A little spending spree... (first published on MCOH 17th January 2022)

I've had this mini art museum sitting in the "saved for later" section of my Amazon basket for absolutely ages.  Since the building of Hazelton has rather ground to a ~ albeit, temporary ~ halt, I couldn't really justify buying it.  But I had Christmas money burning a hole in my purse so I threw caution to the wind and ordered it 😉

At the Seaside by William Merritt Chase; The Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai; The Boulevard Montmartre on a Winter Morning by Camille Pissarro

I never had any intentions of using it as it came in the box; 

Snap the Whip by Winslow Homer; Gardanne by Paul Cezanne; The Harvesters by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

instead, I'm going to frame the pictures and put them in my Peediekin's homes and/or an art gallery in Hazelton.

A Wheatfield with Cypresses by Vincent van Gogh; Self Portrait with a Straw Hat by Vincent van Gogh; Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses by Paul Cezanne

I have to admit that not all the artwork is to my own personal taste...

The Monet Family in Their Garden at Argenteuil by Edouard Manet; The Gulf of Marseilles Seen from L'Estaque by Paul Cezanne; Study for "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat 

...but I am pretty sure that there will be plenty of folk amongst the Peediekins that the paintings will appeal to! 

Madame Manet at Bellevue by Edouard Manet; Dancers Practicing at the Bar by Edgar Degas

Someone else is also rather interested...

A Bouquet of Flowers by Clara Peeters; Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze

...yes indeed, Miss Ethel-Maud ~ how did you guess 😄 She particularly likes the bouquet of flowers painting above.  She said that it would look really rather lovely in her bed-sitting room.....the same bed-sitting room that she only mentioned a few days ago and I have barely started to think about, let alone come up with a plan for making!  Ethel-Maud clearly isn't going to forget about having her very own little private space, though, so I guess I should start to make some plans and hunt for a suitable cardboard box to convert into the room of her dreams 😮 

Ooooh, I won a prize! (first published on MCOH 23rd July 2020)

Every so often, I have a little browse in a lovely miniature art store on Etsy: Art In Wax.  The owner and artist, Hazel, is equally as lovely as the encaustic wax art that she creates.  It seems that whenever I pop by "just to have a look" I always end up tempted by one of her creations, and on my most recent visit I was tempted by the gorgeous Bluebell painting above.   

You can imagine how excited I was when Hazel contacted me to say that my Bluebell purchase was her 2,000 sale and I was to choose anything in her store that I liked as a gift to mark the occasion ~ how lovely was that, eh!  I chose this gorgeous Modern Poppies picture.

And not only that, Hazel also included a surprise painting!  So now I have three more pieces of her lovely artwork to add to my collection 😊

I seriously lost my dolls' house mojo over this past year or so, but I'm happy to report that I'm feeling the love again ~ hence my visit to Hazel's store in the first place LOL  I don't expect to be beavering away in my craft room just yet as there is still so much work to be done out in the garden.  But non-gardening weather will be upon us again at some point which will be the ideal time to get back to building Hazelton.  It'll be good to get at least some of those dolls' house ideas out of my head and into reality as it's getting rather crowded in there!  

New tenants already! (first published on MCOH 20th May 2019)

Well, the shop units have barely been started but they have new tenants already 😊  Tabitha Tottley (in the pink dress) and Effemy Lamb had already applied to the town council for shop spaces in Angel House Galleria, but when these new shops came onto the rental market they decided to apply for them instead.

Just to recap, Effemy is a local Hazelton girl and whilst she was at school she had a Saturday/holiday job at the Hazelton Garden Centre.  She especially enjoyed working with the flowering plants and decided to train as a florist when she left school.  Effemy loves everything French ~ her maternal Grandmother is French ~ so took the opportunity to do her floristry training in Paris.  She lived with her Grand-mere and was lucky enough to find work in a rather lovely florist shop in the city.  Much as she loved Paris, her Grand-mere and the beautiful shop she worked in Effemy was very homesick for Hazelton, and her family and friends there.  Her best friend, Nessa Quinn, wrote to tell her about the plans for the Galleria which is how Effemy came to apply for a shop space in the building.  She was very excited when her application was successful, but when these new spaces became available she thought that having a shop on street level would be more commercially viable.  She is really looking forward to taking the next steps in her floristry career with a shop of her own.

Tabitha has lived in Hazelton for about 12 years now, having moved there to look after her great aunt who was seriously ill.  They hadn't been particularly close but were in regular contact by letter.  When she became poorly Tabitha didn't like the idea of the old lady spending her last few years in a care home so suggested that she come to look after her.  In actual fact the two of them got on very well, and despite the generation gap found that they had a surprising number of interests in common.  They were both a little sad that they hadn't had the opportunity to get to know each other better earlier but made the most of the time the aunt had left.  With Tabitha's loving care her aunt's remaining years were very happy despite her illness.  She eventually passed away peacefully some three years after Tabitha had come to live with her.  Tabitha made some very dear and close friends during those first three years and after her aunt passed away and bequeathed her little house and its contents to her, she decided to stay in Hazelton as it now felt very much like "home".

