Don't raise your hopes

Apologies that this is still not a post showing any progress on the house.  We have been back nearly two weeks but the real house and friends and family have taken up our days.  I am itching to get back to playing.  Hopefully now my real life jobs list is decreasing....

Meanwhile - how do you store stuff?

I had to have a grand clear out to put stuff away from the States and to free up cupboard space space for 'proper' household stuff.  Eventually I ended up with all the bits and things I have collected so far to go in the house sort of left over.  Maybe you have enough sense to build it first and then buy the stuff.

My solution for the time being are these five boxes.
















Just to add to the collection, the rest of my little people arrived today courtesy of Minimum World.  I commend them to you - great service.  I ordered the figures and then realised I could have also ordered some lights I wanted to save on paying delivery from them and then delivery from DHE.  Swift email to them and equally swift reply saying they were added to my order which was being picked and that there was now no postage charge as the order was over forty pounds.  Next day the parcel arrived.

I have owned two of these three before!  How annoying.

Here's the final line up:

left to right:  

Elizabeth, mother and main protagonist in my head story.
Joanne, daughter
Simon, son
Eileen, housekeeper and surrogate grandma for the children
Annelise, French PhD student/lodger

I wanted you to see them side by side in hopes you can see the difference in quality.

Elizabeth and Simon are the cheaper range which I think aren't as well-modelled or well-painted and definitely run a little smaller.  Joanne, Eileen and Annelise are usually more than twice the price but are larger and better made pieces.  I am never comfortable mixing them so I try to stage the moment in time so they aren't cheek by jowl.

An inhabited or an empty house is always a dilemma and I can see virtue in both.  I also understand the desire for some of the lovely dolls/dressed figures that I see at shows but for me that does sort of make the house a dolls house (which is quite right!) but I sort of want a miniature more than a dolls house - hope that makes sense.  Currently these resin figures are the best compromise between all these tussles, for me.

While sorting out something for them to sit on I committed the ultimate in miniaturist sins and dropped a piece of furniture - one of its lovely legs broke.  My sin was compounded because I haven't brought any super glue back with me from the States, so it sits glaring at me until I can (hopefully) fix it.










Here's the light I bought for the Rec room - it will also have a couple of table lamps so it should do fine in there.  I need to have all the lights for the basement sorted so I can get up to the next floor.


Again it is something I already owned and gave away.















OK, here is something I hope someone out there is going to find useful.  No use to me as I don't have small boxes on display but if you do how about these already lit boxes from Ikea.  The light is coming from the bottom of the box but maybe they could be turned over if you wanted to light the project from overhead?

I am sure the label will alert you to the fact they are from Ikea.