Due To Bad Weather & Delivery Meltdown, KT Miniatures Now Closed For Xmas

Due to what appears to be a complete meltdown in the UK delivery service caused by bad weather over parts of the country these past few days, plus today here in Thame we have had some pretty heavy snowfall, I have finally decided to close KT Miniatures a few days earlier than planned, as it will be a pointless exercise in trying to despatch any more parcels for Xmas.....sorry folks!  



 

 After continual snow for hours today, it has finally stopped. I sympathise fully with those of you who have had this for days already. It is not often we get heavy snow in this part of the world and everything simply grinds to a halt with just a few inches of the white stuff!

However, Thame High Street looks like something out of a fairy tale, with all the ancient buildings peeking out from under the snow and the Christmas lights & tree outside the old town hall...simply magical. It looked like time had stood still for 100 years!!!!!! If only I had had my camera with me when I took my life in my hands and ventured out for supplies.  But after having fallen on the ice yesterday from which I am still nursing a cut and bruised knee, my attention was focussed on trying to stay upright today.

Officially I am opening for business again on the 3rd January. Although I should still have access to my computer from time to time over the festive period, so please do still feel free to email or reserve items if you wish. I may not respond immediately but will do so as soon as I can. 

Thank you for taking the time to read KT Miniatures Journal during 2010 and hope you have found it interesting. Thank you also for your friendship too. We have had some brilliant & entertaining communications over the months. So without further ado, it just leaves me to wish you all....

A Very Merry Xmas!

X

A Little Girl At Christmas In The 1930s!

Thought you might like to take a peek at this old home movie that I randomly came across on the net. You will see a little girl with her many dolls and 30's dolls house filled with furniture.  
What make is that house?Love the Shirley Temple doll too. 
 Not sure over how many years this film represents but she was certainly younger at the beginning of the film than at the end. The music is from the 1950s (I think) and although annoying, I found myself singing along by the third time of watching!

Enjoy....

ooops...bit of a hiccup today!

Ever had one of those days when you wished you'd stayed in bed?!!!!!

Yep...today is one of those days...grrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just to let you know that today we appear to be experiencing big server problems so consequently KT Miniatures website seems to be taking on a life of its own.  You will be finding it hard to download pages and buttons not working.  I can only apologise and hope all will clear and get back to our breezy normal service very soon. Thank you for your patience.

As if that was not bad enough, my computer  died just after 9.00 this morning and for a while I felt my right arm had been cut off!! Thankfully it turned out to be just the monitor that has gone up to that big cyber heaven in the sky and hubby has hooked me up to an old one....so yippee....am  back up and running of a sort. Have to admit it was scary for a while....just before Xmas with outstanding orders to get out..... not great timing!!!

I am aiming to close officially for the Xmas period on Wednesday lunchtime next week - Wednesday 22nd December so if you are UK based and wishing to order items for Xmas you can still do so.

http://www.ktminiatures.com/

New Vintage Background Look To KT Miniatures Website

Visitors to KT Miniatures website over the past 24 hours could not have failed to notice that the website has a new look!

After a couple of years with the same website I felt it was time for a bit of sprucing up. The website framework is still basically the same but the main background is now made up from images based on the 1930s wallpaper that is currently for sale on KT Miniatures (Ref: Wallpaper No 20 ). I picked out two flowers from the overall design of the actual wallpaper then replicated them...lets just say many times.....I think I need a lie down now!!!!

Hopefully over the Xmas period when life is a bit quieter I will be able to turn my attention to the website properly as I still have a bit of tweaking to carry out, but whats more exciting is that I have some new and innovative pages to add...so "watch this space" as they say. For now though, its heads down and back to getting those Xmas orders out.

Hope you like it!

http://www.ktminiatures.com/

A Free Printie From KT Miniatures

Yippee.....it's now December & Christmas is nearly upon us,  so here's a little printie to help get you into the festive spirit .......ideal for both reproduction and vintage dolls houses.

Click on the image above & wait for the PDF to download.  Then simply print off on ordinary paper your free vintage Christmas cards in 1/12th scale. Have fun with them!

