Best Wishes

Just before you all rush off - I'd like to send very best wishes to friends and stand-holders at Miniatura this coming weekend. I hope you all have a terrific show...and enjoy yourselves!

I'm really looking forward to being a visitor on Sunday - I'm sure there won't be enough hours .......

Can I also say a belated welcome and 'thank you' for following my blog, to everyone who is sticking with me... or come along in the last week or two .....it is so much appreciated. The big bonus for me is seeing the wealth of talent in the miniature world that I hadn't yet come across and 'meeting' more lovely people.

Off to the Pub....via Miniatura

These 1/24th drinking pals are on their way to Miniatura .... and trying out the super pub furniture on the Model Village Miniatures stand.




If you're off to the great show at N.E.C. next weekend, do stop by and see the drinking pals - and a few of their chums - on the Model Village Miniatures stand where Louise and Marlene have extended their range of 1/12th and 1/24th accessories and furniture even more. As well as wonderful items for the house, shop and pub they now have now moved into the garden!
If you enjoy building your own furniture, there are over 100 different kits to choose from .... and not forgetting adorable tiny knitted toys and comfy, squashy cottagey sofas.

Now I have to finish the Tudor servants, or they won't be ready help with the furniture in the Tudor kitchen .......

A 1940's Couple in 1/16th ...... for change

In the last week or so I've been in danger of seriously scrambling my poor little brain, because unusually, I've been sculpting dolls in four different scales: 1/12th, 1/16th. 1/24th and 1/48th.

As a rule I do try and concentrate on only one scale for several days at least, before moving on to another, because the brain, eyes and hands can begin to play tricks ..... I thought it might be interesting to show you what I mean.

The most familiar scales are probably 1/12th and 1/24th, and the very tiny 1/48th scale is gaining in popularity as more tiny little houses become available.

This elderly 1940s couple are in 1/16th scale and their likely home will be a vintage/antique house.

If you are over 50 like me, this is probably the scale of the dolls house you had as a child, so dressing the dolls in the forties style, or sometimes 1930s is often very appropriate. Anyway I must admit to being fascinated by the styles of clothing, furniture and accessories of the 1930s to 1950s.... and of course it gives me the opportunity to cover the wartime period and make chaps from the three services, or the odd air-raid warden or evaccuee.

Celia Thomas of KTMiniatures also loves this period and sells vintage/antique houses, furniture and accessories, consequently we often know the same collectors, and I know where to go for a gas mask! She also specialises in making the most original and authentic miniatures and accessories of the 1930s and 1940s in various scales and shows just how well vintage items and handcrafted 'new' creations can mix and match. It's an inspiring website, if you don't know it already, do take a look!

Tudor to the Twenties.....1/24th again

About four hundred years separate my new 1/24th characters - and I know which century sounds the more comfortable!



Wearing coarse, woven fabric clothing and long days spent serving the master or mistress - sweeping and lugging heavy wooden buckets about - can't have much appeal for these Tudor servants.



On the other hand, Sir 'Tim' Birkin was not only wealthy and distinguished but A British Racing Car Driver of the 1920s - one of the famous "Bentley Boys".




I am making a series of racing car drivers of the early 1900s for a special customer; Sir "Tim" Birkin is the latest character and in this case was a real person. I was provided with a photograph of a super painting of the gentleman, to help in reproducing him, and I am most grateful to the owner of both the photograph and the orginal painting for kindly allowing me to use it in this picture.
The miniature Sir "Tim" is now displayed standing alongside an equally miniature version of his original Bentley car in a private collection.

Here come the witches.....

Any minute now Blog-land will be full of witches...it's that time of year very soon.




I love making witches - and these are my latest 1/24th offerings - characters that allow doll makers to really run riot with their imagination! Lots of fun!




You'll guess that this isn't a miniature - it's a real life Magnolia 'Exmouth' - almost 10 inches across fully open. Gardening and plants fight miniatures for first place with me, so I couldn't resist showing this to you. It is SO beautiful with the scent of lemons. A year ago, when we moved to this house and garden, the small tree was almost buried in the undergrowth with one fabulous flower. This year, having been given space and light, it has rewarded us with ten. Magic!

If you love gardening and plants like me, check out Jayne's blog - she's mad about them too.
http://compostingchilds.blogspot.com/
Tomorrow I shall be torn between the weeding and the witches - the weather will probably decide it! Enjoy the weekend everyone.....whatever the weather.

Fag Ash Lil' .......... went to the Fair

Fag Ash Lil', the last 1/12th doll I was trying to finish prior to the fair on Monday, did go to the fair - and liked it so much she came back home so that she could go to the next one!!

The moral of this story - that all makers will recognise - is that you NEVER sell the last thing you stayed up late to finish!!

We had a good fair on Monday - and have lots of gaps, so 'must work hard'. It was lovely to catch up with old friends amongst the other stallholders, and the visitors too.
I thought in an effort to demonstrate that I am still making 1/12th characters, even though 1/24th has rather taken over lately, I'd picture this old retired sea captain in his fetching yellow wellies, who is off to a new home after a visit to the fair.
As a rule, when shadows are cast, I abandon all attempts to take pictures of my work - but this was such a great shadow......


If you have read the last couple of posts, you will have seen that 1/48th was temporarily taking me over. The response to the dolls and furniture on Monday was just terrific, and all the dolls have found new tiny homes. Thank you for all the lovely comments on that last post - yes my eyesight is being challenged....thank you son!

Finally, just to squeeze in 1/24th - these ponies with their riders. I'd like to say I made the ponies too - but I have changed them quite a lot from their original 'look' (as you do) and the leather tack is all mine.


I hope everyone else at a Fair over last weekend had a great time.