...
BOOK REVIEW
Publisher Edward Fancey reviews the latest releases in the world of Dolls Houses. The book to hand being The Dolls’ House Shopkeeper by Lionel & Ann Barnard priced at £19.99. It’s a fairly short review but sufficient for a quick insight to tempt you to buy a copy.
POLYMER ... Read review
Advantages: covers everything you need to know Disadvantages: a little pricey but well worth it
...girl’s childhood dream – a dolls house, I decided to look into the subject in a bit more detail and so bought this magazine. At £3.50 for the March monthly issue it was a little pricey but I made sure that I was getting full value as I gave it a quick flick through (as you do) and as it was the only one on offer I parted with my money and scampered home to begin reading. I will add here that not all newsagents continue to stock magazines ... ...cover of everything for the dolls house enthusiast, serious collectors or beginners like myself.
READERS’ SHOPPING SERVICE
After a couple of adverts on the inside cover and the contents listing you are offered this month’s best buys in a reader’s shopper service. This section shows detailed pictures of this months’ good buys, prices and how to purchase. This months offers are a Georgian mansion, house ... more
After spending months of thinking about buying every girl’s childhood dream – a dolls house, I decided to look into the subject in a bit more detail and so bought this magazine. At £3.50 for the March monthly issue it was a little pricey but I made sure that I was getting full value as I gave it a quick flick through (as you do) and as it was the only one on offer I parted with my money and scampered home to begin reading. I will add here that not all newsagents continue to stock magazines on this hobby as on speaking to one of the assistants in my local newsagents I was told that they find it hard to sell them, but a trip to WHSmiths will not disappoint.
FIRST IMPRESSION It’s an 82-page quality glossy magazine with an eye catching front cover and jam-packed from cover to cover of everything for the dolls house enthusiast, serious collectors or beginners like myself.
READERS’ SHOPPING SERVICE After a couple of adverts on the inside cover and the contents listing you are offered this month’s best buys in a reader’s shopper service. This section shows detailed pictures of this months’ good buys, prices and how to purchase. This months offers are a Georgian mansion, house keys, boudoir items, kitchen utensils and a hand crafted brass bell.
WELCOME GREETING AND THE LETTER BOX You are then greeted by a welcome letter from the Editor – Marion Fancey, which is a nice touch as it gives it the more personal feeling, followed by The Letter Box, which is devoted to reader’s letters, questions and suggestions which are personally dealt with by Marion.
REPORTER’S MONTHLY FEATURE Resident reporter Nicholas Corder covers great stories and photos of dolls house enthusiast’s personal experiences. This month being on a couple from Lancashire who have developed their own miniature village in their back garden. The husband has been making dolls houses for 40 years and having experienced problems with the life span of wooden houses in the outdoors now makes them from stone. The pictures here are fantastic, it is plain to see a lot of hard work and time has gone into creating this definite masterpiece.
BOOK REVIEW Publisher Edward Fancey reviews the latest releases in the world of Dolls Houses. The book to hand being The Dolls’ House Shopkeeper by Lionel & Ann Barnard priced at £19.99. It’s a fairly short review but sufficient for a quick insight to tempt you to buy a copy.
POLYMER CLAY – QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Mmmm this is the stuff that they use to make food and ornamental things. It looks quite a handy section with Sue Heaser a world-renowned author and polymer clay expert ready to answer your questions.
CHALLENGE ANGIE Leading on nicely, here their regular on-hand polymer clay expert Angie Scarr takes you through step-by-step instructions on how to make authentic looking food, this month’s delicacy being a bacon and egg sandwich (yummy). The guide is written in easy to follow language with no far-out terminology and zoomed in pictures making it helpful to see what you are supposed to be achieving. Should you wish to send in a challenge it gives the appropriate details at the bottom of the page.
OBITUARY I think this speaks for itself, but is a nice thought from the editor as it dedicates a page to those who have lost a loved one, allowing you to send in a story, photo and any pictures of their dolls house achievements for the rest of us to enjoy.
PRODUCT REVIEW Edward Fancey reviews a different kit every month, this month’s feature being on a 1/24th scale Georgian House (as detailed in the readers shopper survey). It takes you through the guide of assembling the kit and how best to decorate, which is ideal if you’re unsure whether to buy a kit or ready assembled house.
