Soldiers, Sailor...and Seedheads......

I was going to add.....and wheelbarrow....to the title, but it doesn't quite have that poetic ring does it???

So - it seems only fair to start with the wheelbarrow and I'm delighted to be able to show you the latest 1/48th piece to emerge from the workshop. We have just a few completed for sale so if you would like more details just email me....... and the wheel goes round!!


It was a week of 1/12th chaps in uniform for a change. The retired seaman was a very special commission - always something of a challenge when the character is a representation of a much loved person. Peeping over his shoulder on my muddley workbench is one of the soldiers.



The two soldiers in 1940s uniform are for sale, so again, if you'd like details get in touch. I've created quite young men, as so many were in those perilous wartime years.


I can't resist putting up a photo taken just a day or two ago at Waterperry Gardens - the venue for our workshop in March 2012 - what fantastic seedheads!!! Autumn is here!


Last, but not least, welcome to new Followers - thank you for looking.
Robin

On a Cold and Frosty Morning.....

For the last few weeks Celia ( KT Miniatures), and my partner in our Nostalgia in Miniatures Workshops) and I have been working on a very special 'How To' project for Dolls House and Miniature Scene Magazine. Now it's been 'delivered' and will be in the January and February 2012 issues.




Please do take a look at our little video - which we hope you'll enjoy - and share our picture of this little scene, Sometime in the 1950s after the festive season, with frost on the ground, the last vestiges of the festive season were crammed into the dustbin and spilled out of the old boxes. The tree has almost no leaves left hanging, and the puddles in the old crazy paving are frozen - the New Year is about to begin.....at least someone remembered to feed the birds...




A unique creation of a little old back-garden - this scene is an extension of our workshops being held in Thame, Oxfordshire, this year. What is very special for us, is deciding to donate the 1/12th scale completed scene to raise funds for Breast Cancer Campaign by means of a sealed bid auction.
It's a charity important to us both, and many others, of course.
If you would like to own the original, you can bid online now by going to our website, or in person at Haddenham Dolls House Exhibition and Fair on November 12th - (details in my previous blog) or at the prestigious Thame Dolls House and Miniature Fair on February 19th 2012 - the bids will be opened there, and the successful bid announced at the end of the fair by the Thame Town Crier.

We've had enormous pleasure in the creation of this little scene - and I hope it shows - and are delighted that it will be featured in the magazine so that other enthusiasts can make it their own, and that hopefully it will also raise much needed funds for this important charity.

Thank you for looking
Robin

Of Poppies and Special People.....

My garden is full of autumn lovliness and of course I've been taking photos - some plants seem unsure what month it is! Miniatura, for me as a visitor was another autumnal treat - catching up with friends and seeing excellent miniatures - but it's time to look ahead......



I took this photograph of a late and lovely poppy, just as the purple pollen was dropping and a hover-fly was hovering, so I thought I'd share it with other flower-lovers in the blogosphere.

It also reminded me that this time of year is often poignant for many people...so with that also in mind, can I make a plea that even though there are super, large Dolls House Fairs around before Christmas, there are little ones....ones run by volunteers raising much needed funds up and down the country, for important and sometimes small or local charities...please support these too if you can.
If you haven't been to one you may be surprised to see that they are attended by top quality artisans who support year after year, and often have wonderful displays put on by local clubs - it's a real chance to 'meet the makers' and the friendly members of clubs.....the coffee cake too is always amazing!!

One such fair that we (Coombe Crafts) always support and will be attending, is the Haddenham Dolls House Exhibition and Fair, near Thame in Oxfordshire, and I'll give full details below. It's a LOVELY, Lovely fair!! If you can, do come - if you don't drive but live in the Oxon/Bucks area, the 280 bus between Oxford and Aylesbury will even drop you outside the Hall door!!

HADDENHAM DOLLS HOUSE EXHIBITION AND FAIR
12th NOVEMBER 2011


To be held in HADDENHAM VILLAGE HALL, HADDENHAM, BUCKS. HP17 8EE


In Aid of HEARING DOGS FOR DEAF PEOPLE and LEUKAEMIA AND LYMPHOMA RESEARCH

Nearer the time I promise to give you even more details - and if you come, do come and say 'hello'.

We shall have our usual complement of 1/24th characters, 1/12th and (hopefully) a new selection of characters in 1/48th scale and brand new furniture items in that scale too.
The following pictures illustrate some of the 1/24th characters bound for Haddenham....





A warm welcome to new Followers....thanks to you all for looking....I promise to catch up properly with other blogs soon.....
Robin

Catch up with ...Workshop....Miniatura...Brian!!

After a really busy week...this week is time off for good behaviour...sort of!


Last Sunday Celia, my Nostalgia in Miniature Workshops partner, and I spent a really super afternoon with a great group of ladies at our 'Down the Little Garden Path Workshop' here in Thame. It's so rewarding to see such friendly, enthusiasts enjoying themselves, happily covered in glue, paint and bits of plants, creating truly special projects of their own that they can embellish to their hearts content.

