The Shabby Chic Beach Hut.....Nearly Finished as Christmas Approaches.

The weather is awful here today so I have put the Summer behind me at last. Actually my youngest is coming home tomorrow so I have had to clear away all my stuff out of his bedroom.

On the plus side this project is well on the way to being totally finished.

I still have a few bits and pieces to add to the scene around the hut and a little bit of dirtying to the sand but the general work is done.

 I seem to have painted everything in my stash for days and days but the look has come together as I had hoped. Lily, my cute pug by Sarah Hendry, looks her usual un-fazed self on the board walk.

I have also added a Cheshire Cat balloon by Jain Squires, maybe he is why Lily looks so sad!!

 The interior is now finished with linen at the bottom of the dresser and Elizabeth Causeret's pottery on the shelves. The walls are fully covered with prints and boards creating the over-full look I wanted.

 Interesting stock has spilled outside the shop ready to attract any passing beach combers. I especially like the traditional radiator which was a Pheonix kit.

 This dress form was a gift and I have finally attempted images transfers as this vintage shoe wall print from the Graphics Fairy shows. I intend to do a post on my attempts with image transfers in the next couple of days. I have been so happy with the results.

 An ariel view of the interior showing my hanging baskets and an angel 'bunting' that I have hung on both sides of the hut. Great little wooden shapes I picked up in Hobbycraft.

 The chicken is by Pheonix, the planters by Euromins and all the other bits and pieces are charms, frames and findings that I have picked up along the way.

More cheap frames and findings along with my trio beach sign that came out better than I expected using mini stamps.

 I have put in a battery operated LED cupboard light, stuck to the removable side of the roof as I want some illumination as this piece will be going in my living room.

The light is a bit clumsy but it will never be seen and this project was more about dressing my living room as a match to my shabby chic house than a purely 1/12th piece so unless I come across a much tidier solution it can stay for a while.

You will notice I have only shown two sides......well i have to come clean, the left hand outside wall only has a bench and trellis at the moment. I want to make a few plants and flowers for this side. A place for the owner or shoppers to sit and enjoy the view. I have had trouble finding kits for white flowers so these will have to wait......until next summer!

Sorry, no links today, for some reason Blogger is playing up.

A Brief but Worthwhile Visit to the Kensington Dolls House Festival.

I was lucky enough to be able to visit the Kensington Dolls House Festival at the end of last month so I thought I would share some of the wonderful items I purchased. I only had an hour at the show because I had double booked myself, I am no socialite so it was sod's law that two events should occur on the same day! Fortuitously I only had to travel to the South Bank from Kensington so I was able to sneak in a cheeky shop!!

 I am planning a number of small Christmas projects for next year using the market stands I bought at the Apeldoorn show. There will be three traditional stands with one totally dedicated to all things gingerbread. I knew my time was limited to I had a map to hand with all the artisans I definitely wanted to see.

 Top of my list was the wonderful work of Linda Cummings. I was hoping to find an array of gingerbread marvels on her stand and was not disappointed.

 Linda only attends this fair once a year so I did buy quite a few pieces!!

 I am a huge admirer of Linda's work which she sells throughout the year in her Ebay shop lindac504 and she is collected by many people all round the world. If you like miniature food then do take a look at her work here

So with my gingerbread bought I headed to Jane Harrop's stand in order to buy some further Christmas goodies. 

I couldn't resist this tiny market stall kit and.....

 ......a tiny beach hut kit. I am going to make these to place alongside their 1/12th counterparts, I think they will look quirky and fun placed alongside.

 I also had to buy these Quick Kits as perfect shelf fillers and decorations for my market stands. Jane's kits are of a such high quality and come with everything you need. I love the packaging plus Jane is such a helpful and knowledgeable artisan.

 I couldn't resist this Santa teddy by Sally Reader. This artisan makes all sorts of tiny character dolls and now has a website making it even easier to purchase.

 I also stopped by the stand of The Giddy Kipper to collect my goblin couple that I reserved at the Apeldoorn show. Jain had a wonderful selection of characters as usual some of which are now for sale in her Etsy shop.

 I loved this couple as soon as I saw them and had to have them for Diagon Alley where they will be seen out shopping very soon!

 Jain's work is so detailed and always has that touch of humour and quirkiness that I can't resist. 

So I used my limited time to add a few well chosen items and then rushed off to watch Napoleon with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the South Bank Centre. I was really disappointed that I had to leave so early as the fair was buzzing this year with so much to see and a really vibrant atmosphere. It certainly seemed much more upbeat than the last couple of years with hundreds of people attending who appeared to be spending. Some stands were really busy so I hope all the sellers had a super successful show as we need all these talented people to keep on producing their wonderful pieces and providing people like me with inspiration.