It was SUCH a hot day on Sunday.....and though we all sweltered in the heat, and the paints and glues practically dried as we squirted them from the tubes...it was a super day!!
Twenty lovely, enthusiastic and creative ladies joined us for our first workshop, 'Over the Little Garden Fence' and - to judge by the kind remarks and the feed-back they left - enjoyed it as much as we did.
It would be fair to say Celia and I felt a little nervous and rusty - it's been a while since workshops on this scale for either of us - but Hey - we're looking forward to the next one now!
So thanks to our 'students', and help on the day from some special people, and for the contributions that raised over £44 for Breast Cancer Campaign.
We hope you'll enjoy our little video - details here for future workshops - or go to our website if you'd like to see pictures from the workshop itself as well.
In a day or two I'll post details of some of the new garden items pictured here in recent weeks that are for sale.
Thank you for looking.
Robin
Monday, June 27, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Morris Men ....and a Bit of Gardening....
In my last blog I mentioned that I'd been working on some fun 1/24th characters...and a bit more miniature gardening....
We think it must have been around 10 years ago that a lovely lady asked if I could make her a couple of 1/24th Morris Dancers to go on the Village Green outside her 1/24th cottages......
I said 'yes' because she's a lovely lady and customer - coming from Oxfordshire I love Morris dancing and the whole tradition anyway - and it was a bit of a different challenge!
The original old boys have been dancing for a good few years now so recently she asked me to create another couple of team members and here they are - now dancing their way around the West Country! Since the first ones - my little Morris men have moved to all parts of U.K. and the Commonwealth wearing a variety of different waistcoats and trims and have also put on a bit of weight and increased to 1/12th scale as well.
In the last few weeks, in between making new dolls, I've managed to get some more miniature gardening projects completed. I've planted some lavender, made some more varieties of the garden succulents that we call houseleeks in these parts, to plant on rockery stones and chased a cockerel down to the bottom of the little garden path.
These will all be at the workshop this Sunday.
Lovely lavender in 1/12th and 1/24th scale 'planted' in terracotta pots.
These are Cobweb Houseleeks (Sempervivum arachnoideum)...there's a clue in the Latin here... they're also known as Spider Houseleeks. I do have fun looking for the pebbles - this one has a pool of 'water' too.
This garden arrangement is in 1/12th scale as well - the feathered cockerel has found a spot at the bottom of this rather overgrown garden. I loved making this one!
Welcome to new Followers - I do hope you'll enjoy my ramblings.
Thank you all for looking.
Robin
We think it must have been around 10 years ago that a lovely lady asked if I could make her a couple of 1/24th Morris Dancers to go on the Village Green outside her 1/24th cottages......
I said 'yes' because she's a lovely lady and customer - coming from Oxfordshire I love Morris dancing and the whole tradition anyway - and it was a bit of a different challenge!
The original old boys have been dancing for a good few years now so recently she asked me to create another couple of team members and here they are - now dancing their way around the West Country! Since the first ones - my little Morris men have moved to all parts of U.K. and the Commonwealth wearing a variety of different waistcoats and trims and have also put on a bit of weight and increased to 1/12th scale as well.
In the last few weeks, in between making new dolls, I've managed to get some more miniature gardening projects completed. I've planted some lavender, made some more varieties of the garden succulents that we call houseleeks in these parts, to plant on rockery stones and chased a cockerel down to the bottom of the little garden path.
These will all be at the workshop this Sunday.
Lovely lavender in 1/12th and 1/24th scale 'planted' in terracotta pots.
These are Cobweb Houseleeks (Sempervivum arachnoideum)...there's a clue in the Latin here... they're also known as Spider Houseleeks. I do have fun looking for the pebbles - this one has a pool of 'water' too.
This garden arrangement is in 1/12th scale as well - the feathered cockerel has found a spot at the bottom of this rather overgrown garden. I loved making this one!Welcome to new Followers - I do hope you'll enjoy my ramblings.
