My First European Fair Trip.....Apeldoorn, Holland

Sometimes I really don't know where the days disappear too, I can't believe it is a month since I last posted but I have been to far flung parts.....well Holland! I have visited my first European fair and had a fabulous time. It was in Apeldoorn and is the biggest annual fair in the Netherlands. I persuaded my better half that it would be a lovely way to spend my birthday and we would get a whole weekend together. Amazingly he agreed to drive through the Chunnel stopping in Gent on the way and visiting our Dutch friends in Rotterdam on the way back.

I am a huge Tripadvisor fan and after looking through the reviews decided to stay somewhere completely different, and B&B called the Pegasus Hotel that was described as being very quirky and out of the ordinary. Well, it was definitely quirky. A Victorian house absolutely stuffed full of the owners treasured antiques and collections of all things Victoriana. It was completely different to the usual places we stay, I admit to being a bit of a boutique hotel with power shower girlie, and it was an experience I am glad we tried. My husband really liked it but I think that was because of the price!!

As you can see the B&B was in an absolutely stunning building and more or less completely original inside. There were a lot of these houses in Apeldoorn that I drooled over during our visit. 

The fair was very close by and was held over two days but I only attended on the Saturday as we were going to Rotterdam on the Sunday.

The fair was probably the same sort of size as Minatura in Birmingham with the same variety of stands. The difference I noticed almost at once were the amount of dogs at the show. They were in smart buggies, specially converted zimmers/walkers, on leads and in bags!! In fact wherever we went in Holland was exceptionally dog friendly unlike the UK where taking your dog into public places is practically impossible. 

There were also far more stands that sold furniture and accessories in kit form than I have found at UK shows. This certainly made items a lot cheaper to buy and there was quite a variety. I was hoping to buy a small house/shop kit in a Dutch style specifically for a future Christmas project and fell in love with this kit.

This of course is the finished article and I hope I can create something as equally stunning. I loved the shape of the roof and the fact that all the pieces fit snuggly into a bag you take away with you. This lady makes a variety of kits all of which you can see on her stand and when I tell you that this kit was 37.50 euros you can understand that it was a must buy item!! 

This will be a definite project for 2014 and will be filled with all things Santa, as I am a big Santa fan.

As you can see her stand was very busy and I had to wait awhile to get close enough to buy my kit.

 This was her Snow White kit.....

.......and her cottage in 1/24th scale. 

I was really, really tempted to bring another one home but I think my old man would have started to ask awkward questions as I had already sent him back to the car with these....

......come on, 10 euros each how is a girl supposed to resist such bargains!! More Christmas projects for 2014!!

The final purchase I am going to post today is this fabulous stack of cauldrons made by one of my favourite artisans Georgia Marfels. I had seen some in her Etsy shop so made my way to her stand hoping that I had found and answer to my Potage's Cauldron Shop problem. How fabulous are these? I couldn't have asked for a more perfect stack to sit outside the shop. They are all individually made so you can have a stack of any size. I think they sold very well so I was lucky to be able to get the height I wanted in a variety of sizes.

I am off to Olympia tomorrow for Spirit of Christmas Fair, ostensibly for present shopping but I will be on the look out for any tiny decorations that will find their way into my newly opened Christmas stash.

The Cauldron Shop Roof.......The PaperClay Experiment Part 2

The roof has now dried out completely. The shrinkage has come to an end and I have covered the caps with slipped tiles. 

 The chimney stacks have had additional layers glued on and need to be undercoated/sealed before I start applying the Art Mache. I think I have probably over worked the roof tiles. Looking back at Rik Pierce's  roof work it is much less fussy. I should have left it alone a bot more and not tried to do something with every tile.

 I have also sanded down the Art Mache on the main stack. Very, very dusty work but is has smoothed down perfectly.

 These are all the extra tiles I added to cover the shrinkage.

 I have now begun to paint the roof with the main terracotta  acrylic mix/wash. I was pleasantly surprised by how hardy the clay tiles were. I started off very tentatively as I was dreading the clay cracking but they seem to withstand more than I expected.

 I have given it a thorough wash bit tried not to get too neurotic about painting every nook and cranny as I will be giving the whole thing a number of different paint washes. This is just the main base.

This seemed to take forever though! The chimney stacks are definitely going to be a pain! Another note to self: next time mark where you want the chimneys sit and then make them up, Art Mache them, paint them and then glue them to the roof!

If I can I am going to prise off the quirky stacks and add them after I have worked on them. 

For the first time ever I have managed to mitre the corner of a cornice! Well actually my ever patient husband did all the angles and sawing for me. I have to tell you this broken wrist of mine has had all sorts of unexpected benefits!

This fabulous cornice fitted perfectly and I have brushed it with my favourite gold Rub 'n' Buff.

