Charles Dickens - Book Display

Hello everyone,

Hope you are all fine and that you enjoyed your weekend. It's been a tough week for me, from Monday to Sunday. During the whole week I was very busy at the office, the daily routine which never changes, worked on miniatures for my clients and when the weekend arrived things got even tougher. Sometimes you can't do otherwise; priorities take over, even if by doing so, you have to sacrifice the things that you love doing. It's been a stressful weekend starting from Friday. There is always a time when the house you live in needs extra attention and maintenance. On the whole I have managed to do everything except work on my project. 

While clearing up I got to  find two of my displays in my studio flat. I totally forgot all about them. One of my displays was the book display called Charles Dickens. 

 This display book goes way back to 2011 and funnily enough, I never ever shared it here on my blog.  I remember that for 2011 the Dolls House Emporium had celebrated the UK rich literacy heritage that included the 150th anniversary of the publication of 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens, the 200th anniversary since the birth of Charles Dickens himself and the 200th anniversary since the publication of 'Sense and Sensibility' by Jane Austin. 

Obviously as I always loved English Literature. even in my younger days, at school, English Literature was my favorite subject apart from the English language and History. I loved Shakespeare, Jane Austin, Charlotte Bronte but I loved Charles Dickens the most. I remember I studied Great Expectations which I was totally hooked on. Some of my favorite books were, Christmas Carol, The Haunted House, Oliver Twist and The Old Curiosity Shop.  They bring so many memories.

So when the Dolls House Emporium made this book display, I wanted to do something that reminded me of the love I had for the English Literature especially Charles Dickens. The book display isn't big but still a few items can be displayed. 

Today I was shocked to see that the book display wasn't looking as nice as it did when I made it. The wall paper was stained and the outer paper of the display was falling apart. 

I couldn't bare seeing it in this state, so after putting the kids to bed and all was done. I got to work on it.  I started by opening the display and remove the items that were inside and the wall paper. 

I went for an original wall paper, which I down sized and printed it. 

Once the wall paper was pasted in, I placed my dear old friend the doll Charles Dickens. 

The desk needed some cleaning from all the dust.

Finally I added all the pieces to the display. 

And here is the display book looking far much better than it did. 

So this is all for today. Hope you'll like it. At least I got to do something such as small in miniature after all. Hopefully, this week, it will be more easy going and I will get to work a bit on my project. Make sure to keep tuned for the next update on The Master Swordsman Pub & Inn. 

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

The Stairway in The Master Swordsman Pub & Inn

Hello Everyone, 

Here we are once again. Hope you all had a great Easter and a good weekend. Have been busy like always. I have to admit, it has been a good week too. Have enjoyed the kids being at home, worked on a few miniatures for clients, have moved the last few dolls houses to the new area and also got to work on my new project.

Before I start I wanted to welcome the new followers to my blog, WELCOME!!! Also I have some more exciting news. My Miniature World Blog has been awarded with another achievement by being ranked 9th place in the Top 40 Dolls House Blogs on the web. I wasn't expecting anything of the sort. I don't have words to thank you all for your constant support and encouragement to make all this possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!

Coming back to the project! I have started working on the staircase of the building. The first thing I did was wall paper the walls, the flooring and the ceiling. 

Once that was done, I have done the cornice in the ceiling and skirting all around. Between the different wall paper  of the ground floor and the upper room I have also did a wooden trimming. This makes a bit of a difference I think. Then just like I did with the first staircase, I got to marble the stairs and even covered underneath the stairs with the same embossed paper that I used for the ceiling.  

When the staircase was done. I had planned to carpet the staircase and obviously use the stair rods. They were quite fiddly to do but so far I have managed to do one of the staircases.

I started by drilling small holes to the staircase were the rods are secured to the stairs. Then I fixed the stair posts in place with glue. 

Once the glue was set, I added the rods which needed to be shortened and added the carpet. 

I was very happy how it turned out. It looked very realistic especially when I put the stairs in place of the room. 

Once that was settled in, I added the last stair posts and railing. It did take me a while to finish but it's definitely worth the time. I can't wait to finish the remaining stairs which will also have a carpet and all. 

Here are some pictures of how the building is developing so far. 

Hope you liked what I have done so far. I know it isn't much. I'm really hoping that I will get to do the rest during this week. So keep tuned for the next update on The Master Swordsman Pub & Inn. 

Wishing you all a great week.

