A miniature life

I feel I need to say something...

2011-09-28T15:30:00.000+03:00

Taking the opportunity given by Sonya's post about Greece and my long absence from blogging, I wanted to say a warm thank you to all the people who have been interested in the situation of Greece and the problems the Greek people is coping with, and even try to read between the lines and understand the real issues that we are facing...
Greek people is indeed fighting for its survival and dignity in a hostile environment! We have no control of our lives anymore and those responsible for our dead-end situation are well protected while we are been attacked!...

I am deeply influenced by this situation, with mood swings reaching from depression to rage and back again, therefore my miniatures safehouse is not that safe anymore...
I am watching you and your projects, though in silence, and I hope I'll be able to find my inspiration soon enough to join you!

Thank you for you thoughts and solidarity!

A big kiss
Anthoula

Some Greek Easter miniatures...

2011-04-15T19:17:00.000+03:00

I thought it wouldn't be Easter if I did not make any Easter miniatures...
So here it is...My Greek Easter baking table...

No miniatures for quite a long time...

2011-03-28T15:51:00.001+03:00

To my extreme disappointment my 1:1 life is keeping me away from my miniatures for quite a long time now...
I just felt the need to drop you all a line and say how much I 've missed blogging and following your adventures...
I just hope I'll be able to do that soon!

A big kiss to all!

We have the winners!!!!

2011-02-22T20:44:00.000+02:00

We have 2 winners for the grand prize: a full Mediterranean menu created especially for them...

Congratulations Henriette and Maria Jose!!!

Now for the second prize we have 5 winners...

Congratulations Selena, Maria, Susanne, Naran, and Donkey and the carrot!!!

Congratulations to those who won! Please send me your address...
For the rest...A promise for a new giveaway soon!

A big kiss
Anthoula

Giveaway update...

2011-02-21T19:00:00.000+02:00

I am very excited that so many of you were interested in my giveaway and honored me with your comments!!!
My blog is now 1 year old and I have nearly 600 followers! When my journey started a year ago I couldn't even dream of that!
So THANK YOU ALL!
As I am very happy about it, I decided to have 2 winners on this giveaway for the grand prize: a complete mediterranean menu, and 5 more winners for a smaller prize: a miniature food related jewelry item!

The final list of participants is based on the chronological order of your comments, and each of you has one entry, even if you left more than one comments...
So please check the list and let me know in case you don't see you name in it... The draw will be done tomorrow @12.00 Athens time...

Bazaar in Athens... / Που θα μας βρείτε το ΣΚ!

2011-02-10T16:45:00.000+02:00

This is for my greek readers, or any of you who will be in Athens this weekend...

Το A Miniature Life θα βρίσκεται το ερχόμενο Σαββατοκύριακο 12-13/02/2011, στην Τεχνόπολη του Δήμου Αθηναίων στο Γκάζι (15.00-24.00), στα πλαίσια του Meet Market Φεβρουαρίου...

Θα δείτε από κοντά τις λαχταριστές δημιουργίες και θα χαρούμε να σας γνωρίσουμε!

Θα μας βρείτε στην αίθουσα D7:

The mediterranean cottage and some inspiration...

2011-02-03T13:42:00.000+02:00

I finally gathered all the pieces of the mediterranean cottage, which I have been collecting from a weekly magazine for 2 years now, and I am now ready to built and decorate!
So here I am browsing, looking for provencial & mediterranean decor ideas and inspiration, and I come across this wonderful blog: A Heart in Provence,which I fell in love with and I had to share it with you... Just sit back and enjoy the photos...

Blog Anniversary and a Surprise Giveaway!!!!!

2011-01-14T10:52:00.001+02:00

I can't believe it's almost a year since I started my enchanting journey in the blog world...

This February my blog will celebrate its first birthday!

And this is not all!

I could never imagine that so many wonderful people would be interested in my creations and would offer their friendship to me! And now I have already 506 amazing encouraging followers!!!!!

Since I have 2 reasons to celebrate I decided to organize a Grand Surprise Giveaway!

I can't tell you what it is, because I have not created it yet ;-)))

But I can tell you that it will be inspired by the greek and mediterranean cuisine...

So, here are the rules and a small teaser of what to expect:

1) Be a follower or join now...

2) Leave your comment on this post

3) There is no obligation to publish it on your blog, but it would be nice if you do...

4) The draw will take place on February 20th

Good luck!

Happy and Creative New Year 2011! / Καλή και Δημιουργική η Νέα Χρονιά 2011!

2011-01-03T16:28:00.002+02:00

I wish you all my wonderful friends & followers a Happy and Creative New Year!
Εύχομαι σε όλους εσάς τους υπέροχους φίλους και υποστηρικτές μου Καλή και Δημιουργική Χρονιά!

A big hug!

Anthoula

Merry Christmas to All!

2010-12-22T11:35:00.000+02:00

This year let the Christmas Spirit warm up your homes and hearts!

I wish you all Merry Christmas!

A big warm hug...

Anthoula

The article...

2010-12-10T15:25:00.000+02:00

Σε συνέχεια της προηγούμενης ανάρτησης σχετικά με τη δημοσίευση της δουλειάς μου στο περιοδικό "Γλυκές Ιστορίες", ήρθε η ώρα να δείτε και το άρθρο με τις φωτογραφίες!
Ιδού λοιπόν...

