Long time, no speak.

Hello all,

Yes, it has been too long! Over two months since my last post, and what have I been up to you might ask? Painting pictures.....I have had a back log of commissions I needed to get through which have finally been completed. May and June are the months for many family Birthdays (including my own) so there have been quite a few gatherings and parties to organise and we have recently been away for a short break. All that being said, I haven't had the luxury of spare time for Blogging and I fear I have missed so much, my apologies to all my dear blog friends for not keeping up to date with your progress, I will do my best to catch up with you all soon.

I would also like to say a big warm welcome to my new followers, there have been quite a few since my last post and my apologies to you also for not being very interesting of late!

Now to miniatures. Whilst there hasn't been much blogging going on, miniatures have of course been close to my heart, I have actually been more active than you might assume...... would you believe me if I told you that I am in possession of two more Dollhouse's and and extra room box? All true in fact.....I am working on a room box with my 10 year old niece and because she loves miniatures so much (and my Dollhouse) I couldn't help but bid for one on ebay so that we might surprise her on her birthday coming up soon. It needs a bit of love and attention before we give it to her so I will post about that soon.  The other DH is for me.....yes I know, I'm not even half way through Ambrosia Place but it was under a jumble of clothes in a thrift store with a price tag of $40 and I couldn't just leave it there could I??? I am going to keep you in suspense and tell you about it another post as I have  much to show you today and I don't want to take up too much of you time.

Now you may recall some time ago the lovely Liduina had a give away which included her beautiful miniature artwork and I was fortunate enough to be one of the winners. It arrived shortly afterwards and I must say that on opening the delicate package the first word that came into my mind was excuisite. I have tried many times to photograph this beautiful painting and I can not seem to do it justice, the detail is beautiful and I love every tiny brush stroke. It is displayed above with my little kit table in a temporary frame, I intend to find something grander to frame it but for the purpose of showing you how beautifully it works in Ambrosia Place it did the trick. So thank you so much Liduina, it is a piece that will I will always cherish, it adds such a beautiful elegance to Ambrosia Place.

Just over a week ago I received a lovely surprise package in the mail from Andy he clearly had the twins room in mind when finding these beautiful items that fit so perfectly and have special sentimental attachments for me. Above you can see the beautiful saving grace BLUE rug, it does not have the slightest green tinge,(reference to previous post on disappointing green rug) and it works so well with the toning of the room, you can see it more clearly in one of the below photos. Also a  beautifully hand made book of Black Beauty, bound in a blue cover and complete with illustrations (you can see in the top photo) it's just the thing for story time in the big blue chair. Last but by no means least the perfect tub of coloured pencils and ruler, each one calved by hand and painted, I really must take a closer picture of them. Coloured pencils are not only perfect for any children's room but I love the fact that Andy chose them because of my artistic tendencies. They are also very special because one of my earliest memories was receiving a packet of Derwints for my 5th birthday, such a big deal to me even back then. Thank you Andy for thinking of me, not only will I treasure them because they are from you but because they are sentimental to my childhood.

I also received from David in the same package, a collection of his wonderful poems that I have been enjoying immensely along with some of his publications on Wagner. I have been developing a new appreciation for classical music thanks to David. For those of you who aren't aware Dr David Huckvale is an Author and lecturer at Cambridge University and a very talented writer. A special thanks to Iris (David's mother) for the lovely note and postcard of her own amazing work, the Huckvales are obviously a very talented family.

I have finally finished the interior of the Twins room and I am ready to decorate. Yay! This is the fun part for me. As you can see by the above photo the wallpaper,wainscot and cornices are done and let me tell you it was not without mishaps. I love the idea of using card stock to attach everything to before placing it but I had quite a problem with the card bowing after wallpapering with wp paste. I tried every thing to flatten it and finally resorted to spraying the back with water and placing under cling wrap and a ton of books on top, problem solved. Another complication was by my own foolish hand and all I will say is don't ever decide to make a quick adjustment after 2 glasses of wine.....unless of course you want your cut to look like a dogs hind leg....I will leave it at that but needless to say much patching up was required and if I don't tell you you may not notice. Don't ask me what the strange green alien lights are on the wainscot, they are not there in RL but something my camera decided to add.

Finally I will leave you with another shot of the bed time story, this is curtsey of Mia. Whilst she is too busy to work on her shop she still loves to come and have a little play. As I was packing up after photographing she sat beside me and placed Andy's rug and then Twiggy on top and I thought why didn't I think of that?? It looks so perfect, snap. She really gets a lot of enjoyment out of miniatures, she says she just likes to watch me do the work......well nothing new there!!

Just before I sign off I would like to mention the two beautiful little vases that have featured in some of my photos. I will show more detailed pictures another time as they deserve a post of their own but they are made by a lady named Margret Crosswell and sadly she does not have a website. The lamp I purchased from Kerry at The Doll House I think the little bird works so well with the chair, it had to come home with me.

