Sharing a love of Dolls House Miniatures - and making time for other creative crafts and the garden.

Sunday, June 12, 2016

So What Shall I Do Next??

First I have to say a huge thank you for the kind comments and emails from so many lovely miniature friends after announcing my imminent retirement as a professional miniaturist - I'm quite overwhelmed.

I've been trying to get the last bits and pieces sorted for our workshop on 2nd July, organise 'last orders' and tackle a few essential gardening tasks while the sun shone. We did manage to give the strawberries a nice straw bed to ripen on before the rain came down again and the blackbirds bagged the lot!



I dragged yards and yards of goosegrass (cleavers) out of the borders - so much that it rolled up into bales!
The garden looks great if you don't look too closely - in this first picture believe it or not that's a tall ancient chimney pot filled with houseleeks (sempervivum) disappearing where the border is supposed to meet lawn....and there are some lilies in there somewhere.


When we originally laid out the garden from scratch we created a series of 4 different 'rooms' leading one into another but not to be visible all at once, in time. WELL that bit is true anyway!!!

Finally after months of looking at it hanging in the conservatory where it was getting larger and larger and being scorched near the glass roof, I found time to tackle my Stag Horn Fern.


 It took hefty cutters and the bread knife to get it out of its pot after which I crossed my fingers hoping that I wouldn't kill it and took the bread knife to it again and chopped out a big chunk to repot separately.


 Now I've got two and it looks better than ever, or will do when the scorched leaves are replaced with new ones.



Digging around in my 'archives' checking details for the new doll I need to make in a day or two, I came across Geppetto and Pinocchio, a particularly favourite commission in 1/12th scale I created about 10 years ago.


 As doll makers we all try to improve our skills but I think he stands up to the test of time fairly well and I know he's still in his workshop on the South Coast.

Thank you for looking
Robin

5 comments:

Wee Cute Treasures said...

First of all - in response to your question 'What will I do now?' as a creative person you will have no problem filling your time with lots of different and creative things, so no worries there.
Secondly, your garden looks lovely. I love the cottage garden feel and like you am waiting for my Regale lilies to open their many buds. It is always a surprise at this time of year in the garden. You get up one day and suddenly something is in full colour.
And finally, your Geppetto and Pinnochio are absolutely wonderful. It is great you kept good photos to remind you of all the beautiful things you have made over the years.
You will still be kept busy, but with other things, so ideas of lolling in the garden reading novels and sipping Pimms No. 1 can be forgotten!!!!!
Big hug,
Carol x

jenann said...

Oh my, the garden looks wonderful! One of the benefits of getting older, for me, has been less clear eye-sight means I don't notice the dust indoors or the weeds in the garden quite so much, but GOOSEGRASS! That stuff and grounder elder are the two thigs I can't ignore, they are so prolific.

I'm sure the garden will keep you very busy but, as Carol mentioned above, you will find other interesting and creative ways to fill your time. Beware of friends/relatives/neighbours who think they need to fill your 'long boring days of retirement' with little jobs, though. They mean well but I soon discovered I was expected to be on call to help with the dullest of tasks!

Pimms No. 1 and a little lolling will be a wonderful way to relax from time to time.... raise a glass to your little people who will still be out in the world bringing you fame!

What a dear little man Gepetto is! It's as well you are no longer in business, or I'd be nagging for a man like him as a brother for for my lovely Arthur. Your older people are my favourites, as you might have gathered!

Ilona said...

I love your sense of humour, about what you say about you ever created series of four different rooms, who now look all the same ;O! But I think your garden still looks wonderful, Robin!
And I agree with the above bloggers: being a creative person, you'll always find an other activity ;)!
I've missed your Gepetto and Pinnochio of the past, but you can be sure that I'm admiring them very much. They are absolutely great dolls and you can be so proud of creating them.
Hugs, Ilona

PILAR6373 said...

En primer lugar,tu jardín se ve maravilloso!! Y esa será una de tus múltiples actividades con las que llenar tu tiempo,pronto encontrarás tantas cosas que hacer,que necesitarás más de 24 horas diarias!!!!
Besos.

Robin said...

Haha - no I don't think I'll find it hard to fill my time - and I don't plan to give up miniatures any time soon, my head is full of what are loosely called 'ideas'.

I suspect my problem is more likely to be deciding what to do first/next while I idle away tackling the goosegrass...and the ground elder...and the mares tail....then doing it!!

Can't give up the blog, because I enjoy all of yours too much to miss anything!
Rx