patience and a TIP (collecting material for a future tutorial..)

I never wanted to, but because things keep going differently than I thought/hoped
, I feel it's time to let you know that I have a progressive muscledisease. Not that you will need (or maybe even want) to know this and everyone has issues and burdens in their lives, but it feels important to me to do so. It has been very bad & incalculable for many years now and progressed again the past couple of years. Even more rapid since the beginning of January (although recently at times a bit better, thanks to treatments (except in muscleweakness). And I've always had hope of finding something to also stop the progression and even reverse: I now know of some options I believe that might and can't wait to try. But need to be stronger for that to even be possible, which I'm working on any way I can, as always).

the severity is of a kind that makes it very hard to believe how I've been able to create anything at all (just a handul of people know more or less how bad it has been for many years and is). That I have from time to time, in (very) small steps and mostly lying down, is because of different reasons, and some help from my boyfriend, but most of all: all kinds of pretty clever solutions, if I may say so myself - and I think I may :D. And what I've done has always made me incredibly happy & proud!

unfortunately 2 years ago, among other new symptoms, my hands started to tremble from time to time, while I've gotten less control over them anyway. My vision can be weird/blurry suddenly for a while at times too. Although these are the least bad kind of all symptoms and not the reason I'm extremely limited in everyday life, but as hands and eyes are about the two most important 'tools' of any miniaturist, this is not very convenient, to put it mildly. Besides that it's quite scary of course and I have no idea how this will develop and what this will mean along the way mini- or otherwise..

of course I'll keep doing whatever I can whenever I can and put it here, like always, because creativity is like a lifeforce to me and I couldn't even stop the ideas if I wanted to. But now you may understand why there is little, why I never finish some things, progression if any is slow, or I seem all over the place :D. But I've always rather chosen to do small steps on the only type of thing that I can at the already rare moments of opportunity, than do nothing at those moments just because I'm not able to do the kind of thing I 'need' to progress, finish or like working on most, or even second or third etc. Any step makes me happy and being flexible goes a long way!

miniature-TIP
after all this non-miniature-seriousness I'd like to share a miniature-TIP for everyone of you who, like me, would like to make a mini golden cane/butterfly palm someday. I love those, have one myself.

image: Ikea.nl

with the same realistic kind of stalks, ending very thinly at the end of the leaves, which is impossible to replicate I think. And even if it could be; why bother if there is material that resembles it nicely in miniature? Although not everyone will have access to it, the material for this is not only perfect but:

free (got your attention?)

natural

and in many peoples homes - ending up in vacuumcleaners/the trash - without even realising it

huh? What could this mystery-material be? Cat whiskers! I've been collecting them for a long time, when my eye caught them on the floor or my duvet. Having a bunch by now, perfect for a full palm.

'see' the plant already? It's just a small bunch in my hand, but imagine all of what I have in the bag, painted green and with leaves: I think it will be great!

I know this goes without saying and can't imagine anyone thinking of doing it, but just to be very clear in this day and age:

with this tip I absolutely do NOT imply or advise

anyone to pull whiskers out- or cut them - of any cat's face.

they loose them quite often and collecting them might not go fast, but neither does a collection of miniatures, it takes time. And you can always work on a (few) stalk(s) as you find them if you don't want to wait. Unless you wait for a tutorial, for me making that plant will not be in the near future. So in that case you'll have time to collect enough of them (or have them collected by family and friends with furry friends if you don't yourself) and in time I will do a tutorial on it.

take care and till next time!