Visit to The Netherlands

 Hello Everyone, 

How are you all? Hope you are having a great weekend. The past two days have been stormy and the kids have started their new scholastic year, which means that it is time to say goodbye to my Summer. 

It has been three weeks since my visit to The Netherlands and it's always fruitful with memorable  experiences. 

On my arrival on Friday, I had the opportunity to go to Amsterdam. It was my very first time that I went to visit the heart of the city.  One of the highlights of my visit was Rijksmuseum. It was such an amazing experience. The galleries full of beautiful paintings. antique furniture and priceless pieces are simply out of this world.

In the museum you will find three beautiful dollshouse cabinets. 

My favorite Cabinet was the one of Peteonella Oortman c. 1686 - c.1710. I never thought that the cabinet was as huge. Simply fascinating!

From the museum I got myself some books and postcards which are related to the dolls house cabinets.

Then Saturday and Sunday came!  My goodness I was in my seventh heaven. I went to the Dolls House and Miniature Show in Expo Houten in Utrecht. 

Apart from the Dolls House and Miniature Show there was also the Teddy section. Obviously I wouldn't miss it! Posy always asks to go there to meet new friends.

It was well organized and it was packed to the brim with stalls. I got to meet some of my old friends and talk about our hobby and the business.

I got so many goodies with me. Thank goodness I always carry an extra hand luggage to put in my stuff.

I got some fabric, lace and trimming. I always find these useful for upholstery or bedding. 

I got some stuff for the gardening section and some flower punches. Hopefully one day I will get to start my spooky  Halloween project. 

Finally I got the market cart kit. I was so happy that I bought it. I had seen it the previous year during the same fair and I kicked myself for not buying it there and then. I was sure that I won't make the same mistake again this year.

Got some kits from Melissa's Laserville , Art of Mini and Mini Door. Those are not to be missed

A few furniture pieces that I needed for the Christmas Project

I also got to get some beautiful that Mr. Han Goergen did. I was so happy to see the gentleman finally. The last time I met him was in March of 2020. Unfortunately  Covid-19 didn't help the situation. 

A few carpets. Well quite a lot of carpets. You can never have enough of these.

Miss Holly insisted that she needed more Christmas miniatures for her shoppee.

A few miniature accessories that will always come handy.

I fell in love with this cute artisan bunny that I just couldn't resist. 

From the Teddy Section I also got some teddies with the approval of Posy. 

Posy insisted on getting a tiny teddy that looks very much like herself and I wanted a microscopic Winnie the Pooh teddy.  That Pooh Bear always makes me melt. 

At the very end of the fair just before I left I was drawn to one particular teddy. He was no miniature but I just had to have him. I named him Arthur. Posy approved so it was a win, win for both of us. Arthur is made by the brilliant artist Anjo Noija of Bearable Bears. He is hand stitched, made out of old linen, has two old boot button eyes and filled with wood wool. He also has an antique metal bead hanged around his neck for safe keeping. On his right arm the sweetheart has a bandage to cover his boo-boo which was one of the main reasons that I had to have him. 

Thanks to Arthur I got to make friends with Anjo and now we contact each other regularly. 

Posy also has a soft spot for Arthur and she is always there for him. Even though he is a big bear she insisted that she wants him in the Teddy House. 

So that's a wrap. Hope you like my new goodies. I can't wait to use them and find their places among my miniatures. Make sure to keep tuned for the next updates. 

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

 

The Start of Mickey's Room

 Hello Everyone,

How are you all? Hope you are well. It's been a while since I share my progress on the Disney's Dollshouse but I have to say I am enjoying it and I always look forward to the weekly issue. 

Today I will be sharing with you the progress of Mickey's Room.

It does take a while to collect the parts before I can share with you the progress of the room, but here we are and I have to say I am very pleased how things are looking. 

Between issue number 5 and issue number 15 I managed to build partially Mickey's room.  It is quite grand and he looks very proud of it. 

So first I started off by wall papering the walls and adding the cornice and the wall borders. 

Once the walls were built I added the flooring and the last few bits of the cornice and wall boarder. 

I also added a few accessories and furniture that belong to the room. 

The detail is amazing and I have to say even though the collection is part work, it is very precise and the pieces fit in nicely. 

For those who would love to start the collection you are still in time as they are available to order online from the Agenda Book Shop.

So this is all for today. Make sure to keep tuned for the next updates and news. 

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

Granny at The Tudor Manor

 Hello Everyone,

Hope you are all having a great weekend. Today I got to take a few photos of a new resident at Tudor Manor. I wanted you to meet Granny Seph. 

Granny Seph is another doll made by Beverley Senatore and she is all dressed up in the 40's style. She moved immediately in the kitchen of the Tudor Manor and fitted in perfectly.

Granny Seph is named after my own grandmother 'nanna Seph' which was short for Sephora. She reminds me very much of her. Always busy in a typical styled kitchen, always with a smile, white hair and an apron. 

She got to live through WWII,  had to grow up to be a mother to her own siblings as her mother passed at a very young age. She was a mother of six, grandma to twelve and a great grandma to seven. Unfortunately she didn't get to meet her number eight great granddaughter, my little Leah.

She loved her grandchildren and cared for us all. She always managed to find time for all of us even if we were twelve nephews and nieces. When we visited she was always busy in the kitchen.  She was an amazing cook and her dishes were so mouthwatering. The kitchen always smelled good. She kept the house squeeky clean and her washing always smelled of soap. Her white clothing or sheets were as white as if they were brand new. One of the things that always fascinated me was her ironing. I remember myself watching her iron. My gosh she never missed a crease and the lines were perfect.  Something that I have inherited from her. 

I never tired of her stories. She was a great storyteller. I remember her telling us stories from her childhood or stories from the war.

She was hard headed and she would have definitely qualified as the lady of steel not for her physical strength but for having a strong character. I am actually one of the lucky ones that not only she was my grandma but even my godmother. She had traveled all the way from Malta to Canada before I was born just to make sure she was present for the big day. 

Unfortunately she never got to see my collection and see the artist that I have become. I am sure that she would have been very proud of me and I can see her boast about me. I think she would have been happy knowing that there is a doll that represents her.

So this is all for today. Make sure to keep tuned for the next update.

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxxx

Working on Holly's Kitchen!

Hello Everyone,

How are you all? Hope you had a great weekend. It has been a while since my last post. I am spending some time with the kids during their summer break before they go back to school. Still I have been working on my miniatures and projects.

As time passes by quite quick, it is also time to start preparing to complete Holly's home. Believe me, the last thing I have on my mind with this heat is Christmas but considering that I would like to have this project done by the Big Day, then I don't have much time or choice to really put my head there and work on it.

I have started working on the little kitchen which is on the same floor as the shop and so far I am very pleased with my progress.

My father built and painted the detailed little oven while I designed and made the surrounding for it.

I have continued working on the surround to make it more Chrismasy and I made a miniature Christmas garland suited better for the kitchen with cinnamon sticks, slices of oranges, bay leaves and cranberries. You can imagine how nice and sweet the scent of the garland might leave in the room.

It fitted in nicely and suits the room quite well.

I also decided to make my own sink as I couldn't find the right one to fit the area.  So I printed a sink with my 3d resin printer and painted it. I was so surprised how well it turned out.

Like always I added a few ceramics and my bubble water to the sink to add more detail.

I think it looks just right in the room.

A few pieces of furniture still need to be worked on and I still need to add more details to the room. 

I think Miss Holly will like her kitchen once it's done.

This is all for today. I hope you like how the room is turning out to be.

Make sure to keep tuned for the next update on this project and for our latest news. Wishing you all a great week.

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx