Not Much But It Was A Lovely Few Hours........

When I make flowers I like to have the pots or containers ready and waiting to avoid them getting damaged. It also means I can match the foliage to the size of the pot. I will also try to co-ordinate the colours usually but this time I have done a whole batch in blacks, browns and gold all destined for Diagon Alley.

 These beautifully shaped pots are from Braxton Payne a fabulous US company who make all shapes and sizes. I have painted them with black acrylic and then simply rubbed them with a favourite product of mine Rub 'n' Buff. 

It comes in a huge range of colours and is so easy to use.

 These two bottles will eventually have lids and labels for either potions or some witchy brew. They are teeny and I bought them ages ago from My Tiny World, who do a whole range of clay pots and vases, as well as a huge miniatures range.

I still have a few left for different colours.

 I found a very basic blue and white ceramic set hidden away in a drawer. I must have bought it when I bought my daughter's dolls house 13 years ago. This large mug is one of the items, painted, rubbed and steampunked. I love it!!

 These are two large 'flat' bowls from Braxton Payne. They are gorgeous even before painting and are perfect for cactus I think. Or maybe bones?

 They have again simply been painted, rubbed and buffed or had gold detail added.

 I am really pleased with how they have turned out. I was patient with all the painting, making sure each layer dried completely. I haven't sealed any of them as they will never be handled very much.

Now I must get down to flower making!

While I had all the stuff to hand I played with these little bits and pieces. Perfect for adding to the shelves of the Leaky Cauldron.

It's Been a While....But I Have Been shopping of Course!!

I have long admired the work of Christine of Dandelion Fair but whenever I have looked in her Etsy Store I seemed to miss the listings.

Since the arrival of my new baby, Lily, I seem to collapse at the end of the day only fit for an hour of internet flicking and I was lucky enough to spy this teeny chap.

Many years my Great-Aunt Nell used to knit and crochet all sorts of wonderful toys and as we grew up she kept on knitting for all the children in her street. She was a real gem of a lady and I have a soft spot for knitted toys.

This little chap will fit in my toyshop nicely.

Now for something completely different.......we are taking Lily to the seaside! So exciting, especially as there will be no flying or foreign currency involved.

I am going to the North Yorkshire coast not far from Scarborough. I have never visited this area before but it looks beautiful.

So, where should we go? All advice gratefully received, remembering we will be travelling with a baby, I mean a puppy!!

We have rented a fabulous looking barn conversion from English Country Cottages a company that we have used quite a lot. Two priorities for me were Wi-Fi and a modern interior, so I think this place will be a success.

Not all of it! Only part......

but it looks yummy! Even if it pours down with rain we should be able to be comfortable.

Hard floors are also a plus, if it is really muddy and the puppy pees.

So, where are the best places to visit? Local dolls house shops would definitely be a big plus!!

A Few of My Favourite Things..........Part 5, Traci Howard

A lot of us seem to have a soft spot for dragons, so I thought I would show my little collection of tiny dragons by Traci Howard of Feythcrafts

 These hand carved baby dragons are all curled up in their own shells.

 This one in a walnut shell.....

 .......and this really teeny one is in a large acorn cap. 

 Traci also carves little eleven and goblin creatures. I could not resist this little chappie napping in his very comfortable itchy ball shell. Aren't his feet fabulous, I just want to tickle them!

 This very special dragon was made for me by Traci after I saw her larger dragon pieces. She kindly agreed to make me a 12th scale creature. He is simply gorgeous and sleeps on the bed of my witch at the moment. Eventually he will be displayed on the window ledge so everyone can admire him.

After receiving him I knew I had to ask Traci to make me one more. I wanted a sitting dragon for outside one of my shops. He would be on a lead and waiting patiently for his witch to finish looking at all the wonderful dresses.

 I know Traci was very worried about this magnificent beast as all her dragons are usually lying down. I am sure you will agree he is perfect

Look at that cute face. The perfect pet for a witch with aspirations!!! Plus by the look of the claws a serious guard dragon too.

Most of these pieces will find their way into the secret top floor room of my Magical Menagerie, where all things dragon will be tucked away for only the most trusted customers!!

Just What Every Post-Voldemort Little Witch or Wizard Would Want......

Their very own cuddly Harry Potter.

Isn't he fun? And so teeny tiny. Mini Harry is the fully jointed crocheted creation of Lin from whose Etsy shop I purchased these cute characters.....

......for my son's birthday shadow box.

My mini HP will be placed in the trunk of my little witchy having a rest in The Leaky Cauldron, to keep her company at Hogwarts.

An Unwelcome Visitor......

