Dolls' Houses and Miniatures

Hello, please forgive my lack of action on my blog recently, but I felt I needed to take a break after Christmas. It all seems a while ago now, I hope you all had a good one and are enjoying 2013.

I had fun doing the Christmas Countdown, but it left me with little time to do what I actually enjoy doing; seeing what you have all been up to, so I may have a rethink on what I post in December this year. However, that is months away (thank goodness!) so I can now concentrate on all the things I have planned for this year! There will be more Period Style Guides on the way, and a very exciting period it will be too! there's my 1:24 scale dolls house I have all but abandoned since the end of summer last year, plus some other miniature project I have in mind for this year. Work at The Swan Inn will continue, along with my other houses, but all in good time! There's a whole year ahead yet!

One thing I forgot to mention during my Christmas posts was the new bed I made from a kit by McQueenie Miniatures. It is called the Edwardian Bed, and looks great when completed. It's really simple to put together too. This picture shows the bed when constructed but unfinished.

And here is the bed when completed (please forgive the Christmas treatment, I still haven't taken down the decorations in the pub yet!!) The bed was just what I was looking for, and is a perfect size for the bedroom. Just got to make the bedding at some point now!

Hello

Apologies again for taking so long to make a new post! I thought it was high time I did something, so here are some new photos of The Swan. After the Christmas revelries went on in the pub for much longer than first planned, it is nice to have cleared away the seasonal nick-nacks and restored some sort of normality to the pub again.

In the picture above, you can see the kitchen is for another busy day of cooking and cleaning up. I have added a dish rack to the wall, which is an old McQueenie Miniatures kit originally bought to go into the big Georgian House kitchen, but was actually too big to fit in the place I wanted it, so had been left in mini limbo for ages, before finding its way into the pub kitchen.

This is another shot of the kitchen, I wanted to try and show as much of the kitchen as possible in this photo. I am planning to make a small pair of curtains or a pelmet of red gingham to put up at the window above the kitchen sink because it will make the kitchen feel a little more homely; it looks a bit cold at that end of the room at the moment.

The sitting room upstairs is starting to look more how I originally intended it to look. The furniture I have in the room now, gives a comfortable, slightly old fashioned feeling that I was looking for. There's still a way to go with all the rooms in the pub, but I feel happier with this room now than I have in the past. The plant on the table was a little Christmas gift from David. The bird cage next to the sofa was another mini limbo item, which originally came with the mirror above the fireplace; a rare purchase by me from ebay!

And here's a shot of the pub itself. almost the same as it was before Christmas. The bar stools are new, and as yet untreated, another little stocking filler. I'm not sure if I've mentioned the warming pan hanging on the wall by the fire. These were once filled with hot coals or water (I'm not entirely sure which, but maybe both) and inserted under the bedclothes to warm the bed; an early hot water bottle! By the 20th century these were more likely to be used as ornaments, and its the sort of 'Ye Olde Worlde' thing you'd have probably found in country pubs, along with old horse brasses, like the ones hanging on the bar.

The warming pan is one of several items I have purchase over recent months. I plan to do a post on some of the other recent purchases in a few days.

Until then, take care! xxxxx

When I had almost completed my Georgian House I started to buy things to go inside it. From the beginning I made the decision to buy the best pieces I could afford, and where money wouldn't stretch, make kit furniture and possibly make a few pieces myself.

One of the first pieces in the house, the sideboard in the hall, was made from a kit. I hadn't made a kit before, and was fairly pleased with it for a while. But I used a stain that wasn't appropriate, small patches of bare wood were left in places where the stain didn't take because of the dried glue. and the drawers didn't pull out very well or got stuck completely. Whenever I looked at that piece of furniture it reminded me of how I had leapt into a huge project with no previous woodworking skills or miniature experience. It always looked ok, but I always wanted something a bit better!

In January I went to a new dolls' house exhibition in London, held at the Tower Hotel in the east of the city, near (yes, you've guessed it) The Tower of London and Tower Bridge. The show was set up by the same people who organise the Kensington Dolls' House Festival, and was fairly good, though not quite as good as I was expecting. I bought a few things at the show, and will show you some of them further down this post, but first I wanted to show you what I have finally bought to replace the sideboard in the hall.

Is it too ostentatious? I think it works quite well. If you haven't guessed already it's made by John Hodgson. I'm not sure if you can see it, but in the centre of the base is a pineapple (I had to smile when I saw that Fi, especially after all those wonderful photos you sent!). it is made from gilded pewter with a faux marble top, hand painted by John, and signed underneath by him. Perhaps it would look more at home in a Mulvany & Rogers house than sitting next to my wonky (and rather dusty!) stairs? What do you all think?

I also purchased this Chippendale style Chinoiserie chair for the bedroom. It is made by Masters' Miniatures, and the yellow silk upholstery was perfect for the bedroom. As i mentioned in a post months ago, I saw a bedroom with Chinoiserie decoration at Blickling Hall in Norfolk whilst on holiday last year, and wanted to get a few pieces in the Chinoiserie style for my miniature bedroom, so was thrilled when I found this chair!

Keen eyes might have noticed the scent bottle on the dressing table (again I'm thinking of Fi, who notices EVERYTHING!). Another thing I picked up in London. Here's a closer shot of it on the dressing table.

You can just about see it reflected in the mirror! The silverware on the dressing table was all from Simply Silver, who I believe have now retired. Quite a few makers seem to be giving up the shows lately. Tony Knott seems to have retired, and both Et Cetera and Tony Hooper gave their last shows in London last month. It's all rather a shame, but I hope they are all relaxed and happy!

Back in November I again went down to London. That time I visited Kristin Baybars' shop in Gospel Oak again. I posted about my last trip ages ago, when I ended up in Stratford by mistake! this time I arrived without issue, and picked up some nice little bits and pieces. Most of what I bought was for the Christmas project in The Swan (it's also where I got the warming pan mentioned in my last post!), but I did manage to find this rather lovely little bowl.

