So onwards and upwards with the planning for KDF. A large portion of the day was taken up with trying to design and build a suitable display stand, no bigger than 1 cubic foot to show off the tiny dolls and toys to their best advantage.
Perfectionist Partner spent a chunk of the afternoon sawing, glueing, cutting and generally fabricating from scratch a display stand, which despite all her time and energy, wasn't quite right.
Back to the drawing board and experimentation with various stepped display units, none of which were quite right either.
Until I had an epiphany!
If you've been following this blog from the start, way back in December 2006, you may remember my delight at finding some wonderful wooden display units for my toy shop. My eureka moment late this afternoon was to scoot up to the 'doll's house room' (which has been so neglected I half expected to open the door to find ivy tendrils clinging to every surface) raid the toy shop *minor guilty twinge* and bring down a wall and two corner units, which when used together make a very elegant display almost exactly the right size.
Plus they all have adjustable shelves.
Plus the shelves are perspex so they don't inhibit viewing
Plus they're all nicely painted with trailing plants across the top
Plus they are so obviously shelves from a toy shop, so they will put the toys and dolls in exactly the right context so that people aren't confused about what I'm actually exhibiting.
Eureka!
The perfect solution.
Perfectionist Partner was remarkably good-humoured about having effectively wasted her time all afternoon, and in any case, her display will be excellent for photographing tiny toys on so all was not lost.
Don't you just love it when a plan comes together................?
Thursday, 8 May 2008
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Hi ho, hi ho..........
...it's back to work we go.
After a deliciously relaxing few days away, it is now back to work with a vengeance. By this time next week I will have to be packed and ready for my two miniature toy workshops to be held at the Kensington Dollshouse Festival on Thursday and Friday.
Not to mention planning a spectacularly wonderful display for the showcase.
The former is well under control and will be completed in the next day or so.
The latter is not.
We have a display space of just 1 cubic foot. That's good in that I need only a few choice items.
But it's not so good in that a small display has to be absolutely perfect when viewed from all angles.
Also, I won't be able to set up the display myself, so I will have to provide a photograph and detailed instructions on how everything should be placed.
So, cue a lot of playing around with various display ideas over the next few days, with the intention of getting it completely nailed by the end of the weekend.
After a deliciously relaxing few days away, it is now back to work with a vengeance. By this time next week I will have to be packed and ready for my two miniature toy workshops to be held at the Kensington Dollshouse Festival on Thursday and Friday.
Not to mention planning a spectacularly wonderful display for the showcase.
The former is well under control and will be completed in the next day or so.
The latter is not.
We have a display space of just 1 cubic foot. That's good in that I need only a few choice items.
But it's not so good in that a small display has to be absolutely perfect when viewed from all angles.
Also, I won't be able to set up the display myself, so I will have to provide a photograph and detailed instructions on how everything should be placed.
So, cue a lot of playing around with various display ideas over the next few days, with the intention of getting it completely nailed by the end of the weekend.
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
Camping capers.........
What a glorious weekend.
Despite the gloomy weather forecasts we mostly had the most wonderfully warm spring weather over our four days of rest and relaxation, far from the madding crowd.
All except for the day of our arrival on the site.
To say it was a bit blowy is putting it mildly.
However, undaunted we decided to erect the awning in the teeth of a gale, much to the amusement of the other campers. Our awning quickly became a 3 cubic metre windsock, and I half expected to take flight, clinging onto it, Dorothy-like, wailing "I guess I'm not in Kansas anymore............."
Finally, good sense prevailed and we abandoned the attempt, quickly re-packing it and trying to look as if we hadn't really wanted to put it up all along.
And so to small dog's favourite part........her first walk to see the baby animals. This necessitates us all 'trip, trap, tripping' over the 'troll bridge' right next to the billy goat gruff paddock.
Small dog is ecstatic...there are such good sniffings and things to investigate.
Back at the van she is on 'duckwatch', a task which keeps her fully engaged while we make dinner. As we do, I get the strangest sensation that we are slowly sinking. This sensation is confirmed when we investigate further to find that our levelling blocks are level with the grass, having sunk right into the damp ground. This created a problem mainly because the van fridge is rather temperamental, and refuses to work properly unless it is level, front to back and side to side. This, unfortunately, was not the case and we had developed a distinct list to starboard.
So off to the warden to beg for a few boards, which were duly delivered, along with the observation that we'd made quite a dent in the pitch. By this stage, windswept and bedraggled, I was in no mood to commiserate.
There followed a difficult half hour during which we resolutely tried to level the van on boards and blocks. It slowly dawned on us that we were top billing for site entertainment, as people near and far stopped what they were doing to take in the scene.
