Teapot Cottage

Sometimes a miniature scene is created from an inspiration. My Cornish cottage was the result of my fondness for the cob cottages and all the bits that speak of Cornwall and the sea. Teapot Cottage was quite simply the result of too many teapots!

I had a tea tray that had already been upcycled once as a frame so I put down some stone, brick & bits of grass & weed and I was ready to go. Trees, shrubs, and flower beds followed with all the necessary accessories to an English garden - Gnome, pheasant, birdhouse, and climbing vine.

I filled the cottage itself with some of the best pots and a little greenery. I confess I had plans to paper the inside and add the odd little sign such as "We Ship to US" or "Ask to See the Emma Bridgewater Range" but I was working on a deadline and those plans went by the wayside. I'm not likely to ever paint or paper the inside, but the signs may show up eventually.

Just barely managed to fit all the teapots in...

Tea in the garden with scones, jam, & clotted cream - perhaps a few more pastries, and the obligatory tea sandwiches. The food was rushed to me direct from England by Lucy and Gillian of the Etsy shop
Abasketof  here.

Looking at this now, I realize I should have put tea in the cups!

So I made my deadline, and used up my teapots.

What is next you ask? Well, I'm giving some thought to a small corner vignette, a young English boys desk...fish & chips, homework, and lots of football (by which I mean soccer) memorabilia - Liverpool, of course.

Magpie Cottage on Treacle Mine Road

A miniature setting should be able to stand on it's own without explanation, and I believe my Cornish cottage does that. However, since so much of this setting has memories or special meanings for me I will indulge myself and explain some of the bits and bobs that I consider quite special. In truth, this cottage has been about 20 years in the making, some of the pieces picked up during early trips to England. Once I constructed the room itself (it was a weekend project requiring my daughter's very able assistance) I found I already had most of the pieces that eventually found a home inside & outside the aged cob walls.

In Cornwall you are never far from the sea, so my resident is a fisherman with a model ship on the wall, and his nets drying outside along with a few glass floats and the odd seashell.  He is sitting down to breakfast - his wife has been up for hours and hot Cornish pasties for his lunch are cooling on the stove.

Don't miss the English Robin perched on the open kitchen window.

The table is set with a full English breakfast, a Brown Betty teapot, last weeks 'Beano' for amusement, and HP Sauce for the sausage. Someone has left a Meccano set of the Tower Bridge on the chair - I have a soft spot for the Tower Bridge My Tower Bridge Bathroom

That's a Cornishware jam pot with the cold toast.

 I knew exactly what kind of stove I wanted and I knew I needed just the right mantel. My son-in-law took on the task, choosing just the perfect piece of rhododendron branch and carving and finishing it to perfection. On it I placed a Toby Jug, pewter platter, a bottle of Beefeater's gin, ciggy's & matches - all traditional British brands. In the cupboard are more British brands - Wheatabix, Hobnobs, Smartees and all the necessary Cornishware dishes.

The magazine on the mantel is a Coronation souvenir.

For the wife, breakfast makings are just waiting to be cleaned up.

As much as I love the traditional English postbox, I love the way one finds the flat fronted mail drops stuck in the odd coutryside stone wall or cob building. Street names are also often posted on the buildings so as a massive Terry Pratchett fan I couldn't resist Treacle Mine Road for an address.

Peeping out of the barrel...what else...a hedgehog!

One last item needs to be mentioned, the cat lounging at the front of the cottage. Not just any old cat, this is THE Mousehole cat. A bit more here: Mousehole Cat

Most of the particularly English miniatures I have collected have been used in this setting. The word 'most' is important here because I find there is still a quantity of teapots to be dealt with. Stay tuned, Teapot Cottage is coming soon to a blog near you!

 More Magpie Cottage