ALLY PALLY EXHIBITION 2000 Editor Marion Fancey reports the second part on some of the exhibitors who took part in last year’s exhibition at Alexandra Palace. This is a fairly detailed section devoted to photos and descriptions from creators and collectors worldwide who came together at this exhibition to show their proud work and share it with others. Some of the curious little objects are miniature teapots, plants, egg people, houses and furniture. They are all of extremely high quality with superb attention to detail with prizes being awarded for British Miniaturist - clubs section, House/Structure Builder and British Miniaturist of the year. A small article following this gives details on monies raised for charities from displays at the Ally Pally Event of 2000.
BLYTHE SPIRIT Nicholas Corder reports on a lady called Alex Blythe who is also known as Four Seasons Miniatures. Her extraordinary work is produced working in an astounding 14-foot square space based in the larder cupboard of her kitchen at her home in Hethersett. Her finished goods sell from 75p to £200. All of her work is made from polymer clay and some examples of the photo’s shown are a peacock, golden pheasant, flowers in a vase, macaws on a perch, dog lying down and a bird table. Well-deserved contact details are listed here should you wish to contact Alex about her work.
YOUR STAR DOLLS’ HOUSE – ADVENTUROUS ARIES This is an ongoing series from Rosie Collard studying how your star sign may affect your dolls house and what items relate to your sign that you could be incorporated into it. This shows photo’s of rooms from a house owned by an Aerian pointing out objects that relate to the star sign along with a couple of DIY projects such as a template for a leopard skin rug and some cut-out cards and pictures to hang decoratively on any wall of the house.
MISCELLANEOUS Throughout the magazine there are various adverts for everything you could dream of to supplement this never-ending hobby from the actual houses themselves, whether kits or ready-made, furniture and furnishings to conservatories, animals and the tiniest of cutlery sets you’ve ever seen.
There are prize winning competitions such as word searches with one years free subscription given as the prize, a random photograph taken of somebody at the Ally Pally Exhibition who if contacts the magazine will receive a porcelain tea set and a word making quiz, the winner being the one who can make as many words out of the word ‘gymnastics’ will receive a glass candlestick.
You will come across various templates and step-by-step DIY guides on how to make your own furnishings for your house such as Neil Helsby’s Charles II Style Oak Bench, cutout templates and recommended materials by Sue Jarvie for dressing a Georgian Lady.
There is also a small section devoted to your monthly horoscope otherwise known as Madame Fortuna’s Small Stars, an advance preview of what’s coming in the next month’s issue and at the back a directory of stockists, traders fairs and small ads section.
I highly recommend Goodies Dolls House Shop in Coggeshall, Essex. It is an amazing shop with endless houses and miniatures in stock and the staff are very happy, welcoming and on hand for help and advice.
Below I have listed a few helpful net addresses, most have on-line stores and you can contact them for advice via Email (which they are very efficient in responding to) and they also offer brochures etc. that you can request through the post.
I hope this is of help and sorry if it seems a long one, I’ve barely touched on the content of this magazine but it really is great value at the end of the day as it is not a magazine that you would read and simply discard, it would form part of a collection indeed.
Advantages: A detailed magazine for the collector Disadvantages: none
...under a dozen of the Dolls House and Miniature Scene magazines in a pile all marked at 10p each !
Dolls houses fascinate me so I handed over my sweaty pound coin and bagged the lot.
The magazine is a very well known monthly publication that focuses on shows,books,craftsmen and the individual collector.
The magazine includes projects either in 1:12 or 1:24 scale ,among the projects there will be doll clothes to make,furniture,knitting or fine embroidery ... ...to the Victorian and Edwardian dolls houses ,and you will see pictures of some of the Worlds finest miniature collections.
If the season brings a celebration then the magazine offers projects in keeping. There are many shops that supply kits and these are regularly reviewed.
Many suppliers of Dolls houses and miniatures advertise in the magazine.
Some of the intricate miniature work is so specialised and can command high prices.
The magazine ...
Sarahjh1 10.11.2008
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Dolls House and Miniature Scene
Similar products and search queries by other users »
Dolls Scene, Dolls House Scene, Dolls and Scene, Dolls Miniature Scene, Dolls House and Scene, Dolls House Miniature Scene, Dolls and Miniature Scene, Dolls House and Miniature Scene
Are you the manufacturer / provider of Dolls House and Miniature Scene? Click here
