The property tour

Bright and early this morning, I met my trusty assistant to check out the new property.

We liked the cool modern look of the entrance,

and Wendy was keen to check out the inside.

The full-length two-storey corner window met with her approval,

as did the light-coloured wooden flooring throughout the ground floor area. Perfect for either a shop or a gallery, she thought.

But the stairs were a problem, with the first step right up against the front wall (which also created dead space by the windows: not too much of an issue for us, as it can be used as a display space).

 More worryingly, the stairs don't meet code, with no railings and therefore very dangerous if someone trips. A real problem for us, as we saw the mezzanine space as the perfect spot for the office. We won't even mention the danger of falling from the second set up to the roof!

Similarly, the mezzanine edge is far too low to be safe.

Wendy was quite perplexed at the design of the windows on the mezzanine, pointing out that she couldn't see out from a standing position, but that it would probably be OK when sitting at a desk.(She didn't even mention the hazard of the opening from the roof..)

Similarly the windows under the mezzanine were quite high as well: not an issue for us as we're planning to fill them with either glass bricks or frosted glass to control the amount of light. 

Finally, Wendy (carefully) made her way up to the roof terrace. But she refused to climb onto it as the lack of barriers and the nearness of the edge to the top of the stairs made her feel quite unsafe going any further.

After returning to the safety of the ground floor she asked me what I thought.

I mentioned that what I found most perplexing about the building was that the designers managed to create the paper for the outside and the floor to scale, but chose a very out-of scale and fake-looking wood grain for the inside walls, when they could have quite as easily used something much more suitable.

I also told her that I thought the rounded corners on the unglazed windows are going to be a challenge for us,

and wished that the front edges had been better finished.

But, on the whole, Wendy and I decided that we are both very satisfied and can't wait to get started on our new project!

(As an aside, I note that the house is mainly held together with screws. If you have a Lori Loft to Love, I'd love to hear if you've been brave enough to unscrew it and if you have any tips: I'm thinking that recovering or painting the inside would be much easier if the pieces were flat, but have a fear that once I unscrew it I'll never get it back together again...)

My financial planner said I needed to buy a property before I retire...

so, of course, I did what he said.

*Ahem*

I first discovered the Lori Loft to Love dolls' house in late 2015/ early 2016 via Modern Mini Houses and  Call of the Small. Of course, it wasn't available in Australia and when I checked eBay, it was going to cost me in the vicinity of AU$500 to buy and get a house originally priced at US$49.95 delivered to me. So I decided it was not to be.

Then, interestingly, earlier this year I discovered my local Kmart had some of the range. But not the loft. But it gave me hope.

Finally, about a month ago, I was surprised to stumble across a local listing at a price I could cope with.

Which led to a few weeks of trying to convince myself that it wasn't in my deposit-building budget. I didn't really need it. And I should probably finish some of my other dangling projects first.

And then my love of creative accounting took over.

I bought it. (And didn't feel one jot of guilt).

Inspired by Allie's House on Instagram, I'm wanting to turn this into a miniature gallery and possibly a permanent home for my pop-up shop series.

I'm also hoping this will give me a much-needed kick in the pants to start blogging again.

On that note, I asked my boss for (little) house-moving leave. And so I have tomorrow off and plan to do a review of the structure, plus start working on its transformation.

Not many minis in April or May

I've been distracted for the past six weeks, but some minis have happened since I last blogged:

1. The matchboxes I ordered from the UK arrived and I finally managed to finish this year's calendars.

2. I made time to visit the new display of miniature books in The Treasures Gallery of the National Library of Australia.

3. I caught up with a friend who had mini goodies for me that she bought while on a recent Disney adventure.

4. I sort-of made a scene with a postcard insert advertising Janine's new range of fabrics which was included in the latest issue of Uppercase (I think it would make great cheater fabric for mini quilts, don't you?).

5. I discovered that Typo is now selling battery operated light-up marquee light keyrings, so just had to add an A to my collection...

 

6. The Parental Units visited for a couple of weeks. My mum wanted to see some trees so I showed her my favourite ones...

7. Because The Parental Units were in town, I didn't make it to The Sydney Show this year. I wasn't too disappointed as I figure I have more than enough stash to keep me going for quite some time, but am looking forward to reading about the displays in the next issue of The tiny Times, as there didn't seem to be very much coverage on social media this year.

8. While The Parentals were here, I did manage to buy a couple of miniature-related items: an empty beauty set case ($4 from the op shop), which I'm contemplating making a mini hairdressers in to give to my hairdresser. And two metal ornaments from the half-price rack at the National Museum of Australia shop ($4.50 for both).

Reduce, reuse, recycle

We're very fortunate in Canberra to have not one, but two tip shop outlets in the centre of town (and a Red Cross op shop just across the way). So when I arranged to meet a friend for an after-work catch up this week, I was pleased that we suggested meeting at The Green Shed, and deciding where we were going from there.

While I waited, I wandered the shop with my miniature eyes on, particularly inspired by my new studio (and recent visit to see the Alex Asch's latest exhibition...)

The first thing that caught my eye was a basket of vintage souvenir spoons (three for $1), with interesting handles and bowls

and, of particular interest: these styles, with holes in the handles with tiny metal charms hanging from them!

There was also a stack of vintage vinyl presentation folders, which, following my op-shopping rule of 'open everything', I discovered contained pages and pages of enamel tie pins. ('From Croatia' the shop assistant told me, as she pulled still more folders out from under the counter for me to peruse).

('Klein' is German for small: how could I not?)

At 66 cents each, I came home with a handful.

