Where Has This Week Gone!

Have you ever got to the end of the week to find that very little has been crossed off your "To Do List" that you made at the beginning of the week? Well....this has been one of those weeks for me.

I'm not really complaining though, as the reason has been that ALL of my offspring descended on me unexpectedly last weekend and two of them extended their stay...which was lovely!! It rarely happens as they all live in different places....two of them living way up north! So we have made the most of our "family" time together.

I happened to drop in the conversation to one of them a while ago that I shall not be around on "Mothering Sunday" as I will be taking a trip with me old mate Robin up to Miniatura. So I was not expecting to see them at all for a while...which made it even more special.   

 As our next workshop is less than a month away now, we have the mammoth task of putting kits together in preparation....hence one of our tasks at Miniatura tomorrow is to pick up a huge bundle of wood from Wood Supplies stand. With 16 kits to put together means that just on the old console tables alone, there are 64 legs to cut, 80 separate spacers etc....so I need to get cracking!

Here is the same old console table in 1/12th and 1/24th scales, side by side. These are just one tiny part of our "Round The Back Of The Old Gardener's Cottage Workshop"  project that we are now preparing for.

 If you ever need wood for a miniature project then I can highly recommend Wood Supplies...they do mail order and are extremely helpful. I have been using their wood for literally years: http://www.wood-supplies.com/   

Large German Mantle Clock Available On The Antique & Vintage Living/Dining Room Page

By the way, all you UK readers.....don't forget to put your clocks forward an hour tonight as we enter British Summer Time - what a hassle this always is!!!  Why do we still do this...it always seems such nonsense. I bet the rest of the world think we are bonkers....which we are of course. So tonight, we actually lose an entire hour!!!

Anyhow.... next week on my brand new "To Do List" is a mammoth session of listing antique and vintage items including old dolls houses. So, fingers crossed, I make better headway with all of that than I did this week. Apologies for the delay in listing the lovely c1920s Lines DH1 and Barton Addington Lodge. There is also a c1930s Tri-ang No 62 coming too.

Celia

Yet More Dol-Toi.......Now For Sale

Over the past couple of days, I have been busy sifting through more boxes of Marion Osborne's Dol-Toi Collection......and choosing more little Dol-Toi delights to put up for sale on KT Miniatures' website. 

I began tackling the very large box filled to the brim of bedroom furniture from Marion Osborne's Collection...and spent ages sifting through all the various furniture ranges.....(there were quite a few different ranges over the decades....from 1940s through to the 1970s). Here below is just a random selection of some of the many sets that are now available to purchase.

Continental Range

Duchess Range

Newstead Range

Early Miscellaneous Pink Range

Also, more random items were listed too - this time in multiple listings.....

All Kinds Of Clocks

Wooden Fireplaces

Plaster Fireplaces

Various Plaster & Wood, Plaster & Plastic Fireplaces

Pan Racks With Pans

Pastry Set & Bread Board Sets

Card Tables

Radiograms

For full information of all the Dol-Toi items that are now for sale, please click on the following link:

http://www.ktminiatures.com/Dol-Toi.html

If you are a fan of Dol-Toi, then don't forget that Marion Osborne's book-THE BOOK OF DOL-TOI 
is available to purchase from KT Miniatures only! Priced at £26.00 plus postage, this invaluable reference book is a must for the serious collector. 

For full details, please click on the following link:
http://www.ktminiatures.com/Book_Of_Dol-Toi_Marion_Osborne.html

A Bit Of This & That......

For the past few days, most of my time has been taken up with some intense creating for a rather exciting magazine commission with my workshop colleague - Robin. We wish we could tell you all about it but sadly it has to stay under wraps for now. This particular project has been massive and one which we have had to spend weeks researching incredibly in depth for. Wouldn't you know it....we planned to meet up yesterday, to embark on a big "photo shoot" of the completed project outside in my garden but, as the rest of the UK was basking in sun so it seems........here in Thame all we had was thick fog - a real pea souper practically all day...so that was that. The fog is here again today and well set in! We may have to come up with a Plan - B!