It was made by Muriel Hopwood (I know this because it is signed by her) and is a rare find as she has almost stopped making miniatures, though I am lucky to have some of her recent pieces picked up from an online miniatures shop. This delicate little bowl also fits the chinese theme I want to give a hint of in the bedroom. When I find the right sort of wash stand (or make one!) this will probably sit on it, as Georgians didn't really have matching ewer and basin, and the basin was usually fairly small in comparison to Victorian ones.

Going back to Kristin's shop was fun. It's such a great space for rummaging! When you first arrive you think you'll never find a thing as it looks so jam packed and jumbled up. But actually, things are stored in drawers and cabinets in a fairly logical order, one for plates and cups, another for pans, another for food, another for cleaning products etc etc, there are tiny drawers filled with even greater treasures. The best thing is that Kristin doesn't get rid of things, if something doesn't sell, it remains on sale until it does, so you might well find little things from makers who have long since retired, like my Muriel Hopwood bowl.

I took some photos of the shop to give you some idea of how it looks inside. If you do get to go there (it doesn't look much from the outside, but don't be afraid to ring the bell!) ask to see the Dog House, which is a charming house occupied by dozens and dozens of dogs in each room, and is great fun! There is so much to look at you'll need a good couple of hours; they might even make you a cup of tea!

The back room with its drawers and cabinets filled to the brim with tiny treasures!

Some of the amazing miniatures available in the shop. I love that skeleton playing xylophone on the other one!

I will do another post very soon on some other little purchases, which have been housed mostly in the kitchen!

In Britain there is a phrase we use which goes something like this ' You wait all day for a bus, and then three turn up at once!'. Well, I think that is something like what has happened on my blog, I've don't do a new post for over a month, and then do three in a week!

This post is part two of my list of recent purchases. This one focuses on things used in or around the kitchen, so there won't be any fancy gilding or Chinoiserie!

The first picture is a rather shameless, as there is only one thing in it which is new, and you would never guess unless I told you (which I will soon!), I just happened to think this shot was a rather good one of my Georgian House kitchen; which rarely gets seen. I love kitchens in dolls houses, they are always rather special, but they take AGES to fill up! Not helped by the fact that the kitchen/servants hall is the largest room in the whole house! You can see all the empty shelves still on the dresser, and the table looks full, but that is more of an optical illusion than anything.

As I mentioned in my last post, Tony Hooper was exhibiting in London for the last time in January (though the website is still open for a while) he was selling all his items at half price. I only discovered this when I was about to leave, as there were great crowds around his stall when I arrived, and I really don't do crowds! So much of his stock had gone, as had most of my ready money (Tony's stall was one away from John Hodgson's, which explains my lack of crinkle!) however, I bravely stood my ground and picked up a few little things to go inside my kitchen (and a few other things for a secret future project). The only new thing in the picture above, which was from Tony Hooper is the large pewter dish behind the marrows and hour glass on the dresser. I actually bought two of these dishes, the other is under the kitchen table.

And just so that you get a more or less complete picture of the kitchen here is a photo of the opposite wall.

Ah! but wait, there is another new purchase lurking in the above image too, can you see it? It's another miniature from Tony Hooper...

Well, yes it's the kettle, which is an unusual oval shape, and I thought looked suitable Georgian (though it may not be!) The 'brass' kettle was purchased from Kristin Baybars' shop; I have no idea of its maker, but it is nicely detailed. It lives on the range in the pub, and keen eyed bloggers might have noticed it before on previous pictures.

Here is my miniature version or Where's Wally. Can you spot the new things in this room? Ok, here's a clue, they are on the tray next to the plates! Two divine little spoons! This picture by the way, is the servants' hall. The servants' hall contain old fashioned furniture that once had pride of place in the old manor house that was demolished to make way for the new house! Not nearly elegant enough for an 18th century gentleman's home, so consigned to the servants quarters! ;o)

Another new purchase in the Georgian kitchen is this marble slab with wet fish. Made by Et Cetera. The fish are beautifully painted and have very fine detail, I think they are lovely!

And here are some food items which are in the kitchen at The Swan. The toast rack has been mentioned before by some of you. It was again a miniature made by Et Cetera. The frying pan with full English breakfast on the go, was a nice find at Kristin Baybars' shop; I think they should have cooked the bacon a little earlier as it still looks a little raw, and the egg is almost done! Ah! I'm getting hungry now, and I don't even eat red meat!

Anyone who has read my blog might be aware that I am a not so secret fan of Lego. When I saw this Lego Haunted House on sale last year, I had to have it! After a few quiet words in the ears of Santa's Little Helper, I got to unwrap this on Christmas afternoon!

It has lots of great little details and as it's a house, opens up to reveal its interior and is furnished inside, I though it deserved a place on my dolls' house blog!

The house is supposed to look run down and derelict, which isn't easy with Lego bricks, but the designer did a great job on this!

It comes with its own gates too. Inside there's a kitchen, a bedroom, an entrance hall with fireplace and a study, there are also attics in the Mansard roof, complete with old gramophone and of course all the resident ghosts! There's also a zombie chef and Lurch type butler.

I love books! I have collected quite a few over the years on the subjects I am interested in; art, architecture, history, dolls' houses etc etc. Some of my library ( if it doesn't sound pretentious to use that word!) are pictured here. Most of my books on Architecture and dolls houses are stored on these shelves down in my work dungeon (AKA the cellar). The bookcases aren't very good, so the shelves sag a bit with the weight of all the books, but they fill the space down here in the cellar very well, so I live with them!

I get most of my books from second hand bookshops or charity shops. I like to have a good rummage along the shelves, and sometimes find a real gem amidst all the Catherine Cookson paperbacks.

So, why am I showing you a shelf full of books? Well, partly it's to show you part of my work area you may not have seen before, to satisfy the current vogue for showing off work spaces in Blogland; and partly because I have been thinking of using some of my books to do little book reviews. Nothing profound or enlightening, just whether I like them or not really, and how they might help a fellow miniaturist (Elga did something very similar on her blog recently!).