From Celia of www.ktminiatures.com

Tri-ang CEX Kitchen & Bathroom Fixtures

If you have a vintage Tri-ang CEX dolls house, you may be interested to know that just listed for sale on KT Miniatures are some plastic furniture fixtures from a Tri-ang CEX dolls house. I understand CEX Tri-ang houses were first available in 1958 and then for a few years into the 1960s. These pieces are quite rare in so much as they just don't come along very often and could be very useful to you if you are missing them from your original CEX house.

They were salvaged from  a very sad dolls house that was in dreadful condition and truly beyond repair! I am not in the habit of taking components from lovely vintage dolls houses  I can assure you but do so only when restoration/renovation is beyond hope.

These CEX pieces are quite basic compared to the Tri-ang Spot-On & Jennys Home kitchen and bathroom furniture, nevertheless they do have great charm. As this kitchen unit is moulded plastic, none of the doors or drawers open but I like the nice touch of the grill space on the far left where the cooker is situated.

This moulded bath and sink are fixed onto a red plastic panel and although simple in design are still delightful. The toilet does have a lift up toilet seat and is fully intact which is quite refreshing. In fact the toilet is more rare than the bath/sink unit as the tiny plastic fixing brackets and cistern are reknowned for cracking when removal is attempted from an old dolls house.  This is a common problem with other makes of vintage plastic furniture too, with age the hard plastic becomes more brittle & prone to damage.  

FOR FULL DETAILS GO TO THE VINTAGE 1/16TH TRI-ANG PAGE ON KT MINIATURES

http://www.ktminiatures.com/Tri-ang.html

Charming Vintage Dolls House

This charming dolls house has just gone up for sale on KT Miniatures under the OLD HOUSES FOR SALE section. It  has huge potential and whoever purchases this can have great fun with it. Exact age is unknown and possibly originates from the late 1930s but I feel it is more likely to have been created post war 1940s or early 1950s.

It has obviously been homemade but there are some delightful Art Deco features. Just check out those diamond glass decorative doors! The garage is extremely spacious with side window so just imagine what you could do with that alone.

Inside there are homemade wooden old fashioned fireplaces and in each room some wonderful original bakelite light fittings with paper shades!

Whoever purchases this lovely house could have great fun furnishing it with 1/16th scale furniture. Bargain for someone....as it is competitively priced at just £75.00 and would make a great Christmas pressie. Not suitable for children under 14 though. The downstairs fireplace fret is simply made out of cut tin and lethal to little fingers!!!

CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS

Some Exquisite Antique Miniatures Just Released For Sale

Every so often I acquire some of the more unusual antique miniature items and have just listed for sale on KT Miniatures some gorgeous & quite rare pieces that just don't come along very often.  It is fair to say that  I have found it painful to let these go and not keep them for my own collection but as I am supposed to be running a business.....go they must!



Both these metal pieces originate from the early part of the 20th century and believed to be German. The gong is very Art Nouveau in style and little coal scuttle has a lift up lid for your miniature coal!

As a child I remember in our cemetery lodge house, we had an ancient 1930s black bakelite phone identical in style to this. Does anyone out there remember how one had to carefully poke ones finger through the relevant numbered hole and revolve the dial right round to the end for each separate digit? Is hard to imagine now with our super duper trendy & instant push button phones! This particular German piece originates from the 1920s/1930s, is metal and a bit larger in scale than the traditional 1/12th scale, however would look fabulous in a vintage dolls house where scale is irrelevant.

And now for this..... not sure what the proper name for it is but I will refer to it as a drinking vessel. I do know that it is German and from the early 1900s. The outer casing is metal and the inner is made of green glass. Considering it's age, is in a wonderful condition.

All these can be found on www.ktminiatures.com on the Living Room/Dining Room page under the Antique 1/12th section. I also have some very old 1920s/30s glass striped tumblers and an antique bread board that have just been listed on the Kitchen page too, with more antique glassware to come!

Some Little Framed Prints Plus A Bit More Junk Too!

This is the last of my creations to leave the workshop this week as my attention has to turn to other projects for the next few days.  All are suitable to be used in both reproduction dolls houses and vintage dolls houses.