Following my previous post about my work being published, here is the article... It's unfortunately in greek, but you can still enjoy the photos...

A Miniature Life και οι Γλυκιές Ιστορίες!

2010-12-08T10:14:00.000+02:00

Καλημέρα σε όλους τους αναγνώστες και φίλους!
Σήμερα είναι μια σπουδαία μέρα γιατί το A Miniature Life δημοσιεύτηκε στο περιοδικό Γλυκιές Ιστορίες!!! Δεν φαντάζεστε πόσο χαρούμενη είμαι! Για τους έλληνες αναγνώστες μου: θα χαρώ πολύ να το δείτε και να μου στείλετε τα σχόλιά σας...
Θέλω να ευχαριστήσω πολύ τη γλυκιά Νένα που έγραψε για μένα και όλους όσους με εμπνέουν με τη δουλειά, τα σχόλια και την υποστήριξή τους!!! Σας το αφιερώνω!

Goodmorning my dear friends and followers!
Today is a great day for me and "A Miniature Life", as it is published in a Greek magazine dedicated to the art of Patisserie, called "Sweet Stories"...
I am soooooo excited!!! I haven't seen the article yet, but as soon as I have it in my hands I will scan it and will share it with you...
I would like to thank the sweet Nena, who wrote the article, and all of you who inspire me with their work, comments and support! This one is for you guys!!!!

My lemon cake and the donkey...

2010-12-01T10:30:00.001+02:00

My lemon cake prep board was quite a big success! It's probably because I just LOVE lemon cake so it really shows even in miniature...

So, what about the donkey?
A sweet little donkey featured my miniature lemon cake in her blog and I just wanted to say "Thank you!"... You should definitely visit her blog Donkey and the Carrot, where you will find tasty recipies and many posts on subjects the "Donkey" loves...After all, as the blog itself advertises: Everybody needs a carrot to go one step beyond, don't you agree?

Beautiful gift & some preparation boards...

2010-11-21T12:15:00.000+02:00

Last week I got a surprise package from MCarmen full of wonderful goodies and I was delighted! Aren't these just wonderful?

Thank you MCarmen!

Yesterday I had a request for some preparation boards (of my choice...artist's freedom you see :-)) from a friend who wanted to surprise her mum on her b-day... So I prepared something for all year round and something christmas-y... I hope you'll like them:

Christmas cookies icing:

Lemon bundt cake preparation:

At last the TV show!!!

2010-11-20T16:33:00.000+02:00

If you follow my miniature adventures from last May you know I have appeared in a cooking TV show on 01/06/2010. For more click here...
After nearly 6 months (I know!!!!) I managed to upload the video on youtube! Yeah!!!!
Unfortunately it's in Greek, but I am sure you'll enjoy the miniatures!

So here it is...

Christmas table...

2010-11-17T19:43:00.004+02:00

I need to feel that Christmas is coming, therefore I decided to have a Christmas baking table!

These are typical Greek Christmas sweets called "melomakarona", rich in walnut, cinnamon, and honey syrup...

For my friends who will be in Athens 04, 05 & 06/11/2010

2010-11-01T11:54:00.001+02:00

My dearest friends...
I know I have been absent from blogland for quite long and I missed you...
The reason is that I was preparing my miniature food related jewelry stock for a charity bazaar I will be attending in Athens on 04, 05 & 06/11/2010.
For my Greek friends, this is the charity bazaar organized by the "Xoria SOS" and will take place @ the Syntagma metro station from 9.30 am-9.00 pm. I will be there from Thursday 04/11 till Saturday 06/11 and I would love to see you there! After all this is for a great cause!
Just for your information, on Friday & Saturday there will be 14 Greek designers @ the bazaar, so you might find a catch!

Wish me luck!

A special table

2010-10-13T23:58:00.002+03:00

Tomorrow is a special day for me and therefore I have created a special table!
I will be meeting the head of a large Greek company that is producing biscuits, cookies etc...She actually saw my jewelry creations and wanted to meet me, so I though it's time to show her my miniature creations too!

So, here it is, a special baking day table...

More treasures and some results on my experiments...

2010-10-03T19:01:00.000+03:00

I received some beautiful gifts from 2 wonderful ladies out there in the miniature blog world that I am proud to call friends:
Sophia was kind enough to help me order some craft items from the US and super sweet to include some gifts she thought I might find helpful for my Christmas projects:

And then I got a wonderful gift from Genevieve's hands of gold, a beautifully made cushion that has found a new home:

And now some update on my experiments in adding scent to polymer clay... Overall I must say that they were successful! I wish you could smell them too! I have made some notes though that one should take into account if he decides to give it a try:
1) I used oil based scents so that they can blend with the polymer clay.
2) They blend really well, but the clay becomes very soft and sticky so you need to be very careful...
3) The sent is very strong at first, but after baking the clay it weakens to about 70% to its original scent.
4) After varnishing the clay the scent is still there, but yet less strong...
Overall it's a nice twist to classic polymer clay miniature items!

I wish you could smell my strawberry cheesecake! It is vanilla scented...

Treasures I received and some experiments...

