Death of Sarah Price - St Hilary’s Miniature Church

Very sadly, I must announce that my sister, Sarah Price, died on Thursday 17th June 2010  She originally collapsed with anemia while visiting the March 2010 Miniatura show, and tragically this was later found to be due to wide-spread cancer.  However throughout this period, she showed incredible courage, determination and love of life, despite the suffering. Many [...] [...more]

Posted: under News.

Very sadly, I must announce that my sister, Sarah Price, died on Thursday 17th June 2010  She originally collapsed with anemia while visiting the March 2010 Miniatura show, and tragically this was later found to be due to wide-spread cancer.  However throughout this period, she showed incredible courage, determination and love of life, despite the suffering.

Many of you will be familiar with my sister’s miniature work through her much loved website (www.miniaturechurch.co.uk - St Hilary’s Miniature Church) that she set up in memory of our late mother in 2003/2004.  At the moment, no decision has been taken about the future of this website,although I am sure it will continue as it currently stands for a while yet.

I am sure that those of you who regularly visit this, my own website, will have noticed that no new items have been added for some time now.   As you can appreciate, my priorities have necessarily been directed elsewhere, but I fully intend to start working again on making miniature food and flowers very soon.

1/24th (1/2″) Scale Flowers - A First (for me!)

  I never thought I’d even be attempting 1/24th (1/2″) scale flowers, but here they are; sunflowers which are approximately 2.5 cm (1″) high from the flower to the last leaf on the stem.   They have been made as part of a commission, which was phrased along the lines of “loose sunflowers to go as part [...] [...more]

Posted: under News.

I never thought I’d even be attempting 1/24th (1/2″) scale flowers, but here they are; sunflowers which are approximately 2.5 cm (1″) high from the flower to the last leaf on the stem.   They have been made as part of a commission, which was phrased along the lines of “loose sunflowers to go as part of an allotment scene”.  I merrily assumed they should be in 1/12th (1″) scale, ie about 30 cm (6″) high.  But no.   A further email asked that they should be about 2.5 cm (1″) high.   I gulped, took a deep breath and started thinking really small.

I’m just glad I wasn’t asked for daisies…..

A Tiny Departure

  Here is something different - not a 1/12th (1″) scale dollshouse, but an N Gauge model railway cottage and garden.   For those of you who have not been initiated into the delights of model railways, N gauge is 2 mm to the foot, or 1:160th, ie compared to 1/12th scale, absolutely TINY!   You could call this [...] [...more]

Posted: under News.

Here is something different - not a 1/12th (1″) scale dollshouse, but an N Gauge model railway cottage and garden.  

For those of you who have not been initiated into the delights of model railways, N gauge is 2 mm to the foot, or 1:160th, ie compared to 1/12th scale, absolutely TINY!   You could call this a bit of a sideline for me - the model railway itself belongs to my partner, but I have been detailed to make all the scenery.   Or to put it another way, he does the technical stuff and I do the pretty stuff.   Yes, it is a departure from dollshouse miniatures, but there is nonetheless an overlap.  I still mix paint, get covered in glue and in many respects the whole difference is the matter of the tiny scale.

As an aside, the Warley Model Railway Club had a stand at the recent Miniatura exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham to demonstrate the railway hobby.  Then at the recent model railway show - also at the NEC - organised by the Warley Railway Club, there was a stand publicising the Miniatura and the dollshouse hobby.  A beautiful 1/24th (1/2″) scale house by Petite Properties was on display next to an O Gauge sized house and they were remarkably similar in size. 

Back to my partner’s model railway layout - I must emphasise that I am NOT building any of the houses.  These are a mixture of ready-built from resin, or constructed (not by me) from card kits).   However, they are passed to me to weather and add foliage.    The garden bases come in the form of cardboard templates which I do my best not to distort.  The design of the gardens are then totally up to me and I can let my imagination run riot.

I only wish I could make fimo flowers small enough - but I can’t!   I therefore (like most people) use scatter materials and any other railway modelling materials I can find.    At this tiny scale, I found that grey marbled paper and card made credible paving stones throught the lawn.  The “large” tree is about 2.5″/7 cm high, and was made from twisted copper wire (taken from a stripped down old power cable) then covered with a product called “flexi-bark” and finally the umbiquitous scatter material.

