My buys at the Sydney Miniatures and Dolls House Fair 2015

I've been back from my holiday for a week, and I want to show you what I bought at the fair. Unfortunately, one of the things I picked up last weekend was a good dose of the flu, and I am still not up to taking new photos of everything - so here are the photos I took on my mobile phone, in my hotel room in the evenings.

After saying hello to Norma Bennett and Anna-Maria, I made my way to one of the few stalls that consistently has a few vintage pieces - Diana Simms'. She did have some vintage and antique dolls, but none that said 'buy me!' These are not really vintage, but I like them: plates hand painted by Judy Keena, and a plate of egg & toast soldiers by unknown.

When I went back the next day, I had a rummage through Diana's boxes - and she kindly provides an empty one, so you can take out things you've looked at as you go, and see what's right at the bottom. I found two lovely paintings by Turner, published as cigarette cards with gold borders, a Wills cigarette card of Beechworth in Victoria (where yummy apple juice comes from!), plus a jumper, two beanies and a scarf.

As I was leaving Diana's stall on the second day, I noticed these bevelled mirrors, so I went back towards the end of the fair and bought one of each of these three shapes: an oval, an octagon and a circle.

At the back of the hall I found Robyn's Minis, whom I've bought from at a previous fair. She said she had more old things in the morning, but had sold a lot. The food was marked as $1 each, but she reduced it to 50c!!!

I couldn't see at the fair who made the chair, but thought it would go well in my Armin Koch house. When I removed the sticker over the signature, guess whose it was - Armin Koch! 

Actually, I thought the last name was spelled Kod, and the person I bought my dolls house made by him from thought he had been based in Brisbane - I was never able to find him in any online sources, though. I went back to Robyn's stall the second day, as she had sounded as if she knew of him - and yes, she told me that he was the toymaker at Nambucca Heads! Knowing that, I have been able to find him in the 1980 electoral roll - and discover that his last name is Koch, not Kod! I'll show my dolls house made by him soon.

Robyn was packing up her stall when I got there on the second day, so I looked through what was left and found these - 2 terracotta pots, a badge with 2 characters I don't recognize, some lemon and lime slices (or maybe the green and white ones are cucumber or zucchini?), a cushion, and jars with tiny shells and tiny paint tubes.

On the first day, I looked through the bargain boxes on several stalls - I'm afraid I didn't take note of which stalls they all were. I found these beach balls and tennis racquets:

And on Nora Lee Maingard's stall, these shoes (which she had bought in Mauritius) and a Japanese jug:

Nora Lee had brought in some vintage furniture, which she offered to Anna-Maria, who wasn't so interested and showed it to me. There were several Marx pieces - I do like this yellow sofa:

With the Marx pieces was a Sonia Messer sink. None of us had seen ceramic Sonia Messer pieces, but it's stamped on the back, copyright 1975:

 Also on the first day, I got these wonderful macrame hangers from Norma Blackburn (MinisbyTwinmum) - so I won't have to learn macrame!

I also found Margaret Crosswell's stall. She was there last year too, but I don't think I noticed her wonderful Clarice Cliff and other reproductions. I chose a number of vases, bowls and plates on the first day:

and went back on the second day for another look. I spent some time choosing what's almost a matching tea set of Cottage ware (the sugar bowl doesn't have a yellow door, but never mind), plus a model cottage, a jug with a rooster and a hollyhocks jug. I bought two more hollyhocks vases, too - one will be a prize for a Dolls Houses Past and Present giveaway competition. (Sorry, these really need better quality photos to appreciate them, but I hope you can make out the fine details.)

Just opposite Margaret Crosswell's stand was Wyn Garside, and I spent some time looking and wondering what to buy. When I chose this tea cosy, she said, oh, you've chosen the dowdy one! I said it was for a 1940s house. 

The jumper in this photo is by Helen Palenski - it was my last purchase of the second day. Helen said that she had had 4 or 5 different cat designs this year, but by the time I saw them, there was just a Siamese and this cat.

I have bought flowers from this seller before - Dianne Cotterill, of Miniatures to Di For.  I was almost going to buy nasturtiums, but a quick look at my blog post on last year's fair reminded me that I bought some then. Then I thought about a spider plant in a hanging bowl to go in Norma Blackburn's macrame hangers - the kind ladies at this stall suggested that I take it up to Norma's stall and try it. The pot was a bit small for the hanger. So I decided on some red geraniums!

These plates of pawpaw and mango were only 50c each! I probably should have got more - it seems appropriate that some of my dolls houses in Darwin should have tropical fruit. I don't know anything about the maker apart from that they're called Del & come from Queensland.

This is a 1970s book for kids, I think, on making dolls house furnishings from bits and pieces. Only the cover is in colour, but in all the illustrations of the rooms they are peopled by bears and chicks!

