Thursday 16 April 2009

In the beginning....


Inspired by Cary, who recently posted some photos of his first venture into miniatures, I thought I'd do the same....don't laugh too hard you hear !

This was my very first attempt. And, although rather crude, I do actually still really like it.




It was fashioned after the bottom of my Nans garden...where the fairies lived don't you know. It must have been true because, even though I never saw one, she'd tell me the stories of what they'd been up to every night :-)

I went kinda mushroom making crazy after this and a lot of my early work had a mushroom or two tucked away somewhere. I even did some with faces Nikki !

I should dig them out...I have a box of them somewhere...no doubt I'll be horrified at how bad they are lol.

When I first started I used artificial flowers. I'd buy big bunches from the craft store and would only be able to use the tiniest parts of them. I actually sold a lot on eBay....now that I look back I cringe when I think that someone has these primitive arrangements but people bought them...I sold everything I made.

Here are some of the very first things I made and sold.




This little house was made for an competition run by a miniatures group I used to belong to....I think the theme was acorns...hence the roof. It was sold on ebay to a lady I know in Scotland. I actually wish I'd kept this. It was only about 3" tall and I had loads of fun making it.

Acorn Cottage



This flower display was my very first attempt at making my own flowers from paper. It was a reproduction of a wedding flower display made for the same lady in Scotland, who was recreating her daughters wedding at Gretna Green in miniature.







I was unable to buy the flowers the same so figured I'd have to make them myself. The real display is in the top left (not that you couldn't tell ) and that was about the size of the photo I had to work from so a lot of it was guess work.

I should perhaps make another like this...it was quite fun.

So, as I mentioned in my last post...you can see just how far I have come in my flower making. Back in the beginning I had no idea I'd end up making foxgloves, geraniums or Bird of Paradise.....which is a rather exciting thought....one day perhaps I'll look at what I am doing now and think how basic it was....who knows where I'll eventually end up.....I certainly don't :-)

Hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane.



12 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed your trip down memory lane, thank you! How wonderful to have a Nan who believed in fairies! The first flowers I made were with a bread and glue mix, they quickly crumbled into dust. Guess I didn't use enough glue.

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  2. Acorn Cottage was pure delight and trust me if I tell you that YOUR flower arragement was much better than the real one. Have a nice weekend.

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  3. Oh my goodness, of course I couldn't tell!
    Oh and you should have kept that acorn house! How anyone can part with something so pretty I will never know ! :D

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  4. As the proud owner of both Acorn Cottage and the flower arrangement I have to agree on both counts. The flower arrangement is actually even better in real life than in the photographs and the cottage is commented on almost daily.

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  5. I also got a load of dead plants which are almost better than the live ones.

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  6. Well hello my friend from Scotland...were your ears burning with me talking about you :-)

    Thanks so much for posting a comment. I had forgotten you had dead plants as well.

    Sans...I have never kept anything I have made. I know Acorn cottage went to a good home and it now lives in a B & B so lots of people get to enjoy it. Here it would be stuck in a box somewhere.

    Thanks Rosanna...hope you are feeling a little better now.

    Jean, my Nan was wonderful...full of stories and tall tales. My Granddad was as well but his tales were more swashbuckling and adventurous. How gullible children are.

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  7. I love the little Acorn Cottage and so glad that it went to a good home.
    The Foxgloves are growing away here Jayne, so I'll get some more photographs for you for your reference Library.

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  8. Thanks Debbie.....I can never have too many pictures :-)

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  9. Hi Jayne, are you from Birmingham? I spent two weeks there in far far 1983! at my penpal's home which was in Halesowen, a little borough close to Birmingham. We travelled extensively during the whole period. I've been to Stratford and Warwick Castle as well as Coventry, Worcester and many other places whose names I forgot. I've only been there once after it but memories are still so strong. I loved going at strawberries and raspberries picking and dining in little pubs.
    I really wish Matteo to see the same things and smell the same atmosphere. I love my country and Genoa foremost but the second place where I could live is UK. And I'm not saying that because you're British ;o))
    Have a nice weekend

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  10. Hi Rosanna

    I am from Birmingham. I lived there all my life until I moved here. We were not very far from Halesowen at all and used to go out there often.

    It sounds like you got to see some of the best sights in the area which is wonderful. So many people only visit London which is a shame as there is so much more to see.

    I do love the UK and although I am settled here now, and will undoubtedly move around the world some more, one day perhaps I'll move back.

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  11. Jayne, How wonderful that pic is of your first mini. I'm not sure there are any pics of my first mini's - even though my first home made dollhouse with every stick of furniture made from matchboxes won first prize at the Brownies competition. We shifted house every couple of years and a lot of our toys were never seen again!
    Mercedes

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  12. Perhaps I should clarify that was my first mini as an adult lol.

    Although I did the matchbox thing too.

    The very first thing I do remember doing was little Gardens of Eden with my Nan...we'd have a tin tray, fill with dirt and plant real tiny flowers.

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Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment :-)