Completing The Parlour in The Master Swordsman Pub & Inn

Hello everyone,

Hope you are all doing well. It been quite busy here like always. Today it's been raining quite heavy. Quite strange for August I would say, but I think having such a hot and dry summer, mother nature, has been kind to provide us with some rain.  

I have been working a little on the Master Swordsman Pub & Inn and now I can say I have completed the Parlour. I totally love this room especially with it's final touches.

The Parlour in The Master Swordsman Pub & Inn

There is a new guest at the Master Swordsman Pub & Inn. Everyone, meet Mr. Fletcher Oaks. He is another handsome doll made by my favorite doll maker Beverly Senatore. 

Mr. Fletcher Oaks is British and he is in his early fifties. He is married and has two beautiful daughters. He lives on the outskirts of London.  He has just visited the Pub & Inn to meet Madam Arabella Barrett. At her age, Madam Barrett can't travel as frequent as she used to. As she is living and spending most of her time in Regent Street, looking after the business, Mr. Fletcher Oaks looks after her estates. The parlour is the best place to have a quiet chat over a glass of wine. 

I have also added the last few details to the room. One of the things that I definitely wanted to change was the library. I hated the covers of the books that were put on the shelves. I got myself busy by counting the books that I used. There are 28 big books and 24 smaller ones. I took the measurements and printed book covers accordingly.

Then very patiently, I covered every single book. The books definitely looked much better with their new cover. 

The bookcase looks more realistic now with the new book covers.

The coffee table looked quite plain with just the wine glasses so I made a few Victorian style pastries with fancy icing. These kind of pastries were very common in the period especially during a high tea or offered when unexpected guests arrived. The tiny pastries were made out of polymer clay. 

They are nothing special, but they fit the part well.

The final addition to the room were the two sabers or what we call curved dress swords that I have placed near the picture of my father on the fire place mantel. These were hand painted by the 'Maestro' himself.

Here are a few pictures of the complete room.

This is all for today. I hope you like the Parlour as much as I do. I will keep you posted with the new updates on this project and with the ongoing news at My Miniature World, so make sure to keep tuned. 

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

House Cleaning - The Prize

Hello everyone,

Hope you are all having a great week. There goes another month. August is going to be quite a busy month for me and I'm quite excited about it. I will be keeping you updated later on with the upcoming news and event. The new area where my dolls house collection is set, is almost done and it does feel like home being there. 

Before I start I wanted to welcome the new followers on my blog and at G+. Welcome!

A few weeks ago my very dear friend and fellow miniaturist José Pereira Torrejón surprised me with an unexpected gift for the new dolls house area.

José sent me this lovely original antique magazine cover called 'The Prize' dating March 1906. The illustration is just beautiful and it's called "House Cleaning". The picture features two Victorian girls cleaning their dolls house furniture. You can imagine how thrilled I was with it, not only for it's colorful picture but even for it's age. Thinking about it, this cover has over 112 years of age!

The Prize Magazine was published for children in the late 1800s / early 1900s. Like most magazines, they were bound into book form, like having a hard cover binder and it is unusual to find complete ones, particularly earlier editions from the 1880s / 1890s. So far I haven’t come across any pages of the interior but I have to say that the cover pages are beautifully illustrated. 

The issue of this cover is marked No. III from the new series. 

There was no doubt that I would have ordered a special frame for it and hung it among my dolls houses for everyone to see.

I don't have words to thank you enough José for such a lovely gift. It fits perfect in the room. I can't be thankful enough for your constant support and encouragement. It means so much to me. xxxx

Being such a fan of the Victorian era I couldn't help not turning the magazine into a miniature. Then again I thought of actually sharing a tutorial how to do them.

Making The PRIZE miniature magazine.

I have found some nice 'The Prize' cover magazine and downsized them and turned them into miniature magazines. In the sheet that I prepared, you will find 12 miniature magazine covers and a template for the inner pages.

Things you need:

You need to print the The Prize Magazine Cover Sheet on a printable A4 white cardboard.

Some white craft tissue paper

A metal ruler

A scalpel craft knife

A Glue stick

A pair of scissors

Step 1:

Before starting cutting the magazine cover sheet, it is important that you score the spine of the magazine very gently using the metal ruler as a guide and the craft knife. Be careful not to press the blade to hard on the sheet because it will tear very easily. Use the guidelines that I have made over and below each magazine  to find the center of the magazine cover. Scoring the cover of the magazine, makes it easier to fold and definitely it will look much neater.

Step 2

Using a scissors cut out the magazine covers and also the template for the inner pages.

Step 3:

Fold the magazine covers and put them aside. After scoring the cardboard magazine sheet,  you will find it very easy to fold the cover and they do keep a nice shape.

