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.

Take a Bow, I Have Finished a Whole Room....The Leaky Cauldron

Today I have put in the last finishing touches to the bar of The Leaky Cauldron and tacky waxed in everything. This is it the room is officially done. There will be no more tweaking, primping or procrastinating, I promise to leave it alone.

The bar is open for business.

Three changes since yesterday: the blackboard showing all the Leaky's Specials, a very un-PC goblin head by Debbie Lyons and one of Sarah Hendry's wonderful cat sculptures.

This room has taken shape after two years of collecting and planning so I hope you will enjoy my walk through of all the different areas and perhaps discover a new miniature artisan.

These three raucous hags are all by Jain Squires, I adore Jain's work as it is so quirky and each doll is beautifully dressed. 

They are celebrating a birthday and have certainly taken full advantage of all the the Cauldron's hospitality. The poor cat, from Miss Sally World,  is exhausted by them. 

 I always find it really hard to begin piecing together each little scene as it will mean 'spoiling' a piece of furniture that it may have taken a while to source. So I thought long and hard  about my celebration table and asked the extremely talented Linda Cummings to create a Hag's Birthday Cake as my centrepiece. Linda is a real artist and we had lots of email discussions about size and design using photographs from the internet.

 As you can see Linda has created an absolute masterpiece that stands proudly above all those empty bottles!! The top of the cake has a crash landed witch with her red slippers and broom with actual bristles!! There are striped candles and flying bats as well as mushrooms and grisly fingers. Wow!! It is a total work of art and I am so glad I approached her at the Kensington Festival. Lin is a very talented lady who is so enthusiastic about her work and I feel truly honoured to own such a unique piece. Many, many thanks Lin.

 I have spent a lot of time trying to source bottles for this project and ended up buying quite a few off Ebay.com simply because of their shape, then I went to the Alexandra Palace Fair and was able to find quite a few there for a fraction of the cost!!

 I have also bought some gorgeous handblown miniature glass pieces from Glasscraft at various fairs. Although do check the size of the decanters necks if you are a solid water beginner like me. All the glass can be coloured with glass paints and I opted for this method too.

Ray Storey not only makes fabulous lights but also a range of very intersesting hand blown glass and I have used a number of shapes and colours, brown and green have worked really well.
My Tiny World also has a quite a varied range of glass, mostly jars, in all sizes which are of a lovely quality. 

 As my witches are more than a little tipsy they have spilt quite a few of their drinks. For these spills I decided to use Scenic Water from DeLuxe Materials. This is a very easy product as you simply, and carefully, heat the amount you need in the microwave. I used a little plastic tub with a jelly cube amount at a time, about the size of my thumb, in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds but do be careful it gets very hot!!!!

Scenic Water can be coloured with water based paints, the specialist colours sold by Deluxe or even food colourings ( although I have read that these can fade ). Add tiny amounts until you get the colour you want. Scenic water sets quite quickly but it can be re-melted in the micro wave for a couple of seconds to make it runny again.

I simply spilt it on the table a bit at a time and then helped the drips stay in place using cocktail sticks. Scenic Water does not harden in the same way as Solid Water which is why food miniaturists use it for jellies but because it sets quite quickly it is good for spills.
Gosh I haven't got very far tonight but I am so pleased with this room I want to take my time sharing it.
One room down, nine more to go!!!

Could Not Resist......by Jain Squires of Giddy Kipper

A little while ago Jain Squires of Giddy Kipper Dolls put some of her ghostly children on Ebay and I could not resist bidding for a couple of them.

 I was really lucky and won these two spooky girls. Like all Jain's dolls they are both quirky and full of character as well as being beautifully made and costumed.

 I have absolutely no idea what I am going to do with them yet maybe a shadow box, or a filled lantern, or a Tom's Midnight Garden ghostly scene?? A small, atmospheric project for the wet early days of 2013....

