My eldest son is off travelling with my camera charger. I order a new one which arrived promptly but unfortunately does not work. This means I cannot take any new photos. I looked through my blog picture folder and thought about my boy and how life changes. When I bought him home 21 years ago I was a thirty something, professional with an organised life and an organised home. He weighed six pounds ten and was roughly the length of a small drawer.
Yet over the next couple of weeks his 'stuff' filled a nursery, the kitchen, the washing machine and the front room. Only the dining room was a baby free zone and that wasn't any use cos we were both so exhausted no one came for dinner anymore anyway!
The house was simply full of him and two more children later they filled every available space both inside and out.....I asked myself why such small creatures needed so much stuff and so much room!
My miniature life has had quite the same effect as my tiny babies. I started off with the kitchen table, one house and a basket of bits and pieces.
Then it became two houses, fimo and its tools, ribbon and a few paints. Now it was the kitchen table and the sun room floor and a very large plastic box.
Then comes dolls house number three. More paints, and papers, and a mitre and a bremel etc etc etc.
Plus my grand plan is now a whole street of shops all along........where? Plus I had boxes of stuff now for the current project, the next project and just because it was cheap!
Time for drastic action we had a sun room off the kitchen/diner, hardly ever used, and I had a huge bottle of coins that was now full. I cashed in the coins, removed all the furniture and bought a few cheap, off the shelf kitchen cabinets, put them together and here is my own little room and workshop. The first room of my own I have had since I was eleven years old and I love it.
I have a complete length for my street of shops, cupboards and drawers for all my kit, a view of the garden and I don't have to clear anything away until I want too.
The only problem is........Where am I going to fit Diagon Alley??? The kitchen, the front room, the dining room......................some things never change!!
LOL Janice,
ReplyDeleteI know most if not all of us bloggers can and do relate you! lol :o)) If I were able to totally transform the spare room into a craft room I would have loads of room for my houses and mini's! It's ever expanding hobby, the more houses you have the more bits and bobs, craft bits you need! Oddly enough, I moved from a much larger house than I have now and would have had a 20ft by 20 ft summer house at the bottom of the garden, that was heated etc, not to mention loads of spare rooms in the house. Was I into dollshouses then? NO! What a pain I didn't know then what I truly need now, cos I probably wouldn't have moved! lol
You may be able to rearrange your room to accommodate more houses and minis, you have scope methinks! :o)
Michelle xxx
beautiful! I love all the light coming from the window, so bright and so big!
ReplyDeleteI also like you, I never had my room, even when I was a kid! now my study I share with my husband and my eldest son, studying on the PC, it is all of us ... And here is such a mess that I am ashamed to take a photo, much chaos in a few small boxes .... Therefore, I envy you very much, in a good way!
big hug and a kiss!! Caterina
ooh i love your workspace!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great room! nice & light with a lovely view :o) its a lovely feeling when you have your own space isnt it? I had my own space..... then my son moved back home again so Im temporarily sulking about my lack of creative space :o( hopefully by the end of the year it will be mine again.... I will have to start a coin jar like you so that I can treat myself to a refit when he moves out again haha
ReplyDeleteAs for where could you put Diagon Alley.... hmmm??? maybe you should have an extension built !!!!
Hello mr. pineapple man. Thanks for popping over. Your blog always makes me smile. Loved the shoe stories recently.
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle, maybe the summer house should become the spare room and you can stay all tidy and cosy in the house!
ReplyDeleteMy two eldest are away for 9 or 10 months of the year and I must admit their rooms are bcoming very tempting!!!!!
Oh, you're so well organized! I have mess on the library shelves and floor, on the kitchen conters and dining table... And I HATE mess. I would have a big craft space in separate building, but I don't feel like sitting there for long times, working here (and making mess) it's much nicer as I get to be with the dogs all the time and can cook dinner and do other things between minies :)
ReplyDeleteHi Cockerina, I am very lucky you are right, it is lovely to have my own little space where nothing gets touched. Except by the cat!
ReplyDeleteHi Ira, I am lucky with my little room because it is still part of the house so I can chat to the kids and the husband, if I want to.
