Back again...


Have I ever shown you the rear facade of my house ?   I don't think I have, not even on my website.  In fact I think I don't have any photos of it up until I started working on the little patio off the kitchen a few months ago.  

Below is an' in progress' shot of the two rear facades, while I was still working on the rear facade of my fake extension.  This small facade is similar to the one at the front.  I have used the same windows, but the gable and the door are much simpler than the front facade.  

As the back of the house doesn't need to impress anyone, these facades are generally much plainer than the front of the canal houses.  I don't know why, but often canal houses have plastered rear facades, painted a very light grey or white.   I'll have to ask this question at one of the museums next time I visit.  Maybe it has something to do with reflecting the light, or insulation...

Although I have made a few changes to the original facade (the gable top and kitchen windows are different), it is still fairly plain.  Since I took this photo I have added wall anchors to the main facade and worked on the patio some more.  


In a comment to the post about the front facade of the house, Daydreamer said she would be tempted to make the extension into another house.  Although that was more or less my original intention, I decided against it in the end.  

I couldn't help myself though!   I thought it would be fun to create a little roombox to go behind the back door....  And so I did.  I made a small three sided box from plywood which I can just slide behind the front door.  


I made the floor out of egg cartons, installed a false door in the back and added a light which I made from a plastic deodorant cap covered in beads.  



The furniture was given to me six years ago by Erna, a retiring miniaturist who gave here entire collection to me.    Some of her pieces reside in the main house, but this desk and the chair had not found a place yet.  They are just small enough to fit against the wall of this room.   I like how it works in this small space.   


The sunflowers come from Thailand.  I bought those at a market in Bangkok when I just started out in miniatures.   I always thought they were slightly too crude to use, but here I rather like them.  

The dogs I think are by Valerie Casson.  The kitty painting is a copy from a Christies catalogue,  part of a painting by Jules Leroy called 'Chacun son tour: patience'.   It had a few more cats on it but was too big for the frame, so I painted out some details and just left this pretty kitty.  



I have started work on the very small patio outside the back door as well.  I took a leaf out of Janine's book  and bought some plastic foliage to speed up the work on the patios a little.   I made a small tree with it (better photos soon).   The garden bench is one I made years ago out of branches of contorted hazel.    It fits perfectly here!

I like the flash of orange you see inside the small room when casually looking at the house.  


Outside the back door I have made a brick step, an outside tap (or faucet),   and a drain for the downspout. I love details like these.  There still is a lot more to do here.  Hopefully I'll find some nice miniatures for the outside space at the Apeldoorn show next week.   Have a lovely weekend!


Comments

  1. Looks fab!!! The sunflowers give a "warm touch" with their color and the little details give a "real" look!

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  2. Ohhh my god! It's all so real.... Impressive!!

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  3. how interesting that those houses are plastered in the back. I also would like to know why they were built that way.

    Everything you have done looks wonderful. I love small details like outdoor faucets. I assume you made the bench out of grape vine or something that looks similar. I have seen some very expensive faux bois outdoor furniture lately in catalogs.

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    1. Thank you Catherine. Yes, odd isn't it, the plastered backs. I have searched for the answer online but couldn't find anything one it. There is a fairly new museum in Amsterdam about the canals and its houses (housed inside a Canal House and they have built a 12th scale miniature of it as well). I hope to go there soon and ask them this question. Maybe they know.

      The bench is made from contorted hazel ( also called corkscrew hazel, Corylus avellana 'Contorta'). I have it growing in my front garden. It has beautifully curly and gnarled branches. I made the bench years ago when I had ideas of making a miniature garden folly housing a hermit. I never built the folly (who knows one day, I still like them) but I did build the bench.

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  4. I am always amazed by miniaturists that can create a scene that looks so real you have to look twice. Just love it!

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  5. Oh, Josje, I LOVE it that you couldn't resist just a Little bit inside the door!!! It offers up so much for the imagination... like when you get a peek inside a stranger's door but know nothing about them! Your details are all so Wonderfully authentic! I have yet to finish any exteriors on my houses with all the drains and down spouts... but those are the details that make a miniaturist swoon with delight! And I Love the tiny courtyard "next door" with the little bench and the gravel.... I could just move in there ...okay??? LOL!

