Panelled wall

Yesterday was Knitwits, and Ruth (called "Evangelista" on this blog before) did some very neat panelling in the Blue and White Room's last wall.

Her work is so careful and precise!  I will add some panels on the back wall, and then turn my attention to the hallway, next door.

And I've been making good progress on the big carpet:  the part I thought would be hardest, the slanting design in the centre, is actually the bit that goes fastest!

William and Mary House, first floor being glued

Here's the first floor of the WAHM with the rear and side walls glued into place.  I want to make a big push on this house and get tons done over the next two months, so this was the first step!  It's been sitting in pieces for just over a year, so I'm really glad to get going ...

I have the interior walls cut to size -- I need to cut out the doorways and finish them appropriately for each room.  Then I have to construct another staircase unit, and do the removable floors.

More, soon!

A few simple little books

Last night I made a few simple miniature books as shelf filler for Daydreamer's new reading nook.

These are easy, non-opening books, suitable for a background role in a mini scene. Some of them have covers of thin leather, and others have covers made from heavy paper samples.  I either cut a scrap of balsa, or glue a few layers of card together to make the insides of the books, colour three edges with a gold pen and then wrap and glue the covers on.  A few details with a gold pen, and they're ready to go.

Bust of Sir Isaac Newton

I'm making a few little gifts for my husband, David, for his birthday which is in two weeks.  I'm planning a study/laboratory in the attic of the WAMH, which will be full of scientific instruments and so forth circa 1700.

One of the things I want in there is a bust of Sir Isaac Newton, which I picked up in England in May.  It's a 35 mm tall, solid, heavy white metal piece, sold unfinished, by Phoenix Miniatures:

I want to finish it to look like warm marble, like this 1710 bas relief of the great mathematician:

This is with two thin coats of off white artist's acrylic paint -- thin because I don't want to destroy all the detail in this piece.  This photograph of the statue has turned out too yellow because I took it at night, but the colour is actually pretty close to my reference photo.

I'll have a look at it again in the morning light, add another coat, if necessary, maybe do a gentle wash of a darker colour into the detail, and add a tiny amount of subtle veining on the base and back, where there are larger areas of "uncarved marble".

I'm back -- so sorry for the immensely long silence!

Hello, all!

I've been feeling so guilty about this blog, and my neglect of it.  It's been a busy, wonderful, stressful year, and many things have conspired to take my attention away from my miniatures hobby.  But I'm back now, working on some more projects, and will try to keep posting!

Here's what I'm working on right now -- a biggish carpet for the William and Mary dolls house!

It's on 27 count linen, so it's not too small for these dark evenings we've been having :)  It's based on the Armenian Gendje Carpet in Meik and Ian McNaughton's Making miniature oriental rugs & carpets.

More soon -- I'm getting ready for another big push on the WAMH, to get the second floor totally done and get on to the attic!

I hope you're all well, and I look forward to catching up with my mini friends :)

York to Staithes ...

Hello!  David and I are in the Royal George in Staithes at the end of a lovely day. Bless them, they have wireless internet here!  I've got a pint of cider and I'm just going to post a bit about the topic dearest to all our hearts, MINIS!

The Miniature Scene on Fossgate in York

I had an AMAZING time at The Miniature Scene in York on Saturday!  For everyone who told me what a wonderful shop it was, I just have to agree :)

We parked near the Black Swan in York, leaving Mum comfortably ensconced with a pint while David walked up to Monk Bar Model Shop and I walked across to Fossgate.

Friendly, knowledgeable people and a really marvellous array of minis, it was a dream come true! 




Here are some photos from the inside of the shop:

I love the little vignettes they have set up all over the shop!

Gorgeous Jacobean chairs and table

Dolls by The Giddy Kipper -- sorry for the glare, but they're all in a glass case!

Wonderful assortment of food and pewter.

I really love the bowed windows on the front of this house :)

Great witch!  Look at the size of that cauldron :)

Great Dr Frankenstein

I love houses from the humble ....

To the very grand! 

And this church is really lovely ...

As soon as I get a chance I'll take some photos of the pieces I bought here and in Chesterfield!

First day -- Chesterfield

Just a quick note before we leave Chesterfield and head for York.

