Me and My Camera!!

If you pop in regularly you'll have gathered that I love my miniatures, garden, vintage 'anything' (but especially toys), and my camera......

This weekend we're heading off to the glorious Waterperry Gardens for our latest Nostalgia in Miniature Workshop - Let's All Play in the Little Back Garden - and as it includes creating a selection of 'vintage' toys and books, we shall be taking some genuine ones along to 'dress the set'of our small sales table and the Raffle in aid of Breast Cancer Campaign.

Parts of the garden have got the better of me this summer and run somewhat wild - this six foot tall lily is now fighting it's way through a clematis!!

I grow these Houseleeks (sempervivum) on an old cracked wooden platter which is scattered with a mixture of grit, shells, flint pebbles and old broken pottery that's come out of the garden when I've been digging.  Where I grew up in Oxfordshire (it was Royal Berkshire then) these small pieces of china were called 'panche',  and were often little vintage treasures......Oh yes and the broken terracotta dragon......
 I was thrilled to be able to catch these butterflies sunbathing on this miniature garden.

We love growing our own vegetables too - not that I'm in charge of this - and we've had fun and some success growing our runner beans this year in an old Newlyn Fish crate we found washed up on a Cornish beach when we lived there. They're happily growing really well and using our shed for support, and it's amazing just what you can grow in a small corner and odd container.

In other news, details of our new Nostaglia in Miniature Workshop - The Little Vintage Toy Theatre - which will take place in Thame, Oxfordshire on November 30th is now on our website, so click HERE  if you'd like to take a look at this very quirky and different project.
We shall open booking on September 2nd. and places are limited.

Thank you for looking
Robin

Oh Golly - We've a Fair Coming Up!

Someone mentioned today that it felt like Autumn....I'll ignore that, I'd like a little more Summer please.  The summer fair for us takes place on August Bank Holiday Monday 26th at The Leisure Centre in Thame, Oxfordshire and is a Dolly's Daydreams Fair - only a week away! If you're coming along, do please stop and say hello.

I've been away a lot in the last few months so there's been less time for doll-making than usual, however we shall have all three scales and lots of furniture and other interesting things to go with them on our stand.

The 1/48th characters have (thank you) been popular so if you're interested I suggest you come early as we don't have as many this time.  The little policeman is a new character which we'll try and include at future fairs.

As our next Nostalgia in Miniature Workshop follows hard on the heels of the fair and is called 'Let's All Play in the Little Back Garden', we've been thinking about toys and Celia (KT Miniatures) has been selecting genuine vintage items as well for our tiny sales table there.

I must just mention that the third and final part of The Victorian Seaside will be published shortly in the October issue of Dolls House and Miniature Scene Magazine. We shall have the scene itself on our stand at Thame so if you'd like to see it 'for real' come and have a look.  All the elements are for sale and a donation will be made to Breast Cancer Campaign.

Thank you for looking
Robin

Get That Hat!! Love That Doll!!

As write this blog - I'm taking time out from putting together lots of little pieces for the dollies, gollies and other toys to make up the kits needed for our next Nostalgia in Miniature Workshop - because this time we're not gardening in our imagined nostalgic little back garden, but playing..... if you'd like to know about the others just go to our website. .....which brings me neatly to my two friends Margaret and Sandra who, as brilliant miniaturists are much braver than me and are running online workshops shortly! Phew!!

It's almost time for the Online Show again, run by Shelly Norris! There are workshops running concurrently with this Show. 

 Margaret is offering to show you how to make a wonderful hat - to die for! The hat is a stunning wide brimmed silk in a choice of glorious colours with trimmings to match which you can display on a beautiful French bisque porcelain mannequin head which is included in the kit. For further details, go to:
http://aminiminiatureshow.weebly.com/workshops.html
Any questions, email Margaret: minimilliner@blueyonder.co.uk

Sandra has created a magical Rainbow Ballerina Toy Doll's Doll...and she's beautiful!! A crystal and feather headdress sets off the tiny dainty tutu and even teeny weeny ballet shoes - she's fully jointed too - the choice of colours is fantastic. Love her to bits!
Sandra's workshop details can be found at:
http://aminiminiatureshow.weebly.com/workshops.html  and you can always contact her at: sandra@towerhousedolls.co.uk

Go take a look ......I should of course have pictures....grabbing them from somewhere else is a techno-stretch too far me .... so just take a look.

Hope you're all enjoying summer.
Robin