As often as possible we try and combine a little fundraising for Breast Cancer Campaign into our various mini-enterprises. On Sunday it was a mini-raffle. Thank you ladies!!! To see pictures of the day and workshop news - click here.

...which brings me on to Brian! We are 'presently engaged on another joint project', as they say in all the best miniature publications...... For no good reason really, we thought it would be nice to give the blue tit I'd made a name. So meet Brian, perching for a good feed of mashed up pickling spice (yes really) on a beautifully aged 'home-made' feeder.

Actually I think it's an antique saucer kindly donated from Celia's stock and rusted up in her inimitable fashion. You'll see more of him later in the year.



......which brings me on to Miniatura this coming weekend and a bit of time off for good behaviour, to visit on Sunday. Once again Model Village Miniatures have chosen some of my little 1/24th people to accompany their wonderful furniture kits. The range in both 1/12th and 1/24th made by Louise grows and grows and remains very affordable, and the exquisite tiny toys created by Marlene are favourites of mine. So I thought I'd illustrate both with this photo - in 1/24th scale - one of the tables, made up, painted and aged by me for a club project and my sweet little rabbit.


Miniatura is a high spot of the miniature year so I'd like to wish everyone attending a great success, and look forward to catching up with many friends.
Thank you for looking.
Robin

The Giveaway Winner...........and other news!

And the winner of my Giveaway...is....Jean Tuthill!!!


If you'd like to email me with your address Jean, I'll pop the little lad and the chair in the post to you. I know he'll be going to a good home!!
Jean has a lovely blog......A Romantic Country Home.....and clearly loves gardening as well as miniatures as much as me - do visit!

It's been a busy week (when isn't it??) - having promised to let you know if I still had any 1/48th characters still for sale, I'm personally pleased of course to report that they've all been sold. I'm more than happy to hear from anyone who would like me to contact them when I have another group made. Just email me. Meanwile a 1/48th witch is on her broom stick heading across the Atlantic to her new home!


Next Sunday (18th September) is the second Nostalgia in Miniature Workshop which Celia and I are running, so we've both been busy on last minute jobs - in my case making miniature compost...it has lavender in it so smells nice for a change - and checking that everything is REALLY ready!!

One of the nicest things said to me recently, was by a participant in the previous workshop who had made her very first 1/24th scene of any sort, and was thrilled with it. She brought along her little 'Over the Little Garden Fence' to show me with the finishing touches all done, at a recent fair and it was super! Our workshops are for all abilities, very friendly and lots of fun.
We have a couple of places left for 'Down the Little Garden Path' next Sunday, so if you're tempted, whizz over to our website and see more, or catch up with the latest news on our blog.

Down the Little Garden Path


In non-miniature news - a visit to a Car Boot sale this morning saw me buy a bargain box of wonderful old Queen's Green china - cups and LOTS of saucers! Love it!!! I even love the ancient wooden Canary Island Tomato box they were packed in!
I have plans for this........



Thank you for reading the blog - joining in the Giveaway - and deciding to be a new Follower!

Robin

A Giveaway.....100 Followers....Wow!!

As promised, it's time for a Giveaway...and I hope you'll like what I've chosen...

I really didn't think just over a year ago when I started this blog that one day 100 people would read it!! Amazing!!

So thank you to all my friendly, and encouraging Followers - it's been just brilliant to have you along regularly while I struggled with the finer points of this blogging lark!

I wanted to choose a Giveaway gift that represented both sides of Coombe Crafts ..... it takes two to keep this boat afloat after all .... so a cheeky young boy and a hand-crafted barrel chair - both in 1/24th scale seems to do it. I hope you'll like them.




To participate you must be a Follower, and leave a Comment please to let me know you'd like to be entered in the madly random and hugely unscientific but scrupulously fair draw which will take place in about a week's time.

As always ...Thank you SO much for looking.
Robin

In Praise of the Ironing Board.......

It's not often you'll find a blog just about an ironing board.........

If you read regularly you'll know I ramble on and fit in as much as possible, so this is a bit of a first!!

My other half emerged from the shed (sorry, workshop) where he was supposed to be making 1/24th wheelbarrows, with an ironing board in his hand. I already think his 1/24th ironing boards are great and to judge by the number we sell, so do other people - so when he opened his hand and showed me the 1/48th version I was speechless!

Here it is - I think it's lovely - it even folds down. At present we just have three...I shall be very nice and we may have more....



A warm welcome to my most recent Followers - I see I've just passed the magic number so I'll have a think about a Giveaway in a few days, when I've recovered and cleared up after the fair on Bank Holiday Monday, and can put thoughts together in coherent order!!


