the hard bit

What a day, I started by taking the little house to bits, I have removed all that I could, then removed the wallpaper which must of been put on with super glue!!! never mind got there in the end, there was no edging around the inside of the windows and it did not look finished so I also made several of them, why did I start this it would of been easier to buy a new one, but I have started so I will finish so she says, have popped on a picture of the striped house,

I am researching wallpapers and colours for the era so that I get it right, I have sent out requests to my family for old photos that i can use some have already replied so looking forward to getting them,

anyway another day tomorrow it will be paint time oh glee

ready for painting

new project

I have decided after lots of thinking, looking at my books, looking at my bits, it came to me I will work on the house and so I then sat at looked at it and then it spoke to me, so it is going to be a little house set in the period of the world war 11, it will be the house of a family whose only son has gone to war, he has left behind his elderly parents, he was born late to them, so i hope to reflect in my design their memories and life,

I have a lot of work to do as the house is a wreck, it is slightly smaller than 1/12th so i will have to adapt the furniture, and as it only has 3 rooms i have got to be imaginative as to how i present it,

I will be taking you all along this journey and i hope that you will add comments or suggestions as i progress, i do intend to make as much as i can myself and will be putting the items on as i make them so you can see how they are made

NOW THE JOURNEY BEGINS..............................................

So now you can see the house as it is now
watch for regular updates and tutorial's 

its nearly finished

Today I have been putting the finishing touches to my updated haberdashery shop, I still have a few bits more to do, I cannot find lights that I want so will wait till I do before adding them, I also want to make a few hats using those that I found in the 1.00 shop, earlier post, not that happy with my sales lady might have to change her, i will live with her for a while and see,
have added pictures for you to see

the bolts of fabric are made by using scraps of material and wrapping them round a flat piece of cardboard,
the rolls of ribbon, very easy make a small shelf with a top, make a small slit either side, then take a cocktail stick and wind different laces, ribbon till full, leave bits hanging, place in slits, glue and there you have it,
the small boxes are made from either  cared or wood and if needed compartments made and filled with items,
buttons, small beads different colours,
threads, use cottons and wind round cardboard,
hat boxes, books and patterns from printies found on the web,
hope you like the finished effect.

man sits on a broken chair, clothing made from oddments

tools were made from bits of watch parts, tinfoil, wood and earings,
the bird houses from scraps of wood

the heater was made from a tut i found using cotton reel, buttons and wire them sprayed
the paint pots are made from balsa wood shaped, painted and labels found on web

closer look at the tools and heater

I thought also I would show you my little shed, i made this from everything I already had and recycled as much as I could,
i really had to use my imagination on this one, as i was determined that i would not buy a thing, the shed itself is made from cardboard strengthened by wood,
the seed packets are printies,
well that's all for now, just having a think of what i should do next,
see you all soon

busy week and help wanted

I have had a real busy week, nearly completed updating the haberdashery shop, sometimes I think I must be mad, I sat one night and made 25 pattern envelopes to put in a little box, you will only see the first one, but I have to be so realistic when I make something, also made loads of books and other bits, pictures coming soon.
went to my local dolls house club we are trying to learn to make clothes, I have made simple outfits but would love to make some real fancy dresses,
I have also decided to have a web page from there I hope to sell my miniatures from there I am hoping someone will have some advice for me on the best way to do this, I have been looking at some of the free web sites but not sure, so any help and advice really welcome.
see you all soon

new week

This year is already flying by, we are nearly at the end of January, and soon I will be thinking about Valentines day, lets hope I get some surprises!!
anyway this week I will be continuing with updating the haberdashery shop, so far I have repainted, wallpapered and but brick effect paper on the out side, so today I hope to do the skirting boards and the coving, if I have time I will also make some more bits, forgot, i have also updated the shelves and cabinets,
I have also been spraying some furniture black to complete the bedroom suite.
so lots to do this week, thats apart from the normal everyday home life,
Its raining here freebie my little dog hates the rain and will not have a walk, but it means I have to play with her to wear her out a bit otherwise she will not let me do anything, love her to bits,
I am also on a heath kick and am now having a healthy eating plan, not too bad but it takes longer to cook meals as I am trying to do everything from scratch, making my own sauces ect, and the big news I have stopped smoking, into day 4, its not as bad as I thought,
well more to follow later, housework and shopping to do before I can get into the work room so better get on

back again

On a roll now, completed the table and chairs see picture

after i painted the chairs cream i recovered the seats and back with a pale blue material
and edged them with pale grey trim.
i have also distressed them to give a worn look

the table and chairs finished, again i distressed the table, i added the grey trim and used silver paint to highlight the raised areas                                            

i made small table mats, and placed napkins in the wine glasses,
the food came from my supplies and i made the posy vase from jewellery finds,

i am very pleased with the finished item

this started as a plain dark brown table and chairs, and i hope i have shown you what you can do with a bit of imagination you can transform the items into something special.

Tutorial

button box

This is a little button box that i made, remember i am updating my haberdashery shop.

to make the button box,

cut from either stiff card or thin wood

base 2cm x 3cm

side and lid 2.5cm x 2cm

front 3cm x .5cm

sides (cut 2) .5cm x 2cm

stain the wood, i find it is easier to stain first as sometimes the stain will not take if there is any debris of glue.

when dry glue all together,

tip for staining, i use furniture scratch pens, these come in various colours of wood and are usually for covering scratches on furniture, but they are really good for staining small pieces of wood.

once glue is set, make a small label for your box,

add a selection of small beads and there you have a sweet little button box

A great find,
i found these sweet little hats in my local 1.00 shop, they are meant for card decorating, but i have found you can take the net cover off and you are left with a base for a hat for you to decorate as you wish,
in the picture the hat at the front is one that i have stripped ready to decorate,

well that's it for today, hope you enjoy this entry and please feel free to make comments, they are always welcome

hi all

The day started out well, got the furniture ready to spray, had spent ages rubbing down, looked in my cupboard, no spray, and I was not up to walking much today, so had to put them to one side and sat there looking at my work table, lost in thought, what can i do, cannot start the nursery, need some wallpaper and flooring, glanced up and what did I notice, my haberdashery shop, it was now in pieces, when i moved here i just packed it up and left it in a box, so decided to put everything in its place, but as i was getting the furniture out i thought how shabby it was looking so i have decided to do it all over again, why is it that as  miniaturists we can do a number of projects at any one time, it must be because we are women and can multitask,  anyway i started , i have taken everything out, removed all the shelves and bits, now left with a empty shop, so i began by removing the coving and skirting boards, rubbed it down and started to paint it, i will be making some more bits and will put them on the blog, also there are some pictures of before i ransacked it.#
I took my curtain samples to my friends shop she was impressed and has displayed them so i hope i can get some orders, i sell my bits as it enables me to continue with my hobby, i will never be rich but i get so much pleasure from doing this, my friend asked me the other day if i missed my job, and when i thought about it, no i did not, i get so much pleasure from what i make and achieve, as they say when one door shuts another opens, there i go again rambling on, anyway take a look at the photos of my haberdashery shop and then look forward to the new one when its finished
i have also added a link for you, this is my friend Brenda she makes fantastic ceramics, tiles, lamps, beach huts, she is well worth a visit. http://www.brentel.ceramics.designs.2itb.com/