A new cooker for the kitchen

I've been looking for a suitable cooker for this kitchen for awhile. I seem to remember ours in the fifties was more modern than the very old fashioned gas cookers that are available in miniature. With this in mind I opted for one from Elf Miniatures rather than the Phoenix white metal one.

This one is the nearest I could get in similarity to the one we had at home.
I think it looks ok back in the corner there.

I've added a few bits to the kitchen cabinet too.

 

So this next photo is how the kitchen is looking up to now.

 

Just the fourth wall to finish off now and a few more accessories.

Making up some kits.

To ease myself back into mini-ing again after the summer I made up a few kits that I'd bought ages ago - some from Jane Harrop, some Phoenix white metal ones and one from Elf Miniatures. The white metals ones are always abit of a headache for me as the pieces are so very tiny - however I've managed them and I'm pleased with them.

First I put together this little chair., it needs painting yet and will go in the childrens' room - a chair was my only bedside table when my brother and I were growing up so this will do the job nicely.

Next I made up a tiny stool and box to go in the kitchen. Jane's kits are lovely to do. You do need a gluing jig though to keep the parts properly aligned and square but she has some great, authentic little things.

 I thought a cardboard box would come in handy for under the sink...

And onto the Phoenix kits.....

The Ascot water heater looked difficult and that's why I've put it off for ages - all those tiny pieces! I couldn't even find it at first, that's how long it's been. Anyway it's turned out ok, though unfortunately I didn't have much space left when I came to add it to the kitchen - it's a little too near the curtains for my liking but I'm thinking that health and safety weren't as strict then as they are now!

 

Ever since I saw the Phoeonix coke stove/back boiler made up I knew I would like it in this house as it's identical to the one we had at home.

 

 I've painted it the same colour as ours was and put in a red bulb and left the ash grate door slightly open. I have memories of our cat Dinky snuggling up to sleep against it, she used to get so close that her tail singed!

The Delph cupboard I made up is amazing. It has glazed, sliding doors and a sloping front which were quite in vogue at this time. I struggled abit with it, gluing it together back to front at first (don't ask me how) but my hubby noticed it - I hate that - but I'm glad he pointed it out before I got any further on in the building of it...

 

I painted it blue (nothing matched in our house) and filled it with crockery.

 

Shelf lining. We always had shelf linings.

I love the way the doors slide and the front of the cupboard slopes.

So that's it for the kits at the moment. I have some easy chairs to do for the dining room but they'll have to wait as I need some suitable material to cover them. 

Electrifying continued.....

The hallway table lamp was next in line to be electrified...again this was an afterthought and for a long time it has been stood looking pretty but unlit!

This time I routed the wire along behind the skirting board and again addded a little socket and plug.
 Once I had the wire through to the pantry, heading in the right direction for the back of the property, I drilled a hole down through a corner in the pantry floor where it wouldn't be seen underneath the tiles.

This took the wire underneath the house where I covered it with sticky back carpet to protect it and which also helps when I need to move the house around with it being 3 dimensional.
So now I have a lovely lit lamp in the hallway.

Whilst I was in the hallway I added the stringer to the side of the stairs and a few  'oak' beams.

 

I think the hallway is just about finished now (famous last words)

 

A view from the stairs through to the front room.

Electrifying!

I thought it was time I updated what I've been up to recently (not before time I hear you say....) Now that the gardening has slowed down and Autumn is here the miniature bug has got me again and I've been doing a few of those jobs I've been putting off.....
 
As I said earlier in the blog wiring this house is quite a challenge as it's a 3d property. I was fine doing the ceiling lights but it was the extra ones that I didn't think of like the nursery lamp, the standard lamp and fire in the living room and the table lamp in the hallway...

First I had to work out a route to take the wires to the back. In the case of the living room I had to drill down through the floor in the corner behind the tv and take the wire down and along a groove underneath the house. Next another hole was drilled up through and onto the side 'pathway' - this involved taking up 'slabs' I had already laid - much to my annoyance -  Then I stuck down a copper tape run and connected the wires to that. The 'slabs' were relaid - albeit it abit bumpy here and there - but I can live with that.

 At least we now have a working fire and lamp.....

In the nursery it was just as tricky! The wire here needed routing to the back of the house too (at this stage I was really wishing I'd thought ahead more) so I spent quite some time looking and thinking, trying to puzzle out which would be the best solution and one which would make the least mess! Gradually I came up with the idea of getting the wire up into the 'attic space' above...but how?
 The picture below shows the location of the said lamp. This room is at the front of the house......

