A Few Miniature Victorian & Edwardian Dolls.....

Some rather lovely antique dolls house dolls have gone up for sale today.....

There is this exquisite bisque Edwardian little child doll with movable limbs. She is marked Germany on the back and appears to be in her original clothes, including bonnet and cape. A really nice detail are the oversewn limb pin heads, presumably to prevent the pin heads chaffing the material?

 

Then there is this teeny bisque doll, believed to be Victorian - her clothes are exquisite and she stands at just 3" high.

 

This little beauty is believed to be Victorian, with a china head and arms plus bisque legs. Her beautiful dress is a far more recent addition but even so, it probably has some age to it. 

Whoever made this dress must have been an accomplished needlewoman - the prolific bead embellishment as well as the loops that hook over tiny white beads to fasten the back, are simply lovely.

And I thought I would add these for good measure....although not dolls as such, these antique figures did come with an old dolls house in which they had been put to good use. There are two bisque figures, one wearing a beautiful bonnet and the other wearing a night cap.  The china figure that is missing an arm, is holding a pot. 
I think they are charming and can be found on the following KT Miniatures' page:
http://www.ktminiatures.com/Old_Dolls_House_Dolls.html

Some Fascinating Additional Information That May Just Be The Answer To This Mystery!

 Do you remember reading about this unusual antique house on here?

 http://ktminiatures.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/a-stunning-1920s-1930s-little-house.html

Well... I would just like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to the lovely UK customer of KT Miniatures who took the time to email me the other day with some fascinating information and one that may well have given us a clue to the origin of this wonderful little treasure (actually I say little-but in reality it is massive).

The lady told me that her grandfather used to be chief architect for a northern city council from the 1920s to the 1940s and that back then, student architects trained on the job. Apparently one of the things that they had to do early on in their training was to build a scale model from an existing plan. The trainee either chose a plan themselves or were given one at random of a property that the planning department were considering for building approval, then had so many weeks to construct a model of it. Height of cornice, size of mouldings, choice of colour schemes etc. were deemed just as important as the construction of the exterior and each trainee would be marked on all aspects of the model. Some of the resulting houses were given to children's homes, to younger sisters of the maker etc.....and the failures were simply burnt! 

This little house is a masterpiece so am sure that the maker of this passed with distinction-if indeed it is a student architect's model!!!

It has now been sold and is about to embark on a new chapter in its life. I'm totally torn in letting this particular house go as I absolutely adore it but simply don't have the room to keep it.  Plus of course, as I have to keep reminding myself, I am supposed to be running a business here!!!

Celia

 

A Rather Lovely Competition....Are You Feeling Creative?

The editor of Dolls House & Miniature Scene Magazine, Lucie Roper, has emailed me the following information about their brand new competition and asked if I would spread the word to you all. So why not get your creative ideas flowing and have a go, there are some fantastic prizes to be won....and looks like it could be fun!

DOLLS HOUSE AND MINIATURE SCENE LAUNCH WW1 IN MINIATURES COMPETITION

With 2014 marking 100 years since the start of the First World War, Dolls House and Miniature Scene have launched a World War One in miniatures competition to commemorate this catastrophic event.  Sponsored by some of the biggest names in the industry and launched at the September 2013 Miniatura the competition will encourage miniaturists worldwide not only to put their creativity to the test but to remember the four years of suffering and heartache.

Launched on 20^th September 2013 at Miniatura, the Dolls House and Miniature Scene WW1 in miniatures competition provides an opportunity to get creative and learn about the First World War plus win some fantastic prizes. There are three categories for entries, clubs, individuals and under 16’s. Entries can be anything from a single miniature item to a whole diorama scene and based on the Home Front or the Western Front. Miniaturists will have until the 15^th July 2014 to submit their entry. Full details can be found in the November 2013 issue of Dolls House and Miniature Scene or by visiting www.dollshousemag.co.uk/WW1competition

Lucie Roper, the editor of Dolls House and Miniature Scene says, “100 years have passed since the First World War which affected every corner of the globe and we felt it was right to mark the date in some way – it only seemed fair to also invite others to do the same. Working alongside The Dolls House Emporium, Jane Harrop Miniatures, Miniatura and Petite Properties we hope to inspire the miniatures community to remember this event in the way we know best, through our miniatures and what better way than to do this with a competition. The DHMS team wish you all the very best of luck!”

