Despite the Poor Summer the Garden Has Been Calling But........

I have been doing some bits and pieces. I filled the upper floor with all the stuff I have been collecting and placed it willy nilly to try and give it and untidy air of chaos. I am really hoping I will be able to replicate this dis-order as I go along and fight the urge for co-ordination and tidiness.

There will obviously be a lot more gloop and sticky messes once I start dressing the furniture.

 So my plan is to get all the printies finished. This sounds like a five minute job but the amount of labels needed just to make a small pile is ridiculous. So I trawl google images print them off, burn the edges of some, sort them into size and then glue them in small stacks.

 Then I have glued the small stacks together in order to make a tower of labels. I have also been making tons of scrolls and manuscripts ready for shelf filling. Lots of cutting and gluing!!

 I also played with the idea of making opened paper packing for some of the items being delivered to the Slug & Jiggers potion room. I took a couple of Potter printies and covered them in PVA back and front. Then I screwed them into a loose ball and unfurled them carefully into a scrunched up shape. They have hardened quite well and are ready to be cut to size and filled with odd ingredients.

 This is my first full, un-coordinated and untidy shelf. It has a selection of everything. Potion bottles by Kastle Kelm and Nikki Rowe. A skull and bottle of spitits by Julie Lawton of Cottage Kitty, Julie makes a whole range of fabulous miniatures do visit her Ebay site. 

I have also recently received this fabulous cart in the post all the way from Italy. I saw it on the stand of Cinen Miniatures but walked away with a few of their shabby chic pieces. When I returned later it had been sold but the lovely sellers agreed to make me another. I think this will look great on Diagon Alley. I will probably change it a little bit but the quality and shape is just right.

 It seemed a strange piece to be sold on the stand of an Italian miniaturist as I always associate chestnut stands with London winter streets from my childhood. When I was young my mum would take me up to Oxford Street in December to buy my winter coat from C&A's and visit Gamages toy shop to buy my Christmas doll. The chestnut vendors and their hot braziers would be on every street corner and the smell was delicious.

This cart is perfect for a Harry Potter scene and will always make me think of those childhood trips.