CATCH OF THE DAY: What’s been cooking @ LAND’S END

Posted by admin on May 05, 2020

Hello Again Everyone!
HERE
As Promised,
is the kitchen at
LAND'S END

I wish I could say that I'm finished with this room
but I'm not.

I'm still fixing certain things I'm unhappy with-
but I say this on every post don't I?

🤪

The main thing which has bugged me
right from the start, is
the Kitchen's countertop which I've already remade
5 TIMES!
The last 3 'Final' attempts were made
using a "self-stick' metallic contact paper,
which
😫 refuses to Stay Stuck!

First it's Down
then it's Up! I've repeatedly wrestled with it,
trying to subdue it,
but between me and the contact paper;
it's still a waiting game.

😳

Now back to the kitchen-⛵️
In the process of changing the countertop,
I also changed the drawers and the hardware.
I also added a couple of heat vents at the base of the lower cabinet,
which I faced with 'grillwork'
using cut filigree sections from a sandalwood fan.
sorry no photos

While I had the countertop off, I was going to try to reposition the sink because it isn't properly centered
but I couldn't detach it without completely destroying it
so in the end I left it alone.
However,
IF I DO end up redoing the metal countertop,
then I'LL DEFINITELY remake the sink.

FYI
In some of the following photos you'll see either a textured surface which is
the crappy OLD countertop,
mixed in with photos showing ones with a smooth surface which are one of the 3 versions of
the newer contact paper counters.
My purpose for using both old and new pictures in this post are for the following reasons :
a) the general clarity of the photos
and/or
b) I liked the composition!😎

FYI #2
For better close ups of the food and accessories, the wall and sink unit were removed from the dollhouse,
however, once the counter and the wall are permanently glued into place,
zooming in on anything in the kitchen
will become almost impossible,
so
as you enter the kitchen to grab your plate,
make sure to take a good look around cuz
you may not get this close to the food again!

and with all that said-

Let's Get This Party Started!
🍽⚓️🍽

There's LOTS of food covering the counter,
most of which I've had for a while.
Each of the ingredients have been selected to
prepare a New England fish stew recipe,
destined for that copper pot sitting on
the stove top.
https://newengland.com/today/food/summer-seafood-stew/

FYI#3
When researching a New England style fish stew,
I came across several recipes using assorted seafood along with fresh as well as canned tomatoes.
Posted at the end of one recipe
was the following indignant comment:
"This chef must be from New York because
no TRUE New Englander would ever use tomatoes in their fish stew"
🤨
well, I guess that settles that!~
on the menu is a
Nouveau England faux fish stew
with tomatoes
moving on...
🍽⛵️🍽⛵️🍽
I've installed a task lamp on the kitchen counter
not only because I like the soft ambient light
it casts,
but also because it feels more homespun and cottagey to me.

Altogether I have 5 different light sources
in this room, including a small overhead lantern in the passageway which leads into the bedroom.

In the corner of the (old) counter are a set of
blue and white porcelain canisters.

A red metal tin is filled with a collection of kitchen utensils.
The rolling pins and wooden utensils were made by
me, but the rest were collected over a period of time from various sources.

The copper colander was a recent online purchase but the mussels were bought 5 years ago
from Bel's Mini World .
(sadly she's no longer selling.)

the dish of red ripe tomatoes were made by
Monica of
MOONBIJOUX-
they're Perfect!

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/466885480/dollshouse-food-miniatures- dollshouse?ref=shop_home_active_60

The single yellow onion was made by Fatima of
Beauxminis.com
http://beauxminis.com/?s=garlic
and the bell peppers and Amazing celery were made by
Twin Heart Miniatures

I bought mine at the Seattle Show but she also sells
on her Facebook page

The measuring spoons were from
an earlier tutorial of mine
Measure for Measure
https://studioeminiatures.blogspot.com/2013/02/measure-for-measure.html

The open can of tomatoes and the fish filets
are miniature show purchases.
The salt and pepper grinders I made
from wooden
Tiny Turnings

an overview of the prep area

(sorry but the 2 photos below
have locked together and I can't separate them)

In the center of the counter
is the utility sink with the 'embossed' undersea scene 'etched' into the front panel.
(a print I cut from a design magazine)

Inside the sink
is the catch of the day
destined for the fish stew.

These rubbery fishing lures were
Very Carefully
removed from Real Life fish hooks
before they were placed in the dish.

the cheater string beans in a bowl
are snippets of green florist tape
which look much better
from a greater distance!😉

On the other side of the sink is
a Ruetter stainless steel drain rack.

