A Gipsy Gent and a Little Old Shed

Back to work with vengeance this week - going from sculpting to preparations for our next Workshop, and back again....keeps me busy and out of mischief!

I was asked to create a friendly, elderly Gipsy gent in 1/12th scale - a very special commission - and he was delivered this week. I'm reliably informed that he's now got a glass of cider in his hand and is preparing to drive off in a super waggon that has been built especially for him!


A lovely morning was spent with Celia, wearing our Nostalgia in Miniature hats, putting the finishing touches to our 1/24th scale 'Little Old Garden Shed' prototype for our first all day workshop at Waterperry Gardens on March 25th.
We are a little late putting up these pictures, and apart from The Thame Fair concentrating our minds recently, there's a lot of detail both inside and outside this tiny shed - just 5 inches tall at the top of the rusty old corrugated tin roof . We've made subtle changes in construction from the 1/12th scale to make for an easier build for the participants and given the woodwork a different look.

This shed has an old shabby white painted finish and an ancient black door - the participants, working in both scales, have a choice of finishes and lots of accessories to bring the shed to life.


Just today a place has become unexpectedly available on this workshop - it can be taken up in either 1/12th or 1/24th scale!! If you are interested - all the details are on our Nostalgia in Miniature website, please take a look and get in touch with either of us without delay.

Thanks for looking.
Robin

Spring ..... Furniture Sale

Let's start with Spring - anything to banish the gloom of the recent soggy days - and then move on to a HALF PRICE Sale of 1/12th furniture!

Here's the Spring bit...... today was sunny and the Hellebores are coming out in my garden - I have loads - I love them. They're really not happy indoors in water, but I always pick one or two and pop them up to their necks in a little pot. This one is photographed in front of an old and much loved oil painting of indeterminent age that sits frameless on a shelf.


Now to the furniture. I think I've said before that as we concentrate more these days on smaller scales, we could do with freeing up some space. We shall always be happy to make both dolls and furniture in 1/12th scale if you let us know what you're looking for, and enjoy working to specific commissions, but we shall carry less in stock.
So...bargain time. All the pieces are individually and beautifully hand crafted - many in an Arts and Crafts or Mackintosh style.


Here are a couple of really arty-crafty chairs - although barrel chairs have been around much longer. The square Mackintosh style 'throne' chair is only £5 now and the barrel £7.50.

Two lovely tables - the bigger one, 'Mackintosh Altar Table' has a tiny drawer that runs all the way through and opens on both sides. This piece is now £14.
The side table is a an original design and would look at home in both a modern and period setting. This one is now only £10.

The Tudor style chest - a timeless chest with simple decoration on the panels - just £12.50.

The Mackintosh 'Argyle' chair is a familiar and well loved piece of furniture. This pair are now reduced to £10 each.
The pretty long-case clock is a 'Grandmother Clock' - it too is £10. Nope - it doesn't work!

If you you'd like more details or are interested in purchasing any of the above pieces please email me. I will put up a few more next week, but in the meantime if you email, I'm happy to let you know what else will be going in the sale.

Thanks for looking.
Robin

Coombe Crafts - Estate Agent!!

Alright - that is a bit of a joke.....each Thame Fair we try to showcase some new items, apart from the ever-changing character dolls who are never, ever the same. This time it was mostly 1/48th scale and I previewed some in the last week or so on the Blog.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if everything sold?? It can't of course, although we had a very successful and lovely day.Over the next Blog or two I'll feature items now on sale.

Two tiny 1/48th cottages are now available - Talskiddy and Harlyn.
Both are on an MDF base measuring 6" wide and 5 1/4" deep. Each cottage is just under 4" diameter and is approximately 5 1/2" high (including the base) without the roof. The little thatched roof pops on like a lid giving easy access to the upper floor, and brings the total height (to the top of the peak) to approximately 8".
Inspired by the 19th century thatched round houses in the village of Veryan in Cornwall, each is hand-built and unique.

The interior design is the same in each: a tiny curved staircase, flagstone ground floor and floorboarded upper floor. Each cottage is surrounded by a narrow garden and has a cat that lives in!

Harlyn - the exterior is a natural stone effect and clinging to the front wall is a beautiful yellow Laburnum (Golden Chain) climbing shrub. Harlyn is priced at £80


Talskiddy - the outside of this little cottage features the traditional 'whitewash' finish and has 5 traditional curved topped windows. Purple Wisteria is the climbing shrub that clads the front wall. Talskiddy is priced at £85

If you'd like more details or are considering purchase please email me.
By the way - legend has it that the houses were round so the Devil had no corners to hide in!!

Thank you for looking.
Robin

Super Day - Thank You!!

AS we live in Thame itself we're remarkable lucky that our travel to the venue for the Thame Dolls House and Miniatures Fair on Saturday takes around 5 minutes - so no crack of sparrow start for us unlike many traders and visitors who came from all over and miles away!!
It was SUCH a lovely and successful day - many thanks to Felicity and Ron for carrying on the tradition of a superlative artisan fair that attracts us all, as much for the happy friendly atmosphere, as for the acknowledged level of high quality miniatures of such wide variety.

It was a wonderful opportunity to grab a few minutes with old friends, both side of the trade stands and make new ones - lovely!! I just wish there had been proper time to have a really good browse around the fair myself.
We all look forward to the final tally of fundraising for Breast Cancer Campaign but to judge by the fact that the raffle was superb and the ladies manning the Sales Table and Tombola etc.were inundated with even more donations on the day, and rushed off their feet - it should be good!!
The Market Town Miniatures ( the Thame Club) put on a wonderful display, celebrating 10 years and demonstrating what a talented group they are. They're also a friendly and informal bunch happy to welcome new members.

