Grapes Anyone? Ooh and a finished fireplace!

Hello there!!

Yesterday I decided to clear out the greenhouse. I haven't been in that greenhouse for ages and when I got in, it was like Jumanji! I had to fight my way through grape vines and tomato plants with small kitchen scissors! Hard work I must say. Then I found the big scissor like things (I forget the proper name) and the job was much more pleasing after that. This was the result:

Yum, yum, yum! 

So.... anyone remember the shop shelves I attempted building a while back? The ones that broke - as everyone predicted they would do? Well if not, here's a photo of the wreckage

And here's what the wreckage became:

The fireplace frame is in the first picture and it didn't get finished until I managed to mess up the shelving. I'm really pleased with the results. The frame needs a bit of touching up with the stainer, but it's fine for now. The brick work is actually a printie I had stashed somewhere and so are the tiles on the bottom. The fireplace basket was bought at the fair in August; as were the lamps and the mantel clock. I got the smoked effect on the brick work by simply rubbing on some black eyeshadow, I think it worked out quite nicely!

Now I would just like to say, thank you and welcome to all my new followers and my existing followers for your lovely comments and for reading my blog! I can honestly say that I keep up with your blogs and read them everyday, and it is because I do that, that I often find myself out of time to post anything! I find all your posts utterly fascinating and love all the items you create and wish all the time that I had your skills!

Big hugs

ShellbyFay

Look what I found today!!

So there I was, lugging around 10+ bags from various clothes shops through Oldrids hoping to find something sweet for my mum's birthday - which is next week and I still haven't found her anything EEEK!

I looked at all the C*******s decorations in disgust. It's far, far too early for those sorts of things! We haven't had Halloween or Bonfire Night yet (which are my milestones before I even begin to think of the 'C' word let alone pronounce the full word.)
So I walked past, shaking my head feeling like C*******s is losing the excitment and true meaning when I plowed into one of the circle stands, nearly knocking the entire thing over!!

My disgust soon changed when I realised what was on the stand! So lets forget the rant above - this has got to be an exception:::

Isn't it gorgeous?!

It's actually supposed to be an ornament for your real sized house, and you can buy stockings to hang on the 4 hooks with names on them and in different colours. I've decided to buy my family first and then I'll get the stockings.

As soon as I saw it I had to have it. It's the perfect size for my dolls house living room. It's about 3 ¼ " high and just under 4 ½ " wide.

There wasn't just this one either, there was another 2 or 3 different fireplaces, but this one suits my house best I think. I might be going back to Oldrids on Monday to get the others for future projects.

I apologise for the lighting and the quality of the photo, the colours are actually much brighter and the details are superb. I'm loving the carrot and the cat, (who I've named Tibs!)

I thought I'd share this find with you all, because this is something you do not want to miss! All the fireplaces are truly adorable and a warm cozy fireplace is perfect for those wintery nights!

This one cost me £4.99. I think the stockings are £2.99 each - bargain!

Happy mini-ing

Big Hugs

ShellbyFay



Extremely long over-due post! Giveaway recieved!!

Okay so first of all I have a huge apology to make to Rachel at Miniaturemaids Blog (sorry I tried linking but it wouldnt work for some reason.)  because I have not posted this up straight away. I won first prize of Rachel's giveaway a couple of weeks or so ago, and I recieved the parcel on Tuesday. I rushed my socks off to get the parcle open as I was so excited.

When I finally got it open (you sealed it well Rachel!) I couldn't stop jumping up and down like a little girl at all the adorable items.
Here's a photo:

Apologies for my awful photo skills, the lightening wasn't very good either which didn't help.

My mom asked me which was my favourite item, and I could not tell her. I love all the items massively and I cannot wait to get them put into my house.

I was hoping to have the bedrooms finished, which is where all of these items will go, and then I could photograph them in place, but sadly I haven't managed that yet. Boooo!

Rachel, thank you so much for this wonderful prize. I love them to pieces and I have kept the card too, so hopefully one day, when I am skilled enough to make something as equally wonderful as you, I can send you something back to show my thanks! 

Now another apology, gosh I am such a bad person, I have a lot of welcome's to do, but I haven't the time right now - I am actually supposed to be studying for college but this post could not wait any longer. So I will post the welcomes soon along with the progress on my house. 

Big hugs!

ShellbyFay 

My Future Project List & a question for you all...

Good afternoon everyone! I hope you are all having a good day.

So this morning I was having a good old nosey at all the blog's that I follow. I usually scroll through quickly looking for bits of inspiration or to see if there is any progress that I've missed on someone's project I've been watching. When today I came across Wanda's blog ( So Mini Projects ) And I was reading about her final garden swap, admiring the flowers she'd made and wishing I could learn how to make them, when I discovered her "Dream Project List" on the left hand side. Well this was at about 8.30am this morning and just 10 miniutes after reading through her list my mom called me to take the family into town to buy my younger brothers and sister their school shoes. So I found myself driving there, and then sitting in this car park, in my car, all alone...

