Work inside the vardo

Still working inside, and far from finished.
I try to make something looking like a queenie stove for my vardo. The base is a Chrysnbon Parlor Stove Kit.

Between the saw and the glue, I work on a fine little cushion for the bed. It's a kit from Nicola Mascall. 48 count silk gauze and I need my big big magnifier.

News from the vardo

Some pictures of the vardo. I'm working on the painting.

Bed frame almost alive.

A painting by Catherine Buron

Last week, when I was at the City of London Dollshouse Festival, I also bought a very fine painting of flowers. It's for my gypsy vardo. I planned to show it "in situ", in the vardo, but it will take months before I finish it and I can't wait for so long....

Here it is shown on the wallpaper I will use in the vardo... A perfect match for a perfect vase of flowers.
Catherine and Marie-Laure were exhibiting their work together : delicate and creative paintings, perfectly made furniture with original shapes and colours.
You'll find pictures of this very tasteful craftsmanship on their respective blogs : Ninette & co for Catherine, Recréation Miniature for Marie-Laure. I was very thrilled to see their actual work for the first time. I knew it from the blogs and seeing it was...fantastic.

New curiosities

I came back this Sunday from the new City of London Dollshouse Festival with some new findings.
Today I'll show you the pieces I bought for my Curiosities Cabinet.

 





Once more, Cilla Albert, from Minst.com, has made just the right thing for my cabinet. I already had two coral pieces, and now I have the shells under globe. I had to change the shape of the shelves and add a nice curve to be able to put the three items together. On the picture, one of the corals is almost hidden. I'm a poor photographer !

 

On the lower shelve, I have two new curiosities : a shell fossil and a dinosaur spine. The latter is in fact a part of a squirrel spinal column, but nobody knows it. That was a gift from my daughter. I've made the setting this morning.

 

 

 

I also got the perfect armchair for my cabinet. The original is the Swan chair designed by Charles Voysey, an English architect and furniture designer. His work was influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement and the Art Nouveau. His famous Swan chair was designed between 1883 and 1885. The tiny one in my Cabinet is the work of Small-time miniatures. A master piece !

 

 

Here's a new picture of the whole cabinet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gypsy vardo : the painting

I had to make a choice for the colour and the exterior decoration of my waggon. First,  the colour : it's not so easy.

 

Obviously, the green "arsenic"is a real poison. I hate it ! I decided to stick to the yellow for the wheels and I changed the main colour to a bright pink.

My final decision goes to a mix between traditional overdecorated English vardo, and a more contemporary French style, overdecorated, with bright and vibrant colours and delightfully kitch interior. Overdecoration is the key to a good gypsy vardo !
A comment by Sanschichis made me see that she had already built and painted a wonderful vardo inspired by this type of waggon-fitting.
The pictures on the blog of Sanschichis HERE "Ma roulotte".
The french builder of new or renovated vardo with a personal gypsy deco HERE.

I definitively prefer PINK. I have fit the gypsy vanner horse in. This is the top of the front door.

 

Here is the lid of the back trunk.

 

Some blooming flowers for the front door.
 

 

 

And the design on the unfinished wheels.

 

The gypsy vardo : taking apart

 

I have made my homework, looking for clues about gypsy vans everywhere. I came to the conclusion that this traditional gypsy home pulled by horse is not so old.  They have been used by gypsies for only 150 years. They developed first in France and then were used in the 1820 s' in England by showmen travelling with fairs and circuses.
The name for the gypsies'waggon is VARDO. And if they are gypsy home, they are traditionaly made by non-gypsy coach-builders. We can find 6 main types of vardoes : Brush, Reading, Ledge, Bowtop, Openlot and Burton.

My Vardo is a Ledge, no doubt. A van with side and back windows, sloping walls, portable steps, front door wich opens separately at the top and the bottom, rack at the back and a raised roof called a mollicroft. The floor is narrow and both side walls widen out at knee-level via a ledge over the wheels.

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The maker of this Ledge has done a pretty good work : everything is true to a life size Ledge.

www.gerryvardoes.co.uk : Gerry builds a very complete range of vardoes you can choose of.

 

 

 

And now it's time to take all the pieces apart. I want to make some changes before I begin the painting. I have prepared a new door, the one I had was too thick. Same for the door of the cratch at the back. I have also changed the hay rack, to have a lighter one.

They are many informations and pictures at http://gypsywaggons.co.uk  and http://gypsyvans.com  : builders, collectors and painters of gypsy vardoes.

 

 

 

 

KDF

Yesterday it was the Kensington Dollshouse Festival. Always a great moment with magnificent miniatures and the "crème de la crème " of miniaturists. Lots of things to see and many ideas to get.
I have made my shopping - components for my own miniatures - and I have found some little things for my Curiosities Cabinet.

 

Two coral by Cilla Hallbert from Minst www.minst.com, they are nicely set and perfect in my display. In front of them, delicate tools by Danny Shotton : magnifier, scissors, penholder, razor. I don't know yet where they will go but I will find a good place. I plan a barber case.. soon.

 

Some bottles from Kastlekelm Miniatures www.kastlekelm.webs.com. I guess they will be better in my magical shop "Aux Dragons Azimutés". I can't resist a goblin brain or a dinosaur bone.

 

And last but not least, I have now an unfinished gypsy wagon.

 

 

One of the models made by Gerry's vardos www.gerrysvardoes.co.uk. I wanted to find a place for a gypsy fortune teller with crystal ball and tarot, this time I have a good one. Now I need just one more year to finish it the way I want it.