I was collecting unpainted flower pots from the step of Witch E.T. Grubb's Emporium and glancing through the middle floor window I noticed a couple of hat stands had fallen over. I opened up the front door and saw rather more of a mess than expected.

 My display of shoes looked rather the worse for wear.

 With a tattered shoe left alone on the shelf.

 It's partner had been dragged to the other side of the shop next to a toppled light stand.

 My gorgeous steam punk hat by Kat also looked slightly awry....I am sure that pipe went somewhere! 

 Downstairs there was the same sort of chaos but little or no damage.

Certain clues on the hidden staircase confirmed my growing suspicions. You would have thought the witchs' cats would have been a little more effective!

Time to see if this little shopper had decided to head down the high street in search of more appetising nibbles.

The modern emporium only had a couple of poops, all that chrome and white china I expect. 

The florist shop showed signs of interest but surprisingly only a scattering of items.

The cake and bread shop.......

 A whole single cake display chew scattered and chewed, right under the nose of this kitty!

 Lots of bread and rolls seem to have been the object of interest. These fimo pieces have been mixed with almonds, semolina, poppy seeds etc. so they may have tasted slightly better than the cakes.

 Another useless cat watches on....

 I hope the cafe's customers were not too terrified!

 The peaceful roof terrace looks as if it has been hit by a whirlwind.

Lots of tidying up to do and the main question is of course.....Where is the bloody mouse now?

So Nice To Be Back!......And My First EHag.....

Oh what a lovely afternoon I have had today. Finally got back in my workroom after 6 weeks of puppies, vets, hospitals and children. Yippee!!

The first thing I did was prime these two little items that I found at a coffee morning a few weeks ago. A small framed room box and one of these little house displays.

Not 100% sure what I will do with them yet although the room box will make a great 'light box' for photographing!! I have a bit of a yearning to do a small shabby chic display using up various bits I have lying around. Hmmmmm, will have to think.

As a way of keeping my projects short and sweet at the moment, I sorted out some of my fabulous Braxton Payne clay flower pots and began painting them for The Leaky Cauldron. This US seller has the best range of clay pots I have come across but I would love to be able to find a European supplier. 

Ah, so relaxing sitting with my paints and who cares about the rain.

 I also dug out some pieces of china I have had sitting doing nothing, with a couple of coats of acrylic paint they will make perfect planters.

I have chosen various shades of brown, gold and black for all the pots and am going to have a little play. 

 I have also fallen in love......my very first piece by Shelia Bentley of Primdolly. A truly marvellous artisan whose work I have been drooling over for about two years now. 

 This is one of her EHags and she sits about 7 inches tall. So not a dolls house miniature which is one of the reasons I have not tried to buy one of her pieces before now.

 But I just couldn't resist for any longer when I saw a whole range of these on Ebay. 

 The expressions of her characters are simply fabulous. 

Having my own piece of Shelia's work makes me feel so lucky. 

A day to be happy, I hope you have all had a good day too.

A Few of My Favourite Things..........Part 4, Lory Tonetti

In my real grown up life I have always collected china pieces of all types which usually sit in the cupboard and come out as and when my colour schemes change. This liking has become part of my miniature world too as you could tell from my collection of Jacqueline Dunn pieces.

Lory Tonetti is also one of my absolute favourite artisans and although the first piece I ever bought was a basket made from a super large acorn cap.. 

 ......her work had the feel of the type I was used to collecting in my real world.

So this piece was the start of this little collection of Lory's wonderful work. 

 More teapots, although strangely I would never buy a collectible teapot for my real home!

 The delicate detail of her work is truly wonderful. Each teapot is about the size of my thumbnail.

 A small selection of her toadstools....

 .......in tiny little acorn caps.....

.......and of course some mushrooms. I also have some loose toadstools for baskets complete with dirt from the wood.

Tea for one? How gorgeous is this?! I think I will put this in The Cauldron Shop as a treat for my hard working witch who has to haul around all those Hogwarts starter cauldrons. 

 The cookie jar should also be at hand to settle the nerves of any anxious parent.

 The perfect place for pumpkin biscuits.

 This beautiful shelf is from the kitchen of my witch house (still to be named....)

 This witch likes a brew or two, or even three.....

 Every detail is simple but perfect.

A scrumptious tray of woodland cupcakes destined for the shopping baskets of Diagon's witches and wizards.

 Lastly, this yummy selection of Halloween cupcakes for my Hogwarts girlie still to be found napping in her Leaky Cauldron bedroom.

Hope you have enjoyed looking at my collection, Lory's work can be seen in her Etsy Shop or on the CDHM site.

An update too on how my most time consuming mini project is getting on...

....yep, we really should have called her Gizmo!