JUST FINISHED & LOOKING FORWARD!
Its a bit late in the month for a June post – but I’ve been busy!
In fact I have so busy I have had to create a whole new page on my website to cover all the new pieces I have been making! Cunningly called JUST FINISHED – you can find it in the INSPIRATION section
(Click on the word INSPIRATION at the top of this page and you’ll see it!
Not only have I been busy making stock and commission pieces but I have also updated some of the gallery pages (as well as making the new JUST FINISHED page! Here are just a few of the new bits and pieces….
This white dresser with flower arrangement and pink china has just been added to the website shop (£99).
Looking forward to Christmas (Yes Really!) For me I seem to be working on Christmas themed pieces at any time of the year, and I am currently working on a series of items for a Santa’s Workshop room box. I have just completed the workbench below and a matching work trolley, what makes this set a little different is the Scandinavian folk art style painted decoration I have put on the legs of the bench and all over the trolley. The next piece in the set is a bookcase/dresser to stand on the back wall packed with toys and ‘stuff’ – watch this space!
I could go on with more of this months highlights, but I’ll leave it at that for now – and don’t forget if anything shown takes your fancy and you want your own version get in touch for a chat!
IT’S SHOWTIME!
Finally the show season has started and to celebrate I’ve made a few one off goodies..
The Kensington Online Dollshouse festival opens TODAY at 11am, and like everyone else I have show fever and have done what I used to do when there was an ‘in person’ show and made some special things to have on my stand (or in this case page!) at the show.
The new one-off items will go live in the Dee-Daw Designs website shop at 11am on the 14th May (today) to coincide with the Kensington Online Showcase public opening times.
The great news is that the May Kensington (in person) show from 2020 and 2021 WILL happen in September 2021 and will be my first in person show since January 2020!
So in the meantime lets warm up with the online show….
You can visit the showcase at: https://dollshouseshowcase.com/the-showcase/showcase/ but as a quick taster….
WHITE COULSON DINING SUITE: This dining room suite is a total flight of fancy, and is based on my ‘Coulson’ design china, but is on white furniture which I have embellished raised floral sprig details on the chairs. The chair seats are covered in a vintage pale lilac/blue and white striped silk.
The Coulson china design is 18th century in style and features hand painted lilac coloured border overlaid with hand gilded decoration.
The table centrepieces are my own designs which I then hand paint and gild to match the china.
WHITE COULSON BUFFETS: When it came to creating a matching buffet for the White Coulson dining room I couldn’t decide between mad or calm and so did both! I think lovely and elegant as the floral version is, my heart belongs to the mad one! Both are available to buy in the Dee-Daw shop BUFFETS & CABINETS section.
APELDORN COTTAGE BEDROOM SUITE: I was inspired when I saw an antique european wedding chest which had been hand painted in a rustic style, and thought it was so pretty I would like to try it myself – so the hand painted details on each piece of powder blue furniture were a labour of love!
The painted decoration features a variety of designs on the flat surfaces as well as 3D floral sprays on the wardrobe, bed and washstand which are painted to match the floral design on the bed linen. The bed linen is a beautiful mixture of cotton florals and stripes for an eclectic country cottage look. The wash stand features a big Victorian style bowl and jug, with folded towels and extra fragrance bottles on the lower shelf and a towel rail and towels on the right hand side of the stand. The electric oil lamps are exclusive designs made for this bedroom.
The set contains bed, wardrobe, washstand and two bedside tables with electric lights.
The full suite is available in the Dee-Daw shop BEDROOMS section (£129).
I really enjoyed making this suite and think (when I have time!) I will do more but do each one as a unique set – I have a fab piece of vintage fabric in stock which I think will make a fabulous rustic bedcover – perhaps I’ll make the next set for the in person show in September!
