A little pre Christmas post

 Hello! Wow, I posted in July and now the year is almost over….. how??? 

I haven’t achieved an awful lot when it comes to minis, except I did make an entry for the Miniatures.com creating contest. No idea where it will live, but my mum would be happy for it to go to her house. Unfortunately her house has two very eneergetic and curious 18 month old dogs, one a border collie and the other a kelpie, and the kelpie Roxy MUST KNOW EVERYTHING!!!! Anyway, will work that out later.

So rather than describe it, I’ll post some photos as I am sure you will work out what is going on. Sorry the photos are not in order.

I Hope you all have a happy and safe Christmas, and if you don’t celebrate at this time, I wish you a healthy, safe and fun year end. May 2022 be kinder than this year has been. Take care. Xxx

French house update

 Hi all. Happy Sunday. Thought I’d quickly check in to show the exterior of the French house currently. Finishing the removable roof and front/back panels are some of the last things to do. The inside surfaces need refinishing and a little more paint on the outsides.

So they are out of order, but here is the messy unfinished side. Considering bricking this or something, just to neaten it up.

Next is one front panel. The other looks much like this but with the door in centre and a window either side. The house only just fits into the shelf and I can’t even fit the turntable under it, so it’s hard to turn around.

And lastly, the side I finished. I added a French door over the side door and built an enclosed balcony around it. I based the design on one I saw in Dijon, France, I think it was. It pops off so I can put some plants in there.

I’ve painted the base to look like pavement/concrete, but it needs a lot more work. And plants, garden, etc. I might put a tiny gate across to enclose and the residential part from the street. I purchased the flowers. They might get separated into pots, but nothing decided yet, plus I need more pots. I like this side.

And lastly, I knitted a pair of gloves. I am pretty happy about this as I have wanted mini gloves for so long, and I also wanted to learn to knit in miniature. I have lots of things I want to knit small! Haha!

I will leave it there. I hope you are all having a great weekend (aren’t they always too short??). Take care. Xx

Sunday fun day

Hi everyone. I feel a little like I am nearing the end of the French house reno. Was planning on finishing the stair handrail this weekend but it was a bit overwhelming. So it didn’t get done. It’s currently in the too hard basket. I am wanting to take this house off my worktable but I am worried I just won’t finish those last few tasks.

Anyway, I started putting furniture and accessories back in and having some fun with it. Here is where I am with it.

So this is the entry with the unfinished stairs. A little touching up of skirting and paint, some accessories… but so far I like this.

The shop, which looks like an earthquake hit. I have made this as basically a studio space, an old shop that is no longer open but used by the owner as work space.

The reading room. The stairs from the ground floor come up behind that door in the centre. The spiral stairs is a metal kit I got from the UK. To the right is a little enclosed balcony which will have plants in it. This room needs furniture, including a bookcase.

The door on the left goes into the salon.

On the top floor, the ante chambre. Curtains need tiebacks. I love this little room.

And the main bedroom, through the curtains in the ante chambre. I have a few ideas for in here, but need a couple of bits and pieces.

And the guest bedroom. A little touching up and some bits and pieces.

This little pillow I got a good few years ago off Etsy. Can’t remember the seller. She does very sweet lingerie too. 

As you can see, some finesse required still. And every room needs a rug or two. Hopefully will be able to show you some more soon, as I sort through my things and find the right bits of furniture (uh oh, might need to go mini shopping!). 

Hope you are all staying well. We are very much into winter here and I do not like it…

Happy Easter!

 Hello everyone. I have been fiddling with the contents of my mini Easter shop these last few weeks. Many things yet to add and some things in these pictures are yet to be finished, but I am really happy with how they are going. I am sure that in a couple of years I’ll pull it out again and continue working on the accessories. I have had lots of fun with these.

My little cake pops made from tiny plastic bunny heads I got from somewhere. Little metal bunny I painted inside a little plastic egg I cut a hole in and stuck on a wooden pedestal. Cupcakes I painted which were Art of Mini 3d printed ones. Cake at front from Petit D’licious.

Two metal bunnies and a chicken I painted - the cream one not yet finished. Tray from a Robin Betterley kit. I made the rather rustic eggs scattered around!

Hanging egg is another plastic egg I painted and added dimensional clay roses. The wreath is a wire circle with dry couscous stuck to it then painted.

Bunnies on the left are more metal minis I painted, as is the basket at the front left (also needs finishing).

On the shelf, another Petit D’Licious Easter treat (in the box). Pink bunny and chocolate bunny on left are also metal minis I painted and a little paper basket with wire handle I made years ago. 

A little floral arrangement I made from paper flowers and floral wire moss stuff stuck in a Chrysnbon candy dish.

And a closer pic of the shelf. I think it needs some lace on the edge.

I’m not religious but I do love the colours and motifs associated with the holiday. For me, Easter has always been about spending time with family and friends, eating a bit of chocolate, enjoying the last of the warm weather. We very often went camping. One of my fondest memories is of my mum and aunt making my grandmother’s hot cross buns, with a sticky glaze, at my aunt’s beach house, and I love to make them now. I hope that however you spend the day and whatever it means to you, you enjoy the day.

