At The End of a Busy Week.....

Magazine Project

We were delighted to see our copies of  the Dolls House and Miniature Scene  magazine this week (the January Issue) which is out now....as it includes our 'How To..' project in 1/12th scale of 

"On A Cold And Frosty Morning...After The Night Before."



 Part Two of this project will be in the February issue. We do hope many of you will enjoy following our instructions and suggestions and creating your very own diorama. Inspired by the scenes in our series of workshops this year we thoroughly enjoyed planning and creating this one especially for the magazine. As you'll know, like so many others, we are keen supporters of Breast Cancer Campaign and have donated the completed scene to raise funds for this important charity in a Sealed Bid Auction which will close on February 18th 2012. Full details including how to bid can be found on the official promotional page: www.miniatureworkshops.com/Sealed_Bid_Auction

This Sunday's Workshop

This Sunday in our continuing theme of  our 'Little Old Garden' series we have The Little Old Washing Line Workshop - it'll be another enjoyable and full afternoon, and fun too! And.... just for fun we might have a little Christmas surprise for the attendees too.Can we please remind everyone who is coming on Sunday to take a look at the list of recommended items to bring. The list has changed just ever so slightly from before but please don't worry if you don't have some of the items....we will have some spare.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW LIST

If anyone is reading this and still has not booked but would like to come....we can squeeze  1 more person in. Please contact Robin or  Celia immediately, if you would like to take up that last space.

The Little Vintage Hall

Early next week we shall be able to publish details for The Little Vintage Hall Workshop which will be held on April 29th 2012 .  A full detailed page including a downloadable booking form, will appear on our website next week when booking opens.    It will be a half day workshop again, based in Thame. Spaces will be limited,as this will be quite a substantial project,  so to avoid disappointment it is advisable to book early.

Meanwhile....look forward to seeing many of you on Sunday!!!!

The November Workshop - At The End Of Next Week!

As we are already more than halfway through November (where did the first half of November go?)... it does mean that we are only just a little more than a whole week away until our Xmas Special Workshop!!!

It was great to see so many past attendees of our workshops last Saturday at the little Haddenham Fair. It was also lovely to see mini gardens on more than one club stand.....looking rather familiar!lol As we have said before, it is fascinating for us, to see how each and every one of you start off with the same materials but the end product varies greatly as each of you stamp your own personality/ideas on your own projects......wonderful!!! In the above photo, you can see part of our workshop stand at last Saturday's fair where we had the prototypes of all three little garden projects in both scales on show. It created quite a bit of interest so hopefully we will be attracting even more people to our workshops in 2012.

Can we please direct those of you who are coming to our workshop next week to take a peek at the revamped list of items that you need to bring with you on our website: http://www.miniatureworkshops.com/You_Need_To_Bring.htm

It differs slightly from the last two workshops, however saying that, please don't worry if you don't have some of the items on that list....as always we will have some spare.
Robin & Celia

Due to the popularity of this November workshop (our last workshop for 2011), we have increased the amount of spaces available which means we still have 3 spaces left. So if anyone would like to come and participate in The Little Old Washing Line Xmas Special Workshop, which is taking place in Thame on Sunday November 27th....please get in touch with either Celia or Robin asap (contact details on our website).

www.miniatureworkshops.com

PS. Hope to bring you the first half day workshop date for 2012 and more info on our new theme shortly.

What A Fabulous Day & What A Generous Bunch Of Ladies!!!!

Last Sunday, on yet another nice sunny afternoon - we held the third workshop featuring our imaginary little old cottage garden.

The participants were creating the 'Over the Little Garden Fence' project, apart from a couple of ladies who were embarking on the 'Down the Little Garden Path' project. It's never possible to pick the perfect date that suits everyone, so we were happy to reprise these workshops for those that missed it first time around.

It was a delight to welcome some new participants and of course welcome back several ladies who had been before. They were a lovely, lively and hardworking bunch who all contributed to a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

Janine's "Down The Little Garden Path" project made at September's workshop.

