Inspiration for my new house!

I spend alot of yesterday as you can imagine, staring at my new pressie and picturing how it could look.

When I bought it home i had a picture in my head and straight away went to my list of blogs to find a picture I could show John of how I see this house looking........someday!!!

And here it is. The beautiful house is hand built by the very talented Linda Carswell of http://une-petite-folie.blogspot.com/

I found Linda's blog a while back and was quite in awe at her amazing house. It looks so lifelike, and each room is meticulously decorated by Linda, with so much attention to detail. Each room looks like its stepped out of a glossy Home magazine!

I love this French style, with all the ivory furniture, the shabby chicness of it, the elegance. That is my dream for my house!

But where to start? This house is very dark, grey exterior, very dark wood floors, panels, skirting etc. John thinks it a shame to change all this dark wood but I have so many dark houses, we need something light and 'pretty' to brighten us up abit, it cant all be spooky and gothic!!

So it will be a fair bit of work to change it, but I probably would have changed all the flooring anyway to hide all the lighting wires which can all stay.

As for the exterior I am not the most confident of people when it comes to painting. Look at my posting on my Sweeney floor, ripped up and started it over as it just wouldnt go as I wanted it!!

Other friends and fellow bloggers have been so very helpful in the past on helping me with painting teqniques.

Nikki, so great with helping me with my floors and bread oven brickwork,

George the Mini guy, sending me detailed instructions and tips on roofing effects, and now Linda too!

I contacted Linda to ask if she had any tips on the exterior paintwork in particular, and she was lovely enough to write straight back with a great email detailing the colours and methods she used for that wonderful stone effect paintwork she has on her own house.

Linda's work is all trial and error like with us all, and its so hard to explain in an email, but I think I have grasped how to go about moving ahead. I will have a trip to the DIY shop for several shades of stone, beige and grey paints, and move on from there, and learn from the tip, little is better. Its easier to add to, than to have to remove!

So wish me luck. Not sure what way to paint the house, if a brush is used or if it should be sponged on, but from Linda's tips, I need to add layers of different coloured paints to build up the paint effect.

Any other tips or advice would be gratefully recieved, but Id like to thank Linda so much for all her kind help and advice, and on her interior painting too.

I have added a book to my Christmas list on French style miniatures, and I have loads of furniture i can paint and use so that part wont cost me much. That big pile for selling on ebay has now lessended as Ill need to use it now!!

Dont be worried if your watching the Sweeeny, Potter and Snow White houses progress, as I will flit between each house!

For now I need to finish the Sweeney house first as its so close to be able to start furnishing, so I wont get sidetracked by the new one just yet.......but watch this space!!!

Ghost Whisperer Dollhouse Episode

I just treated myself to Series 1 of the 'Ghost Whisperer' on DVD, and I thought Id just have a look online to see if I could watch any of the latest episodes on catch up online. While browsing I found this episode in the new Series 4, all Melinda becoming involved in a girl's dollhouse that is full of spirits in need. Its a beautiful dollhouse, so a must for all us mini addicts!

Check it out on http://www.cucirca.com/2009/01/01/ghost-whisperer-season-4-episode-21-cursed/ just click on the red then green play arrows then move your cursor to the bottom of the screen and theres an option to go to fullscreen to see it like on tv! Its fab, now Im getting addicted, will have to buy the other seasons on DVD!!

I love the Series , Im not sure where it is supposed to be set, but I love the styles of houses, her Antique shop ( now theres a project Id love to do, its all very shabby chic aniquey, love it!) and I love Melindas dress sense too! Romantic/gothic style.

Hope you enjoy this too.

Some pics of the Sweeney Rooms decorated

Today I finished the wallpapering in all the rooms.

Heres some pics, the walls and roof all need tacking into place so excuse the gaps around the sides, its just wedged in at the mo to see the look of the rooms.

I stuck the 2 floors together with the seperating wall between the living /parlour room and the 'Meat preperation room' which Mrs Lovett had adapted under Sweeney's trap door.

Left to do now is the skirting board in the parlour room which I cant do properly uintil the walls are all put permanently into place so I can see where the floor line meets the skirting properly.

I then have more tearing of paper, splattering of 'blood' in the meat room, the trap door to mark out in the attic room, and some stained glass window for the dividing door.

Not too much really, all little things, then the real fun of dressing begins!!

Oh before that Ive decided to tile the back wall of the Meat Pie Shop below, and put in dado rail. the tiling will all be done with cut up cereal boxes, painted in shades of cream and green to go on the back wall. Now that could take a while!

