A meaty workshop...

There were three workshops at York fair: making a brace of pheasants, a chicken dinner, and dressing a small toy. I took part in the first two.

The brace of pheasants workshop (£10) was hosted by Solway Miniatures. Think glue and feathers and you can imagine the state of our workstations! We created two practice pheasants and were provided with more than enough materials to make another pair at home. That was a nice touch.

The second workshop (£6), making a roast chicken dinner, was held by Tumdee Miniatures. All of the food was made with air-dry clay, and the porcelain plate was provided. We coloured the chicken with ground chalk, using a darker colour for the 'roast' bits. The herby topping is made from green tea leaves. We were again provided with more than enough materials to make this again at home - great value.

Photos of York fair goodies!

This table was only £3 - I double checked the price on buying it in case it was mistakenly tagged!

Mmm... Gordon's and marmite...

I plan to fill this cake stand with cupcakes. The picture doesn't do justice to the flan case, the porcelain is very thin and the pattern beautifully detailed, a bargain £1.

Golden syrup - these tins are quite heavy.

Aleens tacky glue is wonderful for hemming fabric, instead of sewing. This little trunk will be covered in leather or fabric and used in the bedroom for storage. The 'glass' will be cut to size for the back of the shop counter, bringing more depth to the shop.

Teepee crafts sells thousands of findings and filigree bits. I have plans for all of these!!

York Doll House Fair

What a lovely day we had at a very friendly York doll house fair. Apart from the dozens of stalls selling pretty much anything you could want for a doll house, local club members display their creative work.

A stunning Lines doll house was centre of attention. It had been fully redecorated and was stocked full of beautiful pieces. Lines doll houses are amongst the sought after and admired vintage houses that, generally, are within financial reach, and they evoke wonderful memories of the 1960s and 1970s. I plan to add one to my collection at some point.

The workshops at the fair are a great way to both meet people and learn new skills. I can now make a brace of pheasants and a chicken dinner. More on that on another post when I have completely finished them!

I picked up some lovely bits. A bargain £3 kitchen table, and some stock items for the shop.

Teepee Crafts stall was as packed as usual. It's a great place to pick up findings and filigree that can be adapted for a multitude of uses.

Pictures coming soon!

1/24 scale first-timer!

I'm so looking forward to York Doll House Fair on Sunday 27 November. Six hours of miniature shopping and workshops. This will be the first time that I've been to the fair at Christmas, so here's hoping for some lovely seasonal decorations.

I'm particularly looking for furniture for a soon-to-start project, a 1/24 scale 'Willow' house from Bromley Craft Products. It is still flatpacked and undecorated however this is a picture from Bromley's website:

My version will look very different to this. I'm using brick compound and stencils for the bricks and quoins, and of course roofing tiles. I like a more realistic look. A 1950s-style interior is appealing to me, so if anyone knows of sellers of suitable furniture or kits, or if you have any tips, please do advise!

A rather nice lamp - made from scratch, and no kit!

This week we made a light at dolls house club. This was easily the fiddliest miniature I've made at the club but I'm really pleased with the result.

The light really works, and it plugs in to the wiring system at the back of the house. I've decided to place it on the dressing table as the bedroom is the darkest room. The wiring needs to be tidied and painted.

(virtually) no-cost picture and frame

I love making things that cost nothing, or where the cost is negligible.

This picture is a good example. It is made from a cut out picture from a magazine, plus a little balsa wood and some laminate.

I've used felt tip to avoid white edges around the picture, and have coloured the frame with wood stain to give an aged look.

Fishy scales...

I bought a goldfish bowl kit at the York show earlier this year. It has been a job-to-be-done-soon in my craftbox until this morning.

The rubbery scenic water melts within a few minutes of dropping the tube in a cup of hot water. I poured a little in the bowl to make an invisible base for the fish, added the greens, then topped it up once the base had set.

I'm not sure of the scale: he looks a little cramped in his bowl. Poor fish!

Time to fix my clockwork bargain

This working grandfather clock retails at a rather pricey £68.50 at Dolls House Emporium, way out of my price league for dollhouse furniture.

I managed to pick this one up for just £2.50 at Dainty Toys in Washington. It needed a bit of glue, sanding and staining and is starting to look good.

Now I just need to find some black wire to make the clockface hands.

It will never work of course. The clockwork gubbins was missing when I bought it but I still like my bargain!!