Projects unfolding....

Scene: Sandra's workroom, which is still full of all the stuff from the rest of the house which had to be evacuated to host family over Christmas.  She is bent over her laptop, illuminated in the glow.  A small furry presence gradually materialises at her side.....

Me: *startled* Oh, hello SD.  Am I glad to see you.

SD: Oh murmm... whott hav yue dunn now? 

Me: *bristling* ME?!?  I haven't done anything!

SD: *patiently* Yue kno fule wel thatt ai amm onlie kolled when yure in trubble.  So hear ai amm.

Me: *puzzled* In trouble?  I'm always delighted to see you in your ethereal form but I am absolutely not in trouble.

SD: 

Me:

SD: *carefully* Okai... letts sai fore the saik of argewment thatt yore knot.   Whott ar yue doen?

Me: *distractedly* I'm doing lists.  To Do lists.  For stuff I have to do.  I'm planning a few projects and need to sort out a timescale.

SD: *encouragingly* Wel thatts gude.  Plannen, lissts.  Yue havent ' ovurkommitid' hav yue?

Me: *testily* Over committed?  Perish the thought. No, it's all under control. I'm just trying to dovetail it all as some bits are TOP SECRET.

SD: *conspiratorially* Topp Seekrit? (she winks with both eyes)

Me: *concerned* Are you OK SD.  Is there something wrong with your eyes?

SD: *dismissively* Aim fyne.  So whotts the seekrit? 

Me:*sighing* If I told you it wouldn't be a secret would it?

SD:*encouragingly* Mummm.... yue kan trusst me.  Aim non-korpawreal and kant breeth a wurd to a sole.

Me:*hesitantly* Ok then.  The secret is that I'm planning a complete makeover in M's bedroom but I only have a window of 10 days from the 28th January to get it all done, so I'm doing as much pre-planning as I can so that I can take a run at it.  Her room is very small but I have some quite ambitious plans so I need to order everything I'll need in the next week or so.  I've made a scale plan of the room so I can play around and see how things are going to fit.

SD:*nodding* Thatts gude.  Whotts yure theem?

Me:*thinking aloud* Well, I did her room here when she was just a baby... so it was Beatrix Potter themed.  But she's nearly 10 and it's all a bit too young for her now, so I'm aiming for a mashup of enchanted forest and Narnia.  A bit older but still magical.

SD:* impressed* sownds wundirfool.... aim shure sheel luv itt.  

Me: *uncertainly* I do hope so.  Although it's a small room I have a lot to do and I can only work in short bursts.  I just need to make sure that I get the planning done this week so I can order all the stuff I need.  

SD: *soothingly* Itt wil orl bee fyne.  Ai hav grate konfidens in yue... yore projeckts olwais turn owt amaizen. 

Me:*relieved* Thanks SD.... I was just having a bit of a wobble, but yes, I'm sure it will. 

SD: *stretching and yawning* Ecksillent.  Aill popp in agen jusst to sea how yure doen.

She gradually fades away, and Sandra returns to her laptop, her resolve renewed. 

... To Be Continued.....

Book nookery....

Following on from my book nook post yesterday I have an update. 

No of course I haven't started it yet... that's crazy talk! Anyone who's been following this blog for some time will be well aware that I can't start it until I've done some pre-planning, list making and the like.

However, when I revisited the online details I discovered that there is a veritable cornucopia of delights which show the completed contents in detail.  To be honest, I just looked at the picture on the box and thought "that's the very one for me" and clicked on the BUY button with no scruples at all. I've also had a more thorough look at the instructions booklet which also contains loads of photos.

So... here are some of which I was completely unaware until this morning.

Having bought the kit purely on the premise of the frontage, with its festoons of wisteria and pretty flower boxes,  I love that the sides are also home to windows, postbox, signs etc.  In this view you can see the tiny fairy lights strung across the ceiling beams and there's even a working light on the front.  Love the little ares of moss and lichen on the outside too. 

But the wonderment doesn't stop there... there's lots going on INSIDE the front, with lights in the bay and some lovely little window displays.  The shop door and windows on the left even open although I'm not looking forward to those tiny hinges. 

I also didn't realise that were was an area partitioned off from the shop with a chair and desk which is a little workshop, with pots of paint, brushes and assorted toymaking parphernalia.  There's even a wee cup of tea on the desk!  Brilliant!!  

In the shop there are literally hundreds of pieces, including several doll's houses for doll's houses... my absolute favourite.  I'd assumed that they would be printed facades but no.... several of them have FULLY FURNISHED rooms!!!  Plus of course there's a tiny toy theatre and if I can shoehorn it in I'll add my own little Punch & Judy theatre too.   As you may be able to tell, I am completely blown away by the detail, from what was a complete impulse buy  and for which I didn't have particularly high hopes in terms of quality and detail. 

That's Little Red Riding Hood's cottage at the front, plus there's a Three Bears General Store,  Town Teahouse, Fairy Market and LOADS more.  Not to mention all the toys, books and dolls house furniture and accessories, plus rolls of wallpaper and boxes of kits.  I'm going to keep a tally of all the individual pieces but it must run into the hundreds.

