2nd Time Lucky!!

Well here it is, went shopping today to Hobbycraft and came back fully equipped with graph paper, new paints, loads of glue, and sat down when little one was tucked up for her nap so I could concentrate and made a start.

Boy it was so much easier doing it on graph paper. Even though I tried to keep an eye for a straight line last time, it still went a little wonky. But this time its much straighter.

Plus I tried a different pattern this time. Some thin ones as a border and also a fully tiled area which will be in a soft grey that surrounds the counter.

Fingers crossed it looks better already and the best part is, as its on paper I can do it indoors and not in the dark shed , so I can see what Im doing.

Now to wait for the glue to dry , then I can begin painting.

I spoke to a friend who recommended I didnt paint the tiles first, purely because you cant get a full effect of the floor, and also the glue gets all messy with the paint. So I decided to add the paint lightly and sparingly and lets try and get it right this time!!!!

One Step foreward , Two Steps back!!

In the words of that song 'Rip it up and Start again!!'

Last night I was close to tears, I really wanted to get on with the floor, you know what its like when you cant wait to finish something. Our youngest daughter whos 2 was creating and winging so I should have just left it, but I started to mix up the paint. I wasnt thinknig or concentrating and before I knew it I was happily slapping on a much too thick mixture of a much too dark a colour paint!! Straight away the colour completly obscured the lines of the tiles, you just couldnt see the tiled effect at all. So I tried to lighten it but that just hid the tiles even more. Then thew worst mistake i could make. I tried to damp it down to lift the paint!

At first as I dampened and then used tissue to wipe off the excess it seemed to be working and the paint was lifting, but then so did the cardboard off the tiles!!!

DISASTER!!!

The card just disintergrated and I was left with a soggy mess in one corner. I probably could have saved it somehow but I'm funny like that, if im not happy with something, it just has to get ripped out, and start all over. So I soaked the lot and peeled it all off!

A waste of 500 tiles, a days work, 2 pots of glue, but live and learn!!

So Ive answered my own question.....' Should I paint the tiles first....answer, YES!!

Now I will paint all the tiles, the larger ones terracotta, the smaller ones black, and then repiece the jigsaw of a tiled floor back down again.

Better luck next time.

Now Im really worried about starting on the oven incase I mess that up. Wish I was more confident!

And as for poor Sweeny and Mrs Lovett, theyve only been moved in one day and their home is a demoliton site!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Off to do more scraping!

Proof the Dolls Really do Exist!

I can see Im going to get moaned at for not producing photos of the wonderful new Dolls so Ive put a few of the Sweeney bits and pieces together just to take a few to show you how amazing they look! ( abit blurred sorry, in a rush!) . When the shop is finished, floor done, oven, seats made etc Ill take some more of them in their proper places. Im a little worried about how poseable they are, so maybe Julie can help me out how much I can move their body parts around? I only want to move Sweeneys arm to put a razor in it, but didnt want to do any damage without asking Julie first how far the limbs will move?

Arnt they super!

Off to work on the oven, its drier now so I should be able to move on a step tomorrow. Mind you with only 1 more day of sunshine forecast maybe we should get out of the house and soak it up abit!

Also for those wondering whats happening with the Potter house, not much progress. John has had some foam injections in his varicose vein as he had a nasty blood clot, and is pretty laid up at the moment. So I may get some of the smaller things done myself soon, like some food for the buffet table, and some potion things and leave the bigger woodwork items for when he feels more like it.

They've Arrived, and are Simply More Fabulous in the Flesh!!

Yipee, it was the Postman. Stop talking and give me my parcel!!!!!

John and him looked on as I ripped it open like a child at Christmas ( I think the postman now thinks im a little crazy :-) But on opening even this guy could see just why I was so excited as we all oohed and ahhed at my amazing new dolls!!