2010-09-20T10:00:00.001+03:00

I am such a lucky girl on giveaways lately, and I have received wonderfully made items:
first from Sonya

and then from Tomoko

They are both very talented people and I am very proud to own one of their creations!

After a long hectic period in my real life job, I am making some minis again...
I decided to give them a little twist though and add a little something that will make them irresistible...
What do I mean? A lot of people were saying that my minis (and my jewelry) are good enough to be eaten, and the only thing missing was the aroma of the real ones...
So...I decided to experiment in order to scent all my minis just like the real ones!!!
I will have results soon, but in the meantime I leave you with just a few of the scents I am using: madagascar vanilla, chocolate, choco orange, choco strawberry, cookies jar, wedding cake, apple pie... Yummy ha?

The lucky one...

2010-09-15T13:07:00.000+03:00

My dear friends, I want to thank you all for your wishes on my birthday and the wonderful greetings you sent!
I also want to welcome all the new followers that joint the blog, and promise to keep creating mouthwatering mini food to share with you!

For the giveaway the final list of participants, in a chronological order, is:

and the winner is...
M Carmen from Mini Shabby!

Congratulations M Caren! I hope you'll enjoy the miniatures!
Please email me your address...

A big thank you to all who participated in the giveaway and put a HUGE smile on my face!

I am back! My birthday and a giveaway!

2010-08-31T13:43:00.000+03:00

My dear fellow miniature lovers I am back from summer vacations!
And I must say that I really missed reading all your wonderful blogs!... But I am catching up slowly...

Today is my birthday...I am officially 33 years old...
Celebrating that I decided to have a birthday giveaway for all my wonderful followers!

The prize is an apple pie preparation board that I had prepared some time ago:

In order to participate you need to be a follower and leave a comment in this post... The draw will be in 2 weeks, that is September 15th!

Good luck!

At last...Summer vacation!

2010-08-12T14:39:00.000+03:00

At last we are going on a 2 weeks summer vacations! We are leaving tomorrow for Kumi, a greek village in the island of Evia, where my dear husband is from...

The menu icludes sun, sea and resting...

See you in 2 weeks!

An italian dinner...

2010-08-08T21:26:00.002+03:00

I have been working on Italian cuisine today. Ira has asked me to prepare a nice Italian dinner for her Toscana house, so after a little research on Tuscan recipes here it is:

For appetizers: green and black olives, and 2 different focaccia breads, one with herbs and one with olives...

Delicious spaghetti al dente with tomato sauce and basil...

and a crispy roasted pork with Italian herbs and vegetables...

As for the dessert...a mouthwatering panacota with forest fruits...

Dear Ira, I hope you like your menu!

Beautiful gifts from friends and...gifts for friends

2010-08-07T15:34:00.000+03:00

I got my wonderful summer swap items from Cheryl and believe me they are wonderful! I am in love with the shabby table and it will hold a major place in one of my future scenes...

I also got an amazing cupboard from Flora that I simply adore and it will compliment the table in my future shabby chic scene...

Now it's the turn for the gifts I prepared for some mini friends out there... I will not tell you who is getting what, so that there will be an element of surprise...

For those with a sweet tooth...

A delicious breakfast...

lunch and some dessert...

and some greek flavours...

Enjoy!

Amazing flowers!

2010-07-24T11:25:00.000+03:00

Yesterday I met Michelle from Little Rabbit Miniatures for a coffee and some miniatures making! It was Michelle's turn to teach me how to make some tulips!
We had such a great time together, as always of course ;-)), but my flower making skills are very primitive... I only managed to make 2 tulips, which I am not showing, until I can reach an acceptable level of mini flowers skill (if ever ;-))
Instead I show you the amazing gifts I got from Michelle! Aren't I a very lucky girl?

Cake? Oh yes please...

2010-07-23T23:49:00.002+03:00

I know I have made black forest cake before, but I really like it so this is the new version...

It will be listed tomorrow in Etsy in case you want a bite! ;-))

And the winner is...

2010-07-19T16:06:00.000+03:00

No 89, Lisette from Lisette's Miniaturen.

Congratulations Lisette! I hope you'll enjoy it!

And again, thank you all for entering this giveaway!

Giveaway participants list...

2010-07-19T11:39:00.001+03:00

I am finally back from my short holidays...It was very relaxing and now I am in a better mood for mini making...
I had a great response to my giveaway, and this is the best reward I can get for my work! I thank you all for your kind comments, and you'll be seeing my in your blogs...

Here is the final list of the giveaway participants:

It was created by chronological order based on your comments... The draw will take place this afternoon and I will post it asap!

A big hug
Anthoula

A big fat greek wedding and a 300 followers giveaway!

2010-07-11T17:49:00.001+03:00

This weekend we were in the beautiful island of Hydra for a romantic wedding of a cousin! It was indeed magical...A true big fat greek wedding with a lot of laughing and dancing!

Tomorrow we are leaving for a week's holidays in another wonderful island (Lefkada), but before I leave you for a week, I want to celebrate my 300 followers with another giveaway to thank you for honoring me!
The prize this time is this 3 tier glass display with delicious desserts, and the draw will be next Sunday 18th when we'll be back in Athens...
All you have to do is to be a follower and leave a comment in this post by next Sunday! It's not obligatory to post it on your blog, but it would be nice if you did! ;-)

I hope you like it! Good luck!

