SO ANOTHER SUNDAY

 It's been sort of busy, we have had some bright days with a touch of warmth but also cold winds just so you don't think just because it's spring, winters not lurking for a final bite!

Saturday I even dared to put some washing out onto the line! Naturally as soon as I did the sun vanished and grey clouds covered the sky but the was a good breeze, it was a bitter breeze but I thought I'd give it a chance!  An hour passed and I started to think I'd better get it in soon, then got side tracked, only to notice after a while that some spots of rain were appearing, fighting the dogs to get out the door quickly I started to take it off the line, Paul came to help and we had nearly made it when the heavens opened and cold icy rain hit, the type that makes you squeal as it starts to soak you!  had to leave a couple of items and run for cover, Paul had already done so. The washing was almost dry unfortunately I was not!

But now we are mostly having brighter days and my mind jumps between the bedroom, which needs plaster boarding and the garden that needs masses of work, especially weeding! I did spend some time outside Saturday, while trying to get some decent photos of the Kites, who I swear were watching my efforts and trying to help me, by constantly coming in low and hovering above the garden as if to say I'm here here woman! Press the button... too late !

I have some good clear photos! but the laptop is getting worse for being able to actually see them when trying to add them to the post.

So any photos on the far left are totally un-seeable and it's a case of sometimes clicking on them to load onto blog, then removing them when they turn out to be something totally different to what I thought they were! So I will have to, no more putting it off, take this laptop to the shop and ask if it can be repaired and if so how much! Then a decision can be made!

Paul's been enjoying making my townhouse and the railings arrived Saturday, along with the door knob and carpets and flooring, so it's all finished! Now it's a case of finding it a home! 

 and one of the best parts, furnishing it!

On the doll front, I have been sourcing some stands for the dolls that will need some protection from falling, especially one or two at the front of the higher shelves, a full face plant from that height would not be a good thing!

No dolls have arrived but three have left, which is great as the pile of boxes is now five less than when I last showed you. However I have started to list more and also a few other items. So that's all heading in the right direction. One day I may be able to get into my doll studio without having to move half a dozen bags or boxes..... yes yes I know a likely tale!

If the weather continues to improve, after the really cold couple of days they say for this coming week, I will be able to get into the studio and make some headway. The cull of doll things must start and continue until space is found and stories can once again be told! 

So on that note I will wish you all a happy healthy week ahead 

Dee

LETS GO SPY A KITE OR FOUR!

 Over load of photos of the four Kites ( birds) that flew over the gardens and the recreation ground behind our gardens today.

There are more photos but it's getting harder and harder to be able to see them on the laptop! I'll search a photo tomorrow, if I can see it of just what I'm dealing with!

NEW LAYOUT

 

 

We will need to make sure the curtain is pulled over slightly during the sunnier days but one of the pluses to the moving of the small sofa is now more of the wooden flooring is on show, which is nice.

This is my view from the sofa in the living room, so now I can just turn my head to see the dolls.

I finally finished the dolls house carpet! Of course I lost the instructions, so figured it out as best I could.

x

Shown in a room in the townhouse, not where it will stay, it's going in the big dolls house.

Speaking of the townhouse, it's almost finished!

It's just waiting on some railings to go round the top, making it a flat roof terrace and it's door handle and some carpets and flooring.

Not bad for using up the left over wood and the three windows I bought for big dolls house but changed for a different style. Now I would like to say, it cost nothing extra as all the wallpaper I already had but I did have to buy the door and two more windows, some skirting and now the railings and handle but still I have landed up with a lovely townhouse at not a lot of extra cost.

So now have one more house for him to make and then done. 

I've left the dolls to get used to their new home and still have to adjust things on the small shelf as their are main small bears insisting on moving there!

So today. well this afternoon is a rainy windy one, which means I'll not be going to the doll studio to find some room for the new townouse and also to clear some space yet again. But hopefully I'll be able to sort somethings out tomorrow and finally set up the dolls living room in the breakfast area of the kitchen!

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

 And rattling round the house! Yes, it's all change ! The moving has started and who knows where or when it will end? Not me and I'm the one in charge!

Over the weekend a spring plan finally dug deep and a plan was made and put into action! I showed a photo of how I started on Sunday.

The sofa was moved, the other sofa went back outside to await the warmer weather, and the large display cabinet came inside.

This cabinet comes with three glass shelves which are movable and two solid wooden ones that are not. I was in luck that the dresser would fit just perfectly between the two solid shelves in the centre.

I was able to use one of the glass shelves in the top half, allowing enough space to place all the Sasha's and Gregor's on the top shelf. This will mean I will probably have to get the small two step ladder out if I need to search for a doll.

It's nice that the dresser is now on the middle shelf which allows it to be seen and also will work well for photos.

The poor AGFAT dolls finally escaped from the hamper that have been stored in for at least the last five or so months through the winter. I did plan on putting them into the studio but once I'd left them on this shelf for a while I liked being able to see them, so they are staying inside now.

