On Being Inspired....

Last weekend, Kensington Dolls House Festival was certainly inspiring -  so many fabulous artisans in one place, and so many difficult choices to make when it came to deciding what to buy to take home.  If ever there was a day to win the lottery surely this was it!! All my chums there as traders were very cheerful so I hope that meant everyone had a really enjoyable and profitable couple of days.

Let's start on a WOW!!! Couldn't resist taking a picture of these fantastically flamboyant tulips!!!!

O.K. Now back to work and a photograph of a recently completed  1/24th scale Edwardian group - both upstairs and downstairs. I featured the lady of the house and the nursemaid in my last 'blue blog' but here  are the whole 'family'.

Going up a scale to 1/2th I've just finished a little girl in her pink pyjamas....a very special little girl who is having a lovely room box created specially for her.... 'Twinkle , Twinkle, Little Star....'   If you click HERE you'll find my mate Cellia Thomas of KTMiniatures who is taking time out to recreate a little childhood memory in a cardboard box. Read all about it and.....Enjoy.

 

 Thank you for looking.
Robin
 

All In Blue....

I really didn't set out to have a blue-themed blog but the elements just kept presenting themselves and it IS bluebell time so  perhaps I should just go with that...
It's not a great revelation if you've read my blog for any length of time,  that I love gardening -  flowers, wild plants and spaces...so picking a bunch of bluebells, wallflowers and random leaves is a good start to any morning.

As a gardener I do have a love-hate relationship with the bluebells in my own garden but at this time of year they are in flower and look GLORIOUS and  I love them ALL. I have tried to dig up some of the invasive and non-native bluebells  as they swamp EVERYTHING and are diluting the native stock (I have natives too) ....and replant  my wilder corners with native bulbs. However they're all out in bloom now and I have the most glorious blue mixture of bluebells - with just a hint of white bells and an odd rare pink, to add to the brew - I might as well give up the unequal fight and enjoy them all.

The place to see bluebells for me is Badbury Clump, just outside Faringdon in Oxfordshire. A very special, timeless  and ancient place. In another week the buds will all be full out and the scent will hang in the air - even this week the colour was intense, the scent just on the air, and the leaves of the beech unfurling with  the sharp citrus colour of first-opening making a striking contrast.

In case you've wondered - there has been some work going on  -  a  1/24th scale  group Georgian characters is getting ready to move out. In keeping with 'blue' - the nursemaid in her plain blue uniform cuddles the new baby and the lady of the house dressed in the new  fashionable hobble skirt in fabulous blue silk.  It was an interesting period (not only in fashion of course); with the onset of war hemlines rose and women became valued as essential workers. I'll bet that parlour maid went off to be a bus clippie!
I'll show you the other characters in the next Blog - by which time they'll  be in their new home.

Just a little more blue - a lovely blue sky above this super plane which appears to hang in the air near Wantage marking Grove technology park and commemorates R.A.F. Grove a wartime airfield. It's always a surprise as we drive up to it and just for once I had the camera with me.

Thank you for looking
Robin

Hello Dolly!

The display in the window of my local charity shop went all 'vintage' for a day or two, with some very nice old tins and even nicer old toys....very tempting. But it was Dolly,  marked 'Very Old' and missing a wooden arm (not to mention a rather stiff leg that needs a little attention), that caught my eye. I have rather a soft spot for small elderly, well loved and  dilapidated dolls, especially if they're inexpensive and likely to languish unsold....so I bought her.

The second doll is one of my own, in 1/24th scale he's long overdue and at last heading for his new home.
He looks quite cosy in his longjohns and slippers, maybe there's a nice warm dressing gown waiting for him in Wales.

The last two three weeks have been particularly busy with our recent Underneath the Old Arbour workshop and the special commission I can't show you yet......and I'm trying to catch up with orders again. However immediately prior to this, some really difficult Real Life weeks meant all miniature work came to a halt for a while and we were sad to have to cancel our Showcase at Kensington Dolls House Fair.  It was such a privilege to be invited and Charlotte was so kind and understanding when we were obliged to pull out. I see that Coombe Crafts is still listed - so we're really sorry not to be there, but of course welcome any enquiries or interest in our work and hope to make it another time.
Meanwhile if you get the chance  please DO visit - it's a fabulous fair with truly wonderful miniature artists and artisans.

What with one thing and another....I don't think I actually pictured our finished 'Arbour' protypes, so in 1/12th and 1/24th scales on our new posh pink workshop tablecloths, here they are.  
We've also done a bit of spring cleaning on our Nostalgia In Miniature website (well O.K., Celia does all the techno-stuff) so that the galleries are full of pictures from  all the different projects, details are there for the next workshop 'Let's All Play in the Back Garden' on 1st September  - booking is brisk for this one -  and first news of our winter workshop.............
.......................'Oh No It Isn't....Oh Yes It Is'.


Thank you for looking.
Robin

The Sun Shines.... and we have cows!