Trying to maintain a cheery and unconcerned demeanour, we smiled through gritted teeth, calling "to me, to me.........right a bit. NO! MY right not yours........back a bit, to me, to me. Oh bugger.........." the latter as the boards both split down the middle, upending, and being driven by the force of the wheels straight down into the ground, gouging deep troughs and sending the levelling blocks spinning off dangerously in all directions.
This, though uneniably dramatic, and great spectator sport, had achieved precisely nothing.
The van was not level
The fridge was not working.
And I had two enormous splinters from trying to reposition the wooden boards.
Call me paranoid, but I was beginning to wonder if I might suffer the fate of Lord Carnarvon, discoverer of the Tutankhamun tomb, who was bitten by a mosquito, cut the blister while shaving, contracted an infection, which led to pneumonia and died all within a few weeks.
Happily, minor surgery with mole grips removed the splinter and relative peace was achieved, despite small dog's jihad on a group of itinerant guinea fowl and the resultant tumult as she tried to chase them.
I did try to lighten the mood over dinner, by folding the napkins into miniature representations of the Titanic, which seemed appropriate considering the rate at which we were sinking. Some people have no sense of humour.
We finally got the fridge working at 8.10pm, a triumph which was slightly marred by the discovery that our runny honey had gone solid and could only be extracted from its squeezy bottle with the aid of a stick.
These are the joys of camping.
The remainder of our stay was uneventful. The wind dropped and we were able to put the awning up the following morning. The sun shone and we basked outdoors......... taking walks, reading, cooking al fresco and generally enjoying the bucolic splendour of the great outdoors.
Here's small dog's best bits................
Small dog on duckwatch. Although she looks relaxed, she is in fact doing complicated mental calculations based on range, acceleration, speed etc.
The view of the duckpond from our van on the first morning
Small dog in utter ecstasy, while rolling in something disgusting.
Her favourite three little pigs, all snuggled up together for a snooze.
Despite the gloomy weather forecasts we mostly had the most wonderfully warm spring weather over our four days of rest and relaxation, far from the madding crowd.
All except for the day of our arrival on the site.
To say it was a bit blowy is putting it mildly.
However, undaunted we decided to erect the awning in the teeth of a gale, much to the amusement of the other campers. Our awning quickly became a 3 cubic metre windsock, and I half expected to take flight, clinging onto it, Dorothy-like, wailing "I guess I'm not in Kansas anymore............."
Finally, good sense prevailed and we abandoned the attempt, quickly re-packing it and trying to look as if we hadn't really wanted to put it up all along.
And so to small dog's favourite part........her first walk to see the baby animals. This necessitates us all 'trip, trap, tripping' over the 'troll bridge' right next to the billy goat gruff paddock.
Small dog is ecstatic...there are such good sniffings and things to investigate.
Back at the van she is on 'duckwatch', a task which keeps her fully engaged while we make dinner. As we do, I get the strangest sensation that we are slowly sinking. This sensation is confirmed when we investigate further to find that our levelling blocks are level with the grass, having sunk right into the damp ground. This created a problem mainly because the van fridge is rather temperamental, and refuses to work properly unless it is level, front to back and side to side. This, unfortunately, was not the case and we had developed a distinct list to starboard.
So off to the warden to beg for a few boards, which were duly delivered, along with the observation that we'd made quite a dent in the pitch. By this stage, windswept and bedraggled, I was in no mood to commiserate.
There followed a difficult half hour during which we resolutely tried to level the van on boards and blocks. It slowly dawned on us that we were top billing for site entertainment, as people near and far stopped what they were doing to take in the scene.
Trying to maintain a cheery and unconcerned demeanour, we smiled through gritted teeth, calling "to me, to me.........right a bit. NO! MY right not yours........back a bit, to me, to me. Oh bugger.........." the latter as the boards both split down the middle, upending, and being driven by the force of the wheels straight down into the ground, gouging deep troughs and sending the levelling blocks spinning off dangerously in all directions.
This, though uneniably dramatic, and great spectator sport, had achieved precisely nothing.
The van was not level
The fridge was not working.
And I had two enormous splinters from trying to reposition the wooden boards.
Call me paranoid, but I was beginning to wonder if I might suffer the fate of Lord Carnarvon, discoverer of the Tutankhamun tomb, who was bitten by a mosquito, cut the blister while shaving, contracted an infection, which led to pneumonia and died all within a few weeks.
Happily, minor surgery with mole grips removed the splinter and relative peace was achieved, despite small dog's jihad on a group of itinerant guinea fowl and the resultant tumult as she tried to chase them.
I did try to lighten the mood over dinner, by folding the napkins into miniature representations of the Titanic, which seemed appropriate considering the rate at which we were sinking. Some people have no sense of humour.
We finally got the fridge working at 8.10pm, a triumph which was slightly marred by the discovery that our runny honey had gone solid and could only be extracted from its squeezy bottle with the aid of a stick.