ReplyDeleteHi Wendie, poor you to lose out. Will these children never leave home!!! I think I will be in the same situation as you when they have all done with uni and world travelling. Then it will be extension time even if I never have a Diagon Alley!
ReplyDeleteJanice wow you have a workshop any miniaturist would dream of! I cant believe with all those boxes of goodies you dont make to sell, it looks like you have so much craft stuff, more than for just your own houses! Whatever your working on looks great, love the table and all the books. I have a small conservatory with at present 6 house in but would really like to expand to a larger one with my work table in and drawers of minis so Im not freezing in the winter in my shed!! Kate xxx
ReplyDeleteHi Kate, 'my name is Janice and I am a hoarder...' I confess I have an addictive personality and whenever I get into something I initially have to get the whole set. One fimo colour? No lets have ten. One packet of beads? No let's have five.
ReplyDeleteAnd now I have a Hobbyland five minutes from home. Too tempting.
It was kind of you to suggest selling but I do not have the talent and I enjoy the shopping too much. Did I mention that ' I am Janice and I am a miniatureholic'.
Janice what a wonderful work space and its so tidy. I never realised when I very first started on Miniatures, that they would not only take over my life, but the Kitchen, Lounge, Garage, Caravan..LOL xxxx
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful workspace! So light and tidy!
ReplyDeleteI generally store my craft stuff in my workroom, but have a smaller sewing table in the living room where I do one thing at a time, and can listen to music, watch the odd movie or the world outside. When the thing is finished (hopefully), I put everything away then get out the next. It forces me to focus, and doesn't let me build up a mountain of unfinished stuff, which is my normal default state!
Hi Glenda and Debbie. It is not always so tidy believe me! But I do try as I don't like to work in a mess really.
ReplyDeleteBut I still don't understand why I have never got the right bits whenever i go to do anything!
I think your room is absolutely wonderful and lovely and light.
ReplyDeleteIts made me want to tidy mine because yours looks so neat.
If you did need more room you could get a cubed shelving unit and sit on top of your cupboards and use the cubes for storage with the houses above just as you have them now. I've seen some in ikea that would be perfect.
The kitchen units i love, epsecially that you dont see everything and it will keep the dust off too.
I hate the fact i can see everything in my room, plus im not tidy with minis so that bugs me beyond belief.
Love your furniture too!
Nikki xxx
Thanks Nikki. I have to get some blinds though because it can get too bright in there and much too hot even with the doors open.
ReplyDeleteAlthough by the look of the weather forecast that won't be a problem again for a while.
I am tidy but my skirting boards would not stand the finger test!
Too busy playing with little houses to clean the big one!
Er yes, so is this the cheap and must buy more club ? Me JOIN!! lol Room, like time, for us mini lovers, will never be enough :):).
ReplyDeleteBut we are lucky to have space and a row of shophouses we can call our own :). Great room Janice. A view of the garden , can't ask for anything more!
¡Enhorabuena ! por ese hermoso cuarto de trabajo ,me encanta la luz que tiene y lo ordenado que esta , yo tambien tengo uno pero es mas pequeño ,tengo que compartirlo con las maquinas del jardin de mi marido y es un caos
ReplyDeletetidy life .....hmm I'm sure I had one of those once !
ReplyDeleteI love the photos Janice, your room is fab and I love the way you can display your houses.
My space is my workshop and I cant fit houses in there,its choc full of dolls and dollmaking stuff so my houses are in my sitting room, I love them there , it just means I am limited as dont want to look like I live in a toyshop LOL however when (if) my sons ever leave home I too will have a room and I cant wait , espeically if its as nice as yours :0)
julie xxx
Me encanta como ha quedado tu espacio para hacer miniaturas!!!!!
ReplyDeleteCuando los niños son pequeños, acaparan toda la casa y es imposible, encontrar un espacio para poder hacer cositas tan pequeñas (con el consiguiente miedo de que se lo tragen jejeje)
besitos ascension
Wow what a lovely work space I have boxes everywhere and work on a tray on my lap ha ha ha!
ReplyDeleteyou have a wonderful shelf full of gorgeous houses there
ReplyDeleteIm crazy about Tudor! your so blessed to live in the UK where there are beautiful houses to choose from! Here in OZ not much happening!