Who knows - one day I might make a 1/12th (1″) scale tree using the same technique ………

I will add photographs of this model railway layout as it progresses.   Next (so I am told) is the village green.  I don’t think it will have a pond!

Last Posting Dates for Christmas 2009

Please be aware of the following last posting dates for Christmas: UK Inland First Class - 21st December 2009 International Airmail - 4th December 2009 In addition, there will be no collections or deliveries from 25th -28th December inclusive. [...more]

Posted: under News.

Please be aware of the following last posting dates for Christmas:

UK Inland First Class - 21st December 2009

International Airmail - 4th December 2009

In addition, there will be no collections or deliveries from 25th -28th December inclusive.

Christmas Selection

I have now created a new section for my “Christmas Selection” miniatures which I will continue to add to. To show you all things are not always straightforward, I should like to share some of the mini-disasters that have happened to me in the process of crafting these items (and some that have yet to appear [...] [...more]

Posted: under News.

I have now created a new section for my “Christmas Selection” miniatures which I will continue to add to.

To show you all things are not always straightforward, I should like to share some of the mini-disasters that have happened to me in the process of crafting these items (and some that have yet to appear for reasons that will become clear).

1) Wooden boards for the mince pie making - believe it or not the first two I used snapped, and this was purely down to a spot too much of brute force on my part. The downside of oiling boards to seal the wood is that the wood itself can warp if you don’t apply the oil evenly to both sides at the same time. So two boards warped, and like an idiot, I tried to straighten them - after I had stuck everything down. Snap. Oops. Start again.

2) Christmas puddings - I put them in the oven accidentally at too low a temperature so they didn’t harden sufficiently. As soon as I got them out of the oven, they crumbled into something resembling cat food. So that’s what they’ve become - all they’re waiting for now is a few splodges of gravy, then they’ll appear under “Miniature Miscellany” in yellow bowls marked “cat”.

3) Santa trays with brandy, a mince pie and a carrot. I am always very careful to get colours and shades right. So for the brandy, I “borrowed” a few drops from a friend, but even so the mixture I finished up with (almost set in the glasses) was slightly too dark. Never mind - brandy I’m told comes in different shades. However, for various reasons (that I’m too embarassed to own up to), the “brandy” also had air bubbles. Now I’ve never come across real fizzy brandy so I tried to pop the air bubbles with a pin. Disaster. Somehow, a slightly dark brandy turned in minutes to something resembling treacle toffee. Oops. I’ll try again. Keep watching!

So now you know!

A Miniature Wreath for a Miniature Church

Yes - you are reading and seeing correctly! I have a made a miniature wreath for a miniature church! This was a commission from my sister for her miniature church, named St Hilary’s, after our late mother. Over the years, this church has been the scene of a wedding, a christening and many [...] [...more]

Posted: under News.

Yes - you are reading and seeing correctly! I have a made a miniature wreath for a miniature church!

This was a commission from my sister for her miniature church, named St Hilary’s, after our late mother. Over the years, this church has been the scene of a wedding, a christening and many other church-related events, so it seemed right and proper to create a funeral setting in miniature. And flowers are a beautiful part of most funerals so I was more than happy to attempt this rather unusual commission.

This wreath is in the form of a cross and contains white lillies, white roses and lemon yellow roses together with an assortment of real miniature greenery. I started with a rough cross shape, fashioned out of paper covered wire to quite exact measurements to fit the coffin. The flowers were made individually on paper covered wire which was thinner than the wire I would normally use were I making the flowers for a vase. Firstly, I covered this wire base with some mossy type real greenery to provide a soft base for the flowers. Using lots of glue(!) I twisted the wires of the flowers around the wire/moss of the base, poking more greenery into any spaces.

I found that it was important to create this wreath quite slowly, by adding a little, letting it dry before adding more. It was therefore quite time consuming, but enjoyable nonetheless.

I made the solid mahogany coffin from a beautiful kit by McQueenie Miniatures. The coffin cover was crocheted by my sister from a pattern by Buttercup Miniatures, which was specifically designed to fit this coffin. The child doll is by Jane Davies (no relation!) and was commissioned for this church.