We had an uncomfortably cramped flight via Thomas Cook yesterday, and were blessedly happy to get to Gatwick and get off the damned plane.  No problems picking up our car, connecting with the lovely fellow who brought Mum's oxygen concentrator to the car rental place and then we were on our way to Chesterfield.  This time we split up the driving rather than David driving the whole thing, which was much smarter!  We stopped at a break station where we ALL drank incredibly strong coffee, (even I, who almost never drinks coffee) which helped wake us up!

We were in Chesterfield around noon, at the Olde House Pub and Hotel, where the wonderful proprietors let us into our rooms early -- this is a great place to stay, very welcoming! Several pints later, we felt pretty much refreshed :)

David and I left Mum to rest, and, after a shower, we headed into the town.  First stop, Dolls House Gallery, where I picked up so many lovely little things, including a really stunning chandelier for the WAM House -- photos tomorrow, I hope!

Victorian magic lantern at Chesterfield Museum -- wouldn't this look wonderful in miniature?

We also visited the charming Chesterfield Museum (where we saw two of George Stephenson's glass tubes for training straight cucumbers :)) , a local model railway model shop and finally visited the grounds of Tapton House, George Stephenson's home, overlooking Chesterfield.

Peace garden at Tapton House

Walking in the brilliant afternoon sunlight through the grounds of the house, I felt so happy to be in England.  What always strikes me on arriving in England in the spring and summer is how incredibly green the country is.  There was no better place to appreciate this than Tapton House Park yesterday :)

England trip starts!

We're waiting in Halifax Airport for our flight to England!  I'll never get over being able to get on the internet in public places, it seems so improbably futuristic, somehow :)

As always happens, I got most of the things done I needed to, and the ones I didn't get done will turn out not to have been so essential after all, I guess.  I have some very light reading and some chocolate and a book of Sudoku puzzles and am looking forward to the flight!

The building in the photo above is our first stop, the Olde House Pub outside Chesterfield, where we'll spend tomorrow night.  It's the same place we broke our journey from Gatwick to Staithes last year, and we're comfortable there.

So the next time I write, we should be in Chesterfield!

England trip, oh my goodness!

Staithes, North Yorkshire, UK

You know how time seems to run more quickly when you're trying to get things done before you go away?

I'm in that stage right now :)  It's compounded by the very strange election we just had in Canada (a far-right party was just given a Parliamentary majority by only on 40% of the voters, our left-of-centre party had its best showing ever, forming the Official Opposition, we elected our first Green MP, and the "natural" governing party was reduced to third place.  Strange times, indeed).  Add in the fact that I have two big productions coming up for my opera companies -- Madama Butterfly in June (for which I'm singing Suzuki) and Tales of Hoffmann in July/August (for which I'm stage director) -- and my stress level is pretty high.

I'm a little overwhelmed, to tell the truth!

So I'm writing press releases, and packing, and having production meetings and rehearsing and all the while I'm thinking, "Just a few more days, and (d.v.) we'll be in England and sitting at a pub and reading about someone else's political woes!"


We're going back to North Yorkshire to stay in Staithes again, this time with my Mum.  I've got only two dolls house shops to visit this trip, and I'll see them both in the first two days :)  But we're going to have a lovely time and see David's marvellous family again, and I will be VERY glad!

Mini books by Eva

As a proud Canadian royalist, I was up this morning watching clips of the Royal wedding online -- I found it surprisingly moving and very, very beautiful.  Loved the spring-green trees in the Abbey!

Here's a photo of the whole Kitchen wing this morning:

 And here are some tiny books Eva worked on yesterday, from several of the book kits I have lying around.  She is amazing with small things -- the smaller the better as far as she's concerned :)  I gave her a kit for a 1:144 scale dolls house and she did a great job on it -- now she'll make furniture for it!

The ones in the back are from the Dutch shop Silly Sisters -- their book kit which makes over 60 attractive, non opening books.  These have been great for the kids.

The one in the front, with the pages  (Eva did such a lovely, precise job on this one, which is very fiddly) is from the first kit of antique books by Paper Minis -- they have lots of lovely things for sale, including stamp albums!