The first family that I bought was the Cottontail Rabbit family. Since then, I learned that there are different versions of Sylvanian Families, and cupped hands versus flat hands. There's no way I can collect all the families released, not to mention that I don't have the space to store everything that I wanted to buy and my pockets are not deep enough. I decided then to get mainly JP families, and only those that I really like. This helps to keep my collection to figures that I find very cute and I love. My new resolve, haha.
My very first Sylvanian Families were toys that my niece wanted to discard. She no longer wanted to play with them, so I rescued them thinking that I can save them for my then 2 year-old daughter to play. There was a two-storey house that I later learned is the Lakehouse Lodge. Not sure whether it was the JP or UK release as it did not come with any box. Furnitures for the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room. The second-hand figures that I inherited were Periwinkle milk rabbit sister, Cottontail rabbit standing baby, and an incomplete JP Maron Dog family.
The first family that I bought was the Cottontail Rabbit family. Since then, I learned that there are different versions of Sylvanian Families, and cupped hands versus flat hands. There's no way I can collect all the families released, not to mention that I don't have the space to store everything that I wanted to buy and my pockets are not deep enough. I decided then to get mainly JP families, and only those that I really like. This helps to keep my collection to figures that I find very cute and I love. My new resolve, haha.
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I opened The Toymaker's Set and was disappointed to find that some of the accessories did not quite look like the ones featured on the photos of the box. If you also have the set, you will see that the paintbrushes Uncle Edward Mulberry uses, as well as the hammer and spatula-looking tool, have that grey plastic look. I want the tools to look more real, so what a girl's gotta do? Spend more money to buy paints and brushes and try to re-decorate the Sylvanian Families accessories. For the project, I used Tamiya paints. I decided not use a primer as the objects are quite small (and I was loath to spend more money on such a small project). The paint took a long time to dry, I'm not sure why. The uncle at the hobby shop where I purchased the paints told me it may be due to the air circulation inside my house and the fact that I am using the bottle paints and not the airbrush paints. Okay.
I forgot to take the "before picture", but if you do happen to have the Toymaker's Set, you can compare the original accessories to this: It was approaching Christmas and things got a little too hectic at the home front. Missbunny thought that she needed to have some time off, some "bunny" time to herself. We also decided that we did not want another city holiday and to go somewhere that's not too far away. So for Boxing Day off to Langkawi, Malaysia we went. The weather on the way to Langkawi was lovely. During the flight, Missbunny couldn't help but be mesmerized by the fluffy clouds below as she looked out the window: Once she arrived in Langkawi, Missbunny checked into a resort and took a short nap. After she woke up, she felt refreshed enough to do a bit of exploring. The next day, it was all about beach activities. Missbunny floated in the pool, built sandcastles, swam some more and snorkeled: After all that exercise, she was famished. Time for a picnic, and then her favorite ice cream treats to cool herself in the heat: Even though it was only a short trip, Missbunny felt rejuvenated. So long Borneo and thank you for being such a good host. Missbunny had another fantastic journey.
In November, Missbunny had the opportunity to travel to Taiwan, specifically Taipei and Tainan. Most of you would have heard of, or visited, Taipei so Missbunny will give you some background on Tainan. Tainan is the fifth largest city of Taiwan. It's located in the southern part of Taiwan and is considered one of Taiwan's cultural capitals. Tainan is known for its rich folk cultures and local snack foods. Missbunny can't wait to tuck into some Taiwanese delicacies. Missbunny went to Taiwan with my friend again, and this time she has a new traveling partner, Bunny Boy. All photos are courtesy of MonicaK. Thank you MonicaK for bunnysitting Missbunny. Here is Missbunny with Bunny Boy, checking out their plane that is being prepped for flight. Missbunny is sure cracking up her frequent flyer mileage in a short period of time! As soon as Missbunny arrived in Taipei, she and Bunny Boy got down to business and went to visit the landmark skyscraper, Taipei 101. The building was the world's tallest from 2004 until 2010 when Burj Khalifa opened in Dubai. Missbunny hopes that someday she will have the chance to go to Dubai too.