These are the joys of camping.
The remainder of our stay was uneventful. The wind dropped and we were able to put the awning up the following morning. The sun shone and we basked outdoors......... taking walks, reading, cooking al fresco and generally enjoying the bucolic splendour of the great outdoors.
Here's small dog's best bits................
Small dog on duckwatch. Although she looks relaxed, she is in fact doing complicated mental calculations based on range, acceleration, speed etc.
The view of the duckpond from our van on the first morning
Small dog in utter ecstasy, while rolling in something disgusting.
Her favourite three little pigs, all snuggled up together for a snooze.
Dizzy brunette............
There aren't many upsides to having MS. Except you get to experience for free a whole range of sensory anomalies that most 'normal' folks have to pay for.
For example, I know that there are many misguided souls who pay through the nose to go on white knuckle fairground rides, whereupon they are gyrated, oscillated, rotated and generally turned upside down, and, if they're very unlucky and have just had lunch, inside out *yuck*.
I, on the other hand, have all those sensations, (except perhaps for the vomiting) with none of the expense.
Result.
Or it would be if I enjoyed being subjected to feeling as if I'm on the riding 40 foot waves on the high seas in a very small dinghy.
So, I occasionally visit my local hospital, where I have a fun-filled session at the neuro balance clinic, with a very personable physiotherapist, who I affectionately refer to as 'the dizzy nurse'.
I had a session today, and the idea is that I have to be made to feel dizzy, in order to become habituated to the sensation. It's a bit like a more benign form of aversion therapy, which in my case would involve having large, hairy spiders crawling over me *shudder*.
So if I'm not feeling dizzy when I go in, I'm definitely dizzy when I come out, but with the knowledge that I'm doing my bit for balance and equilibrium.
Anyway, just so you know, I won't be doing THIS any time soon............
For example, I know that there are many misguided souls who pay through the nose to go on white knuckle fairground rides, whereupon they are gyrated, oscillated, rotated and generally turned upside down, and, if they're very unlucky and have just had lunch, inside out *yuck*.
I, on the other hand, have all those sensations, (except perhaps for the vomiting) with none of the expense.
Result.
Or it would be if I enjoyed being subjected to feeling as if I'm on the riding 40 foot waves on the high seas in a very small dinghy.
So, I occasionally visit my local hospital, where I have a fun-filled session at the neuro balance clinic, with a very personable physiotherapist, who I affectionately refer to as 'the dizzy nurse'.
I had a session today, and the idea is that I have to be made to feel dizzy, in order to become habituated to the sensation. It's a bit like a more benign form of aversion therapy, which in my case would involve having large, hairy spiders crawling over me *shudder*.
So if I'm not feeling dizzy when I go in, I'm definitely dizzy when I come out, but with the knowledge that I'm doing my bit for balance and equilibrium.
Anyway, just so you know, I won't be doing THIS any time soon............
Monday, 5 May 2008
With a hey nonny nonny...........
........and a happy May Day to you to!
Home from our extremely relaxing camping trip today (blog post and photos to follow). Quickly unpacked the van and set off into Hastings for the annual May Day celebrations, consisting of
Jack-in-the-Green and the convergence of around 20,00 motorbikes and riders! The whole of the town is literally jam-packed full of motorbikes, all gleaming chrome and polished tyres, from WW1 classic bikes, right up to turbo-charged monsters worth upwards of £30,000!
Today the sun shone and all along the sea front, leather-clad bikers and Jack-in-the-Greeners mingled in perfect harmony. PP and I shared a bag of chips then moseyed on to Winkle Island for fresh seafood.
Small dog has been catching up on her naps this afternoon, and after dinner will review the photographs of the camping trip, which, predictably, feature mainly herself.
Hope everyone has had the opportunity to enjoy some sunshine this bank holiday weekend. It really feels like the start of summer at last!
Home from our extremely relaxing camping trip today (blog post and photos to follow). Quickly unpacked the van and set off into Hastings for the annual May Day celebrations, consisting of
Jack-in-the-Green and the convergence of around 20,00 motorbikes and riders! The whole of the town is literally jam-packed full of motorbikes, all gleaming chrome and polished tyres, from WW1 classic bikes, right up to turbo-charged monsters worth upwards of £30,000!
Today the sun shone and all along the sea front, leather-clad bikers and Jack-in-the-Greeners mingled in perfect harmony. PP and I shared a bag of chips then moseyed on to Winkle Island for fresh seafood.
Small dog has been catching up on her naps this afternoon, and after dinner will review the photographs of the camping trip, which, predictably, feature mainly herself.
Hope everyone has had the opportunity to enjoy some sunshine this bank holiday weekend. It really feels like the start of summer at last!
Wednesday, 30 April 2008
No pressure...........
