GROUND FLOOR: THE SHOPS (from left to right)

The art gallery. I painted the floor and walls with acrylic paints. The exhibition is called "Women On The Rocks", black and white photography and stone displays. I got the photography from Wolford tights packages, and most of the stones are from Kaunissaari, Finland.
In the corner, there's a sold piece of art waiting to be collected. It's just a bit of cardboard wrapped in brown paper. I sealed it with thin strips of masking tape. On the floor in front of it is a roll of bubble wrap.

More art.. On top of the main stone display, a knot I made of tarred string, which is like tarred rope for the dollies.
Behind the stone display, a bought stool. On the stool, there's a printed version of the online local paper I used to make, Bray Webloid. Under the paper, some colourful pictures I cut out from a postcard - they look like glossy art magazines or brochures.

This piece of art is a crystal swan sitting on a mirror. The back is also mirror. I got this as a present from my partner's aunt.
The shelf is a plastic part from some old jewellery box, and there is a little green stone and a glass bottle on the shelf. The bottle was bought in Helsinki, it came with two other glass bottles which you will see in other pictures on this site.
In the corner, leaning on the window, a roll of brown paper and a 'poster', which is just a roll of white paper..

This is the lane between the shops. I painted the 'floor' grey (as in pavement), but it can't really be seen that well in this picture. I glued a rough bit of wood (a half of the back part of a broken old photo frame, which I painted darkish brown) in the back wall, to make the lane look less like a 'room'.. The art gallery window is the A4 sized glass from that same frame, and it's supported by insulin needle caps which I've taped on the floor and ceiling. This way I can easily slide out the glass and clean it if necessary.
There is a rough looking stone leaning on the back of the lane, and the two painted stones (the bee and the ladybird) were bought in Kaunissaari, Finland. The easel set I think I got from my mam. On the right, the jumper shop windows, but more about that later..

One of the mini jumpers I've knitted for my jumper shop. This one's bright orange, and it welcomes the customers to the shop. All my jumpers are 'wearable' by dolls, but many of them are a bit stiff as I only have the kind of wool and needles that are meant for knitting socks! This orange jumper is the most delicate one, though. Not stiff at all.
The jumpers are my own design, which would probably be much better if I actually knew how to knit a real jumper! LOL But I'm not really into knitting, so I can't see myself trying anything more complicated than this.

This is the head of the family, behind the counter in the jumper shop. I think he is German, and his name might be Helmut.. I haven't decided yet! He is a bit too interested in work, though, which is why there might be something romantic going on between his Irish wife and their French chef.. *watch this space*
Behind him (on the left), you can see the jumper shop windows. That was a wooden tray for a brie cheese, which I painted turquoise with acrylic paint. I used the same colour to paint the shop counter and the changing rooms, both of which I made of cardboard, and also for the wooden wall display for the jumpers.
The shop computer was bought in Hobby Point (Helsinki), and there is a little black plastic part on the counter, which looks just like a mini version of those manual yokes they have for credit cards, in some small shops! The posters are again from Wolford packages, and on the counter, there's a teacup (part of a full set) and a little pale yellow cow, which is probably from some Easter egg..

A close-up of 'possibly Helmut'. He was originally wearing a coat, but as he's mostly in the shop or at home, his coat is hanging in the sewing room upstairs.

The jumper display (made of a painted stick from the tree we used to have in the front garden, and some painted cardboard bits). I've designed and knitted all these jumpers, and they are hanging on coat hangers I made of plastic-covered paper clips.

Close-up of the coat hangers - nothing special!

The entrance to the changing rooms. The mirror is cut from a bigger mirror tile. The posters are from Wolford packages, surprise, surprise..

Technically, you see all the colours of the jumper shop in this picture, only you can't see them that well due to the poor quality of the picture.. The back wall is bold orange, the end wall is paler colour, sort of between pale orange and salmon pink. The floor is pale turquoise, and all the units are bright turquoise. There are bright red highlights such as the little step ladder on the right, and some posters with bright red.. There's also a heart shaped mirror with bright red silk frames in the big changing room, but it can only just be seen in this picture.
The pale turquoise dress is knitted - I was experimenting.. LOL And the leather jacket is really a keyring I bought in Dublin years ago. I still have another one to use for a roombox or something.

For some reason, I always think of Galway when I look at this room. I used to live there for just over two years, but it felt like such a colourful place. Loads of lovely bold colours in shops and such!