The cats have moved in......

and they look very happy too....

They are obviously enjoying the sun. 

Meanwhile upstairs Campbell Constructions, Decoration & Renovations has been busy, readying the first floor for the occupants to move in again.  Very busy company, Campbell Constructions, Decoration & Renovations!  Very popular in Ferny Creek vbg.

And just who are the owners of this cosy cottage, you ask?  Rachel and Richard Grenfell, village bakers and pastry cooks.  They own and operate the village bakery/cake shop, which you shall see very shortly.  Richard loves to cook and he is the main chef.  Rachel works in the shop of course and also runs the miniatures club in the village.  In fact, the upstairs front room of the bakery premises is the meeting place for the weekly Ferny Creek Miniatures Club get together, as well as a place for the members to come and work on their projects in between.  Of course there is always a selection of yummy morning and afternoon tea delights to choose from the shop downstairs for the mini ladies!

So now it is is time to show you the cottage so far.  Here is the front bedroom overall.  Of course, still lots of accessories to be unpacked from 'storage' and put in place.  Rachel couldn't decide at first about the walls.  We tried cream paint, to make a change from the green wallpaper downstairs.  We tried green paint.  Neither looked right.  With the furniture it was all too plain.  In the end she decided on this wallpaper after all (printed from the green wallpaper book from Sandie Burchell) and it looks good with the simple lines of the furniture.

And here is a view of the left side.  The bedroom furniture is all Heywood-Wakefield  a style popular in the 1930's and very sought after today (kits from sdk miniatures),  The colour is as close as possible to that of the furniture I googled on the web.  Above the three drawer chest on the left wall is an art deco mirror (from BJ Miniatures).  And that is not a blank area between the bed and the corner - there is a door there.  Can't see it?  Look really hard.  After all, how else do Rachel and Richard gain access to their bedroom if there is no door?

On the right side of the room you can see the chimney - one of Petite Properties Victorian chimneys.  It was too short for this room, so I glued several layers of cardboard together and lengthened it.  Then the surface was covered with spackle to even out the sides and cover the join.  The whole thing fitted perfectly - until I wallpapered it and the top fold is now a bit bulky so will have to be adjusted in order for the roof to sit properly.  Hope the paper doesn't get ruined in the process.

 A four-drawer chest is snugged into the alcove beside the fireplace.  The vase of flowers has been moved from downstairs to sit on the mantle up here.  The firesceen (BJ Miniatures) covers the empty grate - it is summer time after all - and the fire tools (from Grace of Vitrual Dollhouse) sit ready for when they are needed.

This style of bed usually just had a simple covering so I used a cream on cream fabric to make one.  The room is nicely understated, and ready for accessorising now.

 Downstairs Rachel and Richard have changed their large table and chairs for a smaller drop-leaf table, deciding the previous one took up too much floor space.  The entertainment centre has been discarded in favour of Rachel's beloved stained glass cabinet and she has already unpacked things to go in this even though they are hard to see.  And her favourite display plates featuring houses are featured on the open area, along with a bowl of sweets.

The books haven't been unpacked for the bookcase (sdk Miniatures) but it does fit nicely into the ground floor alcove beside the fireplace, and the chime of the mantle clock is a homely, familiar sound (BJ Miniatures).

And here is the cottage interior overall so far:

There are a couple of additions to the kitchen table: a bowl of fruit that I made when I did the other one for Flowerpot Cottage, a plate holding a bagel with cream cheese (from Virtual Dollhouse).  I have done a few bowls and pots to put on the bottom shelf of the table as well.

Still a lot more to do, so do keep tuned.  I'd love to hear what you think so far.

Mini hugs

Sandra