Moving things around to fit new ideas in!

I have had a bit of a move around in Dollyland as I had a couple of new ideas I wanted to try and fit in! I decided to move Barnacle cottage over the retail part of town! It was a holiday let so this was all taken out and it was back to the start! Lobster moved into the corner so the village hall is next to the rest home. This works well for the biddies who now don't have far to go for the WI meetings and the bingo night!

I moved the pub over to the other side in its place.

It actually works really well here as the garden area serves as a pub garden!

Barnacle, I decided would be home to the new police station. It had a light above the door and only a couple of small windows and seemed the ideal place for it! I had to think carefully about what to put upstairs as a school or nursery shop wouldn't have seemed quite right! In the end Babs boutique seemed the be the best option. Shes a hippy and no stranger to a night in cells after a smoke or two, although that was a very long time ago!!

 

Babs never photographs well it always looks like a big jumbly mess but it is a very organised mess!

Babs has her counter right at the front now so she can welcome her customers.

I did take out the existing wooden staircase as it took up a lot of room. I really wanted to use my spiral one somewhere before it ended up getting broken as it didn't have a home! It actually works really well in here and looks perfect for the style of shop!

Upstairs are the shoes and accessories....again really hard to get a good photo!

She had to have a door curtain!

Downstairs is the new police station. Its very bare at the mo lots to do in here mostly working out how to make a cell!

Martin the policeman is now very happy he has a place to bring his arrests too! He likes to keep the village crime free! This man has been arrested on suspicion of burglary!

 

This man was at the pirate party and had a few to many rums so Martin brought him in to sleep it off for a few hours!

 

Next on the change list was sea Shanty cottage. I had the nursery shop and school in here but it wasn't working! It really needed to be a house but I didn't really want another just house! As I had moved the holiday let out of Barnacle it seemed just the place to move it all to! Its now a holiday cottage and I love it! Its worked really well in here and works much better as a proper cottage!

Pride of place my lovely hearth and home aga!

I couldn't fit all the kitchen units in but it really only needed 2 so that worked ok!

I had this little barewood table so I painted it to match the units. I just need to varnish the top!

My good friend Deb came up trumps again with her gorgeous knitting! She made me some lovely blankets for my biddies but I stole this one for the cottage just cos I liked the splash of colours it added to the room! (Theres also one on the police station bed!)

 

I had no idea what I what going to put in upstairs! I spotted this gorgeous bed that Julie was selling and decided that would be my focal point! Deb again, she is so talented, made the stunning quilt. It was the first one I ever got and never had the right bed to show it off so it was just on display in the patchwork shop. I decided this was the bed for it and it was time to let it be seen! It really is quite beautiful and looks perfect on the bed. The sofa was also from Deb. Its very bare at the mo I can't find anything nice enough to match up to the bed yet!

 

It had to have a bit of bunting added!

Another blanket....yep you guessed from Deb! Not quite sure what I would do without her, my village certainly wouldn't be quite the same!

 

Gladys has bagged this one she liked the bright colours!

A few new things in the rest home! I am loving this project so much its such fun and just makes me smile!!!

Alice (named after my nan cos she looks just like her!) is very pleased her new zimmer has arrived and now theres no stopping her

There's also a guest! Wilbur is just a day visitor to the home as only the ladies are allowed to stay the night! He comes along each day for some afternoon tea and to watch a bit of bargain hunt on the tv and just generally for the ladies company!

There are also a couple of new plaques on the cottages. This one is on the rest home and its so cute!

This one is on the post office....

And finally this one on the sewing shop. All made by Julie Lawton they are fab as always!

 Well winter is well and truly here! We had our first dusting of snow last week and I am sure there will be lots more to come! Only 4 weeks until Christmas and I cannot wait!! 2 weeks with all my family will be madness and heaven all at the same time! :-)

Beach View Retirement home for discerning ladies!

I was so excited last Thursday waiting for my new houses! It really is the best feeling in the world unpacking a new house!!! I will miss that feeling lol as now I really have run out of room apart from one tiny space!

First up is Beach Cottage. I saw a picture in a DH magazine of a retirement home and I just thought it was a great fun and an unusual idea. I have wanted to do one in the village ever since but really never thought I would have another house that was big enough to do it. Ideally it needs a few more rooms but I am more than happy with the space I have!

Welcome to the Beach View retirement home for discerning ladies! (WI membership is compulsory!)

I decided to sit this one end on as it makes it much easier to access and the roof doesn't get in the way of the shelf above. It also means a nice little display area at the side that doesn't have to be moved every time its opened!

As always first job was the lights! I hate them and love them in equal measures lol!

There are already a few resident ladies!

It all got a bit too much for this lady! Whatever she's dreaming about it must be nice! Meanwhile a little knitting always helps to pass the time..

A nice cosy fire and some decoration on the mantelpiece is needed!

The lady in pink is waiting for her new Zimmer frame to be delivered! For now Rita the care worker helps her to a comfy chair

I thought they would need a stair lift to get them up and down the stairs. I added carpet so no one slips but some ladies needed a bit more help! I made this from an old chair and some bits of wood. It turned out not bad all considering it cost me nothing!

Afternoon tea is ready, cucumber sandwiches and cream scones!

Upstairs I used the 2 little Sylvanian beds. They are a little on the small side but actually they look fine! Anything bigger and I couldn't have fitted them both in.

Elsie's off out for the day but she's left her teeth!

She sits waiting patiently waiting for her daughter to take her shopping!

 

Elsie's daughter Barbara chats with the home manager Sybil about how her Mother is getting on! She didn't want to move in but she's settling nicely!

Very bare in here needs lots of things added!

Sybil the home manager!

Sybils husband Basil is out in the grounds chatting to Herbert who's waiting outside hoping to see Elsie today!

There's also a new lady in the wool shop. She is Ritas twin sister Ruth!

I had to show these cute little trees! They were about £1.00 each from the DH shop and I added some fairy lights and they look so pretty!

Not forgetting Pumpkin cottage which arrived safely at the same time as Beach! This really is a stunning little property and I am so lucky to own it! I haven't done anything with it yet but it has the perfect little home next to the wizards shop.

The roof is quite stunning its been so cleverly done I just love it!

Last but not least not DH related but an early Christmas pressie of my ever thoughtful Daughter! I was having a crap week, no heating or hot water and then the fire went out of use and along with other things I was feeling very bleugh! She had ordered them off Deb and aren't they just the cutest things ever! (p.s. the heating is now fixed!)

Oh and one last thing Sandy most def appreciated the packing materials!!! :-)