It Has Been A While - Back To Creating A Miniature Antique Style Lampshade For Little Antique Shop

It has been quite a while since I have been on this blog. I am still around, and am still attending the Haddenham Antique Fair on the fourth Sunday of every month with some miniature treasures, as well as real life size treasures for you to buy. But life has well and truly taken me in an unexpected direction since my retirement from KT Miniatures. I had started my initial Reiki Healing training a few years ago, and had promised myself to complete the next "practitioner level" of training when I retired...which I did. I only meant to do this for my own personal development but very quickly events took over, and became a Reiki practitioner a year later!! It has been life changing and truly wonderful to find myself with a skill that helps people. And after several months I made a final decision to end my miniature workshops too, it truly was the end of KT Miniatures. But am enjoying the world of miniatures very much as a hobby now. 

And here we are...

I love my little antique shop but have been waiting a long time for the right kind of lampshade to come along. One never did (well not an affordable one anyway), so I decided to make one. And it felt good to be creating again! The aim was to make the lampshade look old, quirky and bold enough to make a statement. All materials used were picked up incredibly cheap from car boot sales. I used an old broken metal brooch, beautiful glass beads from a broken early 1900s lampshade, and other glass beads from some sort of antique tassel. 

After breaking the remnants of the clasp off the back of the brooch, I sorted out eight original glass bead strands from the lamp, then removing excess beads but keeping original cotton thread, I tied them around the brooch evenly. 

From the tassel I cut off eight strands of glass beads, removed excess beads then threaded them evenly spaced around the brooch. 

It took a bit of patience but was well worth it. With the addition of a hanging wire made from a few more beads plus some fuse wire, and a touch up with acrylic paints to disguise the knotted thread ends, I was very pleased with the result. 

And here it is in situ, fitted to a hanging bar made from an old coat hangar. 

My little antique shop is the prototype from one of our old workshops which we did over a decade ago now...can't believe how quick the time goes! The contents changes from time to time, as I eventually find room for them in one of my dolls houses or room settings. However I have greatly downsized my collection of dolls houses and only have a couple or so now. Am still selling one or two pieces of the contents on my stand at the Haddenham Antique Fair. 

It is filled with a mixed bunch of antique, vintage, preloved and my handmade items (from KT Miniatures' days). 

The door at the back does not open, and is for effect only. The little drawers all open, so too the glass cupboard. The chequered floor was hand painted (a technique taught in several of our workshops). 

I love this old typewriter and antique crockery. The carver chair with tapestry upholstery  (right of photo) was made by master craftsman Stuart King a few decades ago, and whom I have recently had the pleasure to meet in person as a customer at the Haddenham Fair. What a lovely and amazing character he is!

There are so many of the antique glass beads left over that I think I may be making another lampshade in the near future for my old little haberdashery. 

I hope you have enjoyed taking a peek. 

Celia

PS. I will be at the Haddenham Antique Fair next Sunday (May 24th). Hope to see you there!

Haddenham Antique & Collectables Fair This Sunday 26th October

I will be at the Haddenham Antique & Collectables Fair tomorrow,  Sunday (26th October) with a double stand filled with a variety of gorgeous vintage/antique/preloved dolls house miniatures and various real life size treasures. Below in the photos, you can see a little hint of what will be on offer. 

There are some budget priced Grecon dolls, some of my old handmade stock leftover from my KT Miniatures days...and a lot more besides. 

You will find a selection of old dolls house furniture from various decades. 

Amongst the treasures are some lovely 1930s German dolls, a tiny antique carved German doll in an egg, plus a rare early 1900s dolls house glass lampshade. 

There are a variety of trays filled with vintage miniatures to search through, as well as a whole crate of vintage dolls house furniture, box of vintage Tri-ang 1960s furniture and a Jennys Home room box with furniture. 

Plus a whole table filled with general real life size antique and vintage treasures. 

You will find me at:

Haddenham Village Hall, Banks Park, Banks Road, Haddenham, Bucks. HP17 8EE

9.00am to 3.00pm / £2.00 admission. Hot & cold refreshments throughout day, free parking (simply tap in your car registration number on the machine inside the hall). 

Hope to see you there!

Celia

Haddenham Antiques & Collectables Fair This Sunday

I will be at the Haddenham Antiques & Collectables Fair this Sunday (September 28^th) with an array of rather lovely old treasures to purchase.