In October, I took Missbunny to my visit my family in Sydney, Australia. She was over the moon and looked forward to the trip as it would be her longest plane ride so far, and everything in Australia is the other way around to, say, Japan or USA. October should be autumn season for most countries, but in Australia it's springtime. Missbunny flew on business class the last long flight to Tokyo with Petite Bear-san. Even though this was an 8-hour flight to Sydney, Missbunny had to fly in economy but she's not complaining. After the excursion, she was famished. Missbunny wanted to try the local specialities and she ordered the Aussie meat pie: The rest of the journey is spent getting to know my family and basically soaking up the cool, sunny and beautiful weather of Sydney in spring. Check back here another time for Missbunny's Sylvanian travels.
October turned out to be quite a busy period for Missbunny as she travelled to Bali, Tokyo, and Sydney. Her first travel was to the lovely Bali island of Indonesia, and she had a relaxing time there with my friend (pity, it was not me who holidayed in Bali). I thought that Missbunny should take it easy for her first trip. All photos in Bali are courtesy of SharonT. Thank you SharonT for helping Missbunny build on her travel experience. Missbunny boarded one of the finest airlines in the world; certainly some people will say that it's Asia's best. Missbunny agreed that it's a fine carrier and her favorite, although she has never flown any other airlines before. Missbunny didn't really do much in Bali. She just relaxed around the pool, and took a walk amongst the rice-paddy fields. She got to taste the most popular drink in Indonesia: water by Aqua. Bottled Aquas are served everywhere - from restaurants to hotel rooms. They even have these bottled Aquas in the bathrooms. The days passed quickly, and before she knew it, it's time to go back home. Missbunny felt very refreshed in this trip, and can't wait to go to her next destination. She wondered what she will encounter in her subsequent journey. On to her next trip (so soon! you ask). Missbunny went with another friend of mine to Tokyo. She tagged along this business trip as she always wanted to go to Japan and she decided that she just can't wait for me. The next photos are courtesy of MonicaK. Missbunny had a Sylvanian travelling partner on this trip with Petite Bear-san. They took the same carrier that Missbunny flew on to Bali. She was sooooo excited that she was on this journey with Petite Bear-san. Here is Missbunny with Petite Bear-san in the lobby of the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo. The hotel staff were a little astounded as my friend was taking photos of Missbunny and Petite Bear-san in the lobby. Nevermind. Missbunny saw the shinkansen (bullet train) with her own eyes. She was very lucky to have this experience in Tokyo and thanked Petite Bear-san for bringing her along.
I wanted to take photos of Sylvanian Families in different countries, so I picked a Milk rabbit sister to represent my Sylvanian Families travels. Originally, the traveller was a Periwinkle rabbit sister (with cupped hands) since she was one of the few second-hand figures that I initially adopted. Then I bought a JP Milk rabbit sister as a replacement, so some of the travel photos will have a scruffy-looking rabbit in them while others will have the newer milk rabbit. See whether you can spot the different rabbits :) Meet Missbunny, who aspires to be a globetrotter: Missbunny looked at the world map and thought, "so many places to go and so little time". Since my daughter was born, I have been traveling less for work, and even less for holidays. How can I fulfill Missbunny's dream of being a world traveller? I decided that Missbunny can accompany my colleagues (who also happen to be my good friends and love Sylvanian Families) on their travels. Stay tuned for her Sylvanian adventures very soon! After reading some suggestions on making Sylvanian homes look more cosy, I decided to try wallpapering the Lakeside Lodge. It's not as easy as it first seems. Unfortunately, pre-cut Sylvanian Families wallpapers which you can buy off-the-shelves are only available for the newer released homes like the Willow Hall (or House of Lights). First task, I had to select the right wallpaper by going through my rather big stash of scrapbooking supply. The patterns in the wallpaper must be small enough that it is suitable for a miniature house, and it must not be too bold and the color not too strong so that it will complement any furnitures and accessories that I put inside the house. Then, I had to make templates of the walls, and the templates are used to cut the wallpaper card stock. This stage took the longest and sometimes the measurements were all wrong. Anyways....days later, the result is as follows. Does it look more cosy compared to no wallpaper (I also added hand-made curtains)? This is the "before" photo of Lakeside Lodge:
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About MeI like to experiment with photography and dabble in crafty things. I started collecting Sylvanian Families in 2009 and hope that someday my little daughter will enjoy playing and collecting Sylvanian Families as much as I do. Archives
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