Framed 1930s Landscape Prints



Framed Biblical Prints

Above are a sample of some of the very old prints that have been created inside a black painted aged frame. Others are available too.


These set pieces can be used in a corner of an old attic or outhouse, maybe a spare bedroom or even a charity shop or junk shop. All the items including framed prints, printed boxes, books, magazines and newspapers are from the 1930s era so can be used in settings from the 1930s onwards.

All of these, apart from the Biblical Prints can be found on KT Miniatures website on the General Page under Exclusive Items.
http://www.ktminiatures.com/General.html

Biblical Prints can be found on the Bedroom page under the Exclusive Items.
http://www.ktminiatures.com/Bedroom.html

A Bit Of Old Junk...Of The Miniature Kind!

Two more mini items to leave the workroom this week are suitable for an old attic, spare bedroom, old outhouse, charity or secondhand/junk shop.

Here is a shabby old washstand and old leather trunk filled with junk and surrounded by boxes and books etc.There is even a pair of child's shoes and a wartime cigarette album in the trunk! I like to pack as much in as possible with a few little bits that may not be obvious at first.

All items are fixed and both the washstand and trunk are being sold as separate set pieces on KT Miniatures website. They can be found on the General Page under the Exclusive Items section.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

1940s Hospital Ward Scene Now Complete - Step back in time!

Back in October I featured on here an unusual commission that I had been working on and promised to show you more when the project was complete. Well I am pleased to say it is now finished and my customer was delighted with the result!

There are so many photos that I thought it would be easier to feature it as a slide show....so here we go....from the very beginning as just an empty Victorian smokers cabinet, through all its different stages.... to its completion as a hospital ward based at Xmas in wartime Britain during the 1940s. It was great fun to do!

Special thanks must go to Robin Britton of Coombe Crafts for creating Mr Patient and Miss Nurse http://www.coombecrafts.co.uk/

Hope you like it!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON KT MINIATURES COMMISSIONED ROOM BOXES

A Few More Handmade 1930s Bits & Pieces

New creations emerging from my workroom this week are yet more vintage books  but this time arranged on wooden wall shelves.

For the children of the dolls house there are two different kinds of 1930s quoits boards...a "Golly Board" and a "Cartoon Board" along with six loose hoops.

Finally for the residents of your dolls house, there are some old fashioned sofas that have been given a paint effect in order to look like old rexine, complete with moth eaten blankets and slightly dirty throws! Each sofa contains two cushions with a handpainted vintage floral design along with a pile of fixed vintage books and a newspaper. Suitable for the 1930s era onwards.

As with the majority of all my other handmade pieces under the Exclusive Items range, these can be used with both vintage and reproduction dolls houses. All are now up for sale on www.ktminiatures.com

Miniature Books Galore Plus A Bit More Besides!

Ok.....have been rather busy these past couple of days creating dozens of miniature 1/12th scale books in a variety of ways, replicas of the life sized books and most of which are new to KT Miniatures. They have now gone up for sale on my website ......and there is still yet more to come! These are suitable for use in both vintage and reproduction dolls houses.

There are some 1930s book cases crammed full with books of various sizes, all fixed into place in a realistic and random way. The wooden bookshelves have been given a dark painted finish, suitable for 1930s era onwards.

There are various sets of five books fixed together, sets of children's books arranged in a variety of ways plus..ok, nothing to do with books but these have also just gone up for sale too.......some 1930s boxed games of Snap and Happy Families based on real games from that era.

All these new creations can be seen under the various headings in the Exclusive Items section on KT Miniatures website: http://www.ktminiatures.com/

Aged Bookcase Filled With Books-Raffle Donation

Well ....at long last I am pleased to say that I have been able to get down to making a donation for the Breast Cancer Campaign Raffle, which is taking place next February at Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair.

It is an aged wooden bookcase in 1/12th scale, the sort that I have been making for years based on a real 1930s piece of furniture....but the difference is that amongst some of my regular mini books, I have a whole set of 22 mini vintage books fixed on here that you won't have seen before! These replicas of pre-war books I have been able to create from a whole bundle of real life sized vintage books that were specially loaned to me by a great friend. (Thank you Robin!) The bookcase stands at 3 1/2" high and is just 1 3/4" wide, in an aged dark wooden finish - typical of the 1930s.