Because this big cabinet came in, the small Victorian glass fronted bookcase I bought and the Sashas and Gregors were in, while waiting for it to be moved up into the bedroom. No longer needs to go upstairs and as now been moved into the studio, to take any overflow. That's where I thought I would put the agfat dolls but now they are staying in the big cabinet.

There is still some space on the bottom shelf! But these are the dolls that could land up on the adoption list or into the studio if I need the space for other dolls.

I'll be moving some of these dolls onto the other shelves tomorrow and just keeping those in regency dress and the roche dolls on this shelf.

Most of the Sashas and Grgeors are in place but Elizabeth needs her legs restrung, so is sitting and a couple are out so they can be used.

The small shelf is still to be sorted as I'm waiting on some dolls stands for the roche dolls and the pongratz.

So still a work in progress, the small bookcase is still to move and dolls to be adjusted but I am so enjoying seeing all the dolls when I pass by this cabinet which is often in the course of the day.

ANOTHER SUNDAY'S ARRIVED!

 How did that happen? I was sure I'd be getting in at least a little blogging last week but it appears not! I did have plans to change a few of the dolls but that also appears to have fallen by the wayside! 

I cannot even say that I have been productive and that's why I didn't get round to it. Maybe I've lost my Mojo and will have to hope it returns soon! I do have the idea's but it's getting me to move my tush and actually do them! Maybe I need the sun and warmer weather? It's not so easy to while the weather can be around 6 degrees most days. Although it as now started creeping up into double figures and when I have nipped into the doll studio for something, it's actually also been in double figures in there too!

We are now having some much needed rain, due to a very dry winter apart from that snowy spell. So although I rather it wasn't raining I do understand that it is badly needed.

Paul used the leftover wood from making the little houses, to make me a three storey townhouse.

This was while waiting for wallpaper to dry.

and I finally got to use my William Morris dollshouse wallpaper! Result!. Paul decided to get a part for his router, in order to get a neater cut for the windows and door, only to have it arrive and then not be able to remove one of the screws in the router, which meant another couple of days wait while another part was ordered to help resolve that!

This townhouse could land up being given to Clara at a later date, when she wants it.

However I did follow through on my plan to start a cull of the dolls and listed quite a few on the sales page and on ebay, which mean going into the loft and finding any boxes I had kept. For once I had kept them all, so they were all able ( apart from one who didn't have a box) able to be put away into their boxes while awaiting a new home.

Then of course where to put these pile of boxes!

So they landed up in a corner of the living room for the week! At least once they are all sold not only will there be less dolls to house but less boxes in the loft!.

Naturally it being Spring means my attention wanders onto making things work better and rearranging furniture , photos, dolls, clothing or whatever else comes to mind! At present it's been the dolls not having a proper home indoors! The Sasha's have a cabinet that is supposed to be up in the bedroom but is in fact blocking the light from beside one set of the french doors in the kitchen! And in truth to try and squeeze that cabinet up there would envolve a rearranging of all the furniture! and since it all still needs decorating and carpeting ( maybe by this Christmas maybe.. ) I decided to rearrange the furniture in the kitchen/breakfast/ day room. It meant putting the lloyd loom sofa back outside now the worse of the winter is over and moving the other sofa to wear it was in front of the radiator, which meant I could bring in the biggest of the glass display cabinets in from the studio and put it in the corner of the wall where the sofa had been.

before although before low book case was block part of window.

now

So now have to move all the dolls from their various hiding places around the house into the cabinet. Then  the cabinet in the kitchen will go inot the doll studio and the small book case will fit between the doll cabinet and my desk, thereby freeing up all the places where parts of the windows have been blocked.

By doing this, it will clear two area's and a large hamper of dolls will finally be able to be seen and not have to be moved in the winter each year! Only thing I may need to do is add a blind to the cabinet for the summer months.

On the doll front, one did arrive this week and two left.The arrival was  a Ten Ping doll by Ruby Red Gallery, she is 8 inches tall with moveable joints. A few years back I had a Gigi, then sold her on towards paying for another doll, naturally I now wish I'd kept her! But I am really happy that this little one has arrived.

Seen here with Miffy, I did think oh she could live in the townhouse! However if she's an 8 year old and stands at 4 foot, the house is too small. Being one twelfth.

On that basis, she needs a room that's as high as the inside of the window seat but of course much wider! So I can feel another one up, one down house being required.. I wonder who could make me one of those? 

That will also be able to go on top of the cabinet that's now going into the doll studio being so much shorter than the one that's now in the house.

So on that note I'm off to carry on moving dolls from one place to another and hoping that everything will have a home once I'm finished.

Have a lovely happy funfilled healthy week ahead

Dee

A SUNDAY IN MARCH..