Oh, and if you want to see how a chimney stack really should be made have a look at Brae's Blog, wow! Absolutely stunning. I must start saving egg boxes!

The PaperClay Experiment.....

The last few days I have been working on the roof of The Cauldron Shop. This time instead of opting for the usual shop bought tiles I have always used in the past I decided to play with PaperClay.

I looked carefully at various sites showing the work of the Paperclay King Rik Pierce and set to work.

Firstly I rolled out the clay to the thickness I wanted on a glass tile. 

 Then using a nail brush I stippled the clay, cut off the ragged edges with a fimo cutter and then marked out the rows of tiles. I then separated a row at a time and cut off each individual tile. 

 You can see on the bottom row where I started laying individual tile, unlike Art Mache you have to glue Paperclay to make it stick. I then had another look at Rik's models and worked out that he seems to attach the tiles in rows.

I started to mark out the tiles with the edge of my plastic protractor without cutting right through. This was much easier and quicker.

After I had laid a couple of rows I shaped the edges to make the tiles stand up a little. This was quite fiddly as my clay tools are a bit basic and clay is definitely not my forte!

I kept going a row at a time and eventually......... 

........I finished off one whole side. I was quite pleased at the end. It wasn't perfect by any means but it actually looked pretty promising.

 The next morning, however, I was a little less happy. One of the problems with Paperclay is that as it dries it shrinks, this can lead to cracking or, as in the case of my roof tiles, gaps.

 I think these have also occurred because I did not blend the separate rows together. I am also a little concerned by how fragile the clay appears and I am a little worried that it will chip very easily.

So the question is do I seal with a PVA solution to toughen it up? Before or after painting?

Hmmmm, a bit more research is required I feel.

In order to deal with all the gaps I have decided to add extra wonky tiles which I hope will make the roof look patched and not simply bodged!

All Kinds of Everything........

.......is keeping me busy!

I had always planned to have a couple of projects on the go at any one time but it has never happened because I always get distracted playing with the interiors. The broken wrist means that at last I have been forced to focus on the main construction and exterior planning of my Diagon Alley Shops.

This means I have many fingers in many pies at the moment as I work around drying times and lots of thinking time!

 This is all the woodwork and windows for my Apothecary, shop number three. So far they have all been given one coat of cream and gold acrylic paint. They are waiting for coats of black and brown and lots of distressing. This is a hugely time consuming and eye-crossing stage but worth it in the end! 

 The main carcass of the Apothecary has been totally sealed and primed ready for decoration. I have wallpapered both rooms in a dark brown paper I bought at Miniatura what seems like ages ago. It is by the same manufacturer as the paper I put up in The Leaky Cauldron and goes up like a dream.

This paper looks and feels like old leather and while it might seem a bit dark at the moment, the shop will be filled with all the vibrant potions and ingredients plus lots of sparkling glass.

 Here are the floorboards for The Apothecary. These are reclaimed floorboards in mahogany from the very enthusiastic and helpful Paul of Wood Supplies. I love the fact that so many of his supplies come from antique and reclaimed wood.
They now need to be sanded,cut and laid.

These are all the for the fireplaces....eventually.....stained wood chippings and glitter coal. 

The lighting of The Cauldron Shop has been put on sick leave for the moment so these will have to be put away now they are dry.  

The Cauldron Shop is still a work in progress too and I have switched my attention to the roof.

I have put lead flashing around all three chimney stacks and covered them in Art Mache to match the house.

This product needs quite a long time to dry but I can't write highly enough of it. Easy to make and super easy to apply plus soooo economical.

Still the tiling of the roof to do. I really want to try the Paper Clay method a la Rik Pierce but I am not sure if it might be a bit too fiddly at the moment.

Mmmmm, maybe I will wait until the cast is off. 

Last but not least, I have papered both room ceilings and have been adding layers of wear and grime little by little.

With the Cauldron Shop maybe having to wait for a roof I might move on to shop number four which will probably be the second corner shop and the Magical Menagerie, I think! 

It's Amazing How Much You Can Do.....

With one hand and all the usual chores out of the question!

A trip to the fracture clinic this morning resulted in a new ''full" cast in a rather chic red! I decided against hot pink, lime green or fluorescent orange.

I even got to see the X-Rays today and the extent of the break. I can understand now why it is still so painful but it is improving every day.

The good thing is I have a lot of free time for playing!!!

 I had already prepared the wood for the mantle/fireplace surround so it was a relatively easy job to put it into place. 

The top may be a little too deep but I wanted a shelf deep enough for cauldrons.

I will see how it all looks once dressed.

 I have also finished the grouting on the paviors for the pavement and steps. You can also see where I have made a boo-boo. The steps are upside down, take note for future kits!! This has left me with a very small lip, too narrow for a step. I am thinking about what to do with it.....