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    1. Now I'll always think of you when I look at it Betsy ;-) As it is a neighbour I thought I should make the interior slightly different to the other house, so I used these orange and yellow colours. The courtyard needs a lot more plants, but you could do that after you've moved in. Don't bring too much stuff as it is a verrrry small house! ;-)

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  6. This looks amazing - it's hard to believe its in miniature

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  7. No había visto una parte trasera tan bonita.!!!El banco del patio con ramas reales me parece genial.

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  8. Hi Josje! It is all so great and natural. I like the small patio a lot:)
    Your blog is very pleasant to read - such an inspiration!

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  9. Thank you for such beautiful pictures and miniatures.
    Geneviève

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  10. What great space. I love those sunflowers. They are perfect in this setting. Also my most favorite is that bench.

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    1. Thank you Lady Jane. I must say the bench has always been a favourite of mine as well. I have now finally found a good spot for it!

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  11. Привет!
    Мне очень нравится вид сверху. Виден порог дома, старые горшки, скамейка....
    Татьяна

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  12. La fachada es muy bonita y el escritorio es precioso. Me encanta ese rincón tan elegante. Besos

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    1. Thank you Sionchi! I also like the desk and it is special to me as it was a gift! It made me happy I was able to use it in this room.

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  13. On découvre enfin la façade de votre maison en entier . J aime beaucoup sa hauteur . Elle est magnifique .

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    1. Hello Catherine, Yes I realised I had never actually shown the rear facade. The proportions of the house are nice, right?

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  14. Great photos! Amazing details!

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  15. Your house is amazing. I like the bench.
    Greetings, Faby

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  16. This was a very exciting and inspiring post! I love everything, I can really feel the atmosphere it creates :)

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  17. Beautiful and so realistic, all of it. Love the bench and the details such as the drain make a scene like this. Also the mix of terracotta pots seem to be waiting for spring, just like most of us!

    Thanks for putting my giveaway on your blog, I'm honoured!

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    1. You're welcome Idske. This morning I thought the weather was getting better, it wasn't too cold outside. But it just started snowing again! It is a very late spring and I don't have any pots outside yet. Not until 'IJsheiligen', as you probably know ;-).

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  18. It's so amazingly realistic! Where did you find the Dutch canal dollhouse to buy? It's beautiful!

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    1. Thank you Penelope. I bought the canal house ten years ago from a dolls house shop called 'de Stolp'. Unfortunately they no longer exist and I don't know any other companies who are making dolls houses in this style at the moment. I searched for one a few months ago as someone else asked me the same question. I did find Dutch dollshouses, but they're not like mine. These are quite nice though: http://www.houthoekje.nl/elandsgracht.html (They come in different sizes and different gables)

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    2. Thank you so much! That is close enough to what I was looking for! Now I just have to figure out where I can fit another dollhouse (and how to persuade my husband that we have room for another one!)

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    3. You're welcome Penelope. Yes that is a problem with me as well, I have so much I'd like to make, so many ideas, but I don't know where to put the houses when I have finished them...

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  19. Hi Josje! I think it's so brilliant of you to have concocted that light out of a deodorant cap and covered it with beads. I would have liked a close up of that. I love your eggshell floor. It looks so realistic. Those sunflowers are so pretty. I think that eventually we always end up finding a place for everything. That is one sharp bench you made out of contorted hazel. It's not something we will see everywhere. It is certainly most unique. I agree about the flash of orange through the window and I like the fake door. With the lights on, it seems that there is life behind the door.

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    1. Hi Lucille, well the funny thing is you can't actually see the light unless you go down on your knees and almost put your head upside down, lol! It was not easy to get the beads to stick to the plastic and a lot of them came off again. I re-glued the beads several times before I realised you couldn't actually see the light in the room. So it is positioned against the ceiling with the best bit facing forward. When the light is on it is so bright you can't see the detail anyway. I did take a few photos of it when the light was on, but all you see then is a bright glow.

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  20. Ahhh, I love it when a house is finished on every side and has a bit of a garden - it adds so much realism. My house is a rear-opening corner townhouse, so its "outdoor space" is just sidewalk (and the balcony I added to the top floor).

    Thanks again for the post on how you made the sofas - I'm referring to your photos as I attempt to copy my real-life sofa in miniature!