Very shortly I will be putting up for sale three bookcases similar to the above on KT Miniatures, all in 1/12th scale plus have several other projects with vintage books in the pipeline....watch this space...as they say!

To see the updated page of some of the wonderful raffle prizes already donated to the Breast Cancer Campaign Raffle go to http://www.ktminiatures.com/Raffle.html

My Little Workroom....Revealed!

A customer I have known for many years requested recently if I could put a photo or two on here of  my workroom.  In a moment of madness I promised.....so here we go folks...for better or worse!

In fact for some reason, on numerous occasions people have enquired about my workroom and visitors who come to the house never ever catch a glimpse of this sacred haven of mine (well not usually anyway) .....as apart from anything else, one has to negotiate two flights of stairs and venture up into the dizzy heights of the house. Then there is a serious question of health and safety.......umm... basically for one’s own health and safety, it is not recommended to set foot in this room! Rarely do I ever see the floor in its entirety and one has to step over or around various boxes, implements, tools, materials of one sort or another plus various old dolls houses in order to get to my workbench.

As I constantly have several projects on the go at any one time, I recognise what a muddle my room must look to outsiders. Members of the family who take their life in their hands to bring me up an occasional cup of tea, often can be heard tut tutting about the messy state of my room.....(which is ironic when coming from one's teenage daughter who tutted on the state of my little room the other day...but whose own bedroom makes my workroom look tidy)! However, I can confidently say that I know where everything is most of the time and  work far better in a state of constant mess and mayhem.....as it is organised mess and mayhem. I am sure other colleagues out there may nod in recognition.

However the downside is that there is no central heating up there and at this time of year, it can be blooming freezing....so I have to wear socks and several layers of clothes and sing along to Radio Two all day, to keep warm. I occasionaly treat myself to a quick blast from a fan heater when ice forms on the inside of the window but have to be careful due to so many chemicals such as paints, various glues, woodworm killer (for the old dolls houses just in case you are wondering) and varnishes etc. at such close quarters. 



This is my lovely 1930s bungalow that sits in a corner and which I find utterly inspiring.



But hey....being an ex-cemetery superintendent's daughter and having been brought up in a 1930s costwold stone  cemetery lodge with no central heating at all (it was quite normal to find my bedroom curtains frozen to the inside of the window).... I feel I am well equipped to deal with such conditions!lol

THE BOOK OF DOL-TOI

THE BOOK OF DOL-TOI  By Marion Osborne has now just been released for sale, covering absolutely everthing from dolls house furniture to accessories that this company sold from 1944 to 1975. FANTASTIC!

I for one have eagerly awaited it's publication, like many others and there has never been such a concise book written on Dol-Toi ever!  It has taken Marion two years to write, even longer to research and although I have not seen it in the flesh yet, am absolutely sure it will have been well worth the wait. So if you are a serious collector of vintage dolls houses and furniture, this book is for you!



There are 217 pages of text, back to back and comb bound, complete with a disc containing over 3,500 photos to illustrate the book. With new technology the print is lovely and crisp and the photos on the disc are clear, in colour and easy to see. However, please take note.....if you do not have access to a computer then Marion warns that this book may not be for you, as you will not be able to access the hundreds of photos on the disc.

For full details plus how you can order this book, please go to the  Recommended Reading Page on KT Miniatures website CLICK HERE as this book is only available to order directly from Marion herself.

Video Of A Wartime House

For anyone creating a miniature 1930s/40s wartime house or scene, you may find the following video useful and inspiring. I stumbled across it by accident and it gives me goosebumps each time I watch it! 

It is of the Piermaster's House as it would have been furnished in wartime Liverpool. Turn your speakers on to soak up the sounds of the era too. The furnishings are fascinating however do ignore the plastic bottle of water sitting on the side in the kitchen (oops...someone slipped up there then)!!!! 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW WW2 ITEMS PAGE ON KT MINIATURES WEBSITE



A Big THANK YOU Plus Introducing Some New Kids On The Blog - Ronfel Miniatures

I think its about time I said a "big thank you" to all you lovely people out there who have become followers of this KT Miniatures Journal....hope you are enjoying it and finding it useful? 

