Tempus fugit....

So. 

Here we are, already over half way through the year.  How on earth did that happen? Seems like only yesterday I was at the start of the year with twelve months spread out before me, ripe with possiblities.

Of course, that was then.  This is now.

Being ill derailed me for months, during which time I completely lost my mojo in almost all areas of my creative life.  I didn't set foot in my lovely craft room for weeks on end, as it just felt too dispiriting.  

My few attempts at anything minitature related failed miserably, which weren't just dispiriting, they were downright depressing. So I sort of gave up.  The only creative endeavour at which I persevered was crochet, and even then my results were lacklustre.  

Of course, my malaise wasn't purely due to my being unwell.  We're now almost 5 years into what is often innacurately described as a 'cancer journey'.  It's not a journey... for me, a journey conjures images of a trip through stunning scenery... rolling hills and sunlit uplands, glimpses of  sparkling blue sea, with vistas opening up to glorious expanses of coastline.

THAT'S a journey!

A much better description would be 'cancer slog'.  An exhausting endurance trek from trial to tribulation, with only the occasional temporary reprieve and light relief from the soul-sapping quagmire of daily existence. 

Nihilistic?  Moi?!?

So yes, I have most definitely been very down in the dumps.  My normal resilience has worn paper-thin and as a result it's been difficult to find much pleasure in the things which usually make my heart sing. 

But.

Recently I've been feeling a glimmer of interest in resuming some of my languishing projects.  I've unearthed all the little dolls which have been boxed up, waiting for their hair and hats.

Semi-dressed dolls awaiting wigs and bonnets

I've also found the components for some kits from many years back so I'm playing around with ideas for those.  And I've been looking in my boxes of 'stuff I should have finished ages ago' with fresh eyes and tentatively renewed enthusiasm.  

Quite how long this will last is anybody's guess, but I'm seizing on this unexpected creative positivity with both hands and imploring the universe to comply.

Best laid plans....

It always happens doesn't it?  Make plans, tell everyone, then WHAM.... stuff happens to derail everything.

Two months ago things were going really quite well, but just a few days after my last post I fell ill and it's taken me most of the time since then to get back to what passes for my normal these days. 

Everything ground to a halt and while I was poorly.  I didn't set foot in my lovely craft room for weeks and weeks.  Even then, I only went in to look around a sigh a lot, as I just didn't feel up to doing anything creative at all. The only thing I've been able to do is crochet, and even then, it hasn't been regularly or with any real enthusiasm, which isn't like me at all.

Thankfully, I'm now feeling much better, so I've graduated to gentle pottering... a bit of sorting though things here, re-organising things there.  Not 'making' exactly, but gradually working up to it.  

I revisited my collection of partly dressed wee toy dolls this morning which only need to be wigged, hatted and boxed.  Then I perused my barely begun little doll's house shop kit and decided I might just have a go at making some progress over the course of this week as the weather definitely won't be conducive to spending any time sorting out the garden.  

So, with spring hopefully just around the corner, I'm hoping that my joie de vivre will return and nearly normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. 

I mean...what could possibly go wrong?  🙄

Newsletter update....

The die is cast and I've just sent out a newsletter which I hope people will action.  I've spent ages again today going through the mailing list but I just can't get it down any further without randomly deleting people which I can't do as I want to ensure that anyone who still wants to receive newsletters can do so.   

So, I'll see what the response is and take it from there.  Thanks to those of you who have suggested workarounds... I've tried a few but no luck so far.  Mainly I don't want to move to a different email marketing platform and have to learn a new system all over again, especially when I know that probably 25% of subscribers on my current list never engage and lots of them don't even open the emails either.  So I'm taking the path of least resistance in the first instance to see what happens. 

For anyone reading this who's thinking "hang on a minute... I thought I was on Sandra's mailing list but I haven't received an email today" then several things may have happened.

• You've changed your email address
• Because I email so infrequently I've inadvertently slipped into your spam folder
• You previously unsubscribed and have forgotten (easy mistake to make... I do it myself!)
• You were never on my mailing list in the first place and because you come here regularly you get all my news and sales information here.

In any case, if you haven't received an email, and do want to go on my list, simply use the contact form on this blog to send me a secure message, including your full name and email address and I'll do the rest. 

Dolls House Shop Kit - Part 1

 

I've made a start on my little doll's house shop kit and this is my progress so far.  Not much to show for two x three hour sessions is it?  

