Etsy forum posters Missing in Action

If you are a user of Etsy forums you will no doubt have noticed people you once saw posting no longer posting. You will also now see many posts that have been removed.

The removal of posts when disciplinary measures are taken against their customers is an interesting new trend on Etsy as it is showing how widespread the punishments are becoming.

Of course many people who read the forums will assume that the posts were removed because they were very bad, used profane lanugage or hurled insults but this is not the case although it is probably the intention of Etsy Admin to make it appear like that.

For example merely mentioning that people get muted, without naming anyone or any specific example, is enough to result in the post being removed and the poster getting muted. I have lost track of the number of people I actually know of who are permanently muted now, the number grows every week.

Here is just one example page in which the discussion was about discipline taken - no specifics quoted however. Look at all those removed posts ! You will not be seeing some of those people posting in the forum ever again.

https://www.etsy.com/teams/7722/discussions/discuss/12502100/page/2/?post_id=176268990

This sort of action just makes matters worse, spreads rumours and fear and the censorship only says that Etsy has something to be ashamed of that they wish to hide - they do, its the dissent of its unhappy customers.

Yes most of the people being muted are fee paying customers of Etsy who have shops there, others are the customers of the sellers. These customers become angry and go elsewhere to buy items they want and who can blame them?

The majority of those being silenced are long term sellers and buyers who were willing to help new members and give them the benefit of the years of experience, they are also well aware of the many shortcomings of  Etsy and voiced their dissatisfaction with the service so apparently have to be silenced.

Meanwhile old "offences" like discussing transactions now seem to be tolerated. Just don't be critical (disrespectful its classed as) of Etsy or its staff and don't even mention the M word (muted)

Tulip Festival

Late Spring to early Summer brings a blaze of colour to gardens from tulips and my Etsy shop has new tulip themed items listed.

1/12th scale dollhouse cakes for weddings or birthdays



Knitting bag set with balls of wool



Perfect to create a scene to add that "lived in" look to a dollhouse

Cushions or pillows to match the knitting bags

Quarter scale Farmhouse work in progress

Here is a quick progress photo of the 1/48th farmhouse under construction. I cut an access hole and built a staircase from card to enable realistic access from downstairs to upstairs. There is still a lot to do but I have put it to one side to concentrate on some other work at the moment.

Mainly I am sculpting until my hands get too sore from kneading  the polymer clay and then I will need to work on something different for a while and will return to the farmhouse. Making some new designs of cakes and listing them in my Etsy shop as well at the moment.

Flooring is suede effect paper for carpet and very thin sheet of wood scored and marked as boards then treated with a varnish stain,

You can see by the colour scheme that this is going to be a modernised farmhouse.

Minis with the grocery shopping

Experienced Miniaturists have a well earned reputation for finding suitable miniature items and materials for making minis wherever they go.

While food shopping yesterday I happened to notice these micro toys in the toy department at Tesco. I WAS buying food but usually have a quick check for any tiny toys. One of my long ongoing projects is a 1/12th scale toy shop so I need to gather a large number of assorted toys to fill it.

These little creatures would be ideal toys for a modern nursery or toy shop stock.

They are called "Micro Moshi" manufactured by the Vivid Toy Group Ltd. www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk. Several different sets are available.

Front and back of packaging

Quarter Scale furniture (1/48th)

My first furniture in quarter scale (1/48th or quarter inch to the foot) are sets of sofa and two chairs. Sculpted individually by hand from polymer clay no two are quite identical. The polymer clay is treated with UV resistant art varnish in satin finish to give the appearance of leather.

I have made a range of colours typical of those that leather furniture can be purchased in. Each chair has tiny turned wood feet that have been stained with wood varnish.

They really are very tiny

These sets are currently available to buy in my Etsy shop

Downsizing

This year I decided not to buy myself another major project kit but to work on the *UFOs instead. It seemed to make perfect sense especially as finding room for another house would be difficult at the moment.

However the best laid plans of  miniaturists get derailed and I found myself looking at the web site of  Petite Properties while checking out the exhibitors at Miniatura March show.

Petite Properties, as their name suggests, make dollhouses in the smaller scales. A quarter scale (1/48th) house would take very little space and be easy to move around, even stored away in a box. As soon as this thought planted itself into my brain I was ordering Blackberry Farm and scaling down furniture sizes and working out ways to make the contents of such small rooms.

The kit is currently airing out in my summerhouse as laser cut MDF kits smell horrible until aired. Meanwhile I have been tackling the first furniture and as I make what I want I plan to make a few extras to list in my Etsy shop for collectors of these tiny dwellings.

Blackberry Farm from Petite Properties

* UFO - UnFinished Object

New range of textiles for Dollhouse Miniaturists

This is such a lovely and exciting new range of fabrics and kits specially designed for dollhouses being produced by Whimsy Cottage Miniatures I had to share the details with other miniaturists.

In the words of Whimsy herself ...... "Introducing my new line of small print fabrics specifically designed for the dollhouse. Coordinated fabrics and matching pillow kits, all professionally printed on high quality 100% cotton. Fabrics are washable and print is permanent."

The lovely purple background daisy fabric in the top photo comes in other colours  and has co-ordinating pillow kits as well. Here the pink version is shown made up and used on dollhouse bunk beds.

Another charming design, the pillow kits come with instructions for making up, thread, filling and any extra trims are not included allowing the maker to customise the pillows themself.

As well as fabric and pillow kits there are quilt panels and the photo below shows a made-up sample of a crib comforter.

I love this so much I want to make a nursery

This pillow kit and co-ordinating fabric would look perfect in a garden room or conservatory.

This is just a small selection of the current range and new designs are being created and added all the time.

Visit Whimsy Cottage Miniatures' Etsy shop (click here) to see more designs and to purchase them direct from Whimsy. The shop also sells other great miniatures for collectors including tiny 1/144th scale houses and Whimsy's famous line of modern luggage.