Progress on the French reno.

 Hi all. I had great plans of cracking on with the French house renovation in any spare time, but it hasn't happened. I have been reorganising my craft room so I could fit an armchair in there. It's on castors, so I can move it super easily to get at stuff tucked in beside it. I also rejigged one set of shelves to house (part of) my Barbie collection. (Apologies for the naked Francie - I got into trouble from her former owner for that!)

Here is the upstairs/attic floor with the guest bedroom and the stair hall/whatever room:

The painting propped on the table is one I copied from a Charles Garabed Atamian painting. If you haven't seen his paintings, look them up. They are truly stunning. To be honest, it's not finished. I might try finishing it. Or not. But I like it in here.

The main bedroom and antechamber: 

And the reading room:

I removed the window in the reading room to put a French door in. Now I need to cut the opening to the floor and rejig a door I had in the stash. I don't want to make a dusty mess so the wall cutting is on hold for now. FYI the spiral stairs are not yet glued in. But the interior is so close to being complete, save for a few minor details like door handles, a piece of moulding and the stair rail for the ground floor stairs.

I must say I love this house. I have always loved it. And the Lea Frisoni house I based it on. But I had never quite finished it. I guess I just felt it was time to make it more my own. I did retain a lot of the original details though. Now I am starting on the exterior finishing.

I have also been painting more mini dollies, made from Jean Pardina moulds. I love these tiny dolls. I love Patsy dolls. So in the photo there are two A Marque dolls, two Patsy dolls and a vintage style baby doll. I am pretty happy with them, although they need some neatening up. I have just painted them with acrylics. 

I've been up to all sorts of stuff and really enjoying working on new skills, but will post more another time. I have had a lot of counselling over the last 12 months to sort through some stuff from the last 10 years. It has been very enlightening and I have learnt a lot about myself. It has helped in many ways, not least of which is the desire to work on stuff that intimidated me or I just didn't have the heart to tackle. I can highly recommend it.

Anyway, on that note, I hope you are all well and enjoying your mini time. Take care until next time.

A little update on my French shop reno

 Hi all. I can hardly believe I am posting for the third time in one month!!!! Crazy!!

I have got a bit done on my renovation of the French house and getting close to being able to put the roof on and finish all the exterior. Soon anyway. I am still a little unsure about how I will finish the exterior but will work on that. 

So top floor rooms. Firstly is the room the stairs open into. Lots to do here. It will be last to complete as I need to run wiring through it. A wall will be added on the left side of the room with a built in cupboard  to store linens and stuff. And the sewing table will also go here.

Here is the ante chambre where the desk will sit. A curtain will cover the clunkiness of the end of the wall panelling where it meets the large door. And a wallpaper border will go on after the ceiling beams have been added.

The main bedroom. I made a stone wall for the left, as you can see and feel moderately happy with how it turned out. The chest probably won't stay.

And the guest bedroom. I continued the stone wall into here because I wanted it to look like the joining wall with the house next door, and it has been stripped to expose the stone.

So that is the reconfigured top floor of the French shop. Still lots of tidying up to do but making progress! I love this house, and I wanted to retain a lot of the details of the original structure. And reconfiguring the top floor gave me more space to make the bedrooms larger.

Hope you all have a great week ahead! XX

Testing....

 Trying this out on my ipad to see how it works. My husband, who is the most fair and patient in the land, got all my lights working. As it turns out, it wasn’t me. I had a dud light! Which I am glad about because it was too dull so having to remove it was a blessing in disguise. Here is the Nob Hill with lights on!

All in the order that the blogger gods choose...

So cute! 

Trials and tribulations

 Hi everyone. Happy new year. I think. I hope. I meant to post blogs in the last few months of 2020 but time got away from me. In efforts to finish some projects, I pulled out my 1:48 Nob Hill by Suzanne and Andrew's Miniatures. To be honest, it's been a slog. Too much manual measuring and cutting, and some parts were wrong. Anyway, I am happy with it now so that is all that matters. It had lights too, but I managed to blow all them today after spending half of yesterday fiddling with them. Sigh. Fortunately I got a few photos from yesterday.

So here is the living (left) and dining (right) rooms, with sitting room (left) and bathroom (right) upstairs.

Kitchen (left) and entry (right) with bedroom (left) and sitting room (right) upstairs.

And the exterior with the tower just sitting there. I need to attach that (permanently or with magnets to be determined). And it also needs some sort of plastic over the windows. I might use vellum.

And front on, without the tower. I have also since added a strip of green card around the base painted the same green as the gables. I would love your thoughts on the porch roof. I just don't like it. I feel like it competes with everything else. Very tempted to paint it to match the rest of the roof.

It really is cute and I am glad I persevered. I have quite a bit of furniture to put together or paint but think I might need a couple more pieces. And then some landscaping. But for now I need to finish some other bits and pieces.

And on that note, I will leave it there. I hope to post a little more frequently than last year. Maybe it will keep me motivated and moving along. Take care everyone. xx