Selina Rose Gallery, New Minis and Timeless Toys

First of all a quick update on the Selina Rose Gallery. It now has some art installed on the second floor of the gallery.

I am sure there are more paintings to go in the gallery - art that my sister has done and I do not have a picture of yet and also art that she will do in the future. Luckily there is still some room on the walls of the ground floor.

I was very excited to receive a parcel in the mail yesterday from Spain from Carmen of Mi Pequena Evasion. I recently won some miniature items by answering a puzzle on her blog.  http://pekevasion.blogspot.co.nz/2013/12/jugamos.html


This is what I found inside the parcel:

 The lovely little box and the wonderful mini items I received within it.

 This gorgeous little house will look wonderful in Timeless Toys.

 As will this picture of a mechanical teddy and the alphabet blocks.

And this beautiful bird plate is so lovely and I love anything to do with birds.

Thank you so much Carmen. I am thrilled with the miniatures received from you. They are so lovely to have within my collection.

Talking about my Timeless Toys project, unfortunately I have had to withdraw from the Undersized Urbanite Contest this year. Unexpectedly earlier this week my husband (the main income earner) lost his job. This means for the time being I cannot justify spending money on miniatures so it will be difficult to meet the May deadline. However, I will still be doing the Timeless Toys project by making use of items I already have so keep an eye out for future posts. I'm sure I can make many toys from bits and pieces I have lying around in my craft room.

These cute little resin bears are waiting to be housed in the Toy Shop. I managed to pick them up second hand recently. Aren't they cute. They are only 2cm high.

Just a reminder about my giveaway. It closes on Saturday 1 February.
http://myrtlemanorminiatures.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/giveaway.html

I said that if I reached 100 followers before closing date I will come up with a second prize. I now have 95 followers so that is looking very likely. I will have to put my thinking cap on.

Have a great weekend.

Szalasi / Spielwaren Furniture and Selina Rose Gallery

First of all below is a picture of the latest vintage dolls house furniture to be added to my collection. This is some over-the-top Boutique Szalasi dolls house furniture (more commonly known as Spielwaren. The Bavarian company ran from the 1950s through to the 1980s. The furniture is wood and composition. I have a very elaborate room box planned for this furniture with wood panelling, grand drapes and parquet flooring with a few pieces of porcelain thrown in for good measure.

I am also happy to report that I have finally resolved the 'sticky' problem with the Selina Rose Gallery. The solution - one husband + one belt-sander. Pete sanded the areas on the exterior of the house that had the sticky residue and I painted over the interior sticky areas, which will be covered with wallpaper anyway. I have also made a template for the roof and I am just looking at shingle/tile options which I hope to complete over the course of the week.

I caught up with some special family friends over the weekend, Lyn & John, also known as my second set of parents. I grew up with their children. I have Lyn to thank for my love of crafts. Back in the early 1980s she suggested I go with her to a porcelain doll making class, which led to many more classes together and the making of a number of reproduction porcelain dolls. That ignited my creative spark and over the years I have dabbled in many other creative endeavours including but not limited to bear making (including miniature bears), book making, soft toy dolls, a bit of embroidery and of course miniatures.

While I was there Lyn passed on to both Jamie and I a number of small porcelain dolls for our miniatures and also a lovely Edwardian room box she had put together in the 1990s. My father made the room box for her and she decorated and furnished it. She has given it to both Jamie and I to share so it will go somewhere where we both can enjoy it. I need to re-glue a couple of legs back onto the table and fix the legs on a couple of chairs which have come loose with age. As soon as I have done this I will post a photo.

Thank you Lyn.

As far as the Undersized Urbanite toy shop, I have decided to call the toy shop/museum 'Timeless Toys'. I think it is quite fitting for a toy shop combined with a toy museum and though I have tried I can't come up with anything better.

My head is just buzzing with ideas for Timeless Toys. I can't wait to get started but at the moment I am really enjoying the planning stage. I'm trying to imagine myself as a little child in a toy shop - what would excite me, steal my heart, spark my imagination and amaze me.