She has worked as a care assistant in Hackland House Residential Home for a number of years and although she loves working there, her dream was to be self-employed.  Since one of the interests Tabitha and her aunt shared was a love of antiques and vintage/vintage-style "pretty" things, she thought this would be the perfect kind of shop to have and decided to apply to the Town Council for shop space in the Galleria.  When she saw these new spaces, though, she thought the upper floors would be even nicer than having a shop space in the Galleria ~ the huge glass windows across the front would make for wonderful shop window displays.  Like Effemy, Tabitha is also very excited about having her own shop and starting a new career.

Looks like the guys and I need to get a wiggle on so that we don't keep the ladies waiting too long for their new dream shops.....I have a feeling they will both be making frequent visits to check up on our progress 😉

 

Decisions and a teensy wee bit of destruction! (first published on MCOH 14th May 2019)

 

Sir Peter and I have been discussing the way forward with this potential shop unit...

and we have decided to go with another Dolls House Emporium kit that I've also had for a number of years, The Retreat ~ again, I don't know if DHE still make this kit.

Whereas the Summer House kit had a much smaller footprint than the shop box, The Retreat is slightly larger being about 16mm wider...

and also overhanging at the back.

I don't think that either of these overhangs matter, to be honest.  I will sit the kit so that it overhangs at the sides equally and is flush with the front.  Hopefully I will be able to find a piece of moulding 8mm deep to smooth out the look of the transition from the upper shop to the lower.  Failing that I should think that I could combine some pieces to create the correct depth.

The Retreat comes with a deck area to which the front panel is attached ~ it lifts away rather than being hinged. I must admit that initially I was tempted to make use of it.

In the end, though, I've decided not to include it ~ not least because of the awkwardness of opening the ground floor unit.  I also think it looks rather clumsy.  I will hinge the front panel to the side instead.

The top floor has a nice amount of floorspace...

but not so much headroom!  Still, the space in the eaves can be used for built-in display shelves and storage cabinets.

And talking of headroom, the stair arrangement leaves much to be desired!  I think I will have to make the stairwell opening a tad larger.

There are more headroom issues coming up to the top floor.  I think the only way to solve this will probably be to put in a dormer window ~ which will have the added benefit of letting in more natural light, as there is only a small round window at the front.  I will put a matching dormer on the other side as well.

The stairs supplied with the kit really bother me, as to my mind they look more like a ladder and are rather steep ~ not at all suitable for a shop!  I know that some folk just don't bother with visible stairs but I find that that really bothers me, too!  I'm sure that Sir Peter and the guys will be able to come up with a good solution 😉

As the post title suggests, there has been some destruction going on in my craft shed as well as decision-making LOL  I decided to remove all the trimmings from the shop box and start off with a blank canvas.  As I mentioned in the previous post, the finish was not very good and it all looked somewhat flimsy!

There is still some prep work to be done before I can even start sanding the shop box.  There are sections of paper to be removed so that I can start with a nice smooth surface to work on.  I will have to lightly wet the paper and hope that it peels off without too much hassle.  I am also going to take the front off and clean up the hinges, as well as fit a new catch at the side.

So there is lots of basic work still to be done ~ I'd better have a site meeting with Sir Peter and the guys!

First forays into the property market... (first published on MCOH 13th May 2019)

in Hazelton!

I have a fair few dolls' house kits, as well as the couple in my craft shed that are half-built, and now that the shed is finished I decided it was high time to get working.  I thought I'd ease myself in gently with a spot of kit-bashing LOL

Obviously I can't do all this on my own, so here is the gang who are going to be working with me 😉  From the left we have: Albert Holland (very rarely seen without his trusty hammer in his pocket!), Sir Peter Buchanan, Graham Landry and Derek Landry.  Albert and Derek, who are cousins, have a building and general maintenance company: Landry and Holland.  Graham is Derek's son and works for the company as a painter and decorator.  Sir Peter is an architect.  His mother, Lady Constance, is very involved with what goes on in Hazelton and she is very much the driving force behind the regeneration of the town.

I bought this shop box on ebay a few years ago.  It hadn't been finished, as you can see, but is nice and sturdy.  Personally, I really don't care for brick papers so I'm not at all upset that the paper is peeling off!  The paintwork finish isn't that good, either, so I shall be taking it right back to the bare bones.

