Magical Menagerie Interior Preparation.....

I am planning to have lots of wall cages in the Menagerie and inspired by the work of Peter Clark I am going to try and build them using crates. 

 I have been playing with various layouts and am not quite sure how I will stack them yet. I need to put in a false door on the back wall but the 19 crates still don't look enough while the side wall looks very bare with the smaller pile.

 I will stain them and then fill them with all sorts of magical animals.......eventually! I am intending to use netting and cocktail sticks as ways to make the animal crates safe for customers. Lots of cats of course but I want it to look very chaotic plus all the pet supplies needed to look after you magical pet!

I am hoping to get a few ideas from my studio tour, if the Menagerie is on show.

 I also added to my cage collection when I visited Miniatura this Spring. This is a lobster cage made by C & D Crafts but it looked so unusual I knew it could find a home in the Menagerie. Do have a look at their website, they make lots of marvellous pieces including a pet carrier that I have shown in a previous blog. They even have an eco-friendly cane coffin!

I started tiling the roof of Flourish and Blotts today and have completed the two small sides. Lots more to apply but with the weather as awful as it is at the moment I am wiling away the time.

Have a dry weekend everyone.

The Cauldron Shop......Thank Goodness for Indian Summers!!

Here in England we are experiencing the most wonderful Indian Summer which is proving to be a great help with the interior of my latest build.

The Paper Perfect walls and ceilings are drying rapidly.

 I have been able to fix in the false doors with their door furniture and left a gap for the fireplace.

 I haven't bothered putting in skirting board on two of the walls as they will be more or covered by shop shelving.

 I am really pleased with the door. I have glued them onto a thin plate of balsa to make them stand away from the wall slightly. This meant I could 'plaster' right up to the edge of the door as I am not having any architrave around the doors.

 Luckily I remembered to screw the hinges in before 'plastering' the walls. That is a first for me!

I have put in the wood for the false fireplaces. They will each be individually tiled, have their own lit fireplace and hanging cauldron.

On this side I will have a range with lots of pots and pans bubbling away.....not sure yet. 

Still trying to work out how I am going to make the cauldron towers. Michelle has suggested ping pong balls, which I like....I think water bomb balloons and paper mache? Hmmm, lots to think about.

I have also begun painting all the windows, doors, shelving etc. First coat cream, then at least two coats of deep red. Then eventually black to finish when I will rub them all down and hopefully all the different paint layers will show through in an aged effect. I did use a crackle paint on the first coat of cream but not a single crackle has appeared. I can never seem to get any of these crackle products to work, anyone know of a really good one?

All in all a good day's work for once and a whole weekend of sunshine to look forward to.

A Little Bit of Interior Planning.......

A few years ago I went to my first Miniatura and discovered just how many talented miniaturists there are and became totally hooked on this wonderful hobby. The Spring show is in a couple of weeks and being a list person I thought I would get the contents of The Leaky Cauldron together for a 'dress rehearsal'.

Then I would know what to look out for when I attend the show.

 The ground floor bar area looks busy! All my fabulous characters are by the wonderful Jain Squires and they look very comfortable.

 Mad Eyed Moody is enjoying his retirement propping up the bar.

 Ladies that Lunch? They certainly have a full spread with tasty treats from Mags Magnificent Miniatures, Linsminis and Kiva. 

 I hope to have a few baskets of groceries and fresh produce eventually for my Diagon Alley shoppers. This basket of apples is by After Dark Miniatures as is the produce board on the pub counter.

 I have tried the shelves out for size with some of the bottles I have collected. Not sure if I will use Nikki's coloured bottles here, maybe have one shelf full. I also want to have a small collection of pewter plates and bowls ( Miniatura List! ) on the shelves plus a few more tankards.

 These bottles are from Le Petit Monde d'Oiseau. They are perfectly scaled and come in a range of colours and shaped. I have also been collecting other glass bottles and flasks from Ray Storey which are hand blown and beautifully made. I will have another go with the scenic water and see what concoctions I can come up with.....

 In the bedroom my Hogwarts student is quietly dreaming of Gilderoy Lockhart! Exhausted after a day's shopping. This lovely piece was made by Julie of Bellabella Dolls and as soon as I saw her I knew she was perfect for this scene.

 I have a passion for the cats of Sarah Hendry and this little family are on their way to Hogwarts despite the one pet rule.

 The books are made by a company called A Novel Idea and they do a whole range of fabulous book sets. I bought these from a company in the US but for the life of me I can't remember what they were called. I will try and look them up and add the link later.

 Ahhhh! So sweet.

And like all good Hogwarts pupils she has been shopping for goodies to take back with her to school. A witch in the box by J.Dunn, sweeties by the lovely Silke and a tin of Halloween biscuits from Alliesminis.

There are quite a few things still needed for in here. All the kit for a Hogwarts student, a bookcase maybe, a wash stand or cupboard, a Hogwarts cloak and scarf, few bits of clothes etc, etc, etc!!!

A long list, but if I don't have a good idea of what I need when I go I get a bit "headless" and end up buying things willy nilly.....attic of the Cauldron springs to mind!

Toy Shop Interior................

This is the top floor of my toy shop. I really like the raftered roof and fireplace. I think I will put a 144th house inside the fireplace and have side tables for the rest of the dolls houses. This is also where my toy maker will have his working bench. The walls are white which I won't change as the toys and dolls will provide lots of colour. The floors are paper wood effect and I will change or paint these.

The middle floor for the dolls and perhaps a couple of prams if I come across any I like. Again a lovely fireplace in which I would like to display something special. I am going to take my time filling this shop as I would like to collect pieces which are from my childhood, so a bit retro.

Lastly the ground floor with the shop windows. Under the windows I will put benches so they can be seen from the outside but will not crowd the smallest room. There is a mock slate floor in this room which I will keep as I like it.

I have chosen a rich red for the shop furniture which I will try and distress using the wax technique. As this is really a gown up's shop so I think it deserves a rich, grown up colour. I have stained the pieces I have with a light oak stain, marked the edges with a candle and then painted with red emulsion from a match pot I had amongst my paints. I will see what they look like in the morning. If they look too much all together I will mix the rooms with painted and stained units.

Mmmmm.......it will be good to see the furniture in place then I can get a better feel for the house.

And tomorrow I am going to bring my lovely girlie home for the summer. This is the big move as everything has to come home and I will be washing for a week! Or at least I would be if my husband hadn't booked our plumber/builder to come in and take down the ceiling of the utility room - years of leaking showers - and re-vamp the whole room. Definitely the wrong time but on the positive side if I can't do the washing and ironing I have more time to work on the toy shop!!