Firstly I removed the piece of skirting board next to the door architrave - thankfully it was only wedged in as it was a tight fit - then I drilled a small hole through to the landing and took the wire up the side of the bedroom door and on up to the ceiling where I made a hole to take it up into the attic.

 From there I was able to run it along the attic floor and take it through to the back of the house where I connected it to the copper tape run. I also had to remember to make a hole in the skirting for the wire and I attached a tiny plug and socket.

Drilling down from the attic floor was a nightmare in itself, making sure my hole came out into just the right place! I wouldn't want to do that again in a hurry....Below you can see where I had to take the wire up in the corner between the two doors on the landing... it's not ideal but even in real life this is what often had to be done if a new light or socket was needed somewhere.  It's much less noticable than this as the photo is very close up.... (need to fix that wonky picture rail - that's the trouble with taking big pictures!)

So having tackled these two lighting issues I thought I may as well carry

on and try to do the hallway table lamp too. Again lots of thinking and planning.......my next post will tell you all about that one!

 

Bathroom shelf and accessories

Here is the 'glass' bathroom shelf, accessorised and now in situ. 

I looked all over for suitably small wrought iron shelf brackets and ended up using these 1/24th ones - in fact I'm not entirely sure they are shelf brackets or if they're ones really intended for hanging baskets but they seem to have done the job!

Again I've been busy searching out, printing and gluing product labels onto various shaped bottles and beads...

And even an interdental tool became....a toothpaste tube!

Necessary cleaning items...

I think this room is about complete now unless of course I find something else that just might have to be included...

Had the old photos out again....

I've scanned a few more black and white family photos from my childhood. I've spent a happy few hours going through these photos of my family and resizing them to include in here...

The lovely frames on top of the tv and the radio and the clock on the sideboard are from Halls Miniature Clocks 
They sell some beautiful items and the chap who makes them is lovely to talk to and so clever at what he does. I will certainly be going back for more unfortunately for my bank account!

Pudsey Fair

I went to Pudsey Fair near Leeds a few weeks ago and didn't intend buying much as I still have things which I bought the last time which I haven't done anything with yet, but you know how it is - there's always something you see....!
I have a 'running' list which I'm always adding to and loosely refer to it when I'm at a fair so I looked out for the items on there and added a few more along the way...as you do.
Among all the other things I talked myself into getting, I was glad to be able to buy the lovely book from Dee Daw Designs chronicling the build of the Featherstone Hall Hotel Dollshouse  This dollshouse was featured as a series in the Dollshouse and Miniature Scene Magazine and now fully built, tours various dollshouse fairs throughout the uk. With lots of great, big photos showing how this beautiful property was built and information about all the tiny detailed accessories and dolls which bring it to life, I think it will prove to be quite a good resource book to add to my ever growing library - a great buy!

A few new additions to the nursery

I didn't get around to sharing what I bought at Pudsey Fair a couple of weeks ago, a few of which were for the nursery.

I'm at the stage of adding the little details with this room now and just couldn't resist this tiny hand knitted dress from 

http://www.buttercupminiatures.co.uk

I've put it on a hanger so that I can hook it onto the drawer handle as it's too pretty not to have it out on display. It's such exquisite work, just look at the tiny smocking detail and the pattern around the hemline!

I'm so pleased with it..

I also bought a cute little knitted bunny and a covered hot water bottle which encouraged me to get the cot dressed. How lovely are they...? 

I've painted a chair to put in here too...on here is a beautiful knitted blanket, another 'buy' from Pudsey and the tiny sleeping bag is from http://www.jansminis.co.uk

The little dressed teddy is made of resin and quite detailed.

So this is the progress so far in here..

I've just finished painting the little Phoenix fire today and now I need to work out how I'm going to wire up the table lamp on the chest of drawers...I just didn't think about the extra lights like this and  forgot to do that during the build! Because the house is 3d this might prove difficult to do....

April and I'm only just getting round to updating this blog! Time has flown since I last posted but just so you don't think I've deserted my Mountfield altogether here are a few photos I've taken recently....

Not a great deal to show but I've added one or two bits.This is a bare wood sideboard, stained and waxed.

 

I've placed it behind the sofa - I need to put a few more ornaments and photos on there. I've added a couple of pictures on the walls. The one above the sideboard is a photo of my Dad, scanned and resized.

 

I've recovered the lampshade on the standard lamp which looks abit more realistic now I think...

 

We used to have a cuckoo clock just like this when I was growing up!