KT MINIATURES JOURNAL

Bit Of A Day Today...My Neighbours Had A Lucky Escape... A Lesson To Us All!

2012-01-31T18:00:00.000Z

Through a magnificent chain of events today...my neighbours (& us) will end the day to tell the tale!!!!!!!!

I was working at my kitchen table first thing. Normally, I am up in my loft workroom beavering away but today I was waiting for a customer to collect a dolls house. Suddenly about 9.30ish, above the noise of the radio, I heard next door’s alarm go off...I just assumed that it was their smoke alarm and neighbour “Jack” was burning his breakfast...again!

However, as it went on and on, hubby came in and asked me what the noise was. I just casually replied that it was probably neighbours cooking breakfast......”BUT they couldn’t be” hubby says....”I saw them go out in their car about 20 minutes ago”!! We both raced to the back garden....hung over the fence to see if we could spot any smoke or flames....I kid you not!

No sign of fire but grabbed their key (we have for emergencies) and cautiously entered their house. The noise was incredible as by this time, there were two alarms going off....but we were baffled as it was not coming from their smoke alarm in the hall. Although there was no smell of smoke, the air in the kitchen was really odd....so stuffy that we wanted to get out quickly....was not nice. We discovered that the noise was coming from two carbon monoxide detectors in the kitchen, sitting side by side on a cupboard? Very quickly, we got out of the place.

Meanwhile, never having had to deal with this sort of thing before, quickly Googled "carbon monoxide detectors" on the internet to find out more.........OMG, I really hadn't realised to quite the extent on how dangerous all this was!

My elderly neighbours had gone shopping and oblivious to this. We sat through the noise of their alarms....pondering on what to do. On their return about an hour later, we grabbed them, warned them on what had happened and tried to deter them from going in the house. We rang the gas board from our house, followed their clear instructions – turned gas off at mains, opened all windows and doors and vacated the property etc. The "Carbon Monoxide Detector Guy" came very promptly. Over the next couple of hours he proceeded to test everything, including everything in our house and surrounding grounds too. Phew....our house was given the all clear and deemed safe. As there was only a brick wall to separate our semi detached houses....it could have been dangerous for us as well. By now, another engineer from the gas board arrived......very quickly it was determined that it was next door's ancient boiler........leaking carbon monoxide into the kitchen.

My neighbours were very lucky indeed. Without those detectors, they or us would not have known that there was a problem. In a short space of time they could have fallen unconscious. Had they been in when the dangerous carbon monoxide levels occurred, had we not been around to hear their alarms to warn them about going into the house, or had this happened at night, we may not have heard their alarms so quickly and my neighbours being deaf, may not have heard them at all.......the consequence does not bear thinking about.

We wondered why they had two detectors? Jack explained that they had bought very recently a brand new one that was on special offer at a local supermarket, as their other one was very old and he wasn't sure if it still worked. They thought it was a bargain price......how right they were in more ways than one.....it helped to save their life!

As for us....well, although we have three smoke alarms in the house (one on each level), it has NEVER occurred to us to get a carbon monoxide detector. We have our boiler serviced regularly....but then so did our neighbours!

Guess what I will be buying tomorrow! I hope anyone reading this tale, may consider purchasing one too.

Celia

Thame Fair Stock Page Now Set Up....

2012-01-30T19:45:00.000Z

The Thame Fair Stock Page has now been set up and all new handmade items that will be for sale at the Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair (18th February), will be listed on there. This will continually be added to as the items leave my workroom! I hope to have a variety of different and quite unique items on offer that day.

Very shortly I will begin to list antique/vintage items too.

All items listed will not be available before the event and cannot be reserved beforehand - they will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. So if you have your eyes on something specific.....it may be a good idea to come to the fair early! The fair opens at 10.00am. All unsold stock after the fair will be listed for sale on KT Miniatures website .

Click on the following link to view:

http://www.ktminiatures.com/Thame_Fair_Stock.html

"The Old Curiosity Shop" In Latest Issue Of Dolls House & Miniatures Scene Magazine

2012-01-26T12:56:00.000Z

THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP

If you turn to page 15 in the latest issue of the Dolls House & Miniatures Scene Magazine (March 2012 Issue 213) you will finally be able to see "The Old Curiosity Shop" project in its entirety.....as first mentioned on here back in December: http://ktminiatures.blogspot.com/2011/12/sneak-preview-of-old-curiosity-shop.html

The feature will give you full instructions on how to make this project of an antiquated scene of an old shop based on Charles Dickens' novel - The Old Curiosity Shop, set inside a model of an old book. The outer cover was based on an original 1930s copy of this book that belonged to my late father in law, when he was a lad. I really enjoyed making this particular project as it was refreshing to be tackling and creating something in the Victorian era for a change....rather than the 1930s-1940s era which is more the norm for me! Great fun.

A combination of broken vintage dolls house furniture as well as modern reproduction bits and pieces, plus some of my own handmade miniatures eg. old books and biblical print etc. were used to fill this scene.

So....if like me, you have a very large "bit box" that contains broken dolls house furniture and bits (old and new) that you simply could not bear to throw away as you knew that it would be useful for something one day.....then this project may be perfect for you!

FINAL PART OF "ON A COLD & FROSTY MORNING, AFTER THE NIGHT BEFORE"

Also in the same magazine, on page 63, is the final part of Robin Britton and my feature on how to make an old fashioned scene of an old backyard, complete with rusty old dustbin with the remnants of a party spilling out....and a touch of frost. This final part concentrates on the landscaping.

This finished scene is now up for auction in aid of Breast Cancer Campaign. For full details on how to bid (including online) please go to Robin and my Nostalgia In Miniature Workshops website for full details: http://www.miniatureworkshops.com/Sealed_Bid_Auction

We are now in the final stages of this auction and the closing date will be at 3.00pm on Saturday 18th February at The Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair. So, if you would like to bid for this unique scene, don't delay.....click on the above link now and see how to bid!

CLEARANCE SALE - German Open House On Special Offer

2012-01-20T08:53:00.001Z

Readers of my subscribed to KT Miniatures Newsletter earlier on in the week, will have seen that I was offering certain dolls houses and a room box at greatly reduced prices as a special January offer. Here at KT Miniatures, I have been having a very early spring clean as there is only a limited amount of storage space ( I work from home) and am in desperate need of more space to make way for new stock.

All items that were offered earlier on in the week have been sold apart from just one more dolls house......this vintage German Open Plan House. It has been lingering for a long while on my website and has to go. It is not to everyone's taste....a bit like Marmite....you will either love it or hate it!

Vintage German Open Plan Dolls House

CLICK HERE TO VIEW FULL LISTING

This was originally sold to me as a 1950s dolls house.....it maybe 1950s or early 1960s. It is certainly vintage and very kitsch! Still has the original lights - although they will need attention in order to get them to work.

This is now on offer for just £30.00........a silly price but it really must go! This offer ends on January 31st 2012. Strict conditions will apply and this will be non negotiable (see below). Offered on a first come, first serve basis. Please email me, Celia, at: info@ktminiatures.com or ring: 01844 212520 if you are interested. I am based in Thame, Oxfordshire....just a couple of miles from junctions 6-8 M40.

CONDITIONS OF THIS SPECIAL OFFER

This dolls house must be collected in person from me here in Thame at a mutually agreed time by February 2nd at the very latest. Cash to be paid on collection. If the house has not been collected by February 2nd, this offer will no longer be applicable.

After this date, if this dolls house is not sold, it will be taken off KT Miniatures website and will no longer be available.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Celia

PS. To sign up for my free KT Miniatures email newsletter, please see link on the left hand side column of each page on www.ktminiatures.com

A Rare Little Gem - Betal Dolls House

2012-01-19T08:53:00.001Z

As soon as this little dolls house was featured on KT Miniatures Newsletter earlier this week, the phone started ringing and emails began to flow with people enquiring about it. Needless to say, that it was snapped up immediately before it even reached my website. However I am not surprised. As soon as I set eyes on it, I knew it was something very special.

It is understood to be a c1930s Betal Dolls House By J & H. Glasman Ltd.

It is tiny, measuring just 16 ½” wide x 10” deep x 16” high.

The interior consists of two rooms and the frontage opens as one, with three earlier versions of Romside tin windows.....more about those in a minute.

The interior and exterior decor is in completely original condition - with the inside rooms painted very simply in a pastel pink and pastel blue. The floor is just plain wood- no paper covering or paint.

The exterior is covered in an off white/creamy matt colour with hand painted mock greenery and flowers on the front, very similar to what other manufacturers were doing at that time (& indeed for many years).

To be honest, it was the front door with the triangular canopy and the way the roof was constructed that eventually led me to believe it was a Betal Dolls House.

This is quite rare......and in 16 years of trading, I have never handled one before- so is very exciting!

There is very little information about this manufacturer, who was based in London and really all I had to go on was a section with some Betal adverts in Marion Osborne's excellent

"A-Z 1914 to 1941 DOLLS HOUSES".....and an image of someone's Betal bungalow on the internet found by Googling "Betal Dolls House".

NB. If you want info on how to order this brilliant book directly from Marion (a must for anyone who is interested in old dolls houses) please see:

http://www.ktminiatures.com/Recommended.html

Oddly enough, there are some larger Betal dolls houses in a separate advert in Marion's book but this is nothing like them. It bears more resemblance to the Betal bungalows.

The roof is covered in a kind of textured material - like sandpaper with some random splodges of green.

Now to those wonderful windows.......

The ordinary tin green/yellow Romside windows were prolifically used by many manufacturers over the years in their dolls houses. But if you look carefully at these particular windows, you will notice that not only do they not have those little butterfly handles, but at each edge they have a very thin metal rod which enables the windows to swivel open. My understanding has always been that they were the fore runners to the latter ordinary version of Romside windows with butterfly handles and tab hinges....so pre-war 1930s. I have seen them a few times over the years, but not very often. It could be that they are particularly fragile in young hands....so many probably did not survive.

Sorry but as mentioned earlier, this dolls house is sold but due to the large amount of interest prompted from this appearing in my newsletter, thought it would be nice to show everyone the photos.

ABOUT MY KT MINIATURES NEWSLETTER

If you wish to receive my free emailed newsletter then please click on the link on the left hand column of any page on KT Miniatures website, then follow the instructions. I try and email out a newsletter approx 1-2 weeks, sometimes more....and sometimes less. Often, if any dolls house or special item comes in, it is mentioned in the newsletter first so subscribers often have the opportunity of purchasing without an item ever reaching my website. This helps me out as photographing and listing extensively for the website is extremely time consuming.

If once you have signed up and you ever decide that you do not wish to receive it anymore, you simply click the Unsubscribe Button under each newsletter or email me and I can take you off the database.

http://www.ktminiatures.com/index.html

Monday Catch Up......a breather in between making.

2012-01-16T23:54:00.000Z

Well I simply cannot believe that its already the 16th and we are halfway through January. Where's the first half of January gone?!!! With "the big event" looming rapidly next month, I currently classify my passing of time on exactly "how many more creating days until Thame Fair"! I'm sure other artisans who are coming to Thame, feel the same.

It has been soooooo cold up in my loft workroom for the past couple of days and now my little heater has well and truly bust ......so I have had to move my "workroom" down to the kitchen table where its considerably warmer! What I did not bank on was Molly, the eldest of our two cats, suddenly develop a passion (& talent) for yanking out strips of my newly arrived wood right out from the box it arrived in and chew on it. She has NEVER done anything like that before....good job the wood is intended for some distressed miniatures then....shame her teeth marks are not in keeping with the 1/12th scale though!!!

Today, I took a much needed breather from creating and have spent the entire day photographing and listing vintage miniature goodies onto KT Miniatures website.

So currently available on the Vintage Barton 1/16th Page, are various furniture pieces from the Barton Tudor & Jacobean Range, such as this table and monk's bench plus chairs.

There is also this court cupboard, with the distinctive Barton moulding and engraving. This particular example has a crack in the upper door though, so is being sold at a greatly reduced price than if it was in pristine condition. The coffer is a nice versatile piece and could be used in other rooms, as well as the dining room. All these Tudor pieces would look great even in a pre-war dolls house,as the Jacobean look was quite trendy in the 1920s/30s houses.

Amongst some of the other more unusual pieces are some highly sought after Tiny Toy furniture, circa 1930s. This piano has a mottled black and brown finish and it came with the stool however I am not convinced that the stool is the original one, as there is no mottled colouring, just simply dark varnish.

An instantly recognisable piece is this upright bureau, in the more distinctive red and gold mottled finish that Tiny Toy are renowned for. All these Tiny Toy pieces can be found on the Vintage 1/16th Others Page.

Finally.....here is one of my real favourites just listed today....a 1930s German chair.....isn't it wonderful!? This can be found on the Antique 1/12th Living/Dining Page.

Over the next few days, I have lots more vintage pieces to list onto the website....but will have to do so in between the creating. So please do keep checking the website and don't hesitate to email or ring to reserve..

Latest On The Breast Cancer Campaign Raffle - Do Take A Look!!!

2012-01-11T10:12:00.001Z

Miniaturist artisan's generosity has never ceased to amaze me where the Breast Cancer Campaign Raffle is concerned........which is held at the annual Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair every February. This year, is no exception. I have already shown you some of the amazing artisan prizes donated on here in a previous posting.....but there have been loads more since then.....here is a brief update on the new arrivals of donations & pledges.

Raffle tickets will be £1.00 each and available on the day at Thame Fair which is being held on Saturday 18th February at Thame Leisure Centre, Thame in Oxfordshire.

La Boutique Francais 1/48th Scale Kit By Jane Harrop, WW2 Soldier 1/12th Scale By Robin Britton Of Coombe Crafts & Little Porcelain Dolls House Doll By Sandra Morris Of Tower House Dolls.

Turned Pot With Removable Lid In Bethlehem Olive Wood, Unique Turned Acrylic Bottles Plus Handmade Mirror - All By David Williams Of Harvington Miniatures.

Dressed Doll By Mary Williams, Gentleman's Combinations With Hygenic Back Flap By Isobel Hockey & Embroidered Rug By Felicity Holland Of Ronfel Enterprises(Thame Fair Organiser).

Lots more donations have been promised which is exciting plus on the day of the fair there will be many donations from the standholders too. Meanwhile, if you are a professional miniaturist artisan, UK or overseas, and would like to donate an item(s) of your work to this well worthy cause.....please get in touch with me, Celia Thomas of KT Miniatures.

Email: info@ktminiatures.com or Tel: 01844 212520

FOR FULL DETAILS OF ALL THE RAFFLE PRIZES DONATED/PLEDGED TO DATE, PLEASE SEE THE OFFICIAL RAFFLE PAGE

CLICK HERE

Thank you to everyone who has already donated......and please, please....if you can, do come along to Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair and help us raise lots of money for Breast Cancer Campaign.

Just A Quick Peek At Our Little Old Shed Workshop Prototype....In 1/12th Scale!

2012-01-06T16:51:00.000Z

Well, am pleased to say that we have finally completed the 1/12th scale prototype for The Little Old Garden Shed Workshop which will be taking place in March, at Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire.

This, our little old shed......was the old wash house (or outhouse) almost a century ago....that long fell into ruin. All that’s left of the original building being the back and a side rendered wall, with some bricks clearly visible where rendering has fallen away.

Replacement wooden walls added later were built so many years previously that now they too show signs of disrepair. The rusty corrugated iron roof (replacement of a once tiled roof), rickety old door and weather beaten window all just about keep the rain out. Even some of the contents could well have originated from decades ago...

All places are now booked for this March workshop, but we are now taking bookings for our brand new workshop theme.....

THE LITTLE VINTAGE HALL WORKSHOP

We have plenty of spaces for this, our brand new half day workshop that is taking place in Thame on April 29th. If you click on the above link, you will find all the details plus a downloadable booking form.

Late 1940s Barton & Dol-toi Furniture

2012-01-05T14:57:00.000Z

At last I have been able to embark on photographing and listing more 1/16th scale vintage items on KT Miniatures website. Amongst those listed today are some late 1940s pieces...all that came with a c1948 dolls house.

You will instantly recognise this as a green painted Barton dresser, that was readily available during the 1950s.

However, apart from knowing that the previous owner was given this with her lovely dolls house in 1948 for her birthday, on the reverse is the tell tale diamond ink stamp that could be found on Barton furniture from 1946 to 1948/9.

The previous owner also was given a matching table and chair plus sink, but these do not have the diamond ink stamp. I understand though that from 1948 Barton introduced a red and black label that was gummed to the reverse of the furniture.....all of which had a tendency to fall off. In fact, I have to say that I have yet to handle a piece of Barton furniture with a gummed label on.

These Barton pieces can be found on the VINTAGE BARTON 1/16TH PAGE.

Other accompanying furniture from the same 1948 dolls house are some interesting Dol-Toi pieces such as this pale green piano and pink stool.

There is this very nice wooden standard lamp with original patterned card lampshade plus a real favourite of mine, a wooden bookcase with all original nine Dol-Toi books - all of which are in remarkably good condition considering they are 64 years old! What is particularly nice is there are actually three shelves on this bookcase, as if you look carefully the top has a small ledge - perfect for ornaments or plants etc.

These can be found on the VINTAGE DOL-TOI 1/16TH PAGE

I will continue listing more furniture from the same 1948 dolls house plus other vintage items over the next few days.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM KT MINIATURES - Back open for business

2012-01-02T12:06:00.000Z

After a truly fabulous festive break, KT Miniatures is now back open for business.

Over the holidays, I visited one of my many brothers who dug out from his loft, a gorgeous old illustrated dictionary, that we all each had in turn as kids through the 1950s and 60s. I will be using it for a project that I am working on. Flicking through it again has brought back so many wonderful sentimental memories....my real favourites as a child were the picture of the dolls house and little girl "nursing" her doll.....arn't they just wonderful....although oh dear, some naughty person scribbled the pillow in pen...ummm...(am blushing as I type)!

Oh to be five years old again!

Meanwhile....as I now embark on my 16th year of trading....I would just like to wish you all a

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

CeliaX

1930s Hobbies Dolls House Video - Happy Christmas From KT Miniatures!

2011-12-18T20:15:00.001Z

With 2011 almost at an end and Christmas nearly upon us, I am in the process of tying up loose ends before I shut down KT Miniatures for 12 whole lovely days! Just to remind you that I close this Tuesday 20th December and will officially open on January 2nd. However, I will try and dip into my emails occasionally during that time to keep an eye on things. Any outstanding orders after Tuesday will be despatched on January 3rd when the post office here in the UK re-opens.

Thank you for your custom and your friendship in 2011 and hope you have enjoyed reading this little KT Miniatures Journal. I look forward to being back for my 16th year of trading on January 2nd.

Meanwhile, just for a bit of fun.....I have updated photos of my much treasured 1930s Hobbies House and made them into a video below....

HAPPY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR

to you all!!!!!

Sneak Preview Of The Old Curiosity Shop

2011-12-14T21:15:00.000Z

I can now give a sneak preview of this "how to make" project that has literally just been completed for the Dolls House & Miniatures Scene Magazine. It is due to be in the issue that comes out about February/March time I understand and is something very different from my usual projects.

It is a scene from The Old Curiosity Shop - a novel by Charles Dickens and is set inside a model of an old book.

The project will show how to create the book from simply cardboard, card and paint.....and also how to create the antiquated scene inside.

A variety of items were used in the shop scene including some of my handmade books and a replica of a Victorian family painting that was created to look like an old portrait on canvas.

For those of you who are collectors of antique and vintage dolls house items.....no, your eyes are not deceiving you. Yes, that is an antique Victorian chair with red velvet upholstery you can see...and a vintage unmarked Elgin chair! Both were broken and totally unsalable so almost worthless in their present form - so no I have not completely lost my marbles as had they not been broken both would have been rather valuable! However they have been put to good use and are arranged in such a way that you cannot see the missing bits or damage.

Similarly, I have used other old broken mini treasures such as a Victorian table that is minus a foot and a vintage chest of drawers with decidedly wonky drawers (not a pretty sight). Again, they have been arranged in such a way that one cannot see any damage......cunning eh?

This was great fun to do.

Some Pre-War German Miniatures Plus Xmas Opening Hours For KT Miniatures

2011-12-08T19:06:00.001Z

Just listed today are a couple of very interesting and rather unusual antique mini treasures....

A Tin Art Deco German Clock

This little clock I just love but simply do not have anywhere to put it so.....go it must. It is actually quite big measuring 2" wide at the base and 11/2" tall, so would suit an old dolls house where scale does not matter. But isn't it lovely?

A German Radiator

This is a pre war German radiator.....solid metal and extremely heavy; these radiators just do not come along very often, so is a bit pricey but if you are looking for something very different to either treat yourself or for someone who is an avid antique dolls house collector.....then this could be ideal?

Underneath it is clearly marked Germany and the pink paint is actually quite pretty.

Both of these items can be found on:

Antique 1/12th Living/Dining Room Page

CHRISTMAS OPENING HOURS FOR KT MINIATURES

I am intending to stay open right up until the last week of Xmas and will close on Tuesday 20th December. On January 2nd I will open for business again. So, if you a UK based customer, please continue to place your orders and I will endeavour to process them asap right up until that date.

Due to a deadline on a particular project now looming rapidly I will probably be up to my eyes in glue, paint or whatever if you ring, so PLEASE do leave a message on my answerphone and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Many thanks.

Celia

Am Now Back.....& Beginning To List Some More Vintage Goodies!

2011-12-07T21:44:00.000Z

Having had a few fabulous days off....am now getting back into the swing of things and beginning to load up various lovely treasures to KT Miniatures website. To titilate your vintage dolls house tastebuds....I have highlighted one or two things that have been listed this evening.

These little Grecon beauties were snapped up within 10 minutes of their listing going live this evening.....sorry folks if you are disappointed but although I do not have anymore Grecons, I do have rather a lot of other vintage goodies for sale.

There is this vintage metal art deco style Jacqueline living/dining room suite. Although it looks very 1920s-30s in style, it was actually made post war but nevertheless would be perfect for anyone with a vintage 1920s/30s 1/16th scale house.

I particulary love the fireplace and clock...arn't they just fabulous?!

This 1/16th scale dresser intrigues me greatly....it came with a batch of 1930s-1950s dolls house furniture. I cannot decide whether it was made pre-war or post-war. I do not recognise the maker but it appears to be very well made and has some nice touches such as the groove on each upper shelf so that crockery can be displayed easily without slipping. The door handles are tiny brown beads....not dissimilar to those I have seen on some 1930s furniture.

Both the dresser and the metal Jacqueline set can be found on the Vintage 1/16th Others Page:

http://www.ktminiatures.com/Others.html

Over the next couple of days I will be listing a variety of vintage treasures both in 1/12th and 1/16th scales on KT Miniatures...so do keep a watch and don't forget that you can email or ring to check for availability/reserve whilst payment is being sorted.

Can Anyone Identity These Mystery Dolls Continued.... Mystery Solved!!!

2011-11-26T17:27:00.001Z

Huge "thank you" to Isobel for taking the time to email me and help solve the mystery over the identity of Glenda's old dolls....(see previous post)!

Little Bo-Peep

They are.....Baps Dolls, made by Frau Edith Von Arps-Aubert in Germany from the 1940s to the 1960s. Apparently Frau Edith began business by selling her handmade fairytale and nursery rhyme doll characters and animals door to door until demand increased. She also made dolls in national costume to sell as souvenirs. Glenda from the US has her mother's entire collection of these dolls, who had acquired them in post war Germany back in 1948 and for years, Glenda has not been able to find anything out about them.

Mary Mary Quite Contrary

Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, Peter Rabbit & Mother Rabbit

Snow White & Two Mice?

Isobel tells me that there is a big section on Baps Dolls in Dollhouse & Miniature Dolls 1840-1990 by Marci & Bob Tubbs With Dian Zillner - a Schiffer book.

The Big Bad Wolf & The Three Little Pigs

So....thank you again Isobel for solving the mystery....you have made Glenda a very happy lady.

Can Anyone Identify These Old Dolls?

2011-11-26T00:09:00.000Z

A lady called Glenda from the US has sent me photos of her treasured collection of very old dolls that belonged to her mother and would very much like to know if anyone can help her identify them.

Hansel & Gretel.....Plus The Wicked Witch

A very well known auction house stated that they were Grecon dolls but Glenda is not convinced. When I saw the photos, I have to say that in my opinion, they are not Grecons for a number of reasons but quite what make they are.....I have not a clue. Glenda is hoping that someone reading this may be able to identify them. Glenda's mother bought them in Murneau,Germany in 1948. They are all fairy tale and nursery ryhme characters including animals....and are truly delightful.

Red Riding Hood & The Big Bad Wolf

Little Miss Muffet & Spider

Three Little Kittens

Goldilocks & The Three Bears

I won't put them all up on here but have chosen just a few ....enough for you to be able to get a gist of their style and see their features. Arn't they lovely?

Snow White & The Seven Dwarves

As these were purchased in post war Germany, one assumes they are of German origin but are they? Glenda would dearly love to find out more about her collection as she has been trying for years to identify them. She says that when the Antique Road Show came to Atlanta, their experts could not shed any light on their origin either.

If you do have some info, please feel free to leave a comment on here or send me an email....I will then pass on any info to Glenda.

MANY THANKS

Celia

Part One Of Our Project Now In Dolls House & Miniature Scene

2011-11-23T21:45:00.000Z

You can see Part One of our "On A Cold & Frosty Morning.....After The Night Before" project in the new January 211 Issue of Dolls House & Miniature Scene Magazine - out now.

This wintry festive scene is now up for auction.

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

Breast Cancer Campaign Fundraising - A Personal Story

2011-11-19T13:35:00.000Z

BREAST CANCER CAMPAIGN - MY STORY
Over the years, I have often been asked why I am such an ardent supporter of the charity Breast Cancer Campaign. My story is far from being unique and will probably resonate with lots of you out there, as like many others who support this charity, I have very personal reasons for doing so.

My Mum

Back in 1959, my gorgeous and lovely mum, immediately after having just given birth to me, was found to have a very aggressive form of breast cancer (she was only 31 years old) and there was nothing that could be done. Back in those days, treatment was limited, compared to nowadays I guess. I was just 18 months old when she died so never got the chance to know her. Shortly after my mum passed, my maternal grandmother developed breast cancer and eventually lost her battle to this disease too.

Then some while ago, I had a health scare myself. I felt my world had come to an end and convinced myself that the “breast cancer” curse had finally caught up with me. Luckily, my lump was benign and easily treated. But it was a very scary time as my daughter was still very young and felt that family history was repeating itself all over again. Whilst embarking on the road of genetic counselling, family research picked up other female members on my maternal side -my grandmother’s sisters and some of my mum’s cousins were discovered to have had breast cancer too, so there is a very probable genetic link. But I am not alone and there are many of us who have very similar personal stories to tell.

However I felt that I had to direct my energies into doing something very positive.

WHY SUPPORT BREAST CANCER CAMPAIGN?

Breast Cancer Campaign's mission is to beat breast cancer by funding innovative world-class research to understand how breast cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure

Breast Cancer Campaign funds research into finding a cure for breast cancer, so by supporting the charity I feel I am doing “my bit” and something positive towards helping scientists find a cure. It maybe that an absolute cure may not be found during my generation but I am full of optimism that it can be found during my childrens' generation.

I am sure that many of you reading this have been touched by breast cancer in some way too, either directly or indirectly. So please.... help support the charity...... maybe bid in our Sealed Bid Auction or come along to Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair on Saturday 18th February 2012 and help us all raise as much money as possible for Breast Cancer Campaign.

BREAST CANCER CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISING - RAFFLE

I am pleased to say that the official Breast Cancer Campaign Raffle page is now live on KT Miniatures website .
http://www.ktminiatures.com/Raffle.html
Donations are beginning to come in and you can view details of them on there. In the above photos, you can see a hand-painted set of plates from Victoria Fasken, a bronze pair of greyhounds by Tony Knott, an embroidered cushion by Nicola Mascall and a pair of prawn cocktails in real glass dishes by Mags Cassidy of Mags-Nificent Miniatures. A huge thank you to the artisans who have already donated.

This raffle will be taking place at Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair in February. Tickets will be £1.00 each and can only be purchased on the day at Thame Fair.
I have great pleasure in co-ordinating this raffle again and if you are a professional miniaturist artisan - UK or overseas, and would like to make a donation of your work - then PLEASE do get in touch with me - Celia Thomas - at KT Miniatures. A photo of any donation or pledge that comes in before the Thame Fair, will be placed on the raffle page along with a link to each artisan's website (or contact details if no website is available).

