Moving in to Mulberry

Having completed my first quarter scale (1/48th) house I was then faced with the problem  of where to get furniture. I discovered that whilst quarter scale was growing exponentially in popularity it is still not anywhere near as popular as the traditional 1/12th scale. So, my usual tactic of ambling around fairs and shops would have to be modified. I trawled eBay for Quarter Scale items but there wasn't that much available and then I discovered Esty. 

For those of you who, like me, have hitherto missed the hidden treasure that is Etsy, it's a site chock full of hand-made delights including a great selection of Quarter Scale furniture and accessories. I made my first furniture purchases of a clock, desk and chair from Morticia at La Petite Maison D'Amour.

Soon after I bought a gorgeous little bookcase from SDK Miniatures. My beautiful Sally Reader maid needed more furniture to dust though so I looked for a Georgian settee and chairs. I disovered the lovely work of Jacquie at Simply Sweet n Small but she had nothing that fit the bill so I contacted her and asked if she accepted commissions. Most miniaturists are more than happy to accept commissions so if you can't find what you're looking for, just ask. Jacquie was more than happy to help me, and made me a beautiful settee and chairs at a very reasonable price.

Jacque's sofa and chair. I made the table from a Petite Properties Kit and a few beads.

My little house was filling up now, but I couldn't find any bedroom furniture so it was back to Petite Properties to look at their range of furniture kits. Another first for me having brought ready made furniture for my 1/12th house. When my kits arrived they were a little daunting, so tiny, but I needn't have worried, Bea's instructions were so clear and the kits went together easily and were so fun to paint and decorate. Here is the finished set (the accessories are made from tiny beads I picked up at hobby craft):

I was pretty chuffed with my first attempt at kit furniture so I got all brave and decided to make the bed from scratch. Petite Properties do two books on making 1/48th Scale furniture and I bought them both. 

I feel I need to interject at this point to discuss cost. Thus far I sound like I'm throwing money around like nobody's business...I'm not, I'm a teacher and have 6 children which means I'm pretty skint most of the time. There's two things you need to understand. First, I've had to play with the timeline to complete this blog. It actually took me nearly a year to build and fully furnish Mulberry House as I started other projects. Secondly, and more importantly, Quarter Scale is -well can be- dirt cheap!! Furniture kits are £1 - £3 on Petite Properties..The house kits are under £30 (some are under £20). Beads and bits cost very little and you only need snippets of cords and fabrics and tester pots of paint. So Quarter Scale is great for those hard up for more than space.

My first attempt at a four poster bed!

Back to the bed. I adapted a plan for a tester bed to make a four poster. I collected the supplies I needed such as foam board, beads and matchsticks, but I was finding it difficult to find fabrics. Bea uses tissue paper in her design but I wanted proper fabric. I found another gem in the shape of Little Trimmings. I found all the fabrics and trimming I needed on there and was ready to build my bed. Again it's not perfect, but I don't care, it's incredibly satisfying to build a mini from scratch and my little bed is more precious to me than anything I could have bought. Try it, if you haven't already, and you'll see.

So Mulberry House was furnished and I was over the moon with the results. I'm sure I will go back and add bits and pieces over time -I'm going to have a go at painting some minute paintings to liven the walls up a bit - but I was really chuffed with this, my first attempt at Quarter Scale. If you have any other suggestions for my Mulberry House...or any other comments...I'd love to hear from you so please leave a comment below.

Next time: I tackle clay bricks in Emelia's Flowers...