Thank you for looking
Robin

The Little People.......at last

It's been a while, but at last I've another group of 1/48th characters finished - not a moment too soon as I've been promising to have them on the stand at the Dollys Daydreams Fair in Thame on Bank Holiday Monday - 29th August! Phew!

These are always something of a challenge - the size being the obvious one. I also want them to be fully poseable and have characterful faces ....so by the time 20 odd dolls are done, boy are my eyes are tired! Anyway here are a few for you to see.




After the fair any remaining will go on general sale and as usual I'll first email those who have been waiting. If anyone else would like to be contacted, please email to let me know. I'm sorry but I still don't feel that I can commit to making characters in this tiny scale to commission, so for now at least it is a case of choosing from the ones available. At the moment we are managing to keep the other 1/48th items in stock and we again have sets of sofas and easy chairs!

And now for something a little bigger. My very tiny tea pots pop up on many of our items, and here they are on some 1/24th scale breakfast trays.....still working in a muddle I'm afraid!



.........and some Teeny Tiny shelves in the same scale. These are designed to be 'hung' on a wall and only measure approx. 3/4ins high and 1in. wide.



Today's challenge has been photographing these really tiny items - I wish they were better.

Welcome to new Followers, it's lovely to have you along and I'll enjoy catching up with your blogs soon.

Thank you for looking
Robin

......When a Plan comes Together.....

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together............

Back in May I was lucky enough to win a super Flower Kit by Georgina Steeds (The Miniature Garden Centre), from the raffle at our local Dolls House Club here in Thame. I've used lots of her kits in the past for myself and I love them...but this was a 1/12th Marrow kit...mmm...daunting! It meant making marrows and I haven't made those for years!!!! I kept thinking about combining it with one of my old gardeners in a vignette of some sort.....I kept thinking......



Come early July and Celia (KT Miniatures) my friend and partner in our Nostalgia in Miniature Workshops, had made a wonderfully aged 1930s cold frame with sliding lid, as a prototype for our 'Down the Little Garden Path Workshop'. I ordered one immediately and a plan was beginning to form.....
Then my lovely Savoy cabbages arrived from Mouse House Miniatures and my flower-pot making efforts proved 'passable'....the plan was nearly possible....



I spent a long time looking at the marrow plants (well courgettes actually, but it's close) in my own garden and took photos - how sad it that - before actually digging out the polymer clay to attempt the all-important marrows!!

Marrows and dolls heads are very different.....




Anyway - it's been fun - I've enjoyed putting it all together and I do hope the other artisans feel I've done justice to their talents and expertise. Of course my old gardener should have planted his marrow out from the cold frame onto a nice big composty heap when it was young......but he was busy and forgot.... so it remained in the frame and in its lush exuberance, grew and grew and pushed and tumbled out of the frame!! It looks as if he should start picking!!
I popped the lovely Savoy in an old garden seive, along with a few basic carrots and onions as the final touch.

The Marrow that started it all........

The Marrow in the Cold Frame piece is for sale, definitely one only - email me if you'd like details - or it will be on our stand at the Dollys Daydreams Dolls House and Miniatures Fair at Thame Leisure Centre, Thame, Oxon. on Bank Holiday Monday 29th August. If you're attending this busy fair, do come and say 'hello'.

Thank you for looking.
Robin

The Royal Navy and Wild Carrots.......

A lot of my dolls find their way over the Atlantic to U.S.A. and these are the latest to go over....by airmail not ship!

As a rule my little old sailors - you've probably guessed these are 1/24th scale again - are pretty ancient, bearded, scruffy and definitely retired. However the call went out for two smart, distinguished R.N.Captains and here they are....you may even see them at a fair near you!



In other news, Celia and I have just put up pictures of our latest old cottage garden in 1/24th scale, prepared for the next workshop on September 18th. 'Down the Little Garden Path' features a super 1930s-style aged cold frame, compost heap and hostas....with slugs. The slugs were a bit of a challenge is this scale!! If you'd like to see more pictures and up-to-date news just go to our workshops blog.



In garden news...because I KNOW I'm not the only blogger who loves flowers and gardening.....

Our Magnolia Grandiflora Exmouth is flowering as magnificently as its grand name and wafting a delicious lemony scent across the garden - and the bees love it!



A couple of years ago I bought some Giant Lily bulbs...and wondered if they would survive year on year and grow taller and taller until an eventual height of around 8-9ft as promised in the glossy catalogue. But WoW! This year they are fabulous again and have now reached around 6ft. Exciting!!





And finally a rather beautiful mistake - or at least I think so. I couldn't quite remember which plant I'd put in at the back of the border, but its ferny foliage got taller and taller so I decided to wait. That plant IS showing every sign of being 8ft tall.... And turns out to be a Wild Carrot! Whoops!
But the flowers are fantastic and curl inwards as they begin to set seed in an amazing and intricate arrangement. So although it's a bit of a gardening bloomer it's also a very happy accident......








Thank you all for looking
Robin