If you have managed to get to the bottom and read every word I thank you for you dedication, it really was an epic but so much to catch up on. Don't be surprised if I make more than one post in a week.

Much Love to you all.

Fiona XXX

Fun at the Fair!

Hello every one,

Yes, the 2013 Sydney Dollhouse Fair, we made the trip up to Sydney, all four of us ( although we didn't drag the boys to the Fair) and had a wonderful time seeing Sydney through tourist eyes. Both Paul and I have been many occasions on business ( Paul is there frequently) but this time we had three days seeing the sights...The Dollhouse Fair included.

I spent quite some time going from stall to stall observing all that was on offer.....perhaps something I will do less of next time considering I missed out on some rather gorgeous wall sconces......hey Emily.....; ) To my delight I had the opportunity to meet in person two fellow bloggers Margret from My Petit Parterre and Emily from Architecture of Tiny Distinction. It was wonderful to put faces to names as they say and if it weren't for the pull of pending purchases I'm sure we would have chatted for hours.

So to the purchases.....many were made I am afraid to say ( or delighted) and all with a purpose in mind. I wont list them all today, I just wanted to show you the wingback chair I bought for the Twins room. I was particularly drawn to this one because of the elegant curves of the wings and the roll of the arms, I thought the shape was soft and feminine. Initially I intended to change the fabric but it continued to grow on me....just the right blue and soft pink in the flowers and it is all so beautifully made. Now that I have the chair in place I think I will keep the floor as is, I like the dark brown with the blue.The hand crocheted blanket is made by Lynda Auld who unfortunately doesn't have a blog. I think it looks so pretty there...almost as though the Twins have had a bed time story there. I also found some wallpaper I'm happy with, the photos above are a truer colour than the one below. The little Georgian chair in the hall was just what I was looking for, it is actually a closer in colour to the table than it looks in the photo.

Well thats it for now, I would like to give a warm welcome to my new followers. I will post about my other purchases soon.

Happy minis every one!

ML Fi xx

To Paint or not to Paint???

Hello every one! A warm welcome to my new followers, thank you for taking the time to have a look.

To paint or not to paint...that is the question? As you can see I have almost finished the floor of the Twins room. My original idea was to to do the boards in a well warn and aged style, a floor that you might find inside a colonial style house. I have included some images from one of my Favourite Books Roots of Home by Russell Versace which has wonderful examples of American Colonial style homes. If you take note of the floors you can see the aged boards.

I have probably included too many photos but I do love this book and one day I will post more about it, but for the time being you can see the look I was going for. My first layer of stain was a darker one so it would really get into the cracks and holes, I then sanded it back very hard and put another lighter coat on, it still needs oiled and rub of Bees wax but when I placed it in the room as a trial it occurred to me maybe it was too heavy for a little girls room? As you know I plan to put a large rug down, but now I am all askew with my wall paper colour I have had a crisis of confidance. I love the look of the soft blues with the deep stain in the wood as you can see in the photo above. I'm not sure it will look feminine enough? I then though perhaps I could paint the floor  Lea Frisoni style, that would certainly lighten things up, or do I try and keep to a more authentic look of the Colonial Homes? Below are some images from Lea's book that show the two possibilities, Painted floor or natural boards.....

So please let me know your thoughts, I have to admit to being a little relaxed in the authenticity sense, ultimately looking for ambiance more than architectural accuracy. I am off to the Sydney Miniatures Fair this weekend and I am very excited.....maybe I will get some inspiration when I see just the right rug or wallpaper....until then, I hope I bump into a few of you at the fair...please let me know if you are going....and happy minis to you all!!

ML Fi xx

P.S The wall aper in the top photo is scrap booking paper I added for the colour.

Time for a Change

Hello everyone,

Yes it's time for a Change, I do hope you like the new look. My original idea of the Sea Glass colours on my blog was a reflection of the coastal area that I live. In the beginning I had thoughts of showing you this part of the world but I really didn't do much of that. Most of the photos I load are of Miniatures and I find the images have warm tones which seem to clash with cool colours of my blog. SO....now the new look..... which I think compliments my miniatures nicely. I hope it's also a bit of a reflection of the direction I intend to go with Ambrosia Place,  a look I hope will be  Transcendental ( thank you David) and ultimately feminine.

Now to the topic of my post (ha...not miniatures) but something I thought a lot of you may enjoy. The other day I was rummaging through a box of old books in a Vintage shop and I came across this delight. It's Title (which I forgot to photograph) is the House Hold Gas Cookery Book. It is an English book but I'm not sure when It was published....I'm guessing around 1900's given the The clothing in the advertisements. The book has a lot of recipes in it and lots of Tips including Personal Hints like - To make Hair Glossy - Rub it at night and morning with a white silk Handkerchief. One of the most interesting things I find about the book is the constant reference to servants and Masters. I have uploaded some images of various parts I thought you might enjoy. Take note of the Write or Telephone (No. 54 ) I think that suggests there were only 54 telephones in London at the time???

Any way....here are the rest of the photos and Happy Minis every one!!