Step 4:

Using the inner page template for size, cut out 4 pieces from your craft tissue paper sheet. Each miniature magazine contains 4 pieces. The pages of the magazine will be blank but it will look much fuller with a few pages in it (for the 12 magazine covers you will be needing 48 pieces)

Step 5:

Fold each inner page piece in half that you just have cut from the craft tissue paper. Add a little glue on the fold (spine) of the page and stick it to the center of the fold of the other page. 

Doing so you will be having 4 inner pages folded and stuck together. If the pages came slightly uneven, all you have to do is fold the pages and just trim all around excluding the folded part (the spine of the pages)

Step 6:

Before gluing the cover to the pages make sure that the pages fit in nicely to the cover. When you are happy with the setting of the pages in the cover,  add a little glue in the center of the magazine cover and press the folded pages inside it. 

Put something heavy on the closed magazine until the glue settles.

Here are the finished miniature "The Prize" Magazine collection for your dolls houses.

I have already used my miniature magazine which is the same one of the framed picture for one of my projects.

I thought little Heather, who is residing at the moment at J.R. Art Gallery might like a copy of her own. 

I almost forgot! Talking about "The Prize" magazine, it just reminded me that we have a winner to announce for the free give away! So the tiny miniature book will go to Veronique Blommaart. Congratulations Veronique! Please contact me by email with your postal details so I can send it to you. For the rest don't worry there will be more give-aways to come in the near future!

Hope you have liked today's blog post. It's a bit different from usual but I couldn't not share such a wonderful and meaningful piece! Besides, thanks to it, I got to do a tutorial too.

Keep tuned for the next update on the current project The Master Swordsman Pub & Inn, which is almost coming to an end. 

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

My Miniature World makes a hit on the News!

Hi everyone,

Hope you are all well and are keeping safe from the high temperatures. It's been quite hot this week. Just popped in to say a quick hello. Like always it's been a very busy week with too many going on's I would say. I still can't believe that it has been a week today since My Miniature World makes a hit on the Maltese National News.

After being seen on The People of Malta, I was approached by Maria La Barokka Muscat from TVM (Television Malta) for an interview without me knowing exactly where this was all going to.

The next day Maria visited My Miniature World with her camera man and all. Honestly I was shocked!

Maria was quite impressed and she enjoyed the tour of my houses. We spent some time talking and she made me feel quite comfortable I would say. The only thing is that I didn't have an idea that it was going to be broadcast on the TV National News and on their site the next day, News TVM

Just in case the link breaks and doesn't work here is the article Mother of Three plays with dolls and builds houses for them. There is also the Maltese Version which I think is much better.  Omm ta’ 3 itfal tilgħab bil-pupi u tibni d-djar tagħhom

Here is the video clip which was on the news. Even if it is in Maltese I'm sure you will still like it.

I have to admit, I am quite proud of myself. It's been a long journey to arrive where I am today and I wouldn't have done it without the support of my family, friends and you.

I had quite a positive feedback and even after a week I'm still receiving more.

Also I wanted to remind you that tomorrow is the closing date of our Free Give Away

All you have to do to take a chance to win this book is.

1)  Be or Become a follower of My Miniature World Blog.

2)  Like and share our Face Book Page.

3)  Leave a comment on this post so I'll know who wants to take part in the draw.

Closing date will be 27th July 2018 and the lucky winner will be announced shortly afterwards.

Don't miss out! Good luck to all!

So this is all for today. Keep tuned for the next update on the progress of the Master Swordsman & Inn as it is close to it's end. 

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

The Barmaid and The Lady in the Painting

Hello everyone,

Hope you are all fine and that you had a great weekend. It has been a very busy week for me I must say, with quite some excitement too. I didn't really have time to work on The Master Swordsman Pub & Inn but I couldn't resist not sharing with you a new comer to Regent Street and the story line behind it. 

During the week I received another lovely doll made by my friend and doll maker Beverly Senatore. I am just thrilled with her and I have to admit she has to be one of my favorite dolls and for good reason. 

I would like to introduce to you the Barmaid of The Master Swordsman Pub & Inn; Susanna. 

Susanna The Barmaid

Beverly and I agreed to have this doll similar to the Oil Painting 'A Bar at the Folies-Bergère'.

A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by  Èdouard Manet

A Bar at the Folies-Bergère was painted and exhibited at the Paris Salonin in 1882, is considered the last major work of French painter Èdouard Manet. It depicts a scene in the Folies-Bergère  nightclub in Paris.  The venue opened in 1869 and its atmosphere was described as “unmixed joy”. In contrast, the barmaid in Manet’s representation is detached and marooned behind the bar. The painting originally belonged to the composer Emmanuel Chabrier, who was Manet's neighbor. The painting is currently in The Courtauld Gallery in London, England.

I was curious not only about the artist who painted the painting but very curious in the lady herself. The painting is rich in details which provide clues to social class and milieu. The woman at the bar is a real person, known as Suzon, who worked at the Folies-Bergère in the early 1880's. There isn't much about her. Manet has also painted Suzon's Portrait in 1881. I think she was very beautiful. 

