Have Been AWOL But Back Now!

After the past couple of difficult months...I decided  it was definitely time to take up some of the wonderful invitations received from family and friends. Hence, over the last couple of weeks or so, although I had intended to get stuck into KT Miniatures with great gusto, I have been absent from my computer for much of the time.

There have been day trips....such as a walk down the Oxford towpath (never done before) where one can see some truly gloriously coloured canal boats with quirky paraphernalia and even miniature gardens. The natural fauna too in places is stunning.We wove our way back into the centre via Jericho, past some very interesting old buildings,  and ended up at the Oxford Antique Market. Great fun!

Then another day there was a tour around Oxford's Christ Church University which is steeped in history and where visitors amongst other parts, can visit the dining hall that was replicated and constructed in the film studio for the Harry Potter films. The steps leading up to the dining hall were used as a Harry Potter film location too...sorry I just couldn't get a good enough shot as there were just too many people around! History seems to ooze out of every nook and cranny in the place...it is fascinating.

Another day I visited the Birmingham Art Gallery and Museum (where incedently they have a stunning Edwardian Tea Room that does rather nice food) and amongst the  many fascinating artefacts and glorious paintings, one of my favourite items just has to be a dolls house....of course!

This dolls house was made in 1938 and was said to have been based on a type of suburban house that was being built in Handsworth (Birmingham - UK) at that time. Apparently the dolls house and all its contents were designed by Pat Conolly whilst he was working for Frederick Restall Ltd (Birmingham), a furniture and soft furnishings store. After WW2 he went onto to design the interior of the ocean liner QE11. Jack Restall, of Frederick Restall Ltd., gave the dolls house to his daughter when she was little. It was also used for advertising the Restall company.

 

Unfortunately the dolls house is encased in a glass cabinet so photographing it proved rather tricky due to reflection of all the lighting....but at least from the photos you can get the gist of what some of it looked like.

And then finally the other day, with an army of volunteers on hand to feed my lovely cats, I went away for a few days. My first stop was the Midlands. The September weather was barmy, it was sooo hot! But during that time I spent a lovely afternoon at David Austen Roses at Albrighton in Wolverhampton. www.davidaustinroses.co.uk

 

 If you like roses, then this is most definitely worth a visit!!!!

Their rose gardens are stunning and the perfume is a delight.

 Another day was spent at Wightwick Manor in Wolverhampton, a National Trust property. It is a glorious Victorian manor house built and furnished very much in the Arts and Crafts style. My battery was running low on my phone so I couldn't take many photos....

But one of my favourite parts of the manor is the night nursery with the wall frieze painted by the artist and illustrator - Cecil Aldin. It was redecorated in the 1930s and is simply gorgeous!

And then I made my way on up to Liverpool visiting more relatives. I have been to Liverpool many times now and just love it up there. This time I was taken to the old Cains Brewery in Stanhope Street. The brewery closed down a few years ago and there is an antique and vintage warehouse in one part of the building....absolutely fabulous. The ambience of the amazing architecture of the building, both inside and outside, just adds to experience. And although I didn't buy anything on that occasion...I was so very nearly tempted!! (If only I had £1,500 to buy a magnificent Victorian pine dresser with dozens of drawers). There is also a vintage clothing shop within the old brewery reception area plus a quirky cycle coffee house for bikers. Ok...I'm not a biker but we were thirsty so popped in for a nosey around, and of course just had to have a coffee and cake. What a whacky place it is.There are all sorts of bits and pieces for bikers to purchase. We sat in the window on what appeared to be old sacks - not sure what the sacks were filled with but they were surprisingly comfortable.  The table appeared to be some sort of old giant cable reel...haha, not your ordinary coffee shop then.

Later that same day we were treated to "Afternoon Tea" at Liverpool's Cuthberts. As you can see it was a rather nice way to spend an afternoon!! The scrumptious food was stacked onto the vintage china cake stands and our tea was served in exquisite vintage china cups. None of us could finish everything so had to take our leftovers home in a box!

So if I have not answered your emails quite so promptly of late and my website has appeared a little static,  this is why.

So now...I am back from my travels and need to knuckle down to some serious KT Miniatures work!

For Vintage Miniature Shop/Store Collectors....

Today I have listed a set of six vintage toy cans, all miniature replicas of the real thing from the 1950s, suitable more for a vintage miniature shop or store, rather than a dolls house, as the scale is quite large. Those seen above were made by Kiddicraft, constructed from card with tin lids and bases. Originally the cans were filled with sugar sweets but thankfully they are long gone. Overall each can measures 1 1/2" high.

The second set consists of various packaging, cans and glass bottles,  all believed to be from the 1950s.

There is a green Stergene bottle with original label and a clear glass Sunfresh bottle. Also included is a Bisto Gravy box, a Lux packet and an Atora Shredded Beef Suet.

Amongst the cans, the Ovaltine, Red Heart Dog Food and Shippams Cornish Pilchards are by Kiddicraft and would also have been filled with sugar sweets. The Nestle tin label appears to be in French and the Sifta Salt can is taller than all the others. All the cans are of card construction with tin lids and bases, with the exception of the Sifta can that just has a tin lid and a card base. 

The Cadbury's Dairy Milk bar has a wooden insert and the printed outer wrapper.
All these can be found on the General Page.
Celia
www.ktminiatures.com