And speaking of handfuls: as I was sorting out some stuff in the (full-sized) studio I came across the doll that came with the MiWorld Fashion Boutique. Without feet (as I'd stolen her shoes back here).

As I was contemplating whether I should just throw it out, or if an op shop might be interested in it (even without feet), I suddenly noticed that the hands were in the perfect positions to hold things. Like candles. 

And so the poor doll lost both her feet and her hands. Followed by a decent burial in the rubbish bin.

A new studio

Sometimes, when you least expect it, the universe offers opportunities that are too good to pass up.

Like this studio space (that you might recognise), which I was able to rent at a very reasonable price.

 And this reclaim some of my home for actually living in,

 not storing stuff and creating in!

(Work cabinets $10 each from the Victorian Dollhouses stall at the ACT Miniature and Dollhouse Show. Most other bits of treasure from Wendy Benson's boxes of bits at the same show: total price $5.40. Tools, paint and worktable: model's own...)

Time for a break

With encouragement from my readers to finish the other side of Bluebird Cafe, I decided to continue work on the scene. You know, instead of tidying the studio like I'd planned to do.

*Ahem*

So I returned to the original story of the build (and also returned the build to its original location: after I finished taking the last lot of photos, with a lovely shot of Wellington Harbour from the top of Mount Victoria out the window, I woke up at 3 am with my inner critic gently reminding me that if I was redoing Buzz Bar Cafe it was kind of INTERESTING that it had also suddenly moved from downtown Canberra to on top of a hill in Wellington. Even though we're now sister cities, that's kind of impossible.)

*Sigh*

I did a test-run.

Remember the photo I took during that Sunday when I almost tied myself in creative knots? I liked the use of the embossed wall, but knew it wouldn't work where I'd tested it (mainly, if truth be known, because then I'd have to cut a piece and that would limit my future options for the paper sheet). But the same paper, painted silver had worked really well previously.

So I moved the paper to the other side of the cafe, and it looked right.I decided that perhaps the new owners, after painting the existing shelving white, shifted them* up onto the wall.

And added some random tiles they'd picked up cheaply to give the shelves interest: thank you, Kaisercraft, for bringing out the Ubud Dreams range of papers, with the perfect tiles just when I needed them...

(It feels like I've now mixed that holiday house kitchen from 2015 into the inspiration mix...)

Below the now wall shelves are a row of 'new' (erm... ALLBIDS find?) stainless steel benches (actually 2014 Sydney Show finds, which have turned up on the blog several times before now).

Where someone is busy making delicious things to sell to the customers...

(*It's a test, which is why there's only one so far...)

At the show...

I've just finished loading the photos I took (and that passed muster) from last weekend's ACT Miniature and Dollhouse Fair onto FLICKR.

Yay! One more thing marked off the (seemingly never-ending) list.

Showing my colours

 I'm still working through the aftermath of Saturday's miniature show: but this year I'm doing things differently.

Instead of what feels like my usual habit of racing home afterwards, dumping the contents of my car onto the middle of the lounge floor, and then spending Saturday evening and most of Sunday hunched over my computer working on doing stock reconciliation, order documentation, photo downloading, correcting and blogging (plus, until this year, loading the photos into the space I'd reserved in The tiny Times's May working document), I stopped.

 Took a deep breath. Stretched, and poured a glass of wine.

Then spent Saturday evening opening the bags of goodies I bought at the show and creating flatlays. Partly for you, but mainly for me: so I could get to know my new treasures*, and put them away properly ready for use.

It was quite lovely.

While you're waiting to see the photos I took of the exhibits that caught my eye, you might like to listen to the piece that ABC 666 aired about the club yesterday...

(*Although a few are for miniature gifts. Of course!)

Viva la miniature show!

This afternoon it was all systems go setting up the displays and stalls for tomorrow's ACTME Miniature Fair and Dollhouse Show. And catching up with mini friends from near and far.

Plus the best bit: getting a sneak peek at what's going to be for sale on the stalls

and what's included in the displays...

The theme for this year's show is 'Viva la France' and I was taken by the cafe scene above, which uses a french-cafe-themed plate as a background to an outdoor cafe scene set up on a tea tray. (I was informed that the waiter is Manuel from Fawlty Towers.Which I find a little confusing. Did he moved to France?)

I put this flat lay together in honour of the show's theme:

(Unable to get to the show tomorrow and keen on getting your mitts on some of my clearance stock? Contact me (see left-hand column) and I'm sure we can work something out...)

Sale time

I'm in the midst of preparing for this weekend's ACTME Miniature Fair and Dollhouse Show: my only show for this year.

And I'm feeling a clearance sale coming on. How's this for starters?

Perspex tables

Side: were $7.50 Coffee: were $10 Now $5

Hall: were $15 Dining: were $20 Now $10

Hand-knitted ‘faux-kati’ rugs

Small: were $15  Medium: were $20  Large: were $30 All sizes now $10

Hand-knitted pouffes

were $10 Now $5

Stag heads

were $7.50 Now $5

Frames, storage boxes, notice boards

were $2 Now 50 cents

Beads, cushions, plant pots, tiles    

were $1 Now 50 cents

I'll also have some seconds, including these damaged stag heads for $1 each (no one will notice once you hang a hat on it!):

ACT Miniature Enthusiasts 2017 Miniature Fair and Dollhouse Show

Saturday 25 March 2017

10.00 am to 4.00 pm

Weston Creek Community Centre, Parkinson Street, Weston ACT (next to Cooleman Court)

Adults $6, Children aged 5-12 $3, Children under 5 free.