ACTME Miniatures Fair, Canberra

Hi all. Weekend just gone, my mum and I made the drive over the hills to Canberra for the annual miniatures fair. We had a lovely (but short) weekend and caught up with some lovely people there. A big shout out to the great members of the ACT Miniatures Enthusiasts group who were very friendly and helpful and enthusiastic.

I was on a very limited budget, but did come home with some goodies. A ceramic doggy very much like my little Tilly dog. Not really a dollhouse acquisition (no dog is that shiny!! Especially ours who loved mud) but sometimes you just have to put these things into your mini house just because you have to. And a kitty as a gift for a friend (I thought it would be cute on the mantle). A beautiful quilted cushion made by the very talented Dawn (I think she only sells at shows) and a hat that Dawn was selling for a friend which only cost me 50 cents! The hat *may* go in a 1:24 house (it's a little large) and the cushion will go in my (future) mens store.

Some books from Michelle's Miniatures: Shipwrecks and nudie postcards for the mens store mentioned above, and notebooks maybe for my French shop and my Coxwolds.

And lastly, some silk threads for tassels and mini cotton reels (I am hoping to dye the cream thread), as well as some cashmere thread to try mini knitting or crochet one day. I was pretty happy about these threads as I have wanted some for ages and it's really expensive online, but I want more colours. Need to keep looking at the shows!

Hope you are all well. I need to head off and do some work now!

Mountfield and French chateau progress

Well, here in Oz, another weekend is almost over. Where does it go?? I spent a good part of this afternoon scraping off the wall tiles in the old Mountfield bathroom which wasn't a huge drama, but one of those jobs I am just too lazy to bother with! In case you were wondering how I did it, I just tore off what I could of the tiles (paper with a shiny plastic coated surface), using a craft knife to get under the edges, then wiping a damp cloth over the paper residue. When it got damp enough, it just kind of rubbed off (using the cloth and finger nails). The floor tiles were another matter. They stayed where they were and I put the floor boards over the top. Problem 1: the floor boards were a different colour to the original ones in the other rooms (but I stained them all anyway, but even with the stain, the new boards are a slightly different colour); and 2) I stupidly put the floor boards running in the opposite direction to the rest of the house. Never mind. With a rug, I am not sure it is something you will notice.

This room doesn't really have a use yet. I am not much into kids' rooms but I do have a few little boys toys that I could've used here had I thought to put a boys wallpaper in there, rather than flowers. I have a little cot from my very first dollhouse, made from a kit, and it is white and blue, hence could've put that in there. So I am thinking either a child's room with the cot repainted, or a sewing/other room, similar to my music room I had at the back where the new bathroom was relocated to. (And yes the ceiling has scabby marks I need to fill and paint)

I have also been doing some work on the French chateau, mainly the salon, entry and courtyard which are all on the ground floor, and some exterior work. Here you can see the entry with stairs my husband helped build. This room will have a door on the right side, leading to the salon and I was going to have a matching door at the back leading under the stairs. My thoughts were that this would be visually very busy, as the two doors would be very close together and ornate. So I could put a niche on the stair wall (but they're not entirely my thing) or a smaller, plainer door (utilitarian). If I do a door, it could open and reveal a secret passage, or even a secret world! It's only a small space though - about 12cm wide and 10cm deep. What are your thoughts? Any crazy, whacky ideas??

Hope your weekend has been a good one. Xx