More wonderful gifts from friends...

2010-07-07T20:57:00.000+03:00

I feel very lucky to have such wonderful and generous friends from all around the world, who spoil me with great gifts! And I just love it! So...

Thank you Ewa for thinking about me when you came across these lovely jewelery findings:

I have wonderful plans for them...Cake stands for the smaller ones, and I am thinking an exotic moroccan style table for the bigger one...

Thank you Sophia for thinking I could use some containers for my mini food creations...

These are just perfect for me!

And last but not least, thank you Ira for creating such wonderful minis for me...

My dear ladies thank you for honoring me with your friendship!

Long time no hear...And some pies...

2010-06-26T23:35:00.000+03:00

I know I haven't been around for some time...And I missed that!
It's because I am so busy at work, but also with the miniature jewelery attempt...
But still I am trying to catch up my reading of my favorite blogs...

Today I felt like doing some baking, so I created some sweet pies...

A pie with a rich dark chocolate cream with strawberries and bananas:

Another pie with toffee cream and bananas, with extra caramel syrup:

And a classic lemon meringue pie:

These will be available in Etsy...

Wonderful gifts!

2010-06-17T22:46:00.000+03:00

I feel very lucky today as I received some wonderful tokens of friendship from 3 wonderful people and artisans!

I met Michelle yesterday from Little Rabbit Minis who makes gorgeous plants and flowers! She was very generous with me and prepared some beautiful plants for my Mediterranean house:

Then today I got a package from Lara @ Lara's Miniature World, which contained some wonderful minis for my Mediterranean house bathroom (blue was the inspiration color...):

And last but certainly not least, the lovely Carol from True 2 scale designed a personalized cake box template for "Mini Gourmet Cuisine'':

Aren't I a very lucky lady?
Thank you all for being so generous and warm people!

Summer Swap 2010...

2010-06-17T12:34:00.001+03:00

I am taking Alienora with me in the beautiful greek island of Lefkada, as part of the summer swap organized by Caterina... You can join us...

Michelle's wonderful giveaway!

2010-06-17T10:16:00.001+03:00

You should check out Michelle's wonderful giveaway, because she makes gorgeous minis!

A very sweet award!

2010-06-12T20:40:00.000+03:00

I want to thank the lovely Mari from Il Cucchiaino Magico for this inspiration award, and her wonderful words accompanying it! Thank you Mari! I am honored to be considered one of your inspirations and to be among your friends!

Following Mari's instructions I give this award to 5 bloggers that inspire me with their work and honor me with their friendship...
1) Ira @ Merry Jingle Crafts
2) Susanne @ Miniature Dreams
3) Flora @ La Casa delle Bambole di Flora
4) Nina @ Tudor Dollhouse and
5) Athina @ Sugar Buzz

A big hug
Anthoula

My Etsy shop!

2010-06-09T23:43:00.001+03:00

My dear friends I was thinking for quite some time now to open an etsy store, as many of you have already suggested! So today I decided to go for it, and I hope for the best!
Please come and visit sometime:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MiniGourmetCuisine

A beautiful gift from Denmark!

2010-06-02T23:58:00.000+03:00

Today I received a special package from Denmark, from the lovely Susanne! She wanted to thank me for sending her a bit of Greek aroma, so she honored me by sending me a gorgeous cake stand with the typical Blue Fluted Mega design! It is just so unique! Thank you Susanne!

Now I need to "bake'' a special cake, and I was wondering if there is something typically danish... Any help?

Tomorrow is the big day!

2010-05-31T10:50:00.000+03:00

Tomorrow is my big day, since the tv show will be broadcasted! I can't wait to see it...
The video will soon be available and I will post it here...
For my greek friends the show is "Νηστικοί Πράκτορες" @ STAR channel @10.00am...

A big kiss!

And the winners are...

2010-05-28T19:02:00.000+03:00

For the draw I considered all of you who entered the giveaway until May 24 (79) chronologically + Maria who emailed me due to internet problems as no 80...So in total 80 people. Here it goes...

Lara. from Lara's Miniature World who receives a selection of sweet treats!

Betty from Anthivolon who receives a breakfast tray full of delicacies!

Carol from True 2 scale who receives a greek spinach pie, and some cookies for dessert!

Congratulations my dear ladies! Please email me your postal addresses!

Thank you all for participating, and good luck next time!

A big hug and kisses
Anthoula

A sweet award!

2010-05-28T09:49:00.001+03:00

I want to thank my fellow greek blogger Marilise for this sweet award! You are very generous!

And don't forget that tonight I will announce my 3 giveaway winners...

A few more days...

2010-05-25T14:01:00.000+03:00

I want to thank all of you who participated in my giveaway!
It is now closed, but due to some obligations that keep me away from home, I will have to delay the drawing... This will take place next Friday...

A huge hug and a big kiss!

A success!!!

2010-05-22T10:49:00.001+03:00

Hi everybody!
Before saying anything else I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU! To all of you for your kind words and support!

The tv show recording yesterday was a total success!
First of all everyone, both the people presenting the show, as well as the people behind the scenes, were wonderful, warm, and very friendly, and made me feel very welcome! So I was a bit less nervous...
In addition, they really liked my miniatures and my miniature related jewelery, so I was really happy from all that enthusiasm around me! I cant wait to see the result...The show will be shown on June 1st, and as soon as I have the video I will let you know!

