Welcome to Quayside my town by the seaside!

WELCOME TO QUAYSIDE MY TOWN BY THE SEASIDE



Thank you for visiting my blog and thanks even more if you decide to follow :-) I really do enjoying doing it and love to share my projects with you all! In the village at last count I had 18 houses, 14 little roombox size shops, 3 half houses, and 1 half church (half being just a front!) there's also 1 quarter of a house (just half of a front lol) 2 market stalls, 3 market carts and beach huts on the beach although theres always seems to be room for just one more!

I also have a my 1st house a traditional Victorian manor which is very special as it was bought with money left to me by my beloved Nan. There's also my witches house and a witches shop. I also have a lovely Honeychurch house which is my Christmas shop and house and my latest venture a little vintage cottage. But the bulk of my property empire is Quayside, my little Cornish seaside village full of lovely individual cottages and all its wonderful residents. This has become a real labour of love and has turned me from a Dolls house fan into a complete and utter addict! The links below will take you to each of my houses and I especially hope you enjoy your visit to Quayside :-)


Monday 24 March 2014

Quayside update!

As promised a Quayside update! I haven't been in there too much lately my vintage collecting has been keeping me busy! I am also trying to curb my spending on minis as I spend way too much!!! I have been very good the past few weeks so had to make sure I had enough new things to show you lol!!

I did a small DHE order a few weeks ago as some of their items are very cheap at the moment. I got this lovely metal cot reduced from over £15 for under £5!


I got Becky a nice shelf unit for her little tea room which was reduced to about £3.50


Its such a small room but works lovely as a little place for a cake and tea!


The little pink cottage was £1.25!


I also invested in a couple of new residents as the village felt a bit neglected! I have tried a police station but it didn't really work so I gave up but when I saw this doll Detta had for sale I decided to have another go! Lots to do in here!



Wendy is the other new arrival! As you know I moved the flower shop out of the corner shop to turn it into a funky icecream parlour. Of course it needed someone to run it and she's just the part!


Still some work to do but I have laid new aluminium style flooring and papered the walls. I have new seating and jukebox that plays music and lights up.



Its def got the feel I was after and works really well in here!


I had to have another switch around to make space for the police station as this was my only empty shop and it def wasn't right for it!


I moved the sweet shop in here and the music shop (blue with bays) back in the pink one (former sweet shop) and then the post office (blue flat fronted)  back into the blue one with the bays and that left the flat fronted blue one free for the police station....got that??? lol


My Daughter had a good clear out in her bedroom on Saturday as now shes 20 she's apparently a 'grown up' and decided she wanted rid of all the STUFF in her room! She had this little cabinet full of odds and ends and she didn't want it so I stole thinking it would make a lovely place to store all my little vintage dolls that don't have a home! I have put a few odd bits of furniture inside and will decorate it to make it pretty! It fits perfectly on top of the bookcase where a house would be too big!


Friday 14 March 2014

Sea view 2!

I still have lots to update in Quayside but in this post I will update you on my new found love for vintage dolls houses!

As you know I got my little Ivy cottage just after Christmas, well I have had so much fun filling it with lovely things! I have mainly stuck to the Barton items made from wood so there is a theme to it all! I have also fallen in love with the little Halfpenny dolls. made in Devon in the 70's. They are super cute and I was lucky enough to get a job lot on Ebay this weekend.



The kitchen is now nice and full. Busy Mum with one of her 5 children! No wonder she is so slim!


My lovely friend Celia sent me lots of nice pieces of furniture and some of it went straight into the house but some was a bit too past it sadly! One of those things was a dresser that was missing its top and its handles and was very grubby! I decided to chop it in half and turn it into wall units. I repainted it, gave it new handles and cup hooks. I think it looks fab and makes the kitchen look so much fuller!



The family have visitors Uncle Hector his wife Hetty and their two children Harriet and Harry!


A new Dad in his favourite chair!


I moved the children's room across the hall as the pink colour matched the room better. Lots has been added in here!


The bunk beds I already had I just bought the ladder. The gorgeous little Dol Toi cot at the back which the side drops down on is one of my favourite things


The new Sister Tina came from America and she has a new pink cot for her dollies! My lovely friend Jean sent me the gorgeous knitted jacket on the door and the baby bath was part of a nursery set she kindly sent me.


A new telephone and plant table in the hall..


This room still needs lots of things added. Not so easy to find bits and bobs for the adults!


Next up is a new project, new with a vintage twist!! I am sure many of you will be familiar with Caroline Hamiltons Dolls house book. Its my most favourite book and I have read it many times! This bungalow (pictures taken from her book) Seaview was always one of my favourites!





When Julie put a copy of it on Ebay I wanted it so bad but I really couldn't afford it! So she very kindly offered to let me have one in its bare form which would be cheaper so I could work on it as and when I could afford too! It arrived yesterday and its so wonderful. You know straight away what house its suppose to be and that's before I have done anything to it!!!




I got a couple of little vintage German Dolls on Ebay as they looked quite similar to the dolls in the original house, but mostly as they are 1/12 scale which is perfect for this house!


