Meet the Family!

I am talking about a miniature family of course, but I do hope that like me, you've been able to spend some time with your own  families and friends this summer.
 

The new 1/12th family is about to take up residence in their own home.  For a rather nice change they're fairly modern and quite young - Mum and Dad and their young son and teenage daughter.

Every now and again the miniature world seems to have the same thought - this year it seems that the seaside and all things nautical is a big influence.  Rather nice for me as the old retired fisherman Sam in his various incarnations is now settled in a number of seaside cottages.
I know you've seen him before - as I do keep saying - but here's Sam again....and again! The beauty of handsculpting without the use of moulds is that facially each character is always different
.

Wearing our Nostalgia in Miniature Workshops aprons, Celia and I are putting the finishing touches to the kits for our last workshop of 2015.  The Little Vintage Toyshop has been our most popular workshop to date and to our surprise and delight 38 ladies will soon have completed their own
toyshops full of vintage style toys of all descriptions.  No pressure then, as already we begin to plan and design for next year!

If you are interested in making a turn of the century shop with nostalgic faded elegance do take a look at our website. This time there will be a choice of 1/12th or 1/24th scales and we are happy to add you to the Reserve List, which implies NO committment but means you will have all the details before it goes 'live' to the wider public.

Paulene completed her toyshop earlier in the year and we were thrilled when she said we could share her pictures with you.  What a wonderful shop she has made with so many of her own individual touches - we love it!  Thank you Paulene.

Thank you for looking
Robin

BUSY AND FUN TIMES!

I've been busy AND having fun since the last Blog, but now it's time to catch up with you all and see what everyone else has been up to as well.

This 1/12th District Nurse has now made her way to her new home - fun to make as I've only made 'her' in 1/24th scale before.

In 1/24th scale, 'Miss Reid' from the 'Miss Reid' books has now moved from Thame and is visiting her friend 'Miss Clare' in her lovely cottage.  You might remember I made that lady earlier in the year and also created flower and vegetable gardens for her.

Many thanks to Shirley for allowing me to use her new pictures of the pair of them enjoying the sun. I love that the garden has now acquired a friendly cat and a rather nice picket fence which ties it all together.  Thanks for the fun Shirley!

I took the opportunity as Miss Reid needed a hat and Miss Clare extra furniture, to catch up with making some extra items for stock.  All the items in the following pictures are in 1/24th scale and for sale - please contact me if you'd like further information.

We've had such fun with a very special little visitor since the last blog - lots of fun creating 'stables' for plastic ponies and painting great pictures - and also some 'trips'. If you live in our (Thame, Oxfordshire) area and have young children to entertain I can thoroughly recommend a jaunt to Oxford and the fabulous Natural History Museum (Pitt Rivers) which features lots of dinosaurs!! Very child friendly.
The stone gargoyles on the colleges also proved a great fascination!

In the opposite direct we headed for Beaconsfield (Bucks.) and Beconscot Model Village  - created originally in the 1930s and frozen in that time - have to say it enchanted us big people just as much.  As miniaturists it was also fascinating for us to peep through the workshop windows and look at the techniques being used as they work on new installations on the ground in the village itself.

This is just  a snapshot of one corner

Participants in the last LITTLE VINTAGE TOYSHOP workshops are beginning to share their photos with us which is super, and of course we'd love to see more. If you take a look at our NOSTALGIA IN MINIATURE WORKSHOPS BLOG in few days I promise you're in for a treat!

Celia and I are looking forward to the third and last workshop for this year in September, after which we'll concentrate on planning for 2016!! Meanwhile....back to kits.....

Have a lovely summer whatever you're doing, and thanks for popping in.
Robin