Christmas Village Time

We did a scaled down version of the village this year with just a handfull of buildings.

Visit the village in previous posts here

Part I can be found here: 

How to set up a Christmas Village Part I

Part II can be found here: 

How to set up a Christmas Village Part II

There are some pictures of previous years village at:

http://tulsatinystuff.blogspot.com/2010/01/christmas-village-2009.html

The Christmas Village shares our upstairs room with our Christmas Tree this year overlooking our street.  

Recent Acquisitions

 I have not posted in a while, but that doesn't mean that I have not been adding to my collection.  We still have our house on the market and a lot of it packed up and in storage which has really put a damper on our lifestyle.

 These very detailed musical interments are actually Christmas ornaments that I picked up at a local music shop.  A banjo, an acoustical guitar, a french horn and a trombone.

 They are part of the items I have collected over the years for a well stocked music room or perhaps a music shop.

 I came across these antique bundt or mold pans at an estate sale.

 The Strombecker walnut fireplace was a recent ebay purchase.  

 It was one of the pieces I have been watching for.  The rest of my 1" Strombecker walnut collection can be seen by clicking here.

Strombecker-walnut-1inch-scale

Strombecker-1-inch-collection

My 3/4" Strombecker collection can be seen here:

3/4" Strombecker collection 

 My wife and kids got me this Tynietoy wing back chair for my birthday.

The rest of my Tynietoy collection can be seen by clicking here.
Tynietoy

 I was tipped off by a fellow blogger about these Lynnfield chairs on ebay.  They date from the 1950's and will look even better once I select a fabric for the seats.

This dressing table chair was part of the Lynnfield lot on ebay. The pewter plates and small chest with working drawers were discovered on a lunch break estate sale 

Antique Butcher Shop & Mercantile

I happened upon these great room boxes this weekend with my daughter - I agreed to accompany her to get some new ballet shoes and she agreed to accompany me to an estate sale.

The owner said that she picked them up when Antiques Roadshow was in town a few years ago.  An older lady brought them in for appraisal.  The set appraised for $1,800 and they discussed fees associated with trying to auction them off.  The couple behind her offered to buy them for $800 apiece so she sold them there.  According to the estate Another couple purchased the set today and plans to display them in their Victorian Style home in Beggs Oklahoma.  They were kind enough to let me snap some photos with my phone.  The green facade building is a butcher shop.

The back wall has a full array of poultry, meets and fish - and all of the tools you would need to cut and wrap and sell them to customers.

The window on the left hand side has a couple of boxes of fresh fish on ice.  The faux marble painted and gilding on the pilasters are pretty impressive with it's crackled, aged patina  finish.

The mercantile front is shown in this photo.  It included ice blocks out front and a horse and wagon around the corner.

Drawers and shelves lined the back wall.   The large coffee grinder sat on the floor.

I was impressed with all of the brands of box and canned goods and with the labels on the drawers.

An old fan, bottles, and steins sit on top of the cabinets, while baskets of fruits and vegetables sit on the floor.

The window on the right has baskets of fruits and vegetables and I couldn't tell what was under the glass dome.  The prices might help date the piece, unless they have been changed over the years.

The front window on the left had baked goods, breads, rolls,and buns.

There was a side window on the right which had a variety of items, a pipe, cigars, baskets of fruit and cheese under a glass dome.  

The delivery wagon has two horses that were actually covered in real animal hair.  The saleslady shared that the two boxes were part of a window display in New York City that came up for sale.  The family that bought the piece allowed their daughter to play with it on Sundays!  The detail and craftsmanship is exquisite.  My phone camera doesn't really do the pieces justice.

Recent Acquisitions

Not much work on miniatures last week but I did pick up a few items.  I came across The Doll House Book at a local used book store for $1.25 this last weekend.  It was a good read and very informative.  I love how the author had the book made in the shape of a house.  It will go great with my other books on miniatures:  click here 

  These are  the items have picked up over the last few weeks on my lunch break.

