Furnishing the Toll House's Bed Room

Hello my dear friends,

I hope you have had a spooky Halloween. It is not something that I really enjoy. I have worked some more on my Toll House. I also wanted to welcome a new follower of my blog. Welcome Esther.

It is taking me a while to finish the outside as I am bricking the walls and tiling the roof. Sometimes it gets a bit frustrating so when that happens I work a little bit on the inside. Now I have started furnishing and decorating the bed room.

Today I will be sharing with you what I have been adding the the Toll House's Bed room. I have practically changed every piece of furniture that I had and kept on adding little accessories that I had stashed.

I have also added some nice built and hand painted miniatures that my father has done for me. I am very pleased how they turned out. Probably I will still be adding more details and accessories. The room is very small and so you have to make the utmost to add more accessories as much as possible. I have sewn the men's house coat which you can see at the foot of the bed.

So far this is what I did.

The Toll House's Bedroom

I hope you like what I have made so far. There is still lots to add. Now it's time to start finishing the out side and some bits and pieces like curtains in the inside.

So please do keep tuned for more. Soon I will start my new project.

Have a nice weekend.

Take Care,

Rebecca xxx

Decorating the The Toll House's Drawing Room

Hello everyone,

Hope you are well. I have been very busy with my toll house lately and finally I will be sharing with you some new additions that I added to it's Drawing room. I am very pleased how it is turning out. I am trying really hard to bring out every little detail. The rooms are very small and as the space is very limited only little bits and pieces of furniture can fit in. So I have to really bring out every little detail in them.

Firstly I wanted to introduce you to Lord Gilmore. Lord Gilmore was made especially for me in his Victorian attire. He is in his mid 50's, a widower and a father of three. I am really pleased how he turned out to be.  He is not handsome but there is something soft about him.

Lord Gilmore

I started making some books for the book shelve where behind it lies the secret room. I have printed some old book covers and added thick cardboard for their pages. In all there are around 45 books all in different covers and sizes.

The books I made for the book case

Then I started decorating the fire place. I wanted to try to do my own lit fire basket. Some times the ready made one can be very expensive. So I have used some jewelry, cardboard, polymer clay, real crushed charcoal, toothpicks and a red rice bulb. It turned out perfect for my fire place.

Fire Basket

Fire Basket lit and in the Fire place

I have found this strange vintage pencil sharpener in the shape of a safe which is just perfect in style and size. The door does open too. Most toll houses did have a handy safe like this one. So I added it to the room.

The Safe is a Vintage Pencil Sharpener 

The Davenport is one of the most lovely pieces of furniture I have in this particular room so I really had to bring out the detail in it. My father has hand painted the candlesticks and the inkwell with the quill and I have made the seal stamp, wax tray and the seal stamp on the letter and envelopes. These where made out of polymer clay. 

The Davenport

On the mantel of the fire place there are two hand painted figurines and a pistol and some other miniatures.

So far this is how the whole room looks like. I hope you like it.

The Drawing room in the Toll House

I also wanted to tell you that the 5th new Book is available to download which is called the Standard Book of Spells which is based on the Harry Potter Book Series. Here is the link for the book The Standard Book of Spells

The Standard Book of Spells

 

I have also made a new Victorian Style Halloween Plate which is available now at my Etsy Shop. I also wanted to remind you that with every purchase from my shop that includes a ceramic will get a free gift. Offers last till the End of October 20013.

Victorian Style Halloween Ceramic Plate

So this is it for today folks. I will be posting very soon with more updates on the now Refurbished Toll House so please do keep tuned for more.

Take Care and see you soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

Miniature Decorative Ceramics

Hello my dear friends,

It has been a few days since I posted. I just wanted to let you know that I am still around only that I really didn't have time to update my blog. Firstly I want to welcome a new follower of my blog Welcome Britt!

I am still working on the renovation of the Toll House and as I am bricking the outside walls, it is taking me a long time. So today I won't be showing you any progress on the Toll House. 

Today I will be sharing with you some new Decorative Ceramic Miniatures that I have been making. They are really fun to do. Most of the plates have been originally designed by me. I have added a new selection of Ceramics in my Etsy shop My Miniature World Shop.

There are over 30 new ceramic miniatures available and these are a few of them that you will find available.

I also have some new Personalized Ceramics 

Great Offers starting from the 10th October till the end of October 2013. The First 10 orders that will include a decorative ceramic will get a free ceramic Gift. The New Ceramics are all available now at a Fantastic Price so don't miss your chance to grab a bargain.

Today's post is quite short but I will be back soon to share with you more of my progress on The Toll House.

Take Care and See you soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

More restoration works on The Toll House

Hello my dear friends,

It has been quite a week changing the routine as the older kids where off to school. Firstly I wanted to welcome a new follower of my blog. Welcome Leena!

I have worked a little bit more on my Toll House and I am really enjoying it. I am also thinking of writing a short story to go with it. It adds more meaning to the property especially when trying to create something which was truly built and used in the past. Here is the first part.

"The Old Toll House"

It was an early morning when Lord Gilmore was passing through the toll bridge gates returning home from his long trip. His carriage stopped at a halt to pay the toll. The coach man turned to his master. "Sir, one of the Turnpike Trust members would like to have a word with you."

Lord Gilmore climbed down to see what the matter was all about. "Lord Gilmore, pardon us for keeping you from proceeding but we would like to speak to you privately. As you might have heard the late owner of this particular toll house has passed away and now it is for sale. We are looking for a responsible man like yourself to take it under your wings."

Lord Gilmore being a great man of principle and a very wise merchant looked at the old toll house. The toll house stood there as long as his mind could remember.  It was a personal marker to show him that he was close to home. The toll house looked pitiful. Very evident the previous owner neglected the two roomed dwelling. He was lost in his thought and without thinking he simply said. "It does need some restoration."

"Yes my lord it has seen better days....but, I am sure that it can be renovated in no time in your power. Sir you are the only one that the Turnpike Trust can see fit for such a task."

Lord Gilmore nodded and wondered what his children would think especially his youngest daughter."So be it, we will meet again tomorrow for arrangements" 

The deal was done and after several weeks the renovation works started on the old Toll House. A new extension was built to one of it’s sides and the inner walls where plastered and covered. Tiles where laid and from the shabby looking toll house it turned out to be warm and glamorous. The only original feature that the new land lord kept inside the old toll house was the slab flooring in the upper room. Lord Gilmore was so pleased with the new look of the Toll House that now belonged to him. 

The New refurbished Toll House

 So after finishing the extension which is now a pantry. It was time to go for the other two rooms. The only part that I didn't change from the ground floor room was actually the stair case that I have added myself to the kit. I have removed the paper from it and painted it in dark brown paint. I then high lighted it with some light brown shading. I have also added a wall to hide the staircase as I didn't like how it looked. You barley could see what was underneath the stair case. 

I have scratched built the book case which is found in the wall underneath the staircase. I wanted to add something a bit more special to it. I have gone through the histories of toll houses and their use. Toll Houses where easy targets for robbers and pirates.  Everyone knew that they kept a good amount of money and they where on the outskirts of the villages. Most toll house owners kept two stashes of money. One stash with a small amount of money was kept in a safe which was visible for anyone who came and the other stash which would consist of a big lump of money would be kept in a secret compartment. I have made a secret passage door behind the book case which also serves as a secret compartment. You can also see a book case inside the secret chamber which I have printed.

The scratch built book case that I have made

The Secret room behind the book case

I didn't find the right wall paper that I imagined this room in. I wanted something Victorian but with a masculine touch. I found this real wall paper pattern, downsized it and printed it from my home computer. Then I decided that I wanted to add some wood wall paneling to the walls. Looking at the pattern of the pantry's door a simple idea came to my mind. I have used some strips of wood and lolly sticks which afterwards I have wood stained and varnished matching the book case and the pantry door. And this is how the whole drawing room looks like. 

The Drawing room

The door leading to the pantry

The stair case behind the wall leading to the upper room

The hidden room behind the book case

After the drawing room was complete I started working on the upper room which will be turned into the bedroom. I have used cobble stone effect tiles for the room's floor. Probably you will be asking why I used floor slabs and not Victorian floor tiles like the other rooms. I have done some intense research on toll houses. Toll Houses where firstly built in the 18th Century which thinking about it goes way back Victorian times. At that time floors where made out of stone slabs and not tiles. They even had the Gothic style windows which my toll house actually has. 

I have also found another real Victorian wall paper, downsized it and printed it from my computer for this bed room. I have re painted the ceilings and the wooden beams. And this is how the bed room looks like. 

The Bed room

Wall paper, ceiling and wooden beams

Floor slabs

  

I hope you all like what I have done so far in my Toll House. I still can't believe that it looks like this. I am really happy with then new style and the outcome of these two rooms. 

The New Toll House

There is still so much to add and do. I am working at the moment on the outside of the toll house before I start decorating it inside.

I have two new hand painted miniatures which you can find in my etsy Shop

Candle sticks, ink well and quill

Edison  Phonograph / gramophone  1899 model

Will be updating you very soon with my progress on the refurbishment of my Toll House so make sure you keep tuned.

Wishing you all a very Happy weekend and see you soon. Take Care.

Hugs

Rebecca xxx