Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2017!

Hope everyone had a lovely peaceful and healthy Christmas. Ours was a bit of a challenge this year as we are now too many to fit comfortably in our smaller accommodations. 

It has been a loooong time since my last post.  My husband put all my dollhouse activities on hold while he created me a work space in the basement of our new much smaller home. Workshop construction was nearly as slow as dollhouse construction. 

I now have lots of lots of cabinetry to house dolls, collectible and miniature, plus tons of bright lighting and a fireplace to keep my feet warm as I work. It really is a nice room to work in. Unfortunately I am having problems getting my ipad to email pictures to share and can't seem to sign into my own flickr account. Let's just say, I need a child to get me sorted out.

So I decided to share a tiny little quarter scale German Christmas market kit I did a few days ago. I was having mini withdrawals and ordered this darling kit from Cynthia Howe Miniatures. I found a tiny little bell cloche that fits it perfectly. Hopefully now my space is sorted, I can get some help with the computery things and start posting again. Fingers crossed my little French dollhouse will be completed in the coming calendar year.

Little French dollhouse parlour

 I know I haven't posted on my blog for quite a few month. Work and sheer laziness have been my downfall. I want so desperately to play in my completed little French house and I can't do that if I don't finish. So thanks to a long rainy weekend I did manage to spend some time on construction. You would be shocked to hear how many hours were spent just to get this far and yes, I did have to do it twice as per my usual MO.

If my work space seems a bit messy, note I cleared the table before starting this wall and this is just how I work it seems.  FYI I am terrible, shockingly terrible at cutting casings. I will persevere.

Progress on Lea Frisoni's Little French Dollhouse

I did manage a little progress on my little French dollhouse this weekend.  I received the brick work kit from The Little Dollhouse Company so I was able to get the brick wall for the bathroom completed.

 I am quite happy with the way it turned out and it was super easy to do.

 I was also able to finish the parquet flooring for the main room. I stained and waxed it in situ and need to do a major clean up of my work area before starting on the living room wall. Fingers crossed I have all I need to complete the living room.

 Small shot of the middle floor sans finished living room before the roof goes on.

I also wanted to share with you my new Marina Bychkova resin Enchanted Doll. She is still with her faceup artist Mai (Belle Nolia) as she hasn't had her body blushing and finger and toe nails done yet.  I am quite excited to have her come home soon.

OOPS, I DID IT AGAIN!

It is 11 pm and my fingers are now numb so dollhouse flooring will continue in the morning. I have been working on this all day and hand cutting each and every tiny piece.  I did however make one major mistake ( I know, I am just as surprised as you are!).

When resizing the template for the each floor tile, I sized the tile with the outer frame to 8cm X 8cm. The template size was right but it was only suppose to be in the inside tile sans frame. So as a result each tile is 1cm smaller than it is suppose to be.

I have bought enough wood planking to do a full sized house so I could have restarted but I was already many, many hours in when the penny dropped I and decided to continue as is.  The pattern will be slightly smaller, so a little more delicate and I can live with that.

I wanted to also share with you the news that beloved miniature artist Jane Newman recently passed. I don't have any details and found out via a posting on facebook from Kensington Miniature Enthusiasts and borrowed the above picture from their post also.

I am a collector and lover of all things Jane Newman since I started back into miniature in earnest a few years ago.  I have been fortunate to have been able to acquire quite a few pieces including Welsh dressers, tables, chairs, washstands, a tiny bed and bedroom pieces. I cherish them all.  Jane's work was pure perfection and her scale was spot on. The miniature world has lost a huge star.

Okay it is past midnight and my numb fingers and mushy brain can't type or think anymore. Everyone have a grand week!

Hallway and Bathroom

 This is the completed hallway.  I have been using little brass grommets to make it easier to align the staircase railing. I like the way it looks and lines up. I haven't found any of my dollhouse furniture and accessories so it is rather uninteresting at the minute.

 Unfortunately I spent a good hour or so opening boxes to find my plaster brick making kit that was bought to do the bathroom wall. When it was finally located I realized that I had ordered the slate tile plaster kit not the brick kit. So back to the internet to place another order with The Little Dollhouse Company and now we wait....

I haven't shabbied up the walls of the bathroom yet, but wanted to show of my handmade bead board using cardboard and a utility knife.  I am quite pleased with the way it turned out.

I have applied one coat of wax to the floor, but it needs more and then a good old hand polish. Oh, and I put together my little Chrysnbon bathroom kit which is so sweet and perfectly proportioned in my humble opinion.

Midwinter treat.

I decided to give myself a little after Christmas treat and order all three issues of  Miniologie magazines http://www.miniologie.com/

I came across their website during a late night mini hunt a awhile ago and now am so glad I decided to order them. They are simply delicious and diet approved!

It is advertised as a twice yearly publication but to date only Summer and Fall 2013 and Winter/Holiday 2013 seem to have been created.  I ordered them a few days after Christmas and in less than a week they arrived at my door in Canada which is absolutely amazing!

The Winter/Holiday 2013 edition features mini artist Lea Frisoni with some of her loveliest French style Christmas vignettes.

I also adore the "Home is where the hearth is"page with the pretty cozy cottage fireplaces decorated with creamy miniature bottle brush trees and soft muted decor.

This little kitchen scene is positively sublime.  If you need a little after Christmas pick me up I encourage you to order this little set of magazines and hopefully we can encourage it's authors to make more issues.