(Suzon) The Model for the Folies-Bergère

I keep wondering how her life was. Was she happy? Did she live a long life? Did she have a family of her own? So many questions that I will never get to know. If only she knew that after 136 years since the painting of the barmaid in the bar in Paris, there would be a miniature doll of herself. 

Suzon is a Hebrew name for Susanna. I thought it was kind of sweet to keep her original name so I opted for Susanna. 

Finally the day arrived when I received her and I was just thrilled. Beverly has made such an amazing job on her. From here I want to thank Beverly for giving my dolls houses more character with her lovely dolls. 

The Story in Regent Street 

Mr. Joseph Rookie was locking up the  J.R. Art Gallery, after a busy day. He was finding it difficult to be creative. There was nothing special to inspire him. Before calling it a night, he decided to stop by for a drink at The Master Swordsman Pub & Inn. There at the window he saw someone new.

The new barmaid at the pub was quite pretty, withdrawn and kept to herself while she served the clients.

Finally inspiration hit our artist at Regent Street. He couldn't resist not painting the image of Susanna at the bar.

After a few weeks, in J.R. Art Gallery, there was the famous painting of the new barmaid which inspired him and now welcomes him with a glass of white wine each time he drops in. 

  

 The miniature painting, printed on canvas of 'A Bar at the Folies-Bergère' by Èdouard Manet is also part of J.R. Art Gallery. 

Hope you have liked the new barmaid. She brings quite some history with her and also a good story line for Regent Street. Keep tuned for the next update.

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

The First Appearance in Malta!

Hello everyone,

Just popped in for a quick post with some news!

Some of you already know that the term "dolls houses" and whatever is related to them, here in Malta, is a complete 'taboo'. I am sure that there are a few out there that do have a dolls house on the island but there are no shops that sell miniatures or anything that fits for our hobby.

A few weeks ago I was approached by Stephen Buhagiar  from "The People of Malta" for an interview about my dolls house collection. "The People of Malta" is a private entity that works on this amazing artistic project to share emotions, stories, personalities, moods and contrasts depicted in pictures and in citations of the Maltese people. Recently they have also published their first book. 

Stephen was interested to visit my dolls house collection, have an interview and take pictures. Coming to think of this, it was the very first time that a Maltese approached me for an interview about my dolls house creations and miniatures. I know it's quite surprising when you think that I have had more publications and articles abroad and not even one in my own country. Obviously I agreed to do it. 

The day came and Stephen visited my new dolls house area which will be opening very soon for the public. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that I will be having the opening in August. 

Stephen was quite impressed with what he saw. He asked several questions, took notes and a few pictures. 

Last Tuesday, "The People of Malta" posted the interview and picture of me with my dolls houses on their FaceBook Page.

The caption was in Maltese and in the English language. Here is the English Version of it.

"This is my world, my miniature world. Doll’s houses have fascinated me since forever, from when I was 4 years old. I used to see how I could create a house for every doll I had. When I was 17 I wanted to start building my doll’s houses myself. This meant that instead of buying them ready-made, I would build them myself. You don’t find the material, teachers of the technique and sellers of items connected with doll’s houses, readily available in Malta. I embarked on this hobby thanks to the internet. I remember quite clearly the day when my parents had dial-up internet installed at home. This opened a whole world of opportunities to me.

Every house I build is in 12 scale. I manually craft every detail, no matter how small. There are parts made from wood, cloth and some parts are even made of ceramic. The beauty of doll’s houses is the adherence to the historical periods. This encouraged me to study historical eras, as in order to furnish the internal structure of the houses you need to make use of items in fashion at that particular period. The variety of styles ranges between Victorian, Modern, Georgian, Medieval, Post-War and Tudor.

Whatever I produce with my hands is the result of the passion I have for this hobby."

I was surprised with the feed back and reactions I got especially from the Maltese.

Surprisingly I had many persons asking me where could they see the collection and if it was open for the public. Just from their face book page I got over 1,200 likes so that was quite big for me.

From here I want to thank The People of Malta especially Stephen for giving me the opportunity to share my passion with them. 

And to add some more good news! My Miniature World on Facebook has reached over 17,000 likes.

Once again, I want to thank you all for the support and encouragement. This means so much to me.

To show my appreciation I will be giving out a free give away. 

It's one of my favorite miniature books called The Children's Object Book which is fully illustrated.

All you have to do to take a chance to win this book is.

1)  Be or Become a follower of My Miniature World Blog.

2)  Like and share our Face Book Page.

3)  Leave a comment on this post so I'll know who wants to take part in the draw.

Closing date will be 27th July 2018 and the lucky winner will be announced shortly afterwards.

Don't miss out! Good luck to all!

So this is all for today. I will keep you updated very soon with the latest progress on The Master Swordsman Pub & Inn. Make sure to keep tuned. 

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx



Photograph taken by Stephen Buhagiar from The People of Malta