I've Been Very Lucky

I won a give away over at
The Shopping Sherpa!
A neat little laptop computer
which I painted and added a screen and keyboard.
Isn't it cute?
Thank you Anna Maria!

And also,
I love Tilda dolls,

specially the tiny ones for dollhouses.

Now the most beautiful Tilda lives with me!!

See her perched on top of the cupboard like a little fairy?

Isn't she gorgeous?

When I saw Amary's little Tilda in her pretty room 

I was besotted
so I asked Amary does she sell her creations.

She said she never had sold anything but she would

make me a Tilda for a gift!!!
I was over the moon :))

How lucky am I to have a Tilda made by Amary

 who is a talented and lovely person?

Thank you dear friend!

Imagine my surprise when I opened an exciting parcel

and discovered not only Tilda
but many more pretty treasures :)

Here they are all together on a garden seat borrowed for the occasion.

I couldn't bear to put all these treasures away

in scenes so Tilda and the pretties have stayed

on my work station where I can see them every time

I sit down

And here are some close up photos.

First of all Tilda sitting on my finger,

unbelievably tiny and perfect?!!

I love her demure little pose and her sweet dress

and shoes!

Some beautiful American roses which don't seem

to mind the climate Downunder :)  They haven't stopped

blooming and giving joy since they arrived.

Those petals are paper thin!

A basket of pretty ladies toiletries for Mothers Day!!

I feel very spoiled and very lucky!

And also a sweet shabby heart to hang on a door knob

and this lovely mat for the floor in front of the

kitchen sink.  I forgot to take a photo of the mat

in the kitchen :(

In this close up photo you can see the little laptop where someone

is checking their emails and enjoying a cup of tea

and a sticky sweet pastry.

Thank you to two special ladies who have given more than
gifts, they've given friendship as well.

Pink with White Roses and a Question

The pink tea cosy said it wanted a matching pot holder too.

With a matchstick for size.

A bit closer.

My question is this....

Would you pay for one of my cosies?

And perhaps a potholder???

I've never really sold much of my crochet.

I enjoy giving gifts so most of my work

is given away,

however, from time to time I'm asked do I sell.

Should I open an etsy shop?

What do you think??

Would You Care to Take Tea with Me?

School holidays Downunder,

grandkids spending a day with us.

We go around the miniatures and see all the new things.

It was the perfect opportunity to take a photo of the lovely

petitpoint tea cosy that I won from Rosanna

Would you care for a cup of tea?

Please take off your hat and have a seat,

and help yourself to a macaron :)

and we'll enjoy a refreshing cup

from beneath that pretty cosy.

Every time I walk past my pretty kitchen roombox

I enjoy a moment peeking in,

and think how lovely it would be to

invite Rosanna to have afternoon tea with me.

Sending hugs to you Rosanna

and I hope your hands are getting better.

Breakfast in the Dollhouse

I finally got courage to put together and paint

the toaster kit I'd bought for the dollhouse.

Knowing my previous failures with painting metal

I was really unsure of how to go about it.

Elizabeth at Studio E recommends nail polish

for lots of dollhouse details

so I tried that first....

it chipped off as it dried :((

Ok,

time to try Tamiya Metal Primer.

That stayed on and gave me hope!

Tamiya Gloss Black over the Primer,

hold breath, cross fingers.

Yay!

Success!

And I love this toaster!

Additions to the Miniature Population

With thanks to

Robin

the lovely lady who made them!!

Lil in her new domain.

Much persuasion was needed to induce Lil

to emigrate Downunder.

Janet and Jim

were in dire need of some quality help

with their large family

so Robin was asked if she knew of a nice

trustworthy lady who might like to travel

and see a bit of the world 

and take up a position with our family.

Lil was consulted but she wasn't immediately convinced,

she had the possibility of a good position

coming available close to home.

Inducements of a well appointed kitchen

and the great Australian weather

didn't appear to be much help convincing Lil to leave England.

I had a very nervous weekend waiting to hear

what her final decision would be...

Joy when the news came through

that Lil would be coming!!

(Gossip had it Lil was persuaded to emigrate

only when she heard that her dear Vicar,

whom she'd

"done for"

for years,

had accepted a posting Downunder.)

The Vicar is visiting to chat with Young Jim

about christening arrangements for the babies.

Lil and the Vicar appear to have taken

"The long way round"

on their journey to Australia,

arriving many days later than expected.

Robin and I feared Lil had had her way with the Vicar

and the two of them eloped.

Perhaps we'd never see them again!

They eventually showed up,

nonchalantly unpacked themselves

and made themselves at home,

without forwarding any explanation 

re their tardiness.

The Vicar is saying nothing whatever of their whereabouts.

When questioned, Lil firmly closed her lips

around a tiny smile.

 As soon as

the new arrivals had been revived from their journey

with a good cup of tea,

a photo session was arranged

to commemorate the occasion

but Lil was nowhere to be seen.

A frantic hunt ensued.

Grave fears were held for her safety.

Miniature people are warned

on their arrival

of the danger of

Miniature-Eating Wolves

lurking about.

(Chihuahuas - who also eat miniature crochet)

To everyones great relief

she was found to have

skived off to the computer desk for a quiet fag

(a habit I hope I can break her of soon)

and wasn't happy  about being required

to pose for a photo.

Her mood improved markedly

when she was shown the kitchen

where she immediately donned her pinny

and set to work with mop and bucket.

Woe-betide anyone

who walks dirt through her domain

again!

And finally,

our older teenage daughter.

A horse mad lass!

She wasted no time

but made a beeline for the stable

to feed her horse an apple,

give him a good brush down

and pop a saddle on him for

a lovely ride.

A New Cupboard for the Modern Kitchen

It's a couple of years since Real Life allowed time

for creative thinking and putting ideas together,

so,

when I found myself with half a day free and

nothing desperately calling for attention,

I played!!

Bashing cupboard doors out,

fitting paper to the back,

finding pretty things

for the shelves.

Miniature time at its best.

I don't like the drawer/tray in the lower right opening

so it hasn't been painted.

Any suggestions what I can put there instead?

Long Absence...

Not much time to post of late but keeping up with

all your beautiful blogs

during spare moments keeps me almost on the level ;)  

Do I suffer from insanity?  No, I enjoy it! 

Also enjoying cooking.

Croissants, brandy custard and prunes - upmarket bread and butter pudding - a fave with family!

 And making soap - perfume and additive free.  No photo, it's still maturing.

And knitting RL size dish cloths when my hands are shaking too much for miniatures.

Knitting dish cloths is addictive. 

 Zen knitting my friend Bev calls it,

automatic movements that let your mind roam free.

There have been some moments for miniatures.

Pink for my kitchen. 

Enamel mugs for no.2 grandsons stable.

Egg carton pavers for the stable.

Grandson made a planter box and I had help building a Feed Bin.

  

Pet dishes made by no.3 grandson for his kitchen while he was off school with Chickenpox. 

That lad is good with poly clay!

And a cat bed made by me.

 Second set of dishes made by me for the stable because no.2 grandson didn't have chickenpox

......and had to go to school!

Yellow for grandsons kitchen.

Just small projects for my butterfly mind.