BREAST CANCER CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISING - SEALED BID AUCTION

"A Cold & Frosty Morning...After The Night Before"

As you will have already seen on here (there is a video set to music to the right of this blog), our Sealed Bid Auction is now open. You can either bid online right now (will take just 2 minutes of your time - it is that easy), post a bid to me here at KT Miniatures or bid in person at Thame Fair. The closing date for the auction will be 3.00pm February 18th at Thame Fair. The winner will be announced by the Thame Town Crier shortly after 3.00pm that day....so plenty of time to think about it....but why not get your bid in early?

To find out more information about the auction plus full details about the little scene, please click on the following link:

www.miniatureworkshops.com/Sealed_Bid_Auction

BREAST CANCER CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISING - SALES TABLE

On the day of Thame Fair, as always, there will be the fabulous Sales Table with miniature donations for you to purchase at bargain prices. This is an extremely popular attraction and always raises hundreds of pounds for the charity every year. It will be in the very capable hands as always of Jill and Melody.

We are in need of any good quality miniatures or unwanted miniature items or even childrens dolls house furniture (eg. Sylvanian, Early Learning Centre, Fisher Price etc.) for the Sales Table. Any contribution would be gratefully received although please note that sadly we are not able to take on dolls houses due to lack of space.

You can send your miniature items to me Celia, here at KT Miniatures (my email and phone number can be found on www.ktminiatures.com ) or bring them on the day of the event and simply hand them to the volunteers manning the Sales Table. Alternatively you can email or ring Ron & Felicity Holland the fair organisers (their details can be found on http://www.thamedollshousefair.co.uk/).

PLEASE HELP US SUPPORT BREAST CANCER CAMPAIGN

My Little Attic Continued....

2011-11-18T08:50:00.000Z

Back in September, I showed you the beginning of my special little attic room that I embarked on for our local club project and promised to show the development of it on here (click here to recap). Next February, the Market Town Miniaturists (MTM for short or basically the Thame Dolls House Club) will be celebrating it's 10th anniversary and we will be having a very special display at The Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair. We worked on the attic project again at last Monday's meeting so my project has moved on slightly....only ever so slightly though as KT Miniatures work has to take precedent over everything else.

This was where we were at a few weeks ago....

Progress is slow but it is moving along gradually....

The ceiling has been coated with Polyfilla roughly (I want to give the impression of a very old loft room - thoroughly aged). I had originally thought about using antique wallpaper on the walls but abandoned that idea and used a pale green emulsion instead. Then with some burnt umber and white acrylics the walls and ceiling were aged. I absolutely love this technique and completely indulged myself!

I loved the way that after sanding the Polyfilla, the white dust fell into the cracks onto the floorboards and gloriously aged the floorboards further.

The little landing corner was painted in offwhite and aged with acrylics. An old picture that I made years ago, that was broken and sitting in my "bit box", was repaired and stuck on the landing wall. Although you won't really see this when the door is fixed slightly ajar.....it will just give a hint of something else and add extra dimension to the scene. Instead of using commercially prepared door/ window architrave and skirting, I used plain wood and gave it the aged treatment with a top coat of white. I have purposely made the architrave around the door slightly wider than the more normal architrave....I have this mental picture of a really old room that I saw a while back on my travels with this wider frame.... so filed it away in my mind to use in this project.

This is where we are at now.....I still cannot decide whether to add a little something else behind the door or not but will have to decide soon as the door needs to be fixed into place...slightly ajar.

As this project progresses I will show more pics, however am about to start on another KT Miniatures commission, so this will have to be put away for the time being.

Handmade Miniatures & Old Treasures Just Listed For Sale

2011-11-16T17:23:00.001Z

Now that the little Haddenham Fair is over, all of my unsold handmade miniatures have been listed for sale under the various pages on the Exclusive Items section.

HANDMADE EXCLUSIVE ITEMS

On the General Page, various 1930s framed prints, WW1 trunks, sets of five books and vintage needlework ephemera arrangements are now available.

Various printed items have been listed on the WW2 Page...in fact I have decided to discontinue selling individual WW2 ephemera singularly (it was definitely time for a change) and from now on, they will be available in sets or tiny fixed arrangements only, as seen above.

Various set pieces of vintage toys including some tiny replicas of Rose Cottage- the 1950s Chad Valley dolls house and old toy chests are now available.

ANTIQUE & VINTAGE TREASURES

Amongst some of the antique and vintage treasures just listed today is this lovely old Pit-a-Pat fireplace. See http://www.ktminiatures.com/Pit-a-Pat.html

Also, just listed this afternoon is this exquisite antique soda syphon - so delicate and amazingly intact. A few weeks ago we had a Dol-Toi soda syphon that went up for sale - slightly different to this but equally lovely......however this one here is considerably older. It never ceases to amaze me how these tiny pipette tubes inside these soda syphons remain in one piece.......either the little previous owners over the decades were incredibly careful or they were never allowed to play with them?

A wonderful example of an unmarked Elgin table and chair c1920s also went up for sale this afternoon and both have already been snapped up. Am not surprised, they are lovely and simply do not come along very often. The full listing for these and the soda syphon can be found on the
Antique 1/12th Living Room/Dining Room Page.

These two late Victorian/Edwardian bisque beauties are for sale on the Old Dolls Page. Whoever takes either of these on could have great fun dressing them in authentic costume.

These are just some of the items that have been listed today. Please do go check out my website. I have quite a bit of vintage stock that was unsold from last Saturday's fair that still needs to be listed onto the website. I will continue to list them over the next few days and highlight some of them on this journal.

www.ktminiatures.com

What A Lovely Day!

2011-11-13T08:36:00.000Z

A lovely, lovely day was spent yesterday at the delightful charity Haddenham Dolls House Exhibition & Fair . There were some wonderful miniatures of all descriptions on display with several dolls house clubs from surrounding towns displaying magnificent handiwork too.....so entering the little village hall yesterday was like entering a magical world of an entirely different dimension! There were even some four legged friends from the Hearing Dogs For Deaf People strutting their stuff.....absolutely gorgeous!

This was the Thame Club display, the theme being based purely on items that members had made at professional workshops....mmmm those little gardens did look familiar!lol

Part of our Nostalgia In Miniature Workshops stand - all three projects in both scales from the Vintage Little Garden Theme 2011 workshops.

There were a handful of other artisans there, including me old mate Robin....of Coombe Crafts.

It was brilliant to meet so many of you who came and much entertaining banter ensued throughout the day! It was great to catch up with old friends and make new ones too.

I only had a 6ft table yesterday (unlike a massive 12ft stand at the Thame Fair) so I had to be very discerning on what I took. In the end I decided on having only "new" vintage/antique stock (not listed on the website) including a tiny GeeBee dolls house and a tin Marx dolls house. The good news for those of you who did not come is that I could not pursuade any visitors to purchase either of the dolls houses on the day....although one or two customers did waiver a little (lol). So they will be going up for sale on my website this coming week along with some other antique/vintage treasures that were not sold.

I will also be busy over the next few days, listing lots of my newly handmade items to the website...so do check the various pages on my Exclusive Items sections. All the current handmade stock that is listed on my website was on the stand yesterday and due to quite a bit being sold, I will have to embark on some considerable stock taking and make amendments accordingly to the Exclusive Items section....but not today!

Today I am going to have a much needed day off ...stock taking and amendments to the website will begin on Monday afternoon.

Thanks again to everyone who came yesterday....as soon as I hear how much was raised for the two charities, I will let you know. Congratulations to Freda and George Dorrell who put on such a wonderful and successful event ...we are already looking forward to the next one in two years time!!!

Vintage Goodies Plus Some Handmade Pieces - Available Saturday

2011-11-10T21:03:00.000Z

As you will probably know by now, if you have been following KT Miniatures Journal over the past couple of weeks, I shall be attending the little Haddenham Dolls House Exhibition & Fair at Haddenham Village Hall in Buckinghamshire this coming Saturday, 12th November.

Well, preparations for it are almost complete.......the handmade items have been priced up and packed away, although I managed to take a couple of pics before these went into their trays. Above you can see one of the hand painted 1930s style cushions that sits on an aged settee which has been given a mock rexine effect finish, then covered in a tired "old throw" along with some 1930s books, magazines etc.

Amongst various vintage style pieces are some vintage needlework ephemera sets (the fabulous weeny cotton reels are by David Edwards).

I have also spent a wonderful afternoon sifting through boxes of vintage goodies....choosing bits and pieces to bring on Saturday....none of which are currently listed on my website.

There are all kinds including an unmarked Elgin table and chair, turn of the century bisque dolls, antique soda syphon, pots, pans, German piano, vintage glassware, 1930s Xmas trees, a Pit-a-Pat fireplace, vintage coffee grinder and Doulton type jugs....plus lots more!

I just have to show you a close up of this absolutely gorgeous Kaybot plaster fireplace.....I am having huge difficulty parting with this but go it must and to be honest, I have no dolls house that it can fit in at the moment. The colour is richly beautiful and moulded features just wonderful.

This doll intrigues me greatly. At first glance when he came in, I assumed he was a Grecon Grandpa but on observation, I could not help but notice his weight due to huge lead feet....honestly....he is considerably heavier than your standard Grecon, plus the shape of his head is flatter. He has only four buttons on his waistcoat (don't Grecons have six?) and the checked pattern of his trousers is bigger than the Grecon Grandpas I have seen. So, I am of the opinion that this is a Tomac Grandpa doll. There is a Grandma too that came with him but she is slightly bald...poor lady, but she will be for sale too.

What is not sold on Saturday at the event, will then go up for sale next week on KT Miniatures website.

The event is at Haddenham Village Hall, Bucks HP17 8EE (2 miles from Thame and close to M40 - jncts 6-8). The event opens at 10.00 and closes at 4.00 and the event is in aid of Hearing Dogs For Deaf People & Leukeamia And Lymphoma Research.

Hope to see you there!

WW1 Trunks In 1/12th Scale

2011-11-04T13:07:00.001Z

Seeing us all going about our daily business wearing poppies at the moment has inspired me to create some WW1 vintage style trunks.

These trunks have been created in 1/12th scale and would be suitable for a miniature loft/attic room, spare bedroom, secondhand junk shop, charity shop etc. Each one is filled with a Union Jack that looks like it could do with a wash, all kinds of WW1 ephemera including postcards, leaflets, letters. books and some old photos, etc.

The lids can stand up on their own or be pushed back further if they are supported, in order for the contents to be viewed clearly.

I have chosen the contents for these tiny set pieces carefully to reflect the whole poignant theme of these brave and gallant young men going off to war to fight for their king and country.

The trunks will be released for sale at The Haddenham Dolls House Exhibition & Fair which is taking place next Saturday 12th November. If they are not sold at the fair then they will go up for sale on KT Miniatures after the event.

For full details of the Haddenham event, see previous posting.

Some Miniature Creations - To Be Released For Sale At Haddenham Fair

2011-11-02T12:30:00.000Z

In preparation for The Haddenham Dolls House Exhibition & Fair next week (Saturday 12th November) I have embarked on some miniature creating. All handmade items as always have been given the KT Miniatures distinctive aged/well used look and are suitable to be used with both reproduction and vintage dolls houses. As with the run up to any fair that KT Miniatures attends, all handmade stock will now be witheld until after the event, then all unsold stock will be put up for sale on the website immediately after.

I will also have some vintage pieces available for sale that day that are not currently listed on the website, including a vintage dolls house....more news about those next week.

A 1/16TH SCALE CHAD VALLEY 1950s/1960s DOLLS HOUSE IN 1/12TH SCALE....a bit of a challenge!!!

Remember this from a few weeks ago.........?

I recently sold a gorgeous tin 1950s/1960s Chad Valley dolls house and I was extremely sad to see it go.....I absolutely adore these tin lithographed treasures and that particular one had never been played with, consquently was in amazing condition. However, I got it into my head before it went that I could recreate it in 1/12th scale. So, before it departed, I took plenty of images and set out on a crazy journey of scaling it down.

It took some time to work out how to do this but got there in the end and am extremely pleased with the result. Initially I was only creating this for my own amusement but once I made one, I just had to make another, then another......!

In the end, these little dolls houses spurred me on further and have created them in a variety of settings including one on a chair....along with another setting of a chair with the vintage 1930s Touring England Game (me & my big brothers loved that game as kids- it helped teach us the geography of England) plus a variety of vintage books from the same era.

SOME VINTAGE TOY CHESTS

Something that I have been wanting to create in ages are these particular vintage style toy chests which are based on a very real and very old toy chest. All items are fixed but the lid is flexible and movable. These would be suitable for a variety of uses eg. nursery, spare bedroom, loft, secondhand junk shop etc.

These will go up for sale on the Childhood Page under the Exclusive Items section, if not sold at the Haddenham Fair.

VARIETY OF WW2 EPHEMERA
I will shortly be having a complete overhaul of the WW2 section on the website and will no longer be selling the printed items separately but as sets instead. It is definitely time for a change!

To kick start this revamp to the WW2 series, I have created some tiny little set pieces that can be used on table tops, worktops, shelves etc. and are quite versatile. I am hoping to have more set pieces for this era and pre-war 1930s shortly. As mentioned above, these will be available to purchase at the Haddenham Fair next week then what is not sold, will be listed on the website.

HADDENHAM DOLLS HOUSE EXHIBITION & FAIR
Saturday 12th November 2011
Haddenham Village Hall,
Bucks
HP17 8EE
10.00am to 4.00pm.
Admission: Adult £3.00 /Child £1.00
IN AID OF HEARING DOGS FOR DEAF PEOPLE & LEUKAEMIA AND LYMPHOMA RESEARCH

Artisans attending are Coombe Crafts, Tony Knott, Ronfel Miniatures, Sally's Little People, Nostalgia In Miniatures Workshop etc. plus of course KT Miniatures!! We will have our "On A Cold & Frosty Morning" scene on show and you will have an opportunity to bid in person on the Sealed Bid Auction (see full details on Nostalgia In Miniature Workshop website). There will also be several individual stands selling private collections, exhibitions from local dolls house clubs including Thame Club of course!!!I understand that there will even be a Lego Railway on display!

This is a delightful little bi-annual charity fair so do mark the date down in your diary and come along to see us and help Freda & George Dorell the organsiers, raise as much as possible for their chosen charities.....you will be assured of a very warm welcome.

Some Interesting Late Victorian/Early 1900s Dolls House Furniture Plus A 1930s Three Piece Suite.

2011-10-26T21:27:00.001+01:00

Some very nice and extremely old pieces came into KT Miniatures this week. They have gone up for sale today.

There are various wooden items of furniture, most are believed to originate from Germany and either late Victorian or early 1900s. They are fabulous!!!