And finally, my second-last buy of the fair, cushions from Norma Bennett - my combinations of her designs. Norma very kindly gave me a lift both afternoons to Ashfield railway station - there was trackwork, so this saved me two bus rides to a station where the trains where still running. Thank you Norma and Gordon!

I had carefully measured the inside of my suitcase and taken a tape measure to the fair, in case of finding a vintage dolls house which appealed to me - but I didn't see any at all. Other years, there have been one or two at least - either there weren't any this year, or it/they sold before I got there.

I have photos of some of the displays to share, too - they were taken on my camera, so hopefully will be a bit better quality than these ones taken on my phone!

Woodtoys - another house and more info

While I was staying with my sister in Bathurst, we spent a couple of days in Canberra. As well as catching up with friends, meeting a collector, and picking up a dolls house that Anna-Maria was holding for me, I was able to spend more time in the National Library of Australia, and go through four years of the Australasian Sportsgoods and Toy Retailer journal, 1975-1978.
I found lots of ads or displays at fairs for dolls houses made both overseas (I'll show some of the them in another post) and in Australia - I now have several new names of dolls house makers, and have identified the makers of some of my new dolls houses.

This is one of the houses I have in Bathurst - I bought it on ebay from Sydney late last year, and the seller was happy to post it. I bought it because some features reminded me of other houses - though now I can't remember which, or by which maker.

 

Well, never mind - I now know that it was made by Woodtoys in 1977. You may remember that I bought a house nearly two years ago that is a dead spit for a Bodo Hennig model (1979-1987), but which has the name Woodtoys on the brick paper on the back of the house.

In the toy trade journal, I found information about Woodtoys dolls houses in 1975, 1976 and 1977. 

 

"The four toys shown in the accompanying photo are the work of Woodtoys, PO Box 64, Lakemba, NSW 2195, which is a partnership of father and son, I J and A T Burden. Father is a former departmental buyer and the son is a former 'Knight Of The Road' with a large general toy wholesaler.

The Burdens make no apologies for the fact that they are in a modest way, and they have had some ups and downs. "In fact," says young Burden, "the respect we have for fellows like Jim Bonaretti [of Bestoys - RG] and, in the past, Keith Lovelock, has increased tenfold - paint dust in everything, no room to move; shoving equipment around to make room for something else; returns from customers through carriers' rough handling. I could go on for hours!"

However, the trauma has passed and now the duo operate in about 3,500 ft. of space, which still is not enough but is a big improvement on the original area. They now do all their own work since the installation of a table saw, band saw, docking saw, sander and other units and employ labour.

The items illustrated show a Georgian style Dolls' house, a pony rockaway, dolls cradle and a table and chair set. They propose several new lines in 1976 including a traditional type rocking horse on a stand similar to the one put out years ago by Roebuck."

Australasian Sportsgoods and Toy Retailer, December 1975, p 62.

Woodtoys' 1976 display at the toy fair shows the same Georgian-style dolls house, which seems to be painted in a range of colours. The caption reads:

"Woodtoys, Lakemba, NSW, displayed Georgian-style dolls houses, pony rocker, toy tidy; dolls wardrobe, rocking cradle, Ampol service station; kitchen dresser; table and chair set; rocking horse and box of blocks. Pictured is proprietor Ian Burden."

Australasian Sportsgoods and Toy Retailer, March 1976.

 

In 1977, there are photos of Woodtoys' displays at both the Sydney and Melbourne toy fairs, so we get several views of their new dolls house.

Yes! It's my new dolls house! Can you see the canopy over the downstairs window, and the poles supporting the roof of the carport?

The caption says:

"Australian-made range of wooden toys, including coloured table and chair set, a toy tidy which makes into a desk, pony rocker, dolls house, cradle, dropside cot, Mickey Mouse and Abba table and chair sets. All toys come unassembled and are individually cartoned with assembly instructions ... they are all NEW. Most popular item on display was the Deluxe Rocking Horse."

Australasian Sportsgoods and Toy Retailer, April 1977.

I can't read all the writing on the sign, but I can see that the address for Woodtoys is now Greenacre, NSW, a suburb next to Lakemba - so perhaps the Burdens had moved to new premises with more space.

  

Detail of the house from the photo above - it's on the right, in the centre.

 

Australasian Sportsgoods and Toy Retailer, July 1977.

The photos of the display at the Melbourne toy fair show the dolls house end-on - and it's a very distinctive view, with a doorway from the rooftop patio to the house cut out of the end wall of the house:

The other Woodtoys dolls house I have has printed paper wallpaper, brick paper and flooring. This dolls house has the wall and floor designs printed straight on to the plywood.

Note the fabric "hinge" which attaches the front door to the wall.

 

The interior, showing the floors.

 

Parquet tiling downstairs and hexagonal tiling upstairs.

