Posts

My miniatures make the national press!

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A month ago my lovely friend Sian, who happens to be the deputy news editor at Metro.co.uk, asked if I'd like to be put forward for a series on collections that would be featured in their lifestyle section. Ten years ago my pub (the Rachel's Return) was featured in our local paper but I'd never had any national coverage. I have to admit, I didn't for one minute think it would mean a photographer would be sent round but that's what happened - and the result was lots of pictures of me looking awkward next to my house and room boxes… One of the best things about the whole situation was that I suddenly had a very definite deadline. My beach hut had been half finished for a while but I spent a very happy evening finishing it off, and then adding all the bits and pieces I’ve been collecting over the last couple of years. I also found some miniatures that had been missing since we moved house four years ago, which was a huge relief. The journalist I spoke to was absol

A beautiful beach hut

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It’s taken a couple of years, but I’m over the moon with how my latest project has turned out. During the pandemic, I was seconded to a communications team within the NHS for 17 months. Obviously you get to know people well during such a lengthy, not to mention intense, time but I was still really surprised – and absolutely delighted – when part of my leaving gift was a 1:12 kit for a beach hut, as well as some lovely bits and pieces to go inside from Shepherd Miniatures .  Just before I left, the team headed to a beach hut to celebrate the NHS’s birthday so it had a special meaning. I immediately decided I would be painting it in ‘NHS blue’ but it’s taken a while to complete it. My first attempt at decorating and overall, I love it. As usual, my dad was very efficient and built the kit for me almost immediately but I was nervous about the painting so put it off for a while. That’s not to say I wasn’t scouring every exhibition and website for things to go inside in the meantime.

Modern miniatures make me happy

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I love modern miniatures - and that’s not something I ever thought I’d say. When I first started collecting more than 30 years ago, all the modern miniatures you could buy looked very unrealistic. They were plastic, tacky and made me think it was an era I’d never collect. Fast forward around 25 years and things started to change. Even mass-produced pieces have improved but the advent of 3D printing has meant miniatures have become far more realistic. Once I realised how beautifully made a lot of the pieces are and the huge range of things you can now buy, I knew I was going to need to somewhere to put them. I had my eye on Dolls House Emporium’s Lake View  or the Malibu Beach House  but neither is cheap. I set up searches on Facebook Marketplace and eventually a brand new, unopened Malibu Beach House kit popped up just 45 minutes away. I’m not sure my dad shared my excitement, but he did very kindly agree to build it for me. I’m still deciding on the internal decoration (and in

A miniature Alice!

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Alice – our Havanese dog – is the centre of our world. She’s full of love, fun and has a huge personality so of course it makes sense to have a miniature version of her. She’s a tiny dog (which we only realise when she’s with other breeds) but not twelfth scale – yet. I’m lucky I married someone who ‘gets’ my love of miniatures. Tim got a replica made of Alice which is one of the best birthday presents I’ve ever received. Finding a little bowl  (thanks, once again, to Shepherd Miniatures) at Miniatura  for her was just the icing on the cake.  Eventually she’ll live in comfort in my modern house but for now, she’s just guarding the doorway during the renovation works.

RK’s diner - my 50s miniature masterpiece

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I love the 50s – from the furniture to the fashion – so I think my diner might be my favourite room box (at least for the moment). My 50s style 1:12 scale diner - built from scratch by my dad. The inside of the diner - still lots of space to fill. I’d been looking around for a kit for a long time but couldn’t find anything I liked, so my dad came to the rescue and designed RK’s diner from scratch, including the amazing electrics. I absolutely love turning the main lights off, switching on each individual element and watching it come to life.  The juke box is actually a toy I found on eBay but it was the right scale and I think it fits perfectly. The ‘clock face’ is a watch that my dad added LED lighting to, while the sign in the window is actually meant for model railways. The buttons are labelled so each element of the lighting can be controlled individually.  The doors are another favourite element, something he spent a long time over but I think it was worth it to get the meta

A room full of memories

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This weekend my mum celebrated her 70th birthday and as it was a special occasion, I'd decided on a special present. We're very lucky to share our love of miniatures and I thought it would be nice to give her a room box that reminded her of all the things she loves. So without further ado, here's the completed room. The accessories won't mean much to other people but most of the items in the room mean something to us. The completed room box The photo above was taken in the middle of the day so the lights aren't having much of an effect but in the shot below you can see they do really light up the room. A homely feel with the lights on When I started this project I had the idea that I would do all the work and that would make it more special. Then I realised that actually it wouldn't be much of a present if the walls fell down and there were bubbles in the wallpaper so after buying a kit and the necessary items to decorate, I handed it all over to