There is this very grand wooden seat upholstered in red velvet....perfect for an antique dolls house.

There are some other chairs of different shapes and sizes. I love the colour of this single turquoise upholstered chair particularly. And there is some very nice fretwork on the chair backs of this pair of red velvet upholstered chairs.

Then there is this very grand cupboard with an opening door that reveals a shelf.

There is also a wooden piano and accompanying stool that came with this set. It is solid and actually quite heavy. The lid opens to reveal paper keys. A nice detail is the bold "S" fretwork support.

To view these wonderful antique treasures, click on the following link:

http://www.ktminiatures.com/Antique12th%20Living%20Dining.html

However, my real favourite of all the really old pieces that have been listed for sale on KT Miniatures today, is the 1930s Charben three piece suite.

The colour is gorgeous and the moulded detail on these heavy metal chairs is superb....so very 1930s!! This particular set is in excellent condition which is not normally the case with this particular set. I have seen many a Charben chair with holes or dents......over the years.

This suite can be found on the "Others Page" under the Vintage 1/16th Section on KT Miniatures Website -

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

And Finally....I know this last piece cannot be classified as antique but it can be classified as vintage!

This is a 1950s Cantoy "Tea For Two" Kiddies Trolley Set & Box....and is in excellent condition.....in fact I don't think it has ever been played with. It may be just plastic but it is so delightful. I have had the trolleys before and have even seen those tea sets before....but never all together.....and have never ever seen the box before.

It is 1/12th scale so have put it up for sale on the

Antique & Vintage 1/12th Scale Living/Dining Room Page

....but you will have to scroll right down the bottom to the Vintage 1950s section.

A Little Nostalgia For The Shed Or Outhouse - Plus Photos Of The Xmas Special!

2011-10-20T21:46:00.001+01:00

Have been getting down to some serious creating again. This time, for the miniature garden shed, outhouse or even scullery.....all suitable for both modern reproduction and vintage dolls house usage. These and other items will first be available to purchase at our impending workshop this coming Sunday. Then, any of these that are not sold plus other further creations that I have been working on these past few days will be put up for sale on KT Miniatures website next week.

There are some aged wooden boxes with old seed packets, newspapers, seed catalogues etc. and an occasional trowel or fork. Suitable for an old shed, outhouse or even a scullery - mostly in 1/12th scale.

However, there are some similar settings in 1/24th scale too.

I am also in the process of making some little settings, in KT Miniatures' instantly recognisable style, of various vintage gardening emphemera and newspapers, seed packets etc. which have a whole variety of uses eg. on a workbench, under a workbench, on a shelf, on a floor etc.!!!

SOME PHOTOS OF THE LITTLE OLD WASHING LINE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL WORKSHOP CAN NOW BE SEEN!

Santa's longjohns and more, can be seen on our workshop blog: http://miniatureworkshops.blogspot.com/

At this November 27th workshop, all attendees will be given the opportunity of dusting their little garden with snow or frost if they wish. Is going to be great fun!
Spaces have booked up quickly but we may be able to squeeze a couple more people in if necessary. Please get in touch asap if you are interested.

Meanwhile, I look forward to meeting those of you who are attending our
Over The Little Garden Fence Workshop on Sunday.

Preparations & More Vintage Goodies!

2011-10-15T12:51:00.000+01:00

I would just like to start by welcoming the several new followers to this blog who have joined recently......."hello" and hope you enjoy following KT Miniatures Journal.

Life here at KT Miniatures just seems to be continually manic at the moment, with all sorts of projects and "stuff" going on. My apologies for being a bit slow listing "new" vintage pieces to the website these past few days but other projects keep taking me away from that task. However, further down in this posting, I have highlighted some vintage items that I was able to list in the past 24 hours.

First up though....with our impending October workshop looming rapidly once more on the 23rd, all the kits have had to be prepared and instruction folders printed. Each attendee of every one of our workshops, is given a folder of concise instructions ...so that if you leave without finishing the project on the day, you can continue to complete the project at home. You can also use it for future reference. We still have 1 space left for our reprise of the first project again....Over The Little Garden Fence Workshop...so if you fancy joining us for a creative afternoon here in Thame (Oxfordshire) and would like to take up that last space, do get in touch asap. with either Robin or I.
Our contact details can be found on our workshop website: http://www.miniatureworkshops.com/

Then there's the 1/12th scale prototype for next month's workshop that has to be constructed and now I am pleased to say that it's well on its way. The Little Old Washing Line Christmas Special Workshop on November 27th is proving rather popular and even though booking only opened last weekend, we incredibly now have just 1 space left!!! So if you wish to take up this last space, please ring or email first to reserve the space, preferably before sending the booking form - in order to avoid disappointment.

This Xmas workshop is a bit of fun - another little vintage garden scene but with a slight festive theme. We will be making an old fashioned washing line complete with washing, including Santa's long johns (can be removed), aged coal bunker, tub of washing and very simple landscaping. To complete, you will be given the option of adding snow if you wish to make this a permanent wintry garden. However, for anyone who may have previously made any of our other garden projects, you may want to omit the snow.

Now....To Some Old Goodies....Vintage Dol-Toi

I have been continuing to list for sale some more of the 1950s Dol-Toi collection that I told you about in my previous blog post. There is a lovely dark varnished tv, coffee table, plaster fireplace, plant and even a bear rug!

I love the plaster fireplace with heater......so evocative of the 1950s and the plant may look like it's in dire need of a water but it would certainly brighten up any old dolls house room! And the bear rug may not be too everyone's taste but how majestic he would look in front of a fireplace.

How cool and different your vintage dolls house kitchen would be to have this lemon squeezer!!!!

All these 1/16th scale Dol-Toi pieces can be found on

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

Vintage 1/16th Barton Accessories

The metal coal scuttle has a little loop at the back where the shovel should sit but sadly is long gone. A plastic companion set has just been listed....now this is unusual to have a complete set of tools as they are so weeny, many were simply lost and just did not survive! There are two stands to hang the tools off....and tools consist of a brush with real bristles, poker, tongs and shovel. Nice!!

Many of you will recognise this wire and tin mangle by Barton. But did you know that it was a Mr Rickard who made this mangle along with other tin and white covered wire pieces for Barton? I understand that this particular mangle first appeared on the market in 1958 and was available until about 1967. When you turn the handle, the little rollers move....!

To view the full listing, click on the following link:

http://www.ktminiatures.com/Barton.html

Kaybot Plaster Plate Of Fruit

It may have one or two nibbles in the rim, but this plaster plate of fruit is still gorgeously vibrant in colour. There is something so nostalgically childlike about vintage plaster food that you just don't get with modern reproduction food these days....don't you think? It would have originally been created for the 1/16th scale dolls house but is a little exaggerated in size, measuring in at 11/4" in diameter so could be suitable for the 1/12th scale dolls house too.

This can be found on the following link:

http://www.ktminiatures.com/Others.html

And Finally....

This vintage tin wireless has just been added to the Antique 1/12th Scale Living Room page on KT Miniatures. Age and exact make unknown, but certainly of considerable age and at the very least has to be from the 1950s? This could also be used in the 1/16th scale dolls house.

To view full listing, see following link:

http://www.ktminiatures.com/Antique12th%20Living%20Dining.html

Dol-Toi - Some Interesting Pieces!

2011-10-06T22:21:00.001+01:00

I have been listing various vintage 1/16th scale Dol-Toi furniture and accessories up onto KT Miniatures over the past 24 hours...including some highly sought after Dol-Toi pieces that we just don't see very often.

For example.......this 1950s Dol-Toi Soda Syphon, Bottle & Metal Tray. So rare and highly sought after is this, that as soon as it was listed, it was snapped up. Sorry for all of you who were pipped at the post and had wanted to buy this. Maybe one day, we will get another set in...however, have to say that in all of my 15 years of trading, this is the first Dol-Toi soda syphon I have handled.

Then there is an incomplete set of plastic Dol-Toi ovenware...which includes a mixing bowl, casserole (missing it's lid), some pudding basins, flan dish etc. Yes, some bits of this set are missing but seeing as these pieces are so tiny...its not suprising.

Also, just recently come in is a lovely collection of Dol-Toi that belonged to an equally lovely lady from my old stomping ground.....Gloucestershire. She told me that her father used to own a toy shop back in the 1950s when she was a little girl and so was ideally placed to get bits for her dolls house- most of which was Dol-Toi. She felt that it was time for it all to go as it was just sitting up in her loft.....(this is so often the case with many people), and hopes they all find their way to good homes.

Amongst her little collection was a little pink Dol-Toi bathroom suite (see above)...not that unusual in itself....however what is unusual is to have an accompanying laundry bin with lift up lid....nice!

Then there is this lovely Dol-Toi Bureau....with a drop down leaf, lined with green felt. Again, this is not that unusual but what is rare are the accompanying little envelopes addressed to "Dol-Toi Villa, Toy Town" and the notepaper headed "Dol-Toi Villa"!

This kitchen cupboard has a pretty blue Formica type covering on the work top. This particular piece could actually look good as a small cupboard in a 1/12th scale house. I used one like this, in a past project....a 1950s 1/12th scale Lean-To project (click here to view past blog from 2010)

Another more unusual piece that does not come along very often, is this little wooden settle with a lift up seat. Would suit various rooms of the vintage dolls house, even the hall?

I will continue to add more pieces of this quite extensive 1950s collection of Dol-toi to my website over the next few days. Click on the following link to view the Dol-Toi Page: http://www.ktminiatures.com/Dol-Toi.html

"A Cold & Frosty Morning" Revealed- Sealed Bid Auction For Breast Cancer Campaign!

2011-10-01T10:35:00.000+01:00

Over the past few weeks you will have seen little snippets of a very special project that both I and Robin Britton, my partner at

Nostalgia In Miniature Workshops

have been working on.

We can now reveal the completed scene in its entirety. If you watch the little video below, you will see what it's all about- we are very proud of the result and hope you like it too....(remember to turn your speakers on).

This is a unique scene created in 1/12th scale by us initially as a "how to make project" that will appear in Dolls House & Miniature Scene Magazine in January and February issues 2012.

It is of an old back yard based on an era long before wheelie bins were but a twinkle of the imagination, some five decades ago! The New Year’s Eve party was well and truly over and the remnants of the festive season were crammed into the rusty old dustbin. Much had spilled over into scruffy boxes and onto the crazy paving, with its frozen icy puddles and a dusting of frost. Winter foliage surrounds the scene and a tree, almost bare of all leaves, stands proudly in front of an old weathered fence. Brian the blue tit hungrily tucks into his grub on the bird feeder.

As you can see from the video - this whole scene is now up for auction to raise funds for Breast Cancer Campaign. You can bid online and by post, or in person at both the Haddenham Dolls House Exhibition & Fair (see previous post) where this will be on display and also

The Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair

In fact the closing date for the Sealed Bid Auction will be at 3.00pm at the Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair on Saturday 18th February 2012 and the Thame Town Crier will announce the winner shortly after 3.00pm.

PLEASE SEE THE OFFICIAL PROMOTIONAL PAGE FOR FULL DETAILS INCLUDING A LIVE BUTTON FOR YOU TO BID ONLINE

http://www.miniatureworkshops.com/Sealed_Bid_Auction

BIDDING HAS NOW BEGUN - PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY

Haddenham Dolls House Exhibition & Fair- November 12th 2011

2011-09-28T18:30:00.003+01:00

KT Miniatures rarely attends fairs these days ......but one that I would never miss for the world is this delightful bi-annual charity event............I just love it!

HADDENHAM DOLLS HOUSE EXHIBITION & FAIR

Saturday 12th November

Haddenham Village Hall

Bucks

HP17 8EE

Admission: £3.00 Adult/ £1.00 Child

The event is entirely to raise funds for two well worthy charities:

Hearing Dogs For Deaf People and Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research

KT Miniatures will be having a stand at this rather special charity bi-annual event run by two people who I have had the priviledge to know now for some years - Freda & George Dorell. They have run this event for as long as I can remember and it is still an understated little gem of an event....not to be missed!

There will be various artisans such as Tony Knott, Coombe Crafts, Sallys Little People and of course....KT Miniatures! Also there will be various exhibits from local dolls house clubs and other individuals, sales tables from various people selling private collections and even a model Lego railway on display.

I will bring more news about this event nearer the time.

So.... do come and see us all in this tiny quaint corner of Buckinghamshire in November...if you can. You will love it!

CLICK HERE FOR LOCATION ON MAP

Special Project Is Progressing!

2011-09-20T17:15:00.001+01:00

A week or so ago, I showed you an image of a rusty old dustbin that I had made with Robin Britton my Nostalgia In Miniature Workshops partner. She had constructed it out of a cat food box and I had the job of painting it up in enamels....which is all part of a big magazine feature that we are in the middle of working on. Well.....this project has progressed a little further!!!!

As you can see, the dustbin is now filled with rubbish from the 1950s.......surrounded by more rubbish, some of a quite festive flavour. No, your eyes are not deceiving you......you can see an opened 1950s can of Heinz Tomato Soup made out of card....great fun!

Well.....the project is still not quite finished yet but from the image above you can gain a hint of what the project is all about!!!

Hope to bring you more images as this project progresses plus some exciting news about it in a few days time....so watch this space!!!

DOWN THE LITTLE GARDEN PATH WORKSHOP - Last Sunday!

Just to say a huge THANK YOU to all the ladies who attended our workshop last Sunday. It was a lovely, lovely day and a very relaxing one too. I think a good time was had by all and much creativity went on in the three hours that we had together!!! The atmosphere was terrific.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS OF THE DAY

BREAST CANCER CAMPAIGN FUND RAISING

Congratulations to Linda and Kazumi who were our two raffle prize winners this time!

I am pleased to announce that our raffle and refreshments last Sunday raised a grand total of £35.34. All monies raised are in aid of Breast Cancer Campaign and at the end of the year a single cheque of all money raised through our workshops will be presented to the charity.

Huge THANK YOU to everyone who contributed!

So far, since our workshops began in June, we have raised over £70.00....so lets hope we can far exceed this amount by the end of the year!

Unusual Antique Tin Objects

2011-09-14T23:36:00.001+01:00

I have just listed two antique tin objects, both very different from each other and neither were originally intended for the dolls house!

I have handled two of these German tin pencil sharpener globes previously over the years but this latest one, compared to the other two, is in amazing condition. The patina of the colours are simply wonderful and it is a very tactile object....I love it!