I was bored. Terribly bored! Town was dead, no one around to people watch - I love that, people watching, you can tell so much about someone just by watching them walk past your car. So my mind wandered to miniatures, as it always does. And I thought back to Wanda's blog and her dream project list. And started to think about all the projects I would love to do.

I started thinking them up in my head and started to worry that I'd forget one or two so maybe I should write a list when I got home. But then, knowing me, I would lose the list and then I would forget most, if not all, of the projects. I know, if it's a project I really want to do I wouldn't forget it, but I like to jot down my instant ideas, as they are always my best ones.
Then I thought, "No, I'll do as Wanda did, I'll put it on my blog. So in months, years... maybe even decades to come, I can go back and find the list in my achive and I can make my way through it."

Now, maybe one day, if the lists grows much bigger, I'll make a list on the side of my blog as Wanda has done, but I'll leave it here in this post for now.

My Future Project List

• 
  
  A scene from the film Dirty Dancing. Dirty Dancing is my all time number one favourite film. I went to see it in a theatre in London a year or two ago with my grandparents as a birthday present. It was amazing. The performance was exactly how I imagined it. I bought a teddy dressed in a leather outfit and sunglasses, which still sits on my bed. I would love to do a scene from this film, any scene will do. I may even do a couple, but something small to work on first would be great.
• 
  
  A florist shop. I never really had much of a desire to do a florist's, until I saw Kim’s blog and her lovely flower shop, I thought I would enjoy perhaps doing just a small shop or maybe a room box for this project.
• 
  
  Bakery/Cafe/Tea room. Of course, this should've been first on the list as this is already my second project in line after the General Store/Post office and family home. I have always wanted to do a bakery, right from the very start so this one I am seriously eager to get going on.
• 
  
  Green Grocers. I'd love to do this as a single shop. I have a fascination with miniature food and the mucky potatoes in crates is one of my favourite green grocer items.
• 
  
  B&B. You don't see many dolls house B&B's, and it's a project I would really enjoy doing. I haven't found the perfect house yet, but I plan on book marking it when I do!
• 
  
  Farm Cottage, inc. stables OR Pub. I live in a country cottage and have horses myself, but I love April Cottage on the The Dolls House Emporium website. So I would like to do this as either a country cottage with a stable, or a pub. I'll decide when, and if, I ever get the chance to own this dolls house.
• 
  
  My House. Yes, that's right. I would love to have my real house made into 12th scale. I already have a small scrap book where I am collecting images and websites that sell items that look very similar to what we have in our home already, so I can get straight to it when the time comes. Here's a photo of my house:

So I'll leave you all with a question:

Does anyone know where I can have my house built in 12th scale???????

It's a very old cottage so the ceilings are low, then high, and then low again - I'm not kidding if you are 6 foot you have no chance in this house!!

So being useless at woodwork, not having all of the fancy equipment and tools, I am in search of someone who could build my dolls house to perfect scale and pretty cheaply - oh and they need to be in the UK! 

I am in no major rush, so I'll post this again some time in the future when I have the time and space to take on such a project.

So there you have it, my future project list. It's not a massive list, in my opinion. It's something that can keep me going for years to come. But who knows, this list can be added to very easily. :)

Bye for now!

Shellby x

Hello everyone, been a long time!

First of all, I am going to get on with all these followers that I have sadly not had time to welcome. But before I do, I would just like to say that I have (and always do!) look at your blog(s) and find them all very interesting and inspiring. Unfortunately today, I have a whole list of miniature projects to do so for most of these links I have not left a description - but that does not mean that I don't find your blog interesting..

So lets cut to the chase and give a big welcome to!:

Julie
Marions Miniatures first blog, where you will find links to her other blogs. I urge you to check them out, they are all lovely!
My Reality
Otterine
Karin doesn’t seem to have a blog, Karin if you do – please leave a link below and I will post it up
Marivigano
Lara
Minnie Kitchen
Monique
Lainie’s Little Things
Rosella - I love the music that plays when you visit this blog!!
Wanda
JessicaPooh

I hope you all enjoy reading my blog :)

So to explain my absence... um... I'm sorry there is no major explanation. But I have been extremely busy. If you've read that little description.. juuuuust - there>>>>>
you'll know that I am a student and we students who live here in the UK are going back to college next week, well I am anyway. So I have been busy preparing for that.. fun aye?

But in between that I have been doing a few bits and bobs, including some miniature stair painting and building, some miniature cake and sweetie making and cutting up bits of wood to make skirting for the houses - don't worry there will be pictures of progress shortly! And on my to-do list today, I have to finish the skirting and finish the fireplace... wish me luck - it's wood, I'm not good with wood. Haha.

Oh yeh - and before I forget the last reason that I have not been here blogging away - is because I have bought my first car :) It's a little metallic black Fiesta and I have been driving here, there and everywhere these past few days! Now just to pass my test and then those 'L' plates can come off! Whoop!