Jain was supposed to be showing at York this weekend but is no longer able to attend so she has posted a photo of the dolls and animals that would have accompanied her. Have a look at her stand here to see if there is something for your Christmas stocking.

New Residents for Diagon Alley........

Of course I could not go to KDF and not visit the stand of my favourite doll makers Julie Campbell and Jain Squires.

 They did not disappoint and I was drawn immediately to Julie's absolutely fantastic flying witch.

 The photographs have come out appallingly but I am sure you can see what a original piece she is and perfect for Diagon Alley.

 The dress flows beautifully and she looks like she has had a very successful visit to the Alley.

 I love all the little details like the cameo.....

 .......and fingerless gloves. I can't wait to display her on the roof of one of my finished shops. One day!

 On Jain's stand I noticed this little character straight away. I have quite a few witches now so I knew this little chap was a must buy.

 Jain's people always have so much character. This goblin just ooozes naughtiness...

 Perhaps he lost that eye when Harry freed the dragon in Gringott's Bank?

I adore his star buttons and cheeky feather in his hat.

Both Jain and Julie are putting a few of their pieces into their Etsy shops over the next few weeks so do have a look at more of their wonderful work.

Last, but certainly not least, my next stop was to see Sarah Hendry of Pocket People whose cats I adore. This time I went for a Persian for my collection. He is looking very happy in his new home outside the Apothecary.

Such treasures will need a perfect back drop, so on with the building and construction work!

Dobby Shadow Box.........Birthday Present Number Two

Having made the Harry Potter character shadow box for the 22nd birthday of my eldest son, it seemed only fair to make one for my daughter's 20th birthday next week. I knew exactly what I wanted to do and what I intended to include and began with the basics.

 Despite looking everywhere the deepest boxes I have been able to find are only one inch, so I had to line the interior with strips of balsa to extend the depth to two inches. I then used up some left over stone wallpaper and ceiling paper for three of the sides.

The walls were then grimed a bit and then I glued on some Harry Potter printies and other wizardly items.

 I found all these using google images and then printed them on tea stained photo paper. I also used my little magic pot of MicroGlaze which is definitely my new best friend.

 For the floor I used some left over Richard Stacey roof tiles which I grouted after giving them a good PVA/water wash. They were still a bit of a pain to clean off mostly because of the tight space I was working in. These look a bit bright and new at the moment but I will give them a grimy wash to tone them down.

 And here he is the star of the show, looking out on the world but a bit shy at the moment.

 Dobby!! By the wonderful Jain Squires. I bought him at a Kensington Show about a year ago for Diagon Alley and although he is perfect in every way I decided my daughter would love him. 

 The back wall is also papered in stone but I have added a fireplace with some left over slate. This will house a bubbling cauldron by Debie Lyons hopefully on a log fire. This will be interesting as I have never attempted bubbles before!! 

 A bit of a dress rehearsal. Dobby fits the extended depth thank goodness. The fire place mantle is dressed with various HP printies and a 'Hocus Pocus' movie poster because my daughter loves that film! There is also one of Wendie's super pumpkin candles and a wonderfully turned mortar and pestle from one of my favourite sellers Ashwood Designs. 

 I filled the mortar with soft gunge and then laid the pestle on the top because it was so beautifully turned I didn't want to cover it up!! The large book was part of a wizard set from Pear Tree Miniatures that I have set aside for Flourish & Blotts.

 The fireplace is topped by a photo of the two Dumbledore's in  a frame I originally made for the Leaky Cauldron. As it was the perfect width for the mantle I cut it down added a bit of gold rub 'n' buff before gluing the picture in place.

Of course there had to be some mention of S.P.E.W even if the house elves don't always approve.

At the moment my bubbling cauldron is cooling down so I hope to be able to show you how it has gone tomorrow.

I hope the sun is still shining in your part of the world, we had lovely sunshine today but a very chilly north wind. I don't mind how cold it is as long as that sun keeps shining!!

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!