At last!! The sun has been shining - about time! I nipped out with the camera to capture the quirky animals lurking in Thame...around every corner it seems.  O.K. They aren't real, but such fun they make everyone smile as we wonder where they'll turn up next.

We have cows......and they move around the town - you just never know where one is going to turn up next....

....and now we have a pig!! I love where someone has chosen to place it - really a laugh out loud moment!

They're the nicest advertising gimic I've seen.

As it was such a nice day we took off for a day out in Oxford and practically the first thing we spotted was.....yep the Oxfordshire Ox near the railway station. A super proper bronze sculpture this one!! It's the
Oxford Ox by Olivia Musgrave. I LOVE Oxford!!

If you are wondering why there's no mention of miniatures it's because the commission I've been working on has yet to be delivered - I think it's pretty special - but can't talk about it yet........ 

A little mention of my spring garden with a picture of a lovely patch of Ipheon - the Spring Star.

Thanks for looking
Robin

A Cheery 18th Century Gent - and a workshop....

Having been away over Easter I'm now playing catch-up again.....but as they say on Blue Peter, here's one I made earlier.

This happy 18th Century gent in 1/12th scale has headed off across the pond to his new home in the New World and I'm sure he'll enjoy the adventure. It's always enjoyable to return to this scale with  more scope for detail in the sculpting and costuming than in smaller scales.

On Sunday, wearing our Nostalgia in Miniature hats, Celia and I held our Underneath the Old Arbour Workshop once again at the lovely, Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire.  It was a hugely enjoyable, and happily hardworking day and we were delighted to see how all the garden projects came to life,  reflecting the individual and unique touches of the enthusiastic participants. We look forward very much to staying in touch and seeing 'finished' photographs in due course. Many thanks to the lovely ladies who really make it such a special event.

Our next Workshop is another all-day affair and also will be held at Waterperry Gardens . We use one of the original classrooms, which as well as being light and airy and well-equipped has a lovely vintage feel that seems very appropriate for the gentle nostalgic scenes we create. I could also mention the wonderful gardens, plants and other garden goodies to buy and cakes to die for......

Let's All Play in the Little Back Garden Workshop will be held on Sunday 1st September from 10.30 to 4.30  - we'll create a unique scene recapturing those warm summery days playing in the garden with favourite toys some decades ago. Over half the places have already been booked so if you're interested and would like more details - with a Downloadable Booking form - don't delay click HERE and go to our website.

Here's hoping Spring is here at last and we can all get out in our own gardens.
Thanks for looking
Robin
  

Say Hello to Dougal!

It's a while since I made a a 1/12th scale Scot - say hello to Dougal - he looks the strong quiet type I think.

I did enjoy making this character although a  kilt, sporran and bagpipes are a bit of a challenge to make look convincing and more important, acceptable to those of you who know far more about the correct details than me. Anyway I think I'm happy with him and imagine he's off for a last walk in the heather before he moves to a new home.

The forecast for snow is dire...and it's Miniatura this weekend!! I'm hoping to go as a visitor but expect friends who are standholders will be watching the weather maps even more anxiously. I do hope you all have a very successful fair and that everyone manages to get there.

Celia Thomas and I, wearing our Nostalgia in Miniature hats, have been busy putting together all the kits for our next workshop on 7th April at lovely Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire. Underneath the Old Arbour is a pretty, yet still gently faded, nostalgic scene and we're looking forward to it very much -  seeing old friends adding to their little group of cottage gardens and meeting new ones.

 

We have already started to take bookings for the autumn workshop -  Let's All  Play in the Little Back Garden - which will be different again and very enjoyable. Learn some new skills with a friendly group in lovely surroundings and go home with a beautiful, unique garden scene in 1/12th or 1/24th scale, and be inspired to create in miniauture even more,  for yourself.  For all the details and a Downloadable Booking Form click HERE

I've a busy week coming up - haven't we all - so I thought I'd nip in now to wish all my Followers and those of you who pop in every now and again a Very Happy Easter.
   
Thank you for looking.
Robin

Exciting Collaboration!

I was really impressed to hear about the new Exhibition at The National Centre for Craft and Design at Sleaford, Lincolnshire,  which is on NOW and until 2nd June. So, if like me your interest in wonderful handcrafted work isn't limited to miniatures, and you are in the Sleaford area do go along and see this fabulous Synchronise Exhibition!

What's really special is the collaboration between artisans from quite different disciplines to produce stunning and innovative work. I know the work of Jayne Childs well - creating lace from her own designs for   JC Middlebrook -  she  makes Nottingham lace inspired textiles as jewelry, gifts and ornaments - perfect for 'today'!
 Jayne she has joined forces with the talented ceramicist Clare Gage to make decorative pieces on a scale neither has worked in before.  I think their work is fabulous!!


Clearly this isn't my field of expertise so I suggest you enjoy the photos from the exhibition, visit the websites and go along yourself if you possibly can.

AND.....If you live in the Buckinghamshire-Oxfordshire area, as I do, you'll know Waddesdon Manor.... the jewel in the National Trust crown....it's just up the road from Thame so I'm heading that way soon as Jayne's selection of Neck Lace, Lacelets and Brooches will be on sale in the prestigious and very tempting Gift shop.
  
Thank you for looking.
Robin

Let's All Play in the Little Back Garden!

We're delighted to announce that Booking is Now Open for our latest Nostalgia in Miniature Workshop
                       LET'S ALL PLAY IN THE LITTLE BACK GARDEN!

The All day workshop will be held on Sunday 1st September from 10.30 - 4.30 at the lovely Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire

 Do you remember when you were ever so small and all those summers just seemed so sunny, warm and endless fun?

 How wonderful would it be to try and recapture just a little bit of that childhood magic in a unique miniature scene.

In our little back garden, "Mum" has tied the old clothes line to the top of the bird table and anchored it into the ground with an old meat skewer, as far down the lawn as it would reach. An old curtain has been flung over, weighted down at the edges with whatever came to hand. It has has made such a splendid tent for the afternoon!

Mr Golly and Miss Dolly are out in the back garden with their assorted little friends from the toybox, for a picnic!! While Mr Golly runs around the lawn with his wooden truck, Miss Dolly is preparing tea for her much loved guests, with old pans from the kitchen and the remains of a toy teaset.

Why not come and join us for the day and recreate a little bit of childhood nostalgia in this unique project - have some fun making the toys and some simple landscaping, including a very old fashioned bird table and a hedge.

Come and remember along with us the fun you had when you were little.

For full details and a Downloadable Booking Form Click HERE!

Thank you for looking

Robin 

Catching Up With Things!

I took a breather last Monday - rested the aching feet - and worked through the 'to do' list......and made a start on Tuesday!

The first catch-up was to read the super feature in Dolls House and Miniature Scene on our Nostalgia In Miniature Workshops. Very exciting!! Thank you folks at DHMS - you did us proud!

....which brings me neatly on to the fact that in a day or two booking will close for our latest workshop on April 7th - Underneath The Old Arbour.  This is an all-day course at Waterperry Garden in Oxfordshire, in itself a fabulous venue, so if you were thinking about it, we have a couple of places that have unexpectedly come available so click HERE for details, and email or phone to reserve a place.

Thanks to those of you who have been in touch about items still for sale following The Thame Dolls House & Miniature Fair. Some were featured on my Blogs in the run up to the fair and all enquiries are welcome. I'm
happy to provide details if you email me.  I'm delighted that Hollow-tree has gone to someone who I know will delight in bringing the little dwelling to life, as has the little round house called St. Issey, which has gone to the West Country - very fitting!

Talskiddy and Little Pethrick - both in 1/48th scale

Little Petherick and Talskiddy are still for sale and are small and light enough to post easily, as is the quirky witchy piece, in 1/48th scale I call Circling the Magic; this would also make an interesting feature as part of a larger project.

Three tiny witches 'Circling the Magic'

And now....I'm working hard to fulfill existing orders and very much appreciate the patience of those of you still waiting. These characters will be waiting at the Post office when it opens tomorrow!

    
Thank you for looking.
Robin

Thanks for a Lovely Day!!

Once again The Thame Dolls House and Miniature Fair on Saturday was a super day - even the little flurry of  snow didn't deter anyone - so many thanks to everyone involved, especially to Felicity and Ron for all they did to make the day a success.

It was lovely to see so many old friends, both behind the stands and as visitors and customers and thanks to those who popped along to say 'hello' or purchased items from us.  This is our favourite fair and as it's literally just up the road we're so lucky in only having a five minute travel....many, many standholders and visitors come a significant distance.

As a standholder the opportunity to browse and buy is seriously limited (the big downside) but I did come home with 'Busy Bee' from the wonderful Shoebutton Bears stand. I love him!! I've also ordered the beautiful, diminutive Alice in Wonderland from Sandra - Tower House Dolls, and look forward to her arrival in due course.

It was sad to be saying goodbye to Tony Knot and Vic Pain (Simply silver) as they attended their last fairs.
I believe they've supported the fair and the Breast Cancer Campaign Charity from the beginning and we shall all miss them.

Part of Market Town Miniatures Club Exhibition

Every year the ladies (and friends) of Market Town Miniatures  - our Dolls House club here in Thame - do the most amazing job in not only putting on a superb exhibition of members' projects, but run the most fantastic sales table, the now famous Tombola, and man the Raffle, all for Breast Cancer Campaign funds...as well as helping just about everywhere to help make the fair such a success... thank you all!!

Anthony Church our Town Crier, once again did sterling work, pounding his beat in town to advertise the fair on a bitterly cold day, then announced the winners of the raffle etc.  It was great to see him in his green finery, because as you'll see if you look on the side bar it's how I portrayed him in miniature a year or two ago.
If you noticed something on the Blog during the fair previews and wonder if it was sold, or is still available, do email and I'll let you know.

Thank you for looking.
Robin