A Miniature Display for Christmas

It's time to wish everyone who has taken the time to pop in, or follow or leave me lovely comments, A MERRY CHRISTMAS and A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

I'd also like to say a very big THANK YOU for just reading the blog and hope you've found it interesting.
Another big THANK YOU to very special chums, who encouraged and dragged me kicking and screaming into blogland and helped when I got stuck.
I've enjoyed so much of my 5 months or so of blogging; learned a lot from so many talented bloggers and been inspired by them too.


I'm a miniaturist without a dolls house - which usually surprises people, who know that I do collect the work of other makers. So....... I thought you might like to see how I display them, mostly in the old typesetting trays I love.


You'll see that there are also pretty antique brooches, buttons and badges as well as tiny toys, shells and the little keepsakes that we all have squirrelled away.
I 'bashed' a small but tatty cabinet for a few more, and another for my collection of butterfly brooches - I love butterflies!



It was tricky hanging over the bannisters trying in vain to get all of this one in the picture!




I hope you've enjoyed the pictures...... and as always......thanks for looking.
Robin

A Friendly Plug or Two

We all meet - or know - special people. I'd like you to meet two friends of mine......

I've known Carole for twenty years...maybe more ......since our craft days, when she'd temporarily put her artist's pencils to one side to grow wonderful plants and herbs which she distilled into fabulous lotions, potions and candles etc. before 'green' and 'organic' were invented. Oh...and she ran marathons in her spare time ....... this was when we were fighting the government of the time to convince them that Miniatures were NOT toys, and should not be subject to the new regulations. Good job we all won.......

I'm delighted to hear that she's picked up her artist's tools again and has launched ORIGINAL ART. For a very reasonable rate she can turn that favourite photograph of a very special person (or pet) into a beautiful pencil portrait ready to frame.



With apologies, because my scanner is playing up and doesn't do it justice, but what a great drawing of Bono......however, my favourite is a sketch of sweet little pooch, next to me as I write this post.
For further details you can contact her - Carole Alison Foord Ollis - on Wildflowers@live.co.uk
or phone her - 01249 816566

Jenny is another special friend............ for a good few years too. Along with her friend Cathy - both incredibly talented miniature artisans - she organizes the fantastic East Cornwall Dolls House and Miniatures Fair at Lostwithiel. We have been fortunate enough to have had a stand regularly and love it. Everyone loves it! It has an amazing reputation for a small/medium fair and attracts artisans from all over the U.K. alongside the talented makers of the south west, who often don't receive the acclaim they deserve, and draws visitors from all over Cornwall, Devon and beyond.
It's a very special fair which raises funds for The Doubletrees Special School - come if you can!!

The Fair is at Lostwithiel Community Centre (A390 Liskeard - Truro) on Sunday 23rd January
from 11.00 - 4.00 - Enquiries to Jenny 01726 815626 or Cathy 01726 882830

........10 days to Santa....are you ready???

Robin
p.s. Cornwall in January is SUPER!

1/12th, 1/24th and 1/48th - the Christmas Rush

Granted they're not a festive bunch.....but now to write the Christmas cards.

It's always busy around this time of year isn't it? ...........and with a lot of little people all bound for new homes this week, there was a sense of relief to have got there! It's also rather nice that my last 'batch' are on their way to lovely, established customers. So, thank you folks, have a lovely Christmas!



We're in the 1930's, and another dashing racing driver, with his elegant companion - glamorous and exciting days! These characters are in 1/24th scale.



Back up the scales to 1/12th. He's an old fashioned carter, a little on the scruffy and weather-beaten side, but then he's got a bit of a trek to the frozen north where his horse and cart are waiting.



And finally...it's those little tiny folks again...1/48th scale......heading west!

I have some catching up to do - but welcome to recent new followers - thank you all for looking.
Robin

Best Wishes...and commiserations

Huge best wishes for anyone attending KDF this weekend - I hope you travel safely and have a great show. To those who are snow-bound and can't make it - buckets of sympathy.

Everyone works so hard to prepare for an event like KDF and the disappointment in having to cancel is immense........talking of an 'event'...what are the weather men on about.....we are apparently having a 'severe weather event'!! It's SNOW people!!!

