Arnhem Doll House Show - 2011

Last Wednesday evening I (sadly) waved Mr Bea off, as he drove away into the sunset to catch his overnight ferry bound for the Netherlands. 

Despite 'Arnhem' being our first international show, I was unable to accompany him and so Mr Bea will be flying solo on the PP stand at this weekend’s Arnhem show.

However, Mr Bea will have with him a full complement of all of our smaller scale kits alongside an exclusive selection of ready built 1:24th scale dolls houses - sold on a first come first serve basis!

Since Mr Bea left I have heard from him and I am happy to report that he has not only arrived safely, but he is also all set up and ready for the show.

The only problem he has so far encountered has been ordering food because he has struggled to understand the menu… his Dutch is sadly non existent!!

So if you are planning to visit the Arnhem Show this coming weekend, do stop by the Petite Properties’ stand and say hello to a ‘lonely’ Mr Bea and if he looks a little hungry; you know why!

Bea Broadwood

Alexandra Palace 2011

Last Sunday Mr Bea and I were delighted to once again exhibit at the Alexandra Palace Dolls House Show in North London.  We have always been fans of this venue and it was great to be able to return for a second year, since Wendy’s World re launched this 'retired' show in 2010. 

The palace itself makes for an impressive back drop for the event and I must confess that Mr Bea and I did manage to sneak out before the show opened  in order to take in the stunning views across London, which can be enjoyed from the elevated terraces at the front of the venue.  However, we did laugh when we saw that ‘someone’ had planted a new tree directly in front of one of the viewing telescopes! I kid you not..! (sadly I did not have my camera with me at the time - but it did make us giggle!)

The interior of the Victorian ‘Great Hall’ of Alexandra Palace is truly vast, although sadly it is also a little shabby these days too.  However the palace as a whole is under going a rolling programme of restoration which is great news for this iconic London landmark.  The south east end of the Great Hall features the famous ’Rose Window’ and last Sunday, with the sun streaming though it for most of the day, it was an ethereal sight looming over us all! 

At the opposite end of the Great Hall (where the dolls house show was held) is the large and very dominant ’Willis Organ’, which given its size, must be incredibly impressive to hear when it is played at the regular recitals which are held at the palace.

The dolls house show itself certainly did not disappoint and with so many visitors flooding through the Great Hall’s doors Mr Bea and I were kept on our collective toes from the beginning  of the day to the very end!    The customers I spoke to said that they loved the venue and many had travelled from Europe especially to attend.  Sadly I did not get a chance to walk round the show myself, but at least I did get the chance to quietly enjoy that romantic early morning view across London with Mr Bea, albeit with a small sapling in our way! 

Bea Broadwood

Alexandra Palace 2011 - Preview...

Good evening everyone!

After a veritable drought (in the blog post department) here is my second post of the day (nobody faint!).

Before any big show, our little cottage is traditionally transformed into an indoor model village and tonight, (literally as I type) a small hamlet of half scale houses has sprung up in front of the Aga and the kitchen table is filled with what can most accurately be described as a quarter scale market town!  

So... if you are planning to visit the Alexandra Palace Show this coming Sunday (and we hope you are) - do stop by stand 114/115 (right by the entrance) and say hello to Mr Bea and I and in the meantime, I thought you might enjoy a little sneaky preview of just some of the new 1:24th houses which we will have with us on the PP stand!

Safe travelling!

Bea (Fiona) Broadwood

A Surprise In The Post...

Good evening everyone!

At last I have finally found a window of opportunity to tether myself to the office chair and take time out to post here on the PP blog!...

Although Autumn Miniatura is now a dim and distant memory, its impact has been keenly felt in PP HQ over the last few weeks as Mr Bea and I have been hard pressed to replenish our stock levels in time for our next round of shows. 

To complicate matters I have not been too perky of late and it has been a hard slog to keep myself locked away in the workshop, on task; building new half scale houses. 

 However, today my big sister Sarah made me smile with a very special personalised gift, which she had sent to me in the post… 

I love it!

Although I don’t think I will be able to bring myself to open it—thank you Sarah xx

But for now, I had best get back to the final preparations for the Alexandra Palace show this coming Sunday, which Mr Bea and I are really looking forward to… and we hope many of you are too!!!

Bea (Fiona) Broadwood

FREE AIM Online Magazine - October Issue OUT NOW!

It is once again my privilege to welcome you to the October edition of the ground breaking AIM Magazine.  This month AIM members have chosen to celebrate a very special lady in our lives; Granny!

For me the rhythmical ticking of a cuckoo clock, ‘gold top’ milk, sherbet lemon sweets and the comforting smell of dinner roasting in the oven all bring back an ocean of wonderful memories of my much loved Nanna…

In the miniature world our shared nostalgia for past times and our treasured recollections of days gone by often in turn become our silent muse, inspiring the miniatures which we love to collect or make.

In the modern miniature world, scenes, settings and locations from our past are fast becoming a popular starting point for our new miniature projects.  Indeed it seems that for many, submersing ourselves in the miniature world allows us to create tangible recreations of our own personal memories.

Since the birth of the internet there has been an ever increasing interest in genealogy and researching our personal family tree is now common place.  For those of us in the miniature world there is also an obvious cross over between our nostalgic memories and discoveries of our own personal past and our (enviable) ability to recreate them in three dimensional form in the present.

I personally am no exception to this kind of inspiration as I have recently been working on small scale kits which reflect furniture or homes which were present in my own personal childhood. So if you are considering recreating ‘Granny’s house’ you need look no further!!  AIM members have filled the pages of this issue with myriad ideas, inspiration and countless projects that just might help you bring your own memories back to life!

So if you will now excuse me I am going to settle back, suck on a slightly fluffy boiled sweet and get lost in the soothing memory of a room full of gently ticking clocks…

www.artisansinminiature.com

Bea (Fiona) Broadwood

Editor Of The AIM Magazine