I am hoping some of these emotions may hit you when you see the end result. Time will tell.

I hope you are all having a great weekend.

Undersized Urbanite Toy Shop/Toy Museum

I am hoping to undercoat my sister's gallery over the weekend. Once the exterior is sorted it won't take me long to complete the inside.

However, before I can do any miniatures this weekend I need to tidy my work table. This is its current state:

I've been reshuffling things in my workroom and a whole lot of stuff got dumped on the table. We won't even talk about the piles of stuff on the floor!

I've spent most of this last week at dance competitions with my daughter so I've spent this afternoon catching up on blogs and housework and I want to spend the rest of this evening clearing the desk. So saying, it is currently 9.00 pm on Friday night in New Zealand so there is not much of the evening left (and I've still got the dishes to do).

A number of people have commented on the corner house I am building the Undersized Urbanite toy shop entry in.

This was built by my Dad when he was still alive back in the 1990s. He was a cabinet maker by trade. From memory he built three. My sister Karen owns one which I am building the Selina Rose Gallery in and I have been lucky that one has now found its way back to me to build the toy shop in. I think the other one went to a fellow miniaturist back in the 90s. They are great to tuck into a little corner or you can put them on a base. They have limited floor space in the rooms but enough for a good display.

Thank you for all the positive comments about my entering the contest. To be honest I am really doing it to challenge myself. I am hoping it will motivate me to push myself out of my comfort zone and just be creative and have a go with a fun project. I am also going to enjoy watching the other entrants' projects take shape.

Of course with any project you run into problems. The first problem I face is WHAT AM I GOING TO CALL THE TOY SHOP/TOY MUSEUM. I don't want to keep referring to the Undersized Urbanite Toy Shop/Toy Museum. I've thought of names like Timeless Toys, Childhood Wonders and a few others but I'm struggling to think of an effective name that encompasses toys past and present. Any ideas. If someone comes up with a name that I decide to use some miniature toys made by me during the project will find their way into your miniature collection.

I have gathered a few old toys I am going to try to scan and scale down into miniature such as:

An old Box of Dominos - I will need to tidy the label a bit in some graphics software, but isn't the image of the girl and the dogs gorgeous.

ABC Block Puzzle - more cute images. The block puzzles make up two alphabet images, one with numbers, one with a cow and calf, one with kids and dogs and another with kids, cat and kittens. I also love the image on the box.

Snakes and Ladders - I found this in a freebie box at a local op shop. It is a little tatty but I love the old nursery rhyme images. Mean looking snakes though!

A rag doll cut-out on fabric. Another cheap op shop find. It appears to have been advertising for an antique toys and dolls exhibition.

Well I have just looked at the clock and it is now 9.20pm. I think the desk tidying might need to wait until tomorrow. I'd better go and do the dishes.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Undersized Urbanite Contest

I nearly talked myself out of it but I've decided to do it - join the 2014 Undersized Urbanite Contest. I had grand plans to do an Arts & Crafts Movement house but I realise I just don't have the tools and skills yet to build a house with the spacious architectural rooms I want for the project. Therefore I have put that project on hold for now.

I am going to work with a corner unit I have on hand similar to the one I am using for the Selina Rose Gallery I am doing for my sister.

This one is a bit grubby and battered. It has been played with by my niece's two boys for the last few years. It is a good blank canvas.

What will it become? - a toy shop/toy museum combined.

The bulk of the work won't get started until later in the year because I am determined to finish my sister's gallery first. She has waited long enough.

I might make a few toys now and then though to keep the interest in the project going.

I have a good pile of magazines for research. I recently picked up this big pile of Antique Toy World Magazines (I think about 115).

I am looking forward to participating in the contest and following the other entrants projects.

I also haven't forgotten about doing a giveaway. I'm still thinking about it but it will definitely happen.

Hope all is well with everyone and you are tapping into your creative side and having fun.

Until next time...