Temptations

I have once again fallen for some antiques, in the same shop in Stockholm as last year. I stood in front of a cabinet that the shop assistant had opened for me, fondling some nice pieces, when a lady next to me said: "If you are interested, I have a whole shop of dollhouse furniture just around the corner". I was surprised because I was sure I didn't know about any dollhouse shop around the corner, or I would have already spent all my money there. I had already made up my mind, and this is what I bought:

I typically buy things I cannot make myself. The dining table is exquisite (and signed, S.R. -97, in case someone can identify the maker), endlessly more elegant than a similar one I have, "made in China". Unfortunately, it has marks after plates that had been glued to it (barbarian!), but I hope I can remove them gently. The white round table is of a kind that always comes handy. I have already put it in my Victorian bedroom. I bought the corner dresser because I once had exacly the same in 1:1 scale. This one is Lundby scale and will probably not go with any of my existing projects, but maybe some time... The rocking chair is sweet, and I may leave it as it is or paint and refurbish. The stove is 1:24 and I may put it in my half-scale kitchen, although what shall I do with the one I made?

The stove created alarm in the airport security check.

Happy with my purchases, I went to the other shop. How could I have missed this shop?

Now, in this magical cave, how can one choose? It's different from shopping from ebay, and it's different from finding one or two nice pieces in a charity shop. I spent at least half an hour there, drooling, to my companion's irritation, and I could have stayed there much longer. I believe the owner of the shop was a bit impressed when I identified some rare (and horrendously expensive) pieces. My companion hadn't a clue.

This is what I bought:

The chair is a genuine, signed Carin Backlund. I have read a lot about her furniture in dollhouse books, but I have never held one in my hand. I couldn't resist it. There were several of them, but one felt extravagant enough. The table is also Carin Backlund. It wasn't as expensive as the chair, but expensive enough. The long-case clock isn't remarkable, but it fits well into my clockmaker's shop. The fancy wardrobe was broken so I got it cheap. But the two mirrors were pricy. My companion wondered whether I would be able to clean the glass. I explained that the whole point was that the glass looked old. I believe both mirrors are old. Really old.

I got a reasonable discount, but I think I must stop buying miniatures for a while. And I should probably increase my home insurance.