Happy Halloween to all

Witchy is making pumpkin soup, don't tell the pumpkins!!!

Happy halloween to everybody from Julia and Hywel at Bearcabinminiatures.

Have fun!

Update on the wizard store

The wizard store is now definitely staying with us. As it didn't sell, we have decided to keep it and it will eventually become Deans. He is not allowed to touch at the moment, only look lol. Hywel has been busy putting in extra shelves alongside my yet to be finished sink and I have been playing with Pumpkins! Yes, my pumpkin stacks from Nikki of witch and wizard miniatures have arrived and they are wonderful. Thankyou Nikki :0) www.Nikkinikkinikki72.etsy.com In the photo, you can see I have put a pumpkin stack on one side of the door, on the other side is some pumpkins I already had.

Well, I am back in work at 9pm tonight, so I will be a little quiet over the weekend as day becomes night and vice versa! I will be popping by to read my favourite blogs though and may even leave the odd sleepy comment!
Have a great Halloween everyone :0)

Julia xx

Pumpkin House gets a garden!

My mini free day only lasted until 8pm last night, then the children and I decided to have a go at making a garden for Pumpkin House. We scoured the garage for offcuts of wood and bits of greenery and this is what we came up with! We glued coloured lichen to the wood to make the hedges and added a little face pebble that the eldest had painted years ago.

The kids were late to bed, because we got so engrossed, but it's school holidays, so it doesn't really matter... and they slept in late this morning... yippee, peace and quiet!!

A Mini Free Day!!!

I am a having a mini free day today!

Its is a beautifully sunny, warm day (I think someone forgot to tell Mother Nature that is November in 5 days time!!) My washing is happily blowing on the line (Dean was moaning that he has no clean jeans and he can't stay in his pyjamas all day lol ) The plumber is on his way because when you have a shower upstairs, someone else can have one in the kitchen downstairs!! The locksmith has been called, the front door lets you in, but not out, handy if you have nowhere to go, but no good when the postman calls with a parcel, and you have to shout to him, that you have go around the back, whilst Maisey the dog is going bananas and giving him a heart attack!

A normal day then? No, because you can actually see the dining room table for a change, there
are no mounds of cottons and half done cross stitch patterns covering it. The christmas collection is ready (but you will have to wait a couple of weeks yet, before you can see them) The Wild Heather Collection is nearly complete, just one more tapestry to finish and the Halloween Corner is ready for Saturday, though I'm sure I just saw Dean sneaking off with his hand behind his back and a sneaky grin on his face, I had better check the skeleton and pumpkin chocolates or there will be none left by saturday.

Off to do a bit of pottering and polishing now,
Have a great day everyone from a lazy Julia :0)xx

Welcome New Followers

A big hello and welcome to my new followers. I hope you will enjoy reading my blog, please leave comments if you wish and check back later as I am a chatterbox and always reply :0)

Julia xx

My Houses ~ Pumpkin House

This post seems to have caused some confusion, so I have edited it and given more detail.

This week I am on annual leave (again, I hear my regular followers cry!!) so I had intended to run a series of daily posts on my own houses, unfortunately, we have received emails from one person (not a fellow blogger) asking for specific details and photos of the terrace house. This person we recognised as someone who had copied a previous design of ours to the exact detail and then offered it for sale on Ebay in direct competition with ours, but at a lower price. Now I am all for competition, but this email seemed to be taking it a tad too far and lets just say, Hywel is a bit peeved! This is not to say that we do not wish to share ideas and tips with our fellow bloggers to use in their own personal houses or to adapt for sale, just no EXACT copies please.

Anyway, here is my current project. It is not a house built by ourselves, so I am not giving away any of Hywel's secrets.... and please, to those of you who sent comments regarding our 'false' room, please keep commenting and those of you who email me asking where certain things we use can be bought, keep asking, we are happy to help you find particular items.


