A Belated Birthday Invitation




"The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley"
                                                                              Robert Burns

I had, of course, planned a lovely party for my 40th, but the current situation sadly ended that.  So I thought I'd celebrate on the small scale, and invite you to celebrate with me.  

Alas!  The birthday cake I had ordered in what I'd thought was good time, only arrived three weeks after the Big Event!  Well, let's celebrate now...

We're in the walled garden for a tea party - (the garden is a work in progress, so don't look too hard!)


The bunting is up, the table is laid, and there are some lovely presents to unwrap...


The cake is a lovely  tiered sponge with summer fruits from pixiestyxminiatures. I didn't add candles, because, well, 40 candles is an awful lot for a small cake!


There are also religieuse cakes stuffed full of cream, a summer fruits jelly from Irinaminiatures, macarons and wine from Hoclaire.


I had a great time making the presents.  I used various templates that I found on Pinterest, and a download from easyprintandcut. I added 2mm silk ribbon, and filled them with seed beads to give them a good weight.


The bunting was also great fun to make, I found a fabulous source at Wings of Whimsy.


Well, after tea, let's open some presents...


Gosh! What a lot!  I'm feeling very spoilt...


And here's someone who also likes presents, so much so that he's just squashed them.  Thanks Edgar!


Here's a beautiful floral painting by Andrew Nicholls, very hard to come by, but always lovely.


Oh my goodness! I've been looking for these for the longest time! Two Staffordshire spaniels, or as we kno them in Scotland, 'Wally Dugs'... made by Avon Miniatures, no less.


Some lovely frames from Malcolm Hall...


Oh, and I don't believe it!  Another Andrew Nicholls floral painting!  That's so wonderful!  I love the frame, this one is definitely going to go in the Drawing Room, in pride of place.



I'm feeling very spoilt already, but this tea caddy from Malcolm Hall is just exquisite.  I'm very humbled by the generosity of my friends and family...


A divine pair of  silver sea monster candle sticks...


and a matching dish and spoon by Dimitry Shevchenko.  Just too lovely...


This is a fabulous harpsichord for the Music Room by Masters Miniatures, the finish is just perfect...



This is a marvellous four poster bed by Dick Warren - I can't wait to get my needle and thread out to dress it!  Edgar is looking more than disinterested though...  But he has woken up for this one, and I don't blame him...


I'm a little speechless.  It's a clock that I have dreamed of owning for over a decade.  It is by Keith at Small Time.


Such beautiful burl wood and finials.  It will complete the Dining Room, and be a great reminder of both my 40th birthday, and the person who gave it to me, my wonderful husband. (However The Mog has lost interest again, because it isn't a mouse, and you can't eat it...)

I'm feeling very happy that so many of my friends and family made the effort to give me miniature things.  Miniatures are not the most of usual things, and it has obviously taken a lot of leg work, phone calls and research to give me such wonderful surprises.  I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

But I also like to give, and I wanted to show my appreciation to my fellow miniaturists who do understand the importance of the tiniest things. Also, what birthday party is complete without some fun and games?

 So I did a 'Gave-Away'.  


I chose four items that I have made, one for each decade of my life.


Then I put everyone's name in a dish who had commented on my blog this year...


Enlisting the impartial help of Son II, we did a draw to see who would receive a surprise present.  The tension and excitement were palpable...


First out of the dish was.... Sheila!



Next was....


Irene!


Now for the winners of the evening bags....


Daydreamer!




And last, but in no ways least .....


Elizabeth!


What an excitement!  If you have won, please contact me by the email address in my profile, so I know if you would like me to send you your prize.

Thank you for coming to my birthday party, remember to take a slice of cake home with you!


Jonquil


Comments

  1. Oh my goodness what incredible birthday presents you received for your special birthday. So beautiful and thoughtful. I don't suppose your family would like to adopt a senior citizen miniaturist???? *smile* And congratulations to the surprise winners of your gorgeous handmade items. So kind and generous of you. All the best from Canada. - Marilyn D.

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    1. Hi Marilyn! Yes, I was shockingly spoilt, and most certainly we very much appreciate senior citizen miniatures around here!

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  2. What a great birthday party!!! You created a lovely scene, and what wonderful presents. Thank you for the links! Congratulations to the winners, it was very kind of you to organise this surprise gave-away, your work is exquisite.
    Geneviève

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    1. Thank you Geneviève! I have much to learn about making miniature scenes, the ones you do are so lovely...