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    1. Hello Anna, the nice thing about canal houses is that they're narrow and deep houses. For obvious reasons the dolls house version is turned sideways, so basically you are looking at the side of the house to view the rooms (mine is open there). This gives you room at the front and the back to create some sort of garden.

      But I have seen the most creative solutions by people making the most of their tiny outdoor spaces, so even a bit of sidewalk and a balcony could be gorgeous. ;-)

      I hope you're having fun with your sofa!

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  21. I love those little details you add - the realism they give a scene is amazing! It has made so much difference to have these added details in the extra 'house'! Gorgeous work as always Josje - Sandra

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    1. Thank you Sandra! I think the extra house needs as much detail as the original one to make it fit in. And of course I'm having fun doing it ;-)

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  22. Ik heb weer genoten van je foto`s vol met details en mooie miniaturen.

    Groeten Xandra

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  23. Hi Josje! I love the collection of empty pots by the back door and the exterior tap and the way the drain is sunk into the patio brick. Very nice!

    elizabeth

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth! I quite like the sunken drain as well. These things sort of 'grow' while I work on it which is rather fun!

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  24. Dat heb je weer mooi opgelost,en super afgewerkt.
    groetjes adrie

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  25. Thank you Susanna. I hope you come back to Amsterdam for a visit soon! (Although at the moment it is still a bit cold).

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  26. what a great idea Josje, and I think you did very well with decorating as well, as always. And the patio, so fitting, so well chosen for this small space, and the quirky bench fits as it was meant for it, love that!

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    1. Hi Monique, I wanted to use these pieces I already had as they were given to me a few years ago. So they are a bit special. But it is nice for once to go through my stash and just be able to put a few things together and complete a little scene in just days instead of weeks or months ;-)

      As for the bench, I made that years ago (meant to go with a folly I never made, yet!) and I have always liked it but never had a place for it. Funny how it looks so comfortable in this city scene.

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    2. I can understand, so nice that this retired miniaturist wanted to give you those pieces, he/she knew they would be used somewhere great! And definitely saved you time you normally would have to put in to make things ;) Enough left to do right?

      That bench you made, was always for this patio, you just didn't know it at the time!

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  27. I have enjoyed "the tour" Josje :). There is something about those sunflowers, isn't that? I bought the same one long time ago and also use them only recently :).

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    1. Hey Sans! How funny! Did you buy them in Thailand as well?.......I just realized I must have bought these about 10 years ago as I quit my stewardess job with KLM in 2003 and I haven't been to Thailand since...My goodness how time flies.

      But it shows once again you shouldn't throw anything away, right?

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    2. PS: next week is the show in Apeldoorn...I have good memories of seeing you there, well in Arnhem, but it was at the spring show, right?

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  28. I love the patio. The bench is perfect
    hugs,
    teruka

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  29. C'est saisissant de réalisme. Bravo.

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  30. Greetings Josje, a pleasure as always to visit your work. Great downpipe! So funny the strangest things capture our interest! Look forward to seeing what foliage you have found to use in your garden.
    Re the house being stucco at the back. I wonder if the house was taxed at a higher rate if it was all brick?
    Also must comment on,the egg carton floor. Looks wonderful, what a great medium to use and to experiment.
    Regards Janine

    Sunny today probably 16 c, most unusually warm.

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    1. Hello Janine, I never liked plastic foliage very much, but your patio planting looks wonderful. My local garden centre has a huge department with fake flowers (it surprises me every time how beautifully made they are) so I just had to look for some foliage I could use. The only one I found which was small enough was a tea plant, which I bought. I spent 1,5 euro's and have enough foliage to make a small tree and hedging (and still have some left over). Thank you for the inspiration!

      Your idea about the tax rate on brick is something I never thought about. Could well be possible! Although, practically all buildings were built from brick. I think there was a law which prohibited all wooden buildings to reduce the fire risk in the cities. I'll have to look into this. Thanks for the suggestion!

      As for the egg carton floor, there is a great tutorial on Internet somewhere, I don't think it will be hard to find. I have seen it years ago and always remembered. I'm not sure if I did it exactly the way they did it but the result is quite convincing.

      Wish we had such nice weather, it is still a bit chilly here!

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    2. PS: I found the tutorial I was referring to:

      http://www.thechinadoll.com/bricktutorial.htm

      This one is for bricks, but it works the same way for flagstones etc.

