Tuesday 7 February 2017

David Winter Cottages Part One

Hello Friends!

Once upon a long, long time ago I collected a few, not many, David Winter cottages.  I am not an authority on them, I only have a dozen or so, and I bought them for their aesthetic charm as much as anything, for I find them most delightful and pleasing to look at. One thing I can say is that the attention to detail is truly amazing for something so small ~~~ each tiny doorway, every window, nook and cranny is finished to an incredibly high standard of detail which you might not expect to find in something so small. Just take one in your hands and peek at the detail on a recessed doorway, or under the roof eaves, or through the arch running through the property as in the old coaching days and you will see the detail of brickwork, doors and windows continues inside the recesses as if built by faeries ~~~ truly amazing attention to detail.

In mid December 2016 I could not believe my luck on a chance visit to a local charity shop to find four tiny cottages sitting on the shelves and at a bargain price of just £2.50 for all four. My heart skipped a beat as I quickly and carefully scooped them up and scurried to the counter before someone realised they'd made a mistake with the pricing!  I later found out they had been there for over a week!  I did write a little about them during the Christmas Countdown that I did through Advent {and have imported those photos here} but many of you asked me if I will share the rest of my small collection.

As I am recording the cottages from several angles, I don't want to swamp you with dozens of images of cottages, so I'll start today with the four charity shop purchases, then soon I'll share the rest ~~~


















I've taken photographs from all angles because there is always something to look at 'in the round' with David Winter cottages, which I find adds greatly to the charm, so much detail!

Here's a helpful hint, if you have any David Winter cottages you will know that, no matter how carefully you handle them, they are prone to tiny chips and then the white underneath shows through. Not any more! I just used my Spectrum Noir alcohol ink pens and was able to touch up any areas with slight damage ~~~ good as new and only I know {okay, and now you know too, but shhhh! we're not telling, right?}

The following photos show how I used my entire collection along my mantel shelf and used rolls of cotton wool as fake snow to give a more festive feel. I also added a couple strands of tiny led lights to bring a little glow in the evenings as I could not put candles near to the cotton wool ~~~










The rest of the collection will follow in a future piece.  I hope you have enjoyed the first four cottages ~~~

Until next time
Deborah xoxo

21 comments:

  1. I love seeing your David Winter cottages, Deb! We share one with you---The Green Dragon. It is amazing all the detail that these beautiful works of art entail. What a wonderful bargain you scooped up! They went home with the right gal. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your collection. xoxo ♥

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    1. Thank you! Sadly, as you will have noticed, my Green Dragon is missing the sign, but for just 50p for the cottage I cannot complain.
      ~~~Deb xoxo

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  2. They are really nice, and the lighting is very clever, I know lots of people also collect Lilliput Lane which is a similar thing.

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    1. Thank you. Yes, the Shoemaker cottages are not David Winter either.

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  3. I love looking at the detail on these, my late mum had several but I only managed to keep one. My problem with them is that they do rather collect dust!

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    1. They do collect dust, don't they? The best thing I've found is one of those retractable computer keyboard brushes. It works really well if you use it on an open setting so the brush is very loose and soft.

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  4. When I was teaching my class would create little cottages in clay lessons. I would show them photos like these to help with ideas.

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    1. What a good idea! You've made me realise I could use them for practicing my drawing and colouring!

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  5. Oh Deborah,
    I love every one and angle of the photos! Such sweet detail! :-) Thank you for sharing I really enjoyed seeing each one!!
    I really like collecting little houses and cottages too, but none of them match their charm must speak to me ;-)
    Sending love and warmth xxx ooo Linnie

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    1. Hello Dear Linnie! Thank you, I'm pleased you like them. More coming soon, promise!
      Love and warmth to you too ~~~Deb xoxo

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  6. I was wanting Spring to come so bad...and now I am ready to stay in Winter with those lovely cottages. I love the tiny lights on them. At night it must be so charming. I would not want to put them away, but then you wouldn't have the joy of taking them out at the beginning of Winter. They are beautiful!

    Darlene

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    1. Wouldn't it be wonderful, my dearest friend, if we could live in them, and just nip next door to each other's kitchen to share a spot of morning coffee or afternoon tea? I haven't put them all away, some have moved into a curio cabinet!
      Deb xoxo

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  7. Deborah, what a wonderful find! I need to go shopping with YOU! :D I have just one of the cottages, a gift from a dear friend years ago.

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  8. Hello - just blog-hopping from Sue's blog over at Our Quiet Life in Suffolk. What a lovely collection. I have a friend who has dozens of the Lilliput Lane ones, and like you, I love the attention to detail. Your Christmas display made me smile. It looked so lovely with the little fairy lights.

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    1. Thank you! Yes, Lilliput Lane are very similar and also packed with detail. Have fun blog hoppin!

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  9. I just came back from the UK and enjoyed seeing these cottages cover the landscape. You do have a lovely collection, XOXO

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    1. Thank you, Susan. Gosh, it was a flying visit! Not even any time to feel jet~lagged! xo

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  10. I love seeing your little cottage collection and they are especially festive with the mini lights! I have not heard of David Winter but will certainly look him and his creations up!

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  11. I have had what I thought was a David Winter cottage that I believed we bought while stationed in Germany but can’t find anything to verify and now at 50 I’m thinking I created this story because I wanted one in 1989-1991. Do you know if I can verify anyway? It only has marking og F c C on back. Michelle

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    1. The only thing I can suggest is to find, using Google, an official site. Good luck

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