You would think, wouldn't you, that just having got over Miniatura, getting our new website up and running, and only a few weeks away from the Kensington Dollshouse Festival, that I would be actively seeking a bit of professional peace and quiet (aside from a few day's camping!)
But what is life without a bit of risk-taking.
Or a healthy dose of work-related stress.
It is in this vein that I've decided to do both of the above and submit a very special piece of work to IGMA with a view to achieving Artisan status.
The primary aim of IGMA (International Guild of Miniature Artisans) is to promote fine miniatures as an art form, thus removing them from the category of crafts. Twice a year their selection panel of 9 committee members meets to evaluate submissions from prospective Artisans. They use a weighted points system that includes overall impression, degree of difficulty and workmanship, creativity and adherence to scale.
Many prospective Artisans are unsuccessful at their first, or subsequent submissions, and if you look at the quality of workmanship which is required to meet their standards, it is easy to understand why.
In line with my 'good grief I'm 50.........what now?!' musings over recent weeks, I've decided to take the plunge and put my heart and soul into creating a submission which is the very, very best I can do.
So, I have pre-registered for May 2009.
Which gives me a year.
To plan and execute.
But you know me and deadlines..............
But what is life without a bit of risk-taking.
Or a healthy dose of work-related stress.
It is in this vein that I've decided to do both of the above and submit a very special piece of work to IGMA with a view to achieving Artisan status.
The primary aim of IGMA (International Guild of Miniature Artisans) is to promote fine miniatures as an art form, thus removing them from the category of crafts. Twice a year their selection panel of 9 committee members meets to evaluate submissions from prospective Artisans. They use a weighted points system that includes overall impression, degree of difficulty and workmanship, creativity and adherence to scale.
Many prospective Artisans are unsuccessful at their first, or subsequent submissions, and if you look at the quality of workmanship which is required to meet their standards, it is easy to understand why.
In line with my 'good grief I'm 50.........what now?!' musings over recent weeks, I've decided to take the plunge and put my heart and soul into creating a submission which is the very, very best I can do.
So, I have pre-registered for May 2009.
Which gives me a year.
To plan and execute.
But you know me and deadlines..............
Carry on camping..........
So, with the spring bank holiday looming, we are planning a short camping trip to take in the glories of nature and to enjoy the majesty of the great outdoors.
Small dog is beside herself with excitement at the prospect of camping, especially as the site we've chosen has some lovely lakeside and country walks, not to mention being on a farm with all manner of animals for her to peruse.
I am looking forward to getting away from it all for a few days with several books, my music player and ideas notebook, with the intention of doing some strategic planning.
Unfortunately the weather forecast is not encouraging, with the possiblity of rain showers practically every day. However to hardened, year-round campers such as us, the prospect of a bit of rain doesn't deter. We are taking an outside shelter/awning which will fit as close to our little camper van as possible and provide us with an outdoor room to shelter in during light showers. Should the showers develop into a steady downpour we will retreat inside the van, which has all mod cons including heating, so we're not exactly roughing it.
Unless it's blowing a gale we will be bbq-ing all evening meals in the awning, and staving off the cold with the odd glass of something cheering.
Also I'm stretching a point as far as my birthday goes and taking my resiliantly airborne helium balloons to tie outside the awning.
Small dog has a locker all to herself, which accommodates her essential accoutrements, including:
Small dog is beside herself with excitement at the prospect of camping, especially as the site we've chosen has some lovely lakeside and country walks, not to mention being on a farm with all manner of animals for her to peruse.
I am looking forward to getting away from it all for a few days with several books, my music player and ideas notebook, with the intention of doing some strategic planning.
Unfortunately the weather forecast is not encouraging, with the possiblity of rain showers practically every day. However to hardened, year-round campers such as us, the prospect of a bit of rain doesn't deter. We are taking an outside shelter/awning which will fit as close to our little camper van as possible and provide us with an outdoor room to shelter in during light showers. Should the showers develop into a steady downpour we will retreat inside the van, which has all mod cons including heating, so we're not exactly roughing it.
Unless it's blowing a gale we will be bbq-ing all evening meals in the awning, and staving off the cold with the odd glass of something cheering.
Also I'm stretching a point as far as my birthday goes and taking my resiliantly airborne helium balloons to tie outside the awning.
Small dog has a locker all to herself, which accommodates her essential accoutrements, including:
- Her own fluffy towel for wet dog/muddy paw episodes
- A cosy outdoor blanket with waterproof lining
- Hot water bottle with fleecy cover
- Waterproof coat with hood
- Warm jumper
- All-in-one winceyette pyjamas (yes really...see photo)
- Dog bowls
- Water bottle
- Gravy bones & treats
- Spare collar and lead
- Pooh bags
- Squeaky toy
- Brush..........
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