THANKYOU JULIE!!!!!!!!!!! They are just incredible. Now, I really have never been much of a doll person, I only have a few, 2 witches made by Willowshimmer, in my witches hat shop, and a few Dolls house Emporium ones in my 'Normal ' Dollshouse/ bridal shop ( still to be shown!!). I dont know why but Ive never thought dolls were important in a house but now im a complete convert! I really think I could get addicted to Julie's dolls, they are incredibly detailed, so well made, the features are perfect. Julie has both dolls haunting, wickedness down to a tea, the shadows under the eyes, the hint of evil in their faces. The wild wild hair. Everything is just amazing and i couldnt be more pleased with them. Also they are so perfectly to scale. I often have bought things in the past that just havnt ended up being used as the scale is just out, but i put these against my counter and they fit in like a dream. I cant figure out which is my favourite they are both so special

Please check out Julies website and blog if you havnt done so already. She has the most precious dolls, and I have been very naughty already and asked Julie for some more of her creations. Take a look at her blog and see if you can figure out which ones you think i would go for?? and as soon as i have saved some more, will be asking her to make the gent for my barber chair.

http://bellabelledolls.co.uk/

http://bellabelledolls.blogspot.com/

I havnt taken any photos just yet as Id like the get the pie shop abit more presentable, so I can have them with the counter, pies and all, really looking the part.

Im off to gloat now, Im a very happy Bunny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beautiful Polymer Babies!!!

Today John was looking through the 'Daily Mail' Newspaper and found this article on a lady who makes miniature babies from Polymer clay. Now usually these tiny babies sort of freak me out but i just checked out her website and these are simply amazing, absolutly beautiful, tiny detailing, so clever!

Her name is Camille Allen, heres is her web address

http://www.camilleallen.com/index.htm

Now I have had 5 children, maybe because we adore babies, as soon as someone has a baby thats it we are off, brooding again, so we figured maybe the solution ( other than John having an operation and thats not gonna happen!!!!) is to treat ouselves to a couple of miniature babies, do you think that will work. All the beauty, tiny fingers, tiny toes, added bonus of no early morning feeds or crying and dirty nappies!!

What do you think, I just love them, check out this ladies website, she is only young herself at 28, lives in Canada, its a lovely site.........and I always wanted twins!!!!

Aging walls Tutorial, helpful for Ara?

I found this tutorial a While back when trying to decide how to do the attic walls , and thought it may be of some use to Ara on her Adams family House, would look cool in maybe Lurch's room to have some crumbling plaster on the walls! http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/dollhouse_news/JAN2009/aged-plaster-dollhouse-walls.html

I was going to use the tutorial for the top troom but then decided to have the room after Sweeney and Mrs Lovett had tidied it up abit as in the film . The room looked like this when Sweeney first comes back to London but later on when his gents are coming for their 'shaves' it is abit tidier. But thought it was a useful tutorial for anyone doing older run down houses.

Must dash , I can hear John talking to someone outside, could it be the postman.............................

Another update, and where's my postman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for all the advice and encouragment on the oven, its looking better as it dries but all my mistakes ive learnt from and would know how to do it better next time but isnt that always the way!! I hadnt realised when its wet it works better, almost like using paper mache, when I added glue or water it blended better. So used to using fimo or other polymer clay that needs something like talc to stop it sticking so that was my first problem.

I realised looking at the pic I loaded it looked wrong so went back to my photo in the book and added upright bricks and 2 vents and now it looks more like the real thing. Johns sorting out a scribing tool for tomorrow so if its dry I can deepen the brick faces.

I have literally bled for this project, today while removing excess clay from my craft knife I literally slid it down my finger and sliced it open so shed lots of the red stuff! Wasnt until tonight that my dear hubby told me off for not making the most of the disaster and smearing it on my walls instead of 'faking ' it with red paint.........yuck, sick man!!!!

Tomorrows jobs are to tile up to the oven, mix the mortar paint to fill in the gaps, then sand and finish the oven ready for the mortar and paintwork. got to make a little shelf for the pies to go on too, so busy busy busy.

My postman was down the road today and I shouted to him but nothing for me today so tomorrow should be the day, quite pleased actually as I can unveil a better looking room for the dolls to see!!

In the mean time I have to say our thoughts are with dear Julie who made my wonderful dolls, as her step father passed away and she has so much to cope with, so hope you are feeling better today Julie . Julies new dolls are simply beautiful and today she has finished a beggar girl with the face of an angel.

Bread Oven started

So I was good and decided to wait until the oven was made before finishing the floor so i can work round it.

Made a really rough, ( and I mean really rough!!) oven out of card, foam etc, all glued badly together!! Then out camethe paperclay and yet again I think its something you get better at with experience as could i get the thickness right.......no!! Tried to roll it out like a pastry case over the oven shape but it kept sticking and falling apart!! Tried talc, etc but it still stuck, maybe its the heat?