But its getting there. I need to tile the wall while i have better access to it then John can glue and tack all the walls into place so its safe.

My razor set came today which I will modify by adding real bristles to the brush. The jug and bowl was way to big. Why do people list things as 1 12th scale when its so much bigger! Still Ill fins a place for it on a wooden box or crate somewhere in the room so it wont be wasted until I find the perfect size set. The lamp came and although a little chunkier than I wanted till 'do!'

Dear Julie has so kindly offered to make me Perellis arm in my chest, so it will be professionally done which Im thrilled to bits about. So now I have to set about finishing the decoration of the actual chest and Im all set!

Please remember all the rooms are meant to be looking this dingy and grubby, she was a poor Victorian and although she'll have some decent furniture in her parlour etc, her house /shop was in a state of disrepair as her business was not doing so good............ until those gents come by for a 'shave' of course and she can start improving the taste of her pies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Sweeney Attic Room

Had a great day today getting lots done in the Attic. Firstly waxed the floorboards. Then stained the skirting, dado and picture rail and cut and fitted it all in place.

Next the painful part. I went round the room ripping bits of the wallper, as in the film the attic barber shop is in a great state of disrepair! Lots of damp patches and peeling wallpaper. It felt wrong and wierd as Ive spent all my time making sure the wallpaper in my houses is 'Just so'. Perfectly aligned, and no bubbles or faults, so to purposly go round making it look bad felt abit strange. But thats the effect I needed so its done now!

Here to show you, is the 3 pieces to go in the room so far.

Firstly the beautiful barber table, complete with Ara's jug and a candlestick ( note NO LAMP!!!!!!!!!!!' ) Still waiting on the razor, making a brush, and need to source some tiny tiny glass bottles.

Next is a chest, which I stained in a similar colour and am going to next trim with leather and this will contain the body of Perelli, his first victim!!

Well thats the plan, I intend to make an arm to stick out of this like its flopping out. Need to find the material for his sleeve, and some grey fur for his fur throw that he wore and Sweeney covered him in when in the chest!

Also I have a heater. For this I need advice PLEASE!!! I cant remember where I saw a posting on rusting things up but if anyone can remember can you let me know. This at the moment is black plastic and I want it to be older looking, abit rusty and dingy looking. Thanks in advance if you know of any tutorials or postings.

When these pieces are complete thats half the room done. Next the chair, more boxes, candles to be made, top hats to be hung, and then............Julie, ( of Bella Belle Dolls) if your reading this, Ill be on to you about that cut throat Victorian Gent to put on your 'To Do ' list if thats ok!!!!

The photo dosnt do it justice as I cant show the room as a whole yet as the roofs not on.

But getting there, and pleased to manage to complete something in the holidays too

Angry Mum Venting !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahhhhh why is it that little fingers always grab that vital mini you need to get on with the next thing on the list!!!!

The floor boards are all laid in the Sweeney attic room ( love the iron on floorboards from Bromley Crafts. Mind you John says its the only time I get the iron out!!!!) . I put the table in, and got ready to start dressing it.

Earlier on today I spent forever going through my many boxes of accesories to find the most perfect tall slim oil lamp, identical to the one in the movie on his own barber table.

I bought it downstairs , placed it on the kitchen side and then began to lay the flooring. Flooring down, children bathed and in their pj's, I went to get the oil lamp to begin.

But where the heck was it???????????????????

All day both Reilly and Lace have been like partners in crime into my things. Grabbing my dragons from the haunted house, filling handbags and boxes with bits of material etc. So I knew those little tikes had nabbed it!!!

But neither knows what Im talking about of course, and the more I look the more rediculously stressed im getting!! I have hunted high and low, even gone through the dustbin but its nowhere to be found :-(

I have already ordered another which angers me, especially as none on ebay are tall and slender and the new one will be far to chunky, but you know what its like when you HAVE to have it to begin!!!!

I know Im crazy, so forgive me my venting, but isnt it always the way when you feel ready to move on.

So maybe I'll hide afew vital dinosaurs and that bedtime dummy tomorrow and see how they like it...

Oooh im a mean mum!!!

Not for those with a weak dispositiion!!!! But then something Much sweeter!!!

I just had to show a pic of the fantastic meat cupboard that I bought from the wonderful, lovely Pamela j Minis a year or so ago.

Being a member of CDHM, I saw the cupboard that Pamela displayed on the forum as a Halloween piece, and new instantly that the cupboard would be perfect for Mrs Lovetts spare room, where she keeps all the 'Meat' and body off cuts before making them into the gruesome pies.