ML Fi xx

P.S I must mention the Beautiful Miniature Magnolia Grandiflora in my photograph for the banner is the work of the Lovely Ilona, I have left the link to her blog on the right hand side bar.

Kit Success

Hello everyone, 

A big welcome to my new followers, my apologies to you all for being a bit quiet of late. I would like to say a big thank you to all those who left their lovely comments on my last post, I am sorry I didn't get to reply as I normally do. I have been welcoming in the new season by getting busy with my RL house, it was way to hot to do much work inside or out so I have been enjoying the cooler days and sprucing up the place.

As you can see I have had a go at assembling the kits I posted about some weeks ago and I am quite pleased with the results. I chose the easiest ones to do first and I must say following the advice you were all kind enough to leave made a world of difference. Yes Elga, it really does work when you read step one....do it...then proceed to step two...read that..... do it...... and so on and so forth.  Andy, I am so glad you gave me all your tips as it made it all so much more hassle free. Although I did forget to make the holes for the handles before I glued. So instead I glued the brass plates on and then added a little beed for a knob and I think it looks quite nice. You should be able to see them in the photo below although you cant see the brass plated very well.

I replaced the other Hall table I originally had with this one as I think it looks nicer, I prefer the walnut tone you can see how it looked earlier here. I have added the Faux Bronze figure which I purchased from the The Dollhouse although it is a Warwick painted figure. I painted some moss on the pot of the Orchid to make it look a little more authentic and if anyone has any suggestions on what to do about the ugly plug I would most appreciate it. I recall Andy mentioning some no show flat plugs? I left a hole in the wainscot but the plug looks so ghastly. 

This is the candle stand with the lovely little candle and holder Ilona sent me some time ago and on the mat is my lovely Dog Twiggy I had made for Mia by Patricia from Wollytales Miniatures Beside Twiggy stands Hero, her big Uncle who guards Ambrosia place. You can see him in the photo below where I have shown the Kitchen and Hall as they are placed next to each other with the twins room to the right I am currently working on.

Happy minis to you all and thank you for your helpful advice, it has made such a difference!

Much Love, Fi XXX

Tufted Mattress

Howdy All, 

I hope you are all doing well. 

As you can see I finally finished the two mattresses for the Twins bedroom. I used the fabric of an old cotton shirt and followed Otterine's mattress tutorial. I have to admit to finding it a little more tricky than I expected. I nearly opted for the fake version given my limited skills in the sewing department. An emergency phone call to my wonderful seamstress sister, soon had me on the right track again. I stressed I just couldn't have my little people lying on a cardboard mattress, and she gave me a few tips on how to get it right and.... voila! 

Apparently my mistake was not having a big enough seam allowance, the fabric kept getting caught in the machine, so once I made a larger seam allowance I managed just fine. I trimmed back the excess fabric, and hey presto ready to fill and tufft. Now I feel so much better knowing my little people will sleep comfy cosy on a nice soft mattress.....LOL Thanks Sis....; )

Not only did my Sister help me out this week but my Brother too...he must have the patience of a Saint, he saved me hours of frustration by machine sawing all the timber for the floors in Ambrosia Place. Just one phone call and half an hour later he was sawing up tiny little floor boards on his big machine. I feel so lucky to have siblings are so willing to play along with my obsession. Thanks guys...XX

Now I'm all set.....I just need to get my commissions out of the way and I will be ready to get into it. Famous last words.....; )

Happy minis every one!!

ML Fi xx

P.S I hope you don't mind my rough photo's I'm trying to follow my post as I go resolution.

Pineapples, Pineapples!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY!!!!

To my dear friend Andy, I wish you the happiest of days with lots of love and hugs and good wishes from all the friends and family who love you. I would like to thank you for the wonderful friendship, love and support you have shown me for the past 18 months. Your good sense, good humour and amazing knowledge brightens my world!

For those  of you that might be wondering about the significance of the Pineapple I shall give you a brief summary.

In the early days of our friendship I asked Andy about the history of the Pineapple in the Georgian period. He explained to me that to display Pineapples was a symbol of wealth due to the difficulties and expense one would have to go to to grow pineapples in Georgian times. I then remarked how it must have changed once the Brits made it to the colonies because we were popping them out like peas. It then led to a topic on Architecture and I mention our most stunning example...... the big Pineapple shown above. Some how after many jokes on the subject, Andy surmised that I lived in a Scandinavian Pineapple?????

So when ever I see a Pineapple I think of Andy!!!! On our last trip to Queensland we made a special trip for Andy just to take some photos. Inside is a whole diorama of Pineapple farming but I have spared you all the photos.....I did however inflict them on my dear friend!!

Below are some random photos of Pineapples I have collected......heheheh!!

So Happy Birthday my Dear Friend!!!

Can I also say a special welcome back to our other dear friend John from Merriman Park we have missed you. I am very glad to hear you will be back in the swing of things soon, after all, there is no merriment at Merrimen Park without you!!

XXX