What was especially nice was that a number had brought along their first projects, each with their own individual additions to the prototype, so they could tie them in to the second project, (above is Janine's which you can just about see in this photo)!
 

In fact this was the original photo...hahahaha...Celia thought that Robin was just taking a photo of Janine's project....but in reality Robin liked the way the sun was shining through the window....giving Celia a kind of halo!!!

One of our main aims for these workshops is for participants to learn some new skills and are encouraged to use them in order to create their very own scenes....so is extremely pleasing for us to see this all being put into practice.

We 'unveiled' 'The Little Old Washing Line' project ( which is our next workshop on November 27th), complete with an ancient coal bunker and Santa's longjohns hanging up to dry, to much merriment and a flurry of booking forms. Thank you ladies!!

And now to the fund raising.....we are chuffed to announce that the total raised at last Sunday's workshop for Breast Cancer Campaign was £38.50. Thank you ladies for being so generous with the raffle and the refreshment donations!!!!!
The total to date of all monies raised for Breast Cancer Campaign at our three workshops in 2011 is....
£117.94
So once again, thank you everyone for your generosity.
After the November workshop (which will be the last for 2011) we will send a cheque off to the charity.
And Finally............

We also had our first opportunity to show off in public our little 1/12th scale scene - "A Frosty Morning...After the Night Before". Thank you ladies for being so complementary.....we were actually a little nervous on the unveiling....(yes honestly)!!!

This is to be featured in the Dolls House and Miniature Scene Magazine - January and February 2012 issues. And as you will all know by now if you have seen our workshop website and the little video, it is now up for sale in The Sealed Bid Auction to raise funds for Breast Cancer Campaign.

Just a reminder that you can bid now online or by post.
See here for details: http://www.miniatureworkshops.com/Sealed_Bid_Auction

 

The Little Old Washing Line Christmas Special Unveiled!

At long last we are able to show you photos of our November workshop project in 1/12th scale, before it starts to snow! It's going to be a fun workshop....something a bit different and with a hint of a little Christmas spirit!!!

So here is the project that we will be making in either 1/12th or 1/24th scale on Sunday November 27th at ....

THE LITTLE OLD WASHING LINE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL WORKSHOP!!

The project consists of an aged pebble dashed coal bunker complete with coal (of course), concrete type washing line posts (the kind that many of us had for years, and still might have) and a line of washing including Santa's hat and longjohns which can be removed if required.

To complete the scene there is a tub of laundry and some simple landscaping.

Each attendee will be offered the opportunity to add snow/frost to this garden to make it into a very festive scene indeed! However, those of you have already made the first two little garden projects may wish to omit the snow/frost and simply join it onto the other two,. Like all our garden projects this can stand alone or butt up against an existing dolls house.

For full details, please see the promotional page:

http://www.miniatureworkshops.com/The_Little_Old_Washing_Line_Workshop.html

Alright.......we can improvise!!

This week has seen us putting together the kits and instructions for the Workshop on October 23rd - a reprise of 'Over the Little Garden Fence' and 'Down the Little Garden Path' for those who were unable to attend the earlier workshops. In between we've been working on the prototype of our Christmas Special...The Little Old Washing Line' on November 27th...so that we can show you pictures and also bring it to the next workshop.

Celia's finished the authentic looking coal bunker pictured in the previous blog....but it does need some coal to spill out! No problem! Somewhere in one of Robin's 'safe places', is a bag of miniature coal. After a week of searching it's nowhere to be found so to Plan B - a lump of real coal smashed to smithereens. Tiny problem - neither of us has a coal fire or knows anyone who does! We briefly consider Plan C - demonstrating a new 'skill' i.e. painting stones black to look like coal and  'stretching it' a bit......"it" being ones imagination!!!

A bright spark tells us where the nearest coal merchant is to be found and we decide to visit and beg or if necessary buy, a single lump of coal.... then a friend locates another friend with coal.....and the miniature coal turns up!!