It's a nice size, with the internal measurements being about 465mm wide, 230mm deep and 240mm high.  You can tell how long I've had it by the accumulation of dust on the window glazing sheets ~ and those pesky dust bunnies 😉

I like the shape of the windows but think I may build a sort of internal bay window to create a nice display area for passers-by.  The windowsills are a tad flimsy-looking, so will be replaced as part of the display windows.  I have a fab book by Beryl Armstrong called How to Make Your Dolls' House Special, which has lots of hints, tips and instructions for building and altering dolls' houses.

One of my problems is a lack of space to display my dolls' houses/shops, so I had the bright idea to combine the shop box with one of my other kits ~ et voila, two shops in one footprint!  I have a couple of candidates for the upper floor so started by trying this one first.  It is the Summer House kit by Dolls House Emporium.  I've had the kit for a number of years now and I'm not sure if they make it anymore.

I'll be honest, I sat and looked at it for a long time trying to decide what could be done to make it look better on top of the shop box.  The access to the upper shop will be from street level at the side of the ground floor shop.

There is a serving hatch at the rear of the building and a wide window at the front.  If I were to go with this option, then I would cover up the hatch at the back rather than making it into a window as it would give me more wall area for a shop display.

I pondered long and hard about the feasibility of using this kit,

looking at it from all sides.

I would have to do a lot of re-jigging to get it looking "right" including making the footprint wider, moving the wall with the doors further out to the side, and adding sections to the front and back walls to make them wider.

In the end Sir Peter and I came to the conclusion that it would be far better to use the other kit ~ thank goodness for his wise input 😉  That little saga will be following on in another post!  

More inhabitants than I thought! (first published on MCOH 21st December 2017)

 I'm still plugging away at the dolls' house miniatures but am starting to get some semblence of order!  I'm storing things in largish plastic crates and by the time I'd found all the Peediekins, they needed a crate of their own ~ I was hoping that there would be room for them and the miniature clothes I've purchased over the years but there were rather more Peediekins that I'd thought 😮

As you can see, Peediekins come in all shapes, sizes and colours ~ just like we full-size folk 😉 There are 35 ladies in the photo above.  I hadn't realised that I had so many womenfolk!  They are all just-as-I-bought them, so some will be having new outfits in due course.  I think virtually all of the ladies don't have removeable clothes, which I find rather annoying.  After all, who really wants to be stuck into the same outfit 24/7!

I don't have as many chaps as ladies ~ only 17 of 'em.  They, too, are mostly glued into their clothes.  Looks like I have a lot of miniature sewing ahead of me!

Naturally, there have to be children and babies too 😊  I have 23 of the little darlings and some of them also have glued-on outfits.  Please don't be alarmed by the little limbless girl in the middle of the photo ~ I'm sure I will come across her arms and legs but if I don't, then I promise to buy new ones for her!

Those of you who have a fear of little dolls should perhaps read no further.....

.....ah well, don't go blaming me for any nightmares 😉

These poor folk need an assortment of surgery!  They all need fattening-up somewhat (especially in comparison to the chap at the top of the photo!), and some are also lacking various limbs.  I came across instructions some time back for needle-felting bodies for dolls' house-size people, which is what I am planning for these folk.

I know that some miniaturists don't like "dolls" in their houses but I much prefer to have little folk and their pets (oh yes, I have quite the collection of cats, dogs, and other small creatures, too!) around.  It seems to make houses, shops, etc, much friendlier and.....well, I was going to say realistic but you might think I am a little batty LOL

Getting there! (first published on MCOH 17th December 2017)

 

The downsizing/sorting/tidying-of-the-craft-shed project, you'll be amazed to learn, really is on the homeward stretch ~ I know, I can hardly believe it myself LOL  I've only got all my dolls' house stuff left to sort through now.  Mind you, that is going to be a somewhat mammoth task as I have collected rather a lot over the years!

Still, since dolls' houses are one of the hobbies I didn't want to give up, hopefully all the little bits 'n' bobs I decide to hang on to will eventually be used in one of my house or shop kits.  I'm hoping that the lovely large shed in the garden of our new home will become my craft room ~ or "studio" as a friend insists I should call it 😉  My plan is to set out my dolls' house town in there too.  Ideally, I'm hoping to make one area purely for working and the rest of the studio (LOL!) a place for sitting and day-dreaming about my little make-believe miniature town 😊

So this coming week will mostly be dedicated to sorting through all things miniature.....I wonder if I'll get time to cull my yarn stash before we move! 

Getti

Hazelton: let's meet the prospective new shop owners of Angel House Galleria! (first published on MCOH 10th April 2017)

You have already seen the photo above in a previous post about the Galleria, but I thought I'd show it again just as a little reminder of the layout of the building.