I still have some small pieces to add to the shop, which I will do over the coming days, although I have also been topping up on some of the out of stock items in the shop:
REMEMBER: ONLY THE NEW PIECES ARE TIMED TO GO LIVE TO COINCIDE WITH THE OPENING OF THE KENSINGTON ONLINE SHOWCASE AND WILL GO LIVE IN THE DEE-DAW SHOP AT 11AM 14th MAY – THE DEE-DAW WEBSITE SHOP IS OPEN 24/7 AS USUAL!
LOOKING FORWARD TO…
Welcome to the April blog …Finally a month when we have something to look forward to!
Its Spring, the sun is shining and I think its safe to say everyone is now looking forward to the possibility of returning to some kind of normal, with all the things we took for granted, soon to accessible again!
With that in mind I have been having a bit of a Spring clean of the website, and have been adding loads of new pictures to the gallery pages to showcase my most recent work. I have also updated the 3D PRINTING HOTSPOT (under the INSPIRATION tab at the top of this page) with a new blog post, and added a bit about making dolls on the ‘IF’ page.
ELSEWHERE ON THE SITE…….
I have added a new RANDOM THOUGHTS article (Under the INSPIRATION tab at the top of the page). I had thought to do a quick overview of The Big Three styles in terms of dolls houses – Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian, however the Georgian one turned into an epic so I am doing them as three separate ones! I have packed it out with masses of inspirational pictures, details to look out for and a gallery of pieces I have made in the Georgian style.
….AND THERE’S MORE
I have added some more new stock to the shop and there will be more to follow!
So take a look at whats new, and lets all look forward to getting out and about again. Hopefully my first show since January 2020 will be the rescheduled KENSINGTON DOLLS HOUSE FESTIVAL in September – more details on the website contact page.
RUSTY & RESTORATION READY!
Welcome to the February Newsletter…This month the title says it all!
No, its not how I feel with February kicking in (well maybe a bit!) – its the title of the car I have just put in my online shop!
I have done quite a few commission vehicles recently and really wanted to get one on my website shop – and I’m pleased to say you can find this 1913 model T Ford in the shop vehicles section – as well as matching workshop benches and a mechanic (more of a tinkerer really!)
The car is a cast metal collectable which I have aged and distressed, and is beautifully detailed – which is why the bonnet/hood is open to reveal the engine details.
This model T Ford is looking for a new home and can be found in the vehicles section of the website shop (£149)
It was fun to make the matching workbenches from scratch – I like the design for them to be ‘organic’ – as if it was knocked up in a shed from parts of other bits of furniture lying around!
They are packed with a selection of paint cans, stone glaze bottles and demi johns, oil cans and bits of machinery – broken and working – which I also make – all aged to reflect the ‘at work’ nature of the bench!
The work benches (£99) and mechanic (£54) are also available in the shop
Unfortunately I think this 1903 Rolls Royce is a little beyond rusty and restoration ready! …the brief for this commission was ‘Barn Find’ condition!
…The only thing I would have added was a nesting chicken in the drivers seat – maybe next time!
Speaking of commissions, 2021 got off to a great start with some really fun commissions and one of my favourites was to make a sewing room set – as featured in my mini projects section of the website. It was interesting to revisit the project making it all from scratch again so many years after first doing the scene. Once again, I made the lady sewing, the dressmakers model and the runner rail – but I also added a fabric bolt rack – and I think this is such a useful little addition to this group I will be adding a quick mini project for you to make your own soon!
This fabric rack will soon appear on the mini projects page to compliment the sewing room scene. I was quite chuffed with my addition of pins to the sleeve of the dressmakers dummy – made from individual bristles cut from a suede brush!
….And following on from looking back – I have also been looking forward – to my new ‘Cornish’ kitchen range of blue and white themed pieces – with the stove to match the the dressers and table I tested out a few months ago. I hope to have a full room set available in the shop soon.
….And finally – I just had to add this picture of one of my sweetest commissions to date!
NEW YEAR NEW?