Final setiing for the presentation tomorrow...

2010-05-20T18:02:00.000+03:00

My dear friends, I am not showing something new now, I just wanted to share with you my idea for the final setting for the presentation tomorrow. Please let me know what you think!

Fruit tarts...

2010-05-18T20:50:00.000+03:00

I prepared these fruit tart pendants and earrings as gifts for the people on the tv show I am attending this Friday! Do you think they will like them?

Cake anyone?...

2010-05-17T22:46:00.000+03:00

I love these cakes, and I hope you like them too...

Lemon?

Or chocolate?

3rd tier and some candy...

2010-05-16T16:17:00.001+03:00

First of all I must thank you for your wonderful support and encouragement displayed regarding my previous post!
I hope you will also like the 3rd layer of the glass display, for which I went for a classic recipe: french macaroons!

Then I thought I would also like some candy... So here it is... Enjoy!
For candy jewelery click here...

Yummy donuts, update on the tv show and a surprise giveaway!

2010-05-13T21:48:00.000+03:00

I decided to go for a layer of yummy donuts for my second tier in the glass display, what do you think?

The recording for the tv show (already mentioned in previous posts) will be next Friday 21/05...And I have to say I am a bit nervous...I hope they'll like my minis! ;-)

Finally since I am a bit overdue with my 200-followers giveaway, I decided to hold it now, but keep the winning prize a surprise!

All you need to do is to be a follower and leave a comment in this post. You don't have to make a post of it, but it would be nice to let others know about it!
There will be more than 1 winners, and you can enter by Monday 24/05.

Good Luck!

Long time no hear...And some cupcakes!

2010-05-11T19:29:00.000+03:00

It's been a while since my last post, and I must say I missed blogging... It is a very difficult and busy time at work, it takes most of my time, and my minis are neglected! But I mostly missed your wonderful company! ;-))
So I decided to catch up with something sweet...So I have to fill up a lovely 3 tier glass display and decided the first layer to be... Cupcakes:

Giveaway for a great cause!

2010-05-07T11:53:00.000+03:00

It's a pleasure and an obligation for me to join Tallulah Belle's wonderful giveaway that is done for a great cause: providing the children of the world safe drinking water!

I know most of you have joined already, but if you haven't, it's worth taking a look!

The sweets table...

2010-05-05T18:54:00.001+03:00

This is the sweets table #1 with Greek and international flavors:

Black forest cake...

waffles with ice-cream...

rice puddings...

walnut pie with ice-cream...

"halvas", Greek sweet with semolina, milk and sugar...

cheesecake...

and cherry lattice pie...

Wow! More than 200 followers! Giveaway to come...

2010-05-02T13:13:00.002+03:00

I am so honored that all of you are following my adventures in the miniature world! You are the most supportive people I have met! Thank you!

For all this friendship and support a grand giveaway will be shortly organized! As most of you know, I am preparing for the tv show and am creating miniatures like crazy...so the giveaway is postponed only for a while...after the show...I know you understand...

And now for a treat...here is the "Greek gourmet" table I have prepared for the show:

cheese and spinach pies, vegetable and beef stew with rice, green olives stuffed with red pepper, and grilled feta...

Greek salad and pasta with tomato sauce and black olives...

lima beans in tomato sauce...

stuffed tomatoes and green peppers...

"fava" (yellow lentils patë)...

"tzatziki" (yogurt, garlic and cucumber sauce), and "taramosalata" (fish eggs patë)...

Do you like them?

A new perspective for my miniature food items!

2010-04-30T10:58:00.000+03:00

I was thinking for some time to play around with my miniature food items...and maybe give it a bit of a twist towards jewelery making...
Now this thought matured and I decided to create also miniature food jewelery, as many of you already do!...
My new adventures will be recorder to a different blog, which I invite you to visit: Mini Gourmet Cuisine.
I will be honoured to see you there too and receive your constructive comments!

Mini hugs
Anthoula

I received my gift!

2010-04-27T19:14:00.000+03:00

I got today the beautiful rugs I had won in Glenda's giveaway some time ago... And they are just wonderful! I love them and I will definitely use them in my Mediterranean house... Thank you Glenda!

Nuts about...donuts!

2010-04-26T22:03:00.000+03:00

I always wanted to use this phrase!... So here they are...My donuts:

filled with jam, praline, or lemon cream:

round...

and rings...

Today's menu #4

2010-04-24T21:09:00.000+03:00

So for today I cooked a very traditional greek / mediterranean food: stuffed tomatoes and green peppers, sided with potatos...

As for the dessert...what about a delicious apple pie?

No menu today...just cheese...

2010-04-23T22:40:00.000+03:00

I hope you'll enjoy my cheese display... I certainly do!

Menu # 3

2010-04-22T18:08:00.000+03:00

Today's menu will be:

beef stew with vegetables, sided with basmati rice...

and sweet rice pudding with a lot of cinnamon...

Did some baking...menu # 2

2010-04-21T22:14:00.000+03:00

So for today's menus we have some salty pies:

Cheese pie with feta:

and spinach pie (with feta of course!):

For dessert, hmmmm...I am craving some walnut pie with honey syrup...