As an illustration on how the world map has changed since this was created, you can see the country of Persia....which I understand changed to Iran in the mid 1930s?

There is a hole at the bottom of the globe where the pencil would have been inserted. The globe unscrews at the equator and you can see the internal part of the pencil sharpener.

This would look fantastic sitting in an old dolls house living room or drawing room, maybe on a small table or cupboard top? It measures 2" in height so would be suitable for a 1/12th or larger scale dolls house or maybe a smaller vintage dolls house where scale does not matter.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

The second unusual antique tin item is a Co-operative Wholesale Biscuit Sample Tin....amazing, very old and quite rare!

I am well aware that this will not be everyone's "cup of tea" paticularly as the paintwork is considerably worn. However, even though this is a bit on the large side, standing at 1 3/4" high, it would look splendid in a vintage dolls house kitchen or pantry.....or even a vintage shop. The exact age is unknown but has to be from at least the 1920s-30s...possibly older.

What I particularly love about this tin is this embossed statement underneath which says "THE ONLY 8 HOUR BISCUIT WORKS IN ENGLAND". This gives it a real sense of history. I did a bit of sleuthing to see if I could find out more on what this statement meant and was pleasantly surprised to find out that the employer was quite a pioneer in the way it looked after it's employees.

Apparently, the Crumpsall Biscuit Works opened in 1873 at Lower Crumpsall, Manchester (UK). Employees were given a brilliant working environment which actually included sports facilities such as a football and cricket club, tennis courts, a recreation ground plus a bowling green. I understand that there was a dining room with discounted food and the facility of free warming for packed dinners. They were even provided a library and board /card games. How fantastic and pioneering was that!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

Just A Few Days To Go 'Til Our Next Workshop - Still One More Space!

2011-09-11T21:14:00.000+01:00

DOWN THE LITTLE GARDEN PATH WORKSHOP- September 18th 2011

One space (possibly two) are still available - if you would like to come and join us all this coming Sunday afternoon at Thame (Oxfordshire) from 2.00pm - 5.00pm, where we will be making a vintage style 1/12th scale or 1/24th scale garden... as seen above. If the photos above tempt you - do get in touch asap with me - Celia Thomas on 01844 212520 /email: info@ktminiatures.com or Robin Britton on 01844 213022 /email: robin.britton.uk@btinternet.com

You can reserve a place in the first instance whilst booking form/payment is being sorted.

Our workshops are friendly and informal * You will be assured of a very warm welcome * You have an opportunity to meet like minded people * Learn new miniature techniques * Suitable for beginners and experienced alike * Work at your own pace!

For full details of price/downloadable booking form etc. please see the DOWN THE LITTLE GARDEN PATH WORKSHOP page on our official workshop website.

http://www.miniatureworkshops.com

Much Creativity This Week!

2011-09-09T19:48:00.001+01:00

This week I have been at my workbench, beavering away at three different creative projects at the same time........below I can show you a hint of each!

Robin Britton, my Nostalgia In Miniature Workshops partner and I have been asked to write a "show how to make" project for a UK dolls house magazine. It is still in the very early stages but lets just say that it will be in the same style that our vintage garden workshop projects are based on ie. vintage, weathered and realistic! We finally made a start this week.....above you can see a dustbin that Robin made brilliantly out of cat food cardboard packaging- she said it took her a while to suss out how to make the lid......but I think you will agree she got the shape perfectly. She then handed it over to me for the fun bit.....to paint it!

The rusty old metal effect was obtained from enamel paints and we were both chuffed to bits with the result. Over the next few weeks we will bring you an update on that particular magazine project but hope the above was enough to tempt your tastebuds and inspire!

Meanwhile.......I went into mass production of cold frames in readiness for our next workshop that is taking place on Sunday, September 18th - Down The Little Garden Path. This project is being offered in 1/12th as well as 1/24th scale. I have made up the basic frames, based on a 1930s design from an old book, in readiness for attendees of the workshop to learn how to age them. By the way.....we still have a couple of spaces left for this workshop. So do get in touch with either Robin or I if you would still like to come!!!

Our contact details can be found on the workshop website:

http://www.miniatureworkshops.com/Contact_Us.html

Finally, today I have had to pull my finger out on a more personal project that I have left until the last minute (as is often the case)!!! It is needed for next Monday evening's dolls house club meeting (here in Thame) of which I am a member, needless to say it ended up at the bottom of my "to do" list as KT Miniatures work had to take precedent. But, after an afternoon at my workbench, am pretty pleased with the result and it is beginning to take shape rather nicely.

The club's annual project is to construct an attic scene in a MDF room box, supplied as a kit by The Dolls House Builder.

This project is just up my street as I have taken on many attic room scene commisions over the years. However....because of that reason, I wanted to attack it from a completely different angle. Instead of making the interior construction out of wood which I would have done had it been a commission, I have instead used foamboard and cardboard - no wood at all - to illustrate that you don't have to have fancy tools and materials to model these scenes.....as already illustrated from the dustbin made out of cat food packaging, earlier in this posting.........

The window shape was cut into the sloping foamboard (the back wall having first been painted in a mixture of pale blue and white to replicate sky). A window was made from sliced up strips of cardboard painted brown and lightly sanded, then a square of thick acetate cut from packaging ( a double shirt pack from Next) and all glued into place.

Convincing floorboards have been made from cardboard, painted with burnt umber acrylic layers and shaded with a touch of white, sanded well then sliced up and fixed into place.

The mock door has literally been created from just two layers of cardboard sandwiched together, strips of cardboard glued on the one side, painted with several layers of raw umber paint then sanded well. A commercial brass handle has been added.

The alcove in foamboard on the right of the scene has been added to give extra interest and the door will be fixed ajar tantalisingly giving a glimpse of a landing!

Well...that is as far as I have got. As this little personal project progresses, I will show you more on here.

c1950s/60s Chad Valley "Rose Cottage"

2011-09-05T19:21:00.001+01:00

I am a great fan of vintage tin dolls houses. The sheer vibrancy of the colours and the lithograped designs on several of the various tin houses that were available, are magnificent. Some furnishings and often furniture are often incorporated into the lithographed images on walls of these tin houses. Such is the case with this stunning 1950s/60s Chad Valley "Rose Cottage" - absolutely gorgeous!

What is wonderful about this open backed four roomed house is that it is complete and ready to assemble yourself in it's original box -all in fantastic condition. I cannot say that it has never been erected, because one look at the tabs that slot into allocated holes for construction, you can see they have been used. Plus the roof and chimney have obviously been erected at one time, then flattened again so as to fit into the box.

The sheet with full assembly instructions is present, as you can see.

All nine pieces are present and correct - fully intact.

The front is extremely attractive- lithographed details of an old cottage complete with timbering and shutters. On the other side of this front piece you will find the inside decor of four rooms.

As you can see, the colouring is so pretty - I particuarly love the cottage flower bed images that is found all the way around the outside of the house. Not a weed in sight!

On the inside of these side pieces too, are images of the interior.

There are two interior dividing walls plus two floors that insert into place.

Finally there is a "tiled" roof and "brick" chimney which you need to bend into shape, as per the instructions.

It is so refreshing to have a tin dolls house of this age that shows no rust or damage. In fact, apart from just one or two teeny scratches, this is indeed immaculate.

This is now up for sale on KT Miniatures. For full details click on the following link:

http://www.ktminiatures.com/Chad_Valley_House.html

Some More Little Treasures!

2011-09-02T23:52:00.000+01:00

Quite a few antique and vintage dolls house items have been put up for sale today on KT Miniatures website. Amongst them are some unusual pieces which I have chosen to highlight on here.

Above you can see a very old "Silversmith's Novelty Set" complete with contents and the original box that's just about being kept together with some ancient tape. The contents are most definitely not silver but appear to be pewter and consist of a soda syphon, tankard, two mugs and a tray.

Exact maker is unknown but probably German and considerably old, dating from at least pre-war 1930s...possibly older. The tankard and syphon have pale green celluloid tubes to replicate glass. I suspect the mugs would have had the same celluloid tubing but sadly are long gone.

The tray is delightful and has an embossed bird design which hopefully you can just about make out from this photo.

For full details of this set, please go to the Antique 1/12th Living & Dining Room Page

This next little item is a charming wooden electric heater. Although simple in construction, there is no doubt that it has been commercially made. It has a price of 1/9 written in pencil on the back. The two pin plug is an interesting feature and I guess that this was made in the 1940s/50s era. I have handled dozens of various little heaters in my time but I have to admit that I've not come across one quite like this before...is different again.

Obviously at one time there would have been two little struts fixed to the underside, as you can see from the residue left behind but sadly these are no longer there. Nevertheless this does not detract from the overall charm of this little item.

Finally, I must just show you this sweet little cupboard from the 1930s, probably German and somewhat a little worse for wear but I love it! What really adds to the character is the little "Greetings 1943" sticker that a previous little owner has stuck on the front!!!

I can't help wondering who this once belonged to and what kind of childhood they were having in 1943 - if only these old little treasures could talk....what stories they could tell!

You can find the full details and more information about this little cupboard and heater on the

Vintage 1/16th Others Page

Canadian & New Zealand Tri-ang Collectors - Can You Help?

2011-08-30T07:28:00.000+01:00

Internationally renowned vintage dolls house expert Marion Osborne is currently embarking on a brand new updated and far more comprehensive version of her Tri-ang dolls house book and wonders if any Canadian and New Zealand collectors can help. Or indeed, if anyone else out there can help?

Front Cover Of A Canadian Catalogue

Page From Canadian Catalogue

Triang had a factory in Montreal - Canada in the late 1940s and through to the early 1970s. The trade mark used in Canada by Tri-ang was "Thistle" as you can see from these pages from a "Thistle" catalogue and the photo of an old label below. But exactly how many dolls houses and what particular designs were made is unknown. Does anyone have any information/specific details that can be passed onto Marion concerning this? No matter how irrelevant you think your information may be, please don't be shy in coming forward. Your information could prove invaluable in Marion's research.

Canadian Thistle Label On An Old Dolls House

There was also a factory in New Zealand, where Triang bought Joy Toys and made at least a No 50 with metal front and a New Zealand label. Marion would love photos to illustrate this so does anyone have one of these? There is no known catalogue as far as she knows in existance.

If anyone can help Marion, please contact me and I can pass on the info to Marion in the first instance. Then I am quite sure that Marion would wish to contact you herself.

THANK YOU.

Featured In Latest Dolls House & Miniatures Scene Magazine.

2011-08-26T21:48:00.001+01:00

If you have the latest copy of Dolls House & Miniatures Scene Magazine you will find a feature on our first Nostalgia In Miniature Workshop that took place in June earlier this year. You will also see that if you sign up to Dolls House & Miniatures Scene Magazine email newsletter before September 14th, you have a chance of winning a space at our October workshop!

Just to say that we only have 5 spaces left for our Down The Little Garden Path Workshop that is taking place in 3 weeks time on September 18th. If you would like to book a place, please get in touch asap by email or phone.

PLEASE SEE OUR OFFICIAL NOSTALGIA IN MINIATURE WORKSHOPS WEBSITE FOR FULL INFORMATION PLUS A DOWNLOADABLE BOOKING FORM.

Vintage Dolls, Dol-Toi, Barton etc. Just Listed For Sale

2011-08-25T15:13:00.001+01:00

Now that my holidays are well and truly over, I am currently in the process of listing various vintage dolls house items up onto KT Miniatures website. Below I have highlighted some of the more interesting pieces that have just gone up for sale - all are 1/16th scale.

1950s Dol-Toi Dressers.......these are rather delightful, with opening drawers and an array of shelves to display miniature crockery, kitchenware and foodstuffs. These style dressers surprisingly do not come along very often so is quite unusual for me to have two in stock at the same time.

Here you can see a Dol-Toi metal frying pan of chops and a metal saucepan of stew? Would certainly help make your vintage dolls house kitchen interesting. Please go to the Dol-Toi Page to view full info of these and a lot more.

On the Barton Page you will find a 1950s plaster bathroom suite. These vintage plaster pieces are becoming more difficult to find in good condition, as in little hands they were most definitely vulnerable. This particular suite has a few nibbles but refreshingly no major cracks plus all taps are present and correct. There is the original lift up plastic toilet seat too which is nice.

Amongst one of the more unusual Barton pieces is this wooden standard lamp with mottled painted cardboard/thin wooden lampshade.

These little Barton pastel painted bow fronted chest of drawers are adorable and would brighten up any vintage dolls house bedroom.

On the vintage 1/16th Others Page you will find this unusual post war wooden wireless.

These immediately recognisable little Dol-Toi wire dolls, bound in wool with lead feet and plastic heads are in a good played with condition. There are two little girls in red spotty dresses available, plus there are other various dolls available too including this very odd figure below!

Have you ever seen a figure like this before? This metal butcher figure came in with some old dolls and I have not a clue of the maker or exact age but he is old. He may be considerably worn but there is still something rather charming about him - don't you think? He is holding a chopper and his arms move up and down. He measures 3 1/2" tall. If you have an old dolls house shop or kitchen then this could be ideal for you.The dolls can be found on the Old Dolls Page.

If you wish to order anything off KT Miniatures website, please remember to email or ring to check availability first then a reserve can be placed whilst payment is being sorted. I have a lot of vintage items to add to various sections of KT Miniatures over the next few days so do keep checking the various sections.

A Teeny Gremlin!!

2011-08-19T19:26:00.000+01:00

It has been brought to my attention that over the past couple of weeks or so whilst I've been away on holiday, some people have been experiencing problems whilst trying to email me directly from the link on KT Miniatures website. Apparently it has been failing to send and has been bouncing back on each attempt. I can only apologise.

At first, it was thought that it was probably due to my inbox being very full whilst I was embarking on my wonderful (she says dreamily) few days off!!! However, even when the inbox was cleared, emails from my website link were still not getting through. My techno director aka Mr KT, has taken a look at it at our end and yep, as predicted, diagnosed that he could find nothing wrong with it at all!

I have long given up trying to fathom out this techno stuff as often these things happen for no reason and can sometimes disappear again as quickly as they sneaked up on us...grrrr?

The only thing we could think of doing was to re-apply the link. We have tested it from various computers and so far so good....fingers and absolutely everything crossed, visitors to my website can now happily email me without further hitches.

My email address is info@ktminiatures.com

Jersey Dolls House & Miniatures Club Exhibition August 21st

2011-08-18T08:34:00.001+01:00

Just a quick reminder for anyone who either lives in Jersey or may be going to Jersey this weekend, that the Jersey Dolls House & Miniatures Club Exhibition is taking place this Sunday - August 21st from 10.00am - 5.00pm at St. Brelades's Parish Hall, St. Aubin's Harbour, Jersey.

