I have spent a few very pleasurable weeks writing some articles for The Dolls House magazine. This paper magazine, which is also now an IPhone App, will have an issue with lots of 48th scale articles to coincide with Miniatura in the Autumn, it’s the October issue which comes out in September.
Meanwhile, some fantastic minis have been emerging in 48th scale. Jean Brodnax of Brodnax Prints www.brodnaxprints.com has designed new papers with a distinctly British bias, which will be in the magazine, together with a profile of Jean who has spent nearly two decades designing wallpaper, starting with 48th scale. Jean had the good sense to marry a printer and sneaked the first papers on to the spare paper at the end of a print run to begin. I’m not going to show you the papers here for copyright reasons and also because I sent them off to the magazine photographic studio, so they could be professionally photographed. They come into the class of miniatures that you don’t believe until you hold them in your hand. There are two brand new Art deco papers, one with a fabulous border, and papers adapted from bigger scale designs of the most fantastic meandering florals, so good that William Morris would claim them as his own if he were still around. The papers will be in print for the show, so look out for them, they’re distributed in the US by Handley House and in the UK by Sid Cooke dolls houses.
Templewood miniatures have joined in with some amazing furniture kits. I’ve reviewed three for the magazine and I’ll give you a sneak preview here.
They are easy, fun and only £3 each. The startling detail is down to Alan Gray, virtuoso with a laser. There are many more kits in the pipeline and a new website under construction that will have them all in by the show at www.templewoodminiatures.co.uk
I’ll be joining in too. My moulds are still on the windowsill, drying out. In the winter I put moulds all over the radiators to dry but in the summer I have to rely on the sun. I have been told you can dry them in an oven but I’m not into impatience, slowly is the way to keep everything straight and true, though to say I’m keen to pour over my work is an understatement.
UK 48th scale with lots of makers joining in is going to be great; I think it’s going to be the scale you can afford to do and finally have all the houses you want in all the eras you’d like and still have room to live in your real house and enough money to eat as well.
My old French teacher used to say: There’s a good time coming but it’s a good time coming.
I think it’s nearly here!
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JaneLaverick.com – jolly optimistic