This is the rest of my Halfpenny job lot. I managed to make up 2 more families!


I seem to have a bit of a thing for dolls lately!! This little girl was for the village I just thought she was cute and she has lovely hair!





Monday 3 March 2014

Its all change in the village!! Two houses go and one comes Back!!

First of all apologies for leaving it so long to update my blog! I kept getting an error code which was stopping me from adding a new post, but I have finally got round to sorting it out and now I have a mountain of things to catch up on!!!

About a fortnight a go I decided to have a total revamp in the village! I had fallen out of love with it as it felt too crowded and was all a bit too much! I decided to take out a couple of houses to free up a bit of space! I decided to sell Beach Cottage and Sea Shanty cottage. It wasn't a decision I took lightly as i loved them both but the problem I had was that they were both lovely houses and that's what they needed to be a house/home. With the cute back windows and fireplaces I couldn't make them work as shops which was what I was desperate for space for. Luckily within a few days a found a lovely local buyer who collected them on Saturday. It was easier to part with them knowing they were going to a good home!!

So what's changed!!! Well first of all Forget me not cottage has now become the rest home. It was just done as a house before and wasn't one I really loved like Lavender or Seashell it was just a house! My favourite room was the kitchen so I have left that in place. I think it works well in here and somehow the name just seemed right!


They have four rooms instead of 3 and its much more fun than it was as a house!


The kitchen needs a nice jolly cook!


The dining room also doubles as a recreation room with a card playing table!


The lounge is where you can relax!


Poor Gladys is still waiting to be collected!


Next up is Barnacle cottage. I had done Sea Shanty as the holiday cottage so that's now moved back into Barnacle where it fits so well.



I have done it a little different using a smaller bed so I could fit the bathroom in. Its bijou but has all you need for a nice stay by the seaside!


I have always struggled with the downstairs in this cottage! It didn't work as a shop as it's in the residential part of the village. I had a idea to move the sewing shop in as a dressmaker wouldn't necessarily need a shop just premises to work from. It works really well in here as its a nice big room!


Of course Debs fab quilts steal the show but I think its much more impressive all in one room than spread over 2 like I had it before.


This little pink shop was the music shop but I decided it would work better as a flower shop. The flower shop was formally in the corner shop but that's a good size and it didn't need to be in something so big. I figured if I moved it into here that freed up the corner shop for something else! The music shop has gone into the Post Office and the Post Office has moved to the little empty blue shop I had so it all worked out well!



It works perfectly in here I am so pleased I moved it!


Needs a few more things a row of coloured ribbons above the desk is my next job!



I did have the 3 small shops here next to the beach but it was really cramped and I didn't feel like I was 'playing' with them anymore as they were awkward to access. I have now moved the pub here which is much better! It has the canopy and table and chairs at the side and is easy to get in and out of!




Porthole has moved along to the end and I added a bench behind to hide the wires!


By moving the pub next to the beach that meant finding a space for the 3 smaller houses. I really liked these on the windowsill before as they are not as big they let the light through and make the room feel a lot less oppressive. having the 2 big ones there is what was making the room feel so glum! They just feel like their own little street and I love them being back here!


As I had moved the sewing shop that left Honey suckle now empty. Babs was homeless as I moved the holiday let back into Barnacle so I thought I would try it out in here




It actually fitted better than I thought and there's lots of scope to add a few more details and some doors and maybe even some funky wallpaper!


By taking out 2 houses left me with a lot of space! My plan was to sell them and use the funds to buy a shop. I had a lovely big shop a while ago and had sold it to my friend Diane who lives about 45 mins away. She asked if I would like to buy it back and she would bring it over a couple of days later! It was too good an offer to resist as I know it was a lovely property it just wasn't right at the time I had it! At the time it was a bit big but now I have a few other taller houses it would fit ok. She kindly bought it over on Wednesday and I have to say it was made for the space!! It had to lose a bit of its chimney to fit under the shelf but that's fine it was very tall anyway and I have left most of it in place! Diane had painted it grey but I wanted to make it into a nursery shop and thought grey was a little dull so I decided to go with a pale green. I have it on a couple of smaller shops but not on any bigger ones. Its really suits it and I am so happy Diane let me have it back its perfect!!


Its such a pretty cottage and looks amazing when its lit up. It also has really pretty wallpaper and lovely lights so I am really chuffed its back in the village!



Its been so nice to spread all the nursery stuff out! I had all the lovely stuff from the nursery in Forget me Not so I have been able to rehome it all in here!







I made a small mother and baby corner but will prob redo this when I get a more suitable sink come changing unit!


There is still more to come!! Lobster, Wishes and Dishes and the corner shop have all changed! There is a new witchy cafe and the little vintage house is almost full! I will update more soon so as not to bore you with too much in one go ha ha!!! It has been a lot of work but I can honestly say the village feels the best it ever has at the moment! Everything feels like its the right thing in the right place and although I was really sad to see 2 go its really made me love the village again so it was the right thing to do!