So, this is Pumpkin House, which Hywel bought for me last christmas. Look at the windows, aren't they fab? Anyway, it is an antiques and fancy goods shop, inspired by the antiques shop in the TV series 'Ghost Whisper' and roughly based on a fabulous shop in Carmarthen. Inside are some of my favourite little bits, some handmade by myself and some bought from my favourite miniature artists or Miniatura. There is still loads to do on it though, as you will see as you scroll down the pics! I have re-decorated and started putting in a door upstairs, at the rear, I have to make a staff only sign and put the door furniture on, but do you think I can find my door knobs? I have put them somewhere safe... too safe!!






































On the top floor is my wonderful Half Tester Bed which I had made by the talented gentleman at http://www.wightcrafts.etsy.com/

There are also some of my bears, a beautifully dressed, but very delicate mannequin and some empty shelves and a rocking chair, stained but not varnished yet!

The desk is on the lower floor. This is a beautiful carved desk which Hywel bought me for my birthday at Miniatura a couple of years ago. It has a leather top, on which I have put a couple of favourite items. My pumpkin candle tray is fab, the photo doesn't do it justice. I bought it a week or so ago from a new seller on Etsy http://www.mairitales.etsy.com/

I don't know if the wallpaper can be seen clearly, but it is DIY store wallpaper. It has a cream linen look background with pale brown large flower stems and leaves. It was a nightmare to get the flowers in the right position, so that they run from floor to ceiling, but now its done, it does add to the antique feel of the room. I just can't decide what colour to do the dressers now though, dark stain, plain or cream washed?

Well, that is Pumpkin House so far, lots to do on it, but I will be doing more posts on it as I go along and if anyone has any ideas for the colours to paint my dressers, please let me know.

I am off for some soup now, I have been to the dentists this morning for a rather large filling and the meany said soft food only for today :0( So soup it has to be...

Julia xx

Help..... Please..... I cant find any candles!!!

A couple of weeks ago, somewhere online (ETSY or EBAY) I saw some really pretty orange candles in glass jars and I could kick myself now because I didn't save the page and do you think I can find them again? NO.... and they would be perfect for my 'Pumpkin House'

So if anyone out there can help, please let me know. The seller had individual candles in glass jars for sale and a candle display shelf. Thanks, my fingers are crossed in anticipation .... and my toes if that will help!

Julia xx

My Houses ~ The Wotnot Shop

Another one from my own collection, this is The Wotnot Shop. Sorry about the poor picture quality, but I have taken these photos from a stored CD-R and the quality isn't wonderful. The Wotnot shop originally had a nice little flat above, but it was too big and heavy, so we altered it into a single storey shop with red brick exterior walls. There are lots of my little homemade goodies inside and a perfect gent bought from Ebay.

Julia x

Miniature beginings ~ My Terrace house

I thought it would be nice to do some posts on my own houses, after all I love to look at other people's houses, so just maybe someone out there would like to look at mine!!
Gulp!!

The terrace house is one of the first houses Hywel made me, back in 2001. It is roughly based on my memories of my nan's house. Hywel keeps nagging me to let him redo it, he wants to put real stonework on the exterior, but I like it as it is. It is a marker for how much we have learnt and improved over the years, but also it is a traditional doll's house and I just love it as it is, falling down curtains and all :0)

The bathroom.

The wallpaper is a sample from a local DIY shop and I wish I had bought a roll because it is very pretty and suits 12th scale perfectly. It matches well with the laminate tiles and pretty china bathroom suite. When the lights are on and the bathroom door is open, you can see into the hallway.

The bedroom.

I must make some pillows and cushions for the bed. The Lloyd loom basket chair was bought from Ebay and I made the blankets, pictures and wicker cross on the wall.

The living room.

Not a great photo and I just noticed that my grey tabby cat, who is chasing a ball of wool is partly hidden behind the magazine basket and 'nan' is sitting on my knitted patchwork cushion! It's a lovely homely room though with 'nan' doing her knitting and 'grandpa' just popping in after being in the garden. The fire glows when plugged in and shines on the 'drying' washing.

The living window complete with falling down curtains! The window ledge pulls out at christmas so that I can fit a christmas tree in the bay, which is probably why the curtains are falling down. Next to the window is one of my first miniature samplers.