No rush, I will see what it looks like once I have sanded and grimed the pavement.

The quarry tiles have also been grouted and are ready to be dirtied up in line with the shop floor.

 As tiling seems to be something I can do at the moment I have installed the roof. I was going to leave this til last as I wanted to have an internal attic shelf lit and stocked with old stock and bits and pieces.

Putting on the roof will make this a bit more fiddly but it does mean I can move on with the roofing.

With so many fire places I obviously need more than one chimney. There will be three altogether and I am going to try and make them a little quirky.

 Along the edge of the roof I have glued a slim piece of wood (they are actually stirrers from my favourite coffee shop), these will lift the first row of roof tiles to the proper angle.

I have no idea why this works. or why it is necessary, I must have read it somewhere, all I know is it works.

I will also paint these in case they can be seen along the edges.

 So, what to do for the next couple of weeks?

A new project of course!

Here is my next shop, Slug & Jiggers Apothecary, the Sid Cooke Regency Shop Kit all sealed and ready to be transformed.

This accident of mine is proving to be the best way of making me focus on the construction it is too easy for me to become distracted when I discover just the right piece by a fabulous artisan!

Now I need to find the wallpaper I bought at least two Miniaturas ago!!!

Happy Birthday to Me.......Look What I Got!!!!!

Nobody warned me that dog walking is very dangerous to your health! 

I am 53 years young today and have my first broken bone!

Yep, I have broken my wrist and have a nice brand new cast in which to celebrate my Halloween birthday.

The good thing is that it is my left arm, the bad thing is it hurts a lot!

The traction........which seemed a pretty medieval way to treat a 21st Century person, went well I am told so it seems unlikely it will require pinning.

I did get a couple of much nicer presents though.

 Two cheeky mandrakes by Mags. 

 My husband bought them from her very well stocked and busy stand at Alexandra Palace.

Absolutely love them.

 My lovely husband also bought me these fabulous pieces by Stokesey Ware from their Victorian kitchen range. They are so beautifully crafted in traditional earthenware.

 I will definitely age and distress the corks ready for The Cauldron Shop.

 Lastly I had to have the bread crock.

 Who says that witches wouldn't have a few classy pieces in their kitchens? Not me! The collection is very extensive but can be added to slowly which I like.

Their fine china is simply to die for.

I had to begin a collection from this artisan as they are based in Stoke Newington a north London borough where I was born and bred. I only moved to leafy Hertfordshire on having children. 

I can't believe that miniature fine china is now being made 5 minutes from where I was born!

 My parents 'bought' me this tea set from Sally Meekins. It was made specially for Ally Pally and as I had purchased her pumpkin set a couple of years ago I knew it had my name written on it.

It has all been hand painted and is so delicately made on fine china.

This set is also destined for The Cauldron Shop. I am thinking of a round display table upstairs........

Happy Halloween to you and yours.

The Cauldron Shop Interior......Lots of Red & Black

The colour scheme of my Cauldron Shop will be red and black alongside the dark wood. This has meant a lot of layering of paint the last few days. I am learning to take my time with each stage in order to achieve the best possible results and hopefully the effect I actually want!

 The shelving for the top floor has a cream under coat and then three coats of Paprika Red as seen here.

I am always grateful for other bloggers who share their techniques and I have shamelessly read and re-read the blogs of Michelle and Katie.

Michelle is the queen of distressing and Katie is the the queen of crackle!!

Thank you ladies your blogs have taught me so much.

 After the red layers I applied a generous coat of crackle glaze and then a top coat of black acrylic paint.

 Trying to achieve a heavy crackle is very difficult, or it might just be me, and I just could not get enough red to show through.

 So I rubbed the units down, again, to achieve a more distressed look. The problem being that having added a layer of the crackle glaze it was very hard work to rub off the top layer of black.

Finally I got the look I want and finished them off with a coat of modge podge glow in the dark.

With the shelving now in place I am having doubts about the fire place on this floor. It is all a bit squashed so I am not going to put anything more in this room until I have dressed the display shelves.

 I have also been working on all the 'wood' pieces for the outside of the shop. Same colours as you can see - a layer of cream, 3 layers of the red and a top coat of black. 

 This time I used a much more generous coat of crackle glaze and achieved a better crackle but still not enough for the distressed and weathered look I was after.

 With more sanding it looks just how I had hoped. 

All the pieces have been sealed with a semi-gloss sealent and are ready to be fixed to the carcass which means I can finish the two fronts and the outside of the carcass.

Then I will be back to layering the dirty water washes both inside and out, oh and the lighting, and the roof, and the chimneys, and the fireplaces..........

But soooo much fun when it works!!!