I have to admit to being a reluctant blogger when I first began this KT Miniatures Journal (a few months ago now) and I think it's fair to say that it has taken me a bit of time to get the hang of blogging! Took me about 3 weeks before I dared press the "Followers" button on another blog!!! But is easy once you know isn't it? Well...it is once you know which buttons to press.......and learning about which ones NOT to press!

I must add a big thank you too, to those of you who take the time to leave a comment every so often. It is lovely to hear from you. Must admit, when time permits which isn't as often as I would wish, I love to peruse all your lovely blogs out there and although I just couldn't possibly leave a comment every time, I do when I can.

Now I would like to introduce you to some real virgin bloggers.....Felicity and Ron Holland of Ronfel Miniatures.

Do go check them out: http://ronfel.blogspot.com/2010/10/thame-dolls-house-miniatures-fair.html

They are the lovely people who so kindly took over Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair from me earlier this year and are doing a pretty damn good job organising next years 2011 event. You will be able to keep abreast of up to date news on THE Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair on their blog...hot off the press!
Celia

Breast Cancer Campaign Raffle Page – Now Live

I am pleased to announce the launch of the Breast Cancer Campaign Raffle Page on KT Miniatures website today, after a slight delay it is now live...HOORAY!!!

Visitors to my website this morning were probably wondering what on earth was going on as my Home Page seemed to take on a life of its own but it was only me trying to participate in a spot of web designing all on my very own (oh dear...BIG MISTAKE) resulting inevitably in “mucking it all up” and having to promptly engage the services of hubby to put it back together again! Oh well, its suitably back up and running again now and you can begin to feast your eyes on the goodies that have already been donated to the wonderful Breast Cancer Campaign Raffle that will take place at THE Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair on Saturday 19th February 2011.

Although I am no longer able to organise this wonderful and special annual event, I have agreed to continue to co-ordinate the Breast Cancer Campaign Raffle and Sales Table. So here we are.....already I have been given donations that are "to die for"..... from not just UK artisans but overseas as well!



The extremely talented Deb Jackson of Deb Jackson Designs who produces the most weeniest breathtaking unique and unusual miniatures, has donated this exquisite "The Art Of The Miniaturist" book. No, your eyes are not deceiving you....yes there really is a weeny metal chair sitting on the front cover!!! If you would like to see more of Deb's amazing work then do go visit her website: http://www.debjacksondesigns.com/

Tony Knott, who is extremely well known in the miniatures world for his amazing historically accurate Tudor & Medieval buildings and accessories, has donated this delightful little solid bronze jug with distressed gilding. This would look brilliant with a flower arrangement. For more of Tony's work, see: http://www.tonyknott.co.uk/

Ellie de Lacy,  who is famous for her delightful paintings,  has donated this fabulous set of limited edition fully printed and illustrated leather bound books - recent additions to her ever growing list of gorgeous handmade products.  They are truly wonderful and would not look out of a place in an antique dolls house, as they look authentically old! If you would like to see Ellies full range of products then do go visit her website on: http://www.elliedelacy.co.uk/index.html

Mary Williams has donated this exquisite doll dressed in an Edwardian walking suit trimmed with pink and co-ordinating hat with roses. Mary produces beautiful porcelain dressed dolls in  a whole variety of costumes from past eras to 20th century.  If you would like to see more of Mary's wonderful  work then do go see her website: http://www.dollshousedolls.co.uk/

This gorgeous late 19th century style hat of dusky pink silk velvet with handmade silk flowers has been donated by Lanzarote based Janine Crocker of Miss Amelia's Miniatures. To view more of Janines amazing millinery and other creations do go check out her website:   http://www.missameliasminiatures.com/

You can see lots more including donations from Australian artisans Kathy Brindle and Lidi Stroud, by clicking onto the Breast Cancer Campaign Raffle Page, either by the following link http://www.ktminiatures.com/Raffle.html or there is a sliding pictorial box link based on KT Miniatures Home Page. More donations will be added as they come in so do keep checking.