It's definitely a long term project.  I though I might be able to do it in a few weeks but now that I know the scope of it I realise it will take several months.  However it's all broken down into easily manageable chunks for each millimetre of shop space, so as long as I stick to the instructions and work methodically, I'm sure it will be fine.  I'm also already thinking of how I can improve on it and upgrade it.

Now... far be it from me to put temptation in the way of any of you, but I've had emails from a few people asking where I bought it so here you go.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

Fairy Tale Shop

It's shipped from the US and it did take several weeks to arrive here in the UK, but of course the Christmas post will have slowed delivery.  I was a bit worried that I'd fall foul of import duty but amazingly I wasn't charged.  Also, if you are tempted, visit the link and you should get a pop-up code for a 15% discount.  I wasn't even charged for shipping, which may have been a glitch as I thought it would amount to $20+ 

So, if any of you fancy it, do let me know and we can have a communal group effort... what could possibly go wrong? 

Update.... just found a wee video too. 

Fairy Tale Shop Video

Oh look...A Book Nook!

I realise that I'm probably more than a little fashionably late to the 'book nook' party but I've been eyeing one for a while, following extensive research (otherwise known as faffing around on Pinterest)

Most of them are a tad basic, but I found one which looked better than the run-of-the-mill and as 'tis the gifting season, I succumbed to some self-gifting and ordered one.   With impeccable timing it arrived yesterday and I have to say I'm really rather impressed with this specific kit.

It even comes with a natty little tool kit and absolutely loads of bits and pieces, including fabrics and lace, lighting, kits for plants and landscaping, kits for shop fittings and furniture and absolutely loads of little toys and accessories.  

The fully colour illustrated instruction booklet runs to 26 pages (gulp!) but it all looks really clear and well explained.  Needless to say I shall be upcycling and upgrading as I go along, and adding lots of my own games and toys, as well as a few wee dolls.   It's billed as the Once Upon A Time Fairytale Dollhouse Shop which is right up my street so I'm really looking forward to making a start, although I'm going to take my time and enjoy the process, especially when it comes to the upcycling and amending. 

I'm minded to return to the original roots of this blog and post my progress, which also provides an element of accountability.  

So that's one mini project on the table already....  

New Year, same old....

 So.

Here we are at the end of 2025 and I've only managed a paltry 8 blog posts this year... 9 if you count this one.   In my defence, this year has been a complete doozy and my already wavering resilience has been worn paper thin.

Yes, there have been highs.... some lovely holidays, including a wonderful Scandinavian cruise in August, but they have been outweighed by the many lows, scattered throughout the year but gradually increasing in scope and intensity.  It's one thing dealing with bad stuff in the middle of summer, when it's warm and sunny and daylight lingers till late.  Quite another in the dark days of winter when daylight is at a premium and the cold seeps into your bones and takes up residence.

However, we're now on the cusp of a New Year and although I'm cautiously optimistic, I can't help but feel a healthy dose of scepticism.

After all, we've been here before.

I normally start January buoyed at the prospect of projects new and reams of ideas.  I'm aiming to maintain that tradition and am spending time today making some lists.... of stuff I'd like to do, things I need to complete, and projects I'd like to undertake.  Not all of them will see the light of day but I really need some positivity to take into the new year, and the hope that some of the sparkle of the holiday season will persist though the coming winter months. 

After all.... what could possibly go wrong?

Down the rabbit hole....

Story of my life.... start one thing, remember another thing.  While looking for the other thing, discover a different, more interesting thing, which requires more things.  Repeat ad infinitum.

So.  With a renewed enthusiasm for my languishing miniature projects I set up my desk this morning to continue dressing some little dolls for La Mignonette.  Making umpteen sets of silk underwear and socks is very boring, compared to the delights of the actual costumes, so I tend to do them in batches. 

During a lull in knicker construction I thought I'd just have a look in my drawer of undressed dolls to see if I had a pair which would work as a Cinderella and Prince Charming and at the back of said drawer I came across these....

Back in the mists of time I made some of these dolls with holes in their hands and feet with the notion of making string puppets and marionettes.  I didn't make many because they were a bally nightmare... so many of the limbs cracked while putting tiny holes through the leather hard porcelain, or pinged off during soft cleaning, but these made it through the tortuous process.

Of course, after they'd been fired, china painted and strung, I put them in this tray in a drawer and promptly forgot all about them.  

Rediscovering them this morning I thought I'd make up a few to hang in La Mignonette then promptly remembered why they'd been languishing in a drawer for decades.  The control bar mechanism is fiendishly difficult to make in miniature.  

Now, I know what you're thinking.  Sandra, don't talk rubbish.  It's literally two bits of wood in a cross shape, with strings hanging off.  But hear me out.  It may LOOK simple, but it most definitely is not.  