I'm currently doing quite a bit of research for my next "Period Style' post (and there's a lot to be researched! it's taking ages!). The books I show may be on Architecture, history, furniture or dolls' houses, whatever I have that might be interesting to you.

I'll probably only do one or two books at a time, and will only appear occasionally, not every day I promise!! ;o). If you are able to see them ok, most of my dolls' house books are pictured above. Some have been well used as you may notice!

These are some of the books I have bought over the last couple of weeks. All of which will come in useful for my miniature projects and historical posts.

Sorry there are no miniatures today!!

Look out for my first book review coming soon!!

Can it really be the 8th of April already? I saw with some surprise that my last post was back in February, what happened to March? It really does only seem a week ago since I was last posting on my blog, but the past month has rushed by in such a blur, I find myself plunging deep into April!

I had a lovely birthday, and had lots of little treats all of that week (not least Fi's wonderful little birthday post, and her Pineapple mug she sent me; once I had worked out it was from her!!). AM sent me a copy of Le Grand Livre De La Maison Miniature for my birthday too, which was so very kind, and is a lovely book! (What HAS happened to AM, B.T.W?)

I also visited two dolls house fairs and went to a dolls house shop in the Cotswolds last month. More on all of those another time.

I promise to do the first book review I promised to do ages ago, as soon as possible! I have managed to keep up with most blogs I follow, and apologise if I have failed to leave a comment, I will do my best to rectify that as soon as possible also!!

The video above is one of my favourite songs, sung by Sandy Denny, who was a singer in the band Fairpoint Convention, until her sad, untimely death. I am sure you'll agree that she had a fabulous voice, and the song is both beautiful and moving. (Nina Simone has done a nice cover version of this song too!).

(I don't think my blog is an appropriate place for politics, but the tune above could just as easily have been Ding Dong the Witch is Dead from the Wizard of Oz!! Ding Dong! the Witch is dead, which old witch? The Wicked Witch! Ding Dong the Wicked Witch is dead!!!!')

Hello,

For my first book review I have chosen two books by Brian Nickolls; Making Dolls' Houses and Making Character Dolls' House, Both published by David and Charles. My reason for choosing these books first is that there are the books that all three of my dolls' houses were based on plans taken from them. If you have a keen eye, you will probably notice the houses I have built on the covers of the two books.

Making Doll's Houses contains the plans for the Tudor building, David's father built a copy of this house, and later I furnished the inside as a 1930's shop.

The second book, Making Character Dolls' Houses, was where I got the plans for my Georgian House and The Swan Inn.

The books both contain detailed plans, and written paragraphs telling you how to complete each house, step by step. And there are pictures of the completed projects on most pages too, which helped me to visualise how it would all look when I had finished.

Building a dolls house following plans from a book has plusses and minuses; on the plus side, you can adapt and change things, you have all the measurements required along with the correct shapes the pieces that make up the dolls house should be, and a fairly useful guide to what has to be done, and how to do it. The minuses are that you have to measure and cut each piece (though commercially made doors and windows could be used instead and plans adapted accordingly), some of the instructions aren't so clear as they could be to a novice builder like me, and some of the projects require a level of carpentry skills that may surprise you (for example the Georgian House pillars and balustrades need to be turned on a lathe).

One thing I would strongly advise you to do is check the measurements and plans well before cutting, on the Georgian House I routed out a groove in the base of the house, following the plan, only to find that the position of the groove was wrong, and should have been 9mm further forward, fortunately I spotted this before assembling the dolls house. The plans for the Swan Inn project also had a mistake in the position of the smallest window on the first floor.

Despite these small errors, both books give a wide variety of projects, and cater to newbies and experienced house builders alike. The projects are presented well, and are fairly easy to follow for the most part.

I would recommend these books to anyone thinking of building a dolls house from scratch. If you already have a kit house to build, these books won't be much use, though do give some useful tips on construction and tools required. They might also provide inspiration for current and future projects.

I believe that these books are now out of print, but many second hand copies are on sale. There are both hardback and paperback versions of these books available.

I hope you enjoy these books if you find them!

Hello! I was going to post a few pics of some recent purchases I had made at dolls' house shows and shops over the past couple of months. It occurred to me as I was taking the first few photos, that despite the fact I love all the things I have bought, I had mixed feelings when I actually got home and tried to place the items. I realised that I had been buying things simply because I liked them, and not because I had a place in mind for them in my dolls house. To put it another way, I was buying with my heart and not using my head!!

Take the first item I have shown you; the bonheur-du-jour, made by Escutcheon who had returned to Miniatura in Birmingham after a long absence, I saw a similar one in a book of dolls' house miniatures and had loved it, so when I saw this one, I snapped it up! It only really occurred to me later, back at home, that I didn't really have anywhere to put it!

I have put it into the main bedroom, in the corner, but I had liked the arrangement I already had there, and the pink upholstered chair just didn't look good next to the bonheur-du-jour, so that meant rearranging the bedroom even more.

I have put the pink chair next to the dressing table, but am still not happy with the result, I think it doesn't work next to the chinese Chippendale chair. Or am I taking this whole thing way too seriously!?!!

I also purchased this exquisite hand painted china plate (the photo really doesn't do it justice!) which came from Escutcheon too. Again, I have absolutely no idea where to put it! It still hasn't found a home and is currently sitting on the floor of the bedroom!

Another purchase made at Miniatura has ended up in the library, after much placing and replacing in different rooms! Can you see what it is?

It's a beautiful pie-crust edge table, made by John Hodgson. I have an almost identical life sized version of this table in my bedroom, so knew I had to have it, trouble is, where could it go? Fortunately, I am happy with it being in the library, though it is hard to see all the fine detail on the table when it's so far back in the room.

I bought a few more miniature books by Ellie de Lacy. You may have noticed the book shelves need a lot more filling!! I hope the picture above isn't too dark for you to see one of Ellie's books on the desk, which has a sweet little silk page marker!

This chair was also added to the library recently, after sitting in the attic for months with nowhere to go! I bought it in a sale at a nearby dolls' house shop. It was only by chance that I noticed it matched a chair I had in the library already. so it made sense to put this with the other one!