And There's More......

Each month The Dolls House & Miniature Scene Magazine will also be featuring a project based on the WW1 theme on their website, free to all in with the aim to inspire.  To kick off their series here is the first project......

World War 1 Propaganda, Posters & Flags – Exclusive Web DIY Projects

If you click on the following link it will take you through to this first project:

http://www.collectors-club-of-great-britain.co.uk/Dolls-Houses-and-Miniatures/Features/World-War-1-Propaganda-Posters-and-Flags--Exclusive-Web-DIY-Projects/_ch27_ft1752

c1930s Tri-ang No. 52 Art Deco Dolls House

I particularly adore Art Deco dolls houses and this is a little beauty.....

Just listed today is this rather wonderful Art Deco style house. It is a Tri-ang No. 52 Dolls House, complete with sun trap, chimney, original metal windows, fireplaces etc. It is the fourth out of the series of five "Modern" flat roof Art Deco houses that Tri-ang made in the 1930s. This model was available from 1935 to 1940 and is suitable for 1/12th scale furniture.

It is in a solid condition and much loved by the previous owner, with two main rooms, plus hall, stairs and landing, an open side room, garage and flat roof with suntrap.

  It has been overpainted outside and in with white paint  at some point, and the interior floor papers are replacements. The crazy paving base has also been over painted but to be honest I am not surprised, as over the years I have discovered that people sometimes took a dislike to the paving pattern and deliberately painted over them.  I wonder if that is what happened here......? Generally on the whole though, this is a good played with condition.

Remains of lighting can be seen and batteries would have sat inside the wooden compartment found on the roof. 

There is this rather nice open room that has a door leading into the bedroom...could be used in a variety of ways. 

 

The opening front door and garage doors have this very distinctive grooved chevron pattern which is quite attractive. 

One of my favourite features of this particular house is the very long side window which sheds much light into the hall and landing.......a really lovely touch.

 

The sun trap is another appealing feature of this house and it sits on the flat roof, which gives additional scope for furnishing. This sun trap, as well as the loose chimney are so often missing on these particular houses....so it is so nice to have them.
If you are an Art Deco fan and would like to see more of this beautiful house, then please...
CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS

A Bit Quiet Here Now!

If I have appeared a little distracted this past week or so,  it is with good reason. My immediate family have reached the end of an era and my offspring have now all flown the nest!

I was not prepared for the emotional roller coaster that has hit me like a thunderbolt! Yep....have just returned from up north, having packed my car to the hilt and driven my youngest to university for the first time. 

Having got through the stressful task of getting up the M1 in one piece in torrential rain, navigating my way through a city centre, join a mad scramble along with everyone else to try and park as near to the halls as possible and carry stuff up three floors to her room-I braced myself for the inevitable parting! We have been through this twice before with her older brothers in the past, the homesickness was the worst for the eldest I seem to remember but as soon as he discovered the student union bar he made a dramatic recovery. But tissues were not needed on my daughter's part, in fact far from it....she couldn't stop smiling as we bid our farewells.  By the time I had driven to my overnight stop to break the long journey, blubbing a little quietly to myself along the way I must add, I had been informed via mobile, that she had unpacked and was off to a party that night with a flat mate...hey ho!

Now all three offspring have fled the nest and I hate it.....it is sooooo quiet around here, we are missing her terribly already and she's only been gone one day!!!! 

A friend of mine had a brilliant and very appealing idea that helped her and her hubby cope with her kids leaving the nest, of challenging themselves to visit as many counties in England within 12 months and have an alcholic drink in each....she said they nearly did it, missed out only on one or two counties and had had great fun in the process!  Hahaha.....I have suggested this to Mr KT Miniatures and we find this very appealing indeed. 

Actually we have already started so can cross one county off the list!!!!!

Celia