It's almost here!

A Reminder! The San Diego Miniature Crafters 42nd Annual Miniatures Show & Sale is presenting Michael Sue Nanos at the 2016 Workshop: Picnic S'Mores, on Sunday, February 7, 2016 from 9:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. There is a one time nonrefundable workshop fee of $18.00. No tools are needed and beginners are welcome. Minimum age is 13. The show will be held at the Al Bahr Shrine Center, 5440 Kearny Mesa Road, San Diego. Email questions to sd.minishow@gmail.com. Further details and registration information are at http://sdminiatureshow.com.  Hit Classes and Workshops. The class will be a lot of fun. We hope to see you there!

It's 2016!

Happy New Year! May 2016 bless you with good health and much happiness. Did you make any New Year's Resolutions? So many people do and then, just a few weeks later, all good intentions come crashing down! Wouldn't it be great if those resolutions were shatterproof? Well, good news. Ms. Peggie's Place has tweaked the most common resolutions just a bit to make them fail safe. Take a look at our suggestions here and then whiz down to the shop to make them happen.Your miniature world will thank you!

1. Eating healthfully.  This is probably the most common resolution and the usual aim is to eat more salads, lean meats, fruits and vegetables. Okay, all very smart, but is this really practical? Not necessarily and definitely not here. Certainly, we have all those salads and other foods to make your miniature people feel noble, but wouldn't they really prefer a chocolate cake? You bet! And, while you're at it, take a look at our muffins, pies and ice cream.

 2. Get fit. Have you ever asked those little dolls to take a long walk? Yes? What did they do? Nothing, right? Of course, so just give in to things the way they really are and pick up some comfortable chairs and beds for your dollhouse or other miniature scene. Our chairs come in all types and patterns and our beds are as comfy as they are practical. We also carry linens to complete your look.

 Exercise? Take a couple of French breads, one for each arm, and pump baguettes!

3. Learn something new. Okay, this is nice, but it's far easier to stick with something you know. We vote for watching television, looking through newspapers and scrapbooks and even listening to an old radio. 

4. Spend more time with family and friends. This is easy. Our miniatures don't have to make reservations, buy tickets and arrive at the airport two hours early. Just line up your dollhouse figures wherever and however you want.

5. Travel. The big box stores often have luggage sales. For the privilege of paying a bit less for an elephantine sized suitcase, you are entitled to lug it home and strain your back. We don't play those games. We know that clothing needs of miniature figurines are minimal, and, thus, our scale suitcases will serve them well. Our luggage only looks heavy, and you can easily carry it home in one hand.

6. Get organized. In real life this might require a trip to an office supply store where you would be required to wade through all manner of desks and chairs and then graduate to file folders and whatnot. Our office furniture is kept nicely arranged in dioramas and all that whatnot is easily accessible on our spinning racks (which spin at your pleasure, only). It's a bruise free shopping experience.

7. Reading. We have lots of classics and best sellers, as well as blank books for you to customize to your liking, or not. Maybe blank books are more your thing, and that's fine. For the best of both worlds how about displaying tomes with impressive covers and nothing inside. Who will know?

8. Get married.  We can help you in all ways except for selecting a mate. The shop has lots of items suitable for a trousseau as well as accessories for the new house. You'll find everything from lace to porcelain and as far as that mate goes, we understand the dolls are not terribly fussy about whom you stand them next to. If there was a Mr. Peggie, we think he would approve.

9. Get a pet. We have a great collection of dogs and cats as well as some exotic pets you would enjoy. Our animals are great. Though they look real and you will certainly bond with them, ours require only placement in your scene to love you forever. Our pet food is as real as our pets, and just as clean. As an added benefit, these creatures need no spaying nor neutering!

10. Build a dollhouse! We can help you create the masterpiece of your dreams, from blueprints through electricity and beyond. We love to help. We also have dollhouses for your dollhouse.

We look forward to your visit!

Michael Sue Nanos
Proprietor


A Reminder! The San Diego Miniature Crafters 42nd Annual Miniatures Show & Sale is presenting Michael Sue Nanos at the 2016 Workshop: Picnic S'Mores, on Sunday, February 7, 2016 from 9:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. There is a one time nonrefundable workshop fee of $18.00. No tools are needed and beginners are welcome. Minimum age is 13. The show will be held at the Al Bahr Shrine Center, 5440 Kearny Mesa Road, San Diego. Email questions to sd.minishow@gmail.com. Further details and registration information are at http://sdminiatureshow.com.  Hit Classes and Workshops. The class will be a lot of fun. We hope to see you there!


Michael Sue's Tips:

Pillows and Cushions

The cleanest and softest stuffing for your mini pillows is simply lint from your clothes dryer.

1. For pillows that you can shape, use fine sand. The pillows drape over an edge nicely and you can punch them to look like someone just got out of bed.

2. To get a perfect edge on your pillow use iron-on hem binding. After you have pressed all sides and it has been filled you can cut trim back very close to the pillow. If you still want to trim the edge, you can use pulled bunka or twisted cotton thread or a heavier thread.

