I know I just did a post about photos from our fancy new camera, but I took these photos a long time ago with my phone and just haven't had the chance to post them yet, so....yeah.
Back in January, Jane Sanem of the Midwest Miniatures Guild sent out an email noting that Little Enchantments was having a sale. For those of you who get our magazines or Dollshouse.TV, you'll recognize the owner of Little Enchantments, Karen Fernholz, from various articles and films. She's an energetic and talented miniaturist that I always enjoy meeting! And being that I can never pass up a good sale, and I had that Saturday free, and I hadn't seen Karen in about a year, I headed up to see what she had in store (pun fully intended).
To be honest, I wasn't planning on buying anything. I have a Real Good Toys kit from their first Build-Along, and I'd been planning for the past few years to turn that into a replication of my apartment in Boston. But...I was intimidated. I'm still an amateur--an enthusiastic one, sure, but still amateur--and every time I thought about finishing the kit and possibly not being 100% accurate, I had a minor internal meltdown. And so, it sits on my crafting chair, still unfinished. So around the time I was getting ready to head to Karen's store, which I'd never been to, I'd already to decided to give up on the idea of recreating the apartment until I was more experienced and knew I could do a better job. My goal at Karen's was to browse and get some ideas for possible other themes.
And then I saw this lightpost....

...and I thought, "Hey, I could put that on the sidewalk outside my kit." But as soon as I thought that, I dismissed it. Why limit myself to that era based off a lightpost? Anyway, this is either a Houseworks or Cir-Kit piece (my receipt is at home and I was in a rush this morning!), and the wire from the bottom of the piece means that my next adventure will be learning about wiring.
I kept browsing, looking at all the beautiful artist items, kits, and premade pieces. I seriously considered buying a fireplace but couldn't envision what to do with it. I kept walking. AND THEN I SAW THIS LITTLE GUY.

And I decided right then and there that he was coming home with me. I know he's a Falcon Miniatures piece, so he's not one-of-a-kind or anything, but gosh darn he's just adorable. Look at those eyes! And based on the shoe he's chewing, he would fit right into that Victorian period I'd wanted to avoid earlier.
I kept browsing.
I found the Clearance section, which is by far the best of any section in any store. That claim may horrify many people, but I have a lot of student debt, so right now I'm working with what I have. And guess who I found in there? This little lady:

Who may or may not be a suffragette....
Unfortunately, I forgot to ask Karen who created the Purple Lady, so I'm going to have to get back to you with that info. When I checked out, Karen was at the counter and we chit-chatted. She seemed to recognize me but was hesitant to say it. Finally, she said, "You look like..." And I said, "Yeah!"
And she said, "Traci?" And I said, "Yeah!"
And she said, "But not that Traci..." And I said, "Yeah!"
And she said, "From...?" And I said, "Yeah! Ashdown!"
Which is by far the best conversation I've had with anyone who recognized me. (Except maybe Felma Jackson last year at IMA, when she hugged me before I realized that it was Felma!)
Karen also seemed concerned about my purchase of the Purple Lady. "You know that she doesn't have feet, right?" she asked, pulling up the doll's skirt.
"Yes. You know that she's $2, right?" I asked. I will pretty much buy anything for $2, so PL's lack of ankles wasn't a major concern for me. I'll figure out a way to make it work! Maybe she'll be sitting behind a desk, or maybe I'll give her boots that reach up her calves. Maybe I should watch Mary Poppins to get ideas. Actually, I'll need to do quite a bit of research into that era to make sure everything I buy will work together. I do know for sure that they will have a large study with lots of bookshelves (I'm a bibliophile even in mini) but I want to nail down a specific date and make sure the floors, walls, etc. all match as well. I can't wait!