great no pressure way to start.

DEADLINE: Sunday October 26th. 
I'm in New York, so remember that there's a time difference if you live somewhere else, if you live west of here, get your entry in early. I will accept entries if they're a little late, but on time works sooo much better.
I plan on having the entries all posted on the 27th or 28th, time permitting.  
1 photo/entry per person, please.

And a quick note about Copyright (I'm a designer, I can't help it);
By giving me any photos/info to post on my blog, A). You are guaranteeing that it is your work to post and in good faith I will post it as such. B). You are giving me permission to use your photo/entry on my blog. Aside from back linking to the Halloween post in the future, or otherwise using post content like any responsible blogger would, I'm not going to use your work without further permission. You will be credited for your work, and you remain the Copyright holder of your scene design and the photo that you took.

That said, this is the internet, so you are more than welcome to add a watermark to your photo-Just don't make it so distracting that we can't enjoy your work.

If you're looking for some mini inspiration, Click Here to check out what everyone came up with last year.

Anyone interested, you have about 3 weeks to make something. Can't wait to see what you come up with! ^_^