The Dolls House Emporium Blog » Summer House

More Creative Competition Entrants

Amy — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:00:09 +0000

We still have more creative competition entrants to show you and will continue to bring you them throughout October (and possibly into November!).

As we’ve already mentioned the quality of the entrants this year was the highest we’ve ever had which means we are able to bring you some really wonderful ideas.

Stay tuned to see Santa’s Surf Shack, a Grecian art gallery and a three story mouse house!

Feel inspired to make your own miniature marvel? The Summer House and other smaller dolls’ house kits are available at The Dolls House Emporium.

Creative Competition 2009 – Armed Forces

Amy — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:00:55 +0000

Our next competition entry comes from Jill Clay-Curwen and has a very personal story.

Here it is…

“As soon as I saw this property, I knew it would be perfect for my needs. Following the inspiration that urged me to do this project, which came from my sons own experiences, after doing his tour of duty in the Helmand province in Afghanistan two years ago, I decided to do “A Summer in Afghanistan” and enter it into the competition.

The interior & contents of the Summer House are “loosely based” on reality, as told to me by my son. Although, he tells me the interior of mine, is more likely to match the more “posher huts” based at the Kandahar camp and not Lashka Gar, where my son was actually based. I have also written a poem, that accompanies the Summer House entry.

A Summer in Afghanistan

Well Mum, I’m here, in Afghanistan.
And although the sun shines, I’ve no time to tan,
All around me is desert, wooden huts and sand.
And if it weren’t for the Taliban, life could be quite grand.
However let me tell you, what happened today.
It’s a gentle reminder,we’re not here to play.
In my bed I was sleeping
And happily snoring
When a LOUD BANG came,
Could this be the warning?
I jumped out of my bed and then grabbed my gun
And as fast as I could I started to run.
I ran to the place where I knew I should be,
At the side of my companions,
My “new” family.
I arrived at my station, feeling all PROUD.
And called to my sergeant, shouting out loud,
“What’s going on? Are we under attack?”
My heartbeat was racing,
Sweat ran down my back.
All around me were people, looking at me.
I just wanted to scream
“Whats happening! Tell me!”
My brain felt numb, I was confused and asunder,
But boy I was relieved to hear,
it’s only the THUNDER.

It’s “light hearted” but with serious undertones and is a fact of reality, as this actually happened to my son during his first month out in theatre in the Helmand Province.

Hopefully it will help to give an insight into what our guys and gals are going through out in the East on a daily basis. I have enjoyed doing this project immensely and hope it will stand a chance, of being considered worthy of entry, for the DHE Summer House competition 2009.”

Feel inspired to make your own miniature marvel? The Summer House and other smaller dolls’ house kits are available at The Dolls House Emporium.

Creative Competition 2009 – Wild Wild West!

Amy — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:00:29 +0000

Our creative competition entry displays carry on today with this charming wild west saloon, ” Diamond Jack’s Poker Parlour” from Viki McDonnell.

Here’s what she says about it.

“Inspiration came from seeing the Rocky Ridge saloon in your catalogue. I decided to make a senior version but it eventually turned into a Poker Parlour rather than a saloon.

The hardest part for me was making doors that swung both ways but this was eventually achieved. The bar was made out of a block of wood and stickers added for decoration. Shelves were made out of empty shallow boxes.   Walk-ways were added on both sides of the building and floors covered with walnut strip and the roof shingled.

Photos of Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill Hickock and Jersey Lily (Lily Langtry) acquired on the Net – as were posters.   Bar stock and spittoon purchased locally. Gaming table home made.   Card table purchased and covered with green baize – cards home-made.

Costumes for barman and women’s temperance group home-made.   Horses stolen from grand-son’s toy box, painted and ‘dressed’.”

I hope he’s got his horses back now.

Feel inspired to make your own miniature marvel? The Summer House and other smaller dolls’ house kits are available at The Dolls House Emporium.

Creative Competition 2009 – Madam Z!

Amy — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:00:23 +0000

We promised you last week that we would continue to bring you some of the fabulous entries from our creative competition over the coming weeks. We have had some many we’ll be bringing them to you for the rest of the month we expect!

Here is Dorethe Zegers- Langebeeke & Elfriede Arriens entry and their story of how it came to be.

“There was the thought (a view came into our minds) which had nothing to do with sea, sand or beachhouses. No, we saw a forest, and a woodpath leading to an open spot. And on that very place is the poor caravan where Madam Z lives. This gypsylady has the gift of clairvoyance and using Tarotcards and her crystal ball and knows a lot of things which a human being can’t possible know.

The hard work outside, like chopping wood and taking care of the pony is another story. Fortunately there is this man named Hank, from the neighbouring trailer-park. He helps her with the heavy work, but in fact, most of the time he takes a rest while drinking beer.”

Feel inspired to make your own miniature marvel? The Summer House and other smaller dolls’ house kits are available at The Dolls House Emporium.

Creative Competition 2009 – The Winner!

Amy — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:00:22 +0000

First place goes to Sherpa, from The Netherlands and he wins £650 worth of Dolls House Emporium dolls’ house kit. His Belize inspired beach hut, “Jimi” has incredible attention to detail, down to the hand made snorkels and masks created using liquid rubber.

The ‘Marley Coffee’ logo is the real deal! Sherpa approached the company about using their logo for the project and was given the green light. One particular favourite touch is the crumbled cigarette box with the telephone and the coffee stains on the computer desk. Here’s the story of “Jimi” as told by Sherpa.

“I have made a small shop like I have seen in Caye Caulker, Belize. The name of the shop is Jimi, and you recognize it by the painting in the front.

In March I had seen the kit and remembered my holiday in 2001/2002. I have very good memories of that vacation and now I can make a 3D picture of it. So I had a theme.

To keep contact with home we used internet-cafes and on Caye Caulker we found one that was really relaxed. The owner of the shop had dreadlocks and looked pretty mellow. But how to make it “relaxed” ? Maybe the dreadlocks had given me that feeling, so I needed some doll with the look of a Rasta man. I asked doll maker Angelique Hoekstra if she had a doll like that. Se wanted to have a picture of what I wanted so she could give it a try. I sent her a picture of Bob Marley. You can seen the result of what she has made.

Another friend (Marjan Blauw) knitted the sweater with the image of Che Guevarra on it.

Most of Belize is rainforest where you have a lot of orchid’s. My friend Little Sun offered to make same out of cold porcelain to hang it in front of the shop. She also made the T-shirt’s that are hanging in the shop.

In the mean time I started to make the shop. I wanted to have a wooden floor and a tin roof (made of biscuit wrap paper). The doors at the front must also be replaced and the windows must be able to open. To make this all possible I replaced the walls and the roof for a new framed house. I took all the measurements and began to build.

I started to make the floor planks. Now I could start with the framing. For siding I have used single planks, partially over the one below. Part of the glass window must go open and I have made five instead of six windows. Now I can make two open en three closed.

The roof I have made as a separate part, because it’s pretty fragile and I still need to do some work inside.

In the shop they sell what the tourist asks, so I made some hammock’s, all kind of flip-flop’s, and a few necklaces . Every shop has something to drink, so I put a cooler in with water and soda. It’s nice when you are sitting behind the computer to have a cup of coffee. But I was not sure if a Rasta man drinks coffee. I Googled “Bob Marley/coffee” and the first think that pops up is Marley-coffee. One of the sons of Bob Marley sells his own coffee. This is better than I expected. I have sent them an email and asked for permission to use their logo and they gave me green light for it. I put a shield on the front and made 19 bags of coffee. I’ve put some pots and pan’s inside, so Jimi can brew his own.

By Jimi you can reserve a boat trip to go snorkelling. The snorkelling gear is hard to get, so I made it my self with liquid rubber.Some people have not enough to go online but need to hear a voice from home, now they can, I have put a telephone outside.

I hope you are now just as relaxed as Jimi, after a long day at the office.”

Well done to all our entrants this year. We will be bringing you some other entries over the next few weeks, there were just so many good ones we have to share them with you!

Feel inspired to make your own miniature marvel? The Summer House and other smaller dolls’ house kits are available at The Dolls House Emporium.

Creative Competition 2009 – 2nd Place

Amy — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 07:00:36 +0000

In second place is Iris Arentz from Belgium, with the exquisite “Gnome Retreat”, which one judge felt she would come upon it in a magical woodland glade. Iris wins £300 in Dolls House Emporium gift vouchers.

You will notice that the gnomes themselves are hiding, they are very shy and have a very good wind chime alarm system. The kitchen table is bedecked with camembert slices, apples and their peelings and a sign outside reads that Calvados is available to purchase. Iris hand made each frond and petal for her namesake flowers on the roof, a huge amount of work. Her is the story of the Gnome Retreat in her own words.

“When I first heard about this competition, my initial idea was to make a miniature display for my two grandchildren, Viktor and Leontien. They are 5 and 4 years old and particularly fond of my collections of Garden Gnomes. The project had to be something with the little people. Although you find their statues in all sizes and forms, in real life the mature garden gnomes is about 1 inch tall, so he fits perfectly well in 1:12 scale scenery.

On the other hand my name is Iris, so these flowers happen to be amongst my favourites. Travelling through Normandy one spring, I discovered blooming irises on top of several thatch roof cottages. This sight was so stunning that I promised myself to use this idea. So I started to think: how to combine a summer house competition with garden gnomes and a thatched roof with blooming irises? As in fairy tales I thought ‘What if .. once upon a time, some adepts of the Garden Gnome Liberation Front (originally coming from Normandy) travelled to their thatch roofed “caravan” to spend their summer holidays in my garden?”

Here’s some details of how Iris made the gnome retreat:

Each Iris flower is made of 6 teardrop shaped paper cuttings, glued on a little florist wire stem.
Woodworm holes have been drilled into the steps, the windows are dirty and broken here and there.
Pink and dried green peppercorns make up the apples.
The built in sink and cooker unit are made from the box of a Dolls House Emporium anniversary plate.

These are just a few of the many details Iris has added to this delightful petite retreat, and here are the pictures for you all to enjoy! The winner will be announced tomorrow!

Feel inspired to make your own miniature marvel? The Summer House and other smaller dolls’ house kits are available at The Dolls House Emporium.

Creative Competition 2009 – 3rd Place

Amy — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:00:26 +0000

In third place this year is Sylvia de Groot from the Netherlands and she wins £200 of Dolls House Emporium vouchers. Her elegant and restful beach hut proved so inviting that the judges all felt you could retire to it in perfect happiness.

Slyvia’s google blog where she writes about her hobby has led to her being in touch with people from all round the world. Some of her readers sent her items to go into the beach hut. The shells and sandcastle came from Virginia Beach, USA, the tea-cosy from Italy and the pebbles and paintings came from New Zealand. Sylvia says…

“As I look at my beach house I realize that it is something very special due to all the gifts that were sent and this represents the blog. I find it really amazing that a joint hobby can result in very special friendships.”

Come back tomorrow to see our runner up and don’t forget the winning entry on Friday.

Feel inspired to make your own miniature marvel? The Summer House and other smaller dolls’ house kits are available at The Dolls House Emporium.

Creative Competition 2009 – Dylan Thomas Retreat

Amy — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:00:52 +0000

Yesterday we explained how the Creative Competition had been a great success this year but that this had given our judges a very hard time choosing the top three, to the point that they chose two entries for special commendations, outside of the 3 winners.

Today we bring you Elaine Massey’s Dylan Thomas Retreat. Here’s what she says about her project.

“As soon as I cast eyes on the summer house, it reminded me of Dylan Thomas’s Retreat in Laugharne, South Wales. I had been taken there as a teenager, my memories were not quite accurate, I discovered, as his retreat was a converted garage, but the image remained my inspiration.

When the kit arrived, I put it together dry, and decided to “trim” the back, making a cross section. Gradually I built the landscape from polystyrene coated in kitchen towel. I added many layers of paint, followed by the plants, stones, a fallen tree as on of the supports for the retreat and finally the water in the stream.

