Displaying Miniatures

This is a cabinet that I purchased at a consignment furniture store about 5 years ago.  It has kind of an Asian feel with black lacquer and gold trim.  It has a light in the bottom under the frosted glass shelf.  The cabinet resides in the corner of our family dining room.  At first I used to display my Tynietoy collection in it.  Then when I found a home for my Tynietoys, I decided to displayed all of my dining room sets that didn't have "homes" yet.

 More recently, I started keeping my Stuart Library collection and a few other library pieces pieces on the lower shelf.  I will probably end up using these pieces in my Victorian house.  My Stuart pieces can be seen here:  http://tulsatinystuff.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-stuart-library-collection.html

The other side of the lower shelf also houses a few pieces that I will probably end up using in my Victorian House.  The light colored table and chairs, and cabinet for sure.  I picked up the light metal Victrola at an estate sale in Tulsa.  It says Spain on the bottom. I have my two Petite Princess floor lamps here for now.

 The upper shelf has a few miscellaneous pieces that I got in a box of items from an auction in England.  The red colored stain set has some chairs that I imagine in my dining room in my Victorian House.  I need to find a table and some other furniture that goes with them.  Any help would be appreciated!

I purchased the dining table on the left at a garage sale. They are all marked "Classics"  It is very nice and delicate and appears to be walnut.  I may end up selling it, its not really my "style"  I purchased the writing desk and tall wardrobe on eBay a few years ago.  I found the tall display case with the curved legs at a "State Day" event in Oklahoma City.  I like to imagine some expensive jewelry or find art in there once I find a home for it.  I have had the large tilt-top table in my collection for about 20 years.  I found it at a store called Zimms in Salt Lake City Utah.  The two glass covered cake dishes were from another auction in England.  I am waiting for something special to use them for.

I like the cabinet in the dining room.  Although it looks like a used furniture showroom inside, it is a good conversation piece and is one of the areas outside my miniature room where I display pieces. 

Lundby

Lundby 3/4" scale furniture was manufactured in Sweden during the 1970's and 1980's.The pieces are manufactured from hard wood.

I have had these pieces for a couple of years now, just sitting in a clear plastic box staring at me.  I have watched Lundby furniture and houses on eBay.  There seems to be quite a following.  

The couch and two chairs are part of the living room set, while the corner hutch is actually part of the dining room set.  I do not know the manufacturer of the table and chest of drawers, but it seems to be the correct scale.  

I said goodbye to these pieces and sold them on eBay this week.   My hope is that the person in California who won the auction will be able to have fun with them!

Happy Valentines Day On The Set !

 A Very Happy Valentines Day to my fellow bloggers !

I recently came across this book "ON THE SET" and its sequel "ON THE SET Take Two"

This book talks to me on a few different levels.  It is great to come across a fellow miniature enthusiast, and it is also great to see re-creations of the scenes I grew up watching on t.v.

ON THE SET Book Cover

ON THE SET TAKE TWO & Charles Brogdon

 

Charles Brogdon enjoys creating miniature t.v. studio sets.  In his first book, he has created miniature t.v. sets from:

Family Feud,  I Love Lucy,  Good Times,  The Love Boat,  Happy Days,  Seinfeld,  Mama's Family,  Empty Nest,  The Golden Girls,  The Young and the Restless,  Married... with Children,  Designing Women,  The Facts of Life,  The Brady Bunch,  Roseanne,  Three's Company,  The Price is Right,  Pyramid,  Alice,  Murphy Brown,  Cheers,  Laverne and Shirley,  &; Family Ties

In his second book he has re-created scenes from:

Charlie's Angels,  Friends,  Wings,  Keeping Up Appearances,  Family,   The Partridge Family,  Bewitched,  Pee Wee's Playhouse,  The French Chef with Julia Child,  BBC News
Fox New,  & The Facts of Life Down Under


There are quite a few photographs of his work and from the books at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24682838@N05/

And The Winner Is.......

This is my give-away for reaching 100 followers!

Here is the list of everyone who expressed an interest in being in my give away.

So this is what I came up with.  This a Frank Lloyd Wright cast iron magazine rack that I have in my home.   A cherished gift from my sister-in-law many years ago while I was in architecture school.

 You may find a magazine or two that you recognize in it?

It is pretty ingenious, three interlocking pieces that slide together to make a sturdy rack.

And this is a miniature 1" = 1'-0" wood version that I designed.  It is inspired by the Frank Lloyd Wright one.  I drew it in AutoCAD and had it cut out with a laser. 

Susan, send me an email to tulsatinystuff@gmail.com  Include your mailing address and I will send you a magazine rack for one of your miniature projects. 

I am in the process of making some miniature scale magazines to put in it.   I grabbed some images online, and brought them into Adobe Photoshop and reduced them down to size.  Hopefully I have not broken too many 'copywright' laws. (Punn intended!)

Congratulations and thank you to all my mini blog friends for your kind words and support.

Everyone - back to work!

Recent Acquisitions

I have wanted an Arcade cast iron couch and chair since I started collecting.  I love the Art Deco influence and the curves of the arms.  It is fun for me to think about some small child playing with these back in the roaring 20's.  Out of frustration and after losing another an eBay auction bid on a couch, I started poking around online.  My basic search turned up the usual sites that I browse, so I decided to do an image search.

The image search brought up this living room trio for sale in a garden store in Illinois.  I could not believe my eyes.  I emailed the owner and made an offer.  He responded back with a counter offer.  

The heavy cast iron pieces are in pretty good shape for being  nearly 90 years old.

 Notice the trade-mark Arcade label on the side.  I will probably match the pink paint and touch them up a little.

 The front of both the chairs and the couch have burgundy colored accents

The chairs each have a removable cushion and the couch has 3 removable cushions.  The cushions have a textured surface and each piece is marked with the part number.

 These pieces are rare and don't come up for sale very often.  

When they do, they are usually missing the cushions or have a broken foot or leg.

The rest of my Arcade Cast Iron Furniture can be seen here:  http://tulsatinystuff.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-arcade-collection.html


You might also be interested in a an old childrens book I have that features this furniture!
http://tulsatinystuff.blogspot.com/2010/01/arcadians.html

100 Followers

 It is hard to believe that I have nearly 100 followers on my blog!

I would like to thank each of you for all of your comments, generosity and insight into the wonderful world of miniatures.

I was reminded of the time my daughter and had to make 100 fireplaces for our local miniature club state day event.   (We also made 100 birthday cakes and helped out on numerous other projects.)


 In honor of reaching this mark, I am going to have a giveaway.  As soon as I reach 100 followers, I will put each of your names into a 'hat' and select a winner!  I am at 97 as of today.


Please leave a comment and let me know if you are interested.

Cozy Cabin Kitchen Sink

I decided to do something non-architectural and mix things up a little.  I spent some time working on a skirt for the kitchen sink in my cabin.  I toyed with the idea of gathering the material all around the sink, but it got kind of bulky and this kitchen is so small,so I ended up with flat panels.

My initial thought was to use red gingham fabric because it goes very well with the floor.  But then I found this black ribbon that I liked and I was already planning on using the red gingham fabric in the living room anyway.  Or should I use leather in the living room?  (These photos looked a lot lighter last night when I took them)

I lined the back side of the skirt with the red and you see it peeking through.  I thought up the small peek-a-boo slot. I want to find a little button to attach- any ideas? I envisioned being able to see something under the sink, maybe a basket, or bottles, or a mouse? I am thinking of using the same black and white gingham fabric for the window treatment in the kitchen - probably a valance and some cafe type curtains?  Your input would be much appreciated.