Mad for Millinery

I've been tinkering with things lately in the tiny set design department, mostly drawing story boards, taking measurements, fiddling with lighting elements. After the purchase of some fabric stiffener I had to stretch my maker muscles and I turned to millinery. I usually don't focus on separate accessories unless they're part of a costume for a character but I've had an idea for a sailing story I'd like to breathe life into so it was an excuse for thinking about Neverland. I'm almost to the point where I feel as though every character I currently have needs a coordinating hat. There's something so dapper but so coy about a lovely little hat.

Little felt tricorn hats with molded crowns embellished with colorful feathers such as guinea, peacock, hackle, and duck. I've been pumping these out furiously since they're such a cinch to put together. While I usually cringe at the over use of the word "whimsy", I feel these have it.

A little brown straw hat just in time for Easter tied with pale pink ribbon and salmon and cream colored dried flowers at the nape. Maybe whoever wears this hat is romping around looking for eggs.

Second star to the right and straight on 'till morning.

Inspiration: Illustration

A few bits of illustrative inspiration.

Papercut illustration of Jayme McGowan. I love the bits of work in progress shots she posts. I adore any studio shots as well.

Artwork by Larry MacDougal. He does all kinds of fantasy artwork and design but I like his animals best.


Illustrator Chuck Groenink. I love the texture.

I really like Nicole Gustafsson's use of color. I want this print.


Stephanie Lostimolo is another fantasy artist I love.


Jahna Vashti.


Alexis Hernandez.

Around the Studio

Been working on a few things here and there, mostly drafting set designs for my book. My pregnancy limits my mobility so I try not to push myself too far lest I pop out my baby before he's done cooking. I've been recently bitten by the watercolor bug again so I've been designing set pieces that I can paint instead of build. The studio is running out of space veeeery quickly.

Some watercolor painted Birch trees for background shots. I mounted the watercolor paper on thick cardboard with spray adhesive and it's SO THICK and it's taking forever to cut through. In hindsight it was foolish to use 3 cm thick cardboard but I was all "I want it to be all strong and stiff" and well my fingers are about to fall off but damn it's gonna look cool.


In a trip to the local Goodwill to acquire some silk shirts to repurpose I found these tiny dried flowers in all sorts of colors; yellow, salmon, hot pink, fuschia, straw, but these odd green ones just tickle me. They are perfect for miniatures so I grabbed them all. $2.99? Can't be beat. I very rarely find pieces I can use in their current state at second hand stores so I always get giddy whenever I find something.


A moody area of one of the miniature houses. A small glass vase is filled with some of the hot pink flowers from the Goodwill on the kitchen table. All the furniture is second hand; another thrifting find. Isn't the orange apple print on those old little chairs to die for? Yeah.


More trees! A two foot tall autumn maple tree I've been working on here and there. It currently has over 300 hand painted scale maple leaves on it and probably needs 500 more. Luckily I used a paper punch to cut out the leaves instead of cutting them by hand or else I'd go crazy. You know me, I love tedious work, but this became daunting so I put it down for a little while. I still occasionally find a stray leaf floating around the studio as a taunting reminder to finish it already. I hear ya, Tree, I hear ya.

Arctic Wolf in Rabbit Fur

Getting the last bits of winter out of my system, I'm so ready for spring already. I finished up this girl, an arctic wolf with a matching coat, similar in design to the one sketched here. Needle felted from ivory creamy wool over a wire armature so she's lightly posable. Her coat has a white rabbit fur collar and is hand sewn from ivory cotton with a light flower pattern and lined with caramel cotton. Her coat is removable through three silver star buttons on the front.
I'm really pleased with the coat, which fought me every step of the way but the more I practice the easier it will be to tailor clothing for my little animals. She's available at Salt Moths if interested.

The buzzing of coins

In an effort to push myself to create more pieces I've decided to open a small shop for Salt Moths. You'll find miniature bits, characters, and decor as I slowly build the stock. Additionally I'm always taking commissions so if you have a need for something I make but don't currently stock just lemme know.

Lady Arctic Summer Fox

So my Summer coat Arctic Fox is done and clad in a lovely blouse and skirt slightly 1930's inspired. She seems like a seamstress to me so I've made her a needle felted dress form to work her creations on.

She is needle felted over a wire armature and painted and stitched. She is wearing a brown and tan striped blouse with soft pink overlay and a cotton skirt with a floral print and more pink lace. I tailored her clothing specifically to her and hand stitched all the little pieces of lace for her blouse and skirt. Her clothing is removable and I had to end up making my own little clasps since all the snaps and such that I had were way too bulky. Her little hand made linen market bag is filled with rolls of fabric for her next project. I'd love to hear your thoughts on her.

Foxes in various stages

On the left, a WIP fox. An Arctic Fox in a summer coat. The fox on the right is a completed red fox. Both are made using needle felting. The red fox has soft white rabbit fur in her ears, custom brads for eyes, and a cheeky stitched smile.

I do take commissions if anyone is interested.

Sketches and pieces

A coat design for one of the book characters. A chevron striped coat with brass buttons and a warm gray rabbit fur collar. I've been trying to keep better physical record of my ideas so I can fully define the mood I'm going for within the book and settings. Hopefully this will create a more cohesive idea.

Playing around with my softbox tent. A snowy scene with a pretty package and a little red wagon. The wagon is made from paper and wood. The wheels are antique buttons. The wrapping paper is a candy wrapper from some delicious candy we were given over the holiday. I ate so many, they were so gooooood.


Working on colors. A handmade blue and gold upholstered chair and handwoven wool rug.


Some new old miniatures. My mom used to do all these crafts and found some miniatures in her stash. My favorite is the small mesh kitchen strainer, it's so precious. I can't wait to see the animals sifting flour for their baked goods.

Get on your bikes and ride!

So I sometimes struggle with finding pieces that are to scale but still maintain some originality which is why I make most of my own furnishings and things. My most recent struggle came in the form of a bicycle. I had bought a small metal one from ebay but the scale just wasn't right. The animals had to be giants to ride them. So I made my own.

It's all made from paper, and trust me it's sturdy as anything, except for the wheels which I stripped of the little metal bike. I couldn't find a way to make good looking wheels; trust me I tried several different ideas and everything ended up looking shabby or like the bike had just been in some kind of accident. Next I'll be making some baskets for the front and back to carry little parcels in.

Have a seat

Won't you?

I recently put together a little room box for photo shoots like this. And I bought a tripod because my old woman hands have never been steady enough to take crisp photos. If anyone was wondering, I did make everything in this photo.