Cookie's World of Historic Dolls Houses and Miniatures

The Cookie Ziemba Collection available as a 2012 calendar!

2012-01-20T23:24:00.000-05:00

A BIG MOMENT IN MY MINIATURE WORLD!!! I have published MY VERY OWN CALENDAR for 2012, entitled "The Cookie Ziemba Collection." It is high quality printing on glossy, heavy card stock and is a full size calendar, approximately 11" wide by 8 1/2" high when closed. I have shown three of my dolls houses, including the 16th century Leicester House on the cover, followed by 4 pages of the interiors. The next grouping is the 17th c. Dutch Canal House exterior and a few rooms, and then the 18th c. Mansion House and some interiors.

To make it even more useful to miniaturists, I have listed several miniature shows in the United States, and a few in England, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands. Each show date has an icon to highlight that particular date.

I sold out my first printing at Molly Cromwell's Miniature Festival in Sarasota, Florida this past weekend and have now re-ordered so I will have stock available. If you are interested in making a purchase, they cost $18.00 plus shipping of $4.00 in the United States. I will find out shipping costs for any International customers. Please contact me at cookiemax@aol.com with all inquiries. Thanks!

Newest Miniature Crewel Embroideries, available for sale. Inquiries welcome via email: cookiemax@aol.com

2012-01-18T17:28:00.000-05:00

Hatfield, Turned Leg Bench

Carlisle, Square Pole Screen

Brighton, Round Pole Screen

Marlborough, Fireplace Screen

Northampton, Fireplace Screen

Darlington,Cabriole Leg Bench

Sarasota, Florida Miniature Show, weekend of January 14-15, 2012

2012-01-18T17:13:00.000-05:00

Just returned from my weekend in Sarasota, Florida at the Molly Cromwell Miniature Festival where I had a very successful show, once again! It is so gratifying to meet and greet potential customers, some of whom become friends. I love to hear all the warm compliments about my embroidery and paintings, so thank you to the folks I met there. I will add photos in my next posting of the new items I have available and will also add them to my website, http://cookieziemba.weebly.com a bit later.

Molly had some wonderful dealers including Michael Mortimer, whose company name is -9 (don't have an explanation for that, I guess it means something to him). He is from the U.K. and sells Tudor furniture in one inch scale and one of his shelving units came home with me. He doesn't seem to have a website, but I do see many dealers represent him in the U.S. Michael Reynolds is from Atlanta, GA and is a real Renaissance man, making wonderful pieces of burl-wood furniture and beautiful paintings. I love looking at his very elegant display.

Sis Blecman of Gulliver's Emporium in Florida had a couple of pieces of furniture from the Butterfly Collection, Goebel Miniatures. They are beautifully finished plastic pieces made back in 1977 and are very collectible. They have now joined my own collection.

After the show, I stayed at Molly Cromwell's house on Sunday evening, sharing a room with Val Casson. On my way home, I spent a couple of hours at an outlet center where I shopped till I dropped.

Then had to face the rest of the trip home across the Everglades on a road known as "Alligator Alley." I was so pleased to see they built two new rest stops along the way. At one time, the only stop was about 50 miles in at an Indian reservation that had some food and gas. That is still the only place to buy gas so I filled up to the top before that portion of the drive. I have all sorts of images of meeting up with panthers, gators and snakes (sing that to "Lions, Tigers and Bears, oh my") which inhabit this huge area. I found out at the rest stop that the Everglades covers about 300 miles in the center of Florida, starting all the way up in Orlando and goes south, simply massive. Some call it "The River of Grass" as the grass grows up through the water and sways gently in the breeze. I know there are tons of animals, but I've never even see a bird while crossing. Guess they stay away from cars going 80 mph. Smart!

I had planned to cross in daylight, but ran late and the last 40 miles were in the dark, so it was a welcome sight to see the lights of civilization on the horizon.

I guess Australians and South Africans may not be impressed with this trip, but for me driving alone, it's something to think about.

Mini Europe...From my trip to Brussels this past summer.

2012-01-11T13:39:00.009-05:00

These are pictures of Mini Europe which includes some of the most important buildings from all the countries in the European Union. It is located on the outskirts of Brussels very near the Atomium which shows in the back of the last photo. This a a huge model of an atom blown up to an enormous size. You can go inside and see a wonderful view of the city. It is easily reachable by a local train and has a movie theater nearby so you can end your day at the movies!

Nuremburg-style Kitchen

2012-01-11T13:23:00.001-05:00

Ooops, sorry, I see this was somehow also listed in a posting from 2010, so forgive me if you see this twice with similar verbiage...
Wanted to share some pictures of my Nuremburg-style kitchen. I found this display box sitting out in the rain in front of an antique shop in New Jersey years ago. I thought it would be great for a miniature club member as half of them were antique-ers, and already had it in the trunk of my car, when the dealer said, "Wait a minute, I have a stove that just might work." When I placed the stove in it, I decided it was mine! The day after I returned home, wondering how I was going to decorate it, the plumber came for repairs and was taken with the piece. He found the copper "stove pipe" in his truck along with 4 copper caps that fit the top of the stove perfectly. From there on, it went very easily because I started shopping at full size antique shows and found most of the items you see at reasonable prices. I had so much fun doing this room up, not caring about matching scales as that is only a contemporary idea.

From the National Gallery of Art's website...

2012-01-09T01:17:00.002-05:00

I found this blurb on the web site from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC about the wonderful Dutch painting exhibit that was held from February 1–May 3, 2009.

Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age

Overview: 49 paintings and 23 maps, prints, and illustrated books by some 40 Dutch artists were shown in this exhibition surveying the tradition of Dutch cityscape painting from its origins in 16th-century maps and city profiles through 17th-century depictions of Dutch cities, including genre paintings of daily life. Jan van Goyen's 15-foot View of The Hague from the Southeast, painted for the town hall of that city, was included in the Washington venue of the exhibition.

Exhibition curator Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. presented an auditorium lecture, City Views: Pride and Prosperity in the Dutch Golden Age on the opening day of the exhibition. Teacher workshops were held on February 21 and 28. A family weekend, "Weekend in the Dutch Republic," was held on April 25 and 26. A miniature Dutch canal house (conceived by Cookie Ziemba and designed by Peter Mattinson), the imagined home of painter Pieter de Hooch, was on display in the Founders Room during the family weekend. A teen studio program, "Painting: Approaches to Perspective," also was held in conjunction with the exhibition. Inspired by the exhibition, concerts of music of the Dutch Golden Age were held during March. The Garden Café served a special menu of Dutch cuisine as Cafè Amsterdam.

The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague. Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque painting, National Gallery of Art, Washington, and Ariane van Suchtelen, curator, Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague, were exhibition curators. The exhibition was made possible by Greg and Candy Fazakerley and Eijk and Rose-Marie van Otterloo. It was supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. The exhibition booklet was made possible by Mrs. Henry H. Weldon.

More on the Dutch Canal house display at Museum

2012-01-09T00:56:00.002-05:00

I was Googling around this evening and found this on the Newsletter from the NAME club, Mt. Vernon Miniatures Club...how wonderful of you to include this in your very informative and interesting newsletter. Thank you to Laurie Sisson!

Mt. Vernon Miniatures Club
by Laurie Sisson
The Mt. Vernon Miniatures Club had a lovely out to visit Cookie Ziemba in April at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC where her Dutch Canal House was being exhibited. We met Cookie at her exhibit in the museum and spent the morning with her asking questions about her house, then touring the Dutch exhibit at the museum, including a lovely musical presentation and a hands-on stamping project. Cookie's house was reproduced as one of the stamps and she was presented with a set of them as a gift from the museum. The house had its own guard while the museum was open! Impressive.

I included a photo from Cookie of the crated house. The museum went down to Florida and crated the house. Cookie came to DC to set it back up for display. What our museums do for us. Gotta love 'em.

Selling at these mini shows in 2012!

2011-11-07T14:43:00.000-05:00

I plan to participate in the following Molly Cromwell Presents miniature shows in

January, February and June, 2012

See www.MollyCromwell.com for further details.

Pre-registered workshops at all shows.

Sarasota Miniatures Festival

Saturday & Sunday, January 14 & 15

Ramada Waterfront, 7150 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL

~~~~

Orlando Miniatures Festival

Saturday & Sunday, February 18 & 19

International Palms Resort, 6515 International Drive, Orlando, FL

~~~~

Sturbridge Miniatures Festival

Saturday & Sunday, June 2 & 3

Sturbridge Host Hotel, Sturbridge, MA

Updates and viewing the dolls houses

2011-11-07T14:24:00.001-05:00

When I began this blog, I noted that people from over 41 countries had viewed it, but am now aware that folks from over 100 countries have stopped by and there have been over 22,000 visitors. I just want to thank you all for taking time out of your busy lives to spend it here with me...and I want to say a big THANK YOU!

The only good way I have found to see all the dolls house pictures is to go to the bottom of each page and click on OLDER POSTS, so please take a moment to go back several pages, it will be worth any dolls house enthusiasts time. I promise you!

Miniature show in Lake Worth, Florida

2011-11-01T17:57:00.002-04:00

Had a successful show at Tom Bishop's most recent South Florida Miniature Show held in Lake Worth, Florida. Couldn't miss it, just down the street from where I live! I enjoyed seeing so many old friends from New York and meeting some new ones. A few of my fans over the years came by and it was very flattering, I love having miniature fans, makes me feel like a star!

It was a small show and I do hope it grows from here. Tom puts on a very nice show which includes a lovely preview with refreshments on Friday night. It was enjoyed by all. There were some excellent dealers including Geoffrey Wonnacott, a fantastic furniture maker from England and Karl Blindheim, Bjarnnson's Miniature Animals from Toronto. I so enjoy seeing their work. Karl has a new line of wild animals after seeing them in person on his recent safari to South Africa. A really great weekend was had by all.

New! French Knot Rug kits now available

2011-10-12T18:36:00.000-04:00

The most recent addition to my needlework line are French Knot Rug Kits. Shown is "Ribbons and Roses" a 6" wide by 4" high rug. The kit will include the design hand drawn on muslin, photo, 2 Tapestry needles, instructions and sufficient DMC floss for completion. It can be made smaller to suit your requirements. Please write to me at cookiemax@aol.com with any inquiries. Thanks!

Tyson's Corner Mini Show, Falls Church, VA

2011-10-12T00:25:00.000-04:00

Just arrived home from Molly Cromwell's Tyson's Corner show and it was really great. Enjoyed myself tremendously and we had lovely weather. It was delightful for me to be in the Mid-Atlantic area and see trees changing color. Saw some of the flaming reds, deep burgundies, yellows and golds. Very fond memories for me of autumn in New York. Oh, sounds like a song coming over me!

The show was very good and I got lots of oooohs and ahhhs on my needlework so it was very gratifying. I sat between Diane Paone and Sylvia Roundtree, with Deb Mackie behind me. Very nice folks, and had a lovely roommate, Val Casson who lives in France. She is British and we had lots to talk about. All in all, an enjoyable experience.

I didn't get around to the other tables for more than a minute, so couldn't actually shop myself because of not wanting to leave my table for long, but I did take a spin around the room. Saw some wonderful dolls which is one of my favorite categories. Fred Cobbs was there with his rustic farm yard implements, always love looking there.

My class went well and got lots of nice compliments on my patience with the student, so I felt good about that. She was a beginning stitcher and did learn quite a bit I think. I hope to hear from her with her progress. We did a very simple motif with about 6 stitches including some of the most basic which she did know.

Trip to Belgium and the Netherlands

2011-08-18T18:54:00.004-04:00

Pictures from the upper town part of Frussels looking at the spire in the Grand Place and the Palais Royale facade.

I just came back home from my trip to Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp and parts of the Netherlands. The trip was a gift from my daughter and her husband, partly for my upcoming birthday in September and partly as me babysitting my grandchildren.

I went to Brussels while they were touring in Germany so had time to see some of the things I love there, mainly historical buildings. I had some trouble paying for the subway system, so did a lot of walking between my hotel and the Grand Place. It is simply glorious and lives up to its reputation as the best market place in Europe. I saw it in many times of day and night and it seemed completely different when in sunshine or shadow. Also happened upon it on Friday evening when they were having a sound and light production. It was simply magnificent. The music seemed to crash over everyone and everything and the lights flashing around were spectacular. I saw the 700 year old Meyboom celebration which is a large parade into the square to celebrate the planting of next years linden trees. I knew it was to be held on August 9th but didn't know where or at what time, but I walked into the beginning of it, so had a good position to see the festivities.

After I learned how to pay for the subway, I was going to the Palais Royale and asked a well dressed gentleman for advice where to exit the train. He turned out to be the director of the whole subway and tram system, so he knew whereof he spoke!

