DAY THREE WHEN IT SEEMS A MOUNTAIN STILL TO CLIMB!

 

BUT IT WILL ALL BE WORTH IT , NOW I CAN SEE SHOP IN PLACE !

another day of sorting,for every box emptied its refilled by some bags, but although what seems a slow and never ending task , small victories are happening, just so slowly !

But there were some results..happening while I toil !

Paul went and got the wood and wheels for my moveable Shop front unit, of course I asked that it could have a shelf to use to store things !

 

Going into place, only issue we found was the door handles on the double units were too hgh and stopped the unit from fitting tightly, so Paul removed them and will put them back lower.

It can pull forward  or be moved along, so I can get to the shop floor. You can see from this photo it now has it's window unit.

Looking through the doorway you can see where the two worktops meet , the full worktop space is left by putting the shop front on a seperate unit.

So still need to sort out the name of this new shop and a good few days of sorting still to do in order to have the place nice and tidy and with room to move about freely.

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DAY TWO OF THE CHANGE ROUND.

 OR HOW MANY BOXES !!

Just how many boxes does a doll collector need?  In my case it would appear loads!! But I need to massively reduce these stacks of large boxes.

Alas some will not be easy or quick to reduce, due to holding lots of balls of wool and fabric. Which will require the contents knitted up or made up and also not acquiring more! I may have to take the biggest box of wool into the house and start making things ,while I'm sitting down in the evening.

Of course half the boxes are hidden behind the box trees! but there are four piles.

and some are doubled up !

Idea's were had and then discounted , but others were good enough to put into practice. One that had to be discounted was moving the small pine cupboard into the small gap left in the long row of units. The cupboard was 26 inchs wide and the gap 25 and 3/4 ! 

So I decided to put two of the small units, that had sat on top of the worktop ,in the gap. Of course we could only find the feet for one, so one is in and the other we will need to buy feet for.

I then decided to put the bookcase on top of the small pine cupboard as it was exactly the same size. This ,even if I so say myself,  was a good idea as now the books are at a lovely height when looking for a book. It also allowed for a few small boxes to be placed on top.

Still lots to do ! But I should be finished by the beginning of next month ! :)

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THE CHANGE AROUND BEGINS

 

The start of the day full shelves.

Both top and bottom full due to removal of side shelves when cabinet was moved across room.

Although the shelves were full, most of what was on them were large items, so they were soon empty.

I seem to have a few pirate ships ! But I am saving them for my grandson!

Shelves removed !

still lots of things about !

No upper cupboards that supported the shelves.

So now the centre unit the stuck out into the room is under the worktop.

There is a gap this is big enough to take two of the upper cupboards but I have chosen to use it to store some of the many boxes I have. 

So you can see how much space, three foot I have gained on worktop by removing the three cupboards.

Now I have to sort things out and get Paul to make the moving shopfront unit.

to be continued

LAST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH !

 Another month gallops past ! Is it the lockdown that makes the days appear to vanish so quick or just the fact they are all pretty much the same at present ? 

So this week as been all about the shop and the studio and it looks pretty much like it's going to stay that way for a while. I was chatting to Michelle, my sister, on facetime this morning and running through some of my options re the shop placement. Paul was adding his two pence worth from where he was painting the undercoat on Michelle's shop, at the kitchen table.

A couple of options appeared during the conversation and so now some changes need making! I have decided to remove the long shelf that covers the whole of the back wall of the Studio. I had originally had it put up to use as room settings , that I could take photos of the dolls during their stories. One of which was supposed to be granny's shop and another a bedroom. However I found I didn't feel comfortable standing on the steps trying to take photos , along with the fact that it was a strain to reach to the back of the shelf . ( Beinging only 5ft 2 on a good day, I don't have a long reach  ) 

It then became a place to store the various pieces of equipment and props. Now I have decided to remove those shelves , which will also allow me to remove the three one foot cupboards that they sit on.

This then gives me an extra three foot of space on the worktop below. Now I can move the kitchen and the living room set up's , six inches over towards the left and right walls, leaving me with four foot of space in the centre , which is the size of the shopfront. The unit it's standing on now could go under into the space available or over to the side with the three small units removed from the top going underneath instead.

This is still only a narrow space for the depth of the shop , however if Paul made me a stand that was on casters, so the shop front could sit in front of the space and be moved out the way when needing access to shop or unit below!

Now I can hear you all saying "well where is she going to put all those props.... " well I still have the old studio at the end of the workshop , which still has things for the dolls in there, the horses for a start! So I could set the old studio up as my props storage area! All the cupboards down there are empty but the floor space is taken up with some old furniture and a few other items that we would need to sell on or donate.

If I do the above I also have the second option of putting the shopfront and setting up the shop in that studio, allowing me to have a tearoom set up and Granny's set up with the front being moved between the two area's. Then the new area in the main studio could become a bedroom.

So lots to think about and decide over the coming week, however I will start with removing the props and the shelves and going on from there!

On the doll front I did have a doll arrive, another Lynne and Michael Roche doll. This time she has a full wooden body and porcelain head and hands.

I love her clothing , such a lovely colour. 

A closer look at her face, she's called Mary. I do like that her body is all wooden, she can stand quite well on her own. 

One of the good things about moving things around in the studio is that I finally came across a dress pattern I had been looking for! However the knitting pattern book is still alluding me ! But I know I have it , I just need to find it!