So did it in bits, then tried etching in the brick shapes, where are my long cutters when I need them, had to use a ruler, so not too good at getting the imprints wanted but I can etch them out further when its dry. So dont look too closely, it has to dry, then be sanded, its abit bumpy!! then it will begin to look like the oven its supposed to be. Cut out a whole and lined with card and paperclay to make a little oven for the pies. Going to put in a shelf .

Too hot to do any more today, so may paint the roof tomorrow. Off to put it in the shop, so I can judge the rest of the floor

No dolls yet, where that flippin postman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today's Sweeney Progress

Not enough hours in a day! I so wanted to get the downstairs floor finished today but with lots of distractions ,unexpected visits , John needing my help sorting his garage out etc, by 2.45 I was happily getting on then realised I had 2 children to pick up from school so everything came to a halt!

I know i know you are all going to moan at me, its not paperclay!

I decided, that, A, the area was such a big one and I hadnt done it before it would be a big mistake if I was to fluff it up!!, and then B, I only had 2 small packs and I need some for the bread ovens and another smaller floor so I thought best to keep it for that, and try it out on a smaller less important project!

Also I am doing a tile pattern, tricky to see in the pic, but the 3rd narrower row from the front will be black etched tiles, and these will follow round infront of the counter. the other tiles are bigger and, some terracotta, some black, so with differing styles and sizes i thought best to do it in card.

I glued it all on with PVa, and then filled in gaps with thick pva.

The tables and dresser will sit as you can see on the tiles, but Ive worked around the counter and also Im leaving the back so I can make the bread oven and work the tiles around this also. The oven in the pic is just there for a size guide.

Cant you just see it with all the pies, ale jugs, dresser full of goodies, oil lamps and candles etc, cant wait to dress the room!!

Tomorrow Im tempted to paint them but i know I should really wait til the oven is in and the floor finished so I can paint it all in one go and get the colour even, but Im so impatient to see how it will be!!

The other pic of the roof now on. Again time premitting Ill paint this dark grey tomorrow then start tiling it. Then when I get my delivery of floorboards for the attic floor, its in with the floors, and I can start on the interior.

Best try and get on with some more, Sweeney and Mrs Lovett are on there way and may want to move in tomorrow and the house just isnt ready for them!! He will not be best pleased, and wouldnt want to mess with Mr Sweeney!!

Help Please???

Hi everyone, after I asked you all for advice on paperclay, and got so many wonderful responses, I thought id fire away with another couple of things ive been pondering on.

1.Firstly, i have ordered some card tiles for the roof of the Sweeney house , lazy I know, I could have sat and cut them all myself but with so much to do I took the easy way out! Im hoping to have some left over and then if so, use them as flooring either on this or another project. I wondered if anyone had used card 'tiles' for flooring and if so, whats the best way to do it? Should I lay by using PVA, then paint, and then do you grout with anything as Im worried about it being too wet and spoiling the card if I grout. Or do you paint them first then lay? The tiles arnt dead square so will have gaps inbetween so how best to fill them being card?

Thats the first quandry

2.The second is how on earth do I make up the windows for the front of the shop. If you look at the pic on the last posting you will see the large black windows. None of my windows have anything in them so how to go about making up this style window. I thought about plain acetate but Id like the get the small pane effect , so any ideas? I need to get the windows in then run a rail with grubby lace curtains up.
Thankyou all in advance as i know youll all have great helpful tips.

Thankyou Mary

Dear Mary thankyou so much for finding this poster for me for using in the Sweeney project, its great! Going to print it up, give it a lick of good old tea to stain and age and put it on the shop side. We love Blogland, you 'meet' such wonderful kind people, so thanks Mary, hope we can return the favour and find something equally exciting for your project in the future!!

Heres a few more pics from the film, check out the website for more trailers, gallery photos etc or just to drool ( yes Im talking to you Kat!!!) at Johnny Depp!! http://www.sweeneytoddmovie.com/

Also if you check out these you tube clips, especially in the 'Little Priest' clip you can get a good look at the Pie shop look Im trying to get!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUJC7z78jR4&feature=PlayList&p=44B1BD6588A86DF2&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=34

And for a clip to get a good look at the Barber shop Attic look

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh1SzmUGCxk

Love these pies, not sure Mrs Lovett would have been quite so careless to have body parts sticking out so obviously but arnt they great! Im sure Debbie will like these, the next step on from rats in the pies Deb!! Also found this cute cartoon pic of the 2 of them, think you will like that Kat!!

Have added some Sweeney music for full effect to the blog, so hope you enjoy abit of Sondheim!! Dosnt he have just the best voice too!! Im very sad, i have the soundtrack which I play full blast in the car, not when the children are with me though the lyrics can be abit explicit!! Enjoy.

Its spookily quiet here in the Whittaker household with all the children back to school, so maybe i can get on with mapping out the floor today. I cant do the floorboards or rest of the papering until I can get to the shop to buy the materials which could be a while unless I can persuade John to take me out for a car ride to the shop an hour away!

Have a great Monday

Sweeney Walls are Up!!!

Well at last the walls are up, glued and tacked into place. For some reason they dont show up on camera as being half as 'Bad' as they look, they are quite ripped, worn and damp looking, but I decided to get the walls up and then when all is in place, give it its final 'dirtying up' with the blood splatters, bad damp coming through in the corners , darkening and dirtying the floor on the left side of the room, the right side will have big rugs. Also need to finish the attic room wallpaper.

Inbetween the 2 parlour rooms will be a heavy burgundy velvet curtain . This will give Mrs Lovett her living space with piano, fireplace, velvet chairs , thick rugs etc, and then she drawers back the curtain to reveal her mincing room where the bodies drop from the attic. Wow that room must smell bad, she will have lots of vases of flowers in her sitting room to disguise the smell of flesh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The floors arnt tacked in yet, they are balanced for these photos!! I want to finish the floorboards, and also get the Pie shop floor in before I put them in to make it easier for me, and also make the 'fake' trap door. I know the layout isnt true to the film as he used a side entrance but other than designing and making my own house for it, that would be too tricky so this will just be our interpretation!

Next week is back to school so i will have a go at the floors, and let you know what i think of the paperclay. ( And John can get on with that Potter Potion room wall thats still sitting unfinished! )

Going to be tricky as i want to do square terracotta tiles and then even smaller cream tiles surrounding the counter. I also want a tiled backdrop on the rear wall , so I may or may not do this in paperclay tiles on a sheet of card that i can stick onto the wall which will be easier. The big bread oven will go to the right hand side of the stairs and a big keg of ale to the left which is being made by my friend Liz's husband. But thats a bit in the future yet, lots to do so best get on!

WooHoo!! They are Coming

They should be here in a few days, the new residents of The Sweeney and Lovett Pie Shop are on their way!!

If you check out my older post I put a photo of the original dolls that Julie made for another customer. These are ALL MINE!!!

Julie Campbell of Bella Belle Dolls so kindly agreed to recreate her Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett for me after I saw her original dolls on her website at Christmas. As soon as I saw them i knew I had to have them but unfortunatly they were already spoken for , and out of my budget. So after much sulking and fiddling around with the old savings figures, i contacted Julie again and she so very kindly agreed to remake the dolls in my budget and as she was so busy, it gave me time to start saving the pennies for these fabulous dolls.

She emailed me last week to say they were finished and here are the results. I agree with Julie that Sweeney has actually turned out to be even better than her original, more Johnny Depp looking, which is great with me!!!

So now I will sit each day like a puppy at the postbox waiting for the posty to bring my new homeowners.

Cant wait to get those walls up, my counter by Vicky with all the pies etc in place for them to stand by to take a photo.

Then its time to start saving (or selling another kidney!!! ) to buy the barbers chair I have my eye on!!!

Oh and then its the bit John hates the most, finding a perfect spot for the house to stand pride of place, which means much furniture shuffling, and much groaning by hubby!!!

Update on the Sweeney House

Here is it, the update on the progress made this week on the Sweeney house.

All the inside walls are decorated. The Pie shop bottom floor was painted in a dark green then dry brushed with a lighter green and then I bought dark wood colour panelling for the bottom which was painted again in the 2 shades of green.

The next floor up is the Victorian Parlour room, you cant see the other walls yet, but the other side will be a smaller room where the bodys from Sweenys barber shop will drop from the hidden trap door into this room where Mrs Lovett will then mince up the body parts for her delicious pies!!!! This room is done in a gold printed paper again all dingy and dirty with areas which are made to look like blood has been scrubbed from the walls and another wall with fresh blood splatters on it.........nice eh!!

The top floor is the attic, didnt buy enough paper and now have to go all the way to the shop I got it from over an hours drive to buy one more piece!!!

