Latest purchases from Jane Harrop

Not a proper post, this week I'm afraid - life has got in the way.

Lots of you (people email as well as comment on the blog) liked the kit I showed you last week, so I thought I'd just show you some other little purchases from Jane Harrop:

click on photo to enlarge

Such lovely detail on her work, always perfect scale and at a good price.

(23/04/16)

Adding details - the Hive

I had quite few bits and pieces to add to this room as well as all its furnishings and it is pretty much finished but I am saving photos of the rooms as a whole until I am happy they really are complete and the small people have moved in.

Meanwhile here's what I added to the space.

Jane Harrop does a lovely kit for anyone who wants their tiny people to have the same hobby as themselves:

You get everything you see here.  I already had my work table but the rest of the pieces are lovely.  So easy to make up, such clear instructions genuinely - all round good fun to do!

144th dolls house 

Even the teeny windows and doors were a cinch to get in place.  The dolls house front comes off along with the front section of the roof. I may well return to this some day and have a go at decorating it.

lovely set of tools

I think the saw is just genius thinking on Jane's part.  The block at the front is a mitre block but you are seeing it before it was stained and the cutting slits added - apologies.

Again some inspired thinking with the two parts needed to make the tacky glue bottle - just brilliant stuff.

wallpaper and flooring

I varnished the floor paper and made grooves with a knife so it looks like the sheets of wooden flooring I use.  I also made the box to stand the stuff in from Jane's very nice (folder) packaging - thanks Jane.

made another box for the offcuts

The trolley is started

The cardboard box, newspaper and the books you see here on the trolley are also in Jane's kit.

work table

This is my Ikea work table in miniature; full of Jane's things and a couple of other items.  My Elizabeth will be making furniture when I can find some 144ths for her, meanwhile she appears to be making a cardboard table????  Soldering iron seems to be missing???!!

Adding details - the Mud Room

I have gone through all three basement rooms and added plug sockets at floor and work surface levels, an alarm control system and PIRs in the other rooms and a smoke alarm for this floor level.

http://www.delphminiatures.co.uk/

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I also managed to add a bit of dressing....

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Adding details - the Rec Room

Having so (not) enjoyed the furniture making debacle it was time to cheer myself up with some bits and bobs to finish off the basement.

I have a small collection of the tiniest shells I could find on our beaches in Naples (Florida) so was determined they were going in.  [ in mini fantasy world Joanne has the same addiction and has a shell collection from their holiday home in the sun.]

small basket filled with shells I have collected

desk area begun

Joanne's shell bits and bobs and Simon's cell phone to start the TV unit

Cheque book from Valerie Claire

I made a cheque book (Valerie Claire's kit) I added in cheque stubs to make it more realistic before realising it is out of scale..... a bit on the large side.  That said I do remember working somewhere where I had large business cheques????  For now it is tucked on a shelf

I made the card house when I did my first project, the rest are purchases.  Paper dolls are from from Mini McGregor and the 'plane and fortune teller were made by a little boy - his first venture into selling his mini origami - he is the third generation of Ron Stetkewicz to make minis.

(Almost) my last spend for a while

These are the contents of three beautifully packed little parcels which arrived today.  All of them have been ordered and delivered within a couple of days.  Fabulous service from each vendor.

I hope I am not making you feel all Alison Davies(ed) out but here come two more chairs.  At some point I know I want her console table in walnut for the music room and I am hoping a small low table will appear in her entourage, so I can use it as a (sort of) coffee table between the facing sofas in the sitting room.  Meanwhile I snaffled two more chairs:

Alison Davies

The problem with upping your game and buying more expensive/better pieces than you usually buy is that everything else needs to be roughly in the same arena so other rooms are being treated to an upgrade.

These are from Dream Home Miniatures - the Jiayi retailers from whom I bought my gold sofas:

This pair of small dressers fit the space perfectly either side of my dining room fireplace; after all you do have to have somewhere to display the silver!

