No stitching whatsoever in this post. I’ve been a little distracted recently by this beautiful vintage Sid Cooke Georgian shop kit. This is purely for my own amusement, by the way. In a past life I made one-twelfth scale miniatures and it’s been fun to reconnect with my younger self, though I notice my eyesight isn’t quite as good as it was then.
The kit is basically a box with a hinged front, about 12″ wide, 9″ deep and 9″ tall.
The front is almost finished, apart from a bit more weathering on the stucco (paint, glue, and a little sand).
The columns and step are made from wood, sanded and painted to look like old stone.
The shop door that comes with the kit is a little chunky to be properly in scale, but I think there’s no harm in having an extra-thick shop door. I guess that makes it more secure for the tiny owner. It’s glazed with perspex and the letterbox opens.
I’ve opted for a modern-day shop selling vintage items because I still have some tiny treasures from when I had a larger doll’s house a few years ago. I’ll probably paint some of the furniture to make it a bit more contemporary.
The benefit of ‘vintage’ is that you can make pretty much anything from any era and it will all sit quite happily together.
The interior is about ready to be filled. I made a false wall for the back, with a back door and a set of recessed shelves (all made from foam core and mountboard) to stop it looking so ‘boxy’. The glazing in the back door is graph paper with a layer of tracing paper on top to make it look like frosted safety glass. The door handle is a bit of thick armature wire. I would wire lights if it were a larger house, but just for this little box I’m using a couple of LED battery lights. The coving and skirting board come as lengths that you can cut to size.
I’ll make a shop counter to sit alongside the shelving at the back. The shelves are mostly full of shop paperwork, lever arch files, and a couple of ornaments.
It’s a lot of fun. The problem is that now I’ve started it, I have to finish it to the point where I can sit the whole thing on a shelf, and then I can make the contents in stages whenever I have a spare hour or two. I only have one work surface in my (real-life) room, and while this is all spread out (along with paint, brushes, wood glue, saw, sandpaper, etc) there isn’t space to get on with anything else. That’s my excuse, anyway.
They say a change is as good as a rest, right?
Normal services to be resumed soon. Ish.
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Distraction is important!!
I guess so. All work and no play etc 😀
You are a constant inspiration!
very kind 😊 amusing myself no end here
I LOVE this so much!! I adore miniatures but have never gone off on that ‘distraction’ – not for lac of desire, but for having too many other distractions already!! You’ve done a gorgeous job. I am envious and green is not exactly my color!! Have a good detour from work!!
ha, thank you. I love tiny things, always have done. I did say when I sold my dolls house that I’d come back to it at some point and here we are 🙂
I’m so glad you have returned to it! We are headed to Chicago this weekend and have tickets Monday to the Science and Industry Museum that houses Colleen Moore’s infamous dollhouse. I have LOVED this huge dollhouse since I first saw it as a child. I can’t wait!!!
wow, what a rabbit hole that was – I’d never heard of it. What an astonishing house, and what luck to see it for real!
You must have looked it up! Sorry to take you down THAT ‘rabbit hole’. Its got to be as big as my living room. The descriptions of each room and the incredible historic contents contributed to her collection are astounding! I’ve seen it several times but it will be a first for my great nieces who LIVE there!! I’m obviously excited.
If your other readers are curious, there is a breakdown of each room: https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/colleen-moores-fairy-castle/exhibit/kitchen
I did look it up, I was fascinated to see it – and thank you for posting the link (which I’ve now bookmarked :-)). The sheer scale and size of the conception is amazing. Enjoy your visit!
How fabulous! Your attention to detail is exquisite! 🙌🏻
thanks so much, I do like a challenge 🙂
What a lovely and fun side-step from the ‘regular’.
indeed! Looking forward to trying some miniature crocheting with embroidery threads…
What a fun project and it looks terrific so far. I love miniatures but have not worked with them. But I sure like to see what others have done. I look forward to seeing how you finish it.
thanks so much, Norma. It will keep me quiet for a good few months at least I should think, in between the day job 🙂
WOW!!!
good to be back 😎
How cute, I can’t wait to see your progress!
Thank you for sharing with us❤️
thanks so much Rebecca. There will no doubt be intermittent updates 🙂
This sounds like a perfect distraction!
no danger of my working too hard now! Actually we’ll be lucky if I get *any* more work done 😀
Enchanting! Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful handiwork.
thanks so much. I was in two minds about whether to post about this, as it’s quite a departure from my usual subject matter, but glad you’ve enjoyed it 🙂
Funny!
it amuses me too
I think your Antique shop is gorgeous! There’s nothing nicer than being able to swap your interests and return to a previous past time. I hope you keep us in touch with your further work on this darling little shop.
Mary :))
thanks so much Mary. I will 🙂
How fun! I enjoy miniature room kits as a side hobby when tired of yarn. When I was a little girl I would make miniature vignettes in tucked away corners of my bedroom and wish so badly for little fairy visits while I slept!
Ha! Same here. I had a 1/16th Triang dolls house as a child and I loved making bits of furniture and rugs etc for it. The fairies would definitely have come to play in your vignettes 🙂
Karen, you are certainly multi-talented! Wonderful work!
that’s kind but just me having some fun really. I like a challenge 🙂
It reminds me of the tiny watchmakers shop down Grimston St.
there were lots of little shops like this in the town I grew up in