Here we go...#1

2010-04-20T22:18:00.000+03:00

For the greek menu I "cooked" Lima beans in tomato sauce, which we call "giant" beans in Greece, and grilled feta cheese:

and I prepared a selection of chocolate truffles for something sweet:

Exciting news! My creations will be featured on TV!

2010-04-20T13:23:00.001+03:00

I have the most exciting news! My work will be featured on a greek TV cooking show!

I have been contacted by the lovely chief-editor of the show, and we agreed to have a presentation of my miniatures in appx. 3 weeks time... That is because, as a perfectionist, I need to prepare some wonderful new menus to display! ;-)) So as you can imagine you will be bombarded with miniatures in the next 2-3 weeks, and your comments will be more than welcome at this point!... I will keep you informed on the details...

Mini hugs

Anthoula

A couple of awards...

2010-04-19T10:05:00.000+03:00

I want to thank 2 lovely ladies that have honored me with an award!

Estefania...

and Olivia...

As I have already given these awards to some people, I will dedicate them to all my followers!

Please feel free to copy them and place them on your blog. You all deserve it!

Many kisses

Anthoula

Updated setting of the victorian dinner...

2010-04-16T23:46:00.000+03:00

My chocolate religieuse desserts are here!

2010-04-15T18:28:00.001+03:00

Today I received a cute little package:

which contained the wonderful chocolate religieuse desserts that I have won at Pei Li's giveaway @ Miniature Patisserie Chef :

I love them! Thank you Pei Li!

Brilliant ruby red wine & two awards!

2010-04-14T23:26:00.002+03:00

I know I haven't been around much this week, due to a heavy schedule at work...And it's not over yet, so please bear with me, as I decided to merge 2 posts in one... Here it goes:

#1: Ruby red wine for my victorian dinner!

Isn't this beautiful?

There is quite a background in this creation, as I first experimented with Scenic Water, tinted with acrylic paint, but the result was a disaster! It came out quite a mudy-looking liquid...My second attempt was to use plain vitrail (glass) paint, but that wasn't successful either, as the liquid was not as transparent as I wished... Very disappointing... And then I followed Teresa Martinez proposal to use polyester transparent resin, tinted with vitrail paint! So I tried and I got this wonderful result! Thank you so much Teresa for your valuable tip!

Now I am off to more experiments with this resin...and sky will be the limit! ;-))

#2: Two of awards

I got the first award from Johanna @ Mini Treasures for being one of the sites promoting the Mini Treasures wiki. It's an interesting link and it's worth checking it out! Thank you Johanna!

Then I got a lovely award from Ascencion @ Mis Miniaturas, who is so sweet to include me in her circle of friends!

Following the rules, I need to nominate only 10 out of the wonderful blogs I follow...so here you are:

1) Ira @ Merry Jingle

2) Ernesto @ Punto Sur Miniaturas

3) Santie & Athina @ Santie-Athina

4) Sumaiya @The Garfield

5) Lara @ Lara' s Miniature World

6) Flora @ La Casa delle Bambole di Flora

7) Eva @ Mini-Escenas

8) Susanne @ Miniature Dreams

9) Sonia @ Mini Tink and last but not least

10) Glenda @ Peppercornminis

A Sunshine Award!

2010-04-12T17:38:00.000+03:00

Santie and Athina have given my a Sunshine Award! I want to thank them for the award, as well as for all the wonderful 1:1 sweet creations that keep me inspired...

I will bend the rules a little bit here, giving this sunshine award not to 10 blogs, but to all my followers, who are my own sunshine in blogland... Thank you for making my journey in miniatures so delightful!

Many kisses
Anthoula

International Breakfast...

2010-04-11T17:26:00.000+03:00

I was trying to decide what kind of breakfast to create for the tray of my previous post, and I couldn't...
So I decided to make a selection of breakfasts and you get to choose which one suits you best...;-))

1) Mediterranean breakfast with fruit salad, croissants and fresh orange juice...

2) Mediterranean breakfast with cereals, toast and orange marmalade and fresh orange juice...

3) American breakfast with fried eggs and bacon, black coffee and fresh orange juice...

4) English breakfast with scrambled eggs, sausages, mushrooms and tomatoes, tea and fresh orange juice...

5) English breakfast with jacket potato with baked beans, mushrooms and salami, tea and fresh orange juice...

Which one do you prefer?

A couple of miniatures...

2010-04-08T22:35:00.001+03:00

Other than miniature food, I haven't created other miniatures, but I have been inspired by the work I follow on other blogs, so I think I'll give it a try... For my first attempt I painted a tray, which I promise to fill with a delicious breakfast, and transformed a fruit bowl to look quite distressed and rusty...

I like them... So I think I 'll continue with more and various miniatures...

What a nice surprise!

2010-04-08T19:20:00.000+03:00

I had a really nice surprise waiting for me to come home from work today...

Sumaiya sent me some wonderful minis, to thank me for sending her some of my creations...

I got nice kitchenware:

and some lovely plants:

Thank you Sumaiya! I will make really good use of them in my miniature scenes!

Mini hugs

Anthoula

An award!

2010-04-07T18:18:00.004+03:00

I received a wonderful award from Lara, and I am very excited to be considered a fellow artisan of miniatures by such a talented miniaturist...Thank you Lara!