The hallway and kitchen.

The kitchen is a false room, because we were limited with space, so we put just an impression of a kitchen in. You can just make out the kitchen cupboard, shelves and mop bucket.

The attic, complete with 'insulation' between the rafters and hanging lightbulb!

Well, I hope you enjoyed my little tour of Terrace House'. I am off to have some lunch and do some stitchings now :0)

Julia x

A big welcome to my new followers

I have had a lot of new followers lately and I have to hang my head and say sorry for not welcoming you all sooner. So .....

A BIG WELCOME TO YOU ALL

I hope you enjoy reading my blog and I will popping over to your blogs too.

Julia xx

Ivy Cottage and cat baskets

Last night I mooched around in my 'to be done' cupboard and found a pretty little white wire cat basket, just crying out for one of my little cat pillows. I was quite pleased with the way it turned, what do you think?

Ivy Cottage





















Well, Hywel has got his way and Ivy Cottage is up for sale on Etsy.... Hmmm, I had wonderful plans for this.... but Hywel is moaning he can't move in the garage for all the houses and to be honest, it is getting a bit difficult to get to the freezer!!

Bears and tray making tutorial

I had a busy day yesterday, but managed to find an hour to sort out my 'made and ready to go' cupboard. I make bears in 'batches, so I found lots of little bears ready to go! All I have to do now is to find the time to upload them to Etsy!!

I also gave my tea trays a final coat of sealing varnish. I took the idea for these trays from a full size tray my dad made me some years ago, which he made from backing board, beading, brass cupboard handles and a piece of wallpaper. You would never know its wallpaper once varnished! It sits happily in my kitchen.

Mini Tray making;

Materials needed are;

• whitewood trays
• pretty dolls house wallpaper or a favourite design printed from your computer
• Wood stain
• non-yellowing clear wood varnish

1. Firstly, stain the trays with a coloured wood dye of your choice. I don't stain where the paper is going because if I use a light paper it shows through and spoils the colour.
2. Once dry, carefully cut out your paper and apply a light layer of pva glue to the paper. Stick down.
3. Leave an hour to dry completely, then apply a thin layer of non-yellowing clear varnish all over the tray. Leave to dry for an hour.
4. Finally, apply another layer of the varnish to the papered area only to complete the seal. Tip. If you use a tiled paper and apply a final layer of gloss varnish to the paper, it should take on the appearance of 'real' tiles.

And there you have a pretty tray for your kitchen, too :0) You can also make 'hot' pot stands like this, just cut a square of thin wood and use a larger print.

My little bears, all ready to go!

Blog Awards!

I have an award !












Nikki from http://nikkinikkinikki72.blogspot.com/ has sent me this lovely creative blog award.

Thankyou Nikki :0)

Make sure you pop over to her blog, she is a lovely blogger and makes the most amazing witch and wizard miniatures. If you don't already have a witch house, reading Nikki's blog will make you want one!

Here are the rules of the award;

1. Thank the person who gave this to you.


2. Copy the logo and place it in the blog.
   
3. Link the person who nominated you.


4. Name 7 things about yourself that no one would really know.


5. Nominate 7 'kreative bloggers'


6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
   
7. Leave comments on the 7 blogs you nominate, letting them know you nominated them.
   

Okay, here are my seven things you probably don't know about me;

1. I live in Wales with my hubby Hywel, our teenage son Dean, our daughter Meg, our dog, Maisey, our cat pumpkin and a pet rat called Grandolph who lives in very comfy cage in the garage!



2. All our animals must be the same colour, because our son has Aspergers Syndrome, (which is on the better end of the Autistic Spectrum) and everything must be in order!



3. When our youngest went to school full time, I put myself through college and university to take a degree and now have letters after my name!



4. I would love to have a book of my miniature cross stitch patterns published. Maybe one day!!



5. My favourite time of year is the autumn, I love pumpkins and the changing colours of the trees. I hate the early bright mornings though because driving in the glare is scary!