Welcome to the first post of 2021 – keeping you up to date on what is happening right now in Dee-Daw land!
10/01/2021 CONGRATULATIONS!
– we made it through 2020!
OK, so 2021 isn’t looking that great at the moment – but there is light at the end of the tunnel (and no, its not a train heading straight for us!)
I have been very busy over the festive break having a good old sort out in my studio, getting organised for the year ahead, with new shelving units and finding a home for all the miscellaneous bits I seem to have floating about in boxes!
With that done, I have had a bit of time to finish some pieces of shop stock and added them to my shop. I have also created a new gallery page of my pick of some of my favourite pieces over the last 12 months – take a look on the ‘Best of 2020’ gallery and see if you agree with my choices (or if something I made for you is included!) – a few are shown below – see the full selection on the gallery page! https://dee-dawdesigns.com/best-of-2020/
NEW MINI PROJECT!
FANCY A FANCY CHAISE?
I have just added a new mini project for you to have a go at – Upholstery! Because even when you find the perfect bit of furniture, the upholstery is usually the wrong colour or the fabric is poor quality. Re-upholstering an item can seem to be a bit of a daunting prospect, but it’s not really that difficult. Once you have mastered the basic techniques you can tackle anything!
Click here to go straight to the Mini Projects page: https://dee-dawdesigns.com/mini-projects/
…And finally – I have also updated the ‘JUST FINISHED’ section at the bottom of the INSPIRATION page. Take a look to see what I was doing right up until Christmas eve! – click here and scroll to the bottom of the page https://dee-dawdesigns.com/inspiration/
OMG – IT’S CHRISTMAS!
Read on for all the latest news from a festive Dee-Daw land – including some fun stuff like last minute shopping and making mini Christmas stuff – enjoy!
Each new blog entry appears here, with the previous posts available below it – so the very latest news is always the first thing you see!
17/12/2020
Don’t tell me – let me guess, you are all organised for Christmas, presents bought and wrapped, the big Christmas food shop done and now you can relax and enjoy the festive season (as much as you can in 2020!)
Well not everyone is so organised (namely me!) Christmas has snuck up on me while I was nose deep in commissions! I just raised my head to touch base with the world and realised Christmas is next week! OMG – PANIC!!!
(Above – a Christmas Scene I dressed last year – it all looks so perfect – I bet Santa has just popped out to check Rudolph is OK in the stables!)
So I have grabbed a few minutes to put together a few things to mark the festive season – The good news is there is still time to pick up a treat in the DEE-DAW SHOP – last posting dates are on the Home page (UK buyers have until the 22nd December and buyers in Europe until 20th December), and to say a little thank you to all my customers (past, present and future!) I have created a 10% DISCOUNT CODE valid for any purchase in my online shop (excluding my Featherstone Hall Hotel book) valid until 31st December 2020 (discount does not apply to shipping cost – only the item cost). Simply type in deedaw10 when purchasing to have the discount applied.
If you are seriously organised and have nothing to do, you might enjoy the FREE CHRISTMAS MINIATURE MAKES from the downloads page of this website. Simply print out, cut out and make – some are simple and some a lot more challenging!
There are two sheets to this month’s Downloads – the first is the actual pieces to print and cut out, and the second is a sheet of instructions how to make up the more complicated pieces as well as how to finish them off and ideas on how and where to display them. Visit the DOWNLOADS page of the MAKES & ADVICE SECTION to get started.
The sheets include Christmas presents, Cards, envelopes, letters to Santa, wrapping paper, party hat and a fabulous (if tricky!) cracker.
Some of the Christmas cards, envelopes and letters to Santa you can make.
Edward just had to get in on the act with his party hat!
Check back in to the website after Christmas as I will be adding a special new gallery page of some of my favourite commissions of 2020 along with a bit of a review of the year in the random thoughts page on the INSPIRATION section.
Until then stay safe and have the best Christmas possible in the current circumstances – fingers crossed for a better 2021!