made 2 kites for the Toy Shop...

I'm currently checking out the possibilities and cost of ordering an acrylic display case to protect my Street of Shops from DUST -- the enemy of all miniatures. 

I've had 2 cases made by a local plastics shop that were rather expensive.  One for my Storybook Cottage and the other for my Tracy Topps' house (Ladies' Boutique).  Then I found this Internet site   http://www.casesforcollectibles.com/  where I ordered one for my witch's garden at a much more reasonable cost.  It arrived very quickly and was exactly to my measurements.

So I'll soon find out what they'll charge to make a much larger one, if they can make it.

display table for Houseworks Street of Shops

I ordered a sofa table from Overstock. com planning to use it to display my Street of Shops.  It arrived really fast, was easy to assemble and it's BIG enough.  So there's plenty of room for the
shops and even enough space to add a Tea Garden between the Tea Room and the Corner Bakery. 
That is, IF I can ever figure out how to create one that doesn't look amateurish next to the shops.

I tried bashing a pergola kit to fit the space available but I'm not real happy with the way it looks.   
And I'm finding that elements I thought would work just fine - don't.  So I'm now re-thinking everything.

Here are the shops on their new display table:

Another doll for my Street of Shops scene

Celeste,  another beautiful creation from Viola Williams.  She will be added to my increasingly-peopled Victorian scene.

and another new doll in the Rambling Rose Tea Room

this sweet little widow lady is enjoying tea and cucumber sandwiches in the tea room of my Street of Shops.  She was another find on Etsy and made by "Mrs.Tiggywinkle"....

new doll for my Street of Shops

I found a wonderful character doll  on Etsy to add to my Street of Shops:   Mr.A. Gras, a lovely older gentleman created by Maria Narbon. 

My little street is becoming very populated, which I think adds a lot of interest to the whole scene.

New to blogging and still a novice miniaturist

Miniatures seem to be pulling me in deeper into the Internet  than I ever dreamed I would go.
At first I was just scouring eBay for miniatures to fill my Storybook Cottage done in a Rik Pierce class and  only my second project ever.  Soon I discovered Webshots where I could post pictures of my minis; next came Etsy.  Soon I was asked to join an online mini group. 
Then I stumbled upon mini blogs, miniature tours, wonderful miniaturists in other parts of the world ..... oh dear, one thing does lead to another.