1940s Room Box-Work In Progress

Here is one of the room box commissions I am currently working on......thought you might like to take a peek as it is quite different from my usual projects. It is a hospital ward scene in wartime Britain during the 1940s....and it will be set at Xmas!

The whole scene is being constructed inside an antique cabinet......and is great fun to do although I have to say is proving quite challenging!The whole project is still very much “work in progress” and I will put up more pics when the whole project is complete at the end of this month (I hope). 



Here is a cabinet filled with medicines, ointment and bandages.



Nurse's desk complete with flex from handmade lamp that will be fixed into a socket on the wall (lamp made from an old Dol-Toi teacup, a vintage metal saucer plus garden wire)! Originally this table was to stand  longways but then realised that the lamp flex would trail along the floor...creating health & safety issues...unacceptable even for the 1940s!

The tea trolley has a catering size teapot (teapot made by David Williams of Harvington Miniatures) - trolley contents not quite finished yet but it has real working castors so Miss Nurse can wheel this around to her hearts content!

 Mr Patient and Miss Nurse are the work of Robin Britton of Coombe Craft, whose fabulous work has been seen before on this blog. Robin often works closely with me on commissioned projects; her little character dolls are perfect for miniature room settings as  they can be manipulated into various positions.

More pictures to come when the project is complete.

Variety Of Antique Dolls Now Available

 I currently have a variety of antique dolls available on KT Miniatures and thought I would show you a selection on here.

This first doll is extremely old and believed to be late Victorian. She has a china head plus bisque arms and legs, the rest of her body is made from stuffed material. Her clothes are believed to be original and although she is a little playworn, she is still exquisite. She measures 5" in height and would look wonderful in an old dolls house. It is refreshing to have the whole doll as more often than not I end up with just the head or maybe an occasional limb from this type of doll!

There are also two bisque Kewpie type dolls, both identical, each complete with their own nursery bed and are being sold separately. They are real cuties measuring just 2 1/2" in height and are believed to be either German or Japanese, dating from c1930s. Both are a little playworn and a tad grubby but generally are in good condition.

This particular German bisque doll is one of my all time favourites and she is in an excellent played with condition, c1920s/1930s.  As you can see she is dressed as a maid, her clothes being original and she has gorgeous painted features including her little shoes and bobbed hair. She measures 3 1/4" in height. Isn't she lovely? I am so torn to let her go but already have three in my little 30's Hobbies House so go she must as it is becoming rather crowded in there!

There are other vintage dolls including a couple of little Grecons currently for sale.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON THESE VINTAGE DOLLS

A Wonderful Bedroom Set Inlaid With Bone

I am in the process of putting up for sale on KT Miniatures some quite old and interesting dolls house furniture, all from the same vintage collection. My favourite of all the pieces that I have listed today is this little bedroom set that has been inlaid with bone in a cross design...it is quite exquisite and beautifully crafted.

The wardrobe doors open to reveal a little mirror and two tiny hangers on a rail....absolutely wonderful! The wardrobe measures 6 3/4" high x 4" wide x 2 1/4" deep so quite big for  1/12th scale.

Here you can see the inlay detail of the bone, it has been quite skillfully created. Wonder if there is some significance of the cross?

The bed measures 6" long x 4 1/4" wide and is sprung with vintage covered curtain rail rods.....truly delightful. I am of the opinion that although there is no makers mark, this set was probably manufactured commercially circa 1920s/1930s in Europe (the design of the bed suggests the art deco era).   There is no doubt that this is a quality set and would look fantastic in an old dolls house. Obviously if anyone out there has seen a set like this before or can even shed some light on the maker, I would love to hear from you.

It is now up for sale under the Antique 1/12th Bedroom section on KT Miniatures.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW LISTING

Here are two other old pieces from the same vintage collection that have been listed today. A very old wardrobe circa 1910-1920s with a lovely mirrored door. Plus a kitchen dresser from the same era (in fact it may even be late Victorian).  The old wardrobe can be found on the same page as the bedroom set above and the old dresser can be found on the Antique 1/12th Kitchen Page. There are lots more interesting vintage dolls house pieces to go up for sale over the next few days, all from the same collection.