Preparing for the Holidays & Keeping Tools Clean

The balmy evenings of summer continue into autumn in our neck of the woods but the feeling is somehow different. Maybe it's just knowing that summer, in all its glory, has passed and autumn, those wonderful weeks beckoning in the approaching holidays, is here. Labor Day came, school began, the rhythm of the fall is in full swing.

Thanksgiving, as a major national holiday with its emphasis on food, immediately calls us into the kitchen and presents opportunities for miniature decorating with a twist. How about designing a room to show what happens before the big dinner? But let's step back a minute first.

Here's an old picture of the New York Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade starring Felix the Cat. He was quite the character in his day. Felix appears to be supported by a number of clowns and is followed by a big shoe, probably inhabited by the old woman and and her numerous children. If you can identify the balloon character in back of the shoe, please let us know!

Following is Ms. Peggie's own Thanksgiving Day Parade. The  succulent roast turkey leads, followed by a basket of fresh rolls, a pickle jar, two wonderfully gooey desserts and a colorful fruit salad. Creamy whipped potatoes, gravy and all the other fittings for a sensational holiday are also available.
Ms. Peggie's Place carries all kinds of wonderful foods to inspire you in creating just the right setting, whether it's for meal preparation or anything else. Please, come have a look.

Have a Bloody Mary -- or a Bloody Shame -- and begin your planning. Wander through our grocery department to find just the right combination of tomato juice straight or one with more pizzazz to get things rolling.

Take a look and you'll find a tray with drinks all set to go. Pair the drinks with chips, set up a big old cheese block and then consider your entrees.                                                                                

They'll never be bored for a cheese board.

There's lots of food, from subs and taco platters to seafood cocktails, stews, and soups. Watermelon always adds a certain panache to any miniatures party. It used to be that this gourd was only available during the summer months but these days it can often be found year round. In any case, creative license is always legal and encouraged for your creation. In addition to watermelons, you'll find a juicy cantaloupe on a cutting board as well as other fruits and vegetables waiting to be prepared.

A smashing stew!

Shrimp cocktail, anyone?

Here's to tacos!

Seafood Extraordinaire

Matzo ball soup

A juicy cantaloupe

                                                                                 

Watermelons!

Apple pie fixings, featuring fresh apples

Strawberries

How about a cherry pie?

A small sampling of available vegetables

October 31st brings Halloween, another opportunity for decorating and entertaining. If a Halloween Gala is in the cards and you want to move past the usual candy corn, take a look at the chocolate desserts in the display cabinet. There is something about gooey, chocolate swirls on baked goods that conjure up witches and goblins -- if the pastry is served on Halloween and if it's in a setting all decked out in Halloween fashion. We'll help you there, too.

A Halloween cake hand made by Michael Sue!

What's food without dishes to serve it upon? There are lots here and remember to provide flatware so the little people won't  muck up their fingers mixing the dip.

Dishes are available in all shapes, sizes and designs from delicate porcelain to pieces that could pass for Melmac, and everything in between.

Now it's time to look at the cooking appliances. A big red Aztec stove would fit well into any contemporary setting. There's also a beautiful white and black unit, accented in gold and blue that gives an Asian appearance as well as a large Pennsylvania Dutch stove. Other models are also here, as well as microwaves and grills, for those who prefer to hold their party outdoors.

Whether your design is indoors or out, table linens, oven mitts,  aprons and towels will be needed. Peruse our collection and especially notice the extra-fancy hostess aprons.

Sparkle dishes, for an extra special presentation.

Utensils -- to keep things tidy

Service for the whole family

Kitchen accessories

Petite and pretty

Dishes and cookware to fit all tastes and budgets.

Pop the turkey in here...

...and let the gravy simmer on one of the burners.

Especially charming stove for an Asian kitchen.

Straight out of Lancaster, PA.

Good for anytime in San Diego and for hardy sorts in other areas.

Aprons, towels and mitts.

An apron for the hostess with the mostest!

Perle Mesta would approve!

And whatever you decide to do, please be careful!

Christmas is coming!

A Reminder!  The San Diego Miniature Crafters 42nd Annual Miniatures Show & Sale is presenting Michael Sue Nanos at the 2016 Workshop: Picnic S'Mores on Sunday, February 7, 2016 from 9:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. There is a one time nonrefundable workshop fee of $18.00. No tools are needed and beginners are welcome. Minimum age is 13. The show will be held at the Al Bahr Shrine Center, 5440 Kearny Mesa Road. San Diego. Email questions to sd.minishow@gmail.com. Further details and registration information are at http://sdminiatureshow.com. Hit Classes and Workshops. The class will be a lot of fun. We hope to see you there!

Please visit us soon to have a look. We look forward to seeing you!

Cordially,

Michael Sue Nanos
Proprietor



Michael Sue's Tips:

Crafting Hints

Here are two tips I've gotten from a NAME convention:

1. Keep your tools free of glue as you are working. Jab tweezers, small scissors, X-Acto knives, needles, etc. into a block of white Styrofoam. Keep jabbing and all that glue will be cleaned off. No kidding!

2. Prevent paint brushes from getting all gunked up with dried paint. It's very simple, just start off with a damp brush; it will keep the paint from traveling up the brush to its base.

A good class is worth the price!