Sandra Morris is one of those stuck in a deep drift, so with true grit she has transported her KDF stand to her website. If you hoped to see her in London - or just love her dolls dolls, pullalongs and other amazing miniatures, (or haven't seen them yet) whizz over to her blog and read all about it. There are fantastic new items, special offers, weekend only bargains and giveaways - phew busy, busy!

I just spotted Mary Williams' incredibly beautiful Edwardian lady dressed in an exquisite green and black silk creation, and envy the lady who finds her under the Christmas tree.

It's been a hectic week, and although we've had less snow than most, it's just as slippery, and the pavements just as hard as I found out to my cost yesterday. I have been doing my best to fulfill all Christmas orders and finish the promised Breast Cancer Campaign Raffle donation for The Thame Fair in February. You may remember the tiny 1/48th little girl I pictured a few blogs ago. She does now have a Mum and Grandad and I've handed them over to Celia Thomas of KT Miniatures who is coordinating the raffle. You can see them if you visit Celia - she's already showing a good number of the donated items on her website (just follow the links) and they really are fantastic. Apart from having her usual super items for sale over there, she has some truly lovely giveaway printies of really old Christmas cards.
Talking of The Thame Fair.......Sandra is running a great workshop in conjunction with it - all the details are on the Fair website.......and our Town Crier has a posh new outfit!

And finally, as they say, I have now got a technical thingy back so I can play with photos again, and hope to get some up here again in a day or two, when 'it' and I are compatible!!

1/12th Comfy Granny

First things first....I have a new posh pink laptop....but 'bits' are still being sorted.....

Obviously I can't sort toffee....so I rely on someone else. As I post this, I appear to have 'lost ' my photoshop facility, upon which I depend, to chop off bits of rubbish pictures etc.
However I did promise I'd post a picture of my latest 1/12th character, who is a nice cheery comfortable Granny or Nana, depending which part of the country you live in....
So here she is, waiting to get posted off to her new home ' abroad' - very scary for a rather retiring lady!

There's rather too much background - and not enough Granny - but you get the idea.

She's a Sensible Lady.........

I've just completed this sensible lady......I wonder who she'll be?


Do you ever wonder who your latest creation/commission is going to be?
This 1/12th scale character is now in the post on the way to her new home - and I wonder, with her smart suit, plain jumper, discreet brooch and sensible shoes, whether she's destined to be a member of the WI or a Magistrate in a small town, or perhaps just in her best outfit for a trip to the shops??
I love the creative process, that's why I make miniatures; then I hand them on for someone else to create their own story.

It would have been better to take time, and not stick her on the sofa quickly, with a sheet of A4 behind her, to take this pic.......but the reason for posting is mostly to welcome new followers, and thank them for their interest in this blog.

So a warm welcome to Nuria
and Beatrice
and Sylvia
and Julie - who many of you know as Cottage Kitty

The next 1/12th lady on the work-bench is an altogether more comfy lady - everyone's Gran - I promise to take a better picture, when I show her to you!

1/48th Illustrated List .....working, I hope

Well I've consulted........and some tweaking has taken place, so I'm hoping that the link for the 1/48th list is now working.

My fingers are crossed - so I'd be hugely grateful if some kind person could click on it and see?

Thanks - Robin

1/48th Scale Price List Update...and go to a fair

For anyone who has been interested enough to keep up with our sortie into 1/48th scale miniatures.... thank you.

I've updated the 1/48th scale illustrated price list, with a few more items and pictures - you'll find it in the right hand column.....over there......>>>>>>

It occurs to me that there are many folks who attend regional fairs as well as the BIG ones; not behind a conventional sales stand, but one raising funds for many worthwhile charities. Miniaturists are a generous bunch, I've found, so can I plug a fair in Devon on Sunday 21st November, at the Moorhayes Community Centre, Tiverton?
I'm sure it will be a super fair anyway, but all the proceeds from the Refreshments and Raffle will be in aid of the Devon Air Ambulance Trust........a worthy cause! Although it's not a fair we shall be attending, my fingers crossed for everyone!! If you're in the area, I'm sure you'll have a warm welcome.