So...now that the creative activity has ceased once more, I have been able to begin listing vintage items to KT Miniatures website.

Amongst the various items listed this week is this curious 1930s celluloid doll....it is so delicate and light in weight. The clothing to me has quite a distinct oriental feel to it and I found an interesting makers symbol on the back - it is a kind of Fleur De Lys design. I have not had a miniature doll quite like this before so embarked on a little research and it seems that this may have been made by the Japanese company Nippon?

This tiny Japanese doll just makes me smile....she has a red hat and two tufts of hair, one either side of her head. The expression on her face is delightful!

I am quite a fan of these pre-war Googly dolls.....this tiny one is so sweet. 

These dolls and others can be found on the following page:

www.ktminiatures.com/Old_Dolls_House_Dolls.html

 

These antique beds, one circa Early 1900s and the other (with a more modern handmade mattress), is believed to be circa Late Victorian/Early 1900s. Although each of them are in, what we commonly call, a well played with condition - they are lovely.

This antique bow fronted chest of drawers with mock drawers is gorgeous and so tactile!!! It is probably homemade but has been very well done, and has obviously been well played with judging by the bumps and scrapes on the dark varnished exterior. I love it!

These antique bedroom items can be found on the following page:

www.ktminiatures.com/Antique_Vintage_Bedroom.html

And finally.....

This lean-to may look familiar to you (CLICK HERE TO READ AN OLD KT MINIATURES JOURNAL POSTING).....it was a project that I undertook in 2010 for Dolls House & Miniatures Scene magazine, where I had to first make it into a "1950s Utility Room" and then a "1950s Porch". However, it is time for this to go and is now for sale. 

It has been stripped of all interior items and has been given a heavily aged finish, inside and out. 

The slate type path is still there along with a little bit of "soil" and landscaping at one end. There is now an enamel bucket with rag, a couple of tiny flower pots and a rusty oil can fixed to the exterior. 

Inside, the original washing line is still strung across and the wooden low shelf along one end is still there. I have also laid a sheet of my old style imitation floral lino.

This is in 1/12th scale, quite versatile and can stand alone or butt up against an existing dolls house. 

More information can be found on the following page:

www.ktminiatures.com/Shed_Outhouse_Outdoors.html

At Last......Marion Osborne's Latest Book On Tri-ang Furniture!!

Marion Osborne has just informed me that at last her much anticipated book - THE BOOK OF TRI-ANG FURNITURE - FOR THE DOLL'S HOUSE, is now ready to purchase. For the moment you can only purchase this book directly from Marion herself.

My copy has arrived but as yet, I've only had time to flick through briefly but believe me, if you are a fan of  Tri-ang or indeed a serious collector of vintage dolls houses, then this book is most definitely for you and you won't be disappointed. It is simply........ SUPERB!!!!!!!

This is a comprehensive reference book for Tri-ang furniture, which includes Tri-ang furniture from 1921 to 1925 made by ELGIN, period furniture from 1935 to 1940, the entire Spot On range from 1960 to 1965, followed by all of the Jennys Home range from 1965 to 1970. Plus a bit more besides!

In the same format as all of Marion's other books, this is comb bound, crammed full of information with 306 pages of text, illustrated in black and white. The accompanying disk contains over 4,600 colour photos and there simply is nothing like this anywhere else on the market. 

I can strongly recommend. 

Marion is intending to sell the first large batch that she has had printed and then, in the same way as her Tri-ang Book Of Dolls' Houses and Book Of Dol-Toi, she will be handing the production side over to KT Miniatures. As already (of course), Marion is embarking on her next book - G&J Lines And Box Back Dolls Houses. 

Marion has sent me the following information on cost for her latest book..............

The following prices quoted for book and disk, includes postage and packing:

UK - £28.00 - If paying by Paypal £29.40

USA - £39.30 including Paypal fees. 

Australia £40.20 including Paypal fees.

Europe - £34.59 including Paypal fees.

To order, please contact Marion direct:

Marion Osborne. 29 Attenborough Lane, Chilwell, Nottingham, NG9 5JP.
Email address: mike.osborne@ntlworld.com