Swap News & Stoves on Stove!

Hi all,

I hope you are having a great weekend.

Well we survived the Google Reader shutdown. I see we can still get the latest updates of the blogs we follow. I guess I went into panic mode but I don't regret taking the safe and sure route and I will keep using Bloglovin and well as Google Blogger. I have new followers on Bloglovin and I like searching for other blogs on their site. In any event, onwards we go...

My swap parcel for Jazzi's Christmas in July swap is finally winging its way to Manu in Italy. It was a relief to finally post it. This is my first miniatures swap and I was unsure if I had done enough and if it was good enough, but finally I just decided I needed to get it posted or it would miss the 31 July deadline to reach Manu.

Further on the swap news, Manu's parcel arrived in my letterbox. I couldn't get inside quick enough to open it and I will tell you I am thrilled with the lovely items Manu has made. However, I am going to make you all wait to see what she sent - mean aren't I! I have asked Manu to let me know when she gets my parcel and then I will do an entry on both the items I received from Manu and the items I sent Manu.

So, as my focus has been on the swap items, I don't really have anything for show and tell. However I did find this photo I took a few months ago when I was sorting through my miniatures. I had an idea to take a photo of some stoves on a stove.

Just between you and me, I'm not really a cook, and the miniature stoves probably get as much attention from me as the full sized one. Just as well my husband is a good cook!

Some of my Old Treasures

Hopefully tomorrow I can load a post of something I have made. However, today I thought I would show you some of my old treasures.

Below is a photo of some old dolls and a dog. They are all very old. The dog is a real character. I don't know if he may have been a character from a story book or from advertising. Hopefully with some research I might be able to find out something about him. The very delicate lightweight baby on the table is unmarked. The tiny doll on the floor has "Made in England" on its back. The doll to the right is marked "Roddy Made in New Zealand".

The two photos below are some miniatures I have just purchased by on-line auction for NZ$8.50. A real bargain. There was also a cute green plastic typewriter pencil sharpener that will look great on a dolls house desk with a new paint job. In the first photo the fan and the tea urn are unmarked but are really nice pieces. I haven't been able to find anything similar on-line yet. The globe is by Chad Valley. I have located a similar thermometer on-line to the one here on an American antique site. They describe it as an Antique German Dolls House Miniature Gilt Metal Art Nouveau Thermometer (that's a mouthful)! They are advertising their thermometer for sale for US$250.00. I just thought it was a lovely piece and wanted it for the 1920s house I am doing. The photo below is of a Tootsie Toy bed, chair and rocking chair. They are 1/24th scale and so cute. I think I would like to collect some more Tootsie Toy items to furnish a 1/24th scale house in the future.

This next photo is of an old piano with the words "Protex Polka" on the music sheet. The painting is made of some type of china or porcelain.

The stove below is also a recent purchase on TradeMe. It is a little worse for wear with a dent on the right hand side. The cook must have attacked the stove with the fryping pan when she burnt the sausages perhaps! I have seen a few of these on the Dolls Houses Past and Present site so they are not rare, but will look great in a vintage house.

My old dollshouse and the above items have now been posted onto the Dolls House Past and Present website and hopefully I will start finding out a bit about them.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of the old treasures I've accumulated so far.