A tidy Regency chair for the library table/desk

My library is really a book repository for collections of old/rare books and is not intended to be a working study kind of place but you just might need a brief sit-down while you are there to look at a book rather than take it away, so it needed a small table and chair.  Better than a plain table I found this neat little Regency desk (with the chair).

This may or may not be the permanent Regency square piano for the house.  I would like one made by Masters Miniatures but this one at just £18.50 will do for a long time.  It will make the room look finished while I am amassing pennies for a better model. 

What a nice touch - nestled in the packaging around the boxes of furniture was another little treat.  How kind.

My third parcel was a light from Dolls House Direct.  It is one from the Wonham Collection:

I have a carpet on order, due soon, and a light for the music room, from China and due in November!  I promise that (with the exception of the carpet) this is the last time I will be parading my treats for a very long time.

Incidentally if you are a glutton for pictures of mini things I do keep a Purchases album and there is a link over on the left of this blog.

Last, but not least purchases from Miniatura

Mostly Lighting and furniture.....

A pair of buffet lamps - made by TEC Innovations, sold by The Little Dollhouse Company

A pair of small girondelle lights - The Little Dollhouse Company

mmm, not sure about this one - it was on Sue Cook's 'seconds' table for £2 

This person was my find of the show for me - Alison Davies .  I intend to write a bit about her in the Show Blog so I won't do it here.  Let's just begin with her beautiful packaging.

I bought a pair of these for my sitting room - the green is ever so slightly not right but I am not recovering these little gems. - Alison Davies

No soggy bottoms here just some faux webbing - what a nice touch - Alson Davies

Over-mantle mirror to match a fireplace - they just fit in the space I have in the Music Room - Sue Cook Miniatures

The other half of the duo (see above)

A bit of a project - I bought a decorated one of these from EBay and I am hoping to make this one to match it.  Success isn't very likely but for under a fiver it is worth a go - Jennifers of Walsall

A modern mirror when I have finished it.  I may not add the embellishment - just keep it simple.  The lines work well with the stripey wallpaper in the dining room. - Elite Petite

A pair of these for my sitting room to go with the sofas - Alison Davies

For lovers of Jiayi, we do have a retailer in the UK - Dream Home Miniatures.  They have a good range of furniture as proven by my being able to get a pair of these cane sofas.  I have been looking for them for a while.  I think they will work very well in my Music Room.

If you want to see what I thought of the show:  Dollshouse Trips and Shows

Miniatura purchases - part two

So this time I thought I'd show you all the bits and bobs.  Come back tomorrow for furniture and lighting.

Sorry it is still in the box - Delph Miniatures

I just love the next piece from Jeff Mewies.  When I tell you it cost me just £20 you can see why I feel so lucky to have found it/him.  He makes a slightly larger one for £25 and a larger one again for £30.  I don't even have a reason to have it in this project's narrative but my PhD student has now been given a passion for star-gazing.  It was simply a must-have for me.

It dismantles and folds down

The legs are hinged and the telescope expands

Even more extension to the legs and 'scope - a truly lovely piece

My teenage boy's trainers - might need a small piece of Gorgonzola inserted in them for realism - Mini Mcgregor

Just the right size mirror frame and enough decoration for the sitting room - Elite Petite 

My poor Joanne is being replaced with Joanne Two.  The one I have is lying down and won't 'fit' in the Rec room like that.  This incarnation will sit on a chair but she does dwarf her brother a little so he might change as well! - Jennifers of Walsall

Just wanted to show you how beautifully Elisabeth Causeret packs her tiny items

Two beautifully hand made ceramic mugs from Elisabeth next to a quite small teaspoon of mine.  Imagine having to apply those handles.

I have left this bowl on top of a box which is the same length as the teaspoon to give you the sense of scale.  They are perfectly paper thin potted pieces glazed and fired  - notice the lovely little foot to the bowl.  Elisabeth Causeret's  work is just the best.

Elisabeth's again - so paper thin and yes, hollow - a properly potted vase

Ditto the above - no idea where they will go, but go they will.

From the sublime to the ridiculous, but I believe in sharing everything - Delph Miniatures