Fatima made

the store bought bag of organic lemons

http://beauxminis.com/?s=garlic

I've displayed Fatima's bag of lemons with a Delightful little Hand-Painted Pitcher of blue hollyhocks;

a Much Appreciated Gift

from Linda Park

https://lindasminiworld.blogspot.com/

The pitcher itself

was made by

Margaret Crosswell

of Tasmania

a Very Talented porcelain artist

sorry no website available.

FYI #4

I'm going to try my hand at 'growing' miniature hollyhocks for the future seaside garden of

Land's End.

I've never made them before, but I'd like to try.

The sailor statuette on the countertop

props up a telescope-

conveniently at hand

for a bit of friendly neighbourhood watching

🤭

A closer look at
Captain Tennille and his trusty spyglass!

On the wall above the captains head
are a rope of garlics and one of red peppers
from the creative hands of
Fatima

🍽⛵️🍽

Looking now at the wall
at the other end of the kitchen...

The split doors lead into the bathroom,
which I'm simultaneously working on
in tandem with the kitchen.

Not only is the bathroom very close to completion
but
I'm actually REALLY happy with it!! 🎉
🤩

The kitchen door leads out to the water,
and is to the left of the bathroom.

The kitchen door had been originally intended
for Villa Leone, so the door frame was
heavily layered with my homemade 'stonework'.
which you can see featured in the link below.
https://studioeminiatures.blogspot.com/2016/07/plants-lamps-iron-and-stone_41.html
It required a lot of hard scraping to remove most of the plaster in order to salvage the door for
Land's End.
Needless to say, it's been through a lot and is
still looking pretty rough,
but
once it's sanded and repainted
it's appearance should improve.

The split doors were an extra set
I already had on hand.
They've worked out better than the single door
I'd originally planned

to the right of the bathroom door
is a peg coat rack with a
WONDERFUL
sou'wester rain hat
made specifically for Land's End
by the
Amazing
Linda Park
Linda's Mini World blog.
https://lindasminiworld.blogspot.com/
Linda also made me a matching raincoat to go with the hat
AND
a lobster trap
AND
a hand tied net!
Linda's Many Talents are as varied as Fatima's
AND JUST SO YOU KNOW (FYI #5)-
Linda's been stitching NON STOP
this entire quarantine,
making a plethora of floral, shell, and canine petit point cushions, as well as tea cosies, and slippers which she plans to sell at the
2021
Vancouver Dollhouse and Miniatures Show

Her fingers are Lighting Fast
yet her work is consistently
TOP DRAWER
so we are All in for A TREAT next year!
❤️

I've displayed Linda's rain hat next to a bundle of real miniature rope.

The navigational chart above the rack
was cut from a design magazine
and glued onto card stock.
Eventually, I plan to hang a flyswatter
on the peg rack too.

Further to the right
is the entry into the bedroom
previously detailed in
A Long Day's Journey Into Night
https://studioeminiatures.blogspot.com/2020/04/a-long-days-journey-into-night-lands.html

Above shows the Rough-looking open back door of the kitchen and the direct sightline
into the bedroom.

The photo below circles around the bedroom door
to the wall directly opposite the kitchen counter.

Initially, I wasn't sure how to dress the narrow wall
behind the bedroom door but then I found this
TALL 9 inch LADDER in my stash;
probably a Real Life bird perch?-

🧐
in any case,
it happen to be the right height for water side of
the cottage and
should the owners ever need
to access the roof to replace a shingle.

On the floor next to the ladder,
is:
a red fire extinguisher-
(every kitchen needs one)
and a broom, and a
collapsible step ladder for accessing
the overhead shelving in the kitchen.

The top of the blue cupboard stores the mixing bowls and a couple of pewter tankards
which are great for sipping piping hot toddies
on cold winter nights!

5 years ago, I actually made
this narrow shelf unit from heavy cardstock
and scrap wood
which I lined with sections of a road map,
and Hallelujah!- it turned out BETTER than I'd expected!
Who'da thought?
👍🏾👍🏾

The top shelf of the cupboard holds a selection of vintage cookbooks, spice jars, dishes
and a storage tin.

On the 2nd shelf are a couple of mugs
holding additional kitchen utensils,
a 'hunny' pot, and a bottle of vanilla.

The woven placemats were originally from a pair of thrift store earrings.
Each earring had 3 drops of small, medium and large woven circles
which were joined together with jump rings.
Once the rings were snipped off
- hey Presto!-
from jewelry to mini placemats within minutes!

The stack of dishes were made by Sam Dunlap;
they were a lucky find at The Seattle Show
which Janine, Fatima and I attended together
a number of years ago; pre covid-
back in the Good Old Days!