Thank you all for looking.
Robin
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Emigrating to Australia...in 1/12th Scale
Many of us have family or friendship ties to other countries......and some more of my little people have emigrated to Australia.....
A blog or two ago I featured super pictures from Hazel who was creating her miniature 'family' in a truly stunning house and I was thrilled to see how at home my characters looked. Now she is stepping back in time to the mid 19th Century and her latest characters have arrived in their new home. Technically the combined Post Offices of U.K. and Australia made this possible but in real life this lady and gentleman sailed on " Branken Moor" in 1849 to begin their new life.
She went on to manage a rather smart tea shop and he ran the general store.
Hazel's photo (thank you Hazel) pictures them outside the second storey of her lovely house, but I do believe they're destined to have their own establishments one day. The second photo shows them before they set off on their great adventure - amazing to think of the courage of this generation and just what they achieved!
Meanwhile - elsewhere in sunny Australia, Susan is settling in Hilda Grace and James George, a cheery, comfortable couple if ever I saw one - again photographed before they left these shores..... I'm told they're doing just fine!
I've been busy this week working on some fun 1/24th characters and another spot of miniature gardening - and our first workshop is only a week away so I've been checking I've bought the coffee as well as enough paint! If you'd like to see what Celia (KT Miniatures) and I have been up to in Nostaglia in Miniature Workshops click here and catch up with our joint blog.
Thanks for looking.
Robin
P.S. June 19th. Susan has put up a lovely post on her blog -minicrochetmad - with the real life history of Hilda and James and great pictures of them in their new Australian home. Many Thanks Susan.
A blog or two ago I featured super pictures from Hazel who was creating her miniature 'family' in a truly stunning house and I was thrilled to see how at home my characters looked. Now she is stepping back in time to the mid 19th Century and her latest characters have arrived in their new home. Technically the combined Post Offices of U.K. and Australia made this possible but in real life this lady and gentleman sailed on " Branken Moor" in 1849 to begin their new life.
She went on to manage a rather smart tea shop and he ran the general store.
Hazel's photo (thank you Hazel) pictures them outside the second storey of her lovely house, but I do believe they're destined to have their own establishments one day. The second photo shows them before they set off on their great adventure - amazing to think of the courage of this generation and just what they achieved!
Meanwhile - elsewhere in sunny Australia, Susan is settling in Hilda Grace and James George, a cheery, comfortable couple if ever I saw one - again photographed before they left these shores..... I'm told they're doing just fine!
I've been busy this week working on some fun 1/24th characters and another spot of miniature gardening - and our first workshop is only a week away so I've been checking I've bought the coffee as well as enough paint! If you'd like to see what Celia (KT Miniatures) and I have been up to in Nostaglia in Miniature Workshops click here and catch up with our joint blog.
Thanks for looking.
Robin
P.S. June 19th. Susan has put up a lovely post on her blog -minicrochetmad - with the real life history of Hilda and James and great pictures of them in their new Australian home. Many Thanks Susan.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
STOP PRESS - NOSTALGIA IN MINIATURE WORKSHOPS !!!
This really is a STOP PRESS moment .... NOSTALGIA IN MINIATURE WORKSHOPS is a completely new venture between KT Miniatures and Coombe Crafts.....SOooo exciting!
Celia Thomas of KT Miniatures and I are great friends of course - but not only that, when it comes to miniatures we share the same passion that our work reflects both realism and nostalgia. Although our individual skills are quite different they are complementary.....and it seems to work!
Over the last few years we have often collaborated on special projects and commissions, but we wanted to extend that collaboration in an on-going and regular basis and this year planned and arranged a series of workshops. You may have seen in recent weeks the advertising on both our blogs for our first Workshops - "Over the Little Garden Fence" to be held in Thame in Oxfordshire, this June and October.
Our respective blogs and websites were getting crowded with the Workshop news, so was time to give NOSTALGIA IN MINIATURE WORKSHOPS it's very own space!!!
