Apples Tea Rooms

We have a winner...

2012-01-28T11:31:00.000Z

Congratulations Genevieve! If you send me your details, I'll get it in the post to you on Monday. Thanks also to my sister Valerie for doing the draw.

A big " thank you " to all who entered, it's lovely to see so many people interested in what I'm doing.

Although the Tearooms are finished, I will - from time to time - post an update of anything changed or added. In the meantime -

Thank you all for following my blog.

My Thank You Giveaway (and a new blog).

2012-01-24T12:54:00.000Z

By way of a small "thank you" to all the followers who have shown an interest in my little Tea Rooms, I'm having a giveaway.

I've never done a giveaway before so after thinking long and hard over what to offer - bearing in mind that I don't really make miniatures, well not the way a lot of you make such marvellous things - I settled on an item that could be Tearoom/Gift Gallery related and something that whatever your style, be it traditional or shabby, hopefully you could find a use for it.

I'm giving away a Jane Harrop Luggage Rack and Butler's Tray kit* - that way the winner can either varnish or paint it, depending on their particular style.

All you have to do to enter is be a current follower and leave a comment. I shall be making the draw on Saturday, 28th January.

I understand from a couple of followers that they've been having problems leaving comments. If this is the case with you and you wish to be included in the giveaway, please email your comment (address on profile) and I'll make sure you're included.

Now that The Tea Rooms are finally finished, I can now quite happily share my new blog with you. The ultimate intention is to have one blog covering all properties. (If I'd been more "blog aware" I'd have only created one blog to cover all properties, but I wasn't!).

If you're interested, drop in here: Small and Stately and have a look. All welcome!

* The giveaway is for the kit only, other items in the picture are my own.

Good luck everyone!

............and finally!

2012-01-22T18:12:00.000Z

Well, I've come to the end of my photographs and the end of the project. It's been a lovely little property to work on - easy to build, no decorating problems, lots of interesting things to collect, the discovery of paper kits and finding out I could make tables! I've also discovered some lovely online sellers (quite a few from blogland) in my search for suitable items.

Apples Tearooms (continued)

2012-01-18T22:04:00.001Z

Continuing on for yesterday's posting, here are the final two floors of my Tearooms. The Gift Gallery was the next area to get my attention and consists of two rooms both decorated in a similar fashion.

Mostly the items here were purchased from fairs with the exception of the bracelet stand - that came from Susanne's lovely miniature shop, Petit Bracante.

Yes, I printed off and cut out all the little cards in the display stand!

I struggled for quite a while with these two rooms, moving things, changing things, as for some reason they just didn't sit right with me. It wasn't until I added the counter and changed the colour of the cabinets that I felt I was finally getting somewhere with it. I'm sure there will still be items added to The Gallery even although the main work is finished. It all depends on what little gem presents itself!

The hat boxes below were my first introduction to kits and since then I have made quite a few.

The cushions in the blanket box were printed off and made by me and there are quite a few items in these rooms that have been purchased from Art of Mini and various fairs.

Finally, we have the living accomodation in the roof space. These were odd spaces to decorate due to the sloping sides which can be quite restrictive. I've been hunting for ages for a suitable television to place at the front by the staircase but I've not seen anything yet. There's still a chance I will change my mind about that depending on anything else I see to occupy that space. In the meantime, the flowers look quite happy there.

The little pictures here were printed off and placed in empty frames and the clock on the left is a working watch face.

I'm pretty pleased with the way the bedroom turned out given that it's quite a small space. The hat is a creation from The Mini Miliner. and the little lamp on the left was purchased from a German seller a couple of years ago at NEC.

The little slippers were made from the directions given via Sabiha's blog - thank you Sabiha for sharing that link.

Apples Tearooms is now (finally) open for business.

2012-01-17T17:55:00.004Z

The inspiration for this property is numerous trips to York and the little surrounding villages that all seem to have traditional Tearooms, some with gift shops included. Whether or not they have living accomodation above, I don't know but it seemed fitting to have that here.

I have been taking loads of pictures for you now that The Tearooms is finished. There are still one or two items to be had but I can't do anything about that until NEC in March and they don't really affect the overall look.

It's the plan to post a couple of "floors" a day and then show the final whole interior so please bear with me! Today it's the basement which contain the Kitchen and Storeroom/Office and the Ground Floor which house the actual Tearooms themselves.

The exterior finish was created using a Richard Bromley stencil and compound.

I can now turn the board showing "Closed" to reveal the menu which has remaind hidden for two years.

The little set on the table was purchased from Carol Cook.

As both the Kitchen and the Storeroom/Office are in the Basement, the theory is that the door back left of the Kitchen leads up to one of the doors to the right hand side of the Tearoom itself (the one marked "Staff Only"). One item I would point out is the dishwasher to the right of the picture. Press a button and it makes "working dishwasher" noises. A brilliant addition, I thought and purchased from Elf Miniatures as was the kitchen itself - one of the flexi kits.

Items here were purchased from a variety of sellers both through ebay and various fairs. My favourite items just have to be the two pastries, shown front left from Paris Miniatures.

There is still some space in the store room cupboard that can take additional items as and when I see them.

Note the Scottish potatoes - well, I had to, didn't I?

Every Secretary appreciates a cup of tea, especially if the wastepaper basket is anything to go by - it doesn't look like she's having a very good day.

On the next level up are The Tearooms themselves.

Almost there..........

2012-01-04T15:55:00.000Z

I'm determined to get the Tearooms finished this week.

There were a few bits of tidying up to do and some touching up of paintwork to be dealt with. I never did find that television that I was searching for given the amount of space I have in the Sitting Room but I'll keep looking, there are still some accessories to add and I'd like in time to fill the drawers of the chest in the Bedroom but that isn't holding up progress.

I'm also awaiting delivery of a coffee table and once that's dressed, that's it.

In the meantime though, I thought you'd like to have a little look through the bedroom window - no one's looking, so go on - take a peek!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T12:08:00.000Z

A guid new year to ane an' a'

An' mony may ye see,

An' during a' the years to come,

O happy may ye be.

An' may ye ne'er hae cause to mourn,

To sigh or shed a tear;

To ane an'a baith great an' sma'

A hearty guid New year.

In translation reads:

A good New Year to one and all

And many may you see,

And during all the years to come,

Oh happy may you be.

And may you never have cause to mourn

To sigh or shed a tear;

To one and all, both great and small

A hearty good New Year!

Slainte!

Season's Greetings

2011-12-19T18:12:00.001Z

I'd like to take this opportunity of wishing all my followers a very Merry Christmas from my home to yours.

York Fair

2011-11-28T16:03:00.000Z

Yet again, a sorry little post! It seems I'm destined not to get all the little bits I need to finish this property - at least not all in one go! This time, my sole item for The Tearooms was a till. It's a bit too bright and shiny for my liking so I'll have to dull it down and I was so sure I'd be able to find just the right television for this room that I ended up very disappointed not to get one. Either I rethink this idea or continue the search.

I did however manage to buy loads for my other property (no blog yet until this one is finished) but you'll have to wait for that!

A very warm welcome to my new followers, it's very nice to have you here and I hope you like what you see.

An odd little post!

2011-09-26T18:29:00.003+01:00

It's a slightly odd little post for The Tearooms regarding my Miniatura purchases. All I managed to get was a counter. I figured this was missing from the Gift Gallery so that will be waxed and put in place some time this week.

Although not related to The Tearooms, I also purchased some needle files, wood and flooring (which unfortunately you can't see as it's rolled up the wrong way!)

A lot of other purchases were made on Sunday but some of these relate to a completely different property (no blog yet) and it wont be too long now before The Tearooms property is complete.

There's every likelihood a giveaway will happen then - I just have to give it a bit more thought.

An update

2011-08-08T23:07:00.000+01:00

At last I have something to show you all in the Gift Gallery. I wasn't happy with all the white furniture (I thought shabby was the way to go with this initially but it doesn't come naturally to me and at first I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get to grips with this room - now I know. Stick to what you know best!). The changes aren't probably that obvious at first glance but I've moved things around and stripped the corner cupboard of the white paint and waxed it. I'm much happier with it now. I've also changed the contents of the cupboard. Since this picture was taken I've also filled the little stand with cards. I'm still not sure about the pedestal with the white flowers though. They may move and I'd like to get something to put in the centre of this room. Everything's round the sides at the moment.

I've changed some pictures around in this room but unfortunately I can't do anything about the white shelving on the right hand wall. I shouldn't have glue-ed it on! I'm just going to live with it though as it's not that offensive.

The smaller of the two rooms has had the "stock" moved around and repositioned. For some reason I feel more comfortable with this room. Maybe I need more stock for the other one.

Other progress I've made with this property is to the living quarters "above the shop". These consist of a lounge and a bedroom. They're very bare at the moment as I'm looking for accessories and there's a fair not too far away at the end of August which should take care of that. I have to say, I can see myself sitting in this little room!

I still need to fix on the door frame and I've been looking for a television I like, but nothing's presented itself yet.

Finally, the bedroom. Again accessories are need in this room and I've a lamp I'd like to fit either here or in the room next door. I'm pleased with the way this is looking and I love the dressing gown on the hook!

As soon as I'm completely happy with this I'll post pictures showing more detail.

At long last..........

2011-07-27T12:29:00.001+01:00

Well, it's taken a while but at last there is some progress with The Tearooms. There is living accommodation in the roof space of The Tearooms - a sitting room and bedroom - and they're coming along quite well. I just need some accessories before showing you all what I've been up to.

I've had this bed for ages but was unsure as to the look I wanted for it. I'm not comfortable with terribly frilly beds and wanted something a bit understated. I also wasn't sure of the colours I wanted until I picked up some fabric at Miniatura in March.

I've used an oak "brush on, buff off" wax for the bed itself and the matress that came with the bed was a bit flat so I've double the thickness of that. It's all been done with glue and spray starch and I'm really pleased with the way it's turned out.

More soon!

Welcome....

2011-06-14T12:24:00.000+01:00

I've been in the garden today as it has actually stopped raining. The first sun for ages. I've just cut these peonies from the garden and I thought I would share them with my new followers.

Thank you for visiting my blog. It's nice to have you here and I hope you like what you see.

Progress has been a bit slow with the Tea Rooms but I've been revamping the Gift Gallery as I wasn't too happy with the way it looked. This meant removing all the "stock", giving some of it a makeover, adding some new bits and putting everything back. It's very tempting to put everything in the same place as it was before and I'm trying to avoid that for a different look so I'll be back some time soon with pictures to let you see what I've been up to.

It might not look a lot...............

2011-03-23T16:56:00.002Z

Given that I was at a mega Miniature fair at the weekend and have already stated elsewhere that I made loads of purchase, this little offering doesn't look a lot but I can assure you, what's here will let me get on very well with The Tearooms in the coming days.

I need the fabric to dress a bed and make blinds (not sure which one I'll use yet), skirting boards to finish it all off and lovely little pictures for the Gift Gallery from a Belgian exhibitor.

It's unfortunate I forgot to ask the sellers if I could post links to their sites but if anyone would like to know who I purchased anything from, please ask.

I'm stuck.........!

2011-02-12T12:32:00.001Z

Sometimes I just sits and thinks and sometimes I just sits...........

I feel I must apologise to all my followers here as there hasn't been much activity with The Tearooms of late. The trouble is..........I'm stuck! I should be decorating the living quarters in the roof space and I bought a lovely carpet at the York Fair in November. I've also got a sofa and a chair for the room but I'm really struggling with where to take it all next. Do I paint the walls or paper, if so, what colour? Do I match the carpet or do I match the furniture?