I suppose this is really just a little note of caution, to think about where things are going to go perhaps, before rushing in to buy them. There will always be things that you buy simply because you love them, but you need to keep an eye on the practical side of things too sometimes!!

Or maybe I really am taking this whole miniatures thing far too seriously!!!!?

Ah! Spring is FINALLY here!! After what seems nothing short of a new Ice Age, we have suddenly arrived full swing into spring! The sunshine of the past week or so has brought out all the lovely spring flowers, so the garden is filled with colour once again, the birds are getting frisky, and the butterflies and bumble bees are embracing the early sunshine.

What better time to take you by the hand and take you through the changes at the Swan Inn?

You might notice Fred, the new customer seated on the settle at the back of the room. It's another Woodside Doll, from their cheaper range. He does have a slightly similar look to the barman, so maybe they are related (well this is a country pub!!).

You might also have noticed the little canine companion, which was a little stocking filler a few months back. And what else? well, there is the table and chairs, picked up from The Dolls' House in Northleach, as I felt the pub needed a bit of furniture in it. I'm not entirely convinced that it's right for the pub, but I love the chairs that go with it.

Charlie has seen a few changes also; gone are the narrow benches (there's one still under the window) to be replaced by a lovely settle (from Northleach again!). I seem to have misplaced his dominoes somewhere though! I have also been thinking of dirtying the fireplaces a bit too, adding some soot, to make things look more realistic. What do you think?

Behind the bar there is a new swan! the old one was really a white duck, and when I saw this little china swan, I thought it might look a little more graceful behind the bar.

I also got some new things for the kitchen. The mixer was another of those 'heart over head' purchases that I was discussing in my last post. I think I can just about get away with the period, but it doesn't really matter, as I do love it! The knives, jars of pickles, utensils and bowl of eggs were all purchased at a dolls' house fair just a few miles away near Milton Keynes. I think the maker for most of the items was called Dollshouse Delights (sorry if this is not the case!!).

I also got the little broom, dustpan and brush from the same maker. I like little dolls house brooms and brushes, they remind me of Beatrix Potter's Tale of Two Bad Mice.

My next little project will be to make some little curtains, or perhaps just a pelmet in gingham fabric for the window above the sink.

A couple of weeks ago David and I went on a little trip away, with his parents, to Staffordshire. Our home for the week was Tixall Gatehouse, owned and maintained by the Landmark Trust. It is the most amazing building, originally the gatehouse to an Elizabethan manor house, which was demolished long ago. Work began on the gatehouse in the 1560s, the standard of carving on the stonework is astonishing, and the building uses many classical motifs in a purely decorative way.

The front and rear facades are both equally decorative, and the four turrets, one on each corner, are finished with distinctive ogee shaped domes. (that is me getting into the car by the way!!)

Here are some pictures of the building taken closer up, can you see all the details in the stone work? Do you notice the classical orders are followed vertically, Doric, Ionic and Corinthian, clearly someone had been studying their classical text books!

My favourite feature on the whole building were these elegantly nonchalant angels above the gateway, there to greet us on arrival, they do look a little worn, but then they are over 450 years old!!

The front facade has soldiers above the gateway instead of angels, not quite so welcoming!!

The views from the rooftop over the Staffordshire countryside were incredible. Tixall is on the edge of Cannock Chase an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Our neighbour across the way was Shugborough Hall, ancestral home to the Earls of Lichfield.

Also in Tixall, a little way from the Gatehouse is this sweet little lodge gate, which also has an ogee shaped roof, and is believed to be part of the same estate as the Gatehouse. It is now a private home.

Our closest neighbours were sheep, with their sweet little lambs, it was a delight to see them, and they slowly got used to us, and get closer to us as the week progressed.

And here are some of the places we visited while on holiday.

Biddulph Grange Gardens

Biddulph Grange has a beautifully kept garden, maintained by the National Trust. The Victorian Garden was created by James Bateman, and is filled with plants and trees he collected from all over the world. The garden has several themes, including the Italian style terrace above...

The Egyptian Garden, complete with Sphinxes and monkey god in the temple...

And a stunning Chinese style garden. The garden looks fairly tranquil in the photos, but when we visited it was absolutely POURING with rain!!

St Mary's Church, Ingestre

This beautiful English Baroque church is believed to be the work of Sir Christopher Wren, and would be his only parish church outside of London. The building of the church was commissioned by Walter Chetwynd, and he paid for its construction.

Work began on the church between 1673-1676.

The interior of the church is truly breathtaking! It isn't normally left open, so if you plan to visit you might need to contact the key holder, we were very lucky that someone passing by could let us in.

The ceiling is a very fine example of plasterwork popular in the late seventeenth century.

Notice the pillars along the nave, which are very similar to a design used by Wren at St Brides in London.

The pulpit and tester are said to be the work of Grinling Gibbons, a prolific carver in the seventeenth century. I'm not entirely sure it's true, but they are certainly in his style. The Tripartite screen above is also attributed to Gibbons.

this is the font.

Here are some close-ups of the carving.

There are also some stunning Arts and Crafts Movement stained glass windows, one by Burne Jones (on the right)

The other by Baroness Gleichen (on the left) from the William Morris Studio.

Lichfield Cathedral

Lichfield is a rather pretty city, it has some beautifully kept parks and this amazing cathedral (note the poser in sunglasses who 'just happened' to get into my shot!! (thank you David!)

The interior of the Cathedral is worth seeing, but the most amazing thing I thought was this doorway,

the main entrance to the cathedral. The stone carving is exquisite!

Buxton

Buxton is a small spa town in the Derbyshire Dales, surrounded by beautiful rugged countryside. It is most famous for its Opera House, alongside which is the Winter Garden and Rotunda...

It is also famous for the crescent, almost, if not perhaps more elegant than the Royal Crescent at Bath. The Crescent is currently being renovated after years of neglect, and is due to open as a hotel and spa in the next couple of years.

Here is a shot of the centre of the crescent.