First off.... the wood must be in scale with the doll.  Too thick and it would look ridiculous.  And making tiny holes for the 'strings' in thin, narrow wood is fraught with difficulty, similar to that of making tiny holes in the hands and feet of the porcelain dolls.

Then there's the string.  I have very fine thread which I use for sewing delicate silk costumes but it's too fine for the holes in the puppet's limbs.  Nylon jewellery thread might work but it doesn't 'flow' in very short lengths. I'll have to experiment and see what works.

If I can think through a solution for all of that, I also need to fashion a hook to hang the puppet up.

I can vaguely remember grappling with all the challenges when I first made the puppet dolls, and consigning them to the back of the drawer as I couldn't come up with something perfectly to scale which worked effectively.

See, this is what happens to me. All. The. Time.

So, once again, I've put the puppets aside.  Not back in the drawer where they'll likely languish for another 10 years... but ON MY DESK in my line of vision where they will taunt me with my ineffectual faffing over working out the control bar until I finally crack a workable solution.

Watch this space....

And just like that.....

 ....WHAM!

After four major heatwaves, and barely any rain to speak of for months, September has called an abrupt halt to summer and torrential rain is currently throwing itself at my craft room windows.  In normal times there is usually a gradual segue from summer to autumn, with a mix of warm, sunny days, interspersed with cooler, misty ones.  Here in the UK we don't tend to get the same spectrum of leaf colour seen in the likes of New England, or Canada and there's even less chance of any autumnal blaze this year, as we've had high winds ripping still green leaves from the trees.

Still.... autumn isn't all bad.  Yes, so it's damp and mushy.  No crisp piles of crunchy leaves to jump through here.  They're quickly soaked and form thick, slippery layers reminiscent of a soggy millefeuille pastry.  Yes, the days are shortening and dark evenings are just around the corner.  Yes, it feels like aeons till spring...

BUT.  It is traditionally the time of year when projects which have languished over the summer months are unearthed, dusted off and reviewed with a critical eye.  Long time readers will be well acquainted with my modus operandii of starting new projects with great enthusiasm, which normally lasts till the next project grabs my attention.   

This chart accurately represents my technique...

In my craft room I am never any further than a few feet away from an unfinished project. Every drawer, cupboard,  shelf and storage box contains at least one...sometimes many. 

When I retired, I threw myself into all the crafts I'd never really had time for before...dressmaking, jewellery making, crochet.  Liberation from the relative tyranny of having to constantly come up with new ideas for miniatures felt simultaneously intoxicating and emancipating and I embraced my new found freedom with zeal.

Fast forward 17 months and I'm overhauling my project list.  I have many unfinished miniature projects, not least my lovely French doll shop, to which I added a third storey two years ago.  I can go for months without opening it up and looking inside but I know there are lots of odds and ends to finish off, not least populating the ground floor shop with a minimum of 20 little dolls.  I have a box of little undressed dolls, all in their underwear, patiently awaiting costuming and wigging.  Back in the summer I even made a batch of pleated silk ribbons with a view to making a start.  Of course that hasn't happened and the silk ribbons are currently sitting accusingly in a box right behind my chair.  So in view of the extremely inclement weather, I'm sorting through my ideas boards on Pinterest and selecting costumes I'd like to recreate in micro miniature.  I'm going to set myself a target of dressing two little dolls a week, which is eminently achievable... you heard it here first. 🤣

I'm also dusting off my La Mignonette notebook, where I'd written down lists of 'Stuff Still To Do' which runs to several pages. 

My wet and windy weekend in prospect is looking up already.....

HOTH....

For all the non-crocheters out there (seriously though, what are you even doing with your life?)  HOTH is short for Hot Off The Hook.

Behold... it's finally finished!

I feel that this should be accompanied by some sort of fanfare... in the absence of trumpets a kazoo would suffice.

I finished the final stitch in the border late last night and did a few victory laps round the lounge by way of celebration.

This time last year, I barely knew one end of a hook from the other, and had never crocheted anything, other than a few very wonky chains as a teenager then promptly gave it up as a bad job.

Is it riddled with mistakes? Absolutely! Are all the stitch counts correct? No way! Was there constant wailing and gnashing of teeth? You betcha!

However, to the untrained eye I think it looks pretty damn good, even if I say so myself. I've just sat gazing at it, remembering all the times I couldn't count to eight. The bamboozlement of those beetles. The frustration of those fans. All of which drove me demented at first.

Then the weird sorcery of Row 12, which, quite frankly, knocked all the other rows into a cocked hat for its sheer audacity and ambition.

Then came my battle with dodecahedron shaped triangles, and boomerang shaped corners.

It didn't end there... when all the elements were completed, I opted to join it diagonally. I don't know what I was thinking. It was like assembling a three-dimensional geometric puzzle, upside down and back to front.

Six months of my life, and if I'd employed a swear jar from the get go I'd have enough in it to retire to the Bahamas.

Anyway.....I'm going to take a few days to recover my equilibrium then start on a new crochet project. And THIS TIME I'm going to sort out a swear jar from the very start.