I came across the small brass and glass box at an estate sale.  I am not sure what to do with it yet, but I thought it seemed pretty neat.  The maple rocker and small tricycle were at another estate sale with a bunch of Christmas ornaments and the collection of small pottery was at a local antique mall. I like the chamber pot that says "gents" or is it a spittoon?  The blue and multi-color glaze on the pitcher second from the right, has a great arts and crafts/art deco look.  The green earthy pitcher will probably end up in my cabin.

Strombecker Walnut Pieces

The Strombecker company Started producing 3/4" scale furniture in 1931.  In 1936 they started producing 1" scale furniture and in 1938 they introduced a new more expensive line of 1" walnut furniture.  I have collections of all 3 of these.

These are the pieces I have from the more expensive line of furniture.

I have had one of these chairs for a couple of years, but I was recently to find another side chair and an arm chair on eBay.  The seat is upholstered in textured leather.

The dining room side board features burled walnut panels in the working doors.  It also has two working drawings and was another recent eBay find.

I have had the table  and the original box for a while, but my dining room set is getting closer to becoming complete!

The table from the more expensive line, slides open to expand and accept a leaf.

I also have two round tilt-top tables and the "Governor Winthrop" secretary.

The grand piano is part of the collection too and can be seen by clicking here.

Strombecker-walnut-1inch-scale

Strombecker-1-inch-collection

My 3/4" Strombecker collection can be seen here:

3/4" Strombecker collection


My 1" scale walnut Strombecker furniture currently resides in this Colonial Dollhouse by Rich.  The house dates from the early 1940's.  It is one of my projects that is "in-progress"  More on it later, but here is a sneak peak.

Celebrating 100 Posts !

WOW - It is hard to believe that I am celebrating my 100th blog post.  I noticed that I had reached 99 earlier this week and realized that 100 posts is quite a milestone!  To be honest, I really didn't know what to expect when I started blogging back in January of 2010.  At first I just wanted a website or a way to share my miniature collection and projects, but along the way, I feel like I have made so many friends and learned so much.

  

I want to say THANK YOU to all of my followers and those who have helped make a difference with your emails and words of encouragement and inspirational projects over the past 975 days or 2 years and 8 months ( there is an app for that! )

One of the things that has really surprised me are the posts that people find the most interesting.  As you can see over to the right, My trip to the Oak Alley Plantation is currently the most popular post, followed by the apartment project, and the Playmobil House - who would have 'thunk'?  Those are certainly not the ones I would choose!

Of all the projects that I love the most - Carolyn's Place is in my top favorites.  This is the house that I built with my daughter - she selected all of the finishes and we spent hours working together over a few years.  

Collecting seems to where I have the most time lately.   If you have not seen some my collections, please click a link below and leave a comment: 

Tynietoy 

 Kilgore

Strombecker 1" Walnut 

Strombecker 1" Painted 

Tootsietoy 

Kage 

Hall's Lifetime  

Goebel Stuart Library  

Arcade Cast Iron 

Donna Lee  

Arcade Laundry Room 

The other thing that this milestone has brought to my attention is how many unfinished projects I have!   I enjoy spending what little free time I have, working on several projects at once, multi-tasking, mulling ideas over in my mind before committing to something.   Even when a project is "finished" - it seems there is always something I could do to make it better.   I do find it exhilarating, being able to escape to my log cabin project or jump back to simpler times and previous decades with miniatures using some of my collections or antique houses.

I also find it fascinating how all of us miniature enthusiasts around the world, can not only get lost in our own projects, but find joy and inspiration ( and maybe a tinge of envy?) in each others work!  Again, THANK YOU to all of my followers and I appreciate your friendship, comments and emails.  I look forward to several hundred more posts, new projects, finishing old projects, and making new friends along the way - Troy

I would love to hear from you - my email is tulsatinystuff@gmail.com

Recent Aquisitions

While I have not had much time for actually working on miniatures, I do still have my lunch hour during the week to find estate sales and garage sales.  I have picked up a few odds and ends over the past few weeks Including a bag of 3/4 scale odds and ends, a vintage marble top Ice Cream parlor type table and chairs, a pair of hand painted porcelain plate (earrings!) and a great 1" scale dresser.
 

