Showing posts with label Wanderings - Australia (Southern Highlands). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wanderings - Australia (Southern Highlands). Show all posts

Monday, May 26, 2014

Houses in the Highlands

On Sunday my friend and I popped into Bowral for a poke around the shops on the way home from Div's.

Here's a round up of dolls houses and related items that we spotted while browsing Dirty Janes* and the attached antiques centre. (This sort of post seems to be becoming a regular feature around here...)

The first dolls house we stumbled across was in the emporium itself:
Vintage wooden dolls house.
 Homemade with love, we were particularly taken with its pokerwork detailing which included a water barrel and pipe, quoins
Side of a wooden dolls house, showing pokerwork water barrel and pipe, quoins and iron lace.
 and iron lace.
Close up of the side of a wooden dolls house, highlighting the pokerwork iron lace.
 In the antiques centre, we were captivated by this vintage wire house which was being used as a lamp at the Suzie Anderson Home stall. Alas, it was out of my price range,
Vintage wire house, used as the basis for a lamp.
as were the other similar pieces she had on display...
Price tag which reads 'Vox Populi handmade French lamp made using vintage wire, tin, paper and fabric. Sourced in South of France $1750 sample price.'
Vintage wire birdcage-shaped sculpture with wire spiral staircase and fabric doll, used as the basis for a lamp.
Vintage wire birdcage-shaped sculpture with wire swing and fabric dolls, used as the basis for a lamp.
The next stall had a sweet house made of felt, displayed on a vintage dresser with very clever trompe l'oeil, which I'd like to try on a miniature cupboard some time.
Vintage 1950s dresser, painted with trompe l'oeil of the contents of the cupboards and drawers. On it is displayed a number of items including a round house made of felt.
 Around the corner and almost at the end I spotted this house, made from packing crates:
Vintage dolls house made of two packing crates on their sides, painted white on the outside and bright blue and yellow inside, displayed on the top of a tall display cabinet.
Close up of a sign on the side of a vintage packing case dolls house. It reads 'Dolls House c1930s (Hand made from packing cases) $145.00 Rosies Old Wares Shop 69'
I was tempted to send a picture to Rebecca to see if she was interested, but my phone was playing dead.
Back and side view of a vintage dolls house made from packing cases.
 The final house we spotted was less interesting:
 and faced a 1/6 scale ghost chair being used to display vintage jewellery.
(*I consoled myself by deciding there must be several people called Jane who were dirty...)

How I spent my birthday (part 2)

Selection of lunch dishes laid out on a table.
Adelaide and Jennifer brought a delicious lunch with them
Five glasses of sparking wine toasting.
and Celia brought bubbles.
Table with five people eating lunch with glasses of sparkling wine.
 After lunch we returned to the workshop much refreshed
A woman positions items in a miniature picnic hamper.
and finished off our picnic hampers.
A miniature picnic hamper with black and white checked lining, holding a bottle of wine, two glasses, two smoked salmon sandwiches and a wedge of camenbert, displayed on an outstretched hand.
 Mine contained most of the necessities of life (no chocolate, I'm afraid)
A miniature picnic hamper with red checked lining, holding two glasses, a lollipop, two smoked salmon and lettuce sandwiches, two apples and an orange.
while first-timer Celia's was more elaborate (and much healthier!).
Miniature deck chair, radio and filled picnic hamper on the lawns in front of a miniature Rose Seidler house.
It was a great day all round: thanks to Div for providing the venue and Adelaide, Jennifer and Celia for providing kits, lunch and good company.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

How I spent my birthday (part 1)

The day involved three mini friends (and one non-mini friend).
Two women looking at a miniature garden while drinking tea,
Adelaide brought her Italian garden courtyard for us to admire...
Miniature Italian courtyard garden with cane chair.
Miniature rocks with tiny red door with tiny mouse peeping out.
 And her trunk project, with a most appropriate tag,
Miniature red trunk with skipping rope hanging over the edge and tag which reads 'Keep calm and make miniatures'
Jennifer brought a present: a hand-knitted cashmere scarf.
Close up photo of a woman's hand caressing a black knitted lacey scarf.
(Which made me feel very special).
Woman holding a black knitted lacey scarf around her neck.
After morning tea, we headed up to Div's studio,

Two women at the table in a miniatures studio.
where Adelaide had arranged a surprise workshop!
Miniature picnic basket with contents.
The group ranged from experienced miniaturists to first timers.
Group of four women around a workshop table, looking at bits of a miniature picnic basket kit.
I was pleased to find I had been given the special black and white version of the kit...
Miniature picnic basket kit pieces, plus scissors and stain pen.
Miniature half-built picnic kit, with black and white checked lining.
Miniature black and white picnic kit, clamped after glueing,
(to be continued...)

Thursday, May 22, 2014

A long weekend away

Yesterday evening after work I set out on a big long-weekend adventure to visit the wonderful Div in Bowral.
A train leaving Bowral station.
We plan to spend the next couple of days holed up in her studio, sorting things out before a couple of other miniaturist friends arrive for the weekend.
A brick two-storied Art Deco studio in a large garden.
And she's given me the back-story to The Pink Door, the shabby chic shop she displayed at this year's Sydney Miniatures Show, so I can share it with you soon!
Looking through the front window of a miniature shabby chic shop with the owner peeking in from the back,

Friday, May 27, 2011

The postscipty bit

Sorry if my last couple of posts scared those of you with Brinca Dada Emerson dolls houses tucked away waiting to be built.While I admit there was some cursing and hair pullingand some major structural issues(fixed, I believe with the chocolate edition),scratched perspex (fixed, I believe with the chocolate edition)a weird hole left in the wall (not sure if this was fixed with the later edition), some general bad finishing (fixed, I believe with the chocolate edition), and a weirdly after-thoughtish-feeling staircase which takes up most of the great room, doesn't quite line up with the first floor and which you'd have to crawl through a three foot gap when you get to the top if it were real sized) I have to say, once we added furniture to the house it became strangely alluring.

Sexy almost.

After Jennifer Revell (sister of Julian, and a Textile Designer*) moved in I could almost overlook the fact that the first floor bits didn't line up neatly.And once the sun went down,the hard work and agony seemed to melt away and I became rather, well, enamoured. And overcome with that wanty feeling. (Even after I reminded myself about the weird ceiling heights. And lack of access between the two floors unless you positioned the staircase outside) You do understand, don't you?
(*More on this later. We're concocting a whole family history...)