Hello and welcome!!!

Well, Julia of http://bearcabinminiatures.blogspot.com/ said that she's following my blog! Actually it was her idea that I have one, so here I am! lol I honestly don't know how often I will post items on my blog as I do work full time, but I will endeavour to do so! At the moment I am off work with a serious knee injury which may need (no pun intended!!) an operation to put right, eeek! So I have more time on my hands than normal.

Recently I was in a dolls house shop in Winchester and a fellow shopper said that dolls house making and collecting was like having a disease! Hmm... I hastened to add a 'likeable and friendly one'! I have been making mini's for a few year's on and off and now have 6 dolls houses, and if I had my way I would keep buying them, as I'd love a couple more themed ones! They are all in various stages of completion..... My first house was a Victorian shop (called Erica's Emporium) and sells a variety of things (hence the name) and I do change the stock as it makes it more interesting. I want to revamp it, mainly the kitchen!

My favourite house to date is my witches house (made from the Dolls House Emporium's Toll House), my Mum bought it last October as a little pressie. It's mostly complete, but it does need some serious tweaks and more work to be done. I've added a garden and a potting shed and a metal spiral staircase that I made from a kit..I am very happy with the final result, even though the men in white coats nearly carted me off as it nearly drove me mad to make, it was a nightmare! lol I recently sent my witches dressing table (that I stained and aged) to the US to a well known and very talented artisan to dress it, as I was so stuck for ideas (I'm normally not like this! lol).

I also have a Sid Cooke house (my most refined house). One of my favourites is my Nanny McPhee cottage, it's made from a kit from Corona Concepts - The Orchid Dollshouse, it's tiny, but I love it! It will have a mixture of bright colours (like Nanny McPhee) and pastel's, in a shabby chic sort of style. I will be adding a back to the house (and make it front opening), as like most American dolls houses they don't have backs and I think you lose a lot of space. It will also have a large tea pot collection that will be on a large shelf in the kitchen (I have bought many to date).

I have a 1/16th scale Honeydukes, actually it's more of a large room box, so I'd love a proper sized shop in 1/12th scale! Just don't tell the family! lol ;o)

My latest addition is Hogwarts, I couldn't see a decent castle kit and I'm not that great with wood to create my own houses (I wish I could!), so instead I'm going to transform a large Tudor Coach Inn kit, it will probably end up looking like in belongs in Diagon Alley as I want to have the house in Rik Pierce's style (old cracking render and bricks showing). It has a large forecourt and I plan to add Sid Cooke's Orangery and a small walled garden. It's the largest of all my dolls houses and I have the design and plan's already in my head!

I'd love to do a Ron Weasley's home, and I have seen the perfect kit for it! Hmmm....not sure I could convince anyone I would like another house! lol

I will be adding some photo's of my houses on here, but I am the world's worse for taking photo's of anything or anyone, and I really take so few when I make anything (my family and friends are always telling me off for not doing so!! lol). I plan to take some as I complete work on my houses from now on, though when they get uploaded on my blog is anyone's guess! lol :o))

Michelle :o)