Well we are supposed to get a small heatwave this week, so it will be dry , which will help if it's dry and warm for the big move about! Paul , who has been putting up a gazebo for our lovely next door neighbour's , will have fnished that on Monday, so he'll be available to help with the studio change about.

So I wish you all a happy healthy doll filled week ahead.

Dee

PS

I did play tea room with my schoenhut dolls , when I should have been tidying!

MIND THE GAP !

 I took a couple more photos of the space between the shopfront and the back wall!

You can see , not a lot of space.

Photo taken over top of back wall ! It was awkward to set the blonde roche doll in place , I needed to use the doorway to put her inot her chair and move it back in place.

So now thinking I may need a backdrop the can be dropped down into place once I have set up and can be easily rolled up again once I need access !

And I thought once the shop front was done it would be soooo easy!!!

Also today some lettering arrived..

Now question ! Do I use these letters for the sign or paint the words on ? Opinions in the comments below please.

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ALL CHANGE IN THE DOLL STUDIO !

 Well now it's time for a big change in the Sasha Doll Studio ! At present it looks like this ..

This area is going to be completely changed. The white display cabinet will move directly across the room to go beside the other bigger cabinet and next to the door.The shelves to the side will be removed .

This big cabinet will be moved about three inches to the left, the coloured drawers moved and the white cabinet from first photo moved to where the colored drawers were.

Originally I was going to move the central unit to under the open space between the other two units that at present is just full of plastic boxes but now I'm going to put this unit on the left of the studio where the smaller white cabinet was standing .

The whole place will have a good clean and hoover , getting rid of any spiders etc. By moving the central unit to the left hand side I will be able to now set it up as the shop. It is the only space big enough to take the shop front without removing the upper shelf along the back and taking out either the Kitchen and or the living room which I don't want to change.

Well I set to moving what needed moving !

Both cabinets are now together.

At the moment all the boxes are here, but I wanted to put the centre unit here, however it is supporting the other units at present, so I need to have a think about it.

I took this photo from outside the window to show the shop front sitting on the centre unit , straight ahead is the kitchen area that is at present still covered in other items from the move around. All the bags and boxes in front on the floor need sorting out and putting away .

View of tearoom set up from the side 

View of shop in place, not a lot of space between front and back, also the back board is not high enough to block out the area behind.So more thinking needed to try and solve problems.

The centre worktop is not really giving enough room for inside the shop, unless I remove the front after taking the photos that are needed then taking the inside photos but that front is heavy and would be a pain to have to move and then put back, so we could attach a drop down add on to the worktop and lift that up when needing more room, so at present I'll be having a think about best way to achieve my goal while sorting and putting away all the things sitting about in bags and boxes.

Any suggestions will be considered ... and I've already suggested an extension to the Studio and the look was chilly... lol

TIME FOR TEA

 Of course I could not resist having a little play with the shop even though the front window area is not finished and Granny's sign is still unwritten.

I set it up as a tea room and took several photos with different dolls.

Beatrice and Valentine are going to stop for tea.

Beatrice wants a nice slice of walnut cake but Valentine is planning on having a full cream tea !

Beatrice leads the way , looking for the best table.

There is a nice big table just waiting for them !

Here are a couple of photos of the other dolls I placed with the shop.

A couple of my Lynne and Michael Roche dolls, who have moveable joints , so could sit and have tea.

Two of my A girl for all time dolls dressed in Regency costume.

So what did I learn while playing, the backboard needs to be higher because you can see the cupboard tops behind and with it on this unit/worktop there is not a lot of space behind the shop front.

Now of course I wish I'd added another five foot when I ordered my studio.. lol.

WELL THE SUN IS OUT SORT OF

 Mabel Lucie decided to change out of her very wintery clothes into a pair of Vintage Sasha dungaree's and a sunhat!

Anyone would think the sun was getting warmer ! It's still quite cold when the clouds cover the sun.

She is wearing one of Hatiie's, Hats with Hattitude which she found when mum was having a tidy up.

She goes to talk to Mr Rabbit over by the studio.

"Hello Young un " said Mr Rabbit

"Hello Sir " smiles Mabel Lucie "  Is it Spring now ? "

"Yes Lass It is offically Spring " Mr Rabbit replies with a chuckle " So soon all you children will be back out running around and causing all sorts of mischief  no doubt !"

" Oh I never cause mischief " says Mabel Lucie " I am always good "

" Really ? Always ? " questions Mr Rabbit with a smile

Mabel Lucie thinks for a few miniutes " Well  almost always " she grins

" That's what I thought " he chuckles " Ain't no children that don't get into some sort of mischief at some time ! Or they wouldn't be chuildren!"

I think we'll leave them having their chat, Mabel Lucie is now asking what's been happening in the garden over winter... it will take sometime for Mr Rabbit to bring her up to date!

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AND NOW THE END IS NEAR..

 Well we had decided to go with panel in the door and I asked what everyone thought. I had an email from a good friend Chris T, who also suggested a Rain guard on the door. Perfect, I had not thought of it.

and here it is with the panel and rain guard at bottom of the door.

ready for painting..

First the grey hair... I mean undercoat...... a master at work..

Painted blue, using the Hague blue with a touch of Winter white to make it just a tiny bit lighter.

I'm calling it Almost Hague.

outside

Close up of the door knob.

Acrylic is now covering the door window and shopfront window. So just the signage and window display unit to be done and then it's playtime !!!!