Autumn Clothes

Last Saturday I paid another visit to the best and most beautiful dolls house and miniatures shop in The Netherlands: "Het Kabinet" (The Cabinet) in Gouda.

The shop has such a huge collection of items for our wonderful hobby, that one keeps discovering new things with each visit! 

Apart from factory-made items by several well-known brands, one can find the results of the "labor of love" by a number of Dutch artists on display. I've mentioned in a previous blog the paper plants and flowers of Elly. This time it was Jolanda's lovely jackets that caught my attention.

I purchased two, and immediately added them to an empty wardrobe which I had. Don't they look wonderful? Note also the little black shoes!

Below: Margrietplein No 1: the entrance to a beautiful realm of miniatures.

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Old kitchen

Here's a sneak preview of an old, run-down kitchen room box that I've been working on for a while now. 

It has clearly seen better days, but that's exactly what I like about it. Actually, that's the whole reason I bought it. I want this thing to represent my style, not to look like my mom's kitchen!

It's still pretty much work in progress, yet slowly but surely getting there!

 

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Battle damaged robot

Hi everybody, how are you doing today? Just sharing one of my many little projects here. This poor little fellow got seriously damaged in battle, but... he's still standing strong! We all get damaged one way or another, we all fall. But the trick is to get up again. Over and over.

Enjoy your day!

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Outside Becomes Inside

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

First cut.

I work a lot with cardboard, it's one of my favorite materials. I also use it extensively in the construction of dolls houses.

For some reason I found it very 'expressive.' It always has a tale to tell. Easy to paint too. Yes, definitely one of my favorite materials!

 

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Rooftop

 The rooftop of the conservatory, with added metal frill and isolation.

 

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Corner

A dark corner of my "Two Minutes to Midnight" shadow box. No one taught me how to do this, I got there by trial and error.

I embarked in this particular project only a year after starting to work with miniatures. My love for everything old and rusty has always been the driving force behind my experiments with new techniques.

 

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Bratwurst, anyone?

 

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

 

Walking doll (2)

Another picture of my walking doll as a follow up to yesterday's post. I'm sure she'll look great when dressed up.

 

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Walking doll

Hello everyone! Today I'm sharing this picture of one of my cuties, a so-called "walking doll."

Walking dolls don't really "walk" on their own, but rather create that illusion because their stiff legs can be moved as if walking (looks rather like marching to me), whereby their head -which is connected to the legs by an internal mechanism- moves from side to side with each step.

I bought her in a relatively poor state, without any clothes and loose wig, but otherwise complete. She measures about 60cm, or 24 inches (2 feet) tall.

She remains as I got her, but I hope to be able to find her a nice dress and shoes, and treat her to a visit to a hairdresser.

 

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Begonia

Hi everybody! On Saturday I drove to the city of Gouda to buy some items from the renowned dolls houses & miniatures shop "Het Kabinet" ("The Cabinet").

Most of the miniatures I bought relate to a small room box project that I'm currently working on. However, regardless of the subject at hand, I never go back home without a little hand-made plant from Elly; a lady who offers her wonderful work for sale in one of the beautiful display cabinets in the shop.

This time I fell for an adorable pink begonia that was just begging to be bought! And here she is, in all her delicate splendor!

 

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Another view

Following my previous post, here's another view of the same room in the "Amsterdam" dolls house, taken from a different angle.

The lamp, curtains, as well as the paintings on the wall all came with the house, so they're an original part of it.

 

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

A peek into The Amsterdam

A sneak peek inside one of my old dolls houses, which I call "The Amsterdam," after the city where I bought it.

Totally handmade, this house has the shape of a cube, with removable panels on all sides, allowing for easy access to the interior.

I can never thank its seller (Mrs Maria) enough for offering it to me for such a bargain price!

This beauty is currently in storage, awaiting its time to see the light of day again, together with some serious refurbishing!

 

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

More is more

Another view of the conservatory under construction, with its interior enveloped in golden light. The walls got some extra 'skin' and the upper part of the windows feature 'stained glass,' all of which was not included in the original kit. Also, the windows now have wooden framing inside and out, which was not easy to do. But then again, the more work one puts into something, the better the results!

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

At rest

After a day's work, a shovel, a rake, and a hoe rest against a table next to an onion crate containing real onion skins.

Around them, the construction of the conservatory continues unabated. One can also see another crate containing potatoes right under the table and next to the rake.

 

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Signals

Just one for the heck of it: this image shows a railway signaling lights post in H0 scale. I don't particularly focus on the H0 scale, but still own quite a few trains and buildings in that scale. 

These trains & buidings are significantly more detailed (and twice as small) as my favorite 0-gauge scale, and are more aimed at the adult collector, i.e. grown ups like me, who still like to play with toys.

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Beams

Throwback Sunday: the below image shows the wooden beams of the conservatory's roof during its construction. 

As you can appreciate, the wood was made to look very old and weathered, something which I totally enjoy doing!

 

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Doors

The custom-made front doors of the Conservatory are ajar in the night, as if welcoming whomever dares to enter. That is, if the angel head looking down on you from the shadows allows you to. Inside, silence reigns, and a luminescence seemingly coming out of nowhere lights up the otherwise empty space. 

At the back, one can see the door that connects the conservatory with the dark, old house. At this point it looks quite desolate, devoid of the plants and flowers which later on would invade the place, making it warm, cheerful, and welcoming.

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Foundations.

Every project in life begins with a good, solid foundation. 

When I got the kit for the conservatory, I decided that it deserved a good base to stand on. So I built these foundations and surrounding path, which followed the contour of the building itself. 

Seen from above, it reminds me of the old ruins of a castle. One can almost smell the damp earth and exposed, ancient roots. Yet what we're looking at is a sunken 'trench' which accommodates the removable walls of the conservatory.

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

 

Wealden

Hi all, I hope you're doing well! This is an edited picture of the front of my old "Wealden" dolls house. 

Currently in storage following the renovation of my apartment, I hope I'll be able to 'unearth' it pretty soon, so I can enjoy it and take more pictures of it!

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Pastoral flashback

From my photo archives: a little 'pastoral' from the very beginning of my work with miniatures (2017). It was clear to me from the start that photographing miniatures was as much a crucial element of my new hobby as the miniatures themselves. 

More often than not, I create little make-shift dioramas just for the benefit of a particular miniature that I want to photograph. Those dioramas are disassembled after the photo shoot. 

 

 

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Exploring the Centennial

The sheer excitement and awe that comes with exploring an old dolls house like the Centennial is written all over Little Archy's face. 

Sometimes I wish I could make myself small, and have my own journey of discovery through it!

Well, in fact I do! I mean, the second I start 'wandering' through the rooms visually, my mind takes me there and I become small like Archy. And I bet you have the same, when you wander through your own dolls houses! There is nothing that our imagination cannot do, we should always remember that!

 

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

The Little Nun

Hi all, I hope you're doing well!

Today I'm sharing a picture of one of my many dolls, big and small. She has no name or anything; it's just a cute little nun going about her day to day in her humble convent.

I like her a lot!

 

 © 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

The 19-2405 again

Hi all, it has been quite a while since my last post here,so I hope you're all doing well! 

Been doing lots of things, except that which I love the most, which is all things miniature and old, zero-gauge toy trains!

But here I am, finally, sharing a pic from my extensive collection, depicting a very worn out example of my many vintage toy trains.

And isn't she gorgeous?! Even with her missing parts and rusty metal body -or maybe because of it-  she has character, undeniable charisma, and mystery to her!

She has featured here before, the old 19-2405, but I think she deserves a new guest appearance, so here she is! See you next time!

 

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.