Its not for the faint hearted, with jars of eyeballs, cut up limbs, bones, bowls of guts etc, but its so cool, I couldnt pass it up!

I will use the Halloween pumpkin table in another setting, but the cupboard will be going in the small upstairs room , with Sweeneys trap door directly falling into it!

I also had to show this amazing Betty Boop inspired diner that I have just seen Pamela made and it is featured in this months American Miniaturist magazine.

It is so brilliant. If I lived in the US Id snap it up, I love Betty Boop, and what an original idea.

I have my own diners as you can see in an old post, but how tempted am I to follow suit and place it all in a carry case, it would give me a 3 storey dollhouse shop back to make into something else too!! So watch this space for both ideas.

I have had some time this weekend to continue the Sweeney attic room, papered and done the flooring. So as soon as my accesories arrive courtesy of ebay i can dress that wonderful table Ara made for me!!

Some more funny Skeles!!

Hi all, still darting about all over the place to keep the children amused so thought I would post some more pics of some skeleton and spooky minis I made in the past.

Good for a giggle!

AT LAST I have seen Harry Potter!!!!! Took long enough to organise a babysitter but we finally saw it yesterday and although I have to admit there were bits that dissapointed, of course I just loved it!!

I felt the Final Dumbledore scenes so different from the book a real shame and so much other great moments were missed out but then I suppose they couldnt make it any longer than it was so they had to cut it somewhere, but what id love is if theyd filmed an uncut version, with ALL the bits in the book, with the great fight scene at the end which I suppose would be very lengthy. Then us Potter crazy fans could sit in the comfort of our own home for the 3 and a half hours or so in sheer delight of a more true to the book version of the film.

I find the Harry and Ginny relationship in the film abit painful to watch, dont think they have much chemisty on film, so I prefer to imagine them in my own mind.

But with all the Potter eye candy, the shops, scenery, Dumbledores room etc to get inspiration for our house, I will still have to see it over and over again so roll on the DVD at Christmas!!!!!

Hope your all having a great summer and next week I can at last make a start on some minis long overdue!

A Challenge from Debbie

Yipee the challenge got me! Debbie from http://debbiestinytreasures.blogspot.com/sent me the photo challenge, I was hoping it would come our way and interested to see what it would be, and it was a mini picture!

You have to pick out the 4th pic in your 4th file in your pictures.

This is a set I made a few years ago of skeles playing snooker. If you click on it to come up bigger youll see the books they are reading, and the eyeballs they are playing with!!Id forgotten all about it, so this was fun as it got me looking through all old makes of mine! I have to pass the challenge on so I pass it to :-

Kat the Hat http://katthehatlady.blogspot.com/

Ara http://afminimansion.blogspot.com/

Nikki and http://nikkinikkinikki72.blogspot.com/

Julie http://bellabelledolls.blogspot.com/

Hoping you havnt done it already.

Our Anniversary and a Huge thankyou To Nikki

Hi all. We enjoyed our 8th Wedding Anniversary on Saturday, had a lovely day and was spoilt rotten. John bought me lots of clothes from 'Fat Face' which was lovely cos I hardly ever clothes shop, I really dont enjoy it any more, must be getting old! Had some gorgeous Lillies and choccies too, and a beautiful gold and silver heart necklace, what a lucky lady!

We also had a parcel to unwrap from Nikki, which we left until the day of our anniversary as she popped a note in saying some gifts for us!

Heres the pic of all the wonderful goodies Nikki so kindly sent us. We had ordered the jar of fairy wings from her Etsy shop, and what a wonderful lady she is, she put in all these other minis for our houses!

Johns chuffed to bits as he has decided to now do his lab style room in the dungeon room of my haunted house. The room is very low so we will have to make the table inbetween 1 12th and 1 24th scale as one size is too large and the other too small! He'll make the table and then we will fill it with wizard/ science style jars, bottles and glass apparatus. Also we'd love to have Debie make us the Mad Scientist for it, but he may have to be a funny size to fit in the room!

Anyway, all these great bits and pieces will fit in so well in the room he is going to do so we couldnt be happier thankyou Nikki, your A STAR!

Holidays are proving to be so busy, we have been out most days, making the most of my mums beach hut by the sea, and in the new park near us thats all been done up. So no getting bored for the kiddies yet, though I have Mini making withdrawel symptoms!! Dont even get evenings as the older ones have been putting on DVDs for us all to watch each night!

Watched ' The Hangover' last night which was hilarious!

Hope your all having a great Summer. As much As i love it, I look forward to September when Ill make a start on some halloween goodies and also get back into the houses and other mini makes Ive started and need to finish!!!