Monday, February 13, 2017

Lori's Loft... light?

While looking for a fan to help me cope with the expected 40°C (104 °F) temperature predicted for the weekend, I was very excited to spot this display of Lori dolls and accessories at my local Kmart
Selection of Lori dolls, clothes, furniture. accessories trailers on display in a shop.
Alas, the two items that were top of my wish list were missing, and I contacted their customer service centre to see if they were planning to get the loft, and if they had stock of the dining set in their other stores, and were just out of stock in my local branch.

Alas, it seems they are not 'ranging' either item in Australia* (and, as an Instagram buddy reported, not 'ranging' any of the pieces in all stores...). Which leads me to wonder if we're not being used as a dumping ground for unsold stock from the US.

Either way, I'm very tempted by that $49 caravan. Except I already have a (much more expensive) caravan kit waiting to be built...

(* to their credit, when I mentioned that it was 'sad news for both me, and for a number of other modern miniaturists in Australia who are interested in the house', they did reply that they had 'forwarded my feedback onto their Buying Department for their attention...')

Monday, February 06, 2017

Blogiversary* at the beach

A friend held a birthday party last weekend at Ettalong, and invited me to share the apartment she'd booked for the weekend.
View from an apartment balcony across the beach and sea below.
So I was lucky enough to spend the weekend at the beach,
Beach at sunset with the tide out. Two people are paddling in the distance, and behind them are a number of moored yachts.
View across an inlet at sunset.
with a fabulous ring-side seat for the spectacular sunrises (I snapped the picture below from my bed, by reaching one arm out the sliding room next to it which lead onto our (enormous) balcony!)
View from a balcony, across an inlet at sunrise.
View across an inlet at sunrise, with the sun just coming up behind a hill.
There was miniature inspiration: particularly at Hatter's Tea House, where we had lunch on Saturday:
Retro living room with vintage sofa draped with a crocheted rug, and green wing chair with floor lamp behind it.
and just up the street at Geoff's Boatshed, which sold mainly fishing and boating supplies, but also had a range of souvenirs including bottles of miniature shells, and tiny china animals:
Selection of bottles containing miniature shells in front of a box displaying postcards.
So I came home with a selection of suitably nautical souvenirs (plus some not-so-nautical pieces).
Miniature china flying ducks and wise monkeys, plus a metal anchor keyring and five bottles of miniature shells arranged on a tabletop.
Plus I may have managed a quick visit to Daiso while I waited for the train home and picked up a few more things not pictured.

Wednesday, February 01, 2017

Away. Again.

Australia Day long weekend + super-cheap airfares to Wellington on Singapore Airlines = a last-minute decision to celebrate the event by leaving the country
Floor sIgn for international departures, with a passport and boarding pass next to it.
(while also unlocking a long wished-for achievement of travelling internationally with carry-on luggage only!).
A carry-on bag and a messenger bag sitting on a carpet printed with stones.
A trip to Wellington isn't complete without a visit to the Wellington Underground Markets, but this visit I bought nothing there
Signs spelling the word market strung across a walkway next to the sea.
(tempted as I was by the miniature cakes 'iced' with the flags of Australia and New Zealand...).
One-twelfth scale dolls house cakes decorated with flags of Australia, New Zealand, Britain or The United States.
I did manage to make it to Chow for a meal of my favourite blue cheese wontons:
Restaurant table with drinks and food on it.
and also discovered that Lloyd Cole was playing in town while I was there, so I had to buy tickets and attend.
Two glasses of wine on a cafe table with a ticket to a Lloyd Cole concert between them.
And here's my mini haul from the weekend: the wooden craft shapes were a gift from Sandra, the other pieces were picked up at Pete's Emporium and Uncle Bills [sic].
Selection of wooden crafting shapes, dimensional stickers, miniature teddy bears, marble-effect beads plus an owl-shaped bell and miniature Statue of Liberty set out on a desktop.
I was hoping to find some empty white matchboxes in my Wellington travels so I can send out the rest of my mini 2017 calendars (they're not to be found anywhere in Canberra or Queanbeyan).

I can now say that I've checked 16 shops in two countries and have come up empty-handed, and may have to order them in from the UK. So much for shopping local, huh?