As you can see all the walls have ripped paper, all faded and worn looking as if youve seen the film, its a poor and run down property. Still have the side walls and front to dirty up more, and the shop front part is nearly there. Just have to decide on gold transfer lettering or using a gold pen if my hand is steady enough to write in the 'Mrs Lovetts Pies Shop' sign above the double doors.

Exciting though as just the floors to floorboard, skirting to go in, and then last but not least the paperclay tiled Pie shop floor, and the outside pavement which will be done in egg carton boxes , have been dying to try out that method on something!

Im so glad this shop/house dosnt need lighting as they had candlelight, gas light back then!!

I have learnt alot from this, my main lesson is to label things!! I bought the shop from ebay and had to remove all the outside mouldings and idiot that i am, i didnt label anything and now cant fathom out where the mouldings go on each wall so have just guessedl!! Not sure where to strart putting it all together , not sure if the floors have to go in before I tack/glue in the side walls together either, so this could be fun!

Any suggestions welcome, but hope you like it so far.

My FAB Easter Pressies

Hi Everyone , hope you all havd a great Easter, just wanted to share my fabulous Easter pressie with you all.

So this year I said NO CHOCOLATE!!! Mad I know but I can always steal some of the childrens, and as I had hinted big time about other things id like more ( I know I know what could you want more than chocolate!!!) I thought this year would be a first to give and recieve Easter pressies non fattening.

Firstly I got my well yearned for 'Twilight' DVD. Just love the Stephenie Meyer Books and the film is just brill, so now I can watch my 2 disc set over and over. John dosnt like it, so I can watch it in peace on the little tv while working on my minis, I do like my teen movies and this is a great Vampire one.

And also I got this amazing book, Called Fairies, Gnomes and trolls by Maureen Carlson , John got this for me from Amazon, and its such a brilliant book I love it! Already I have loads of ideas I want to try, it even has a tree in it with a face so Nikki will love it, I think she has her copy on its way to her now. Alot isnt in 1 12th scale but Im going to use the basics and teqniques to apply to my scale and make some little house elves maybe for the Potter house.

If you are at all interested in sculpting give it a read. Its great for beginners too.Im going to check out her other books too. Love the idea of using polymer clay even to make the clothes!

Be back later with some pics of the update of the Sweeney house. Looking good, nearly all done on the inside decorations, just need to do the floorboards , buy some skirting boards, etc.

Happy Birthday you Two!!

Happy Birthday to our darling Lola and Reilly. Lola was 7 last Sunday, and Reilly is 5 today! This is them last week when we went out for dinner, they were allowed to pick their venues. Lola chose a posh expensive resteraunt, typical girl, no expense spared. Reilly bless him, wanted to go to Mc Donalds, much cheaper for Dad!! Poor Lola wishes shed gone there too after being sick over and over some hours after we returned as the food didnt agree with her, what a way to spend your birthday!!

Notice how they have to be doing something creative, runs in the family, both took their drawing pads and Lola sat drawing the windows and curtains in great detail as you can see.

Lots of Pressies, candles and cake today so a good time had by all!!

Thankyou Mary For our Award!

Hi thanks so much to Mary of http://sunflowerminis.blogspot.com/ for our ' I Love your Art Blog Award , it is so very kind of you, and another to add with pride to our page.

We have to award this to 7 other blogs , but try as I may i cannot find a blogger who we follow who hasnt recieved this already, my fault for taking too long to get round to awarding it, so I pass it on to all the fantastic blogs out there that we enjoy taking a moment every day if we can to catch up on and enjoy!

Also we have to name 7 things we love so apart again from each other, family and freinds, Im handing this one over to John, its his turn, I did the last!

1. Got to be my classic cars, both the ones Im lucky enough to own, and those Id like too and enjoy reading aobut and lusting after! Get so much enjoment tinkering with them , especially when the sunds out and the roof can come down on the MG Midget!!

2. Footy!! A good game of football, Chelseas my team, and god help anyone on an opposing team in the house when they play. With Lola supporting Liverpool, and my other girls into other teams too it makes for some interesting and loud Sundays!!

3. My Classic Scooters. Much to Kate's annoyance I have a garage too full of them, Lambrettas and Vespas, yep Im a Mod!! Love to take a ride out on a warm day.

4. Days out with the family. I love to head off to Brighton early, be on the beach by 8, in the Lanes shopping by 10 , and in the pub for lunch by 12!!