James and Maretta moved to Hazelton when they were first married.  They spent their honeymoon on the island and just fell in love with the place, the people and the way of life.  I'm sure you can appreciate what a huge undertaking it is for Peediekins to move from one place to another ~ no wonder then that so many choose to stay in the same town or village their whole lives!

James and Maretta have spent some time travelling around the world ~ they are really very adventurous for Peedikins!  When they realised that they both wanted to start a family, they decided it was the right time to marry and settle down.  They had both worked in the food industry before moving to Hazelton and were able to get a transfer to the local supermarket in the town.  When the idea for the Galleria came about, they saw that there was a good opportunity to start up a delicatessen to sell all those little "luxuries" that the local supermarket doesn't cater for.  Now that Catriona and Andrew are both at school, Maretta will be able to bring Elspeth to the shop for a few hours each week to help James.

Broden and Nessa have lived in Hazelton all their lives, and are childhood sweethearts.  The opening of the Galleria, and the Hazelton Arts & Crafts Guild offering the job as Manager to Broden, has been a godsend to the Quinns.  

Despite gaining extremely good exam results, Broden decided to leave school at 16 and immediately started working for his uncle on his farm.  He was very happy there and learned lots of skills, both practical and business-related.  Unfortunately, shortly after Nessa became pregnant with Isla, Broden was badly hurt in a nasty accident with a fork-lift truck.  For a while it was touch-and-go as to whether he would be able to walk again but thankfully, following a couple of major operations and after a lot of intensive physiotherapy, he is now out of  a wheelchair and mobile again, albeit with the support of a walking stick.

The Hazelton Arts & Crafts Guild members decided that it would be much more beneficial for all of them if their work could be on display in a prominent place in the town.  The items the Guild members produce will be available for purchase from the new shop.  There will be lots of information for customers on the work of the members of the Guild as well as other events going on in the town.

Since Nessa is herself a member of the Guild (she knits and crochets beautiful blankets using locally-sourced yarns), I am sure that she and Isla will often be found in the shop keeping Broden company.  

Effemy is also a local Hazelton girl and is an old school friend of Broden and Nessa.  She and Nessa both had Saturday/holiday jobs at the Hazelton Garden Centre whilst they were at school, and Effemy especially enjoyed working with the flowering plants.  When she left school at 18, she decided to train as a florist.  Effemy also loves everything French ~ her maternal Grandmother is French ~ so she decided to do her training in Paris, living with her Grand-mere whilst she did so, and was lucky enough to find work in a rather lovely florist shop in the city.

Much as she loves Paris, her Grand-mere and the beautiful shop she worked in, Effemy was very homesick for Hazelton and her family and friends there.  When Nessa wrote to tell her about the plans for the Galleria, she immediately contacted the Town Council to see if there would be an opportunity for her to have one of the shop spaces.  She was so thrilled to find that her application was successful and is looking forward to taking the next step in her floristry career with a shop of her own.  

Tabitha has lived in Hazelton for 12 years, having moved from there to look after her great aunt, who was seriously ill.  Tabitha hadn't been particularly close to her aunt but she was her only surviving relative, and she didn't want the old lady to spend her last few years in an elderly persons home.  As it turned out, the two of them got on very well and found that they had a surprising number of interests in common.  They were both a little sad that they had not got to know each other better earlier but they made the most of the time the aunt had left.  With Tabitha's loving care, her aunt's remaining years were happy despite her illness; she eventually passed away peacefully three years after Tabitha came to live with her.  Tabitha made some very dear and close friends in those three years, and when her aunt passed away and bequeathed her little house and its contents to her, she decided to stay in Hazelton as it now felt very much like "home".

She has worked as a carer in Hackland House Residential Home for a number of years, and although she loves working there, she would really like to be self-employed.  Since one of the interests Tabitha and her aunt shared was a love of antiques and vintage/vintage style pretty things, she decided to apply to the Town Council for a shop space in the Galleria selling such items.

Rhona and Annys are mother and daughter.  Whilst Annys was born and brought up in Hazelton, Rhona moved there from a small town a few miles away when she married her husband, Ewan.

Rhona loves to cook (and in particular is well known for her delicious baking) and before Annys came along, she was the assistant chef in The Hazelton Hotel.  She has always wanted to have a little tea room and when the Galleria idea came up, Ewan and Annys both encouraged her to apply to the Town Council.  Annys is about to start a college catering course and is eager to work alongside her mother in the tea room when she has completed it.  In the meantime she will work there on Saturdays and during the holidays, so Rhona will be advertising for a waitress to cover the hours Annys will be at college.

So there it is, a little potted history of all the folk who will, in due course, be fulfilling their dreams of having a business of their own in the Galleria.  Hopefully it won't be too long before I have more news and photos to share!