Following Lara's rules I 'll pass it to 5 blogs from the many I consider as fellow arstisans of miniatures:

Sophia @ Small Talk, to keep her inspired...

Genevieve @ Genevieve Miniacollection, for her wild imagination ;-)...

Lisa @ Lisa Johnson Richards, for her precious encouragement and support...

Eva J @ Evas Miniatyrer, for her wonderful inspirations...

Marleen @ Marleen's Miniaturen, for her beautiful ideas...

Happy Easter!

2010-03-31T13:16:00.002+03:00

I want to wish you all "Kalo Pascha", meaning "Happy Easter" in greek.

I will be on Easter vacations for a week to the wonderful island of Kalymnos in the Dodecanese islands complex... So no blogging... Instead we'll go hiking, fishing, but moslty we'll be relaxing under the sun, tasting wonderful cusine, with great company of friends... I hope that you all have a wonderful Easter time!

Mini hugs and kisses

Anthoula

And the winners are...

2010-03-29T22:50:00.001+03:00

I am finally back from Lisbon, and I have to admit that even though I had a really great time, I missed all of my friends in blog-land!...

And now the winners for my giveaway are:

1) Sonia from Mini-Tink

and

2) Eva from Evas Miniatyrer

I really want to thank all of you who participated in the giveaway for your kind comments, and congratulations to the lucky ones! I promise that we'll soon have more surprises, so stay tunned...

I am in Lisbon...

2010-03-24T19:51:00.000+02:00

I am now in Lisbon on a business trip and have very limited access to internet, so I am sorry not to communicate with all of you!
Lisbon is beautiful and I am enjoying myself!
My giveaway is running normally...

Mini kisses and hugs from Portugal...

A giveaway as promised...

2010-03-22T20:26:00.001+02:00

I want to thank all of you for following my blog! I wish I could say that in person to each and everyone of you!...
And, as I have promised, since I have more than 100 followers, it's time for the second giveaway!

Yes, there are two, for two lucky winners among you! Each one will receive a wonderful tray with a selection of cheesecakes!

All you need to do is to be a follower, leave a comment in this post and add a link in your blog for this giveaway. I will select a winner next Monday 28.03.

Good luck to all of you!

Treasures...

2010-03-21T18:54:00.002+02:00

Ok, I think I have given the miniatures virus to my mother! ;-))
She is a quite talented lady with many interest such as polymer clay jewelery, painting, fayum painting (with wax), crochet... Having a great stock of hand-made crochet masterpieces, some of them very old (made by her aunt), she decided to create some curtains for my mediterranean cottage:

And then she thought of making some rugs and and a carpet:

And after that she un-earthed some pieces she thought I could use with my miniatures:

and some nappkins from an old dinner set she thought they can be great table cloths:

Quite a treasure ha?

Having quite a stock for myself now, I thought you might also like them , and if you are interested in any of them, just send me an email...

My new wine glasses and decanter!

2010-03-19T23:45:00.001+02:00

Today I received some glass items I bought for my victorian mansion. I love my new wine glasses and the matching decanter...They are lovely don't you think?

I am thinking of filling them with a wonderful ruby red wine...
I believe it's appropriate for a victorian dinner! ;-))

For those who love cheesecake...

2010-03-18T22:34:00.001+02:00

I have a selection to choose from...

cherry...

lemon...

or strawberry?

Maybe just a bite?

Interesting addresses in Lisbon, Postugal?

2010-03-17T16:17:00.000+02:00

My dear friends, I will be in Lisbon, Portugal, next week for a business conference so I was wondering if anyone has interesting information/addresses to share regarding miniatures shops, antiques, flea markets...anyhting you think is worth visiting!

I received my gift!

2010-03-16T22:03:00.001+02:00

Today I received the wonderful jug that I won in Ana's last giveaway!

It came beautifully wrapped

and is really wonderful...

I will make good use of it, Ana, I promise! I can see it already in my Victorian mansion...

Easter baking...

2010-03-14T19:49:00.001+02:00

Today was baking day, and since Easter is on the way, it was an Easter baking day!

So I prepared some traditional twisted vanilla cookies, egg-glazed and ready for the oven...

and some "tsoureki", which is a traditional sweet bread (panettone-like)...

And of course some red eggs, which are traditionally prepared the Thursday before Easter day...

Mmmmmmm....Ice cream......

2010-03-12T22:05:00.002+02:00

I was admiring other peoples' ice cream creations and I decided to give it a try! Not bad ha? What do you think? ;-))

Tarts and waffles...

2010-03-11T22:19:00.000+02:00

I prepared some tarts and waffles with fresh fruit...Bon appetit!

The basic victorian dinner menu is complete!

2010-03-10T23:26:00.000+02:00

I completed the basic menu for the dinner at the victorian mansion:

The dinner set however has a couple of platters more to fill, so...to be continued...

And the winner is...

2010-03-10T18:47:00.001+02:00

...are actually two!

Since you are such a wonderful group of people, so supportive and encouraging, I decided to give away both my salads! The lucky ones are:

1) Caterina from Le minis di cockerina

and 2) Ana from Miniatures forever

Congratulations to both of you!

