Let there be light!

Here are the lovely lights I bought from ebay store 'dollshousesuppliers'. The also use the name 'My Tiny World' which has it's own website too. I have bought from them before and have always like the quality of their products but this time I had a little problem.

I emailed before purchasing the lights asking if they are compatiable with Dolls House Emporium lighting equipment I was assured that they were. Sadly, the lights did not fit into my DHE socket strip. I contacted the shop asking for a refund which they were more than happy to co-operate with but then I had a change of heart.

I picked the lights because they were good value (the lot cost me about £45.00 inc. P+P) and I haven't found cheaper ones anywhere on the net. I decided the best thing was to sell my DHE socket strip online and buy another one from dollshousesuppliers instead.


P.S Sorry for the picture quality- I should really invest in a half- decent camera

Finally Glued in Place!

Here we are! Finished at last! The only thing I have yet to glue on is the shop sign, which I want to paint so will leave it for now. I don't know why I put off gluing it for so long- I guess it was just the idea of commiting with glue is so scary first time round! Anyway, thanks to the help of my 16 year old brother, I think we did a pretty good job!

The hardest part by far, and I'm ashamed to say I have given up, was trying to screw minute screws in for the front door. Could we do it? No way! I even had a specialist pair of tweezers with a magnifying glass but we simply couldn't do it. So then I thought, 'well, I spend that much time trying to keep my other dolls' house door shut that I may as well glue this one in place instead!'. I haven't actually done this yet as I want to paint it but I reckon I will cheat. I occasionally make jewellery and nothing has ever been as fiddly as those screws! If anyone does have any suggestions though- I'd love to hear them!

The Dolls House Emporium's New Catalogue

Oooh, how exciting! The post man dropped my shiny, new catalogue off today and what a catalogue it is!

There's so much I wish to buy from there and I am getting frustrated by the lack of slow progress surrounding my Curiosity Shop. You all know what it's like with miniatures though, sometimes your money simply has to go elsewhere! I can't wait for my next installment of my student loan to arrive as I will have enough money to really start the decorating then.

There are a few things in terms of decorating that I have my eye on from the DHE. I did want to show you put they haven't come in on the website yet! It's basically 'Arts and Crafts Floor Tiles' and they will look lovely.

However, I did order one thing off ebay today (I am supposed to be saving for my holiday to Morocco next week, but shhh... ) I bought a little street sign for the exterior when it is completed. You can pick your own street name which is just lovely, so I called mine 'Ruby Street' after my faithful companion, Ruby. (She's the cat you can see when I reply to comments).

I have chosen the middle design. It cost £4.99 with free p+p and was from an ebay seller 'smallerhomes'. He is classed as a top rated seller and has 100% positive feedback which is great. Now I just need to complete the front of the house! Pictures to follow shortly :D

How exciting! A commission for my house!

Hello!

Apologises the the delay in an updated post, but you all know what it's like with Dolls Houses- it can be such a slow process!

I have some very exciting news- I have asked Julie Campbell from Bellabelle Dolls to commission me a couple of dolls for the Curiosity Shop. I know it's pretty unusual to have the dolls before the house is complete but in this case, I want to complete my house around the dolls- after all, it is their shop! I want an elderly couple and couldn't think of anyone better than Julie to make the dolls for me. As she is so in demand, the dolls won't be ready until November so unfortunately, I won't have any pictures until then but do be sure to pop back later!

Check out her websites- she's amazing! Just check out Captain Jack Sparrow above!

http://www.bellabelledolls.blogspot.com/

http://www.bellabelledolls.co.uk/

Ta-Daaa!

So here is the house, dry built! Yey! I cannot include the front panels or the roof panels because they are obviously attached with hinges and I haven't got round to that yet. But it's somewhat reassuring that I have managed to get it all together like this! Tomorrow, I shall glue it. I did consider painting the ceilings first but I think I will paint them after gluing so if I do get paint on the other walls, I can paper over them last. My greatest fear regarding the house is that the walls expand with the paint or wallpaper paste and it no longer slots together!

I have decided that my shop is going to Edwardian. I bought a lovely little book from

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ last week which is going to really help me choose the correct decor. I would really recommend the books in this range- they are small enough to put in your handbag but very imformative and have loads of photos of all the rooms in an Edwardian house, including the exterior.



Until next time!

Jess

And so the fun begins!

Well here it is, all unpacked and ready to get started. There is actually not quite as much wood as I thought which is somewhat comforting! My DIY skills are really terrible. I even had to meet with my head teacher, head of year and form tutor to make a case to drop technology as a GCSE. Needless to say, they agreed.





I am particularly impressed with the windows that I got with the kit. They open and close and I love anything with attention to detail.



Speaking of attention to detail, have a look at the doors that were supplied with the kit! They are brilliant...




Finally, I have something that will make you chuckle. Without sounding like a broken record... my DIY skills blah blah blah...check out the instructions (the only instructions...)




Oh dear. Well, here goes...



JP

Welcome to the Curiosity Shop

Hello! Welcome to my blog! This will chart my progress of building, decorating and furnishing this lovely little dolls house store and living quarters. I must admit now, DIY has never been my strong point and I usually rely on my grandad to do it all for me, but this time I am determined to give it my best shot! The photos you can see show the completed house although today the house is in bits on my bedroom floor, ready to assemble. I am looking forward to the challenge and hope you will stop by every now and again to see my progress.

JP