5. Our yearly holiday in the cottage if we can afford it! We found a wonderful cottage a few years ago with its own pool and if we can get away there its the most wonderful relaxing holiday ever, right by the beach in Cornwall.

6.Watching Kate making things, I love to see her concentration and perserverance ( and she loves mine where i always sit with my tongue sticking out when im concentrating!!) and helping if I can, and more recently having a go myself!

7. Fruit and Nut Toblerone, off to grab some now!!!!!! Its not just women that are chocoholics

Have a Great Weekend everyone, and will try to post soon, but now its Easter Hols, its our time to spend with the children so wont be here too much until its time for back to school.

Mini Delegation!

Delegation going on here today in the Whittaker family!

John has the job of rendering the Potion room walls in the Potter house. Ive let him have this job as its the messiest! Started it yesterday and was getting in a right sticky mess and decided it was becaause as usaul i was rushing it and didnt have the necessary tools etc. So as they say preperation is the key so John carried on today with lots of ready torn strips of tissue paper, bowl of glue and large paintbrush and its going much much better! Easy peazy , just take strips of tissue, and glue onto your prepared wall which is liberally covered in PVA glue. Let the tissue crinkle and bobble as much as possible to give it the rough appearance of rendering. then leave overnight and voila a rough surfaced wall ready to paint in shades of grey so it gives it a stony appearance. Well thats the plan

Meanwhile in the workshop I have the easier cleaner task of papering the Parlour room walls of the Sweeney house. I tried this already on a piece of card to test and its come up really well.

I chose the green flowery paper and printed this out. It worked really well as my printer is running out of coloured ink so in places its really faded so its actually given me that tired look I wanted without even trying! I did however tea stain in in places to look like damp coming through the walls in the corners and bottoms of the walls. It will then be torn in little areas as she dosnt have the neatest of houses and not much money until Sweeney gets those customers in for using in her pies !!!

So far so good. Lots of Windows to cut around. Then off to buy the Victorian skirting board. Also Ive found a great wood panelling for the Pie shop which comes in brown but Im going to paint in 2 shades of dirty green.

Back to work! Have a great weekend everyone

My Emily as Kiera Knightly he he!!

I know I know its not miniatures but I had to show off my eldest Emily as Kiera Knightly in King Arthur, looks like Model Material if I say so myself!!! Its such fun, we are such big kids! If you go onto 'Animations 'you can send great Easter cards to people with their faces in a bunny, bouncing around handing out easter eggs, so funny!lol

Check out John as Dumbledore!!!!!!!!!!!

I know its wicked, but I couldnt resist. The children are already checking out fun websites for the Easter hols and we found this great one http://www.faceinhole.com/gb/

Where you can load your pics into famous famous peoples faces!!

Had to have John as Dumbledore, he'll kill me!!

Then heres my eldest jake as Harry, and then I decided I was too old for Hermione so I put myself in my fav country singer Shania twain!! ( John wanted to put me into a glamour models body, he wishes!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Have fun with it, we did! Just put in who youd most like to be in the search.

Fabulous Digital Photography Advice From Vicky Guile

Hi Everyone, sorry we havnt been around, what with police visits re the neighbours, poorly children etc, just havnt had any time for our miniatures or blog.

Just trying to catch up before the mayhem that is The Easter Hols comes upon us, so that will be another 2 weeks with no time for minis, and instead , out and about riding zip wires, feeding farm animals , wading muddy rivers, all the things that come with having 5 bored children that need to be entertained!! May just get some time to decorate afew of Kat's plain witch hats with Emily if Im lucky!

Just wanted to tell you about the wonderful 'AIM' free online magazine available on http://www.artisansinminiature.com/issue10.html

I have just taken a look and as well as the faulous front cover, with all Easter goodies made by our fellow blogger and friend Vicky Guile, also inside is a magnificent guide by Vicky to photography for miniaturists.

I found this so helpful as Im useless with the camera and already just having a quick go following Vicky's advice Ive taken some pretty good pics so Im going to give it a good read.

Vicky is far too modest to let you all know how great and informative it is, so go check it out, and the rest of the mag, its a great read. Well done Vicky and thanks for all the useful tips!

Promise to be back as soon as possible with the updates on the Sweeney house . Windows are in, brickwork nearly done, and just the interior walls to decorate and can begin to post some pics.