Do you want to know a secret?

 Do you want to know a secret?

[Pull the button...]

...

 

...

 ...

 life´s a party

***

I love to make Magic Boxes as birthday gifts, for special occasions, weddings, for wee presents.

When you pull the button, the box magically opens and reveals a little diorama. 

On the backside of the box there is a wee note as well. 

This Magic Box was a gift for a dear friend.

Based on this little tutorial of mine, I have seen lots of those Magic Boxes lately. Lovely to see that so many people like the idea. 

I often use small figures for model trains (mine are for H0 scale trains), the box is a large matchbox, size 11x6.5x2cm, I got mine from the craft store. Usually I use fabric to cover the box, this time I used glossy cardboard and stitched the label onto the front. The tree is a H0 scale tree for model trains as well. The wee buntings were made with washi tape and string. 

Call me childish or not - but I could pull the button with the string for hours just to see how the box magically opens...

Warmly,

Juliane

P.S. I got asked where to buy H0 scale figures. You can get them in any model craft shop, you could search after a supplier here (the ones I used for this box were Vollmer figures) or simply google model craft railroad figures and I am sure you will make a find.

Class Updates

Dear readers,   

I am happy to announce new classes for the coming months! 

New weekend classes are scheduled for Germany - 17/ 18 March in Freiburg and 24/ 25 March in Seeshaupt near Munich. It will be wonderful to visit my dear friends and hosts again, Nina and Ursula, and to meet my students (some of them are attending a weekend class for the second and even third time!).

If you´d like to join us in March, be quick - we already have half of the classes booked. More info (in German) about the course, fee, accommodation etc. can be found here.  

(© all images by my e-class students summer 2011)

 If you live too far away to travel to the south of Germany in March but would like to join a class, why not attend the upcoming e-class, 19th of February? We have still a few spots available for those of you who´d love to make a doll during four weeks with lots of online tutorials and guidance, more info can be found here. If you would like to join us, be quick - I am packing the last material sets this week...

 ***

I hope that all of you are doing well. Winter has decided to show his ice-cold smile (a glittery one, with snowflakes), and I am happy that I have still a few weeks left before travelling a lot. I prefer to snuggle in under a warm woolen blanket on the sofa when it is as freezing cold as it is now, drinking tea, listening to radio plays and sewing dolls. Tomorrow I am going to meet dear friends for coffee, cake and business chat, two of them are dollmakers as well, Suse and Maria - what would be a better reason to be outside, to get frost-red cheeks and an ice-cold nosetip ;-)

Have a sunny day (and snowflakes),

Juliane