I don’t know about you, but this time of year puts me in a contemplative, big-picture mood, and today, I want to share some fun snippets from the past that are shaping present-day projects.
It’s no secret that I looove miniatures, and this has been true for as far back as I can remember.
I have a memory of going to an old-timey festival with my dad as a kid, and for the most part, it was excruciatingly dull (aside from hanging out with my dad). Lots of hammering with antique tools and plunking on old instruments—all things I would appreciate now, but my eight-year-old self was slowly dyyyyying. 💀
That is, until we came upon a booth selling leather goods. The artist had crafted a teeny tiny drum from a sawn-off circle of a tree branch lashed with a buttery soft leather top and bottom. Oh, and did I mention the toothpick-handled drum beater?? Instantly, the day was redeemed. 🤩
Fast forward to the present.
In previous emails, I’ve mentioned that I’ve been hard at work writing my first romance novel. Well, it’s finally done, and this month, I’ve been putting together the Kickstarter launch. One of the rewards will be minis modeled off desserts from the book—the main character bakes sweets with medicinal herbs, an unconscious echo of her past life as a healer.
While sculpting these tiny foods, I remembered that way back in 2009 when I started The Mouse Market, I had a dream of designing a line of dolls, complete with loads of accessories. Check out these notes from a very battered notebook:
Ever since my childhood obsession with American Girl dolls (mainly the accessories! It was always about the accessories: tiny lunchboxes and alarm clocks, colored pencil sets and baking supplies 😋), I’ve dreamt of making minis tied to my own stories. And now I get to!
The first mini set I’m making is a snack cart loaded with treats. In the book, the main character owns a quaint bookshop, and she always has home-baked goodies on hand, free for customers. This set is 1:6 scale, but the other two sets I’ll be making for the Kickstarter campaign will be in 1:12 scale. (Pics to come once I start sculpting those!)
Even in 1:6 scale, twice what I normally sculpt at, those tea bags are soooo adorably tiny! I filled them with a mixture of spices and sand using a dollhouse spoon. 😄
The middle shelf of the cart will have cupcakes arranged beside the selection of tea bags and mugs, and the bottom shelf will hold colorful cookies and a few tiny books. Once I have the cover design for my book, you better believe I’ll be making a miniature copy!
A closer peek at the chocolate raspberry brownies (with stress-relieving ashwagandha, of course)…
And just because I want to show you more pretty pictures…
I’ve finished writing + designing The Traveler’s Guide to the Tarot, a (mostly) nonfiction companion guide that I’ll be offering through the Kickstarter. The guide is written from the POV of a fictional character, Calmiris, a curmudgeonly a scholar of the Cloaked Ones (a spiritual order you glimpse in this first book, with more to be revealed throughout the series).
Can we just take a moment to squee over the cover? ☺️
I’m feeling awfully happy and vulnerable and grateful to be so so close to sharing this project with you.
If you want to see it all in action, please follow along with the Kickstarter. It’ll be launching next month, and by following the campaign, you’ll be the first to know…
Happy New Year, my friend!
Mo and the Mice 🐭