Well, there you are, a little snapshot of our recent holiday. I hope I haven't bored you all!! I realise that there are no miniatures in this post, but they will be coming in another post very soon, as I popped along to the Kensington Dolls' House Festival after my holiday, and have a few things I'd like to show you.

Ta ra for now!!

Andy xxx

The day after we returned from our little holiday, I trekked off to London to visit the Kensington Dolls' House Festival. I went on Saturday, which seems to be the first day of the show now, rather than Friday. It was very busy inside, but there were some great miniatures and some lovely artisans at the show as usual!

I bought several things, and won't show you everything, but I was very excited to finally be able to purchase this Stokesay Ware dinner service. It's the jubilee pattern, which I think was launched last year. I was torn between this one or the Greek Key design that Stokesay Ware also do. If my memory is correct (which it may very well not be!!) this pattern is based on a Royal Worcester one from the early 19th century, so fits well with the Regency/Georgian period my house is set in.

I have been looking at the Stokesay Ware china for many years now, since I first started going to the dolls' house shows. I admit that it did cost more than I would usually pay for a miniature, and had to use the Fantastic Plastic to help pay for it, but decided to go for it at last.

Here it is in all its miniature glory! I did check, and will still be able to add to the set over the next few years if I need to. I bought four place settings, and could get more over time. I love the vegetable dish and soup tureen particularly!

I think this shot gives a clearer image of the pattern on the china. You may have noticed the teapot depicted on the box is in the same pattern, so I think a tea service must also be available.

And here is the service laid out on the dining room table (which is crying for a table cloth!) I also gave the silver a little polish as some of it was starting to get very tarnished, but think I need to silver jewellery dip rather than the silver cloth I have, as I can't clean all the fine details. (you might also notice the hand painted plate I bought at Miniatura has found a home on the mantle shelf of the fireplace, replacing a Victoria Fasken one).

Do you remember my quandary over the Bonheur-du-Jour a few weeks ago? Gee very sensibly suggested that I do not pass judgement upon it until it has been bought to life a little with some suitable accessories. Well, taking his advice, and my own HOTlist (thanks John!! x) I looked out for some things to dress the bonheur with...

And here is the result! The beautiful bird is by Veronique Cornish and fits in with the other bird ornaments in the room by the same artist. The letters are copies of genuine ones complete with wax seals (before envelopes were invented!), Made by Ellie de Lacy, a STEAL at £2.50 a pack, I bought two packs of assorted letters and used them to fill the bonheur and the bureau bookcase in the parlour.

The little leather-bound book is also by Ellie de Lacy, and is actually a 1/24th scale book, but I thought it was just right for the bonheur. I also found a tiny pair of spectacles (just about visible behind the chair) from Truly Scrumptious.

Here's another shot. I am very happy with the result, and think the bonheur works better in the room now it is dressed, though I would still like one or two more things for it, an ink well and quill maybe, I have some keys I might use too, but all in good time! Thank you for the advice Gee!

And here is another shot showing more of the bedroom. Fi will be thrilled to know that I am now planning to start work on the bed covers and curtains (ONCE I HAVE FOUND A PRETTY PLEATER - which seem to be as rare as hen's teeth in the UK!).

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Meanwhile, at the Swan Inn...

For a long time I have been thinking of getting a wife for the pub landlord, why not? everybody needs somebody to love as Queen once said (or sang!). Well, I had a bit of trouble finding a female doll that fitted the period and had the right look (this from someone who wasn't ever going to have dolls in his houses!!). Mid 20th century dolls are actually quite hard to get hold of, there tend to be mostly Victorian, Georgian and Elizabethan dolls about. However, after looking out for a suitable wife at several shows to no avail, I finally found one I liked! It is by Woodside Dolls, who made all the other pub dolls. I love her floral house-coat, but what I liked most about her was that she looks quite a bit like my own mother (a psychologist would probably have a field day after that little confession LOL!!).

I am going to call her Jennifer in honour of my mother. She looks a little plump on all the traditional British food (she loves her cottage pie, cheese scones and trifle, and she makes a great roast dinner!!) but is quite healthy with all the fresh country air about her. Trouble is, I can't remember what name I gave her husband downstairs behind the bar! (He certainly isn't going to be called Thomas, Mum! I'm not letting you make that mistake again!!)

Well, there you have it! I did buy a few other bits and pieces, and I might do another post on those sometime, but these were my main purchases.

OK, so we're not talking the 'Great British Sewing Bee' here, but the very fact I picked up a needle and thread is a minor miracle! I am not a good seamstress, it doesn't come naturally to me at all, The few stitches I had to do for this pelmet were quite a trial, the thread got caught up often, got itself into a tangle I couldn't undo, and was generally a rather ham-fisted affair! The sewing is a practice, I intend to do more, and hope to get better at it too! I have quite a few sewing projects coming up soon.

Anyway, the pelmet and shelf I built are for the pub kitchen, to go above the window above the sink.

I bought a few other miniatures whilst at Kensington recently, destined for the pub kitchen. These include a copy of Mrs Beeton's Cookery Book, a copper jug and bottle of Zebo grate polish.

Mrs Beeton's book was a hugely popular collection of recipes, household tips and social advice. It was first published in 1861. Isabella Beeton was 21 when she began work on the book, and sadly died only a few years later aged 28. The book is still published today. we still have David's mother's copy given as a wedding present in the 1950s!

So, when I saw this miniature copy, complete with illustrations and just about legible recipes, I snapped it up!

This miniature book is made by Et Cetera and comes complete with a hand written miniature recipe for marmalade tucked inside!!!

Here is the shelf and pelmet in position above the sink. I found a few other items to join the jug and Zebo polish on the shelf, some jars I purchased at a local dolls house show a few months ago.

And here it is with everything back in place. I think it brings some much needed colour to this room, as the grey is a bit cold looking. It also provides some useful space to display a few of my miniatures too (the kitchen table was getting far too full up with things!!)