Meanwhile - back at the miniature compost heap.....we ran out of the net with exactly the right sized holes for 1/12th chicken wire (actually about three weeks ago). Not a problem as the local fabric/haberdasher/craft supplies shop always keeps it in stock. Only they didn't! A variety of other obvious outlets and four charity shops were also bereft of net and then.....with desperation mounting, finally a child's fishing net in a fetching shade of day-glo green, was spotted in another local shop - Phew!!

A bit of unpicking (and a stylish green stake for the garden) and a liberal spray outside with a can of silver paint (it would  have to be on the windiest day of the week) and we have our chicken wire and the compost bins will now be perfect!!!

The Little Old Washing Line - Christmas Special half-day workshop is proving particularly popular with just a handful of spaces remaining, even though we only begun to take bookings for it a few days ago!! So.... if you were thinking of booking, please contact one of us by email or phone without delay. For full details of the Christmas Special Workshop...click on following link:
http://www.miniatureworkshops.com/The_Little_Old_Washing_Line_Workshop.html

New Additonal Workshop For November - Booking Now Open!

THE LITTLE OLD WASHING LINE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL WORKSHOP
Sunday November 27th 2011
2.00pm - 5.00pm


COST OF WORKSHOP
1/12th Scale Garden - £25.00 / 1/24th Scale Garden - £23.00


VENUE
Thame Girl Guide HQ, Thame, Oxfordshire




This is a bit of fun - another little vintage garden scene but with a slight festive theme. We will be making an old fashioned washing line complete with washing, including Santa's long johns (will be removable), aged coal bunker, tub of washing and very simple landscaping. To complete, you will be given the option of adding snow if you wish to make this a permanent wintry garden. However, for anyone who may have previously made any of our other garden projects, you may want to omit the snow.

It will be created on exactly the same dimension of MDF base, as all other projects ie. 8" x 6" : 1/24th scale garden base will measure 4 1/2" x 3 1/2".

We are currently in the process of putting together the 1/12th scale prototype for you to see and will bring you photos of the completed project, on here and our workshop website shortly. However, to give you a taster of what you will be making, is this coal bunker (still waiting for a handle to be added to the doorplate) but nearly finished. This is literally made out of cardboard, including the "wooden" planked lid....so we will be teaching you some very different techniques to previous workshops including a touch of finger painting...great fun!

To see more details including a downloadable booking form, click on following link:

http://www.miniatureworkshops.com/The_Little_Old_Washing_Line_Workshop.html

Sealed Bid Auction - Breast Cancer Campaign - Bid Now!!!

We are both thrilled to announce that a project that we have been working hard on these past few weeks for a "how to make" feature that will be appearing in Dolls House & Miniatures Scene Magazine in January/February issues 2012...is now up for auction to raise money for Breast Cancer Campaign. The promotional video is now live (see below)...we hope you enjoy it!

ON A COLD AND FROSTY MORNING AFTER THE NIGHT BEFORE is an old fashioned backyard set in the 1950s, after the New Year's Eve Party. As you can see, the clearing up had begun on a very chilly morning. The festive rubbish is spilling out of the dustbin onto the crazy paving.......even more rubbish is piled into old boxes. Brian the blue tit is tucking into his grub on the bird feeder and yep....there is even a mucky opened can of 1950s soup!!!

You can bid for this online, by post or in person at not only the Haddenham Dolls House Exhibiton & Fair on November 12th 2011 but ultimately at Thame Dolls House & Miniatures Fair on Saturday 18th February 2012. The auction will close on the day of Thame Fair at 3.00pm and the Thame Town Crier will announce the winner shortly after.

PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY - WE HOPE TO RAISE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE FOR BREAST CANCER CAMPAIGN!!!!!!!

FOR FULL DETAILS ON HOW TO BID ETC. PLEASE SEE THE OFFICIAL SEALED BID AUCTION PROMOTIONAL PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE:

http://www.miniatureworkshops.com/Sealed_Bid_Auction