On offer will be this gorgeous late Victorian dolls house, with two lovely tin fireplaces, as well as old papers and original glass windows. 

There will be the usual rummaging boxes of vintage dolls house furniture, including Barton, Tri-ang, etc. 

Plus an array of other antique and vintage miniature pieces, including a selection of miniature dolls. And of course, there will be a variety of real-life size old treasures too such as seen above, and a lot more besides. 

 

Hope to see you there!

Celia 

 

Haddenham Village Hall, Banks Park, Banks Road, Haddenham, Bucks. HP17 8EE

9.00am to 3.00pm. £2.00 Entry. Plenty of parking (new system for free parking – log number plate into parking monitor inside hall). Refreshments available.

End Of An Era - KT Miniatures Website Now Gone

Just to confirm that as from today, KT Miniatures website is no longer live, it has gone in its entirety! Although I closed KT Miniatures as a business back in March of this year, I kept the website going just for a few more months, but today was the day that the deed needed to be done. 

Yet another end of an era for me, as my ktminiatures.com website has been live in its various designs for over 18 years, the first few being designed and looked after by Mr KT Miniatures (my late husband). After he sadly passed in 2016, I was left clueless and bereft with regards to all technical stuff, but a brilliant guy called Greg came to my rescue and has looked after all my IT needs since then. Greg's patience was endless, (as I really was clueless), he designed a new website and taught me how to manage it on my own. There were a few disasters at times when I managed to press the wrong buttons, but he always calmly rectified my mistakes, and it ticked along fine for another nine years. 

I will still be keeping this KT Miniatures Journal blog going and will keep you informed of any forthcoming miniature workshops I am running in Thame on here. Plus, I am continuing to have a stand on the fourth Sunday of every month at the Haddenham Antique & Vintage Fair. I usually have an array of antique and vintage treasures, including miniature and dolls house items. 

Meanwhile, please note that my business email of info@ktminiatures.com is now no longer live. My new email is: celiathomasmins@gmail.com

I am also on Instagram as: vintagektminiatures

So, thank you again everyone for your brilliant support over the years, but hope you will still stay in touch via this blog (please feel free to email me or leave a comment on here), or on Instagram. 
Celia Thomas x

 

Some Fabulous Miniatures For Sale This Sunday At Haddenham Antique & Collector's Fair

I will be at the Haddenham Antique & Collector’s Fair as usual this Sunday (25th May) with not just one but two tables of old dolls house miniatures, miniature curios and a selection of real life sized treasures. Here are just some of the lovely treasures that will be on offer. 

This varied selection of highly collectable dolls have just come in and will be available to purchase at Sunday's fair. It includes a tiny jointed wooden doll that comes with a wooden egg, a 1 1/4" Carl Horn bisque doll (German) in original crocheted dress, an exquisite small German bisque flapper doll with moulded hat, two German composition baby dolls with open mouths and dummies, plus original clothes...probably by Hertwig. Also a smaller composition baby doll with original clothes, also believed to be by Hertwig. 

This rare "God Save The King" miniature gramophone record is a replica of one of the six that were made for Queen Mary's dolls house and sold at the British Empire Exhibition in Wembley 1924. Apparently they were also available after the exhibition at some HMV accredited dealers. It is unknown how many were made but believed to be only a few hundred so  are thought to be extremely rare now and highly valuable.  As you can see though that this is cracked, but it is still deemed highly collectable. Because of the damage, I am happy to sell at substantially less than if in complete condition. 

Also there is a miniature harmonica with box, miniature penknife (have never seen one of these before), antique hallmarked silver miniature bird pincushion, a decorative antique metal basket pincushion with handle, and a vintage miniature binoculars. 

There is a vintage Tri-ang Jennys Home room complete with furniture for sale, also a wide variety of other vintage Tri-ang furniture. There are also a couple of Jenny dolls and a rare complete Jennys Home Magazine. 

All of these beauties are only available to purchase at the fair. Cash only I'm afraid as I will not have the facility to accept cards at the fair. 

Hope to see you on Sunday. Celia x

Haddenham Village Hall, Banks Park, Banks Road, Haddenham, Bucks. HP17 8EE

9.00am-3.00pm. £2.00 Entry. Lots of free parking.