All proceeds will be in aid of two charities- Help The Heroes and Motor Neurone Society.

Barbara Kendall-Davies tells me that the theme is market stalls and there will be dolls houses and room boxes on show plus a competition with questions based on the objects in the exhibition. There will also be a sales table with handmade miniatures and a raffle with a variety of prizes, as well as refreshments and home-made cakes. Barbara herself is a collector of vintage dolls houses, has a HUGE collection of dolls houses and miniatures, is a retired opera singer,biographer of Pauline Viardot Garcia plus as you can see from the painting above...a very talented artist too!
So..if you are in Jersey this weekend....do try and go if you can and help the club raises lots of money for two well worthy causes.

KT Miniatures Back From Hols....Now Open For Business!!!

2011-08-17T15:50:00.000+01:00

Just to let you know that I have literally just returned from my travels after being away for 12 days and that KT Miniatures is now back open for business.

However, having switched on my computer I can see that I have dozens and dozens of emails in my inbox, some orders and enquiries that have been sitting there for quite a few days!!! My apologies for not getting back to you sooner but I will begin tackling the emails later this afternoon and should answer all emails shortly. Thank you for your patience.

Celia-KT Miniatures

Tri-ang Windows Now Available - In Two Sizes!

2011-08-02T20:00:00.000+01:00

Several metal Tri-ang windows have just been listed for sale on KT Miniatures' website.

These do not come along very often but a very nice lady has sold me some real vintage Tri-ang wrecks so the windows have come from them.

There are three of the larger style windows from a 1930s Tri-ang No 76 model house. They are in excellent condition.... and even have the pretty blue and white criss cross material curtains.

There are also several smaller style metal windows with green frames (have been touched up by the looks of it) that came from a 1950s No 62. These are in more of a played with condition, some rusty bits too.

Finally....there is the elusive set of Tri-ang wooden steps. Always nice to have as they were so often lost. Just adds that nice finishing touch to your vintage Tri-ang dolls house...don't you think?

CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS

A Little Bit Of Inspiration From The 1930s & 1950s.

2011-07-29T22:16:00.000+01:00

These may not be real miniatures but....they are a bit on the small side! A visitor to my workroom the other day was bowled over by them and thought what a good idea it was to use something so small in such a useful way and said she found it inspirational. So I thought I would share some of my lovely vintage pieces in my workroom with you, that although were meant for children in eras gone by, now serve a very practical purpose in holding my brushes, tools etc on my workbench.

This little child's teapot, believed to be from a 1930s children's tea set is simply gorgeous with an image of two characters from the Bruin Boys (from Tiger Tim fame) ....that appeared in comics, annuals etc. over the 1920s/30s and later (I understand). I absolutely adore it and the colouring is so muted and beautiful even all these years later. I have no idea of the maker but it just says MADE IN ENGLAND on the bottom.

There is actually a tiny sugar bowl too which is useful to keep tiny pins, nails it etc. They came along a while ago now, in a whole batch of dolls house bits and pieces which were all part of "A Lot" at auction. I was not expecting them and found them lurking in the bottom of a very large box of vintage mini furniture.

I also have a Disney teapot that has an image of Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse on a bike....wonderful....and guaranteed to make you smile. This is from a child's 1950s tea set and is marked Beswick on the bottom. It was in that same box of vintage dolls house bits and over the years, this teapot has come in very useful indeed...as you can see!

Ok...this last piece was not meant for children obviously, nor can it be classified miniature in any way but is wonderful and I love it! This very old enamel jug was picked up for a snip at a car boot sale but is real handy for my larger brushes, rulers etc.

So there you go.....hope you have found this inspirational too!

Romside Windows Now Available

2011-07-27T17:42:00.000+01:00

I am delighted to say that several of these elusive Romside metal/tin windows were put up for sale on KT Miniatures website today.

Many a finger and knuckle got scraped on the metal hinges as one went about one's business of opening and shutting the little windows, during the course of some serious childhood imaginative play! Those little butterfly handles also had a tendency after much use to simply wear out and snap off.....but apart from all that - I still think they are wonderful, don't you?

These Romside windows are often referred to as Tri-ang windows, which they are most definitely not. Tri-ang windows are slightly different dimensions, square panelled and a different colour. All of the various makes of tin/metal dolls house windows are becoming extremely sought after nowadays, as they are far more difficult to get hold of - so unsurprisingly value is rising steadily too.

Please see The Old Metal Windows & Doors Page on KT Miniatures for full details.

Out With The Old KT Miniatures Newsletter & In With The New!

2011-07-20T16:46:00.001+01:00

After days, weeks....actually no months of tearing hair out with the old newsletter system that had been provided free by my internet server company since the very conception of KT Miniatures website (ie. years)........I have finally given in and taken the plunge. Yep, I've gone for a posh super duper system which even though I now have to pay a small fee for...what the heck, hopefully it will be worth it just for my sanity alone!

Actually, in order to get my money's worth, newsletter subscribers should be receiving them more regularly from now on - she says hopefully with everything crossed and touching wood at the same time....yes I am a tad superstitious. Here below, you can see a part of the very first new newsletter that went out a couple of days ago.....at least it looks a bit better than the old one. But then as I am now paying for it, should jolly well expect it to!!!

The plan is to send a KT Miniatures Newsletter out each week to subscribers. Benefits would be that you should in theory, hear about some of the very special pieces that are listed on KT Miniatures by newsletter first. I often try and coincide the live listing of very special pieces alongside the sending out of the newsletter.

Anyone who previously subscribed to my newsletter and was receiving them should still get it. However.....with the old system, several subscribers simply never received their newsletter and no-one has been able to fathom out why...they would simply disappear into a cyber black hole. It maybe that you will get this new one? If not, then please feel free to sign up again and give the new system a go. Obviously some of you with company email addresses may have them blocked and treated as spam - sorry there is nothing I can do about that. It may be wise to use a home/private email address. Also, some of you who are still on old computer sytems that can only receive emails in text form rather than html, will not see the lovely colourful graphics. Sorry - there is nothing I can do about that either.

So....if you would like to sign up for my free emailed KT Miniatures Newsletter CLICK HERE
Alternatively, there is a permanent link on the left hand column of my website, scroll down the page a little and you will get to it. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time.

A Touch Of Dol-Toi & A 1950s Barrett Washing Machine

2011-07-19T07:48:00.001+01:00

Some more lovely vintage 1/16th Dol-Toi pieces were listed yesterday on KT Miniatures. Many of you who had childhood dollshouses may well recognise these. Dol-Toi pieces were widely available over a long period of time; from 1944, then right through the 1950s and 1960s, until finally coming to an end in 1975(See Marion Osborne's new Dol-Toi book - details at the foot of this posting).

The Dol-Toi bookcase and little books must rank amongst one of my favourites from the Dol-Toi range. This manufacturer's bookcases come in various shapes, colours and sizes. Here you can see a wooden one in a dark varnished finish that has just come in which is now for sale. The tiny mock books with wooden inserts have delightful titles such as Boy Blue, Pied Piper and Ali Baba - completely enchanting!

Then there is this 1960s plaster bathroom set in remarkably good condition....considering the fragility of the material that it has been created from. In a young child's hands, these plaster pieces would have been quite vulnerable and prone to damage. In fact, in all the years that I have been selling vintage dolls houses, this is the first fully intact plaster Dol-Toi bathroom suite that has come along....yes honestly! (More usually, I come across the wooden Dol-Toi bathroom suites). The lift up seat and lid are made of metal and painted black.

As like the Dol-Toi bookcases, the Dol-Toi pianos came in various shapes and sizes. This one just listed is a 1960s grand piano, complete with lift up lid to reveal paper keys and a lift up piano top that can be propped open. Again, refreshingly it is great to have this fully intact, along with the stool that has a gold painted "seat" and the fixed on Dol-Toi music sheet. Over the years I have handled so many of these pianos that have various missing components so this is a nice example.

See the Vintage 1/16th Dol-Toi Page for all of the above plus many more. In fact I have a lot more to add to that section over the next few days.

Also just listed is this instantly recognisable 1950s Barrett & Son washing machine.....how evocative of the 1950s is this?! This lovely kitchen appliance is made of metal with a plastic tub, lid and rollers. In fact, if you turn the handle the rollers rotate - great fun! This particular example is in excellent condition and the previous little owner obviously looked after it well.

This can be found on the Vintage 1/16th Barrett Page

If my week goes according to plan I hope to be able to load up a lot more vintage pieces to KT Miniatures website during the next few days.....so watch this space (as they say)!

For anyone interested in the lovely old Dol-Toi treasures and would like to find out more,"THE BOOK OF DOL-TOI" is now available direct from the author - Marion Osborne. Accompanying her book is a CD of photographs. For full details and how to contact Marion - see my Recommended Reading Page For Antique & Vintage Dolls Houses.

Look At This Antique Bird & It's Cage....Just Listed!

2011-07-18T17:30:00.000+01:00

First of all...I would just like to give a warm welcome to the several new Followers that have recently joined KT Miniatures Journal...."hi" and hope you enjoy reading my news.

Ok, now to today's little snippet.....one of the aspects that I love about my job is the spontaneity of it all....... I never know from one week to the next, what will come in on the vintage side.

Well today I have put up for sale one of my more unusual antique acquisitions....a tiny and very old metal bird cage complete with bird on a perch that actually swings. Taking it's picture was a challenge as the slightest vibration sent the birdy swinging! There is no doubt that this metal cage is very old, possibly late Victorian or early 1900s.

There is also no doubt that this little treasure that measures 2" tall to the top of the hook, has been well played with. In fact some of the bars are a tad bent but personally I feel it adds to the overall character! So if you are looking for a very old little treasure with a difference, then look no further.

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL DETAILS

New Little Garden Scene Now Revealed!

2011-07-13T07:33:00.001+01:00

For anyone following our Nostalgia In Miniature Workshops may be interested to know that at long last our Down The Little Garden Path Workshop garden has now been photograped and can be revealed...

In this next workshop Robin and I will show you how to make a little garden scene incorporating an old fashioned crazy paved path, old weathered cold frame, compost heap and even some slug eaten hostas.

The gorgeous pansies were supplied by Georgina Steed of

The Miniature Garden Centre

Our little garden scenes are designed to either stand alone, butt up against an existing dolls house or join onto each other to make an entire garden.

Over The Little Garden Fence Workshop Project/Down The Little Garden Path Project

We use many natural materials as well as some synthetic materials and the cold frame has been based on real plans from a 1930s handbook. Techniques used for this scene are different from those used in our first project and can be adapted to suit various other projects too.

Booking is now open and there are still some places available.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE DETAILS

A Bit On The Large Side - 1/10th Scale Plus!

2011-07-11T17:40:00.000+01:00

Every so often, I acquire some vintage dolls house pieces that are larger than the "normal" average 1/12th scale. Today I have listed for sale on KT Miniatures website, several items that may be of interest to those of you who collect 1/10th scale and even larger.

There is this tin cooker, that not only has an opening door but the cooker lid opens right up to form the splashback....how wonderful is that?! With this particular cooker, age and maker is unknown but judging on the style, I would say that it is most probably post war - 1950s? The cooker measures from floor to top of cooker hob just under 4". But when the cooker splasback is fully opened, the whole measurement from floor to top is 6 1/2" high. So you can see, this is a little larger than your normal 1/12th cooker.

Now this tin cooker is a different story. It is meant to be a gas cooker, has MADE IN ENGLAND embossed on the splashback and judging by the style, I think there is no doubt that this is pre war. I have dated it between 1920s and 1930s. Sadly the plate rack is missing off the top, even so though....this is a lovely example of a vintage larger scale cooker. This cooker measures just over 4 1/12" to the hob top and 7 1/4" to the very top of the splashback. So a bit bigger again than the other cooker shown on here.

Amongst some of the other items listed are a very old heavy metal saucepan and pretty blue bucket. Perfect for the larger scale vintage dolls house kitchen! In fact both of these items came with some early 1900s dolls house furniture so I am assuming that these are of the same era.

Another of the more interesting pieces is this extremely old cane chair, upholstered in green material and could be useful for various rooms in the dolls house.

There is also this very old glassware set.......probably from as far back as 1915. I am not sure whether one would call these a set of drinking glasses and a bowl or if indeed they should be classified as four dishes and a bowl? (We do have some real life sized glass bowls very similar in style, that belonged to my husband's grandmother). This miniature set would look lovely adorning an old sideboard or old shelves.

To view more info on these above plus other large scale items, please go to the

Antique 1/10th & Larger Scale Page

Venue For Our All Day Workshop Revealed.....WATERPERRY GARDENS!

2011-07-06T08:21:00.000+01:00

We are delighted to announce that the very special venue for our all day workshop next March is the wonderful Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire and booking is now officially open!

THE LITTLE OLD GARDEN SHED WORKSHOP

This all day workshop will take place in the classroom block at Waterperry on Sunday March 25th 2012 and will start at 10.30am and finish at 4.30pm. We will be making a unique quirky model of an old fashioned shed and contents. This will not be your old common or garden shed......oh no siree......think old, rusty, well-weathered with oodles of character!

Waterperry Gardens is tucked away in Oxfordshire, a tranquil haven for garden lovers everywhere and easily accessible from the M40. It was once the home of a Horticultural College For Ladies, founded in the 1930s by Beatrix Havergal and is steeped in history.

BOOKING NOW OPEN- See our "Nostalgia In Miniature Workshops" website for full details.

http://www.miniatureworkshops.com/index.html

1940s Hallway Revisited!

2011-07-05T06:35:00.000+01:00

For those of you who have followed KT Miniatures for a few years will recognise this 1940s Hallway Room Box below. It was made by KT Miniatures in 2009 and then auctioned off at the 2009 Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair to raise money for Breast Cancer Campaign.

Full instructions on how to make this scene appeared over several issues of Dolls House & Miniatures Scene magazine that year plus several UK artisans also donated some pieces.

Well now....out of the blue the other day, the lovely lady who had the highest bid at that sealed bid auction and who is the owner of this little Hallway Room Box has been in touch.

Paula Ward from Daventry wrote a letter telling me how she is still thoroughly enjoying her purchase and sent a photo to show me how it has developed (see below).

George and Lil certainly seem well at home! I love the idea of putting a settee in the scene and making it in into a sitting room - ingenious! Paula is a talented lady and has added some of her own creations to the scene such as the tapestries on the wall and the knitting bag. In fact Paula forwarded photos of her work too and below is an image of her miniature knitting.

