Technology!!! I'll Stick to Sculpting Little People

It won't come as any surprise to those of you who know me, that technology in its many forms is a total blind-spot for me.  I was very fazed by the sudden disappeareance of some Followers - until a lovely lady explained it all.
I'll stick to the matter in hand which is getting some 1/48th characters ready for the stand at The Thame Dolls House and Miniature Fair on 27th February, here in Thame, Oxfordshire.
 
I'm hugely indebted to the talented Catherine at Kilmouski http://kilmouskiandme.blogspot.co.uk - for restoring my 'equilibrium'........I thought I must be just getting a bit boring... she explained why a number of us are seeing our Followers vanish! Take a look - much better than me trying to explain it.

Moving on rapidly - my head has been down working on some new 1/48th characters.  These do take a while as there are many steps in creating a life-like character with a unique sculpted face ( hate moulds) that is also fully pose-able.  Actually believe it or not they can take longer than a doll in 1/12th or 1/24th scale.
So, as a first for me in this scale here are a Tudor couple and a pair of monks!! The policeman is a character I do make occasionally - those helmets are such a pain!!!

None are taller than 1 1/2 inches but are really detailed nevertheless.  The monks have bare feet and sandals and as you can see the little policeman has both handcuffs and truncheon.
Next time I'll picture some of the others, including ladies and gents who will fit into many a 1/48th abode, both 'period' and 'modern'.  At the moment they all need some hair!
They will be for sale first on our Coombe Crafts stand at The Thame Dolls House and Miniature Fair and it will be first come first served - sorry they can't be reserved. 

Thank you for looking
Robin

Doll-making.....Shop-fitting....Catching up.....

We're more than halfway through January ......panic.....a bad back has slowed me down...more panic.  So it's about now that the list-making  and 'prioritising' starts - given that we need 1/48th dolls for our Coombe Crafts stand at The Thame Fair,  and Celia and I (in workshop mode) are fitting out the 1/24th scale version of our latest elegant and faded 1900s German Style Shop.......and Booking is now OPEN!

Where to start????

Not the most exciting photograph in the world I have to admit but it's a nod to the fact that the newest 1/48th characters have heads at least - so we WILL have new ones at The Thame Dolls House and Miniature Fair on 27th February.

Flyers are out - advertisements are in the magazines and we're looking forward to another lovely, friendly and successful fair.

Booking has now officially opened for our next workshop! We will be running this workshop twice in the Conference Room at Bicester Avenue Garden Centre (Oxfordshire - just off Jct 9 of M40), so you have a choice of two dates: Saturday 4th June 2016 or Saturday 2nd July 2016. We currently have spaces for both dates but they are limited, so please get in touch asap if you would like to come. Go to our Nostalgia in Miniature Workshops website for all the details.

Above you can see a glimpse of the 1/12th scale shop, but soon we hope to bring you photos of the 1/24th scale version. This shop can be any type you want it to be and is an extremely versatile 'emporium'.
So that you can see just how the little shops can be varied in decoration and style, we'll change the delicate pinks, ochres and greens to a different colour palette in the 1/24th scale version while keeping that fantastic floor. We have been  thinking just how many different kinds of shop this could be suitable for...lovely frock or hat shop, haberdashery is an obvious, but it would make a terrific general store, or bakers/cake shop, or flower shop or sweet shop...chemist...toyshop....

We'll be at The Thame Fair and are happy to have a chat about the workshop projects -and  by the way we will have two or three protoypes in both scales from earlier projects for sale and will also be supporting Breast Cancer Now.
More details another time.

Thanks for looking
Robin

HAPPY NEW YEAR - Time to Get Going!

I very much hope you all had a lovely Christmas and that this New Year will bring all you wish for yourselves. I have to admit that it's been a bit of an effort to get going again.......but I'll get there.  I don't know about the rest of you but the year starts with a lot of thinking and planning.

Apart from eating far too much....the break did allow for a bit of distraction and I had lots of fun filling my ancient set of wall shelves with precious bits and pieces.  In the dim and distant past we hauled them out of a shed and scraped off layers of cream and brown paint.

I've found room on the lower shelves for some miniatures - once apon a time the children in the 1920s photograph played with this wonderful dresser filled with the most beautiful glassware.  I must check with my chum Celia Thomas of KTMiniatures, (my go-to expert for vintage and antique miniatures as I'm sure many of you already know) that it's Victorian.

This last photograph features some items I've collected over the years - sadly I can't remember all the makers but most of the fabulous plants were made by Jan Southerton, The Flower Lady. The little old train and carved fish were finds at Car Boot Fairs for a few pennies.

Jan and Celia, along with ourselves will be among the forty miniature artisans at The Thame Dolls House and Miniature Fair on 27th February at the Leisure Centre here in Thame, Oxfordshire.  It's definitely a date for the diary and we'll give you more details in due course. Of course it also means that I need to get a move on and make some interesting new items for our stand - that's the fun bit!!

It isn't generally known but NOSTALGIA IN MINIATURES WORKSHOPS - which is a joint undertaking with Celia - is mostly fuelled at our regular 'management meetings' and 'workshop project sessions' by cake, hot chocolate and cappucino!! It works for us ..... we've been busy preparing for our most versatile project yet - which we are again able to offer in a choice of 1/12th or 1/24th scales.

A glimpse of the 1/12th Scale  Early 1900s Little German Style Shop

We are delighted to announce that the 2016 workshops 'THE EARLY 1900s LITTLE GERMAN STYLE SHOP' will be open for Booking Online from 18th January - further details are on our website - just click HERE. Everyone who was on the Reserve List has already been contacted as a priority as promised - available places will be offered on a first come, first served basis at one of the two workshops which are on 4th June and 2nd July at Bicester Avenue Garden Centre.
Do feel free to contact either of us before booking is live if you wish - details on the website if you have any queries.

Thanks for looking - hope to see you again this year!!
Robin