 

A geometric design upstairs, and a blue houndstooth design downstairs.

 

Simple red tiling for the rooftop patio, and in the carport, grass around the edges, gravel in the centre, and clear plywood for the driveway and the parking space.

This house is 16th scale. I haven't furnished it yet - I will look out some of my 16th scale pieces to take down next time I go to Bathurst.

Sydney Miniatures Fair 2014

After a lovely week in Bathurst (most days were glorious autumn weather, and the leaves on the trees were such brilliant colours, especially against the blue skies), I got the train to Sydney for the dolls house fair.

Staying in hotels in Sydney is new to me - for so many years, my sister has provided a home base there, but now she's in Bathurst, I looked for somewhere reasonably cheap and close to public transport. Strathfield is between Olympic Park, where the fair is held, and the city - and I'd realised that I could also spend some time in the State Library looking at toy trade journals. So I booked the single ensuite room at Whelan's Hotel in Strathfield, which is heritage-listed - just down the road from the block of flats my Australian Nana managed in the 1960s and 70s. I was going to include some photos of the hotel, and my room there, complete with vintage furniture! but I get very frustrated at not being able to position photos across the page, as we used to be able to do on Blogger - I don't want lots and lots of blank space around photos that aren't dolls house-related, so if you want to see my photos of the hotel, you can find them on facebook (I may add them to flickr sometime, too).

I went to the Miniatures Fair on Saturday morning, soon after it opened, and again on Sunday afternoon, until it closed. I caught up with Anna-Maria (The Shopping Sherpa) and Norma of Make Mine Mini - here we are together:

Margaret Webster of Tamworth very kindly took this photo for us, and then Anna-Maria took one of me with Margaret:

(Margaret owns the first dolls house posted on the Mystery Houses page of Dolls Houses Past and Present, and I showed photos of her Milly Molly Mandy room at the Fair last year.)

I also met Emily of Architecture of Tiny Distinction, thanks to Anna-Maria bringing her over to introduce us!

I didn't take as many photos as last year or the year before, but here are some things that caught my eye.

A long street of houses, with two sides:

 

Behind this display you can see Norma (in black with a blue top) standing behind her stall, and over to the left, with the row of bunting, is Anna-Maria's stand.

Visible in the background of this photo are many of the displays. On the far left is Davidia Williams' Shabby Chic Shop:

Davidia told me that she had had surgery this year, and so created something that was quick, rather than one of her very detailed period reconstructions (1960s Waldfrieden and modern 1226 Cliff Drive, Watsons Bay, in 2012; Tamara de Lempicka's 1930's Paris studio apartment last year, or the 1950s Rose Seidler House in 2009).
I guess for her it would take less time than those houses - there's still an incredible amount of detail in it, and I think she also made the Bear Hug shop and Japanese kitchen next to it (though she wasn't there on Sunday when I took these photos, so I couldn't check).

I'm sorry about the lopsided angles - there were two people sitting and talking right next to this display, so I couldn't get right in front of them.

Some exhibitors had made clever use of gift bags:

I love this scene of two little Caco girls making cupcakes!

There was also a Christmas bag room:

The Tamworth group had some shops too, including Margaret Webster's very inviting antiques shop, A Little Nostalgia. Spot the actual vintage items!

[EDIT: I have been asked to remove photos of another creation from Tamworth, a room in a book.]

Also from Tamworth were a lolly shop by Karen Brown:

[I have been asked to remove photos of a country kitchen made by another Tamworth member. It had a gun over the fireplace.]

(There were bushrangers around Tamworth and the New England Tableland in the 19th century, so an isolated country house would have kept a gun handy like this.)

Last year, Margaret Webster had a Milly Molly Mandy room - this year, someone else had Milly Molly Mandy's bedroom:

This one was made by Rhonda McDonald; I don't know where she is from.

Nearby was a witches' room, with a rather sad explanation:

Still in the realm of fantastic creatures was this Hut on Tyrannosaur's Legs, inhabited by Scribes, small genetically modified ground sloths:

This was created by Marilyn Pride, of the Blue Mountains group - I gather we'll see more of it next year.

Its neighbour in the display was a comics shop, guarded by a superhero:

I also photographed Margell Public School, which Anna-Maria bought:

It was created by a teacher who had always wanted to work in a one-teacher school, but never had the chance. (From what I've heard, it's very hard work - all years of primary school to plan for and teach, all the administrative work, and often all the cleaning too. I think a miniature one-teacher school would be much more fun!)

There were many, many more displays, but I hope you've enjoyed this small sample. I have yet to photograph my purchases, which I hope to do in the next few days. I also have quite a few photos from the 1972 and 1973 issues of the Australian toy trade journal, which I've started going through, plus a few more photos of my dolls houses in Bathurst - late April, early May is always such a rich time!