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

The Guestroom in The Master Swordsman Pub & Inn

Hello everyone,

Hope you are all having a great week and looking forward to Easter. I have had some days off from the office and I got to do so many things. Have been working hard on the new Studio as now it has reached it's final stages. I also got to work on my project The Master Swordsman Pub & Inn.

The Guestroom in the Master Swordsman Pub & Inn

 The room was quite big and I was quite sure I could fit in easily what I had planned. Before I even started I took some measurements and fitted in the pieces of furniture that I had planned for. For sure I wanted to add a very tiny room, like a small cubical just to give the impression that there is a bathroom. 

I started off with wall papering the room and I used a different wall paper and tile floor for the tiny bathroom. 

Once the wall paper, ceiling and flooring was done I started working on the walls for the cubical which I made out of wood.  The only thing that I added to the room was a sink with vanity and a mirror. 

Once that was complete I started working on the cornice of the room and skirting. The ceiling has an embossed pattern paper. I have stained the cornice, skirting and interior doors in matching dark oak. 

It is unbelievable what a difference it makes when cornice and skirting is fitted to a room. It looks complete. I'm very happy how the dark trimmings gave the walls and flooring that extra detail. 

As the room was ready, I added the furniture pieces that I had in mind for it. 

I wasn't happy with the bedding of the bed as it didn't match the room and it was quite basic. So I got out my sewing basket, found a needle and thread and did the new bedding for the bed. I went for some ivory silk fabric and cotton with a tiny floral print. 

There is still so much that I need to add to the room like wall frames and a few more accessories. And this is how the room looks like so far.

As today would be the last post before Easter. I wish you and your loved ones a Very Happy Easter. This year tiny Posy is celebrating her first Easter ever.

So this is all for today. I hope you have liked what I have done so far. I can't wait to continue adding more. Keep tuned for the next update on this project. 

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

Adding More to The Master Swordsmen Pub & Inn

Hello Everyone,

How are yo all? Hope you have enjoyed your weekend. It was a great one for me. Apart from working on lots of miniatures for clients, I still found the right amount of time for my own miniature project. I loved every moment of it and I'm going to share what I have been up to. Before I start I wanted to welcome the new followers to my blog.  Welcome!

I have worked a little bit more on the bar area of The Master Swordsmen Bar & Inn. 

The Master Swordsmen Pub & Inn. 

After getting a few supplies, I was very curious how the bar area would look like. I ordered all the furniture pieces in bare wood so I could match the same coloring of the fireplace and wall paneling.  It is always the same problem, You imagine one thing and as soon as you start filling the room with furniture you get a different picture.

I knew that the bar area was going to be a challenge and I couldn't find a ready made bar counter to fit so I took some measurements and did one myself. 

Once the counter was ready. I just spread out the furniture pieces around to have a good idea of how I wanted it to look. Space is always an issue. I was sure that underneath the staircase I wanted shelving for the bar. 

The under stairs were going to be the biggest challenge of all. A challenge that I wasn't going to give up on that easily. For some reason, I din't like how the stairs and landing joined. There wasn't that continuity of the stairs to the landing so that was something that needed to be changed. I took a few measurements and started sketching. The first two sketches were a complete mess, a total embarrassment, until I figured out what I had to do. Finally, today I got to finish the shelving underneath the staircase which also has a wine rack. 

I was thrilled with the final result. I manage to make the staircase, the landing and the shelving as a whole unit. What I liked the most was that even if it looked simple it looked sturdy and complimented the bar counter. I got to add a few accessories to the shelving. Not completely happy as I still need to add more shelving to the side.  

The bar counter definitely needed something more, I darkened the stain and managed to decorate it with some jewelry findings. 

The fireplace got it's basket with coal which fitted the surronding perfectly and eventually it will be lit. 

I stained the chairs, stools and tables to match with the rest of the furniture. Very disappointed with the upholster of the chairs.  They looked cheep and definitely didn't match the room.

I had to change the fabric of the chairs and also trimmed them with a very fine bronze braid. 

The fabric blended in nicely with the room. The chairs looked more classy and rich. Using the same fabric I also upholstered the seats of the bar stools. 

And this is how the room looks like so far. There is still lots to do, but I'm pleased with the outcome so far. 

I'm sure in the long run, there will be some changes but for now it will do. 

Hope you like what I have done so far. I can't wait to continue working on this project. Keep tuned for the next update. 

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx