I am about to put on a photo that shows the surrounding, so if you do not want to lose the illusion of a little Sasha room you need to stop reading this post and wait for the next!
Yes this is where most of the village life takes place! above the washing machine and tumble dryer next to the boiler and below a shelving unit!!
A closer view showing the board I have placed to the side that blocks the larder cupboard off from the photo's and behind liberty on the right is the coffee machine which is usually blocked by the card box.
You can see where I have moved things onto the shelf above to get them out of the way when doing another post.
This view shows you the larder cupboard with the fireplace moved in front out of way of the 'studio' and the corner of the washing sitting on the kitchen table. The boiler had to be replaced which is why you can see all the pipes, it is still to be boxed in.
I hope this does not effect your view of future posts....
Now to take your mind off the above I thought I would go way off topic and tell you about my Dolls house.
Before I got into Sasha I was into miniature's and doll's houses and I owned a lovely one by Sid Cooke which was part house part store and the store I chose to have was a milliners ! and do you know it's only as I have just typed this that the connection of that and Hattie's hats have struck me! But there is another which My DH pointed out to me the other day which is that my Milliners was called Anastasia's which is what I have called my NP girl!
Here is a photo of my dolls house, which I no longer have. It was a very big house and when we downsized It had no place to call it's own! So after a couple of years I gave in and sold it and it now lives with a lady in Yorkshire.
A glimpse of the hallway and stairs
The inside.
The Attic bedroom and bathroom.
All the beautiful dolls and lovely quality furniture I sold off and then this house. But when I visit a certain person's blog , she follows lots of miniaturists and I have started dipping into their blogs and seeing all the wonderful items and setting that people out there have made and it makes me wish I had kept my house and it's furniture!
Because I love miniatures and things that are small replica's of everyday items, which is why I like finding things for the Sasha's that suit their size.
Well never mind all is not lost , one day I could always get the half finished dolls house that's wrapped up and probably home to a few spider's, that's been stored out in the shed in the garden for the last 6 years......but maybe not yet....
Thank you Dee for the 'behind the scenes' tour - and no the illusion isn't spoilt. Still love your stories - and visited yesterdays Babies one again today :)
ReplyDeleteYou and I are so much like sisters. I love dolls miniatures and have a dolls house stored in the attic which belonged to my Grandmother. Her father was an architect and one of the carpenters working for him made a replica of one of the homes he designed for her 5th birthday in 1895. It needs some tlc and I keep meaning to start it...maybe I will one day. I remember playing with it when I was a little girl, I just love dolls houses!!
Glad the behind the scenes did not spoil illusion. Your grandmother dolls house sounds lovely and worthy of a place in the daylight!
DeleteIt would appear that , dolls, dolls houses and miniature items are a love that runs through most Sashaphiles!
Must be because we all have such excellent taste! :)
Oh Dee. How wonderful of you to grant my wish....and so quickly. I'm really thrilled to finally see your Sasha/Bear studio in it's full working environment. Need wonder no more. Many thanks indeed.
ReplyDeleteHave you got spotlights on a runner in your kitchen-diner as I have noticed on several occasions that the dolls were spot-lighted and wondered how you did that?
Loved your ex dolls house. I too adored mine which was a a model of a real bungalow that was actually built in Canada.
It was filled with a family ofvdolls and gorgeous furniture and accessories that was very hard to come by being in the late 40s just after the war had ended. I can particularly remember the tiny canteen of cutlery and a little silver tray with a bottle of Port and glasses on.
All that remains of it now is a little wooden fridge as when I went off to boarding school in 1951 my heavy handed younger brothers and sister played with it and finally lost or destroyed everything.
I used to bake and decorate tiny fairy cakes and put icing on some little pieces of biscuits and leave them on the doll's house kitchen or dining tables. When I awoke the next morning they were always gone and a little thank-you note left from the fairies.
Overnight the doll occupants (and sometimes the furniture too) of the house had been moved around and were now in different rooms doing different activities from the day before. Couldn't wait to get up in the mornings to see what had happened whilst I was sleeping!
Yes, I totally believed in Fairies....but boarding school soon knocked that belief out of me!
Glad you enjoyed the behind the scenes look Kendal. No spotlights just one light but on the right of the photo are full length french doors and a window which lets in lots of light and the spot light effect must come from the flash on the camera hitting the painted wood background.
DeleteAs I have said above Sashaphiles and dolls houses seem to be a trend. Your doll houses sounds wonderful but more so that someone, maybe your mother added to the magic by joining in with the play and encouraging the belief in the magic.
Yes the destruction by younger sibling's! I too suffered from this , having a younger brother who broke my dolls and destroyed my beloved silver cross twin pram, a gift my mother, not a wealthy person, saved hard to get for me, he also used to hang my youngest sisters teddy from the bannisters!
I treasured , until I lost my purse a stupid place to keep it I know, the tiny letter my eldest daughter aged 6 wrote to the tooth fairy inviting her to tea.
I believe that the nurturing of imagination is one of the most important things we can do for our children and grandchildren.
Thought that you must have good lighting nearby.
DeleteGreat having that shelf unit above to store your little scene props etc. Everything to hand, no fumbling around in cupboards, wardrobes and under beds for their accessories like here.
I bought my daughter a twin Silver Cross doll's pram (cream body, navy blue hood and apron) and she had two Tiny Tear's dolls (from their first manufacture) in them. One dressed as a girl in pink and the other, a boy in blue.
So sorry to hear that you lost your eldest daughter's little note to the Tooth Fairy. So sad.
I still have my daughter's little prayer book and Ballet exam certificate that she made for her Sasha. Luckily they weren't in with the Sasha boxes when they were stolen in one of her house moves.
I still need to search for my props in boxes scattered around the place, there are always things I come across and dont even know I have !!
DeleteOh and my twin pram was navy but I cannot remember the dolls ! bad mother but so young!! :)
DeleteDee, I wish you had been able to keep your dollshouse, the Sid Cooke ones are gso well designed. i am glad you have a house in your shed which needs some work and a space indoors for display, maybe your Sasha family can help - it would make a great storyline the building of a dollshouse by the Sasha village kids.
ReplyDeleteYou haven't spoiled the illusion, we all find spaces which suit the 'set building' needed for photographing dolls, and if this means part of the kitchen or a corner in a bedroom, well why not!
Thank you. I dolls house stored in shed is also a Sid Cooke dolls house and this one with the added bonus of electric lights! Well hopefully if it ever gets finished and I still have one or two items of furniture that I did not sell althought some of the best items went to a lady in the US who'd had her dolls houses featured in dolls house magazines!
DeleteThe Sasha's building a dolls houses could be a plan for the future, need to find space for house first.
Glad the illusions not spoilt.
How lovely to have friends near when you are doing the laundry. Everybody looks so cozy and ready to lend a hand or kind word while you work. You've not spoilt the illusion but added to it.
ReplyDeleteThank you Julie , I had not thought of it that way, although I do speak to them while I am working near them and due to the posts, they are always changing places so most get a look in!
DeleteThank you for visiting
ReplyDeleteHi Dee,
ReplyDeleteGreat post about your 'studio' a woman's kitchen is many things....by the way....is your new boiler any good? is it a Baxi? we need a new boiler,would be interested to know what you think of yours if you wouldn't mind? ours is limping through the winter......
xx
Hi Chris
DeleteWe have had the boiler a few years now it is a Baxi combi HE and we are very happy with it.
That is so true about the kitchen being many things!
X
Well, thank you Dee, for providing ideas of where to create a 'Sasha Room'! And there I was thinking you had added a special wing to your house!!! I am thinking of getting rid of my microwave and ensconcing my Sasha props there! Goodness knows, my kitchen is not getting any real action lately. Have gone right off cooking. But your little Sasha corner looks sooooooooo cosy! Very nice! xxx Karin
ReplyDeleteI would so like a 'Sasha' wing !!! or at least a room were it could all be set out and left and not have to be moved about everytime a new post was being done!
DeleteI say get rid of microwave and make it your studio but beware the props will also wander into the rest of the kitchen!! :)
Very interesting to see the 'behind the scenes' photos, I'm always interested in how others set up their photos and where.
ReplyDeleteAnd how funny that you were also into dollshouses before getting into dolls! Lovely photos! I too was into miniatures and I have two houses which I packed up and brought to Spain with us...what a palavar!! I have one finished and on display (or perhaps I should say 'gathering dust' and the second hasn't even been started on yet!). I will share some of my dollshouse photos on my blog soon.
Ah ha! another collector of dolls houses and miniatures, seems like a trend to me.
DeleteI will look out for the dolls house photo's on your blog.