Of Poppies and Special People.....

My garden is full of autumn lovliness and of course I've been taking photos - some plants seem unsure what month it is! Miniatura, for me as a visitor was another autumnal treat - catching up with friends and seeing excellent miniatures - but it's time to look ahead......



I took this photograph of a late and lovely poppy, just as the purple pollen was dropping and a hover-fly was hovering, so I thought I'd share it with other flower-lovers in the blogosphere.

It also reminded me that this time of year is often poignant for many people...so with that also in mind, can I make a plea that even though there are super, large Dolls House Fairs around before Christmas, there are little ones....ones run by volunteers raising much needed funds up and down the country, for important and sometimes small or local charities...please support these too if you can.
If you haven't been to one you may be surprised to see that they are attended by top quality artisans who support year after year, and often have wonderful displays put on by local clubs - it's a real chance to 'meet the makers' and the friendly members of clubs.....the coffee cake too is always amazing!!

One such fair that we (Coombe Crafts) always support and will be attending, is the Haddenham Dolls House Exhibition and Fair, near Thame in Oxfordshire, and I'll give full details below. It's a LOVELY, Lovely fair!! If you can, do come - if you don't drive but live in the Oxon/Bucks area, the 280 bus between Oxford and Aylesbury will even drop you outside the Hall door!!

HADDENHAM DOLLS HOUSE EXHIBITION AND FAIR
12th NOVEMBER 2011


To be held in HADDENHAM VILLAGE HALL, HADDENHAM, BUCKS. HP17 8EE


In Aid of HEARING DOGS FOR DEAF PEOPLE and LEUKAEMIA AND LYMPHOMA RESEARCH

Nearer the time I promise to give you even more details - and if you come, do come and say 'hello'.

We shall have our usual complement of 1/24th characters, 1/12th and (hopefully) a new selection of characters in 1/48th scale and brand new furniture items in that scale too.
The following pictures illustrate some of the 1/24th characters bound for Haddenham....





A warm welcome to new Followers....thanks to you all for looking....I promise to catch up properly with other blogs soon.....
Robin

Catch up with ...Workshop....Miniatura...Brian!!

After a really busy week...this week is time off for good behaviour...sort of!


Last Sunday Celia, my Nostalgia in Miniature Workshops partner, and I spent a really super afternoon with a great group of ladies at our 'Down the Little Garden Path Workshop' here in Thame. It's so rewarding to see such friendly, enthusiasts enjoying themselves, happily covered in glue, paint and bits of plants, creating truly special projects of their own that they can embellish to their hearts content.

As often as possible we try and combine a little fundraising for Breast Cancer Campaign into our various mini-enterprises. On Sunday it was a mini-raffle. Thank you ladies!!! To see pictures of the day and workshop news - click here.

...which brings me on to Brian! We are 'presently engaged on another joint project', as they say in all the best miniature publications...... For no good reason really, we thought it would be nice to give the blue tit I'd made a name. So meet Brian, perching for a good feed of mashed up pickling spice (yes really) on a beautifully aged 'home-made' feeder.

Actually I think it's an antique saucer kindly donated from Celia's stock and rusted up in her inimitable fashion. You'll see more of him later in the year.



......which brings me on to Miniatura this coming weekend and a bit of time off for good behaviour, to visit on Sunday. Once again Model Village Miniatures have chosen some of my little 1/24th people to accompany their wonderful furniture kits. The range in both 1/12th and 1/24th made by Louise grows and grows and remains very affordable, and the exquisite tiny toys created by Marlene are favourites of mine. So I thought I'd illustrate both with this photo - in 1/24th scale - one of the tables, made up, painted and aged by me for a club project and my sweet little rabbit.


Miniatura is a high spot of the miniature year so I'd like to wish everyone attending a great success, and look forward to catching up with many friends.
Thank you for looking.
Robin

The Giveaway Winner...........and other news!

And the winner of my Giveaway...is....Jean Tuthill!!!


If you'd like to email me with your address Jean, I'll pop the little lad and the chair in the post to you. I know he'll be going to a good home!!
Jean has a lovely blog......A Romantic Country Home.....and clearly loves gardening as well as miniatures as much as me - do visit!

It's been a busy week (when isn't it??) - having promised to let you know if I still had any 1/48th characters still for sale, I'm personally pleased of course to report that they've all been sold. I'm more than happy to hear from anyone who would like me to contact them when I have another group made. Just email me. Meanwile a 1/48th witch is on her broom stick heading across the Atlantic to her new home!


Next Sunday (18th September) is the second Nostalgia in Miniature Workshop which Celia and I are running, so we've both been busy on last minute jobs - in my case making miniature compost...it has lavender in it so smells nice for a change - and checking that everything is REALLY ready!!

One of the nicest things said to me recently, was by a participant in the previous workshop who had made her very first 1/24th scene of any sort, and was thrilled with it. She brought along her little 'Over the Little Garden Fence' to show me with the finishing touches all done, at a recent fair and it was super! Our workshops are for all abilities, very friendly and lots of fun.
We have a couple of places left for 'Down the Little Garden Path' next Sunday, so if you're tempted, whizz over to our website and see more, or catch up with the latest news on our blog.

Down the Little Garden Path


In non-miniature news - a visit to a Car Boot sale this morning saw me buy a bargain box of wonderful old Queen's Green china - cups and LOTS of saucers! Love it!!! I even love the ancient wooden Canary Island Tomato box they were packed in!
I have plans for this........



Thank you for reading the blog - joining in the Giveaway - and deciding to be a new Follower!

Robin

A Giveaway.....100 Followers....Wow!!

As promised, it's time for a Giveaway...and I hope you'll like what I've chosen...

I really didn't think just over a year ago when I started this blog that one day 100 people would read it!! Amazing!!

So thank you to all my friendly, and encouraging Followers - it's been just brilliant to have you along regularly while I struggled with the finer points of this blogging lark!

I wanted to choose a Giveaway gift that represented both sides of Coombe Crafts ..... it takes two to keep this boat afloat after all .... so a cheeky young boy and a hand-crafted barrel chair - both in 1/24th scale seems to do it. I hope you'll like them.




To participate you must be a Follower, and leave a Comment please to let me know you'd like to be entered in the madly random and hugely unscientific but scrupulously fair draw which will take place in about a week's time.

As always ...Thank you SO much for looking.
Robin