It can't have escaped your notice, if you've been reading my Blog - or Celia's -
(KT Miniatures) that our 1/12th vignette 'On a Cold and Frosty Morning.....' was being auctioned in aid of the charity. The Sealed Bids were opened and an amazing bid of £300 won the project. ' Thank you' doesn't seem adequate, but we all know that this generous amount will be put to good use.

And finally....thank you to everyone who came along to say 'hello' - it all makes for a very special day.
Robin

New for THAME in 1/48th Scale

Thame Fair is a great place for 'new' launches and I know a number of colleagues have some exciting new items to unveil, which I'm looking forward to seeing in the pre-opening whizz-round (any later and they'll probably be sold) with the bacon butty and vital caffeine we grab if we can before the doors open!!

So amongst our 'new launches' are......

Little 1/48th ladies in long frocks - granted that doesn't sound very radical or exciting - but long frocks, bodices and sleeves are even MORE fiddly and take more time!
We'll still have a selection of little ladies and gents in rather more up-to-date costumes - a witch and little girl have slipped in there along with Gran going shopping. Any not sold at the fair will be on general sale afterwards, as we don't work to commission for dolls in this scale.
Please do get in touch if you'd like to be advised when we do have them available.

To add to our 'furniture and accessories' we have a breakfast tray with tea pot, cup and saucer and plate and a REALLY teeny-weeny tiny set of shelves with a selection of ornaments, designed to hang on a wall.


A couple of the 'long frocks' amongst other new characters appearing at this fair!!


Apologies - I find 1/48th scale difficult to photgraph successfully! Please bear in mind as you enhance the size, that the dolls are hardly 1 1/2" high and the little shelves and trays just over 1/2" wide.


You will have noticed (because we both continue to bang on about it) that Celia Thomas (KT Miniatures) and I, wearing our Nostalgia in Miniatures Workshops hats have donated our 1/12th scale project called 'A Frosty Morning...after the night before' for a Sealed Bid Auction to raise funds for Breast Cancer Campaign, a charity close to our hearts - and of course, many others too.
If you are coming to the fair and have seen the project in Dolls House and Miniature Scene Magazine, who originally commissioned it as a 'How To' project this year, do take a look. If you're inspired to own it, you can bid on the day at the fair. If you're not in our area but are still interested or are considering making a bid take a look at all the details on Nostalgia in Miniatures under our Charity slot, or on the official Thame Dolls House and Miniatures Fair website.

Coombe Crafts (that's us) is Stand Number 36 and KT Miniatures (Celia) Stand 29 - in the same group of stands - and we'll both be happy to tell you more about our Workshops.

Finally Market Town Miniatures (MTM), the local Thame Dolls House and Miniature Club is TEN YEARS old!!!!
Congratulations to those who have kept an enthusiastic and inspiring club going. New members are WELCOME and there are ladies wearing MTM badges and/or pink T-shirts, running the (now famous) Tombola, Sales Table, Artisan Raffle - ALL in Aid of Breast Cancer Campaign - at the fair.
If you are interested in joining MTM or just would like to know more...say 'Hello'...... or ask for Jill on the Breast Cancer Campaign Sales Table - she'll be happy to give you all the (very friendly and informal) details. And...before you go...the Club has a stunning display of vignettes and room boxes, including the most recent 'The Attic', completed over the years - worth a visit!!!

FINALLY - if you're coming, do come and say 'hello' to us on Coombe Crafts, it will be lovely to meet you. If you're NOT coming and are fed up with reading about it.......we shall all be back to normal next week...Promise!

Thank you for looking and welcome to the Followers who've joined in the last week or so.
Robin

Talskiddy...Harlyn.....Worlds End

A decade or so ago we lived in the beautiful county of Cornwall where the wonderfully quirky old cottages - which seem to grow out of the landscape itself - inspired me to create my own whenever I could spare time from doll making.

The distinctive and unique round houses of Veryan are very special and I've created a number of my own round cottages in 1/24th scale over the years, inspired by them. Last year I finally got around to a 'Veryan cottage' in 1/48th scale - my little people have to have somewhere to live - and was delighted that it actually found a new home back in the South West.

So in between dolls and Workshops and life in general I've built three more little 1/48th cottages in the same style, which will be on sale first at The Thame Dolls House and Miniatures Fair next Saturday - 18th February.



Talskiddy is whitewashed and more traditional, while Harlyn and Worlds End, with a pretty thatched porch, have a natural stone effect finish - all are whitewashed inside and have a curvy set of old stone stairs to the upper floor. I enjoy adding just a little in the way of a garden and of course pretty climbers on the front walls. Naturally they all come with a resident cat!





All my cottages have open backs, and the little thatched roofs lift off. If you'd like to see bigger pictures - just click on the image.
Now all I have to do is finish making some 1/48th people this weekend to live in them. These too will be on sale at the fair along with their bigger cousins in other scales.

Thank you for looking.
Robin

Hapless Harry And The District Nurse

I should apologise for the 'exciting' Blog header - but 'More 1/24th characters' sounds a bit boring after a few times!

Creating new characters isn't boring though, and although I like to have old favourites - Fag Ash Lil, the shopkeeper and gentle old ladies and gents - ‌ it's fun to bring a new character forward. Hapless Harry has clearly had some kind of serious tumble to break an arm and a leg so it's as well the District Nurse is on hand.


The characters in these two photographs, together with others, will be on sale first at Thame Dolls House and Miniatures Fair on February 18th. Details of all standholders can be found on the Thame Fair website.
Coming up with a new tiny personality really is part of the enthusiasm for creating characters, so if you have a special character in mind I'm always happy to hear from you - but in any case no two shopkeepers ever look the same!!!



Several new Followers have come along recently - welcome aboard - I hope you'll in enjoy my (mostly miniature) ramblings.
Thank you for looking.
Robin