So, what will I be sewing next!!? I wonder! ;o)

Hello everyone!! Sorry to have been so quiet for so many weeks, but I have been flat out with things to do in the real world that the miniatures and blog land have taken a back seat. One of my tasks has been to redecorate my bedroom, which took a lot longer than I thought it would, but is now (almost) complete!!

Above is a photo of the rather scruffy piece of furniture I purchased recently for ebay. The picture really does it too much justice!! It was in a real state when we got it home (the top of the chest of drawers fell of as we were carrying it!!). However, there was something about its size, shape and nice cabriole legs that appealed to me - it had potential!!

So, after days of sanding and cleaning it up, priming and painting it, giving it some new handles and installing it in my bedroom, it now looks quite unlike its old self and is quite at home now. My own version of shabby chic, without too much shabby!!

And here is the chest of drawers in its new home!!

I also need to say an overdue thank you to some of my blogging friends. Irene from Small and Stately

sent me a wonderful miniature spurtle, use for stirring porridge, along with its life-sized counterpart, when I won here blog give-away recently. She also sent me some Edinburgh Rock, which brought back some wonderful memories of my Scots grandparents. I have gobbled all the rock up now, hence why it doesn't feature in the picture!!

The miniature spurtle has been beautifully made and will be found a very good miniature home. Thank you Irene!

John from Merriman Park also deserves my thanks for very kindly sending me his very own Pretty Pleater!! Yes, Pretty Pleater herself! I will, once I have fully regained my mini-head, get to work with the Pretty Pleater and make some curtains for my dolls house. No excuses anymore!!

There are several other mini projects I am thinking about too!

I promise to try and catch up with all your recent posts, sorry I haven't made many comments recently, I am sure I will be back in full swing very soon.

Andy xxx

Last week a very special parcel arrived from the other side of the world (two in fact, but that is a whole other story!). Inside the parcel, carefully packed, were a host of heavenly gifts from Australia, sent by the angelic Fi apassionforminatures.blogspot.com

David has already posted about his special little gift from Fi on his own blog. I also received a lovely painting in miniature. A picturesque landscape full of amazing detail. in a delightful golden frame!

Once I had had time to take in the detail of the painting, and imagine all the hard work that went into it, I had to find somewhere special to hang it! Fi suggested that it was not quite right for an eighteenth century home, and might look good in the pub, but I was certain that it would look perfect in the Georgian house. I tried it in various rooms, resting on a chair, for want of an easel!

But the painting wasn't the only thing Fi had made for me! There was also this perfect pineapple, sent with a collection of other pineapple related gifts for the Big Pineapple. The miniature pineapple, or Little Pineapple, has been placed in the hall in a grand comport to welcome guests to the Georgian House.

And I also felt that the landscape painting looked perfect in the hall as well, where everyone who came to the house would see it!

Here is another shot of the two gifts together, the pineapple does look a bit lonely in its great big stand doesn't it!!

In putting Fi's lovely landscape in the hall, I was left with a stray Stubbs horse (always a problem!!). However, I soon found a new home for it in His Lordship's attic bedroom; it also meant I was able to replace the dull old painting that was there originally!

His Lordship seems quite fond of race horses and paintings of them, there is also a horsey painting above his dressing table. I'm not too sure about the chair in this room; a recent addition. It looked OK in the shop, but seems massive in this tiny room. I'm also not entirely happy with the colour of the wood. Still, it was a bargain, the shop was selling off its remaining Bespaq stock, and there were one or two other things I snapped up.

So, I would like to thank Fi for her lovely thoughtful gifts and show her that they have settled into their new home very well! Over the past couple of years I have been sent some amazing gifts and prizes from generous people all over the world, and I would like to take this chance to thank them once again, I have been touched by the kindness and generosity of my friends in Blogland!

xxxx Andy xxxx

I feel that I have been rather neglectful of my miniatures and my blog this year. A major project at work and redecoration at home have taken some of my spare time, but I really don't think there has been enough progress on the miniature front. Now that autumn will soon be spreading its russet mantel across the country, I feel it's time to settle down and crack on with things.

I have not done much at all to the 1:24th scale house project I started late last year, it's still in pieces and unpainted MDF! Truth is, I haven't felt very inspired by it, though I do intend to finish it, I just haven't had a passion to get on with it!

The pub still lacks a swinging sign and I need to make some plants for the front too. Of course the dreaded curtains have still to be done in the Georgian House too, though this should be much easier to do thanks to John of Merriman Park, who has given me his Pretty Pleater.

So, there's plenty to be getting on with. But wait!! What is this? A spark of inspiration?

Yes! whilst rummaging in my local Oxfam I found a little soft toy, a dressed frog, or rather toad. Mr Toad, no less!!! And where does Mr Toad live?

Toad Hall!!!!

So, when I have got on with a few jobs I need to do, I will have a go at making my new friend a miniature Toad Hall. EH Shepard illustrated one of the Wind in The Willows books (the smaller of the two in the top photograph) there is a small illustration of Toad Hall, looking like a rambling old ancestral home. I want to recreate something akin to this, but pared down to capture the essence without taking up too much space. I'm thinking of a Great Hall, Minstrel's gallery, huge fire place, armour, ancestral portraits, a smaller parlour with a masculine edge, a bedroom and some other rooms, a jacobean staircase and much more besides.

I have plenty of bits of furniture which have been removed from the Georgian House over the past few years, which I can put to use in Toad Hall (this includes, for those sharp eyed readers, the large chair that was in His Lordships bedroom!!)

I also happen to have some other pieces that were earmarked for a secret project I was going to do in January.

You can see that it didn't get very far! I was going to create a gothic style room box for David as a surprise gift, and bought a few things to use in the project.

However, in passing one day, David mentioned that he wasn't keen on room boxes, so the project got shelved without him even knowing about it! It had wondered what to do with the pieces I had bought already, but realised that they would be perfect for an Edwardian period home, so these miniatures will also find a place in Toad Hall!

Without getting too carried away, I have started collecting ideas that I might be able to use and recreate in miniature; there are postcards, books, cards and so on, I have even begun looking for miniature frog ornaments which might come in useful in the project!!!

