Carolyn Mohler Kraft

AN UNEXPECTED PLEASURE

2010-07-22T00:42:00.000-07:00

Did anyone miss me? I can't believe it has been over two months since I posted! Well, it seems life had to intrude on my fun and I have not touched a miniature plant for ages. I have plans, such plans! But they are still on the back burner for a while longer. In the meantime I had such an urge to post something, so I thought I would show you something else that I have been collecting for the last several months.

I never felt an inclination to have nice china. My Mom had always wanted china, but she was a widow with seven children and no money. I can't remember how old she was when she finally started her set, but I think she was in her fifties. She chose a beautiful pattern designed in 1927 and started buying what she could find and getting pieces as gifts, without the use of the internet! The pattern, Lenox Blue Tree, was discontinued in 1974 but then reissued due to it's renewed popularity after Tricia Nixon chose it for her wedding in 1971. Mom was able to acquire 12 place settings, a few serving pieces, and some extras, which turned out not to be enough when the entire family had a dinner, but still enough for her three daughters to divide.

When Mom died last August and we faced the daunting and sad task of dividing her possessions, I decided I would not take any of her china. What would I do with only four place settings when I would need six just for my immediate family? It would cost me a fortune to buy what I would need for the future. Well, my sister refused to accept my decision and insisted I would still enjoy service for four, giving me all sorts of reason to keep it. I could have an intimate dinner with my husband, dinner with another couple, or a fancy table when only two of my children were around that night. She finally convinced me, and since I also was to receive my Mom's hutch, I would have a handy place to keep it so I would be more likely to use it. That's when I got hooked. I fell in love with the pattern. My Mom must have been guiding my hand because I was browsing eBay one day and decided to see what another few place settings would cost when I found what turned out to be a great deal on a big set. Just this week I was again fortunate to stumble across another great deal on a few more pieces, and my set is now complete.

I absolutely love seeing my Mom's platter displayed on her hutch in my dining room. I absolutely love using the china, and I love that the inspiration came from my Mom. I wish she knew that I ended up doing exactly what she had hoped I would. Who knows, maybe she does.

Thanks, Mom.

Who uses this many pieces for one meal?

No one in my family drinks coffee, so these pieces are kind of useless.

I bought two of these serving bowls for less than the normal price of one!

This platter is what is displayed on my hutch.

Still thinking about getting this piece, but would I use it?

MY REAL GARDEN

2010-05-15T18:46:00.000-07:00

Keeping December, 2009 in mind...

...makes Spring a welcome sight!

THE JOY OF JADES

2010-05-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

Moving on from possums to plants, here are a few from my personal collection. I made the two smallest Jades for sale some time ago, but decided to keep them. I love Jade plants, but I can't grow them very well. Actually, not at all since none have survived. Sorry, the pot on the right is crooked. Don't you just want to reach in and straighten it? LOL!

When I make plants from clay, I never know what the final size will be, which tends to work out fine for scale since most plants have a range of sizes. I've grown Jades with very small leaves, and some that are much, much larger. Can you tell from the first pic how big these are? Now don't peek at the second photo!

Ok, now you can look. How close were you?

This is a Bunny Ears cactus. I grew some in my real garden, but I was pricked so many times that I dug them up, using heavy gloves, and trashed them. I'll stick with the miniature version, thank you very much!

PROTECT THE POOR POSSUMS

2010-05-07T17:29:00.000-07:00

I was going to post facts about possums, like how they eat cockroaches, rotting fruit, and slugs, and how they hiss and bare their teeth when threatened (so do I), or go limp, since they have no defenses against predators. But then I found this great YouTube video called In Defense of Opossums, which does a much better job than I could.

Did you feel badly for the possums in my story? Would you have felt badly if they had been rats? No? Then please visit http://opossum.craton.net/ You can view the video there. It plays the Rocky Theme, not sure how that fits, but the video is less than three minutes, and worth the time.

Possums are a protected species in their native Australia. Do yourself a favor and find out why!

photo from http://www.opossum.org/

A POSSUM STORY

2010-05-05T18:41:00.000-07:00

Time for a break from plants to share a little critter I call 'Ginny'.

Ginny is a very special gift from a very special person and good friend, Kristy Taylor. Kristy makes the most awesome 'critters', as she calls them. Not your usual house pets, but those creatures that normally make a person, well, uncomfortable. If you haven't seen them, visit Kristy's website at http://www.minimenagerie.com/ and her blog at http://minimenagerie.blogspot.com/.

The story behind Ginny is sad and I won't go into it. Hold it. Reverse that. I will go into it.

Last summer I found a young, dead possum in my back yard, and a few nights later, another. At first I blamed my dog, but the possums had no injuries. After finding the second possum, which looked exactly like the first and died in the same manner, I knew something was amiss, and it was probably happening under my deck. Then I remembered that my dog chased something out of my yard one night about a week or so earlier, which I then figured was a raccoon hiding under my deck. Now I suspected the mother possum was surprised when I let my dog out that night, took off, and never came back. Unable to see anything hiding, all I could do was wait, keep my dog in at night, and hope the mother returned. I couldn't believe I was actually hoping for a possum under my deck!