I will salvage a few pieces from the bag of Strombecker pieces and see what I need to complete my collection.  I keep it in my Playtown Cardboard house which can be found Click Here.   The nightstand is new to me.  

I also have a collection of 3/4" stained wood furniture.  Click Here   The rest will probably end up on eBay!

This bow front dresser was a great find, it appears to be hand made.  I do not think it is a kit, because the wood is a lot heavier, but I could be wrong.  Any help identifying it would be appreciated.

Dollhouse Display

I came across this antique dresser today at a garage sale.  I am not sure of the age or even the style - any help would be appreciated.  It is very sturdy and seemed to me just the right height to display one of my houses.  As I was inquiring about buying it, another patron asked me if I was going to use it for T.V. stand.  I smiled and said, "No I am going to use it to display a dollhouse"  She said "How wonderful"

It measures four feet long, two feet deep and about 26 inches tall.  It came with two large carved scrolls that support a large four foot square frame for a mirror and also the disassembled pieces of frame.  Two of the drawers have brass locks but no keys.  The entire piece is oak and oak veneers.  

I am not sure which project to display on it.  My initial thought was the  Crescent Moon Cottage , but then I was leaning towards my log  Cozy Cabin Project .

It might be fun to build this piece in miniature too?  

1/2" Scale Victorian

The very last thing I need right now is another project, but I came across this 1/2" scale Victorian house the other day at an antique mall and like Ado Annie in the musical Oklahoma, I couldn't say no.  They were practically giving it away.  I asked if the price tag was correct. 

 The colors are a little bold for me.  The first order of business will be to tone down the red roof and probably select a more suitable color palette for the exterior instead of the stark white.  I think I can turn this into a true Victorian Painted Lady!

 The interior is pretty much a clean slate.  The previous owner had started wiring it with copper tape.  I had seen 1/2" scale projects here and there but had not really paid much attention to them.  I had no idea there were so many components for this scale on the market.

 The package came with so many little things - doors, door hardware, wood flooring, wallpaper, and a stair kit with railings.

 It also has interior walls that can be placed and a wiring kit.  There were also a few furniture kits tucked inside.

The other pieces that caught my eye in the bag of goodies that came with this, are some pretty great fireplaces, a canopy crib, and a Bespaq plant stand and an ornate carved piece of wood - possibly a cornice piece for window coverings or over a door.  I had never really thought about tackling a 1/2" scale project, other than my antique pieces.  Maybe I can use it for my Tootsie Toy collection?  

Getty Museum - oui!

 I have not had a chance to work on miniatures in quite a while, but I have been able to get in a little "research" while on the road.  My wife and kids and I, just finished a multi-state road trip before the start of school last week.  My wife and I were able to visit the Getty museum just outside of Los Angeles.  It was truly amazing and it was free!

This French room dates from the mid 1700's and was taken apart, numbered and installed in the French wing.  The floors, wall panels, and ceiling were beautiful - and yes, so was the chandelier and the period furniture.

 This French room had a chandelier that dates from the early 1800's.  The inspiration for the light was a hot air balloon and the crystal bowl on the lower section was designed to hold live gold fish!

 My wife and I joked about which bed we should buy for our home back in Oklahoma.  This pink room also had some great asymmetrical wall sconces dating from the mid 1700's.

 We settled on the blue bedroom set from the 1780's.  Complete with ostrich plumes.  It reminded me a bit of the Queen's bedroom in the Queen Mary's Dollhouse.  I also liked the woodwork that housed the curtains in the room.  They let the furniture take center stage.

For those of you who are not familiar with the museum, I found this photo online.  It is a great piece of modern architecture atop a hill, overlooking Hollywood and Los Angeles.  Visitors park below ground in a parking structure and take a tram ride up the hill to the museum complex.  Each building houses different periods of art.

 This was me next to a piece of modern art with the main courtyard in the background.

There was a model of the museum for the blind there.  It was pretty impressive.  It was constructed of sturdy metal so that one could feel the architecture of the museum and get a little taste of what they may not be able to see.  If you look close you can see braille on the buildings.