I will let you know more when I have some more idea of the final look I want. I will also keep you updated in other little things that I have been doing on my other dolls houses.

And now for the Sweet Surprise in the title of this post. Yesterday, after an extremely long day at work, I arrived home to find a parcel waiting for me on the dining room table. I looked at it and wondered what it was, who had sent it? 'It's from Ilona', said David. How did he know? and how did Ilona get my address? I opened the package and read the pretty card that was enclosed; David and Ilona had been talking it seemed!! Inside the package were some beautiful miniature peonies, so delicate and wonderfully detailed!

They looked perfect in the vases I had on the dressing table of the Georgian bedroom, I had to split the flowers between the two vases as the vase necks were so narrow that wouldn't fit into just one, but I think they look better in both vases anyway!

Thank you Ilona, for a beautiful gift and a wonderful surprise, yet again, I am amazed at the kindness shown by my Blogland friends!!

I also received some miniature perfume bottles, which Jenny from The Swan Inn insisted on having!!

Whilst out shopping today I found these new Lego Minifigures. I knew that they were being launched soon, but thought it wasn't until September! Being a huge Lego Head, I spent quite a while squeezing the packets to try and find all the figures I liked best, though the box was almost empty!

You can see that I still managed to get quite a few!! My favourite is this traditional British Bobby (I'm a sucker for a man in uniform!! if only they still looked like this!!) complete with truncheon!

I also love the Gingerbread Man and the Christmas Elf (who will go nicely with the Father Christmas Minifigure I get last year). I never collect the full set of each series of Minifigures, I prefer to just try and find the ones I like most. I've done quite well with this set already, but there are still one or two I would like, so I will be back to squeeze and poke the little packets again very soon! LOL!

OK! it is now officially the end of summer! British Summer Time has ended, and we are back to long, cold, dark evenings. The last time I wrote anything on this blog was way back in August! If you were to ask me what I have been up to during that post and this, I am not sure I would be able to give a reasonable explanation! I've been away on a little holiday at the end of September, and been to visit a few friends and family in that time, but miniatures have been put a little on the back burner.
I think, in part, it's because I wasn't able to go the the Miniatura show in September, and won't be able to go the Kensington Christmas Show at the end of November either; it has sort of blunted my enthusiasm a little. Not that I have been entirely inactive on the miniature front...

In my last post I mentioned some miniature projects that needed to be done before I moved on to other things. I have done a few of these, some not worth noting on the blog, but I have made some plants to go outside the pub, a project that has been waiting for a long time. I decided that some lavender would look good either side of the porch entrance to the pub.

I took some simple things I had in my miniature stash, including some modelers grit, which was left over from my Miniature Garden Centre Wisteria kit.

I cut some florist wire into short lengths, and some green 'tinsel' I bought last Christmas from Kristin Baybar's shop (though have seen it available elsewhere since), which was also cut into short lengths.

I then used the same principle to make lavender flower heads as were used on the wisteria kit, only kept a lot smaller (I think mine are actually a little too big to be accurate 1-12th scale, but don't think it really matters too much). this was done by dipping the wire into a drop of Tacky Glue then coating the glue covered tips of the wire into modelers grit.

I then had to think about the colour! English lavender tends to look a bit grey, both the foliage and the flowers, however, a visit to the garden centre showed that there were several varieties of lavender, some with greener foliage and purple flowers, and that is what I opted for. I painted the flowers with two shades of lilac paint, first a light colour all over, then a darker one which I just dabbed on, and was quite pleased with the results.

I filled a flower tub with some Das air drying clay then arranged the flower stems, trying to make them look like they were growing 'naturally'. Then I pushed in the green foliage, again bending and shaping it to look like it was growing 'naturally'.

The final touch, still needing to be done is to add some 'soil' to the top of the Das clay. I bought some modeling material from the miniature garden centre, which is brown and passes for soil, but it occurred to me afterwards that the contents of a cheap tea bag might do the trick just as well!

Here is a view with both tubs finished (except for the 'soil') sitting outside of The Swan, and which seem to work very well with the wisteria, which gave me the idea of making lavender in the first place!

A closer view of one of the finished tubs.

and here are the two, either side of the porch.

I've also started to make a sign for The Swan, to hand on the metal bracket I purchased a long time ago. This meant painting two sides of a piece of wood with two painting more or less identical. No easy task for me!! I drew what I wanted first of all to give me an outline to follow, I decided it would be easier to paint directly onto a piece of wood.

I then used oil paints, thinned with turpentine spirit, to create a swan swimming on the water. I am no great artist and found working in a small scale even harder, but was fairy happy with the result of the first swan. The second swan is now finished, and is not quite the same as the first one, but looks reasonably OK (sorry I don't have a picture of it). I know the bull rushes are not very good, but will mostly be hidden by the frame that will be used to surround each picture before the sign is finally hung in place outside The Swan Inn.

I will do my best to catch up with all your recent blog posts, but it takes ages for them to download onto my vintage Mac these days, which is partly why I have been so neglectful. I do hope you will forgive me!!

Hello there. Sorry I haven't posted anything in ages, as usual, life seems to be going at such a fast pace I hardly find time to do anything. I had hoped to do a condensed Christmas Countdown this year, but even that failed to materialise, and now with barely a week left to go until the BIG DAY

I felt it would be a shame not to get something on my blog, even if it wasn't particularly Christmassy!

Back in September, I went on a short break away to Yorkshire, staying at a castle gate house just outside the city of York. I would love to show you some photos of the inside of Fairfax House, a georgian house set up with period rooms, but photos were not allowed inside, which is understandable, but is also a pity as they are well worth seeing!

I did, however, get some good photos from the York Castle Museum, just a stone's throw away from Fairfax House. The museum has various room settings, a Victorian street scene and household appliances through the ages. The photo above is a typical Victorian parlour of a middle-class family, there is also another shot of the room with its fireplace below.

It's the sort of room Scrooge's nephew might have had in A Christmas Carol. (shoehorning in a little bit of Christmas there!!) Victorians loved to fill there homes with clutter and bold, fussy patterns.