Over the next several days, two more possums suffered the same fate. Then it stopped. Animal Control said they probably were not weaned yet and died from dehydration. I was so sad to think those poor little guys, who previously had repulsed me, died frightened and alone, and so close to me, yet I could do nothing. When I researched possums and found them to be totally misunderstood and given the same bad rap as raccoons, while they are docile creatures that actually are beneficial to humans, I felt even worse. I will never view a possum the same way again!

A short time later my Mother died, which was only weeks before I was being published in the September 2009 issue of American Miniaturist. Kristy, being the kind-hearted person she is, made me this precious possum, who is reading the very issue in which I appeared. So of course, her name is Ginny, my Mother's nick-name. Even though Ginny was created from losses suffered, every time I look at her, I smile.

Do I have a great friend, or what?

HEY, KRISTY! I FINISHED IT!

2010-04-27T17:34:00.000-07:00

It's not perfect, but it's in one piece! The biggest problem is the scratched acrylic and the original smeared glue. I would love to remake it with glass, but the thin wood might not take the weight. Another 'wanna do' that will be a 'never did'.

I filled it with some of the plants I have, which really don't all belong in this type of greenhouse. It needs trays of starter plants and some flowering hanging baskets. I didn't even try to hang a fern from the ceiling for fear it would all come tumblin' down! So, you'll have to use your imagination.

Oh darn, I forgot to put in the watering can, tools and the hose! Too late!

Maybe I'll replace the missing trim pieces, but for now the greenhouse is back in the box.

MY NEW PROJECT

2010-04-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

Here is my new project. Not a major one, but that still doesn't mean I will finish it!

This greenhouse belonged to my Mother. I used it for displaying my plants for a few shows in Denver some time ago. I thought it would be nice to use it again.

BACK FROM THE SHOW

2010-04-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

The show was great, although I didn't get to see much outside my room. There were two other rooms and a long hallway full of dealers, and there just wasn't enough time to see everything. Unfortunately, six dealers didn't make it due to the volcano in Iceland. Some of the European dealers that did make it, might still be in Chicago waiting for a flight!

I didn't even get pictures, other than a few of my table, and one of my helpers. He wasn't enthralled by the show, but he spent the entire day watching my table when I had to leave. What a good son, and how handsome in his Versace sunglasses!

I'M IN THE BISHOP INTERNATIONAL SHOW!

2010-04-14T09:17:00.001-07:00

I just got a call from Tom Bishop. He's in Chicago getting ready for the show this weekend and found that one of his dealers is ill and can't make it. So he called me! I did several of Tom's early shows back in Denver in the early 1980's, so he knows me and my work. I live an hour away and can get there in a hurry, so I lucked out! Thank you, Tom!

I'm so excited, but very nervous about driving by myself in Chicago. And I have no helper, so I'll be on my own, unless I can convince one of my kids to help me. Doubtful. It's a three day show and it will take me two days to dig my old display things out of my basement. What have I gotten myself into?

Hoepfully, something wonderful. We'll see!

THE MOST DIFFICULT PLANT EVER!

2010-04-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

These are commissions that I made in 1986. The Ivy covered trellis has 300 leaves, each one hand cut. I found that I couldn't make the vines and wrap them around the trellis, so I had to wind them on first, and then paint them without getting green paint on the white trellis. It was awful! It had to be pried out of my hands to send it off to Canada.

My only photo had a big, dark, rounded shadow at the top, so I tried to fix it in Paint. If the top leaves look odd, it's because I did a lousy job.

I don't remember where the wicker plant stand went. Does it look familiar to anyone?

A FEW PLANTS

2010-04-05T20:23:00.001-07:00

Here are a few of my plants. The top pic shows a Devil's Ivy, an Arrowhead Vine cutting, and an Aloe Vera. The bottom pic has a selection of cactii, a Dracaena, and another Arrowhead Vine.

THANK YOU, KIVA!

2010-04-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

Before I start posting pics of my work, I must say thank you to Kiva Atkinson, a very special friend who featured me on her blog (http://kivasminiatures.blogspot.com/). She doesn't need an introduction, but if you haven't visited her website you are missing a real treat! Her eclectic taste in miniature foods runs from the basic food groups to Harry Potter mandrakes!

I only wish my human meals would look half as appetizing as her miniature versions! Below are two of my favorites.

Oh, and Kiva, since I accidentally set up this blog while trying to comment on yours, I expect to see you here often!

OUT OF THE OFFICE

2010-03-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

I will be pre-occupied with family for the next week or so, but when I return I hope to have photos of a few plants from my personal collection. Please check back in around Easter. Thanks!

2010-03-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

Hello and thank you for visiting my Blog.

Please check back later after I have figured out how to set this thing up!