To match the carpet is a tricky one as I need to get to a fair to see paper and fabric in real life. Too many times I've chosen something on-line, only to find that it's the wrong shade.

The more I look at the room and what I've got so far, the more confused I get. I've tried walking away from it and concentrating on something else (hence the long gap between posts) but that hasn't worked and I'm no further forward.

Inspiration will present itself in time - it usually does and I'll have a bit of a eureka moment - but I felt I had to post something to explain the lack of progress!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T13:07:00.000Z

A very Happy New Year to all my followers - thank you for making this fun! Irene x

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T14:02:00.000Z

A very Merry Christmas to all my followers and I wish you all you wish yourselves. Irene X

Yum, yum!

2010-12-15T12:52:00.001Z

Don't these little cakes look yummy? They arrived today (hurrah, the post in Scotland is moving again) from France.

I chose these two little cakes from the lovely selection offered by Paris Miniatures.

It was very difficult to decide which little cakes I would have - they are all so mouthwatering.

Thank you Emma - I love them!

Another gift for the Gift Gallery.......

2010-12-07T11:41:00.001Z

I'm taking my time searching for items to fill the Gift Gallery. There are so many lovely individual items out there made by some very clever people, it's very hard to be selective. One of these beautiful little items arrived today. It came from Janny of art of mini.

As you can see, it's a tiny little sewing kit set in a tiny little sauce boat. There are pins, a little spool of thread, scissors and a thimble. It's just beautiful - I like it VERY much.

It's little items like this that are setting a standard for the Gift Gallery and I'm having so much fun searching for all sorts of different minis of equal quality.

Thank you Janny - it's beautiful and I love it!

I'm also waiting on wallpaper for the living quarters of The Tearooms but I think it's been held up by all the snow we've been having here. I have been collecting bits for those rooms and hope to have something to show you all shortly.

York Miniature Fair

2010-11-29T17:29:00.000Z

This is my little haul of goodies from the York Miniature Fair. I've never been to this one before but had heard it was very good and I have to agree - it was! I had a marvellous time browsing and shopping and picked up this little lot. There's a strawberry tart and tin of shortbread, a magazine rack and books, the cabinet, a box of tissues and the dirty plate with cutlery is from Mags-nificent Miniatures.

I also picked up a variety of minis for my other properties - all in all, an excellent weekend and a marvellous fair. We got caught in all the snow as well but had an uneventful journey home. The picture below was taken on Sunday and that was just the start. It barely stopped and was still snowing when we left this morning.

More stock........

2010-11-07T12:00:00.003Z

When I first saw this little item on Susanne's blog I knew right away that it would look just perfect in my Gift Gallery. Not long after, Susanne opened her shop Petite Brocante.

It wasn't long before I placed an order and this lovely little bracelet stand made its way from Denmark to Scotland.

I'm so pleased with it, thank you Susanne. I think it fits in there perfectly and thank you too for the lovely little gift you enclosed. I appreciate it very much.

Welcome, new followers.........

2010-10-17T13:41:00.000+01:00

A very warm welcome to all new followers. It's lovely to have you here and I hope you like what you see.

Ah, poor little Tea Rooms!

2010-10-05T19:06:00.003+01:00

Despite having a whole day to spend at Miniatura and a fairly substantial budget, this is the sum total of items purchased for The Tearooms.

It wasn't that I didn't see anything, but given that I'm still filling the Gift Gallery it could have taken up all my budget just finishing off that one room and as I don't particularly need all the items to be high end, I'm happy just to pick up what I like when I spot it. It's also difficult with the Gift Gallery to know exactly what I'm looking for in advance due to nature of it.

Having said that, I just couldn't let the little honey pot and drizzler stay there - I had to have them and the little cake slice was the very first thing I purchased on the day. The handle is actually white - to simulate bone or ivory - it just doesn't show up well in that picture.

More stock for the Gift Gallery

2010-08-14T10:11:00.004+01:00

After reading Susanne's blog I was inspired to make my own cushions*. I already had all that I needed to get started and it was a nice little job to do sitting in the conservatory with the sun shining. They maybe don't bear close scrutiny (!) but for my first attempt at this, I'm pleased with them. The ottoman is from Dolls House Emporium.

*The designs were taken from The Graphics Fairy

Just a pix fix!

2010-07-21T10:30:00.006+01:00

Not much has been happening with the Tea Rooms at the moment, I'm waiting on inspiration to strike for the upper floors. A bit of shopping is called for, I think.

So, while waiting on that said inspiration, I thought I'd post more pics (because that's what we all like) of areas showing a bit more of the detail.

I can't remember if I've shown a picture of the whole interior of The Tearooms so here it is as it stands today. Lots more still to do with this.

You'll notice that I haven't included the roof space in this picture - that's because it's full of tools and sundries! The roof space is the next stage and I'm still thinking about that one.

Still lots to do in the Gift Gallery as well and I'll add pictures of that as it fills up.

Scottish Miniatura

2010-06-12T18:20:00.004+01:00

I had hoped to pick up a lot of items for the Gift Gallery today at the Scottish Miniatura but unfortunately there just weren't the type of items I was looking for. It goes like that sometimes. It certainly didn't stop me making a few purchases though!

I think the bon bon dishes may make it into The Tearooms themselves, I haven't had a chance to play yet.

It's going to take me an awful long time to fill this Gift Gallery, I think.

The Gift Gallery

2010-05-12T18:42:00.007+01:00

It's been some time since I actually posted any progress pictures here and I've been feeling a bit guilty about that. The truth is, I've had problems with the floor here - it keeps popping up - and rather than just do a quick fix on it I took the whole thing apart and relaid it. Hopefully that's the problem solved now.

I figured if I waited until the Gallery was complete with every item I wanted to include, it would be quite some time before I was able to show it so I've decided to show what progress I've made to it so far and will update as I add bits.

I'd also like to welcome all new followers to my blog. I'm very pleased to see you here.

An Award.....

2010-04-20T23:36:00.006+01:00

I actually received this a few days ago and have only now had the time to give a big thank you to Lara Lara's Miniature World and Sonya Cannella e Melograno. I know I should be passing this on to other bloggers but it's getting sooooo difficult now to choose some over others and as this Award has been given to quite a few blogs already I want you all to have it with love from ME!

Progress has been slow on The Tea Rooms recently. I'm having a bit of bother with the floor in the Gift Gallery. It keeps popping up! Obviously the sticky on the double sided tape isn't doing it's job properly and at the moment it's under several gardening books. Hopefully this will do the trick and I can get on and finish decorating.

New followers........

2010-04-15T22:47:00.006+01:00

I'm afraid I've not been working on the Tea Rooms for some time - real life gets in the way - but I'm so pleased to see I have new followers. So, apologies for the time it's taken but thank you one and all for following my blog. It's lovely to welcome you all here and I hope you like what you see.

Thank you Sonya and Allison

2010-03-07T15:58:00.015Z

Thank you Sonya and Allison for this lovely award. I'm pleased that you like what I'm doing with the Tearooms.

OK - so I now have to post the rules:

1. Thank the person that gave it to you;
2. Copy the logo and place in your blog;
3 Link to the person who nominated you;
4. Name seven things about yourself that nobody knows;
5. Nominate seven Kreativ bloggers;
6. Post links to the seven blogs that you nominate; and
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know that you have nominated them.

The seven things that nobody knows are:

1. I am a Queen's Guide;
2. I'm not keen on vegetables;
3. I love gardening;
4. I prefer baking to cooking;
5. I have an 18 year old cat called Thomas;
6. I can't crochet; and
7. I like to see a man in a kilt.

My nominations for this award go to:

1. Anneke at pieplyts;
2. Lisa at lisajohnsonrichards;
3. Evelien at ejacreates;
4 Marleen at marleen's miniaturen;
5 Julia at Bearcabinminiatures;
6. Victoria at Little Boxes; and
7. Rita at Rita's Miniatyrhus.

Thank you for the inspiration - I love them all.

Irene

Look what I got!

2010-02-24T09:31:00.003Z

This is my first award! I'm thrilled with it. I received it from Jaime who has a lovely blog.

I now have to post the rules, pass it to six other blogs I enjoy and let them know.

The rules are:

1. Post the award on my own blog;
2. Name six blogs that I enjoy;
3. Let the six bloggers know I have passed on the Award to them.

I pass this Award to:

1. Julie
2. Ana
3. Mimmi
4. Susanne
5. Paris Miniatures
6. Sabiha

Thank you for such inspiration.

New followers

2010-02-17T18:52:00.005Z

Lots of new followers today:

Tink (minitink), Minna, Synnove (Synnoves et Dukkehjen), Rosanna (la casa rossa), Lena (miniatyrmama), Eva (evas miniatyner), Sylvia (Miniaturas Natasylvia), Kim (It's a Miniature Life and It's a Miniature Life Dolls), Monika (Puppenstubennostalgie), Miniatureallsorts, Kate, Margarita vives, Lisette (Lisette's Minaiaturen), Asti Mini, Anneke (pieplyts), Michelle's Mad World, Sabiha, Daisy (Antique Daisy), Auzilio (Las Minis De Auzilio & Aista Roma), Josje (A Beautiful World), Sonya (Cannellaemelograno), Carmen (La ventana a mi mundo), hanna (Mini makers, hanna & lesjona Kirjat - Books and hanna & Leijona), Christel (Christel Jensen - Little Treasures), Eva (Premios Y Otras Cosas De Mini Escenas - www.mini-escenas.blogspot.com) and Mirel Korhonen.

Welcome to my blog, it's lovely to see you here.

More Kits

2010-02-17T17:11:00.006Z

As I enjoyed making the last little kit of hat boxes, I decided to get some more. This time I went to miniature kits

These little items will be for sale in the Gift Gallery shortly.

Hat Boxes

2010-01-13T23:09:00.004Z

At the end of last year I bought a little Hat Box kit. Well, I didn't have a great deal of time to mini today and the light wasn't very good. It's been really dull all day. So, I decided to make up my little kit. I think I'll have a look at more of these as they're fun to do and give such great results. These boxes will be going in the Gift Gallery.

Welcome new followers....

2010-01-09T19:17:00.005Z

A warm welcome to Cheryl (A Miniature Place), Ana Rosa (Thumbnails of Ana), Susanne, Miniaturemaid, Eli en Karina, Taenia (Taenia's Miniatures) and Sandra (Tales from a Toymaker)

Thank you for following my blog. It's nice to see you here.

Another year.........

2009-12-31T16:19:00.009Z

A very warm welcome to Marlies, JFolk, Marie Jose (Marivigano), Susan (minicrochetmad) and Nuria (Nuri).

Complementary champagne for you all.

Merry Christmas.....

2009-12-23T09:36:00.005Z

The staff at Apples Tea Rooms wish all their customers a very Merry Christmas X

2009-12-20T14:57:00.003Z

A warm welcome to Norma, Pilar and Muriel. Thank you for following my blog. It's nice to see you here.

A wee update........

2009-12-20T14:37:00.005Z

I've changed the lamps outside the Tea Rooms. While I liked the green lanterns I always felt there was something not quite right, then I figured it out - they're green! I found some black lamps (with globe shades that tie in with the interior light fittings) and here you are.

More followers....

2009-12-07T19:21:00.005Z

Welcome Marlene and MiniMaker. Thank you for following my blog. Please help yourself to a complementary coffee.

My very first follower......

2009-12-06T23:04:00.005Z

Here's a complementary coffee at Apples Tea Rooms for Janne, my very first follower. Welcome! I'm very pleased to see you.

Printies

2009-11-30T08:40:00.004Z

I've discovered printies. This is a selection of little bits I made at the weekend for the Gift Gallery. I'm not sure about the clocks as I prefer "real" ones but I might get away with them at the back of the shop. The pictures turned out pretty good, I think. They're mounted on foamboard to give the impression of frameless canvasses. It would be too easy to get carried away with those. There are one or two other bits waiting to be made but I'll post pics of those another time.

Something I've made

2009-11-25T18:28:00.012Z

I don't normally make bits for my properties (other than curtains, I don't mind that) but I thought I'd have a go at some magazines for the Gift Gallery. Once I figured out how to achieve it, I'm quite pleased with them. It might not be a big deal to a lot of you but to me, it's good!

The little magazine rack was originally mahogany but I painted it white to fit in with the shabby chic look I'm going for in the Gallery.

Hot on the heels of that little success I purchased a little Hat Box kit so I'll be back to let you know how I got on with them.

The Gift Gallery

2009-11-18T16:08:00.000Z

It's been a little while since I've posted new pics here but I've been busy decorating. The Tearooms now has a Gift Gallery. All I have to do now is get some gifts. I'm hoping for a shabby chic look but a lot will depend on the gifts I manage to get for it. That's the intention anyway.

Here are the two rooms side by side

The right hand side of the Gallery is a smaller room. I'm not quite sure yet how I'm going to link them but I'm working on that. I'll probably have the cash desk on this side.

Here's the left hand side of the Gallery. I've decorated both rooms identically as they're going to be quite busy rooms and I didn't want it to be too much on the eye. I've used a Brodnax paper with co-ordinating curtains but they've still to be made yet.

The little sign on the staircase says "Private" as this leads up to the living quarters of the owner.

The Tea Room

2009-10-21T22:39:00.000+01:00

"Eggs Benedict" and "Baked Potato"

The right hand side.

The door on the left "leads" to the kitchen and the door on the right, to the WC

This is the left hand side. The tall cabinets are back-lit.

This was a good sized space to work with and offered a few possibilities with the placing of the furniture. It did mean, however, that I had to make the tables as I needed a couple measuring 2" square.

Office/Store Room

2009-10-21T22:03:00.000+01:00

This is a close up to show the items on the desk.

Here's the fully functioning room with store cupboard, office supplies and first aid kit. There's still scope in this room to add more items and that will come in time.

I'll post pictures showing the details of the items on the desk as it's a bit difficult to see what's there from this angle.

This is the "engine room" where supplies are stored and orders are made. Of course, we need somewhere to put the central heating boiler as well!

I made the little desk from balsa wood, then waxed it. It was my first attempt at making furniture that wasn't in kit form.

The Kitchen

2009-10-21T21:29:00.001+01:00

The finished and fully functioning room. In keeping with Health & Safety Regulations, there are smoke alarms and fire extinquishers! There will still be items added here but for the moment, I'm very happy with it.

Another view of the kitchen showing the right hand side. I love the dishwasher - press the button and it "fills with water"! This was purchased, along with the fridge, from Miniatura.

I've gone for a traditional country style kitchen in The Tea Rooms. The units came in kit form which enabled me to have exactly what I wanted, where I wanted it.

The flooring is iron-on and waxed. I've discovered I like waxing floors, it's much quicker than varnish and gives a lovely soft finish. All the woodwork in The Tearooms is waxed.

Time for Tea?

2009-10-19T22:59:00.000+01:00

Have you ever wanted to visit a traditional tea room where the tables are laid with white cloths, the coffee and tea are poured from silver pots into white china and the cakes and savories are a feast for the eyes? Afterwards, you can step upstairs to the Gift Gallery and browse through the wonderful selection on display there. Well, at Apples Tea Rooms you can.

Inspired by trips to Yorkshire, hopefully Apples Tea Rooms will take you back to a more refined and traditional era.