This is an example of a more working-class family cottage, more likely in the country than in a city. It looks fairly cosy, but would probably have been little more than one room for a whole family to live in.

Here is the other view of this room.

A view of a 17th century room. Lots of dark carved oak and panelling was typical of interiors during the 17th century, though things did change during the latter part of the century, as you might well see in some planned new posts in the New Year!

Here is a view out onto the Victorian street scene below.

A mid-18th century parlour.

Do you see the dolls' house in this room?

Here's another view which I hope shows the dolls' house a little better.

Oh! must have posted this picture out of sequence! we've gone back a century here! The 17th century room again!

A 1930's living room set up for a birthday party

It's the sort of look I was trying to get in the parlour at the Swan Inn, though this is more typical of a suburban semi. Notice the TV? This family must have been fairly well off. TVs were quite a novelty in the 1930's, with limited amounts of programming available

a 1930's kitchen.

Again, this would have been fairly middle-class, with all the latest labour-saving appliances, the electric iron was plugged into the lightbulb fitting!

Some older ways to cook food! An open fire with a clock work turn spit, and chimney cranes to hold the pans, and griddle.

This fire is much smaller and comes with a bread oven, hot coals would be put inside the bread oven, then when the oven was hot enough, all the coals would be raked out before the bread was cooked.

This 1980's kitchen is very similar to the one I remember from the house I grew up in. It does seem strange to see this in a museum!! (makes me feel old!!)

Wash day! All that would be needed, though it took all day to do!!

early carpet sweepers and pump vacuum cleaners.

An early fridge. This would have been a very expensive luxury when it was new!

A victorian range cooker.

a Victorian pantry.

A Victorian carpenter's shop from the city street scene, a large part of the job was making coffins!

A shop on the Victorian street scene.

Seems to be selling all manor of household goods.

The street urchin's view!! ;o)

Dolls' house furniture for sale inside the toy shop. Looks like we managed to avoid the Christmas rush!

some other 21st century time travelers, anyone seen the Tardis?

the Grocer's shop window. York was home to several famous confectionary and chocolate makers, including Rowntree's and Terry's

A candle maker's work shop, I think they were known as chandlers.

The home of a poor family living in the city.

Some of the other city residents or should that be rodents?!!

York Castle Museum is filled with wonderful things and well worth a visit, particularly if you have an interest in social history or are doing some research on particular periods of domestic life.

So, not perhaps a particularly Christmassy post, as I said, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. I do hope to catch up with my comments soon, but I have been keeping an eye on all your blogs and enjoying them.

Hello!

This is just to apologise to you all for not being a very good blogger recently, I have been having some problems getting access to Blogspot with my vintage Mac! It takes ages(!!) to download on here, and I don't find the Ipad alternative very easy to use. I have tried to keep up to date with your posts, but even this is a bit tricky!

However, I promise to try and work on my blog more than I have been recently, I noticed it has been well over a year since I did a Period Style guide, and so that is way overdue, and will be a very exciting period for architecture in the UK!! so watch this space, even if it looks the same as it did last year!! ;)

I got some nice new Lego sets for Christmas too, so might just post about those at some point too, and there are loads of other ideas I have that need working on, so please bear with me, whilst I cope with the technical difficulties I have and I will, hopefully, have some new posts for you soon!

(speaking of Lego, have you seen the new Simpson's house in Lego? I MUST have it!!!!)

The dolls house fairs are beginning again this year, I'm not sure I will be able to go to many, but will try, and will let you know what I find.

Hope you enjoy the new look on my blog!

Andy x

Hello! Does anyone recognise this house? The occupants are quite well known around the world. Here's a clue; LEGO have rendered it in 3D, but it is usually seen in 2D!

Is this picture any better? Have you guessed?

Well, I am sure it was no surprise to most of you that it is,of course, home to the Simpson family! Here is my rather poor attempt to recreate the action during the opening credits!

The whole family have been created as LEGO Minifigures, including Ned Flanders, the next-door neighbour. You can see the famous sofa in the background, and the TV is showing an episode of Itchy and Scratchy; Bart and Lisa's favourite TV show.

And here is Bart in his bedroom.

This is the most recent LEGO set I have purchased, and like the Haunted House I featured a long time ago, it opens up to reveal furnished rooms, just like a dolls' house would, So I thought I would add it to my blog.

I also got some great buildings for Christmas, and my birthday, which have been added to a department store I have had for some time. When they are clipped together the building create a street scene, and there are lots of lovely details in each building.

I have put the buildings together on top of some new bookcase I had to buy earlier this year, after my old ones collapsed! (thank heavens for IKEA!)

This is the department store that I have had for several years, and some of you have spotted in earlier posts I have done.

It forms the corner building for the street scene.

Next was this Brownstone style townhouse and the pet shop.

I got the Parisian restaurant for my birthday. I think this is the best of the modular street series that LEGO have produced in the range so far, and is packed with great features and unusual LEGO bricks.

The Town Hall is the tallest building in the series so far (I don't have the whole collection mind you)

It is actually slightly too tall to fit on the shelf, so I had to remove the top most roof tower brick, But as you can see (or rather can't see) it is too dark amongst the roof timbers to be noticed!

The Palace cinema is the last building in my street scene, and is another corner building. Trouble is, I have now run out of room almost, so I might need to buy more bookcases!! ;o)

Belated New Year Greetings!

Order Restored

Something Old, Something New

More stuff!!

Spooky Darling!

Bibliophile

Who Knows Where The Time Goes?

Book Review

Recent Purchases (and a Note of Caution!)

Fancy a Pint? The Swan Inn Gets a New Punter!

Holiday Snaps

Kensington

A Few More Miniatures... And Some Sewing!!!!!

Back from the Real World!!

The Artist of Oz

A Spark of Inspiration! A Sweet Surprise and Some New Minifigures

What HAVE I been up to?

A Not Particularly Christmassy Christmas Post!

Apologies!!

Getting up to date!