I wanted the summer house to look as if it had been in the landscape for years, I made up a biography of my author, Tomas Evans, no 74, hence the lack of maintenance externally.

I had great fun painting and distressing the building, and as I had a story to work from, accessorising the interior was easy to plan. Shelves of books, work in progress, a proof returned, forgotten sandwiches and cold coffee and the glass of whisky for reflection.

Surrounded by his literary ephemera, an award of silver inkwells, posters of book launches, his previous books, and well into writing his next bestseller, Thomas Evans is content. As am I, final thanks to my cat Marmite who donated some of his hair to line the bird’s nest!”

Feel inspired to make your own miniature marvel? The Summer House and other smaller dolls’ house kits are available at The Dolls House Emporium.

Creative Competition 2009 – Trompe L’oeil

Amy — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:00:35 +0000

It took us a long time, caused much deliberation and discussion, but after 3 hours last Wednesday morning, we found our creative competition 2009 winners. Over the next five days, we will count down to the winner who we will announce on Friday.

The Summer House provided an amazing breadth of results, from gypsy caravans to Tanzanian hunting lodges, we had well over 70 entries to choose from, in fact we suspect it’s closer to 100, but we had to stop counting or we wouldn’t have chosen a winner! The level of detail, workmanship and care taken over the entries this year made the decision excruciating, so much so that we ended up with 5 winners instead of 3. As testament to those who worked so hard but didn’t make the final 3, we’ve decided to grant 2 special commendation prizes.

The special commendations go to Elaine Massey of Middlesex for her Dylan Thomas Retreat and Alice Baudet of Chateau Dun, France for her “Trompe L’oeil” Grandfather boat. A £50 voucher is on it’s way in recognition of the work done by these two ladies. Today we’ll be showing you Alice’s work on “Trompe L’oeil” and tomorrow we will bring you Elaine’s Dylan Thomas Retreat.

Here’s what Alice says about her project…

My grand father is an old sea dog: his house is a cabin on the beach! Often, he is accompanied by his old buddy, Jo who love the sea, just like him. Then during the holidays I help to paint an old boat of fishing, but sometimes, I am more of a hindrance than a help!

His boat is called “Trompe l’oeil!

My biggest challenge was to the sea, with its waves and its colour: I used many successive layers of paint and resin! I absolutely wanted to recreate the water mirror aspect. The waves are wet paper handkerchiefs.

Making the vessel was not easy either, especially since it was necessary that it is also to scale. The fishing materials have been a delight to do: nets with fruit, lines, the canes nets to fishing, the balls with packaging quail eggs, I am not talking about fish and fishing lines! And for the roof tiles I made them one by one with paste that dries in the air: according to the style of the country!

His dream, cabin interior is a simple, rustic life! It is used to sleep, eat, repair faults. The lamps that I have all made, are lighting the way home so we can see them from the sea; houses established, the engines (are done in of the paste); soil and the walls are only effects of painting. Boots, raincoats are done with household gloves fingers: our passion makes us inventors! And again, there are a hammock, the langoustines, and lots of things that we cannot see on the pictures.

And then the horizon is a recovery poster which fits like a glove with the color of the sea. In short, I spent a wonderful time to imagine “boy” at the edge of the sea in the House of my dreams. But I do not am happy with my photos! They don’t quite reincarnate the world I wanted you to see!

Feel inspired to make your own miniature marvel? The Summer House and other smaller dolls’ house kits are available at The Dolls House Emporium.

Creative Competition Last Call!

Amy — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:00:20 +0000

Well the entries have been quite literally flooding in this week and we are looking forward to pouring over them all in detail next week to chose our lucky winners. If you are still trying to finish your entry off, there’s no need to panic! You can email us on competitionsecretary@dollshouse.co.uk with you entry form and pictures and you will have up until 12noon on Monday 31st August to do so. The 31st is a Bank Holiday here in the UK, so for those of you sending your entries via email from abroad, don’t panic, we will still get them.

Full details of the rules and how to enter can be found here.