New purchases and withdrawal symptoms

Before rattling on about my new treasures just want to say that I've re-written Ellen's narrative in the Pages section (tabs under the title area). 

I have also added another Page for a Timeline.  I keep finding bits and bobs of information that interest me and want to note somewhere and this is as good a place as any.  So on to the 'stuff'....

These are my best bargain buys over here so far.  They are in scale and came from  Michaels which is a huge hobby store like we now have in the UK.  They cost all of a dollar each.  My intention is to take them back home at Christmas and have a play around with them as to how they might be used.  I think they will both get chopped and painted and sorted into other things but it is still a very cheap way of buying wood and ready made trims and cupboard doors.  Right now the little one will have its bottom and top knocked off  and go in the back of the pantry (?)  The larger dresser might become a chest in the loft and half of it a food safe in the yard.  All to be decided.

This is my not so good buy.  I bought a pair of chairs at an exorbitant $19 each (with postage) from EBay.  I know they are Hansson and worth twice the price but, to be perfectly honest, I am not a fan of the expensive Bespaq/JiaYi/Reutter family of things to which these belong.  I understand why they are liked and why they do so well in that they are unusual designs and often quite they finely made (as in thin wood/slim legs)  but I find most of them fussy, overworked and I never like the OTT mahogany finishes - it always reminds me of toffee apples.  So why did I buy them?  They should fit the very small parlour.(I hope!)  As I've mentioned before the rooms in the new property are a bit of a challenge 20 cms wide doesn't give you much to go at!  It isn't 1/16th scale so I can't use that size furniture as then the rooms are way too tall and the windows and doors don't work in scale, so I need 1/12th things, but small designs.  The parlour certainly needs two armchairs or chairs of some sort, which look reasonably formal and comfortable.  I'm pretty sure the room won't take any kind of sofa even on its own and that would be a strange sort of seating arrangement for a young single women to entertain her guest!  So these chairs, after much measuring, seem to be the right size.  I am presently waiting for a tilt-top table and small dresser to arrive, which are in the raw state of  House of Miniatures.  I live in hopes that one or both will go in the parlour.  As for the not-as-I-would-like-them-chairs I am hoping that after six months here (before I can decide on) the pain of the purchase will have diminished and  I will be brave enough to refinish the wood and recover them!!!!!

 I love this little rug from my favourite rug lady - trudy-scrumptious - she makes lovely realistic fuzzy surfaced rugs and this one (almost) matched a mirror, I'd just bought from someone else.  It will probably be the hearthrug in front of the fire in Ellen's bedroom, rather than in the sitting room.  It depends on the final choice of wallpaper for each room!

 Here comes it's partner -  the peacock mirror.  

Last, but not least we have the headless customer.  Having worked in Wallis's many years ago I'd say these are the sort of customers to have.  Sadly, as you can see she arrived this way.  Happily she only cost 99p and £2.50 postage.  I stood the postage and the seller kindly refunded the 99p.  She may not suit me repaired as she didn't break her neck completely cleanly.  Very inconsiderate.  I left her in the drawer though as I might get clever enough to be able to fill in, sand down and repaint.  All a bit ambitious at this stage, but again, she'll be a useful learning piece.

I have two other items in  the UK (a matching mirror and necklace for display and a small upright dresser) that I haven't seen, as they got delivered after I left. I'll post pictures of those at Christmas when we're home for a couple of weeks.   I am also waiting, endlessly it seems, for a sewing machine from Japan.  Our good friends who look after our house while we are away are checking every five minutes in case it has arrived.  The deadline is the 18th October (24 days after it was mailed!!). The seller wasn't even prompt mailing it.  I won the bid on 15th September so I may just light a birthday candle for its one month anniversary today.  I don't know why I feel so frustrated about it when I won't even see it until December, always assuming it does arrive.

In the past couple of days I've had loads of fun buying all sorts of tools and bits and bobs which I suspect are just too boring for photos and writing about, but I can't wait to get stuck in with my little razor saw and mitre block.  Roll on April 2012.