Found a Moment.......

Have not managed to do much on my projects lately, the real world has had to take priority but I have been shopping during half-time! I bought this on Ebay, built and primed. Now I know I said I would not go for a built house again but this has just been built and primed, so all the good stuff is left to do. It is my first Diagon Alley shop. This will be quite an expensive project so I am taking my time looking for bargains like this on Ebay. They will all be two storey shop buildings and as much as I like the Sid Cooke range I would prefer to spend most of the budget on the insides of my shop. So would love to find six bargains like this one.

I was also lucky enough to win one of Kate's Ebay lots. all shop furniture ready to be part of my new Diagon Alley stash. Kate also sent me a whole package of 'stuff' for my many on-going projects, I love surprise goodie bags like this, they remind me of the jamboree bags I used to buy as a kid, full of hidden treasure and promise. Thank you Kate and I hope you are some way nearer your next treasure!

  What a fab jamboree bag, I love the insects in the glass beads.

Then I received another package from Lorraine of DFly Creations who has a Etsy shop full of interesting item covering all sorts of collectables for the dolls house.

 Lovely accessories all very well made with prompt delivery, just how we all like our purchases to be. The melted candles are super.

And of course I had to buy a couple of these.....

I am an absolute sucker for Nikki's work and was lucky enough to purchase a couple of these brooms, again for my Diagon Alley stash. It took me two years to get everything together for my witch house and Witch E.T.Grubb's Emporium and I have still had to source a lot more so I know I am in for a long haul!

I have also been able to start work on the distressed furniture in the toyshop. I am quite pleased with the overall result. I think the bears look as if they belong and I will have fun looking for lots of little teddies as the years moves on. I have also ordered a bench to sit under the front window but inside. I hope this will give the impression of a square shop floor. I am waiting for other pieces of unfinished furniture to arrive for the top floors, painting these is something I can do at odd times which is all I am getting at the moment!

Still one day they will all be gone........and I'll be looking after my parents! Apparently I am one of the 'sandwich' generation!

Time to Put Away Spooky Things.......For a While!

I have been working on the furniture for my witch's kitchen. Although my witch keeps a lovely house she is definitely not very organised when it comes to the washing up! I bought this cute sink at Miniatura from Apollo Miniatures I think and simply stained and painted the sink. I have used scenic water to fill the very full sink and add dipped green gloop. She has certainly been busy!

The dresser is more or less complete. I have left a space on top for a hanging plant and a compartment at the bottom for a sleeping cat in his bed. The cat nest idea was given to me by Julia of Bear Cabin Miniatures but we would both really like it to be a dragon hidey hole! I have also added some linen and serviettes for the drawer.

The table too is all finished and full of lovely witchy items. I will probably add a few more pieces to the chairs once I have a new range in place. I got out the Kitchener in order to make it but I didn't have the proper glue. They recommend a epoxy cement whatever that is will have to take advice in Hobbyland or somewhere.

So I have decided to take a break from all things witchy and begin putting together my toyshop.

Late last year I saw this house listed on Ebay but with the windows on the left. I thought it would make a great corner shop for my street so I contacted the person listing the house and asked if they could make me one the other way round. They agreed and built me this super corner shop. It has three rooms and I have decided it's going to be more of an adult collectors shop with teddies and gollies on the ground floor, dolls and characters on the second floor with the large top floor displaying 144th dolls houses along with a toymaker building a dolls house.

I was really pleased with the house it's beautifully made and fully lit but I have discovered that having the house arrive 'ready to go' I have not got the same feel for it. I know that sounds strange but we just have not bonded yet! Weird as that sounds. Of course there are still lots of things to do with the shop and I will be changing certain bits and painting and adding so I hope I will think of it more as mine as I bring my own ideas to the house.

Tomorrow I will start painting some of the shop furniture and if I have time begin one of the 144th houses I bought at KDF. That should be a challenge!

Nearly there....Finishing Touches and Window Displays.

I have mended the study window at last. It was the first one I made and it is not quite as well designed as the others bit I have managed to fit it which has allowed me to dress the ledge. I placed one of Kat's wonderful steam punk creations in the window alongside Kate's lovely pile of books that she made me as a gift when we met at KDF. There are also a couple of spell jars and a book on frogs that I purchased on Ebay. This photo also shows one of Julia's Bear Cabin Miniatures smiley pumpkin cushions looking very welcoming to a hard working witch! 

Next I added a few extra items to the sitting room window including some scrolls, spell bottles and one of Nikki's beautiful bead bottles which really catches the light in its window position.

The second window has had a spider, potion jars and spell jars added. Which means I only have to complete the kitchen, the potting area and all the climbers to decorate the outside. Not much then......!!

I seem to be delaying the kitchen, today it was tennis and gardening leading to a sense of complete exhaustion and tomorrow it will be a tennis match....I seem determined not to tackle it, I need a bit of inspiration at the moment, there are lots of pieces of furniture plus a collection of plates, jars, bowls and food that keep looking at me!

Monday, I will definitely get going with it. Oh I did have a small piece of luck though. A few weeks ago I managed to smash to pieces my gorgeous range. Then while I was sorting through a drawer I found a Warwick Miniatures range kit that I had bought on Ebay for about £6 months ago and forgotten about. With any luck I will be able to put it together and then paint. Which will mean not having to buy another. I have never bought anything from the Warwick miniatures collection so I hope it's not too difficult.