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    3. Thanks Josje, A clear tutorial. Once again re foliage. My favourite was a grape vine. A lot was out of scale but the end sections of leaf and vine were appropriate. the vine in particular was authentic and even had peeling bark and tendrils.
      Good hunting!
      Don't despair , Spring is around the corner!
      Janine

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    4. Ah yes, just around the corner! For now another cold morning here though... but can't complain too much as it is dry and sunny.
      The vine sounds great, I'll look out for something like that (and with spring due to arrive in about two weeks my trips to the garden centre will be frequent).
      Thanks Janine!

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  31. Hoi Josje, hoe klein de ruimte ook is, je hebt het prachtig aangekleed! De vloer van eierdozen, is ook een idee van mij om te gebruiken voor de vloer in de keuken, maar het verzamelen gaat helaas niet snel genoeg. Ik ga nu het vloertje maken van DAS klei, dit heb ik al eens eerder gedaan in dat andere keukentje een paar jaar geleden.....je ziet wel of het gelukt is:) het is altijd een traktatie om naar jou werk te kijken! Wie weet tot Apeldoorn, ik ga samen met Sylvia zondag;)

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    1. Hoi Sab, ja je hebt behoorlijk wat eierdozen nodig voor een vloer. Mijn ruimte is natuurlijk heel klein en ik gebruikte de bovenkanten van 2 grote eierdozen (met van die platte bovenkanten). Maar als je eenmaal de materialen hebt werkt het snel en met een mooi resultaat!
      Ik zie je waarschijnlijk zondag wel, dan ben ik er ook! Tot dan!

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  32. Que maravilla de casa!! tienes muchas posibilidades de decoración con muchas habitaciones. La fachada me encanta. Un abrazo
    http://miniaturasarantza.blogspot.com

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  33. Hello Josje,
    Once again your artwork is always a feast for the eyes. The detail and the level of realism in your minis is just incredible. Your finished are so spot on...all i can say is that i am always impressed by your work.
    Big hug,
    Giac

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  34. Well better late than never....I finally got here to have a look and I'm so glad I did. You are so clever Josje, your talent never ceases to amaze me, you can do just about anything and with seemingly little effort. Such a lovely collection of things and all those details make the world of difference, the tap, the drain pipe and the tiny bits of grass are perfect finishing touches, they really bring it to life. All so inspirational......

    ML Fi x

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    1. Thank you Fi! Oh I am often late commenting. I'm just happy most of us bloggers don't do daily posts or I would never be able to keep up.
      With this house a lot of what I do depends on which materials I have in my stash. All of the wood I used is wood I had laying around. The rear facade is slightly wonky because the board I found wasn't flat. But as it is an old house I don't mind that. The drain pipe is a length of doweling with some plastic hollow tubing (from an old child's lantern) which I bent using a candle flame. It is fun working this way and it forces you to come up with solutions you might not have come up with otherwise. ;-)

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  35. How nice to see the whole building and your additions are fantastic.

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  36. It all looks so great Josje, as does all your work !! Love the painting , of course; I would: CATS !!!!

    Cheers,
    Elly

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    1. Thank you Elly! The catalogue had several cat paintings in it but I chose this one as it reminded me of of the cat we had when I was young. My idea is to have a red cat sitting on the garden wall. I hope to find one in Apeldoorn or London because I dread having to make one myself!

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  37. Hallo Josje, wat leuk dat je mijn blog hebt ontdekt en dat je wel interesse hebt in mijn give-away. Je bent van harte welkom! Ik volgde jouw blog al enige tijd (stilletjes) en ik bewonder je werk. Je grachtenhuis is heel mooi en en je maakt prachtige miniaturen. Veel groeten van Liduina.

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    1. Hallo Liduina, Ik ben altijd weer verbaasd wanneer ik een mooi blog ontdek dat ik nog niet ken. Je giveaway vind ik erg leuk. Ik hou ervan om kunst aan de muren te hebben, en als dat dan ook nog eens door een mede-miniaturist gemaakt is, is het helemaal geweldig!

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  38. Hello yes, me and Linda go to the KDF. The house is a dream, really like your kreaktive ways to put things together. Yours work is always detailed and beautiful.
    Are you going to Kdf ?

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    1. Thanks Janne! Yes I am also going to the KDF! I would love to see you both again, maybe we could meet up there?

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