Meeting Miss Leah and adding more miniatures

Hello lovely folk,

I hope that you had a great weekend. Today Raquel started junior school. It was very emotional if not for her at least for me. She seemed to enjoy it. I guess that is life. Once they are born they grow up so fast.

I also wanted to let you know that for Halloween I will be giving out another give away which consists of this Halloween cake and 2 cut out pieces with decorative plates. What you have to do is:

Free Give away

 Follow my blog

Like us on face book and share with your friends,

And don't forget to comment so I'll know who wants to participate. 

Winner will be announced 20th October 2014.

So back to my Boutique today I will be introducing Miss Leah. Leah was made especially for me by the lovely doll maker and my dear friend Beverly. You can see her creations on her face book page Mini Dolls By Beverly or her Etsy shop Dolls by Beverly Etsy shop.

So here are some of the additions that I have made for the boutique. First I finished off the little nook that I made out in the sewing room. I have made some pieces of fabric that I had to add on to the shelving. I also labeled the little organized drawers. The labels where also made by me on the computer.

Adding the rolled fabric

Organized drawers. 

As you can see I have also added 2 framed oval pictures which I have made. The oval frames are actually buttons and then I printed some Victorian pictures and added them to the buttons. 

Pictured oval frames made out of buttons.

I also had the pleasure to renovate 2 other pieces of furniture for this room. I have really enjoyed making them. Even if I used a transfer which I have made and printed I still hand painted most of the picture to make them look more realistic.

The first piece was the ladies bureau which I loved making and then I have made the same with a small dresser which will hold one of my sewing machines. To add to the dresser half the top of the dresser does open that gives that little extra for a sewing machine. 

The Ladies bureau before

The Ladies Bureau after the renovation

The sewing tablee

I am also pleased that I have started working on some miniature additions that will go in the boutique. As I had some bigger busts which made good mannequins I made two more elegant hats which came out very close to perfection.

I also managed to make some jewelry pieces. These are made with gold plated wire, polymer clay and crystals. Their stand has also been made by me. I have used cereal boxes and some velvet.

Jewelry making

I also tried my hand in making Faberge' Eggs which where already on the market in the Victorian Era. I have made a large one which is displayed open and a very tiny one on a chain.

Faberge' Eggs

To add to the sewing room, my father has built 2 sewing machine kits and he has painted them for me. They are my favorite pieces so far and I am really pleased.

Wilcox and Gibbs sewing machine

Hand sewing machine

 Finally and not least like I always say. What is a sewing room without a measuring tape. The little miniature was made by me. Was quite fiddly to do but I have managed. 

Miniature sewing machine

And for the grand finale Ladies and Gents I introduce you to Miss Leah. She has finally arrived in her new boutique. She is extremely beautiful and Beverly has made a fantastic job of her and of her pretty dress.

Miss Leah arriving in her new boutique

And here is another entry from Miss Leah's Diary:

2nd September 1879

Dear Diary,

It has been a couple of days and I have so much to share. I finally made it to Regent Street and I just love it. It was hard to leave papa alone and packing some of my stuff wasn't easy. I still have lots of stuff to bring from the Manor House but for the time being they will do. I promised papa that I will visit him regularly but there is so much work to be done in the boutique that I don't even know from where to start. Quelina and Father joined me on my first trip to the city. He has made some arrangements for the building and signed the paper of the ownership of the property. I am really pleased where the shop is. It is next door to Matquel's. Just down the street, there is a lovely coffee shop and there is also a forge and a small toy shop. At least that is what I got to see.

I also got to see my brother Matty who surprised me on my second day in the city. He got me some nice pieces of antique furniture that I will be using in the boutique and got me some lovely fabric from Paris. He also brought me some amazing jewelry pieces to sell for the elite. Matty has a good eye for the best pieces. 

Quelina has been a blessing to me. She has helped me settle in nicely. Her apartment is quite small for both of us but she wouldn't want it any different. While still fixing the boutique I am helping her out with Matquel's. It is quite fun to spend  time with my sister. 

I have started working on some hat designs as they are quite fashionable in the city. You won't see a sole without a hat. I think the ladies are more into hats than what they are actually wearing. 

Well that is all for today. Off to bed as I can hear Quelina steps in the other room which means that she will soon retire.

Good night my dear companion.

Hugs

Leah xxx

Well that is all my dear friend. Don't forget to keep tuned as I will be sharing with you more on the boutique very soon.

Take Care and see you all soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxxxx

The first Glimpse inside Miss Leah's Boutique

Hello lovely people,

Hope you are all well and enjoying the last few days of summer. Next week the kids start school which will make it harder for me to concentrate on my mini work, I have to admit I love working on miniatures in the winter. The positive thing about it is that now I can concentrate more on decorating this particular project.

Before starting off I also wanted to welcome two new followers to my blog Corrine Redmayne and Rosa Jane Shalott  WELCOME.

I am really excited about this project as I gave it a lot of thought and it is very close to my heart. I will be writing a story behind the scene in the form of a Diary written by Miss Leah herself. You won't be meeting her today but you will get a glimpse of her thoughts and dreams.

Today I will be sharing with you what I have been  up to decorating the inside of the whole boutique. 

So being in the Victorian era I wanted something a bit sophisticated when it came to wall paper and flooring. I have first chosen the wall papers only that I didn't find what I was looking for, for the floors. Like always I go beyond me and try to do something myself about it. So all the floors in the boutique where designed and printed by me.

The ground floor which is the first room will be the shop so I chose a pink Victorian style paper and designed and printed the floor to match

The first room where the shop will be

The flooring which I have designed and printed

For the lovely room I have found some nice embossed paper to cover the ceiling and I also found a nice oval shaped border to be used as a ceiling rose. I have found a nice painting with cherubs and decided that it would look pretty so I down sized it, printed it and used it for the ceiling rose.. I just loved how it turned out.  

The Cherub Ceiling Rose

The second room will be also part of the shop. Mostly it will be used as a changing room or for high class clients when they have a private appointment at the boutique. I have went for a blueish color scheme. The floor was also designed and printed by me and fitted in with the wall paper well. I also added the border.

The Changing room

The printed flooring

To this room I add a small cubical which will be used as a changing room. I have found this saloon doors and they were just perfect to be used in the era.

The Cubical with the Saloon doors

I have also decorated the ceiling with a light blue embossed paper and added two small ceiling roses. 

Ceiling in the second room

 Finally we come to the third room. Like the other rooms I have also designed and printed the floors to match with the wall paper. This room will be the private quarters of Leah. Here she will design her clothes and make them.

The private quarters of Miss Leah

The designed and printed flooring by me

On the landing of this room there is a very small space which would have been wasted with a railing and posts so instead I have built a wall where I have added shelving and a little set of drawers. The drawers where made with lolly sticks. I am really pleased how it turned out. 

The built Wall

Shelves that will be holding fabric

The little set of drawers which will be a haberdashery organizer

After all that I started working on the stair case from top to bottom. 

The stair case was quite a challenge especially in the ground floor. As you might have noticed the staircase is a winding set and for some reason I didn't like the underneath part in the shop. So I decided to built walls to cover underneath and I tried to make  something useful without wasting space. I thought of making a domed arch to fit some sort of mannequin only that I didn't know how I was going to do. The first thing that came to my mind was air dry clay to make it look more solid only that I didn't know what I was going to use to shape the dome. While thinking all about it I was just starring in thin air almost giving up on the whole idea when I looked at the table and saw my companion the bottle of pva starring blank at me. Mr, Pritt has always been good to me in every project that I had but this time it was going to do more than just gluing. The bottle had the perfect shape to use as a form to make the arch. 

So with some patience and playing around I have managed to make an arch form my glue bottle. After it got all dry I sand it down a little to have a good finish. It was definitely rewarding and this is how it turned out with some white paint and pink braid.

Domed Arch underneath the stairs. 

I also decided to fix the post at the bottom of the stairs by removing the ball bit and replacing it with a small bust.

Miniature bust at the end of the stair case. 

When that was all done I hinged the front and the roof and finished off the last bit of the roof from the out side.

Finishing the roof

I can say the worst of this project is pretty much ready and now the fun part will start by adding accessories and furniture. Here is a picture of how it looks like at the moment.

Miss Leah's Boutique

So like I promised here is the introduction by Miss Leah.

29th August 1879

Dear Diary,

I am so excited that I can hardly believe what just happened today. I must be dreaming and if so I don't wish it to end. It has been four long years since Matty and Quelina left home to live their dream. Papa gave them his blessing and set them off to the city to open their own business. Being the youngest of the three he forbidden me to join them. I missed both my brother and sister so much since they left. The manor house doesn't feel the same without their laughter and arguments. Matty is more into antiques and travels mostly to France and Spain to find the right pieces. Quelina on the other hand runs the business from the shop and lives in the city. 

Papa today gave me the greatest gift he could ever give me for my 21st birthday. He gave me my freedom. I have been  longing to have what my siblings have. I have been designing my own clothes and love fashion. Madam De France has been teaching me well how to sew and I have been her apprentice since I was a young girl so now I know what I want. 

Quelina returned to the manor for the weekend to spend my birthday with me. It seems like she knew about it. She told me that there is a lovely building just next to Matquel's in Regent Street that will be perfect for a boutique. She also told me that Regent Street was quite busy and good for business. It seems like elite persons go there and no riffraff to be seen. While travelling Matty will be getting me the most finest fabric from Paris and Madrid. In the mean time while setting up the boutique I will be staying with Quelina in her own apartment which is right on top of Matquel's. I guess she promised father that she would look after me. Eventually I would look for my own apartment close to the boutique. I am so happy that I can't even go to sleep. Let's hope for the best. I can't wait to see the building. 

Nighty night my companion a new adventure awaits us.

Love,

Leah x

Well that is all for today my dear friends. Keep tuned as I will be sharing with you more of my progress on this building very soon. Have a nice weekend and take care.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx