Miss Clare's Garden

Miss Clare is a retired school teacher - a gentle and rather lovely lady - and a fictional character from the books by "Miss Read".  She has a small garden attached to her cottage where she grows vegetables and flowers.  I imagine her cooking healthy lunches and making chutney from the extra produce, picking flowers to brighten up the cosy sitting room and feeding the birds each morning .
 
It has been a positive delight to create this little 1/24th scale garden commission, which is only 9" x 4 1/2" and which will butt against the greenhouse at the back of Miss Clare's cottage.  'Miss Clare' herself was created a while ago and lives in the very pretty cottage as you can see. 

Miss Clare can be seen in my Blog on 20th July 2014. Click on the pictures for a bigger version.

What has also been fun has been the two-way dialogue/discussion/gossip I've had with Shirley who commissioned the garden!!
It helped that I had read the books as well and we're both familiar with the kind of gardens that would fit with the stories.It also helped that we both felt an element of 'quirky' was a definite must.

Obviously we had to grow the vegetables and flowers mentioned in the book - although a degree of artistic has been employed, to say the least! Anyway we both enjoyed endlessly discussing where the brick path and hedge should go and whether or not we could fit in some sunflowers. The little rabbit has sneaked through a gap in the hedge and has an eye on those newly pulled carrots, while a robin and blue tit are feeding at the super bird table made by my chum Celia Thomas.
You'll need good eyesight to spot two little butterflies but I did draw the line at a 1/24th scale ladybird!

The garden has now been installed and Miss Clare seems happy  - very many thanks to Shirley for sending the  following pictures of it with Miss Clare and her cat Tom, and allowing me to share them with you.

 

It's been lots of fun to create and I hope you've enjoyed  it too.
 
Thank you for looking
Robin

Busy In The Garden

A burst of Spring at the weekend saw me having a proper dig in my full sized garden...actually it was more of a hack back and drag it out! In between I've been working on a lovely commission for another garden - this one being somewhat smaller!

After a brief burst of sun and warmth....when I went hacking and dragging out an ancient purple sage bush which had even overrun the lawn .....it's raining again!

Never mind, I've indulged myself and taken pictures of some of my orchids which are brightening up the conservatory in defiance of the grey skies outside. A great many of these are pretty old 'rescued' plants - I find it hard to resist a half price plant if I think I can revive it, especially if it's an orchid. Hope you'll like them too.

When the little miniature garden is finished and delivered to its new owner I shall be happy to share pictures with you.
Thank you for looking
Robin

1/24th Characters Available To Purchase

I am finally getting my act together and sorting out after the fair - today I can show you some 1/24th scale characters that would be very happy in new homes.
The tiny 1/48th characters that came back with us have now  found new homes so I have to make some more, rather sooner than later. 

Anyway, may I introduce this lovely old couple, who while not actually a pair look so well together.  Her long frock does rather determine that she's not a modern lady, but her friend  could fit in many periods - as we all know the poor chaps don't get great changes in their outfits.

The footballer isn't exactly David Beckham.....to judge by his long shorts and brown leather ball he was around a few decades before.  However, with those fetching shorts he could be a modern Dad playing in the Dad's Sunday League  - just give him a new ball!

Fag Ash Lil' is probably my best known and oldest character - she comes in all sizes and changes her outfits all the time.....here she is again, alongside P.C. 49 and a rather younger lady.

Three chaps come next and are all versatile enough to fit into a whole variety of settings and houses - followed by a little girl and her big brother.

All the dolls pictured are £20 - £25, individually sculpted and fully poseable. Please email if you'd like one of the dolls, or more details.

Meanwhile - the sun is out, the sky is blue and a whole host of gorgeous dainty flowers are blooming in my garden, and probably yours too!  Do you think Spring has come??

Thank you for looking
Robin

Just A Perfect Scene - In 1/48th Scale

We've taken a break since the Thame Fair to visit family 'up North' - which was super - so the post-fair stock is still boxed and unchecked - but I had the most delightful pictures in my Inbox which I'm so pleased to be able to share with you. Thank you so much Pam.

I have managed to dig out the 1/48th characters that are still for sale so if you're expecting to hear from me I'll try not to keep you all waiting much longer.

 In the meantime do enjoy these pictures from Pam Junk  I know many of you already know her amazing work in this especially challenging scale and I'm sure you'll agree that this scene is just about perfect!!
Click on the pictures to see them in even more detail.

Pam tells me that it was created for a MiniAllSorts Yahoo Group challenge - a house on or under a hill.  Believe it or not she did it in an antique treadle sewing machine drawer, to illustrate her adapted version of the nursery rhyme 'The Old Woman Who Lives Under the Hill'. Her version is glued onto the back.
I just love it, and of course am very thrilled that a couple of my little old people feature in Granny's Day Care.

 

 

 Next urgent 'job' is with Celia - my workshop partner - to bring our latest 'How To' feature for Dolls House and Miniature  Scene Magazine to completion, proof read and double check pictures (more than once) by the weekend!
Then I'll get to unpacking and sorting.

The magazine celebrates its 250th birthday with the March issue which is out now, and there's a special Birthday Prize Draw that  contributors, artisans publishers and supported have contributed lots of great prizes to. Coombe Crafts is one  -  a 1/24th scale WW1 soldier, but take a look at them all in the double page spread and get your entry in  by March 26th.

Thank you for looking
Robin