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  3. Happy Birthday Jonquil! These amazing miniatures will look stunning in Daviot House and just having them waiting in the wings will encourage you to keep moving forward with the construction! I think when we finally have a reliable vaccine against Covid there will be a lot of celebrating to make up for all the special gatherings we had to postpone. I hope then you will get to celebrate your 40th year with all your friends and loved ones!

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    1. Thank you so much Jodie! It's true, this year has been fairly odd, but I was so delighted and spoilt with this birthday surprise, I'm not sure I could justify another one! As my grannie used to say, "it's back to porridge and plain clothes"...

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  4. Happy birthday Jonquil! Many happy returns!

    Now speaking of present, each and every one of them is of high quality and they will all find a deserves place in Daviot House. My wish list contains items of most of those miniaturists as well. Fine work.

    And speaking of fine work. Your embroideries are real stunners. So very delicate. Are they done in crewel work?

    Last but not least, a give away in honour of your birthday is a wonderful gesture and I congratulate all the winners with their presents.

    Huibrecht

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    1. Thank you, thank you Huibrecht! The quality is indeed amazing, and they will all be cherished...

      the embroidery isn't crewel in this instance, just plain silk. Crewel work uses many more types of embroidery stitches. This embroidery only uses four generally. I should probably do a post about the different types, as it is fascinating, especially those of us interested in historical miniatures.

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    2. I find that a lovely idea for a post. I have made my first little steps regarding embroidery. And I have an enormous lot of things to learn. If only to make it look decent. :-)
      I love how your embroidery is so delicate. It is almost looks like painting with thread.

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  5. Lo importante es celebrarlo aunque sea tarde y tú ¡lo has celebrado por todo lo alto!.Gracias por el sorteo. Mucha felicidades para ti y enhorabuena a las ganadoras.

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    1. Muchas muchas gracias Isabel...compartir mis compleaños con otros miniaturistas fue un momento especiale para mi!

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  6. Oh my goodness! Happy Birthday Jonquil! What a fabulous way to celebrate a "Milestone" birthday! You got "Loot"! And I am sure you will remember this year fondly even though you had to "social distance"! Those treasures leave me breathless! But even more so the generous gifts! And I won one!!! Woohoo!!! I'll go find your email and send you my address... I have always admired your needlework so having a piece for my own is a thrill I can't describe! Thank you!!! :):):)

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    1. I am more than delighted that you won, I was quite embarrassed by all the presents I received, so I take great pleasure in giving too! Thank you for you kind words and support over the years!

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  7. Todas las miniaturas que nos muestras son maravillosas y las ganadoras de tu sorteo estarán encantadas con su suerte.
    Felicidades a todas.
    Los regalos embalados han quedado muy elegantes.
    Un saludo

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    1. Muchas gracias Marian, estaba muy contenta de compartir este momento con vosotros!

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  8. Oh what a party - Belated Happy Birthday!
    The the food, decorations and not least wee presents make for the most fabulously gorgeous and delicious festive table (thanks for all the links to the talented artists). Just as I was feasting my eyes on all that, and the unwrapping of the most amazing treasures. Such beautiful and exquisite gifts. I will look forward to spotting them in your house.
    Anna X

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    1. Hi Anna, blogger drives me nuts...my original reply is, bizarrely, below!

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  9. Like the cake.....belated birthday wishes. What drippingly gorgeous gifts I can imagine how wonderful it felt seeing those and how exciting it will be to add them here and there. So kind of you to gift others to help celebrate your day. I always think giving is probably more fun than receiving. Lucky lucky dippers to own a piece of your work. I am sure they will be treasured.

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    1. Thank you! Yes, I totally agree, giving is the better gesture, though I'll admit it, receiving these beautiful things was fun too!

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  10. I AM GOBSMACKED!!!!
    Here I was happily reading your FANTASTIC POST and enjoying each of the links and get to the end and I'm drooling over each of your PRECIOUS BIRTHDAY GIFTS and then I see that you have a GIVEAWAY of BIRTHDAY GIFTS for us too!
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU Jonquil!!!!
    Following your posts ALWAYS brings me the GREATEST PLEASURE and this one DOUBLY SO! ❤️

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    1. I'm so glad you had a good surprise! I was wondering if you had read the post, as I hadn't heard from you but I'm so happy you found it in the end! I'll let you know when it's in the post!

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  11. Hi Anna, I'm really glad you enjoyed it as much as I did! I'm often astounded by the workmanship of some miniaturists, and I will certainly treasure them all...perhaps I'll do a 'hide and seek' challenge!

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  12. Happy belated birthday to you Jonquil. Here I am, the coo's tail! What a lovely birthday celebration post this is (and the cake was really nice!) How nice to have received such lovely classy miniatures and your little giveaway - what a really nice thing to do.

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