I want to thank all of you who participated and I promise that when I reach 100 followers I will have another giveaway, so be prepared...;-)))

Even more inspiration 1:1...

2010-03-10T16:13:00.001+02:00

Inspiration 1:1...

2010-03-10T16:01:00.001+02:00

I decided to start collecting pictures that inspire me and might influence my future projects...So here I start...

Black forest cake

2010-03-09T21:40:00.002+02:00

When one is in the "cake making" industry, the black forest cake is a must, so here is my attempt...

Mediterranean flavors...

2010-03-07T16:50:00.001+02:00

Pasta with tomato sauce and black olives and stuffed green olives with red pepper... Enjoy!

Craving something sweet?

2010-03-05T22:33:00.000+02:00

In real life I love meringues, so I decided to create some in miniature!

Here they are my mini meringue nests with fruits:

with caramel...

or strawberry sauce...

Enjoy!

Work in progress...

2010-03-04T19:39:00.001+02:00

I know I haven't done much work on my minis this week, due to a hectic time at work...
However I have started my "cooking" for the victorian mansion:

I have big plans for this weekend though...I am planning more greek savoury items and some sweets...

My very first blog award!

2010-03-04T11:35:00.002+02:00

Yesterday I got my very first award, and I am thrilled! I need to thank the lovely lady and great miniaturist that nominated me, Lisa @ http://www.lisajohnsonrichards.com/blog/.

Thank you Lisa, coming from you means a lot!

So, the rules for this award are:

1. Thank the person that has given it to you. ~ Done

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog ~ Done

3. Link to the person who nominated you ~ Done

4. Name 7 things about yourself that nobody knows ~ Done

5. Nominate 7 kreativ bloggers ~ Done

6. Post link to the 7 blogs that you nominate ~ Done

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs nominated ~ Will do after I post this...

My 7 things are:

1. I love chocolate (who doesn't?) BUT

2. When it comes to ice cream, I prefer vanilla!

3. I created my first mini food item just 3 months ago, BUT

4. I have been "researching" for a year, having bought many books on miniature food making.

5. I am newly-wed (16th last December), and my loving husband was my first follower!

6. I simply adore miniatures that have a french air...

7. Every time you leave a comment on my blog, I have a HUGE smile on my face!...

In random order my 7 nominees are:

1. Linda @ Une Petite Folie

2. Sabiha @ Sabs Mini Interiors

3. Lea @ Un jour a la campagne

4. Oiseau @ Le Petit Monde d' Oiseau

5. Josje @ A Beautiful World

6. Tereza @ Tiny Ter Miniatures

7. Elena @ Mondodifavola

Enjoy your day and keep smiling!

xxx

Anthoula

A surprise give-away to thank all my followers!

2010-03-02T13:57:00.000+02:00

I wish to thank all my followers for their precious support and constructive comments on my work!
So, I decided to "reward" your trust with a give-away gift from my "greek savoury" collection.
The draw will be made on the 10th of March, among my followers at that time!
I hope you like it! And...tell your friends about it!

xxx
Anthoula

Fresh greek salad!

2010-03-01T21:46:00.000+02:00

How about a fresh greek salad with tomato, cucumber, green peper, onion, black olives and "feta" cheese?

A surprise give-away from Sabiha...

2010-03-01T16:52:00.000+02:00

Sabiha from "Sabs Mini Interiors" is having a surprise give-away on her blog http://sabsminiinteriors.blogspot.com/, that you shouldn't miss!

Victorian dinner recipes...

2010-02-27T08:57:00.000+02:00

I got today through the mail my new dining set for the victorian mansion, and I am now thinking what menu should I prepare...
My first thought is a classic honey-roasted leg of lamb, with potatoes, carrots and peas. I am open however to suggestions, so do you have any recipes? ;-))

Some sweet pies

2010-02-26T18:24:00.000+02:00

In order to satisfy my sweet tooth (and avoid some real calories ;-)), I decided to bake some pies...

cherry latice pie...

and lemon meringue pie...

A delicious spinach pie...

2010-02-25T20:20:00.005+02:00

Another greek savoury is this freshly baked homemade spinach pie with "feta" cheese...

mmmmmm, can you smell it?
Do you want a piece?

Strawberry Jelly

2010-02-24T12:43:00.005+02:00

I have been experimenting with Scenic Water yesterday (used to simulate liquids in dollshouse scenes), and my successful creation (after a couple of unsuccessful attempts of course ;-)) is this cute little strawberry jelly with whipped cream... Enjoy!

A new dollshouse

2010-02-24T12:18:00.009+02:00

The victorian era will always be my favorite period in the dollshouse world!
But I just could not ignore the new dollshouse series that a local miniatures magazine launched, and is called "The Mediterranean House"!
I think it's more cottage-like, but it's even better cause I really love pretty little cottages!

The house comes in a kit form (pre-cut) and each magazine issue offers a piece of the kit and a miniature item. Of course all items are made to match the mediterranean architecture and style.

I am half way there, having 55 out of the 100 issues, so it may take some time until I can post some pictures. However here is a preview of what to expect (photos from the magazine):

Thanks for your support!

2010-02-21T19:39:00.000+02:00

I feel the need to thank all my followers for their support!
I draw incredible energy from this support and your comments help me improve my skills!

Thanks alot
xxx