I took a city tour on the first day I arrived to get an overview of the city and its sights. The next day, I purchased a hop on, hop off bus ticket and I do not recommend that. It turned out that their route only went in one direction and took more than an hour for the circuit. I found I was waiting for a long period of time when I couldn't find a bus, but the worst part was when I took it far away from the city to see the Atomium and Mini Europe. The Atomium is a huge construction of an atom blown up 165 billion times reality. One can go inside of it and have great views of the city. Mini Europe was lovely and there were 1:25 scale models made of resin representing the major buildings/castles, etc. of the 14 European Union countries. I went out there at 4:30 p.m. and the driver wasn't smart enough to tell me it was the last bus! I wasn't smart enough to ask when the last bus was, so it was a problem. I got quite frightened that I would be abandoned there in a middle of a park with nothing much around, when I realized their Metro system of trains went to that area. Thankfully, I was able to get back.

French is spoken in Brussels and Flemish (Dutch with a different accent) is spoken anywhere to the north of the city. I amazed myself with my memory of high school French and was even complimented on my accent. So I managed to speak a bit in the city, but was hopeless with Dutch. Luckily, enough people spoke English in the Flemish area, less so in Brussels, it seemed.

When the kids met me in Brussels, we celebrated my birthday at a restaurant near the Grand Place. My daughter and I went upstairs to the rest room and discovered four miniature room boxes shown below. They seemed to be lithographed paper mounted on wood or boards and were magnificent. I think the restaurant was called Vieux le Bruxelles (or close to that, I was so excited, I forgot to get the proper name) and it was on rue du Boucheres, if you plan to visit there.

I hope you enjoy these pictures of the room boxes as much as I do. I must thank my son-in-law for helping me to take the pictures with glass fronting the boxes.

Magnificent theatrical room boxes I found in Brussels, Belgium

2011-08-18T18:25:00.005-04:00

2011-07-15T22:46:00.000-04:00

In Autumn 2011, I will participate in the following
Miniature Shows:

Molly Cromwell Presents...
28TH TYSONS CORNER FALL MINIATURES FESTIVAL
Show: OCTOBER 9, 2011
~ WESTIN TYSONS HOTEL ~ 7801 Leesburg Pike/Rte 7, Falls Church, Virginia Early Bird Same-Day Preview with refreshments ~

9:00 a.m. $10 Early SalesGeneral Admission ~ 10-4 $6 Adults $4 Children

Make Reservations $89 rate & Directions: Westin Hotel 703.893.1340
Capital Beltway 495, Virginia Exit 47B East on Leesburg Pike/Rte 7
Washington Dulles or Reagan National AirportSuper Shuttle 800.258.3826

Crewel Embroidery Workshop: Saturday, October 8, 2011 ~ 9 a.m. to noon Come stitch with Cookie! Crewel embroider a design made exclusively for Molly Cromwell's miniature shows. The traditional motif will be mounted on a small, round footstool with wooden legs, stained and ready to upholster. This is an easy design to stitch, using basic crewel stitches - you'll learn French Knots, Outline Stitch, Slanted Satin Stitch, Fishbone & Trellis stitches… plus very simple mounting & finishing procedures. You should complete your project by the end of class.
$55

Appropriate for all skill levels. Students to bring:
lighting, extension cord, sharp embroidery or cuticle scissors,
a 6" or 7" embroidery hoop. Magnification if needed.
If interested in attending a workshop, please send an email to cookiemax@aol.com or call me at (561) 301-0708

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tom Bishop Productions... South Florida Miniature and Dollhouse Show and Sale

Clarion Inn - Turnpike (formerly Holiday Inn)
7859 Lake Worth Road
Lake Worth, Florida 33467 Located just east of turnpike exit 93 on Lake Worth Road

Hotel reservations and directions only 561-968-5000

Saturday, October 22, 2011 ~ 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday, October 23, 2011 ~ 12 pm - 4 pm
Daily Admission: Adults - $6.00,
Children Under 12 - $3.00 (No Strollers)

Exclusive Preview Show & Sale
Friday, October 21 ~ 7 pm - 9:30 pmTickets available at door - $12.00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Crewel Embroidered Furniture

2011-05-16T18:06:00.001-04:00

Just finished designing and stitching embroideries to fit McQueenie furniture. Please look them over and let me know if you would care to buy them. They are quite reasonably priced, from $29.00 to $79.00 USD and are currently available. Hope you enjoy!

18th century American Bedspread Crewel Kit added to line!

2011-03-12T20:41:00.002-05:00

Just finished work on my latest crewel kit last night and sold successfully at the Boca Raton miniature show earlier today. It is an 18th century design, typically American because it is not heavily worked. At this time in history, the needlewoman might have had to shear, card and spin her own wool and possibly weave the fabric for the bedspread, therefore used wool sparingly. During the same period in England, it was possible to purchase supplies so they were likely to stitch more elaborately.

This is the first crewel bedspread kit I am offering and hope to add a few more in the future. It is designed to fit any 1" scale miniature double (full) bed and the motifs are hand drawn on a fine fabric. This photo shows the pillow top and center motifs only, and the kit has motifs on all sides that hang down. Included in the kit are DMC cotton floss, needles, complete instructions, stitch diagram and color picture. It sells for $32.00 plus $4.75 shipping (worldwide) and can be ordered through Paypal or by contacting me at Cookiemax@aol.com, then sending a check for $36.75 in US Dollars.

Hope you enjoy this design and I look forward to hearing from you!

Launched my new line of miniature crewel embroidery kits!

2011-01-22T20:01:00.001-05:00

I attended the Molly Cromwell Sarasota(Florida) show this past weekend as a dealer. It was a great show, lots of people buying lots of goodies. I am thrilled with the response I got to my new miniature crewel kits which are now available for purchase through my blog. If you would like to purchase any of my kits, please contact me at cookiemax@aol.com. I accept U.S. checks or PayPal.

I have been very successfully using the McQueenie Miniature line of wooden furniture kits to compliment my crewel designs. You can view and order them at www.mcqueenieminiatures.co.uk/. The Aylesbury and Edencroft styles are suitable for pillows, cushions, or McQueenie's pole-type fire screens. The larger styles of Buckingham, Cambridge and Devonshire would make wonderful bench covers, fireplace screens, etc. They are all perfect for a tapestry frame showing either a needlework in progress, a finished embroidery still on the frame or may be framed as a wall hanging. Let your imagination be your guide!

Aylesbury Mini Crewel kit, measures 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" proposed for Workshops. Available for sale as a kit. Price: $18.00

Buckingham Mini Crewel Kit measures 1 3/4" high x 2" wide. Price: $16.00

Cambridge Miniature Crewel Kit, measures 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" Price: $22.00

Devonshire Crewel Kit, measures 2" x 2." Price: $22.00

Edencroft Crewel Kit measures 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" Price: $18.00

New business name, Artistry in Miniature

2011-01-18T19:21:00.021-05:00

I am now trading under the name of Cookie Ziemba, Artistry in Miniature, so you will see that in show flyers, etc. The name just popped in my head one day and felt very comfortable for me as I love art in all its forms.

Just arranged to have my PayPal account work with me for this venture and hope it will help those who would like to purchase with credit cards. I have found them very easy to work with in the past when I want to purchase items in Europe. Way back when I would travel to England and buy something, it was difficult and expensive to exchange money, especially when I wanted to pay a bill from the U.S. This makes things so much easier, hooray for progress.

Please visit me at the following miniature shows where I will do a workshop on the Aylesbury Crewel Kit:

- February 12 & 13, 2011 at Molly Cromwells's Orlando (Florida) Festival at the Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration. Preview Saturday evening and all day show on Sunday. Please go to Molly's web site for further information, www.mollycromwell.com.

- March 11, 2011 Workshop and March 12th Show at Boca Raton Community Center, Les Petites Collecteurs of South Florida Show.

- June 4 & 5, 2011 at Molly Cromwell's Sturbridge (Massachusetts) Miniatures Festival at the Host Hotel on Cedar Lake. Saturday workshop and Preview with the show all day on Sunday. Again, see wwww.mollycromwell.com for further information.

Looking forward to seeing you at one of these fairs!

Now accepting PayPal

2011-01-18T19:11:00.049-05:00

I accept checks U.S. checks but you may order through PayPal, using the button below. For one kit, please send an additional $4.75 for shipping. For two, three or four kits, please send $5.50. More than that, please send $7.00 for shipping.

There is no problem ordering from outside of the United States using PayPal because they convert currencies. If you order from a country other than the United States, the shipping costs are the same as above, for anywhere in the world!

Please, be sure to click the down arrow to the right of the Aylesbury kit to see the other kit choices that you can order. Thanks so much, I appreciate your orders!

Launched new line of Mini Crewel Kits!

2011-01-18T15:23:00.000-05:00

Aylesbury Mini Crewel Kit measures 1 1/4" x 1 1/4". Price: $18.00. This is the design I use to teach Workshops at miniature shows, and is also available as a kit.

Buckingham Mini Crewel Kit measures 1 3/4" high x 2" wide. Price: $16.00.

Cambridge Mini Crewel Kit measures 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" Price: $22.00

Devonshire Mini Crewel Kit measures 1 3/4" high x 2" wide. Price: $22.00.

Edencroft Mini Crewel Kit measures 1 1/4" x 1 1/4". Price: $18.00.

Article on my Miniature Crewelwork in a Dutch magazine

2010-12-30T07:15:00.000-05:00

I had a nice surprise last night. Elly de Kraker of The Netherlands kindly emailed me a copy of an article done by Dolls House Nederland magazine featuring my miniature crewel work. Along with it, she sent a "fractured" translation of the Dutch done by Google. Some of it was very amusing as Google seems to "think" I collect "Thumbnails" instead of miniatures. I had a good laugh over that one!

With my permission, the writer, Henny Christophersen, took photos from this blog to be used for the article and it looks wonderful. The interview was done via emailed questions and I think it came out very well, thank you Henny! I also want to thank Rika Van Nellestijn for publishing my work in her excellent magazine.

I'm Teaching and Selling at Upcoming Miniature Shows

2010-11-11T16:22:00.001-05:00

I have signed up to teach and sell my work at three of Molly Cromwell's miniature shows in 2011. On Saturday, January 15th, at the Sarasota, Florida show, I will teach the first of my workshops in Crewel Embroidery and you can view the information including a photo of the project on Molly's web site, www.mollycromwell.com. The show itself is on Sunday.

Then on Friday, February 11th I will teach the same project at Molly's Orlando show, which runs on Saturday and Sunday, and once more at her Sturbridge, Massachusetts show on Friday, June 3rd. That show runs Saturday and Sunday and promises to be a popular one. I look forward to seeing all my "followers" at these shows and please identify yourself to me. I have only met some of you and would be excited to meet more. Hope to see you there!

In addition to selling my own crewelwork and paintings, I will be selling McQueenie wooden kits from England which were chosen to complement my needlework. I will pre-finish the mahogany as they recommend using boiled linseed oil and I have a large amount. This will speed the project along for the purchaser so they don't have to invest in a large can for themselves. Their pieces are truly excellent in design, fit and ease of construction and finishing.

Philadelphia Show Report

2010-11-11T15:47:00.002-05:00

Recently back from the Philadelphia show, only stayed for the Preview Friday night and all day Saturday. I was out of the hotel at 4 a.m. for a 6:30 a.m. flight. It was 37 degrees and windy, really cold to me and I am glad to be home, even if it is unusually cool at home here in Florida.

The Preview was pretty busy, not like in the good old days, pre-2008, but glad to see people shopping. I did some damage but in keeping with my plans. The show was held in three rooms and it was easy enough to get to all vendors.

On Saturday at noon, a large group of Campers (an online group of miniaturists) met in the lobby and it was very nice to attach faces to names we know for years. There must have been 15-18 Campers and several folks took photos. Karina from California was so kind to have brought mini gifts for all...a tiny version of the book she recently published. Thanks Karina!

It was great to see folks that I haven't seen in quite awhile, including Jens Torp of England, with his magnificent silver and I saw the purse clasp Elly from Amsterdam was talking about on Petitpointers (another online group I read), but didn't see her needlework. Jens assured me it was fabulous and I was so sorry it was sold already (I am sure Jens was glad!) Also saw Jeffrey Gueno of Le Chateau Interiors whose displays are always so elegant, fun to look over his items and took home a couple of them including an old, small, velvet-lined gold colored casket that I placed on a desk and an old mirror. I noticed lots of pieces from estate sales and it was fun to see these items again. I bought two Julia Sudol baskets that are lovely, and a blue and white ceramic bowl of apricots from The Tiny Doll House in New York City.

I saw Corky Anderson walking well and Mary Kaliski looking good and working her magic, taking photos for Miniature Collector. Sorry I can't give you names, but two dealers from Japan had the most magnificent minis...one being "fur" covered dogs that you just wanted to pet, and the other lady sold exquisite china. The prices were way too steep for me, so I admired them and walked on.

Glad I went, even if it was a quick trip, I love to be with "mini people."

2010-11-01T00:45:00.000-04:00

Hello friends,

I plan to visit the Philadelphia Miniaturia show and will try to post any interesting pieces I find there. Been wanting to go using frequent flyer mileage and found a trip that allowed me to go for 25,000 miles round trip. Granted, I will be flying at the crack of dawn, not my usual modus operandi, but hope to catch a nap on the airplane. If not, hope I can check into my room early enough to have a short sleep.

I have been making more use of the internet to order miniatures recently and find it so exciting to see a package arriving at my front door. Currently waiting for a few goodies from SussexCrafts in the U.K. and was told they were all in stock. Always good news.

Heard about a maker of a castle that has got me thinking of Eleanor of Acquitane and Henry II of England, circa 1183. At least that was the date that Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor mentions in the movie "The Lion in Winter," one of my very favorite movies. When you want to see fantastic acting, that is one movie to watch. The other, IMHO, is "Becket," also starring Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton. These movies were made in 1964 and 1968 and the sets were marvelous. Lots of historic architecture to learn from viewing them.

Also, I adore Googling images of such things, i.e. 12th century castles with battlements, gargoyles, stone vaulted ceilings. Saw a book in Barnes and Nobles last night showing line drawings of architecture through the ages, I just might have to make another trip over there and purchase it.

Nuremberg - style Kitchen

2010-10-21T19:17:00.000-04:00

Wanted to share pictures of a project I did a long time ago. I was antiquing in New Jersey and saw this great room box sitting out in the rain. I bought it thinking my antique collecting miniature club members might like this and put it in my trunk. The dealer said, "Wait a minute, I have an old stove for it." Well, when I placed the stove in the middle of the box, I decided I had to keep it for myself! I loved it! The stove was missing certain parts, and plumber happened to come over the next day, I showed it to him and he went out to his truck and came back with the curved "stovepipe" and gave it to me as a gift, as well as round copper caps that fit perfectly to support the pots on the stove.

Since it was so large, I felt I could decorate it in the antique manner, using all sizes of furnishings, and the heck with scale. I soon learned that purchasing the pieces at antique shows was a reasonable way to go as far as the cost. I had so much fun furnishing it and enjoyed mixing the scales.

2010-10-10T02:55:00.001-04:00

My Fun Weekend

2010-10-04T22:42:00.003-04:00

I had a really great weekend and want to share it with you. Last week was my birthday and I went to Orlando to visit with my daughter and grandchildren. I met them at Universal Studio's to see "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter." I introduced my 10 year old grandson, Jonathan, to the Harry Potter books over a year ago and he, who was not much of a reader and only wanted to read books with pictures, became a great reader and read all 7 books! I think it was so good for him to learn to enjoy reading but I digress. Since I got there very late, we didn't have much time to see it all but I will take the kids back there so we can go into the Hogwart's School building. I used the ladies "public convenience" and could hear the ghost of Moaning Myrtle crying throughout my stay in there. It was funny that although it was nearly 90 degrees outside, the whole village of Hogsmead was covered in "snow." No, it didn't make me feel any cooler. Later, we had dinner at a Japanese hibachi restaurant which we enjoyed.

On Saturday, I spent the day at the Orlando Convention Center at the AARP convention for people age 50+. I volunteered for 2 hours which gave me free admission, free parking and a voucher for my dinner and I appreciate that. The first show I went to was Whoopi Goldberg interviewing Larry King, and it was very nice, but I am a Whoopi fan and would have liked to have heard more about her. Rob Reiner spoke earlier with some men about the future of the digital media age which was an eye opener and fascinating.

In the afternoon, I went to see Ronan Tynan, formerly of the Irish Tenors, who is also a motivational speaker. He was entertaining, interesting and very inspirational. His father raised him to believe he could do anything and he certainly has. He lost both legs in an accident, became a jockey and a doctor, won foot races in the Special Olympics and then of course, his singing career. He ended the hour singing "God Bless America" and the audience joined in on the second chorus, and of course, we were all on our feet cheering! It was really wonderful and made me feel so uplifted.

On Sunday driving home, I stopped to visit miniaturist, Alice Zinn. For any readers who know of her work, you will appreciate this. Alice made the most wonderful brownies, really rich and yummy! She gave me some to take home and I had one midday today ... to die for! Aside from being a wonderful miniaturist, she is a heck of a cook.

Luckily, I went to Alice's yesterday because I heard on the news that the main street I drove on near her home had a huge sink hole today and am very grateful I didn't get swallowed up by the earth. Hope all is well by this evening.

Alice asked me to enter through her side door directly into her workshop, following a path inlaid with "Alice in Wonderland" motifs. That gave me a hint of what was to come! Little Alice and her friends were everywhere, one more charming than the last. The best was the tea set she served with, the teapot, creamer and sugar pots were adorable figures.

She has a small space but has used it so creatively, everywhere you looked was something to remark on. The room we ate in had much of her collection across the back wall, and it was a museum of history. I loved so many things but think I was most impressed with her jungle and fabulous animals. The photos in the magazines couldn't do it justice and I was honored to see it in real. She is so talented, and I was really blown away. She is a fan of everything Asian and put together a Chinese shrine with much gold and red enamel which was just beautiful. She also had a very old Japanese room that was in her family with shoji screens and some figures from the miniature dealer, Shogun. Wonderful pieces abounded. I loved the way she showed a chair collection above the door frames in her hallway. Who would come up with something like that? She even had a bear and rabbit collection in the bathroom!

Her workshop is fascinating and overcrowded, but she says she can find everything and she certainly could. She showed me her current animal production pieces in their painted state before receiving their fur coats and whoever is receiving these ultimately is so lucky. I know they will be pleased, you can see she puts so much heart and love into her work. She gave me hints on how to do some projects and I learned lots.

I am looking forward to another play date and I am happy she spared the time for me. I hope to see her in November when I visit my kids again. Thanks for a great day, Alice.

2010-08-14T12:50:00.003-04:00

I have become aware that some viewers are having difficulty seeing older parts of this blog. Please scroll down to the bottom of the page you are viewing and click on Older Posts. This is shown on the lower right of your screen. It appears on every page and just keep going back in order to view the whole blog. It does go on for many pages. Thanks for your interest, I get some truly lovely comments and I appreciate my viewers. People from over 85 countries have now viewed this blog! Yeah!

Two new articles on my collection in "Miniaturas"

2010-06-27T23:39:00.002-04:00

I was thrilled to find two issues of the Spanish miniature magazine "Miniaturas, Construccion & Coleccionismo" on my doorstep when I returned home from my trip to Castine, Maine. Issue No. 149 features my Dickens Street on the cover and the article starting on page 38. Also issue No. 150 features my House of the Three Widows in the centerfold-out. The photos came out beautifully once again. Thanks so much to Madelva Fernandez de Rojas, editor and owner. Lovely work, Madelva!

Post Guild School, Castine, Maine, June 2010

2010-06-27T23:34:00.002-04:00

It was a wonderful week and the time did fly by. It is amazing how quickly it goes. I believe we had about 220 students (the most ever!) and another 50 or so in instructors and staff. I think there were 7 from South Africa, about the same number from Japan, lots of Europeans, Canadians and the balance from the US. Next year should be something being the 30th anniversary. My first time in Castine was the 2nd year they had the school and it has "come a long way, baby."

I took two additional classes to the one I taught; at 7:45 a.m. I was in Jeff Wilkerson's painting class doing a picture entitled "The Flying Cloud." It was a tall ship on a stormy sea with the sun just setting. I think it came out pretty well, still want to do some finishing touches, and I bought the heat setting gun that Jeff had so I can do this method again. It is called Genesis Heat Set paints and is a polymer, not an acrylic paint. I like the fact that I could quickly dry the paint and put my pinky finger down to rest on the painting itself. I always run into trouble with this in oil painting. I am a watercolorist at heart and still don't adhere to the oil rules very well, so this serves a purpose.

Also took Francine Coyon's wicker basket class and finished two baskets plus one still in the works. They came out pretty well. Don't see myself doing this in the future. I was glad I didn't take the lightship basket after I heard how difficult it was, don't think I was up to that challenge.

I really enjoyed teaching the crewel class and think the students were pleased with the work. I hope they all learned what they came for and will send me photos later on when they have done more on their project. The class was from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m. and some of the ladies came in very tired. I wish it was earlier in the day so they might have felt more refreshed. All in all, I had a good time.

The clambake was great and I loved my lobster once more. Yummy. I ate way too much throughout the week and kind of lost control. I did gain 3 pounds, which wasn't too bad considering how the food was always out there and available. They had wonderful apple puff pastries at coffee break time and I couldn't resist. Luckily, I lost 25 pounds before going away, and have lost one since coming home, so not too bad.

I was so tired when I arrived home, it was a 14 hour trip from Maine to Florida including driving to the airport in Portland for 4 1/2 hours and then a long layover. Went right to bed when I got home and didn't do much but lay on the couch on Sunday. Now catching up with laundry and life, so getting back to usual. Pictures coming soon.

My Guild School experience, June 2010

2010-06-27T23:28:00.002-04:00

Up here at the Maine Maritime Academy in rainy Castine, Maine and one of the members of Petitpointers.com brought two copies of Inspirations magazine from New Zealand with her. It is just wonderful and I will need to get some copies.

Last night, the Petitpointer (aka PPers) members had our dinner and show and tell. I think there were about 14 PPers and 3 non-members. We had a great time with show and tell. Can't believe some of the wonderful things we saw! I can't enumerate them for you, but these gals are so talented and brought along fabulous things. What a pleasure!

Afterwards, I went to the student lounge in Curtis Hall, our dorm building, called "The Bilge"! Interesting name. Had lots of fun, many congenial folks were there and we had chips and drinks, only diet coke for this attendee. We played Pictionary with about 15 players, 3 from France, a few from England and the rest were Americans. It was a hoot, with the various interpretations. I couldn't convey "acid rain." Oh well.

Classes are going along well and I am enjoying working with my students. I hope they are all getting something out of my teaching. I feel I am getting a good reaction. Lots of folks are excited about my proposal for 2011 which is a crewel embroidered wing chair.

I am looking forward to getting back to Florida where I can warm up. I am constantly cold here, but hear it might be in the mid-80's on Friday.

The theatre calls...

2010-04-23T22:43:00.004-04:00

I belong to a community theatre where we just finished a production of "Fiddler on the Roof." I only had a part in the chorus which I thoroughly enjoyed, and have auditioned for the upcoming production of "The Pajama Game." I got the small part of "Mara," and will also be in the chorus. This will be quite a learning curve because I don't know much of the music from this show, but I will get a CD of the original Broadway cast to learn it. It should be fun and I am looking forward to the experience. I had been in "Fiddler" before as well as "Damn Yankees."

2010-04-21T17:26:00.005-04:00

Chicago Miniature Shows, April, 2010

Just returned from Chicago and I had a great time. I roomed with Evelyne Martin from Brazil and she was really nice, learned lots about her country and this was her first time in the United States. It was wonderful seeing old friends from so many places, including the Europeans who were able to make it over here. Due to the volcano in Iceland, many had problems coming over and more had problems getting home.

I had a chance to visit the other two mini shows, IMA and 3 Blind Mice and found some goodies at both. Bought three Betty Valentine chairs from Dominick Manella plus some turn of the century items.

At Chicago International, we were all thrilled to see Tom Bishop looking healthy and happy, getting around on his scooter. I bought something I've always wanted, a wonderful embroidery hoop with a metal screw from the Boorum's, some lovely English cakes from Andi Follett of the Miniature Cafe, an unframed oil painting of a Spanish royal and child circa 1545 by Michael Reynolds and his beautifully decorated Renaissance cradle of olive burl wood. Ann High had some great new things and I came home with her Salisbury chair and Rembrandt chair, as well as a book slope with a page of mini writing.

Tya Kitchen from Japan supplied a wonderful open weave basket and over a dozen yellow tulips touched with orange. Still don't know where the tulips will "live" but I am working on it. Carla Gaustad had lots of high quality kitchen ware and I got a large brass kettle, a smaller copper kettle, a covered jar of marmalade, carrots and spring onions with their leaves attached and a pot of daffoldils. These kitchen items are meant for my English Tea Room that is in the works.

Recently, when my friend Silvia Ambrose came over from England, she brought a large selection of items for the Tea Room, so I will be able to work on it. She also showed me some authentic ways of furnishing the shop. I got a mural from Judy Bianchi of Tiny-Tiques that will be the view outside the shop. Now, all I have to do is make the time to finish it.

I wanted to buy several copies of the Miniaturas magazine from Spain, but by the time I walked back to their table, they were sold out and I missed them. Bummer. It was fun to see my Dutch Canal House on the cover of one of the issues that featured my house.

The Campers had a meeting on Saturday at 3 p.m. with yummy cake suppled by Tom and Leni Bishop and it was great to attach faces to names. The Petitpointers had a dinner that evening at a steak restaurant and it was fun to meet so many stitchers.

On Sunday, DM (aka W. Marie Werth), Charlene and Robert from Canberra, Paula Miller and I went to see Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle at the Museum of Science and Industry, a long time desire of mine. We took a van there and the driver picked us up at the museum's closing time. We looked at the Castle and sad to say, were disappointed. It was so poorly lit, it was hard to make out much of the detail. I think I had such a build up of it in my mind, it was the first major dolls house I had ever heard of and I've always wanted to go, that the reality was not what I had hoped. We agreed we all felt this way. Even so, I was happy I went, one more item crossed off my bucket list.

Glad that I took the opportunity to go to Chicago and have this experience again. Hope the Europeans make it home without too much delay!

Crewel Designs with my paintings, me enjoying lobster at Castine, and my first stitching on 72 ct silk gauze!

2009-07-13T00:16:00.000-04:00

2009-07-13T00:11:00.001-04:00

Hello all,
Now I can let you all know, I will be teaching a crewel embroidery class at the 2010 Guild School and I am SO EXCITED! I know a number of ladies said they would like to take the class and sure hope they do.

It will be a coverlet for a Elizabethan bed that I have from Peartree Miniatures (http://www.peartree-miniatures.co.uk/) and it should be a great project. I was hoping to teach it in the future, so designed it with as many different stitches as I could in the various motifs, to be able to have lots to teach. The entire coverlet won't be finished in a 12 hour class, but students will learn all the stitches necessary for completion, along with a booklet of stitches and finishing instructions.

I am very pleased to have the first class ever at Castine in Crewel.

2009-05-05T12:46:00.001-04:00

Exhibit of my Dutch Canal House, April 25-26, 2009

2009-04-29T17:56:00.002-04:00

2009-04-29T17:53:00.003-04:00

Views of Dutch Canal House

2009-04-29T17:53:00.000-04:00

Exhibit at National Gallery of Art

2009-04-29T17:50:00.001-04:00

2009-04-29T14:18:00.004-04:00

The series of photographs above illustrate the Weekend Exhibition of my 17th century Dutch Canal House at the National Gallery of Art (NGA):

This was a "Family Weekend" meant to show viewers how people lived in 17th century Holland. To help the public create their own cityscape, the museum had large hand stamps made in the form of Dutch canal houses. The museum supplied stamp pads, colored pencils and matted paper for the artists, young and old, to ply their art. A photo of my dolls house was sent to the stamp maker and the design was copied. I was given a set of these hand stamps at the end of the weekend.

The museum is a classical structure which is the largest marble building in the world (so I read) built in 1941 by Andrew Mellon. He donated his art collection and asked his friends to do the same. I loved the fact that there is no entry fee and photography of the artwork is allowed. I took many pictures of my favorite paintings.

Thursday after arrival in Washington, I went to Exquisite Fabrics at the Shoppes at Georgetown Park to look for material for my current project, an 18th century Dutch Cabinet House. This is similar to the cabinet houses found at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague. In this case, 17th c. Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens will be the resident. I found some perfect fabrics and ribbons which were older, finer goods than I have seen elsewhere. Then off I went to Second Story Books near Dupont Circle and found a very interesting book from an exhibit at Rubens own house in Antwerp, Belgium showing the actual art Rubens lived with in his time.

Bright and early on Friday morning, I met with my contacts at the Security entrance of the museum and was taken through the storage areas to where the dolls house was still partially crated. We brought it up to the "Founders Room," a beautifully panelled space, and set it in front of the 12 foot high window. It looked perfect with the sun shining in on the mellow orangey-red bricks of the house.

After setting up the dolls house, staffers took me to lunch and we toured the permanent Dutch collection and the special exhibit “Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age.” One of the women was a Dutch art expert and fascinated me with her narrative.

On Saturday morning, Laurie Sisson and a group of miniaturists were crowded around the house before I arrived. It was quite a thrill to find them there. The ladies were from the online group, The CAMP, and three miniature groups in the Virginia and Maryland areas. They brought their copies of old Miniature Collector magazines with articles on my collection and had me autograph them. I felt like a celebrity! Photos were taken all around.

Afterwards, family members that I hadn't seen in years came to share this experience and I enjoyed that immensely. We had dinner on a terrace overlooking the Potomac River and saw a heartbreakingly beautiful sunset as we dined.

Sunday morning a very nice woman that I met on the flight to Washington came by with her granddaughter and son. Then a new internet friend came on the train from New York. She collects full size 17th century Dutch and 18th century English furniture, as well as very fine Dutch miniatures. She seems to be my biggest fan and kept telling me how marvelous the dolls house is.

We were lucky enough to be introduced to Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr., the Curator of Northern Baroque Paintings and he took us over to a famous Rembrandt painting, "The Mill," and explained the significance of the painting (the arms of the windmill reaching up to God) as well as the complete color change after all the centuries old varnish was removed. I loved meeting him in person as I had once seen him on a panel discussion at the Pieter de Hooch exhibit at the Wadsworth Athaeneum in Hartford, Connecticut in 1999 and have some of his books. I showed him my miniature Rembrandt painting and he said now I had to paint something from the collection of the National Gallery of Art, and I will start working on one. Meeting him was indeed a highlight of the weekend for me!

This has been a once in a lifetime honor and I am thrilled to be able to share my work with the public.

2009-04-18T15:13:00.001-04:00

2009-03-26T12:33:00.002-04:00

I have some very exciting miniature news! Through this blog site, I was invited by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. to exhibit my 17th century Dutch Canal House (shown above) at the museum. This is in conjunction with their current exhibit, “Pride of Place, Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age” which runs through May 3rd. Their web site is www.nga.gov/programs/family. Admission to the museum is free. I understand there will be some publicity from the museum and the following is taken from their web site:

"Family Weekends offer a variety of activities—films, music, hands-on art projects—for children and adults to enjoy together. All activities are free. There is no advance registration for this drop-in program; participation in each activity is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call (202) 789-3030. April 25 from 10:00 to 5:00 April 26 from 11:00 to 6:00 West Building Main Floor.

Join us for a weekend of programs celebrating seventeenth-century Dutch painters and the cities that inspired them. Explore the exhibition Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age using family activity booklets. Examine the unique design of Dutch cities–the squares, marketplaces, canals, and rows of houses, and how different artists depicted the bustling city centers. Create works of art inspired by the unique architecture of Dutch cities and experiment with des igning your own cityscape. Listen to seventeenth-century Dutch music and enjoy traditional folk songs. Each performance will last approximately thirty minutes.

Please take a look at additional photos of this dolls house. You will need to scroll down, to the 2nd page to find it. I do hope any of you in the area will come and say “hello.” I would love to meet you.

2008-12-10T14:00:00.004-05:00

Hello to all my readers,

I have a counter on my blog that tells me which cities in the US or countries around the world are viewing my blog. I can't believe how many places around the world you all are from! Right now, it numbers 54 countries and I lost track of how many cities and states.

As a part of the blogging, I would love to correspond with any of my readers who care to "chat." While it is lovely if you leave comments, I still don't really know who you are and I don't get an email address for you. So, if you would like to start a conversation or a have a "pen pal," I would love to write back to you. Please write to me at cookiemax@aol.com if you care to. Be sure to put something regarding "doll house blog" in the subject line because I don't open unrecognizable posts. Thanks! Cookie

The House of the Three Widows

2008-08-24T18:06:00.047-04:00

At the Philadelphia Miniaturia fair in 1994, I discovered a Cornish range by Neil Butcher and bought it from Wayne and Sally Lasch, wondering what I was ever going to do with it. I am very disciplined when purchasing miniatures, only buying for the project at hand. Buying this was a change for me, but I hoped someday to do a house where I could use this piece. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I should contact Vic Newey again (see the Dickensian Street Scene below). He was making a lovely Merchants House, but that was not the style I wanted. I had always dreamed of a Cotswold stone house after several trips through that part of England. I loved the names of the towns, Chipping Camden, Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter, Stow-on-the-Wold, etc. and the sunlit, honey colored stone buildings found there.

Vic and his wife, Jennifer, were willing to drive around Oxfordshire and take photos (this was before gasoline was 6 pounds a gallon). They found a real beauty in the town of Broadway, famous for its Lygon Arms Inn, and that became the basis for the house. My early influence was the book, The Shell Seekers, by Rosamunde Pilcher. Mrs. Pilcher describes the home of her heroine, Penelope, and there was a warmth and comfort I felt from her description. I could imagine myself living there. I also researched Beatrix Potter's life but didn't want to recreate her Hilltop Farm, but again, an influence. I searched through all the books I found on the country life in rural England, specifically in the Cotswolds.

In an effort to explain why this dolls house is named as it is, I will tell you some of the background of meeting the "3 widows."

I was asked to host a portion of a Nutshell News tour through the East Coast and while there were 55 people roaming all over my house, I expressed my fear of driving in England to a group. An older woman said, "If you plan the itinerary, I will drive you anywhere you want." I asked if she was serious, and she was. So began a friendship with Sally Howard Smith of Salisbury, England. True to her word, that spring, we roamed all over the countryside and saw Montacute, the most beautiful and perfect Elizabethan house I had ever visited. A collection of English Band Samplers was housed there, which fascinated me. They differ from the American style sampler which is usually square with a house, figures and alphabet. The band sampler is a long piece of evenweave linen where the stitcher made motifs of repetitive designs, mostly used to embellish clothing. I have since stitched two of them, but the originals are a wonder. It is really a reference piece and many times, kept unframed just lying in a stitchers work basket.

Sally Howard Smith is a needleworker and was one of the founding members, (along with Daphne Turner), who helped to start the MNS, Miniature Needlework Society. This is an international group of needleworkers who are avid supporters of fine miniature stitching. They usually have a table at the English fairs and sometimes in the United States. I believe they have a branch in Australia as well. Sally had been the mayor of the town, Bishops Stortford, at one time. Again, my interest in British place names, so interesting! I once purchased a book on the British place names, but I guess it's out of "place," I can't find it.

I loved staying at Sally's home with its beautiful garden and conservatory. I felt such a warmth and security staying there. Her collection of miniatures was housed in a room that was fairly inaccessible and we had to climb through a sort of porthole to get to it! She had a garden shed with all the implements needed for her to raise hollyhocks and a whole host of English wild flowers.

On another trip to Salsibury, Sally invited me to join her at a Stumpwork workshop that the British Embroiderer's Guild was sponsoring. I was sure it would be based on 16th c. stumpwork and was surprised that it was very modern day styling. While staying at a nearby Bed & Breakfast, I walked into town and as I approached the Cathedral, found three shops, practically in a row, that were my favorite subjects...first a needlework shop, then an art shop where I was able to buy real ivory (cannot purchase in the United States) and real vellum to paint on, and then the old bookshop, that I talk about in the Dickensian Street Scene below.

At English miniature fairs, I met a dealer, Jill Swift and her husband Michael. I enjoyed their stand at the fairs and somehow got into a conversation years later about a tour of their portion of England, East Anglia. They lived in the Norfolk area at the time and were happy to arrange a personal tour for me through the area. Jill had been a tour guide earlier on before miniatures came into their lives and she is also a needleworker. They took me to private homes of the Tudor period as well as the public ones, such as Blickling Hall. We drove past a beautiful Tudor house and stopped, taking the chance we could tour the garden. The caretaker welcomed us in and showed us around the ground floor! Shades of the olden days, butlers always did this for money. We didn't tip him but it was an enjoyable time for us.

Jill made an appointment to see a Tudor manor house and view Ann Sharp's Baby House, the oldest known dolls house in England, c. 1700's. It was given to little Ann Sharp by Queen Anne as a gift. The door of the manor house stood wide open when we arrived, so after knocking for quite some time we finally walked through the entry into the Great Hall! Ann Sharp's baby house was right there, covered by a green felt cloth to prevent sun damage. Finally the lady of the house came in from the garden and opened up the dolls house, which is more of a cabinet than a dolls house. She was very casual with it and started handing me items from the house. The top floor of the cabinet contains precious small antiques, including an embroidered Elizabethan glove and shoe, unbelievable to get to hold items of such age!

The guest room at the Swift's was upstairs overlooking a garden that held a pair of peacocks. I had never been near any before, and will never forget the sounds they make at 4 a.m.! They had no sense of people who like to sleep in till 9 a.m. One evening, Jill, Michael and I took a walk toward the North Sea, nearby their home, to hear the call of the nightingale that rarely comes to the area. Very strange to me to be walking in the pitch black at 10 p.m. to hear a bird. I grew up in Brooklyn, New York next to the ocean, and believe me, we never did anything like that at home.

At one time, the N.A.M.E. (National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts) held their annual fair in Philadelphia and I met an English lady, Silvia Rowbottom. At the time, Silvia was editor of The Home Miniaturist, and we hit it off right away. We have maintained our friendship over 15 years, I think. As a matter of fact, I am going to England and will stay at her home again. Silvia, whose last name is now Ambrose, was a collector of miniatures herself and has a reproduction of a house at Lacock Abbey by Peter Mattinson. It is really wonderful, Peter is a superb miniaturist. My last trip to see Silvia, she took me to Waddesdon Manor, a Rothschild property, where we had a delightful outdoor tea. Silvia is a gardener and her home again has a warm and relaxed atmosphere, and while not at all an old house, I feel it was the comfort I felt there that influenced me.

Sally, Jill and Silvia are all widows now and the feelings I took away with me from their homes is how I came upon the title for the Cotswold dolls house. When the name for the dolls house popped into my head, it just stayed and felt right.

While not a part of the title of the dolls house, other people whose homes influenced me are Nick and Esther Forder and Trees and Joop Beertema of The Netherlands. Nick has a wonderful collection of antique dolls houses which I enjoyed viewing on my trips to their home. While we were eating dinner at the kitchen table looking out to their garden, a red fox came and stole food from the cats dish. Again, not something I was familiar with in Brooklyn. They took me to visit Hampton Court where we ran into many costumed guides who only spoke in the style of the period clothing they wore. We were on a tour led by a woman who must have been Anne Boleyn in her former life. Her hands were so expressive and she was truly beautiful.

I talk about Trees Beertema in the description of the 17th c. Dutch canal house below and she led me on a tour of Holland and introduced me to its many historic wonders.

Description of the House, the rooms and the makers:

The house was built in 1697 during the reign of William III, but now it is 1935 and the lady who lives there, Mrs. Victoria Winterbotham, is a widow, having lost her husband, Nigel, from wounds suffered in India. This is my only dolls house representing the 20th century, so she can have some more modern things, such as a telephone and the new-fangled electric lights! She is very proud of having electricity, even though it only works intermittently.

The heart of the home, The Kitchen and the adjacent Potting Shed with storage room behind:
The Cornish range is built in on the left side and in the far right corner is a corner cabinet that I painted in a class with Ruth Pollack of Spain. There are a number of pieces of Stokesayware throughout the kitchen and the natural color wood pieces of furniture are by Jane Newman, including the built-in sink with drainboards on either side. She also supplied a number of pieces on the work table made in that green, peculiar only to the 1930's. Mary Carson of Hammer-n-Smith made a number of green handled accessories. Tom Pouce made the Alsatian stoneware with blue designs as well as some green pottery. Steve Hilbert made a pair of cream and terra cotta bowls at the bottom of the kitchen dresser, which was made by Hank and Elinor Taylor of The Carpenter's Chest. Janet Brownhill of Country Treasures supplied the jelly molds, mason jars, copper pots and pans. Jim Watts made a knife sharpener that really works! Leslie Burgess of Miniature Dreams furnished the table with the breakfast items and Frances Steak supplied some of the copperware. Andrew Gregory made brass accessories.

Mr. Cecil Hornsby is the gardener who comes faithfully on Wednesdays. Mrs. Winterbotham is getting elderly now and really couldn't properly tend her garden without his help. These figures are from Pat Boldt kits and I dressed them both.

The Lower Hall:

Adjacent to the kitchen is the spacious front to back hallway. Nick Forder antiqued the cream colored iron hall stand containing an umbrella and a cane. Above is a cherry hall mirror and hat rack by Edwardian Elegance. A Le Blond antique print hangs above the doorway leading to the kitchen.

The Dining Room and ensuite Sitting Room:

The Queen Anne Dining Room table is by Edward Norton and the walnut Windsor chairs are marked "WSC." I didn't know the name of this maker, and Doris Alderman kindly informed me that Bill Clinger is the maker. Mrs. Winterbotham has a collection of cranberry glass, most of which is made by Glasscraft. On the right side is an Arts and Crafts cherry wood cabinet with three shelves made by Jeff Wilkerson. The blue and white china is by Stokesayware and the rose patterned dinnerware service by Avon Miniatures. The working black tavern clock on the left is by Small Time. Mrs. Winterbotham proudly collects pieces of Queen Victoria memorabilia, her namesake, and Stokesayware made the Victorian commemmorative vases and bowl on the mantel.

The ensuite Sitting Room:
I made the velvet upholstered armchair in an IGMA class with Nancy Summers and later made the matching sofa. The anti-macassars are antique pieces of needlework I found years ago and never before found a use. Now, they are perfect to avoid hair oil on the precious furniture. The Canterbury magazine rack to the side of the armchair is by Marcia Gardner of Yesterday's Charm. The gold covered corner chair is by Denis E.W. Hillman, which I petitpointed with gold silk thread on 48 silk mesh. More antique Le Blond prints are on the walls and the round candle stand is by Edward Norton. Maps and paper ephemera are by Box Clever Miniatures and the barrel chair with lions heads is made by Cristina Noriega of Spain. On the desk in the rear stands a vase with 5 pink roses. This was a gift from IGMA and made by Sandra Henry Wall for hosting a tour of my collection in the spring of 1999.

Up the stairs are the following rooms:

Mrs. Winterbotham's Bedroom and bath:

As I don't have room in my house for all my dolls houses, some of the furniture has been moved from the Vassall Craigie house, which is not on display. This includes the bed by Mr. Murter and the tambour frame by Harry Cooke. The fireplace is by Sue Cook, the bathroom fixtures are by Ann Shepley. The quilt on the bed is by Elizabeth Andrews. The Glass People, Lynn McEntire, and Box Clever were the makers of many accessories. Wright Guide to Miniatures made items in the closets and on the sink. The leather purse and shoes were made by Susan Lee.

The Upper Hall:

The armoire on the upper left by M & R Miniatures was meant to be in Mrs. Winterbothams bedroom, but when I came home, I found there was no room for it, it was too tall. M & R also made the chess table that stands below a window. The two bargello chairs that I stitched, could be pulled up to the chess table when family members wanted to play. Hand tinted antique engravings hang above the chairs, c. 1830.

The Nursery:

Granddaughters Amy and Lucy are visiting Grammie Vicky. Baby Lucy is by Amanda Skinner and Amy is by Pat Melvin. The green painted bedroom set is by Ruth Pollack of Spain, and the larger brass bed is by Jason Getzan. The blanket chest is by Trevor Jiggins of Dovetail Miniatures. Truly Scrumptious made the lamps with decorated lampshades and books, Reverie Miniatures made the bed pillows. Some of the toys are by Chris Sturgess Lief, Archa of Rosie Duck made many of the childrens games as well as other toys by Debbie Coyle and Joan Howard. Eric Horne made the penny wooden doll Lucy is sleeping with.

The Attic:
The Attic contains three rooms and Mrs. Winterbotham's neice from Australia, Henrietta Snowden, lives there. Henrietta has her own bed-sitter with kitchen, and at the end of the hall, is the combination artist studio and sewing room. She earns her keep by laundering, ironing and mending for the household. Mrs. Winterbotham was quite well-known for her oil paintings in her younger days, but now with arthritic knees, she cannot climb the stairs to use the art studio. Henrietta has inherited her aunts' talent and makes use of the studio. She aspires to sell her paintings at the galleries in London.

Henrietta brought the lace dresses and warm woolen blankets with her from Tasmania and they were made by Helen Davies of Cupboard Miniatures. The pine wash stand is by A.L. Miniatures, Betty Blankenfeld supplied the marble sink, Jane Newman made the natural finished bedroom peices, and Nick Forder antiqued the iron bedstead. In her spare time, Henrietta knits and embroiders. I stitched the crewel wing chair (shown elsewhere in the blog) and did the tiny cross stitch piece standing nearby.

Rye Street, a Dickensian street scene, c. 1837

2008-08-20T22:39:00.047-04:00

"Rye Street" had its beginnings with an ad for an antique painting in The Magazine Antiques. The painting was similar in style to William Powell Frith, a mid-Victorian English artist who I have long admired. I don’t know the name of the artist or of the painting itself, but I was in love with the picture and wanted to own it very badly.

(This view is in the corner of my bedroom and I stitched the two pictures above. On the left is an Elizabethan stumpwork design and on the right is a blackwork embroidery stitched in burgundy thread. I was honored to have this piece appear in the book, "Blackwork" by Mary Gostelow.)

I wrote to the advertiser, N.R. Omell Gallery on Duke Street in the heart of the West End in London, asking for a photo and they sent a transparency measuring 5” x 7.” When held against a light, it glowed with life and showed a group of people in the street crowding around the window of a store, staring in at a painting on display. We, the viewer, never see the object of their admiration, but their looks of awe and wonderment transported me into my very vivid imagination. Along with the transparency came the quote for the painting and I did not pursue it any further, being quite out of my range.

I always kept the transparency safe and finally had copies printed. I wanted a miniature shop made with the view of the inside of a store looking out through the front window. The figures in the street would be looking in. I didn’t try to commission anything similar; it was just a dream until one day in June 1997, I received a copy of an English miniature magazine that showed a street scene of a courtyard with two shops and the façade of a third. It was made by Vic Newey in Warwickshire, England. Within moments, I was on the telephone calling Vic and his child answered the telephone. The family was amazed that a woman from New York was calling about a dolls house! He was at the beginning of his miniature building career and had no idea of the lengths miniaturists go in order to find the perfect piece. Now, years later, he accepts all the strange whims miniaturists have with world-wide commissions.

After assuring Vic that the call probably would not cost more than $5.00, we discussed the street scene. He was a former film and TV set designer and wanted to change careers because of back problems. He felt his full size methods were applicable to miniatures and was able to produce the most wonderful antiquing effects. Over the phone, we settled on details of the street, customizing it to my requirements and I traveled to the Miniatura fair in Birmingham, England in September 1997 to meet. I purchased most of the lighting fixtures necessary from Wood 'n Wool Miniatures, except for the double armed street lamp, which is by Scott's Lighting. I sent it over to Vic to be installed.

Views of Mr. Asquith's Antiquarian Bookshop and courtyard
While Vic and his wife, Jennifer, were working on the street, I was trying to decide the kind of shops I wanted. Using my own interests as a start, I determined that the left side of the street would be dedicated to Mr. Asquith's Antiquarian Books on the ground lfoor and Miss Merrivale's Academy for Young Ladies upstairs.

The two women and little boy are my version of the people "crowding around the window looking inside," in this case, at an open volume of Shakespeare, showing an etching of his face.

Miss Merrivale's Academy for Young Ladies
Most of the figures in the school and in the street are by JDesigns. The young lady is painting oils with a boxed set by Rosie Duck, and her sister is stitching needlework near the window. Their instructress is standing at the table, working on a tapestry frame.

Interior of Mr. Asquith's Antiquarian Books
The bookshop is modeled after one I visited in Salisbury, England, not far from the Cathedral. I’ve heard the shop is gone now, so this is my homage. Mr. Asquith, by Sunday Dolls, has added prints, maps and a few antiques to his shop. The huge bookcase on the left side is by Carl Isabelle and has a working clock inset on the top. The Tudor style refectory table is by Norman Jones. A number of the printed books are by Barbara Raheb, including “The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club” and “Great Expectations” both by Charles Dickens. Jason Getzan made the wood and brass cane that Mr. Asquith is holding. It was a challenge acquiring the many books to fill the shelves.

Three of the books on the table in front of Mr. Asquith are by Barbara Brear, a maker of miniature books, who lives near Capetown, South Africa. At the time, I didn't know Barbara, but she knew that articles on my collection appear from time to time in British and American magazines. She sent an email wanting to gift me with three of her books in the hopes that they would get into a publication. Shortly after they arrived, they did appear in Miniature Collector and Mr. Asquith is reading her open book in the photos, the other two are also on the table.

Several years later, Barbara was chosen to be a recipient of an IGMA scholarship to the Guild School at Castine, Maine. Barbara again contacted me to see if I would be at Castine, but as I wasn't going, I invited her to visit me at my home. We had a lovely visit together and she taught me the art of bookbinding and decorating china.

Redman & Son, Ironmonger's
On the right side of the street, is Redman & Son, Ironmonger’s, (a hardware store to Americans). Mr. Redman, wearing his traditional leather apron, is happily checking the day’s receipts while Mrs. Redman is dusting the merchandise. Sir Tom Thumb made many of the tools, pewter is by Jim Ison, Harmony Forge, Olde Mountain Miniatures, pottery by Jane Graber and Debbie Coyle and Joan Howard made wooden items.

Miss Upshot's room
Renting a room above the Redman's shop, Miss Evelyn Upshot, a single lady, is preparing her evening meal. Her incorrigible parrot, Timmy, regularly embarasses her with his colorful phrases and curses. He was taught to speak by a Cockney seaman and she tries to keep his dicey language under control, may I say, unsuccessfully. She is at her wit’s end!

Courtyard and the Clockmaker's
The shop façade in the middle of the scene is Samuel and Co., the Clockmaker’s Shop. Mrs. Samuel, the proprietor’s wife, looking out the upper window, is trying to chase away the rag picker who is slightly daft and cackles loudly the day long. The skivvy is giving the stoop its' daily scrubbing. Mrs. Samuel is also observing the two young urchins near the vegetable cart, the younger one is about to pinch a peach, while her sister lectures her about the sins of stealing.
When the crate containing the street arrived at my house in the spring of 1998, I was devastated to find one of the frosted glass globes was broken. The fragments were lying on the floor and I feel the crate was opened by customs agents who broke the globe. Instead of trying to break the lamp out of the stone ground to have it repaired, I added a street urchin holding a rock with the broken glass all around him. My overly zealous cleaning lady eventually dusted the broken shards of glass away!

At the side of the Ironmongers, a cat looks on trying to figure the best way to catch the rats hovering around the piles of grain and feed.

Once I had received the scene, the Rye Historical Society in Westchester County, New York contacted me and I was asked to put it on their Christmas display. I never put a dolls house together so quickly! I had to get it ready in a few short weeks, have it brought over and set up in no time at all. Never again!

While on display, a woman came by and said it looks just like a street in the town of Rye, England, and I kept the name from her observation.

The Vassall Craigie House

2008-06-14T17:57:00.028-04:00

The original of this dolls house, c. 1759, is located at 105 Brattle Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The names shown above were previous owners of the full size house and it is currenly known as the Longfellow House, after the famous poet who lived there. I chose to freeze it to the time that George and Martha Washington were residents of the Vassall-Craigie House. They celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary there and stayed nearly one year during the American Revolution (1775).

I worked very closely with the maker of the dolls house, Robert Louis Bartlett of Saratoga Springs, New York. Unfortunately, this was the last miniature house that he built as he changed careers shortly after completing it. I first saw his work in Ridgewood, New Jersey at a men's clothing store called McHugh's. It was a model of Abraham Lincoln's house in Springfield, Illinois and I thought his work was brilliant.

I lived quite a distance away from Robert and this was in the days before emailing existed, so we wrote frequently and designed the house with input from both of us. I sent him fabrics and matching paint for the rooms and bought him a copy of the various research books I was using. This way, he was able to see the particular fireplace I wanted in each room, or I sent him a post card purchased at the many restorations I visited. I researched all the 18th century houses that I knew of and was leaning toward a real beauty in Litchfield, Connecticut, but fell in love with this one. I found the Litchfield house had been reproduced a number of times in miniature and that was not what I wanted. I drove up to Cambridge, Massachusetts to see the Longfellow House in person.

I loved the exterior, little changed during the Victorian period except for two porches that had been added on the sides of the house, which I left off. The interior floorplan was not suitable for a dolls house, so I created my own layout. I wanted it as authentic as possible and found a chip of exterior paint on the porch. It was a wonderful shade of gold and I was able to have it matched exactly.

The Drawing Room:
The Drawing Room, located at the lower left front, is decorated with matching yellow silk upholstered Duncan Phyfe sofa and recamier by Denis E. W. Hillman of the U.K. In 1975, I found these when I visited his home in Surrey, England. This was in Denis' early days of making miniatures when he made a Tudor refectory table and matching chairs (pieces I later acquired for my Elizabethan Manor House). More recently, Denis Hillman became known for his Louis XIV furnishings with bronze ormulu trim made for Ede & Ravenscroft, the cloak makers to the Queen. These pieces are in the permanent collection of the Naples Museum of Art, in Naples, Florida.

Oil portraits of Martha and George Washington are by George Schlosser and sterling silver pieces by Cini and a Myer Myers Coffee Set by Obadiah Fisher. The silver kettle by Eugene Kupjack rests on a stand by Terry Rogal. The brass fire fender is by William H. Bowen and the brass andirons by Don Buttfield. Harry Cooke made the piecrust table. Gold edged china is by Deborah McKnight and Priscilla Lance. As I got my start with miniatures through needlework, I flame-stitched (also known as Bargello) a pair of side chairs for the room. The chairs frames were made by Betty Valentine of Viriginia. I stitched the carpets throughout the house using DMC floss, this one is a Savonnerie pattern on 22 mesh. These carpets were the basis for my miniature rug business I launched at that time. I sold them as kits at the White Plains Miniature Show and the International Guild of Miniature Artisans show (I.G.M.A.) in the 1980's.

The Music Room:
On the lower right front of the house is the Music Room with a harpsichord by Roger Gutheil and a Betty Valentine sofa upholstered in silk. Joe Murter made the two Hepplewhite chairs set around a pie crust table The figure of Sally Fairfax was made by Silvia Mobley and I costumed her. As it turns out, Sally Fairfax is a relation to the residents of Mansion House!

Martha Washington's Bedroom:
The walls of Mrs. Washington's room are covered with a blue and white floral fabric. Betty Valentine chose the same fabric for a wing chair and I knew it had to go home with me when I saw it at the Molly Brody show in 1979. I dressed the Roger Gutheil tester bed to blend with the room. I dressed the Sylvia Mobley figure of Martha Washington and she stands beside a tambour frame that she has been embroidering. The tambour frame was custom made for me by Harry Cooke after I wrote to Woodlawn Plantation, the home of Nelly Custis and requested a photo and particulars about the piece. I had to sign a letter stating I was not planning to reproduce it for sale and it was being made for my own use. The chest on chest, made of a lovely old cherry wood, was made by Richard Rooney in England with exquisite detail and craftsmanship.

George Washington's Bedroom:
General Washington's bed in his deep red room was also dressed by me, as was the bargello day bed, crewel wing chair and the carpet, which only took three weeks to stitch. Notice the grimace on the General's face...his wooden teeth are on the dresser to his right!

Upper and Lower Hallways:
Photos of the front to back hallway on both floors of the house.

This is a two sided house and the following pictures are on the back side of the house:

The Dining Salon:
The built-in corner shell top cupboards are by Roger Gutheil with Debbie McKnight pottery on the shelves. The large dining table is by Joe Andrews. These tables were made by hand as gifts for all attendees to the VME (Virginia Miniature Enthusiasts) show in the 1970's. Joe was partially losing his eyesight and thereafter had his furniture made in Asia. Joe also made the 8 dining chairs. The rug here is an Aubusson pattern that I created and stitched on 22 mesh to the inch. The figures are by Sue Atkinson of Sunday Dolls and were just visiting this house, awaiting delivery of the dolls houses they currently reside in. Look for the gentleman and lady and in the Mansion House Drawing Room and the children are located elsewhere in that house.

The Kitchen:
Warren Dick made the spice chest on the left side of the picture. It contains 9 tiny drawers to hold the precious spices brought back to America from Asia, at great expense. The mistress of the house would hold on to the key to the chest, not trusting the servants to have access.

Nelly Custis's Room (Mrs. Washington's daughter):
I stitched the tiny cross stitch sampler on the left, crewel embroidered the coverlet, and folk art painted the chest at the foot of the bed.

Patsy and Jackie's room (the Washington's relatives):
The figures are by Amanda Skinner, including the sleeping baby on the chair. The 1/144th scale house is by the Gudgels, a part of a series of charming little houses and are now quite collectible. I made the chest at the foot of the bed. That sneaky old Tooth Fairy dropped off my children's teeth in this chest as she flew through our house!

2008-04-27T20:32:00.006-04:00

2008-04-27T20:25:00.003-04:00

18th C. Mansion House, York, England

2008-04-27T18:27:00.021-04:00

Caroline Hamilton, the owner of the London Dolls House Festival, knew of a beautiful 18th c. English townhouse by Peter Mattinson that was partially finished. She sent me a photo before I went to London for the fair and when I saw its roof top from outside the fair, I got chills!

MANSION HOUSE was built by Peter Mattinson of Yorkshire. Peter based the exterior of this model on the Lord Mayor's house, called Mansion House on St. Catherine's Square in the City of York. Peter was unable to gain access to the interior and based it on a house of the 18th c. period located on the same street, called Fairfax House. Coincidentally, Fairfax House was the ancestral home of Sally Fairfax. She was the woman for whom George Washington had a yearning and is visiting in the Music Room of the Vassall Craigie Longfellow House. When I realized I had miniature family connections between my 18th c. houses, I just had to take a moment to pause...is this getting a little too strange?

When I first saw Mansion House at the London Dolls' House Festival (LDHF), I felt it was destiny as the pine wood paneling in the Dining Salon looked just like the paneling in my own dining room. As it happened, my husband was traveling through Europe on business and knew I would be at the LDHF. I was kneeling on the floor in front of the dolls house when he found me. It took us ten minutes to decide to buy it.

As always, I feel I must research the period of each dolls house, and was reading through many books looking for a likely story. Mentioning the house I was working on at my miniature club meeting, one of the ladies suggested "The Scarlet Pimpernel," an original novel by Baroness Orczy. I found a very old copy of it that was falling apart, read it and by a strange coincidence, the 1934 movie version with Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon was on television the following night. What follows is my version, with apologies to Baroness Orczy...

The year is 1792 and the 'Reign of Terror' is rampant in France. The aristocrats were hiding, fleeing for their lives and the St. Just family took a ship to England to seek refuge with friends. Marguerite St. Just, a former actress with the Comedie Francaise, married an Englishman, Sir Percy Blakeney. She became impatient with his foppish ways and, like so many ladies of the time, was infatuated with the mysterious Scarlet Pimpernel who wore elaborate disguises and saved aristocrats from the shadow of "Madame la Guillotine." Sir Percy wrote the following couplet about the Scarlet Pimpernel...

"They seek him here,
They seek him there,
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere.
Is he in heaven or is he in hell?
That demmed elusive Pimpernel."

THE BALLROOM: Mademoiselle Marie Fournier is guiding the Blakeney cousins, Cosette and Jean Paul St. Just, on a tour of family portraits. They are studying Francois Boucher's painting of Madame Bergeret by Melissa Wolcott Martino. When we first saw the dolls house, my husband felt that such an elaborate house should have a ballroom and Peter Mattinson cut through the floor of the second servants room to accommodate a two story ballroom. John J. Hodgson provided the gilt furnishings throughout the house, the two children are by Jane Davies and Mlle. Fournier by Joan Durigg.
DRAWING ROOM: Sir Percy Blakeney and Lady Marguerite, by Sue Atkinson of Sunday Dolls, are in the elegant Drawing Room which is wallpapered with an 18th century Chinese design known as 'Monkey Paper.' The monkey paper was card stock by Caspari cut to fit, taken from a nearby historic home in Katonah, New York, called 'Caramoor.' Lady Marguerite is about to pour tea for Sir Percy from the tea set on top of an unusual three-legged tilt top table which has a shelf area behind locked doors for cup storage. The table was made by Gerald Crawford and the Simon Willard tall clock was made for me in 1979 by Ron Terrill. Chuck Krug made the yellow sofa and green wing chair, Patricia and Bruno Herbillon made the Louis XV Bureau Plat (desk) on the right wall. Roger Gutheil made the bonnet top secretary.
THE GRAND HALL: The photo on the left shows the upper hallways, taken from Fairfax House. Roberts the butler, by Sunday Dolls, directs the footman when a leather covered truck is delivered to Mansion House. On the John J. Hodgson table is a bowl made by Jean Welsh of The China Closet which was a gift from a N.A.M.E. National Houseparty in Philadelphia. The 144th scale Baby's House under the stairs is by Lew Kummerow and is taken from the Tate Baby House in Bethnal Green Museum.
THE DINING SALON: The room has been prepared for desserts after an evening dinner party. I designed and worked the petitpoint carpet and the small chest on the left is by Herbillon. The sideboard on the right is an antique bought in London and believed to be made by one of the same craftsmen who made several pieces for Queen Mary's dolls house. I bought the sideboard in Kay Desmonde's Kensington shop and immediately left it in the back seat of a London Taxi! We traveled all over London to find out where the cabs go at the end of the day and actually found it! Wonderful London cabbies!
MASTER BEDROOM: Lady Marguerite's sister-in-law, Violette St. Just, is in bed having just delivered her baby girl. Suzanne, Lady Marguerite's personal maid, arrives with fresh linen. I made and dressed Violette and Suzanne as well as Martha Washington, who is visiting. Little Katherine Blakeney has come to visit her aunt and new cousin, but seems to be more interested in the sweets than visiting new babies! Katherine was made by Sunday Dolls. In the niches on the back wall are busts of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette of terra cotta by Le Chateau Interiors and many small implements in the room are by Lawrence St. Leger of England.

SERVANTS ROOM: While Mary, made by Sunday Dolls, was sweeping the floor of Cook's second-floor quarters, Lucifer, the biggest household cat, burst into the room from the attic above, in pursuit of a mouse!

BELOW STAIRS: Below stairs in Mansion House are four rooms including the kitchen to the left and the buttery on the right. The buttery is filled with an assortment of cheeses and a rocking butter churn and two cats are hoping for some fresh cream. The kitchen details are taken directly from Fairfax House. The cold room, left below, is where the meats are stored and Tweenie is on her knees in the wine cellar, shown below...

Miniature oil painting by Cookie Ziemba

2008-04-27T00:32:00.014-04:00

This oil painting, after a Rembrandt, was from a class I took from Johannes Landman in 2007 at the IGMA Guild School in Castine, Maine. Jan, as he is called, is a master in oil painting and I was lucky enough to be in the lottery to get in his class. It was difficult, but nowhere as difficult as the watercolor on vellum shown below. I do hope to be able to get into his next class at the Guild because this is a technique I would like to do in the future.

Miniature Watercolor on Vellum by Cookie Ziemba

2008-04-26T22:27:00.006-04:00

This watercolor painting on real vellum was done in a class under the direction of John J. Hodgson, master painter and furniture maker. John is an expert in anything he undertakes and I felt that my painting came out quite well. I took this class at the IGMA Guild School in Castine, Maine.

It was the most difficult painting I've ever worked on because the ground is actual vellum (embryo lamb skin). Therefore, it has all its flaws, but you cannot see them until the skin is wet with paint. One of the subsequent paintings I attempted had a big flaw on the cheek of the lady I was painting. I had to stop working on it as it could not be saved.

We used ordinary fine artist watercolor paints, John likes Schminke Horadam brand, and the finest possible sable brushes, including 4 o's - 0000. If you have ever worked in watercolor you know how unforgiving it can be depending on the ground material. With the vellum, there is no blending or moving the paint. When the brush is laid down, that is the stoke that stays. I felt I had to finish it in the week that we were at Castine and had to drop another class. The other instructor was quite understanding, but I did feel badly. I continued to work on it after class hours until my neck and shoulders ached, but, oh how I loved it.

John made the frame it is in and the painting is out of scale for a dolls house, being more in keeping with the description of a miniature painting, which had nothing to do with dolls houses. I bought one of John's beautiful watercolors and mine hangs beneath his on a wall next to the Leicester House, the only spot I could find to have them on display but stay out of the sun.

17th c. DUTCH CANAL HOUSE

2008-04-26T17:16:00.018-04:00

Exterior Views

The following paragraph is quoted from the "Contributors in this Issue" page regarding an article I wrote for International Dolls House News (IDHN), Volume 26, No 2, 1997. A photo of the window area of the parlor was on the cover of that issue.

"Cookie Ziemba has been a collector of dolls houses and miniatures for the past twenty-two years and has assembled a magnificent collection during that time. Cookie has generously shared her houses with readers over the past few years. In 1995 (Vol. 24-2 and 3) we featured Cookie's Leicester House set in the 16th century and Mansion House which was an 18th century recreation, and in 1996 (Vol. 25-4), we were able to show the Vassall Craigie House reflecting the period of an American Colonial. With her keen interest in history and being an avid reader and traveler, Cookie enjoys researching the facts necessary to complete each house with great accuracy and detail. Cookie became an IGMA Artisan for her skill in needlework of which many examples including doll costuming, tapestry and crewel embroidery can be seen throughout her miniature houses. In this issue, we feature Cookie's latest model home, a 17th century Dutch house beginning on page 32."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two aspects in history that have always interested me most are the English Elizabethan and 17th c. Holland. This is certainly because the architecture of these periods is so very appealing. I had visited England many times but had never been to Holland. In 1993, seeing an advertisement for a Nutshell News tour starting in The Netherlands and terminating in England, I knew it would be a trip encompassing my interests. My companion on this trip was fellow miniature club member and friend, Mrs. Frances Statuto of New Jersey. We had the pleasure of befriending and having as our guide, Mrs. Trees Beertema of Alkmaar, The Netherlands.

I had always planned to have a Dutch canal house built and went on this trip determined to find the "right" house to recreate. From the outset, I had a particular style of house in mind that would have, amongst other things, a very ornate gabled roof. As part of the tour, Trees Beertema arranged a trip to the museum in Gorinchem (now called Gorkum) called "Dit is in Bethlehem." It is unknown why this house is called by that name and there was no literature describing the house, its former owners, etc. I recently found out that it was written on a plaque from a monastery that was probably just used as a decoration, but it has become the name of the house. I found an old book at the library that had a small photograph of it, but very little text. During my visit, many photographs were taken but I was unsure at that time that this would be the right house, partly because the exterior bricks were very dark and part of my requirements was to have a lighter, warmer brick color, which was ultimately achieved.

The tour ended in Birmingham, England at the Miniatura show where I spoke to Peter Mattinson, who had already made my 18th c. Georgian dolls house called "Mansion House" (see posting and International Dolls House News, Vol. 24, 1995). All the material gathered in Holland was left with Peter and plans for the house were started.

When I returned to the United States, I sent Peter a reprint of a book from 1912 of line drawings called "Old Houses in Holland" by Sydney R. Jones and mentioned an illustration I thought would be perfect. Upon further investigation, I realized this was the very same, much photographed house in Gorinchem! Since it is now a museum, the actual house did not quite look like a home anymore and I was unsure as to how the interior should be finished. A sketch in a book called "Daily Life in Holland in the Year 1566" by artist Rien Poortvliet solved this problem as it was also probably based on the house in Gorinchem. Both houses (actual and drawn) have the date of 1566 inscribed on them, as well as the miniature version.

Once the dolls house was underway, I planned who should "live" there. An artist seemed to be a natural choice since I love the genre paintings of Holland's Golden Age. Peter Mattinson actually suggested the idea of an artist and this appealed to me. The theme of a artist resident has since been incorporated in all my subsequent houses. I am an artist myself, painting in watercolors, now oils, designing and executing petit point and fine crewel embroideries, etc.

I researched the lives of the painters but, other than Frans Hals, Rembrandt and Vermeer, detailed information about the Dutch artists lives was very scarce at the time. Since then, I have gotten a number of monographs on other Dutch artists that I admire, i.e. Gerrit Dou, Gabriel Metsu, Gerard Ter Borch and Jan Steen. However, I was drawn to the work of Pieter de Hooch and even found that I already owned a miniature painting of a de Hooch, a segment of one of his paintings of a mother and child by Paul Saltarelli. On discovering that de Hooch died in an insane asylum called the "Dolhuis" (translates to mad house not dolls house...but...), it seemed obvious to me that I had found my artist. As mentioned, the prototype was in Gorinchem, so it is only typical of a 17th century canal house and not a copy of de Hooch's actual home in Delft, which is unknown and probably much more modest.

From 1652, de Hooch worked in the town of Delft and most likely knew Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675). This hasn't been proven but as Vermeer was the president of the Guild of St. Luke's, they likely influenced each other's work. De Hooch specialized in interior and architectural paintings showing women at various housewifely duties: feeding a child; combing nits out of the hair of a child; putting linen in a cabinet, as well as general family scenes in a courtyard. Many of his paintings have a wonderful feeling of looking through from one room to the next and Peter Mattinson was able to recreate this with the use of trompe l'oiel.
Artists Studio
The period represented in the finished house is c. 1660, but skillful aging of the house makes it look nearly one hundred years older, back to 1566. Since this is the home of a painter, it was decided the artists' studio should be on the ground floor to entice passersby to come in and make a purchase. As you enter the studio from the street, a map of a Dutch city hangs on the left wall, a common element shown in some of Vermeer's work, a well worn leather hat and vest hang on pegs next to the map. The artist has a still-life set up on his table, with a pencil sketch of it nearby. On his storage cabinet is his ledger book used to note sales and orders, and a skull, useful as a prop for a still-life (not shown) The easel was copied from the one in Vermeer's "The Allegory of Painting."
The Kitchen
The kitchen is located behind this small studio. The painted chairs are made by Ruth Pollock of Spain and the copperware and roasting rack by her husband. The table was made by Warren Dick and some of the food by England's Rosie Duck. The basket of bread is by The Kitchen Captive. Notice the open door on the far right wall past the kitchen that looks through into the "next room" which is a trompe l'oiel effect, as well as the "buttery" through the kitchen pantry (does not show in this photo).
The Parlor
The next floor shows the formal parlor where the artist and his wife, Jannetge, would entertain their friends as well as court customers, wealthy burghers, who would hopefully commission paintings. People of all walks of life collected paintings at that time and they were even to be found hanging in the blacksmith's shop. There are many reproductions of works by de Hooch, as well as other contemporary artists, included examples by British artist Leslie Smith; Russian artist Dimitri Pavlenski and Paul Saltarelli from America. The table and court cupboard are by Warren Dick, some of the flowers and fruit by Hope Elliott Cameron, pieces of blue and white delftware are copies from the Makkum factory and some are porcelain by Carol Lodder. Pierre Wallack made the large chair, the mandora resting on it is by Canada's Ken Manning and the enclosed child's high chair with potty is from Holland. The flooring throughout is typical tile work patterns seen in many homes in Holland.

The Bedroom:The bedroom floor has a cupboard bed that can be closed with curtains to keep in body heat. Below is a drawer for the baby to sleep in. Some of the painted pieces are made by an 80 year old woman from the Dutch town of Hindeloopen, Annetje Derksen. The walnut high chair is by Englishman, Barry Hipwell. In the middle of the room is a bobbin lace pillow and stand by Carol Hardy, together with a small lace maker's candle stand. The light from the candles would be magnified by glass globes which contained water, giving adequate light on the dark days of winter.
The Attic
The attic is where the young apprentices slept, ate and learned their craft; painting, preparing pigments, canvases and brushes. In my story, De Hooch was their master and trained them. (There is no documentation of de Hooch having apprentices, but many of his contemporaries did). Beyond this open attic space, behind a moveable panel, is the secret room where the family might have hidden a priest. This is a result of building the dolls house before the research was completed. The Calvinist Dutch were not as intolerant of religions as some other countries at the same time and this would not have been necessary.

Peter Mattinson is a Master in his own right...a Master of Miniature Houses. He was able to create the house of my imagination in three dimensional form, and with no difficulty at all, one believes they are looking at the real thing. I had the house many years before reading the book and watching the movie, "Girl with the Pearl Earring." I was enthralled watching the picture as I felt the actors were walking through my miniature house.

This dolls house was exhibited in the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut from November 17, 1999 to January 16, 2000. It has recently (June 2008) been featured on the cover of the Spanish miniature magazine, "Miniaturas, Construccion & Coleccionismo."

LEICESTER HOUSE, home of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester

2007-11-18T18:37:00.001-05:00

2007-11-18T18:32:00.000-05:00

2007-11-18T18:30:00.000-05:00

2007-11-18T18:27:00.000-05:00

2007-11-18T18:25:00.000-05:00

2007-11-18T18:20:00.000-05:00

2007-11-18T18:17:00.000-05:00

2007-11-18T18:08:00.000-05:00

Leicester House, a 16th century English Manor House

2007-11-13T23:10:00.001-05:00

Richard G. Schurtz of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania built this house that I ordered in 1982 and he delivered in October, 1986. When Richard drove it to my home in New York State, he wouldn't let me in the room for an hour and a half while he was setting it up. He wanted to see my face when I walked in. I was awestruck, to say the least.

Publications: there is an article with photos of this house in International Dolls House News, Summer 1995 issue, pages 17-19. The magazine cover shows the Throne Room of Hampton Court from Barry and Carole Kaye's Miniature Museum. The second article featuring this house is the October 1998 issue of Miniature Collector, pages 18-23. This issue has another of my dolls houses on the cover, a deep green shop front with salmon colored trim, and says "Cover Story: Cookie Ziemba's Historical Houses. "

This typical Elizabethan Manor House is about 6 feet wide, 4 feet high and 18" deep. It is two stories high and has only six rooms that would be across the front of the Manor House. In my mind, it stretches way back, but you just can't see it! The lower floor is comprised of a Great Chamber on the left, a central Great Hall and a Winter Parlor or Solar (our modern day family room) on the right. The upper floor has his and her bedrooms and a minstrel's gallery.

A very strong belief I have in dolls housing: there is nothing more important than having large enough rooms, not only in width and depth, but most importantly, height. Being a six foot wide house, it could have had many rooms, but I chose spacious rooms, which give a greater feeling of air, room for furnishings and figures. The height of a normal room today would be 8" high if it were a contemporary house. In miniature, you must make that same room 10" because of the angle of viewing of an average human. We are looking down into it, in many cases. Even so, at any angle, some of the view gets cut off and they look squat and out of proportion. The rooms in this house are about 14" high, 24" wide and 18" deep. Thus, I have the spaciousness that I require.

In the early 1980's, I met Richard Shurtz at several miniature shows and saw his interest in Tudor history from his room boxes. I started talks with him about building a significant house and from our discussions and the architectural drawings he submitted to me, I could tell he was a Henrican scholar (Tudor). He was an expert in a vast variety of woods and told me there were over 100 types used in the house. I asked for a breakdown of the woods, but never did get it. He did make full size models of some of the paneling and ceiling details so I could see what he was producing. I flew to Pittsburgh once during construction to see what he had in the works. It was very important, and well worthwhile. I was able to keep up with his progress and add my own suggestions.

We wrote back and forth with extensive information that we both researched. Richard chose not to try to copy just one house but to encompass elements of three English manors, still extant today: Longleat, Montacute and Wollaton Hall. I never did get to visit Wollaton, but have been to both of the others. I was impressed with Longleat, but it is overwhelming and hard to relate to. Montacute, on the other hand, was THE most wonderful Tudor manor house I have ever seen.

Nutshell News requested a tour to my home to view my collection. Over 55 guests were there from several countries, including Sally Howard Smith of Wiltshire, England. I was talking with a group and mentioned my fear of driving in England, and Sally, a complete stranger, said "If you plan the itinerary, I will drive you anywhere!" I asked if she was serious and she was. We made plans to tour the English countryside the next spring. That was the start of a lovely friendship.

She took me to Montacute in Somerset, which I will never forget. It was a comfortable size and had a wonderful display of "English Band Samplers." These are different from the usual American cross stitch sampler that would have a central motif and pictures or designs around the outside. The band sampler is polychrome blocks of very ornate designs, used to record patterns to be used on clothing. I was a needleworker before I was a miniaturist, so this was perfect for me. I have since stitched two of these band samplers in full size from kits by http://www.theessamplaire.com/ and http://www.scarlet-letter.com/. I highly recommend them if you like counted work. They look like blackwork although they are polychrome. I digressed, hard not to.

Some Elizabethan history - please forgive any errors, this is the way I remember it:

One of my cardinal rules in dolls housing is that I need to have a story connected to every dolls house, whether fictional or based on real people. I read many Tudor and Elizabethan histories and novels during the four years of construction. I feel using a major historic figure is a problem, there is so much known about them and no mystery, so I do like someone not as famous, but where there is at least some information available. I finally found an intriguing story and felt these would be my dolls house residents.

On a trip back to the airport from a week at the Guild School in Castine, Maine, I read an historic novel called "Passion's Reign" by Karen Harper. It is about Anne Boleyn's older sister, Mary Carey. The family interested me and I researched further reading about Mary's daughter, Catherine Carey, a favorite lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I. Continuing into the family records, I discovered Lettice Knollys, granddaughter to Mary Carey. I found Lettice to be fascinating, she became a rival to her cousin, Elizabeth I.

Queen Elizabeth's favorite gentlemen of the court was Robert Dudley. She and Dudley were both born on the same day, September 7, 1533 and were both imprisoned in the Tower of London at the same time when they were young. Upon her accession to the throne, she created Robert her Master of Horse. In her wily machinations, she sent Robert north to Scotland to try to marry her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots. In order to have him more equal, she elevated him to the rank of Earl of Leicester. Queen Mary was outraged at Elizabeth's suggestion that she marry her Master of Horse, and promptly married Henry, Lord Darnley. Mary was more impetuous than Elizabeth who calculated every move. It turned out that Darnley was one of her bigger mistakes.

Dudley tried to marry Elizabeth but she would have no man ruling her, based on her mother, Anne Boleyn's experience with her father, King Henry VIII. When Dudley finally was convinced Elizabeth would never marry him, he was determined to have an heir and thus needed a wife. His first wife, Amy Robsart, fell down a flight of stairs and died. He was accused of her death but was exonerated. In more recent times, Amy was found to have breast cancer and her bones were very brittle, so the fall really did kill her. The odd part was that she dismissed all her servants on that day and was alone in the house.

He set his sites on Lettice Knollys and secretly married her. When Elizabeth discovered this treacherous marriage, she threw Dudley into the Tower and later forgave him. She swore never to speak with Lettice again, and nearly succeeded.

Dudley still served and courted Elizabeth and she granted him a governorship in Holland. Lettice practically held court in Holland, the Dutch even thought she was queen of England! Elizabeth had Dudley return to England and he was involved in the Spanish Armada. He sickened during that war and Elizabeth stayed at his side, but he died in 1588. She kept a miniature portrait of him by her bedside for the rest of her life.

An aside...in the 1980's, items from British museums were on display at the National Gallery in Washington, DC including Robert's actual sword, Elizabeth's hand knitted hose and gloves and the aforementioned miniature portrait. I wept when I saw these pieces, especially the miniature.

Lettice was the mother (from a previous marriage to Walter Devereux) of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, who became another of Elizabeth's favorites. He was 34 years her junior and burst into her room whilst she had no wig on (she was nearly bald from always wearing coarse wigs). He planned an uprising against Elizabeth and for his troubles, she had him beheaded. Lettice went to plead with Elizabeth for her son's life but to no avail.

Robert and Lettice only produced one son during their brief marriage, another child named Robert, the little Lord Denbigh. He died at five years of age and his casket is near his parents at Beauchamp Chapel in St. Mary's Collegiate Church, Warwick and says "The Noble Impe" on it. I have an empty cradle in Lettice's room with his "bells and coral" hanging from it. The bells (a rattle) also holds a piece of coral which the baby sucked on, an early pacifier. Also in the room is a 16th century baby walker! There really is nothing new!

Description of dolls house and its contents:

The Great Hall has two figures, one of Queen Elizabeth and the other of Robert Dudley, Lord Leicester. I costumed these two Sylvia Mobley dolls http://www.sylviamobley.com/ and along with another figure of Lettice Knollys, I submitted them to the Guild (I.G.M.A.) for judging for Artisan status. I received this honor in costuming a number of years ago; a very proud moment.

Queen Elizabeth is wearing a black velvet gown that I embroidered with real gold, held down with gold silk couching thread and real bullion (curled gold wire) and pearls. Robert wears rust colored velvet and has a sword of Toledo steel in his sheath. His hose are from a pair of my own hose. They both have real feathers in their hats and her pearl earrings are hung from her hair, not the ears, which is authentic.

There are oil portraits of Lettice Knollys and Robert Dudley hanging on either side of the two figures. I commissioned Melissa Wolcott Martino to paint them based on the original historic portraits. We used very clear photos of the full size paintings for Melissa to copy and she submitted these portraits to achieve her I.G.M.A. Fellow status.

Wes Hart, a former jewelry maker, produced silver pieces for this gallery; a mace, a German halberd, an Elizabethan Ceremonial Sword chased with gold, a Saxon axe, a Linstock halberd and a breast plate with crossed halberds behind. Elizabeth McInnis of Mere Trifles made the 12 point Elk head hanging on the wall.

David Sciacca made the pair of suits of armor with opening visors as well as all the breast plates and swords that hang on the back wall above in the

In the Minstrels gallery, Robert Olszewski made a bronze sculpture of an eagle on the balcony. Ken Manning of British Columbia made the 16th c. Bass Viol by Amati and the fret work music stand is by Geoffrey Bishop of California. His brass flute lies across the music rest. A chair from the Butterfly Collection of the Hummel Collection supports Linda Norman's Dulcimer and Mandolin. She also made the brass trumpet under the music stand.

The Great Chamber (lower left side of ground floor)

The large refectory table is by George Passwaters and the six dining chairs are by Denis E.W. Hillman of England. The 3 tiered open shelf court cupboard is by Colin Bristow of Norfolk, U.K. The dummy board of an Elizabethan child is from Brian Long and the servant girl, named "Dorcas," is by Jill Bennett of Bath. On the table top stands a posset pot by Lee Ann Chellis Wessel, a silver Lion Double Cup by Pete Acquisto and a pair of ceramic salt sellars, which were a gift from Frank Hanley and Jeff Gueno at Le Chateau Interiors because they so much admired this house. A large dish by Le Chateau Interiors hangs above the fireplace with the figure of a man painted on it.

I commissioned Judith Drury to paint my favorite portrait of Elizabeth known as the "Rainbow Portrait." The original hangs in Hatfield House and when Judith was visiting it, a descendant of Lettice Knollys was also there and questioned her about her miniature of Lettice. The painting has eyes and ears all over the gown to represent that Elizabeth heard and saw all. The rainbow represents peace. Another painting over the open court cupboard is after Rembrandt and is known as "The Centurion Cornelius." A watercolor of the Madonna della Sedia after Raphael is by Marjorie Adams.

Beneath The Rainbow Portrait is a very special piece. It is known as a Standing Livery Cupboard and is a closed court cupboard by Ivan Turner of Bristol. When I first met Ivan, I asked him to make me a piece of furniture, I would have been happy with anything he chose to make. He refused and I found out that he planned to make a collection of furniture to be donated to England's National Trust and would sell nothing to anyone.

A few years later after he read about my Elizabethan house in the International Dolls House News, he sent me a proposal of several pieces he would be willing to make! He saw that this was a seriously researched piece and felt it was something he would be pleased to work with. I was, of course, thrilled. He submitted three pieces, one a court cupboard but I wasn't happy with the details of that one. With all my previous research I knew just what motifs I wanted and I wrote back to him with the changes I would like and held my breath, hoping he wouldn't be offended. He brought my design changes to Mr. Victor Chinnery who wrote the "bible" on oak furniture, "Oak Furniture, The British Tradition," and my ideas were approved, so Ivan was happy to incorporate them.

It may look a little strange to our modern eyes as we are used to seeing Tudor furniture in the blackest woods. They all started out as light oak straight from the tree and turned dark over hundreds of years of smoke exposure and time. So that is what we see here. Ivan is the master of marquetry and it is a superb piece, even down to the working lock. He gave me two keys to it, in case I lost one. He carved his signature in the bottom of the piece in the style that was used in Elizabeth's time. It has his initials and mine and shows that it was made in the 45th year of the reign of Elizabeth II. He gave the piece to me in a presentation box made out of a 400 year old church pew.

The written documentation Ivan supplied with it was extraordinary. It is a small book with copies of the architectural drawing of all the elements of the cupboard on graph paper, with written descriptions labeling parts and makes the piece very special indeed.

A foot note to this project...As I said earlier, Ivan would not accept money since he does not sell his work. He asked me to make a donation to his church for improvements on the roof or to the local ambulance corp. Somehow, the church roof appealed to me more and that is where I made my donation!

The Winter Parlor or Solar is across the Great Hall on the lower right side and the figure of Lettice's mother, Catherine Carey, stands near the table. She is another Sylvia Mobley doll that I dressed in green with silver trimming. A Melissa Wolcott Martino oil painting of a Young Girl with Dog after Loenan hangs behind her. An alms chest by David Hurley is beneath a oil portrait of Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's 4th wife, by Melissa Wyatt. In the center of the room is a trestle table by Norman Jones with matching chairs has a Keshishian rug laying at an angle which is typical for the use of rugs at the time. They were too expensive to use on the floor of a room to be worn out with foot traffic. A pair of Majolica portrait urns are on either side of the fireplace made by Le Chateau Interiors and I made the basket of grapes at a workshop with Heidi Stutz in Philadelphia years ago. A Jacobean bench is by John Otewill of Canada. Yatri Bourse of Rosie Duck made the copy of Anthony Andrews Rolls of 1549, recording the 46 ships of Henry VIII's navy, here the "Great Harry" and the "Rose Slype."

The tester bed in Lady Leicester's Bed Chamber was made by Colin Bristow using typical cup and cover pilasters. I embroidered the coverlet using crewel techniques although it is stitched with one strand of cotton floss because even the thinnest wools available would be too bulky. The pattern is an overall one used during the period in England. At the foot of the bed is a metal strapped traveling wood chest by Tom Latane. Lady Leicester, another Sylvia Mobley figure, is holding a basket of flowers by Hope Elliott. The Tudor cradle by Carl Gustafson is next to a Warren Dick four legged stool. A Dutch wooden linen press stands in the corner.

I made the red velvet bed hangings for the Warren Dick tester bed in Lord Leicester's Bed Chamber. There is an old gilt covered metal match box in the shape of a round topped trunk at the foot of the bed that has a chastity belt and key by Ray Sherwood inside! A Cromwellian chair with metal studs by Bill Whiting is covered in figured leather is across the room and a Great Dane sits in front of the fireplace awaiting his master's return.

My early dolls house collection

2007-11-01T02:45:00.002-04:00

Over the last 32 years, I have had 8 dolls houses created for me by some of the best makers in the business, both in the United States and England.

My collection started off with a semi-commercial house made by "My Uncle in Fryeburg, Maine." Nope, he wasn't really my uncle, his name was Albert Eaton and he made wooden houses in two styles, one a farmhouse style 2 story house and the other was a Cape Cod. I got the farmhouse style which was delivered with a basic finish of white paint overall and a forest green painted roof. I finished the rest of the decorations, wallpapering using fabrics which I dipped in tea to darken, where necessary.

When I got the house, I realized I wanted to create a story for it so I would know who lives there and how it should be decorated. I loved the TV program of "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir," most especially, I loved the actor, Edward Mulhare, who starred in it. That show was the basis for my dolls house residents. Initially, I didn't like the miniature dolls I was seeing at the shows but finally felt the house was missing something without the human presence. Then after I started collecting dolls, I went a little overboard and bought lots of them.

I bought some dolls to represent the family and dressed them appropriately as Captain Gregg and Mrs. Muir, the housekeeper and Mrs. Muir's daughter. Mrs. Muir wears a length of old hand made pulled work that is simply wrapped and sewn around her.

Other dolls have visited them over the years, but they are the full time residents. As I made additional dolls, a bride is in the dining room and a doll in a lovely yellow silk Victorian dress talking with her. I created the doll in the yellow silk from porcelain after learning doll making from Sylvia Lyons and dressed her at a class with Marty Saunders at the IGMA Guild School in Castine, Maine in the mid-1980's.

The Guild School is a wonderful experience and I cannot encourage you enough that it is well worth going if you enjoy making things. More on that in later postings.

Miniatures and more...

2007-10-31T23:13:00.003-04:00

These views are of the bed in Leicester House, miniature crewel using one strand of DMC floss and a #12 crewel needle.

This is the wing chair in The House of the 3 Widows, again using one strand of DMC floss. The following pieces of needlework are full size.

Silk and gold embroidery, vase is couched with gold.

More silk and gold work, lots of long and short stitch, my favorite!

Appleton wool and DMC floss for birds wings.

Front view of a stuffed figure using crewel stitches and Appleton crewel wools. Figure is full size, approximately 18" high.

Rear view of same figure.

Silk and Gold embroidery, design from the Erica Wilson book.

Stumpwork picture using DMC floss and gold threads.

Sections of crewel embroidered bellpull using Appleton wool. Last picture of grouping shows the entire bell pull.

Hello Miniature World,

This blog is about my dolls houses, miniature collection and some of my other interests; miniature painting and needlework. This started as a small blog and has grown quite a bit. I am thrilled to say that people from over 41 countries have viewed my blog as of this writing, August 2008.

Please left click your mouse when you want to see any pictures shown the full size of your monitor. I sincerely hope you enjoy this blog site. If you do, please leave a comment, or write to me at cookiemax@aol.com if you have any questions or comments you would like answered. I would be pleased to answer you, just put something about "blog" in the subject line so its not a completely strange email. Thanks!

Cookie Ziemba