To see more on this beautiful miniature church and to see the antics of the congregation (mostly children and mostly created by Jane Davies):

www.miniaturechurch.co.uk

To visit the funeral page, and find out just why the children of the congregation have put a pair of muddy boots on the coffin:

www.miniaturechurch.co.uk/erniethanksgiving.html

For more miniature crochet and knitting patterns, needles plus all the materials you will need:

www.buttercupminiatures.co.uk

For beautiful furniture - both kits and completed:

www.mcqueenie-miniatures.co.uk

For the most exquisite dolls I have ever seen:

www.jsdartistdolls.com

Dolls House Fair - 10th May 2009 - Uplowman, Devon

This fair was an outstanding success for the Exeter Dollhouse Club in aid of Force Cancer Charity.  Many people who attended enjoyed a wonderful display of dolls housese, room boxes, and a multitude of items for sale.      A fantastic £4,700 was raised on this day which the club are passing on to the charity. For myself I [...] [...more]

Posted: under News.

This fair was an outstanding success for the Exeter Dollhouse Club in aid of Force Cancer Charity.  Many people who attended enjoyed a wonderful display of dolls housese, room boxes, and a multitude of items for sale.     

A fantastic £4,700 was raised on this day which the club are passing on to the charity.

For myself I had a lovely day and it was a pleasure to meet so many miniature enthusiasts.

Dollshouse Fair - 10th May 2009 - Uplowman, Devon

I will be attending a dollshouse fair on 10th May 2009 at Uplowman Village Hall, Devon. This dollshouse fair and exhibition is being held by the Exeter dollshouse Club in aid for the Force Cancer Charity.   Along with 12 exhibitors (including myself) offering a variety of items for sale, there will be a large display of [...] [...more]

Posted: under News.

I will be attending a dollshouse fair on 10th May 2009 at Uplowman Village Hall, Devon.

This dollshouse fair and exhibition is being held by the Exeter dollshouse Club in aid for the Force Cancer Charity.   Along with 12 exhibitors (including myself) offering a variety of items for sale, there will be a large display of dollshouses and room boxes.  There will also be a draw with some outstanding prizes, tombola and a sales table with items produced for sale by the club members.  Light refreshments will be available.

Doors open at 10.00 am.  Admission is £1.50.  Children under 12 are free. 

A previous exhibition, held in 2006, raised £3,719 for the charity so help them beat their own record this year!

For further information on this fair, call 01884 821672.

Last Posting Date for Christmas from the UK

Please note the last posting days to guarantee delivery in time for Christmas: Destination                                      Class of posting            Last posting by Catherine UK                                                       First                                  Thursday 18th December   South & Central America,                     Airmail                              Friday 5th December Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Far East, Asia, New Zealand and Australia.   Japan, USA, Canada                             Airmail                               Wed 10th December and Eastern Europe   Western Europe                                    Airmail                              [...] [...more]

Posted: under News.

Please note the last posting days to guarantee delivery in time for Christmas:

Destination                                      Class of posting            Last posting by Catherine

UK                                                       First                                  Thursday 18^th December

South & Central America,                     Airmail                              Friday 5^th December

Caribbean, Africa, Middle East,

Far East, Asia, New Zealand

and Australia.

Japan, USA, Canada                             Airmail                               Wed 10^th December

and Eastern Europe

Western Europe                                    Airmail                              Friday 12^th December

Rugby Miniaturists - Dollshouse Fair and Exhibition - 16th November 2008

Rugby Miniaturists are holding their third Dollshouse Fair and Exhibition in aid of The Alzheimer’s Society on Sunday, 16th November 2008, at 10:30 - 16:00 at: The Holiday Inn, Crick, Northamptonshire, NN6 7XR (This is located one minute off junction 18 of the M1.) In addition to quality stallholders, there will also be a raffle, tombola and “make and [...] [...more]

Posted: under News.

Rugby Miniaturists are holding their third Dollshouse Fair and Exhibition in aid of The Alzheimer’s Society on Sunday, 16th November 2008, at 10:30 - 16:00 at:

The Holiday Inn, Crick, Northamptonshire, NN6 7XR

(This is located one minute off junction 18 of the M1.)

In addition to quality stallholders, there will also be a raffle, tombola and “make and take” workshops.

Catherine of Dollshouse Heaven will be there!

For more information on the fair itself, contact Yvonne Rollins on 01788 546405.