For those of you who have thrown caution to the winds and bought your own kit, I hope my initial findings will prevent you making some of the mistakes I've already made, although they were all able to be remedied, thank goodness.

I decided to build the shop structure first, so that I can add contents as I go along.

So, remember I was waxing lyrical about how amazing the instructions look?  Well I take it ALL back.  Yes they look amazing but there is an almost complete lack of written text as everything is in the form of photos or diagrams.  While this might sound fine and dandy, I'm finding it difficult to understand some of the assembly details.

Also, despite there being a comprehensive parts list, it's almost impossible to find some parts, with separate elements for the same thing spread across several of the multitude of little bags.  As a result, a large proportion of the six hours I spent getting to this stage, involved long searches for specific parts.   I still haven't tracked down the door handle so I'm hoping it will turn up further along the line. 

That said,  when I finally found the relevant bits, and puzzled out what to do with them, the resulting shop front is coming along nicely.

Top tips so far.....

• Glue.  There are two types of paper elements but most have a satin finish.  I strongly suggest that if you're glueing those onto any wooden parts, that you use a solid glue stick, like Pritt Stick or similar.  I used PVA glue on some of the satin finish paper and it bubbled alarmingly when applied to the wood.  Of course it didn't bubble immediately, otherwise I'd have whipped them off straight away.  No, they went on completely flat so I then set them aside to dry while I worked on another section.  However after a few minutes, when I checked them again, I was horrified to see they were all wrinkled.   Now, I will say that they have gradually flattened, but not completely and there are still a few rippless, unlike the ones on which I used the solid glue stick, which are completely flat. 
• Make sure you understand the construction of each element before you start as they're not always obvious or inuitive.  As a veteran of literally hundreds of kits, I just jumped straight in, but several times I'd already applied glue to parts only to discover I'd glued the wrong edge, or didn't know what to do with them, or that I'd glued the wrong side to the wrong piece etc.   Luckily I discovered my mistakes in time to rectify them. So far I've found that the laser cut pieces are very accurate, and that if the instructions show one side shorter than the other, it's not a mistake and you can't just wing it.  I strongly recommend doing dry fits for every section before going anywhere near glue. 

If you're doing this kit, and have any questions so far, do feel free to contact me and I'll help if I can.  I'll also post further as I go along. 

Current status.... so far so good. 

 

IMPORTANT - Please read.

I do love a good list.  The more the merrier. 

Lists of lists?  Bring it on!

Literally loads of lists... hell yeah!!!

I have a frankly embarrassing undisclosed number of pristine notebooks and project planners in which to write lists but I always end up just grabbing a bit of scrap paper and scribbling them down, only to subsequently lose the scrappy paper and having to start again. 

There's also the small matter of adding completed tasks to lists after the fact purely for the satisfaction of putting a BIG TICK next to them.  Seriously though... doesn't everyone do that?

So yes, I do like lists.  I've been making rather a lot of them recently in relation to various projects... my new toy shop book nook kit, our granddaughter's bedroom makeover, workroom re-organisation (yes... AGAIN! *sigh* ) etc etc etc.

Also, despite being nominally retired, I have been making minis.... primarily for La Mignonette but also with a view to offering some of my little toy dolls and miniatures for sale in the spring.  I did have in mind to release a list in November but that was derailed by a series of unfortunate events so my mini-making was relegated to the back burner.  However, with spring now a not too distant goal, I'm minded to dust off my box of 'work in progress' and see where I'd got too.  

With a Spring Sale in mind I logged into MailChimp yesterday.  I use it to send newsletters and up till now it had been free to send emails to up to 500 subscribers, but as of next month the limit for the free service will be reduced to 250.  As I only send at most two newsletters a year there's no point in my upgrading to the paid service.  So I spent a while laboriously going through the contacts list, deleting obviously suspicious or invalid email addresses but I was still nowhere near getting down to 250.  

So, here's the thing.  I will be sending out a newsletter later this week.  If you're on my current mailing list, and receive it, and want to continue to receive newsletters, follow the instructions and I'll keep you on the list.  If I don't hear back I'll assume you no longer wish to be contacted and will remove you accordingly.  From my stats I know that less than half of newsletter recipients don't open the email so I'm confident that the mailing list will prune itself. 

If you're not already on the list, not to worry.  I will post sale information here and on my Sandra Morris Dolls Facebook page.  

If you have any questions, please contact me using the contact form thingy.  Please note that my towerhousedolls email is not longer in use.  You can also message me on FB, either using Messenger or WhatsApp.

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