❤️

On the 3rd shelf are stacks of kitchen towels
and a couple of oven mitts.
Most of the towels were made either by me
or by
Jennifer
Plushpussycat blog
plushpussycatblog.blogspot.com

The box of Saltines are from
Miniatures.com
https://www.miniatures.com/Chicken-Noodle-Soup-and-Crackers-P25349.aspx
and the clear box of
Ferrero Rocher chocolates
(top right corner)
are more tiny treasures
from the multi-talented Fatima

The orange Kitchen Aid was a giveaway win from
Kristine of
Paper Doll Miniatures
https://www.paperdollminiatures.com/

and the vintage toaster I've had in my stash.

I placed a small basket of potatoes and a Red onion on the floor under the shelf unit.
These of course,
are
essential ingredients
for the New England fish stew being prepared.

The yams are actually PEELABLE
also made by
TWIN HEART MINIATURES
on FB
The regular spuds I made by following a
Victoria Miniland tutorial
on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RCZabCnWaY&list=UUM_ctciGShqjGrzu_h5Mg7g&index=66&t=0s

The cheater 'red onion'
is a berry snipped from a stem
of commercial silk flowers.

As you can see from the photo above,
I've now installed a curtain panel between the living room and the kitchen which visually softens both rooms and acts as a "room divider" between
these 2 spaces.

The photo below illustrates how the overhead beams increase the difficulty of getting a clear photograph of the interior of the kitchen.
Once the ceiling is installed it will be almost impossible to see anything up high
which is why I'm planning to install
2 huge skylights in the ceiling;
for light and for viewing
although
that part of this project
is still way down the river.

I purchased the harpoon on display back in the 1990's but happened to find it's twin on the website of
SP MINIATURES
where I also found the PERFECT
kitchen light fixture for
LAND'S END

https://www.spminiatures.com/store/index.php? main_page=product_info&cPath=824_354&products_id=13760

Storage is at a premium in Land's End
and so the top of the fridge displays the overflow of the most frequently used condiments.

A wire basket holds the cooking oils,
cooking wines and vinegars;
grated cheese; ketchup; and another jar of honey which I've recently replaced with a box of
Sunmaid raisins.
A jar of homemade jam is next to the basket
and a glass canister of spaghetti
https://studioeminiatures.blogspot.com/2013/01/spaghetti.htm l
are both leftovers from 2 of my earlier tutorials.

The vintage transistor radio I've had in my stash.
I've added a straight pin 'antenna'
for better reception.

In behind the radio
is a glass container
filled with original recipe
New England Toll house cookies
YUM!

https://newengland.com/today/food/toll-house-cookies/

😋

Over the stove hang an assortment of copper and iron cookware purchased on ebay.

The wood slaw cutter is by Sir Thomas Thumb
https://sirthomasthumbminiatures.com/
I bought this back in the 90's too,
but it's good to see
that they're still being made today.

The electric stove I made
https://studioeminiatures.blogspot.com/2015/08/he-said-she-says-kitchen-at-lands-end.html
and although it was meant to look old;
it looks VERY, VERY OLD!
I should have put the controls on the front of the stove, or made the back control panel higher
TOO LATE! TOO LATE!
I must
leave it as it is

Here's a close up of some of the copper ware and cooking utensils hanging above the stove.

The little fridge I found at the thrift store,
and was originally intended for the kitchen of
#43 Green Dolphin Street
https://studioeminiatures.blogspot.com/2013/06/such-little-kitchen.html
but it was too big!

It opens and has shelving
but I prefer it closed.

5 years ago, I installed a long display shelf directly above the appliances and this original arrangement hasn't changed much.
On the left side is:
a life preserver,
a sailing ship,
a diving helmet,
a seagull
and
a bottle of Cutty Sark whiskey
(used for Medicinal Purposes only!)

😉

The other side of the shelf
holds 'American' pantry items
which I specifically purchased for Land's End.
The home preserves and especially the
Iodized Salt
are a loving reminder of my Great Grandmother who used to use Morton's Salt in her kitchen because-
"When it Rains It Pours"
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/when-it-rains-it-pours_n_1344667

My sister's suggested adding a jar of peanut butter to the shelf - a good idea!

The Quaker Oats; Mayonnaise;
chicken noodle soup; tomato sauce, canned fish and canned vegetables,
all came from
Miniatures.com
https://www.miniatures.com/
Photo below illustrates the inside corner of the overhead shelf
and
what the ceiling will look like once it's installed

An overview of the Prep side of the kitchen.

The LED stove light was a gift
from my friend Pearl Johnston.
Initially, I wasn't sure how I was going to use it but once I saw how Janine incorporated an LED over her wood stove in her Swedish House,
https://minworks.blogspot.com/2020/02/small-stuff.html
I wanted to do it too,
so Pearl's gift was put straight to work!