If you'd like regular updates and news - our new blog is http://miniatureworkshops.blogspot.com/
Our new NOSTALGIA IN MINIATURE WORKSHOPS website with all the details and Booking Information is - www.miniatureworkshops.com
We should really love it if you'd take a look.
Finally, a personal 'thank you' to Celia. It's well known that technology is not my forte (I can hear the chuckles from friends as I type) - so - thanks for the techie stuff mate!
Robin
Celia Thomas of KT Miniatures and I are great friends of course - but not only that, when it comes to miniatures we share the same passion that our work reflects both realism and nostalgia. Although our individual skills are quite different they are complementary.....and it seems to work!
Over the last few years we have often collaborated on special projects and commissions, but we wanted to extend that collaboration in an on-going and regular basis and this year planned and arranged a series of workshops. You may have seen in recent weeks the advertising on both our blogs for our first Workshops - "Over the Little Garden Fence" to be held in Thame in Oxfordshire, this June and October.
Our respective blogs and websites were getting crowded with the Workshop news, so was time to give NOSTALGIA IN MINIATURE WORKSHOPS it's very own space!!!
If you'd like regular updates and news - our new blog is http://miniatureworkshops.blogspot.com/
Our new NOSTALGIA IN MINIATURE WORKSHOPS website with all the details and Booking Information is - www.miniatureworkshops.com
We should really love it if you'd take a look.
Finally, a personal 'thank you' to Celia. It's well known that technology is not my forte (I can hear the chuckles from friends as I type) - so - thanks for the techie stuff mate!
Robin
Sunday, June 5, 2011
OCTOBER in the Little Old Garden....
When we advertised our workshop - "Over the Little Garden Fence Workshop" - to be held on June 26th In Thame, Oxfordshire...we were hopeful, a little nervous but very optimistic........
Celia Thomas of KT Miniatures and I were (in the modern idiom) gobsmacked when all 20 twenty places were filled so very quickly - and realised that June wasn't a great month for a number of folk who would have otherwise joined us.
So........we are delighted to confirm that we shall run "Over the Little Garden Fence Workshop" again on Sunday 23rd October at the Girl Guide H.Q. in Thame.
This is a 3 hour workshop, in an informal but friendly and productive atmosphere where a unique corner of an old, slightly dilapidated cottage garden will be created, and the advice, and encouragement will enable you to take away some new skills and be inspired to do even more in the garden of your own small houses.
You can choose to create your garden in either 1/12th or 1/24th scale, build a wobbly, aged fence and force your early rhubarb in a rusty old bottomless bucket - and tackle the weeds too! Or you could just sit on that nice old bench.....
We are limited to 20 places so if you are interested, please get in touch soon ..... click here and, as if by magic - and the skill of my partner in crime Celia - find out all about it and see more pictures too.
Thank you for looking - and welcome to my newest followers.
Robin
Celia Thomas of KT Miniatures and I were (in the modern idiom) gobsmacked when all 20 twenty places were filled so very quickly - and realised that June wasn't a great month for a number of folk who would have otherwise joined us.
So........we are delighted to confirm that we shall run "Over the Little Garden Fence Workshop" again on Sunday 23rd October at the Girl Guide H.Q. in Thame.
This is a 3 hour workshop, in an informal but friendly and productive atmosphere where a unique corner of an old, slightly dilapidated cottage garden will be created, and the advice, and encouragement will enable you to take away some new skills and be inspired to do even more in the garden of your own small houses.
You can choose to create your garden in either 1/12th or 1/24th scale, build a wobbly, aged fence and force your early rhubarb in a rusty old bottomless bucket - and tackle the weeds too! Or you could just sit on that nice old bench.....
We are limited to 20 places so if you are interested, please get in touch soon ..... click here and, as if by magic - and the skill of my partner in crime Celia - find out all about it and see more pictures too.
Thank you for looking - and welcome to my newest followers.Robin
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