Fair......weather for gardening

I'd promised myself a period of 'recovery' and 'time off for good behaviour' in the garden this week - after a fair yesterday and the flat-out period in the weeks before.



WELL - it's chucking it down...no gardening then, the bulbs will have to wait .....I shall have to clear up instead!
Outside the back door is a lovely autumn setting - trees and shrubs in my own garden (the one at the front is a Cotinus or Smoke Bush, for those like me who like the proper name) - and the ones at the back 'borrowed' from next door and the park a street away. MAGIC!!.

The pretty blue and white flower is another from my conservatory - Streptocarpus, Crystal Ice - as a thank-you to the ladies who came specially to the fair yesterday to see the new 1/48th dolls and furniture . Stocks dented - and lovely to meet them and get some feedback, which is always helpful and encouraging.


This well-established fair is always very well organised and advertised and fairly busy.
Less traders than previous years though....less artisans i.e. makers who actually make quality miniatures....more 'commericial' items on sale ........... less sales for artisans and more serious conversations about 'the future'... .and some disappointed visitors who said they'd expected more. Yes I KNOW there's room for every quality and price range - I also truly believe that - but .......
Each day it seems, I hear of another talented colleague who has decided, at the very least, to finish attending fairs, and the likelihood is that we shall only attend around three next year ourselves. Worrying.

Hey ho - if it stops raining I can get my bulbs in and get muddy, finish some orders and not panic so much about 'stock'. Not so bad.


What some lovely comments on my last blog - thanks to you all. I'm really chuffed that you liked the 1/24 painted furniture, so here's the other lot......and yes, we do 1/12th as well Sandra, and I'll shout when we have more than the one solitary chest looking lonely in the stock box!

Robin
p.s. If you haven't...Sandra's dolls' dolls....do look!

Furniture Having Fun........in 3 scales

I hesitate to say this, because it's probably heresy as I don't have a dolls house (although I promise I DO have lots of miniature treasures)........but I do like the furniture in them to do more than just stand there............

'Exquisite', 'quirky', 'statement' pieces ...they all 'do' something by being special! But I also like the ones that you can fiddle about with, load up with 'bits', experiment with or re-imagine!
My other half is the one who actually makes our furniture - I'm the one who fiddles about with some of it from time to time, when I take time-off from doll making.

A blog or two ago I was moaning that I needed to increase our stock of 1/24th dolls, especially with a fair coming up this Sunday (7th) at The Plinston Hall, Letchworth, Herts. Well I did manage it and these are the latest - the vicar is spoken for, but the others are all for sale, as are a few more in 1/48th scale.


So - time for a little painting - I love painting! These are all simple pieces in 1/24th scale - doors and drawers don't open - but great fun!


Furniture in this demanding 1/48th scale, keeps emerging from the workshop. The promised shop counter has arrived, and a super veg/fruit display bin - both of which go beautifully with the shop shelves/dresser I showed you earlier. It seemed reasonable to fill one of the bins with cabbages, spuds and carrots......fear not food makers, I won't be going into production!
On the basis that the shop might be of the 'Open All Hours' variety, brooms and buckets for sale are crammed into an old tea-chest.
Another tea chest does a turn as a packing case full of china and 'removal' items. We have empty ones too!



Having sold the earlier 'vintage' trunks, another mini-batch has been crafted and I've enjoyed the challenge of turning one into an old sailor's chest
I'm not sure how well this photo works, but there is a sea-chart, spyglass and ship's log in the lid, and his hat, uniform, treasures from travels and a shawl for his lady are inside.



Finally, the much loved 1/12th scale. I've taken this Edwardian Revolving Bookcase out of stock, together with a Macintosh chair, to show off some of my collection of exquisite dummy books made by my friend Celia Thomas of KT Miniatures. She has a lovely, unique selection of vintage books, and wartime paper memorabilia like ration books, which are also used in her fabulous settings and smaller pieces. They're beautifully proportioned, crafted and aged and these are really special to me because she borrowed some of our real old books to miniaturise, so 'our' books sit on 'Aunty Lola's bookcase', alongside the real one in our sitting room!! Nice - very nice!


If you'd like more details, or prices for any of the items on this blog - please do email me and I'll be happy to help..... and have a look at Celia's books too.

Thanks for looking - Robin