6. My favourite TV programmes are House, Ghost Whisperer and Merlin. I don't really have time to watch much else!!



7. When I was 12 years old, it snowed so deep that everything came to a standstill for days. Our ginger Tom slept in the garage by night and we refused to clear my nan and grandads paths next door, until we had dug the cat out of the garage and he was warm by the fire! I was so bored, my mum taught me to knit and sew in that week and I have been making things ever since.

I now have to pass this on to 7 other bloggers.

Nikki also sent me another award,

Here are the rules;

1. Display the image of the prize and publish the rules.
2. Post the link of who won the prize
3. Give 10 blogs dream to which award the prize.
4. Notice blogs listed.

Unfortunately, I don't have the image of the prize for the bottom award, but I will pass it on to my chosen people for the kreative blog award.

1. Casey at Casey's Minis http://caseymini.blogspot.com/ Her blog is wonderful and well worth popping over too.
2. Kate and John at http://whittakersminis.blogspot.com/ They have a really friendly blog and their Witch Hat Shop window display is fab.
3. Sarah at http://miniaturechurch.blogspot.com/ This church is fantastic and well worth a look.
4. Mercedes at http://libertybiberty.blogspot.com/ Her house is amazing and I am sooo jealous!
5. JFolk at http://jlilroomer.blogspot.com/ A really friendly blog and we were both amazed at the recent invasion of the spiderwebs!
6. Nicky at http://njdminiatures.blogspot.com/ I bought a wonderful mandrake from Nicky months ago and later discovered she had a blog. Nicky makes lovely minis and has a friendly blog
7. Christine at http://dandelionfair.blogspot.com/ Christine makes super little wooden dolls. I love to pop over to her blog to dream.

Look what we did to the wizards store!!

Well... the wizards store didn't sell on Ebay again, its been on twice with no luck, so we have decided to work a

little magic on it. Hywel went on a hunt in his workshop at the bottom of the garden and came back carrying a large old branch of apple tree. We thought we had used it all previously! We had it cut into thin strips and can you see the face in the above strip? Well, we decided this piece would look great in the store window and because the knots are hollow, we are hoping that when we plug the lights in it will shine through the 'eyes'!!

Hywel has also had some fun with skeletons!

Here they are are holding up the shelves! There are more shelves to be done and I have to finish my potion mixing table in the corner, but all in all, we are pleased with it.

I have been making lots of new bits and pieces to go in my Etsy store and I have been staining the whitewood furniture I bought in Miniatura for 'Pumpkin House'

Pumpkin House is one of my own houses, which I will show on the blog in the future. It has nothing to do with Halloween, it is just named Pumpkin House because I adore pumpkins. It is a 2 roomed house, made into an antique furniture and soft furnishings shop and it has many of my favourite pieces from other miniaturists in it. I have just had a tudor bed made for it and I can't wait for it to arrive. I will post pics when it has arrived.

We are now going to try our luck selling the witches cabin on Ebay. Fingers crossed.

But I have been thinking that what we should do is start having a table at fairs because it is hard to see the work and realism in a photo. There are 2 dolls house fairs within 1hours of us, so I will be getting their details and hopefully next year I will be posting a nervous blog for an upcoming fair..LOL.

And the winner is.......

Well I have survived my expedition up the loft to get the pumpkin bowl for all the competition entries to go into and I had a lovely lot of entries and the rhymes were brilliant. They are spread out over my last 3 blogs, sorry I couldn't put them all onto the one blog, but they are well worth a read :0)























Little Meg had great fun dressing up in her witches costume and pulling the winner's name out of the pumpkin and so the winner is .........


Olivia at http://liv-mydollshouse.blogspot.com/


Olivia is also a new follower, so welcome Olivia, I hope you will enjoy my blog and like the cushion. Please send me an email with your postal address and which halloween cushion you would like.

Thankyou to everybody who entered and welcome to all my new followers, I hope you will enjoy my blog and will enter my christmas competition coming in roughly late November /December.

Julia :0)x