Gifts from Flora

My Christmas swap parcel arrived in mid December and was placed under the tree

I knew it was the only mini gift for me this year, Flora, what a lovely box.

Inside the contents were delightful, items for a mini Christmas,
and other things for my projects.

Flora you were so very generous, so many things.

My favorite thing is this tray, not the normal item I would choose,
but the shape and colours are so beautiful
my kitchen room box is calling for it,

I hope every one who took part in this swap enjoyed their gifts,
it was great fun and a big thanks to Caterina for all here hard work.

We are now getting ready for our New Years party here,
not the normal thing we would do, but after last year,
we thought we would herald the new year with friends here.

I wish you all a Happy New Year.

Merry Christmas

America's Doll House and a give away!

My daughter Fliss is doing a guest post for me today, she also has a giveaway for the dolls house book she has reviewed, details at the end of her post!

I Started to read this book at three in the morning with a gurgling wide eyed baby on my lap, intending to read just a few pages until Sammy gave in to sleep I began. As the pages turned in my hands and my eyes grew heavy I realised I had been reading for well over an hour lost in the history of Faith Bradford and her miniature collection.

At 69 years old Faith Bradford without a girl in her family to leave her collection to decided to donate it instead to the museum she often visited as a girl. The narrative winds in and out of miniature fantasy, museum politics, and both the museums and Bradfords personal history, bringing together photographs and typed manuscripts of the doll house occupants and their scrapbook of soft furnishings. Peppered with nostalgic musings anddescriptions about Bradford such as 'her favourite colours were lavender and grey...' also ' ... Cutting a grandmotherly figure on the floor of the museum, she wore her hair pulled up under a hat fixed with a pin!'

I enjoyed the notions of Faith as a girl her interests, parades, soda fountains and ice cream parlors and like so many miniaturists the eternal hunt for miniatures, seeing an object as something to be used and cherished within ascene, a thimble could be a waste paper basket, Bradford explained 'Everything looks like something else to me.'

I think Bradford must have been an eccentric soul, never married she described her and her sister as 'not very attractive', during the summer she stayed at the back of her sister and brother-in-laws property in a converted chicken coop! these little details stack up throughout this little book adding charm and insight and for me a little bit of dottiness that I found endearing.

The second half of the book is choc filled with coloured photographs of each room, each tiny detail, from the lamp with its missing globe in the attic to the faithful family dog sat by the fire in the library. Concluding with Faiths typed scrapbook filled with tiny fabric remnants of used textiles.

In summary this book works on many levels, not only does it show readers a history of the museum, and an insight into Faith Bradfords creative dream, but it also showcases through text and photographs (deliciously tactile in the scrapbook section) an inspiring room by room account into a magical vintagedollhouse. Letting the reader decided to delve into the informative text or forgothe descriptive museum history and just sit wondering at the miniature marvels in each glossy image.

This lovely book is available here. or if you leave a comment here before Monday 20th I have a spare copy which would love a new home!

Christmas ornament swap

Beth from Lainies Little Things, send me the following items for our swap.

The post man took ages to deliver them, but they are well worth the wait.

Beth, thank you for being so kind with your gifts.

Tomorrow I am going to decorate my real house for Christmas, with the snow on the ground it should look very festive. My tree will go up over the weekend.