Now I am always in awe of anyone who can partake in miniature knitting (not something that I am good at) and Paula's work looks exquisite.

It has been a pleasure to see this little box again and hope you enjoyed it too.

THANK YOU PAULA!

Grecon Dolls - Arn't These Wonderful?

2011-07-01T14:00:00.002+01:00

Some Grecon dolls just don't do it for me and can be quite ordinary.....others are simply amazing. These little gems came in the other day and unsurprisingly some have already been snapped up within minutes of going up for sale. In fact, as I sit and type, grandma, the little girl and dog should be embarking on their mammoth journey "over the pond" to the US and their new home.

Grandma is wonderful and all three of these dolls and dog came in together, believed to have been made post war 1940s or possibly early 1950s. I love grandma's spotty dress with lace trim and bead embellishments. A really nice touch is her woollen scarf and her little bead neck decoration. None of these dolls have Grecon labels, whether they had any in the first place or whether they all dropped off, there is no way of knowing.

The little girl is sweet. She has a material dress and matching bloomers.

There is something so charming about this old dog. I have no idea what make he is, could even be Grecon but not sure? He appears to be made out of either pipe cleaners or woollen covered wire. I love him!

This delightful Grecon lady in a purple felt suit with felt frilly decoration and bead embellishments is in a super played with condition. Her hair style is very 1940s don't you think and you can just see a hint of a spotty blouse around the neckline?

Lovely!

She is still currently available at the time of writing this.

FOR FULL DETAILS GO TO http://www.ktminiatures.com/Old_Dolls.html

Handmade Vintage Style Garden Bits Just Added Today!

2011-06-29T23:29:00.000+01:00

Ok......I have finally been able to begin loading more stock onto KT Miniatures website today. They are my handmade garden pieces and have been listed under the new section

Shed, Outhouse & Garden Page

All are available to purchase and can be used with both reproduction and vintage dolls houses. The items that have been listed today are 1/12th scale but tomorrow I am hoping to load a few 1/24th scale pieces - these will be on the same page. Below you will find a selection of the many items now available.

I adore the vintage cottage garden style and love to use old fashioned kitchen utensils all rusted up or slightly aged such as an enamel painted washing up bowl, old kettle, old enamel saucepan and even an old water jug. Perfect for the old vintage country garden look.

Above is one of my set pieces of an old fashioned apple crate complete with aged watering can, rusty old oil can, pots etc. This is ideal for an old shed or outhouse scene.

Now...my grandma always used to put an old saucepan of water out for the birds.....so this is where I got the inspiration for this little piece!

I have made many of these sorts of wooden boxes over the years with various contents....this one has an aged trowel, "bulbs" ready for planting, vintage seed packets etc.

Well that's it for now, just a taster on what's now on offer on my website.....

CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS

I am about to list many vintage dolls house pieces to the website over the next few days...due to the workshop last weekend, my website has been slightly static of late as time has been sadly lacking .... I have a lot of catching up to do! There are some lovely vintage goodies coming...do keep a look out.

Yesterday's Workshop ... And Another Little Video

2011-06-27T19:31:00.001+01:00

Just to say that yesterday's "Over The Little Garden Fence Workshop" was a resounding success!

Robin and I were a teeny apprehensive as it was our first one....but the time flew by and it was great fun.

We spent the afternoon with twenty lovely and very creative ladies.... a great time was had by all....well the feedback we have had suggests that's the case!

Booking is now open for our second workshop "Down The Little Garden Path".

For more info including photos from yesterday, please go to our workshop website......

http://www.miniatureworkshops.com/

Meanwhile....here is our latest video........enjoy!

PS. I will be loading up several handmade "outside" pieces to KT Miniatures website in a couple of days, both 1/12th and 1/24th but more about that another day.

OUR WORKSHOP DISPLAY TABLE....Think Vintage, Rusty Bits, Weathered Look, Country Cottage....Nostalgia!

2011-06-24T07:48:00.000+01:00

As our first OVER THE LITTLE GARDEN FENCE WORKSHOP is being held this Sunday, some of my time this week has been taken up with last minute preparations. Everything is now complete and we are ready.

Below you can see some photos of items that will be on display at Sunday's workshop ......many of which will be available to purchase. The handmde items were created by both Robin and I, illustrating a taster of things to come in future workshops.

Think vintage, rusty bits, weathered look, country cottage....nostalgia!

Just to say that any unsold items of mine, will be listed for sale next week on the new SHED,OUTHOUSE & OUTDOORS page under KT Miniatures' Exclusive Items Section.

Meanwhile on Monday morning (27th June) booking will open for our second half day workshop project.....to be held on Sunday 18th September.

DOWN THE LITTLE GARDEN PATH WORKSHOP

We will have up to 20 spaces and booking early is advisable to avoid disappointment.

For full details see our Nostalgia In Miniature Workshops website:

http://www.miniatureworkshops.com/

SOME NEW CREATIONS - 1930s Wireless Tables & Some Bits For Your Shed etc!

2011-06-17T17:43:00.000+01:00

Have been at my workbench all week, working hard on a specific mini project however I did manage to squeeze in a bit of other creating and these new items have just been listed onto KT Miniatures website.

Seen here is one of those creations.....a 1930s-1940s wireless table that has a bakelite effect wireless and pretty cloth sitting on top of a slightly aged wooden table, with shelves underneath filled with an array of books, magazines, newspapers etc. These would suit either a reproduction or vintage dolls house.

You can find these under the Exclusive Handmade Items on the Living/Dining Room Page....

CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS

Also.....I have just created a brand new section under the Exclusive Items called.....

THE SHED, OUTHOUSE & OUTSIDE PAGE.

Just listed today on there are some more new creations. There is an old white painted and aged shelf standing on some tiny white washed bricks and filled with an array of rusty cans, a tin, boxes etc. It's versatile in so much as it can stand on the floor, a cupboard top or workbench in your mini shed, outhouse etc.

Also, there are two little set pieces that include some rusty cans, aged bricks and an assortment of foilage. Have been great fun to do!These could sit by your dolls house back door, backyard, garden or even by your little shed, outhouse etc.

For full details....CLICK HERE

NOSTALGIA IN MINIATURE WORKSHOP WEBSITE - Brand New!!!

2011-06-11T13:47:00.000+01:00

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

NOSTALGIA IN MINIATURE WORKSHOPS

Brand New Venture For KT Miniatures & Coombe Crafts

Apart from Robin Britton of Coombe Crafts and I being great friends, we also share a passionate interest in creating miniatures that have a real nostalgic feel with that much loved, well used and realistic look.

As experienced professional miniaturists, we have both enjoyed collaborating on numerous miniature projects over the years. Consequently it just seemed a natural progression to use our different but complementary skills in a series of workshops for enthusiasts who would like to create an original scene of their own, sharing in our ideas and expertise within a relaxed atmosphere.

You will have seen us advertising our Over The Little Garden Fence Workshop on here and our respective websites/blogs, however we are now expanding our workshop venture and combining it all onto one single website under the heading "Nostalgia In Miniature Workshops".

This can be found on:

www.miniatureworkshops.com

We will be offering a series of half day workshops based in Thame however shortly will be announcing a very special all day workshop to take place next March at an exciting Oxfordshire venue!!!!

Nostalgia In Miniature Workshops own website's Latest News page will be diverted through to it's very own new blog. So if you want to keep abreast of the workshop news hot off the press....do go take a peek.

http://miniatureworkshops.blogspot.com/

New Issue Of Dolls House Past & Present Online Magazine

2011-06-11T09:49:00.000+01:00

Just to let you know (if you didn't already) that the latest issue of the online DOLLS HOUSE PAST AND PRESENT MAGAZINE went live over the past couple of days.

There are a whole range of features tackled in this issue...ranging from an 1890s German Pastry Shop, Restoration of a G& J Lines House ....even what is believed to be a Tri-ang Hospital....AMAZING.... plus lots more!

Yep, even yours truly forwarded a feature on my lovely

Mathew's Animated Empire Vaudeville Toy Theatre circa 1930s - 1940s

What is even more brilliant is that Rebecca Green, editor of the magazine, embarked on a little bit of sleuthing and has managed to find out all sorts about the company that made this theatre: Mathews & Co.

If you are not familiar with this website or online magazine and are a fan of vintage & antique dolls houses, you really must go check it out.........

http://www.dollshousespastandpresent.com/issue9may2011index.htm

NEW OCTOBER DATE- "Over The Little Garden Fence Workshop"

2011-06-05T17:18:00.002+01:00

Just to let you know that due to our first "Over The Little Garden Fence Workshop" (June 26th) being a sell out with all places snapped up within 4 weeks, we are now running this all over again on Sunday 23rd October 2011.

So if you fancy coming along to Thame in Oxfordshire for a creative afternoon and make a nostalgic little garden scene in a friendly, relaxed and informal atmosphere with Robin Britton of Coombe Crafts and me .....Celia of KT Miniatures - we would love to hear from you.

We are offering a 3 hour workshop where you can create a unique and nostalgic little garden scene for just £28.50 in 1/12th scale or £26.50 in 1/24th scale. Places are limited so it is advisable to book early to avoid disappointment.

The emphasis will focuss on nostalgia and realism, using a variety of materials and techniques. Robin and I hope that not only will you leave the workshop at the end of the day with a wonderful little model garden but that you will also be inspired enough to be able to use the new methods learnt in your own future miniature projects too.

Full details can be found on our Workshop Promotional Page including a downloadable booking form:

http://www.ktminiatures.com/workshop.html

1930s Golden Wonder Book & Other Vintage Children's Books

2011-06-02T16:33:00.000+01:00

At long last I have been able to re-create some sets of vintage children's books in 1/12th scale, sorry no pages but just wooden inserts.... therefore for effect only. However I have made them with tatty dust covers to add to the well used and much loved look. They are now up for sale under KT Miniatures Exclusive Items...on the Childhood Page. The Golden Wonder Book is being sold with two other much loved 1930s children's books - as seen in photo below. (The other two books were my step-mum's as a child).

A few weeks ago, to celebrate one whole year of blogging, I had a competition of which the prize was some vintage books including a 1930s Golden Wonder Book. At the time, I had several enquiries about this specific book and subsequently promised that I would make some to sell.....sorry it has taken me so long to get down to this.

Growing up, I had my lovely step-mum's Golden Wonder Book and I absolutely adored it. I remember as a child being totally captivated by the illustrations and fairy tales. However sadly, as one grew up and moved house a few times, it became lost along the way...as they do (still not sure how). Then one day, I happened to be perusing our local Oxfam Book Shop here in Thame (can highly recommend it - is a real treasure trove) and stumbled across the book by accident. This book is a real collector's item these days and even though the cover was in bad condition I just had to buy it (was expensive though).

There are several of these sets available plus some other sets of 1930s-40s books, including a set of four boys books - all with dusty covers (some tatty).

ALL OF THESE CAN BE USED IN BOTH REPRODUCTION AND VINTAGE DOLLS HOUSES.

Go to the following page to see full details: http://www.ktminiatures.com/Childhood.html

Typical British Bank Holiday Monday - RAIN!!!

2011-05-30T17:39:00.000+01:00

I would just like to give a warm welcome to the few new followers who have joined KT Miniatures Journal over the past 3-4 weeks. Hello to you and hope you enjoy it here.

Ok... I decided to take a day off today away from KT Miniatures workbench (yep....Bank Holiday here again in the UK) but typical.....it has chucked it down literally all day. However, shouldn't complain really as our gardens are all so lacking in rain that we are in desperate need of some of the wet stuff . Undaunted, I dug out my tatty old blue plastic mac (famous for being on Midsommer Murders but that is another story)!!!lol....and spent an entire wonderful day gardening in the rain. I can highly recommend it - is very therapeutic.... even if I then did manage to trudge loads of muddy footprints right through the house without realising-ooops!!!

I couldn't resist taking a photo of my peony in the rain....I never saw it flower at all the previous summer.

Basically I was away for all of the half term holiday week last year and missed the peony flowering for its entire short life...so today, I am making the most of it! I know this has absolutely nothing to do with miniatures but what the heck - just humour me!!

KT Miniatures will be back to normal tomorrow and open for business once more. I have some more lovely vintage treasures plus some vintage style handmade pieces to add to the website over the next few days....but more news about those another time.

THE OLD BOOK SHOP - 1/12th Scale Shop Front

2011-05-23T17:19:00.000+01:00

I may have been a little quiet these past few days but have been beavering away on all sorts of projects up in the workroom!

One of the "new" creations is now complete and today has been put up for sale on KT Miniatures - a little secondhand book shop front, similar to one that I have made before but slightly different in design, colour and contents.

In fact this one, unlike the previous shop front, has an aged painted finish - to give the impression of a slightly neglected old shop. This little room box is crammed full with tiny replicas of real books mostly from the 1920s-1940s.

The three sash windows open fully so whoever purchases this can add to the shelves if they wish.

Personally I am a sucker for old books and can literally spend hours scouring the nooks and crannies of old secondhand bookshops. With this little scene I have tried to capture the essence of these wonderful old musty places.

Many of you may recognise some of the children's books? Yep...tucked away is a 1930s aged Gold Wonder Book, Gullivers Travels, Arthur & The Knights, Black Beauty etc....... in fact there are well over 60 books in total!

This is very compact and can easily sit on a shelf, a mantlepiece or be hung on the wall. Could make an ideal present for someone. Unlike many of my larger projects, this little shop front can be posted overseas.

For full details and more photos go to:

http://www.ktminiatures.com/The_Old_Book_Shop.html

Jersey Dolls House & Miniatures Club Exhibition August 21st

2011-05-16T09:28:00.002+01:00

Every so often a customer tells me of a special miniatures event/project that they are involved in and I am always pleased to "spread the word"! Today I am delighted to let you know of a wonderful event that might be a few months away yet but if you are planning on going to Jersey for a holiday, you may like to take special note.

St Brelade's Parish Hall is the pink building in this wonderful painting by Barbara Kendall-Davies

Barbara Kendall-Davies whose name you might well recognise if you are an ardent opera fan or indeed follower of KT Miniatures Old Dolls House Gallery, has forwarded me details of their Jersey Dolls House & Miniatures Club Exhibition which is taking place on Sunday 21st August 2011 from 10.00am - 5.00pm at St. Brelades's Parish Hall, St. Aubin's Harbour, Jersey.

