Maysage and Birch Staff Room

A few months ago, I bought some lovely soaps and a HOME plaque for Woolembees from Looking Glass Miniatures (Photos to follow) and as is usual with us miniaturist people, we see something in everything that could be used as something LOL So, when I saw this lovely little thank you tag in my parcel, a little light bulb went off.....

and I made it into a pretty little table mat for the sideboard in my Maysage and Birch Staff room.

The sideboard is a whitewood piece, which I had stained with Jacobean Oak Woodstain. I was happy with the look and colour of the sideboard, but I really wanted a pale orange crocheted mat to sit on the top of the sideboard. I'd looked around and seen some, but none were just quite right! Then the lovely parcel arrived and I looked at the pretty tag, thinking the colour would be perfect and my little idea was formed. Trimming it down to size on the wall side, it fits perfectly and I think it looks great :)

Here the table is in place in the staff room. Still lots to do in here, but it's coming along nicely I think. I'm not in a rush with Maysage and Birch, as this little shop and staff room will have some of my favourite pieces that I haven't wanted to part with once I made them! But mainly, it is my 'display case' for my favourite artisans and friends treasures that I will collect over the years... hence a long project!

Can you name who already feature in here? :0)

Well, off for a hospital consultation now, back over the weekend with a update on the witches cottage :)

Julia xxx



This is post copyright to the author. It may not be re posted, reprinted or distributed without express written permission of the author.

A cosy room above the Maysage and Birch Store

I have been busy editing photos today for a special something ( more on that in December) and whilst trawling through my photo albums I found these from last week and thought you might like a look :0)

It's the little room above the Maysage and Birch Store. It is meant to be a little cosy staff room, so that the storekeeper can put her feet up at the end of a busy day :)

Remember that old, dirty battered dresser I bought from an antique shop some months ago? Well, it didn't end up going in Gertie's cottage because it just didn't match.... so it has sat, hidden away in a box until now! I think it looks perfect in this room along with the little whitewood sideboard which I have stained with a dark Jacobean Oak Woodstain.

Then there is a comfy chair by the fire... which needed one of my squishy, comfy cushions :)

And a pretty little wall hanging..... and that is as far as I have got with my little staff room above my little store :)

I hope you like it :)

Julia xxx

Steps up to Maysage and Birch

My little Maysage and Birch shop is raised up next to Wizards and Wands. Underneath, hubby is going to do a little bank, but that is his project, so I'm to stay away from it LOL But I thought I would show you some pics of the steps up to my little shop that hubby has made involving art mache, wood, card and a lot of swearing!!!! From him, may I add !!

Bear in mind, he never waits for me to take photos, so I have to catch him off guard....

He made the front wall of the bank and attached the steps to it using wood for stability and cardboard for the bendy bits. Under the steps will be an arch shaped doorway...

Then he covered everything in Art Mache so that it blends in with the walls of the Bookstore and Maysage.

Then he toddled off to work..... and I interfered and painted it!! hee hee

He did approve when he got home ! :) LOL

Julia xxx

Halloween Post 4 ~ Shopping at Maysage & Birch

In another life, I would own a real shop like this... this and my Woolembees that is.. I would be greedy and have two shops!! :) Oh, to have an antique shop like the one on Ghost Whisperer, I would be in my element... I don't want the ghosts mind you! LOL Anyway, stop dreaming, I can't have either, so I will just have to 'own' them in miniature and I will fill them with my own hand stitched cushions and pots and some Artisan delights from my friends in Blogland :) So, lets get ready for halloween.... come shopping with me in my little Maysage and Birch Shop.....

First, let's peek through the window to see what delights await us...

..... a magical pumpkin jar from Nikki and a gorgeous basket from Glenda.

On to the front door...

Still peeking as we push it open....

Ooh.. my kind of shop, I could spend hours browsing in here....

There are brooms from Nikki and NickyCC, Owl staffs and books from Julie and halloween goodie bags from Oberon's Wood.

Pumpkin teapots from Lory, cushions, bowls, pumpkins and balls of string by me :)

Hats by Kat, pumpkin jar and candle bottle by Nikki, tapestry and sweets by me :)

Candy canes in a spider dotted jar by Ali-mini

Pots and pumpkins by me :)

On over to the counter now, shall we stop for a sweet or maybe a pumpkin cookie and wonder at how comfy those cushions will be....

or glance up at the decorations, more pumpkins to see...

Well, it's time to be off now
For you see
I must prepare
For Gertie's Halloween Party ... Hee Hee

:0)

Don't forget this is your last chance to enter my giveaway... and to be fair on everyone entering, you must follow all the giveaway rules to be entered and pop a link to my giveaway on your blog or a notice on your facebook

I will be back on Sunday to announce the giveaway winner at Gertie's Halloween Party :0)

Julia xxx

Maysage and Birch ~ playing around with Ideas

With the dry run of the shop kit done, hubby decided to play around with some ideas to make the new shop match the Wizards and Wands Bookstore. The new shop will sit alongside Wizard and Wands, hopefully on a raised box which will eventually become a goblin bank.

Sorry about the poor quality of the pics, they were taken at various times of day and night and are all jumbled.

First, he put in some partitions so that we could have an impression of a stairway in the rooms.

Then he wood stained the top of the front of the shop... but we hated it... fab if we were making a western scene, but not very witchy!!! So out came the art mache, the walls were covered and then hubby decided to turn the 'cowboy hat' look into a 'bat look' :0)

With it starting to look more 'witchy,' Hubby darkened the windows and decided on a wooden door surround, which he is ageing and making it look worn as I type this ;0)

There is loads for me to do on this project from flagstones to fireplaces and I am going to have great fun decorating it, now that I am 'allowed' to touch it LOL

I spent yesterday 'ageing' the walls and painting the flagstones, but I will pop those pics on next week.

Thanks to everyone who gave me advice on whether to have 1 or 2 blogs. The general consensus was to stick with 1 but to re-arrange it, which I am in the process of doing!

I will be back either tomorrow or monday, with pics of a fabulous new Wizard joining us at Wizards and Wands. I am just waiting for the right light to take some clear photos.
Have a great weekend,
Julia xx