 

I was trying to take some photos of the pictures in the hallway but it was very hard to get just the right shot or angle!

Although it did remind me, as it always does, when I see this space above  the copper circle that there is some pictures still to be framed and hung up. But we are running out of wall space! That is a problem when not only do we love pictures, we also have a tendency to knock walls down therefore reducing the space even more!

Both Paul and I have had a proper old fashioned cold this week, you know the type, sneezing, blocked nose, sore throat. So we've been not doing overly much for a day or so before carrying on as usual.

Paul finished the houses as shown yesterday and is now building me a slim three story house with the leftovers ! Then that's it.. honest! I will be hard pressed to find somewhere for this little house and the tall slim one!

The dolls house carpet is done! Well apart from the tidying of the edges. It's got one or six mistakes but whose looking! I'm pleased with how it's turned out and will probably make a few more but not quite so fiddly.

On the laptop front, I'm taking it to someone next week to get a price if it can be repaired, if not then I will have to look at buying a replacement.

 On the doll front one left but none arrived, so going in the right direction. Also probably because it's supposed to be Spring, my mind was off on the 'just how much dolls and stuff do I need ' it always happens around this time. I'm happy with how many Sasha's/Gregors I have and also Roche dolls, but feel I could slim down quite a few of the other dolls I have, so 'heads' could be rolling there plus I still need to be hard on all the bits and pieces for dolls I have, she says having two dolls houses made just now by Paul!, but I do have items that never see the light of day and I need, once the warmer weather arrives to slowly go through all the cupboards, drawers and boxes and move things on.   Last year I was quite good in selling off some of the multiple old dolls clothes I had for other dolls who had been and gone which helped empty a biggish box. So if I could do that but with props, that would help a lot to free up cupboard, drawer and hopefully floor space. 

Which all sounds perfect, IF it happens!  I think if I could get a stall in a doll fair and then have a go at selling it all at once, I might be able to get rid of a lot of the smaller pieces etc.

On that note, I'm off to take some photos of dolls who could be on the adoption list later today, so I will wish you all a warm happy healthy week ahead.

Dee

A TERRACE OF SMALL HOUSES

 

So the houses are finished and one I'm keeping, another will be off to it's new owner soon and the third is available to buy, so will probably go on ebay.

These two have the roof set back behind the top edge, similar to the original it's based on.

This is my one, which I added some pretty wallpaper to and set up with some Meileg items along with an LED dolls house light fitting.

Taken in the evening with the light and fire switched on. That mouse is looking very comfy cosy.

Outside they look like fairy houses and remind me of small cottages that used to exist in Vauxhall Park in London, when I was a child. No doubt they would have been vandalised or removed hopefully to a safer place since back when I was around 9 or 10. Maybe they were what made me fascinated with all things miniature.

STRANGE GOINGS ON!

 Charlie finds that someone's left the back door wide open! and in this cold weather !

He thinks he'd best go check outside...

Looking up the path he sees Percy and Erik with what looks like Mum's big tapestry frame

" Hey! Boys what's happening? " he calls

Percy and Erik jump and turn round quickly, then relax when they see it's just Charlie

"Oh hi Charlie, we are just going down to dad's workshop " Percy calls back

"But what are you doing with mum's frame? "

Suddenly Percy starts to look a little red faced " Hum arr " he suddenly grins " we are putting it away for her, she won't need it for a while yet!"

" Well are you sure , I think she's nearly finished that carpet thing " Charlie puzzles

" No no" agrees Erik from behind Percy at the head of the frame " She will need a nice rest after that before she tackles anything else, right Percy? "

" Right Erik, Mum's eyes will need a good few years to recover " he laughs

" yes at least another eighteen or so " Erik states joining in with Percy's laughter

" I think her eyes are fine, she's got glasses and that magnifying light things, she could sew your intestines back in place with that thing" answers Charlie 

Percy decides to tell Charlie just what they are up to " We are hiding it back in the workshop or we will be ignored for months! "

" Yes, she's obsessed and we are really just helping to break that cycle " agrees Erik " and if you want to g and get some of the other boys to help us get it there, that would be great, it's taken twenty minutes just to get this far!"

" I don't know " Charlie says " that's not really fair to mum "

" Oh come on Charlie, if she seems upset we'll 'find' it again for her but you know mum out of sight out of mind" Percy pleads

Charles waits a moment considering then " Okay, I'll go see who about to help but just so you know if she asks me if I've seen it, I'm not lying!" Then he turns back to the house before calling over his shoulder " you do know she's got no idea where the rest of that kit is? So she's not finishing any time soon!" then he's gone.

Percy and Erik, stand looking at each other digesting Charlies words, sighing Percy motions to Erik to pick up the frame but this time head back to the house with Percy muttering " She'll probably just buy more wool !"

WHAT!

 

Erik's checking outside

SNOW! yes it's March but it's snowing...thankfully it's not settling much .. at least not yet!