All proceeds will be in aid of two charities- Help The Heroes and Motor Neurone Society.

The theme is market stalls and there will be dolls houses and room boxes on show plus a competition with questions based on the objects in the exhibition. There will also be a sales table with handmade miniatures and a raffle with a variety of prizes, as well as refreshments and home-made cakes. So if you are in that area during August....do go along. Barbara herself is a collector of vintage dolls houses, has a HUGE collection of dolls houses and miniatures, is a retired opera singer,biographer of Pauline Viardot Garcia plus as you can see from the painting...a very talented artist too!
Click on following link to view some of Barbara's collection on KT Miniatures Old Gallery:
http://www.ktminiatures.com/Collection4.html

NEW PROMOTIONAL VIDEO FOR DUSTY OLD ATTIC ROOM BOX

2011-05-08T16:12:00.001+01:00

In a mad moment, I decided to create a promotional video for my Old Dusty Attic Room which is currently for sale on KT Miniatures website. The video is a bit of an experiment but have had great fun "playing" with all the different effects & buttons......hope you like it! Phew..have even managed to get it on YouTube!

Please click on following link to find out more:

http://www.ktminiatures.com/Old_Dusty_Attic_Room.html

Addis Cleaning Set Boxed - Old Shop Stock

2011-05-06T00:02:00.000+01:00

Many of you will probably be familiar with these little Addis items. I suspect that quite of few of us in the UK would have had these in our 1960s childhood dolls houses. I certainly did and remember many a time happily sweeping and cleaning my dolls house floor with them. (Sad isn't it?) Mind you....I bet loads of you out there did the same!

Arn't these lovely?

Although primarily manufactured for the 1/16th scale dolls house market in the 1960s, they would be perfectly suitable in a modern 1/12th scale reproduction dolls house.

Just goes to show how really good traditional design can keep going through decades and still be in fashion all these years later. I seem to remember when we got married in the late 1970s we were given a real life sized Addis kitchen set for a wedding present that was used for years right up until the 1990s.

There are six boxed Addis sets currently for sale - all old shop stock. I say boxed, it's more of a packet and the items are enclosed inside under the plastic, completely untouched since their manufacture back in the 1960s. The set consists of a plastic bucket with wire handle, plastic dustpan & brush, plastic scrubbing brush, plastic broom & washing up bowl - all with "Addis" embossed somewhere on them. The bristles on the brushes are nylon and the broom handle is wooden.

You can see here from a past 1950s Lean-To 1/12th scale project, how useful some of these Addis items are ...they look quite at home.

These Addis sets are now up for sale under KT Miniatures Old 1/16th section, on the "Others Page". Please click on the following link to view:http://www.ktminiatures.com/Others.html

1950s Amersham "Uplands" Dolls House For Sale

2011-05-05T08:39:00.000+01:00

This very sweet little 1950s Amersham dolls house has just arrived in at KT Miniatures, all in original condition. You can see from the little name plate above the door that this house is called "Uplands". It is of wooden construction and still has all the metal opening windows intact which is nice - the sort that are totally unique to Amersham dolls houses.

Each window opens from either the left or the right and there is a fixed top panel above each one of them.

There is a room downstairs with a staircase leading up to another room plus a tiny archway leading into a smaller room above a garage. The wallpaper and flooring are original to the house which is great to see - so often these little vintage houses are redecorated as they pass through each generation. This has come direct from the previous owner who had this as a child.

On this 1950s model house the label has been painted/stencilled and is fully intact on the front of the base which again is great to see.

This floral patterned wallpaper above was commonly used in these Amersham 1950s model houses. I have taken a close up photo of each to help you identify this in your own vintage dolls house. It is so difficult sometimes to tell whether wallpaper is original to an old house isn't it?

Overall this little house is in a good played with condition although the chimney is missing, the small strip of brick paper is missing from the lower frontage and one handle off the garage door is long gone. But everything else is intact and original. The frontage also catches a tad on opening & shutting which is a common problem found in vintage dolls houses.

The original bulb is situated in the downstairs room and the wire leads out of the back down into the base where the battery would have been situated.

If you would like to find out more details please click on the following link:

http://www.ktminiatures.com/Amersham_Uplands_Dolls_House.html

Sorry but I have to say that as always, this is available to UK buyers only. If you wish to purchase this little treasure, you are welcome to collect from me in person at Thame (Oxfordshire) to minimise any risk of damage in transit - alternatively this is small enough to post via Parcelforce.

All Good Things Must Come To An End.

2011-05-04T09:05:00.000+01:00

After two glorious bank holidays in a row here - all good things must come to an end I suppose. KT Miniatures may have only been open for just 4 days out of the last 12 but I have not been completely idle during that time....honest!

As you have probably guessed from the theme of my joint venture with Robin of Coombe Crafts - Over The Little Garden Fence Workshop (we only have 2 spaces left now by the way) that yep, I do love gardening. Most of the year, my garden takes on a rustic and rambling look - ie. usually in desperate need of pruning and weeding due to lack of time & energy. But I have had no excuse these past few days; digging and weeding I have done in abundance! Then in a moment of creativity decided to make a herb garden - something I've been meaning to do for ages.

Although it is far from complete - its definitely well on its way. Just like with my miniatures, in real life I love old battered items such as this old terracotta pot filled with parsley. The pot may be aged, discoloured & cracked but I love it! By the way, if you are wondering why there is lemon peel all over the herb patch - let's just say that I have been told that it can act as a cat repellant. Little Freddie thinks that any newly dug soil is his litter tray! Molly (the black & white cat) is much more refined & goes elsewhere....maybe it's a "male thing"! It's still early days but so far so good, it seems to be working. I am also told that lavender and rue is a good deterrent so lavender is lurking in the herb garden already and I am trying to track down some rue. If none of this works then my Plan B will be this new "Scaredy Cat Plant" that people are talking about.

Then there's my little secret bit which is my hideaway for chilling out when I want to be on my own. Ok - my little arbour may be ancient & slightly distressed plus lean to one side when I sit on it, but I adore it still. To me naturally aged objects have real character and presence.Yes, it may need yet another lick of paint but it will simply have to wait for now.

KT Miniatures is now back open for business and I hope to start loading up more vintage items shortly including a couple of dolls houses. I am also about to embark on some "making" so watch this space!

Some Vintage Tri-ang Components, Technical Difficutlies etc.!

2011-04-28T16:00:00.000+01:00

OUR "SUBSCRIBED TO" NEWSLETTER - TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES!
Ok - to cut a long story short ....I have been tangling with my server company over problems in trying to send out my "subscribed to" newsletter that goes out regularly by email to many of you. However, after 2 days of much wasted time & effort on my part to try and send it out - the problem appears to be at the server end and completely out of my control. So sorry folks, until the server company pull their finger out & rectify the problem, there will not be any newsletters for the moment. But I will endeavour to keep you completely up to date with all KT Miniatures news/additions etc. on here anyway.

(Technology eh....great as long as it works)!!!

TRI-ANG VINTAGE COMPONENTS

First up - yesterday I listed for sale on KT Miniatures website some vintage Tri-ang components such as metal Tri-ang windows, garage doors, steps and even two chimneys all of which came from a sorry old 1950s Tri-ang No 61. So if you have an old Tri-ang house missing any of these components & wish to find out more info - click on the following link:

http://www.ktminiatures.com/Metal_Windows.html

OVER THE LITTLE GARDEN FENCE WORKSHOP

Next bit of news is simply to say that we only have just 2 spaces left available on our workshop......yep, that means we have 18 lovely people booked to come and spend a creative and fun afternoon with us here in Thame (Oxfordshire) on the afternoon of Sunday 26th June.

If you would like to find out more info about this workshop where you will have an opportunity to create either a 1/12th scale or 1/24th scale unique garden scene (see pic above), then click on the following link which is the official Over The Little Garden Workshop web page:

http://www.ktminiatures.com/workshop.html

ANOTHER BANK HOLIDAY - CLOSED AGAIN - SORRY!

Sorry but due to yet another bank holiday here in the UK this coming weekend (aaah lovely isn't it?) - this time the extended one due to the Royal Wedding & May Day, I will be closed from tomorrow (Friday) until Monday and will be back open again for business on Tuesday 3^rd May. I will endeavour to look in on emails over the weekend when I can, so if you wish to reserve items you can do, then I will contact you formally on my return on Tuesday to sort out payment details.

SO TA-TA FOR NOW!

Celia

GeeBee Dolls House For Sale On KT Miniatures

2011-04-27T13:16:00.000+01:00

Just listed this morning on KT Miniatures website is a very attractive little 1950s-60s GeeBee dolls house.

This is a 1/16th scale dolls house of wooden construction in original played with condition. Have to admit that there are various models of GeeBee dolls houses that I am just not keen on but this particular model is something else and simply delightful. It consists of only two rooms (like the Tri-ang No 60s & 61's etc.) .....a small room downstairs and one large room upstairs. This particular example is completely bare inside with the original white paint which is refreshing.

The pull out tin canopies are, as far as I know, quite unique to the GeeBee dolls houses, which were made by the Tudor Toy Company of Hull. This particular model I understand, was manufactured during the 1950s & 1960s. However, these tin canopies as well as the immediately recognisable tin Romside windows, would most definitely not pass any modern health and safety regulations these days.

To little fingers, the edges particularly on the tin canopies in theory could be sharp enough to cut! How did the manufacturers get away with this in their day? Although saying that, my lovely little wooden dolls house made by grandfather back in the '60s had tin Romside windows & I just accepted that I would sometimes get grazed knuckles/fingers etc from my windows if I wasn't careful! We were of a generation that grew up with dolls houses containing these elements. The generation before even had real glass windows, lead paint & rusty nails to contend with but we all managed to survive didn't we?

Another feature to these GeeBee dolls houses are that the foilage feature on the frontage is not just painted but textured too which is very effective.

Another attractive feature of this house is that it has a little driveway edged in painted "flower" borders leading up to the car port or is it (as on the Tri-angs) a sun porch? Either way, a little car could fit in there.

For full details, go to: http://www.ktminiatures.com/GeeBee_Dolls_House.html
Sorry but this is only available to UK buyers.

HAPPY EASTER - Taking some much needed time out - KT Miniatures closed for the weekend.

2011-04-22T18:08:00.001+01:00

I would just like to wish you all a VERY HAPPY EASTER and hope you are having a fabulous time whatever you are doing. The weather here in the UK is truly gorgeous (unusually for a bank holiday weekend)! As to KT Miniatures - I have decided to close for the bank holiday weekend and am having a long overdue rest as life has been very unpredictable of late and hectic.

So after spending a lovely Good Friday with family and in the garden doing absolutely nothing much in particular (which is very rare these days) I decided as I had the camera out - to take a photo with eggs in mind. I may not have mini Easter Eggs.... but I do have some very old wooden eggs in egg cups - so here you go! These permanently live in my 1930s Hobbies House kitchen and actually, I did once have three but thanks to my youngest cat who ate one (yes seriously), now only have two!

Then as I was snapping away in my Hobbies house I decided to photo one of my most precious miniature posessions.....is not worth much in monetary value but I absolutely adore it. This is my very old art deco vase decorated in the most glorious shade of green with orange flowers.....how so 1920s-30s is that! For those of you who are art deco fans, am sure you will love it too. I got this at auction with a number of vintage items, have absolutely no idea of its maker but whoever made it was extremely talented and I would not want to part with it for the world!

The vase sits on top of a very old wooden fireplace that I obtained from a "dolls house" friend along with a whole load of vintage goodies. I had purchased it to sell but like the vase, just could not part with it. Again, this wooden fireplace with paper tiled decoration is genuinely old, maker unknown but most definitely early 1900s. It oozes pure nostalgia and my vase complements it beautifully.

One day, if I can get my act together & have some spare time "to play", I will do an update to my lovely 1930s Hobbies House Gallery Page on the KT Miniatures Old Dolls House Gallery pages.

KT Miniatures will be back open for trading on Tuesday after the bank holiday weekend. Will catch up with emails/orders then.

Meanwhile, once again, Happy Easter to you all!

Photos Of The 1/24th Garden Project- Just Four Places Left! Special Notice For Dolls House Clubs.

2011-04-20T16:38:00.000+01:00

OVER THE LITTLE GARDEN FENCE WORKSHOP - JUNE 26th. THAME IN OXFORDSHIRE

1/12TH SCALE GARDEN & 1/24TH SCALE GARDEN

For those of you who are followers of this blog and KT Miniatures website, you will have already seen that I am running a workshop for the very first time in partnership with Robin Britton of Coombe Crafts. We only started advertising it 2 weeks ago and have already filled nearly all twenty spaces! The workshop is taking place on Sunday June 26th here in Thame, Oxfordshire at the Thame Guide HQ. We have just 4 more spaces now currently available (at the time of me posting this) so do get in touch asap if you wish to join us for an afternoon of creativity!

Above you can see several photos of the tiny 1/24th scale garden. If you sign up for our workshop you will have the opportunity to make this scene in either 1/12th or 1/24th scale. We will be using a combination of natural & synthetic materials along with various techniques/skills to create an overall nostalgic and old fashioned garden. The finished item can be used to butt up against an existing dolls house or stand alone. In fact Robin and I are already planning the second workshop project to take place in September (hopefully). This second project will complement the little garden scene & used with an existing dolls house or would be able to stand alone..... but more about that another day!

Meanwhile, if you would like further information about how to book for one of the last few remaining spaces, then please click on the following link to see the official page:

http://www.ktminiatures.com/workshop.html

NB. Special notice for any UK dolls house clubs

If your club would like to spend an afternoon in July, making the little garden project from our Over The Little Garden Fence Workshop, then please get in touch with either me or Robin. We would consider running an additional workshop on a Sunday afternoon in July, as long as there are 10 people or more - if your club wished to block book.

Meanwhile- we have noticed that many UK dolls house clubs contact information on the internet as a general rule, is old and no longer applicable. Information doesn't appear to have been updated over a number of years in some cases. So, Robin has come up with the idea that if someone from any UK dolls house club would like to forward their info to either Robin or I then we will set up a general list with up to date dolls house club info at a glance that everyone can share.

Freddie Trying To Look Inconspicuous.

2011-04-17T16:01:00.001+01:00

Now for a miniature of the four legged kind!!! Look who I caught sight of...............luckily I had my camera to hand. Freddie (our youngest of two cats we got from the shelter) is becoming more of an outdoor cat these days. Often he is hard to find as he loves the garden but his new hiding place has been rumbled!!

What a little poser!!!!!