Newcomers from Maple Street

Yesterday I was tempted to visit the most dangerous shop in the UK, Maple Street. I have written about it before. From the outside, you would never guess what an Ali Baba cave it is. It looks like a shabby warehouse. It is actually a warehouse as the shop mostly sells online, but it is overwhelming when you step inside. I didn't need anything in particular, but I can never leave this shop without buying something. First of all, I found this:

A mini vacuum cleaner to get rid of all dust and sawdust in the remotest corners of the dollhouse. It is meant for keyboards and other devices, but wasn't it clever of the shop to sell it to miniaturists! Warmly recommended. I had wanted something like this for a long time.

I also bought a harp for my music room. It was exceptionally cheap, and it fits in nicely.

But my best bargain was three lovely dolls. I believe they are handmade, as they don't look like any dolls I have seen in ordinary shops. They were lying in a heap, without boxes, and some were broken.

 

I like this gentleman's face. His posture suggests he is old and tired.

 

I wasn't sure where this lady would be best placed, but she ended up in the guest bedroom where her husband has already gone to bed in his bathrobe. Although he should probably sit in his armchair by the fire and have a smoke.

This pretty lady had no hands and was just a third of original price. Buying her, I was sure I would be able to mend her, but not sure how. I am not good with clay or fimo which might be the most natural way. So instead I took arms from a broken plastic doll whom I had never used in any project, since she turned out to be wrong scale. The hands were slightly too large and look more like baby hands than lady hands, but I hoped they wouldn't be too conspicuous. It felt creepy to work with severed arms, and they were also too tanned for my pale-faced lady, but I painted them in a paler tone:

 

I also put a diamond ring and an emerald ring on them. 

So the lady is not a cripple anymore.

The other inhabitants of the house are excited about the newcomers. I am sure there will be many parties this holiday season.