News from Buttercup Miniatures

Today pewter is a lesser-used metal around the home. Made from a mixture of tin, copper, antimony, bismuth and lead it is a malleable metal alloy that has a relatively low melting point compared to other metals. By far the highest base metal content in pewter is tin (in excess of 91% to achieve the quality standard set by the Association of British Pewter Craftsmen) and part of the decline in popularity of pewter is due to the cost of tin. Modern day pewter contains no lead, due to the associated health risks.

The relatively low melting point of the metal of around 250 degrees C meant that casting of items from it were relatively easy. Thus early casting of pewter can found from the Bronze Age and Egyptian tomb relics of around 3,500 years ago have been found. The large deposits of tin ore found in the Far East centred production in this area but the versatility of the metal saw it become popular across Europe too.

By the 12th century pewter had become popular in northern Europe and town guilds established to control the purity of manufacture. It was around this time that ecclesiastical uses for pewter were recognised. But pewter, at least for the wealthier, also served as tableware until replaced by china. Pewter teapots, sugar bowls and cream jugs combined with plates to be a complete dinner service in the 17th & 18th centuries. For drinking purposes pewter tankards were, and still are, popular.

However, mass production of china, glass and steel from the industrial revolution saw the decline of the more expensive crafted pewter. So today pewter is used mainly for quality decorative pieces. We have a selection of miniature pewter items for your dolls house available on our web shop in 1/12th scale and 1/24th scale.

The English word confetti comes from the Italian word which describes sweets (candy) given to guests at weddings. Modern paper confetti dates from the last decade of the 19th century. Prior to paper rice or rose petal were used.

The tradition of throwing confetti probably goes back to pagan fertility rites where petals were seen as a connection to nature. By this the throwers were conferring good luck and fertility on the couple.

But today it is not just the wedding ceremony that sees the use of confetti as a means of celebration. Many sporting events see confetti showers on a hugh scale as special cannon fire the paper into the air. Also, where would the game show be when the star prize is won without the confetti celebration?!

For your dolls house we suggest you stick to the lower key wedding or celebration scene that can be enhanced with 1/12th scale confetti in a box available from our web shop or you can purchase a kit to make the box of confetti yourself.

If you, like us, remember bringing home your school report, then you may also remember the trepidation that went with it. If your experience was similar it began by being given an envelope with your name on it. Strict instructions were handed out to all that the report must be delivered safely, promptly and unopened to your parent or guardian. It was never known if the school would be alerted to non-delivery as no one had the courage to test the system!

The younger the child the tighter the envelope would be clutched on the way home lest a gust of wind should blow it away. Rain was another hazard to be avoided, as a soggy envelope with streaky ink was not good.

Then the fateful moment, handing over your school report. If you were lucky it would be best to pass it onto to your mother, if there was anything untoward in there she was a better option than your father. Then the long silence as the contents of the report is read and digested. With a bit of luck you would get a “well, that’s not too bad!” Any talk of waiting until your father got home was bad news! Often there would be a comparison with your strong and weak subjects with those of your parents. Your less than glowing report in geography for example, may be excused as your mother was “never very good at that either.”

With the ordeal hopefully over it was then time to meet up with friends to find out if others had passed the test too. If anyone of your circle of friends was missing it could mean bad news on the school report and they could be out of circulation for a while!

So that was it, over with. Well almost, there was still the parents’ evening where your report would be discussed, but that is another story.

We have school reports for your dolls house dolls in both 1/12th scale and 1/24th scale available on our web shop

Now a common sight in any wardrobe, the humble coat or clothes hanger is a little over 100 years old. O A North of Connecticut filed a patent for a coat hook as early as 1869. However the employees of the Timberlake Wire and Novelty Company of Michigan complained there were insufficient coat hooks for them, so Albert J. Parkhouse another employee, bent a piece of wire into a wishbone shape complete with a twisted hook. It was 1903 and subsequently Parkhouse patented his “wire coat hanger”. Strangely the patent was assigned to John B. Timberlake, the owner of the company for which Parkhouse worked.

By 1906 Meyer May, mens clothes retailer was the first to use the coat hanger to display his clothes for sale. Wood was an alternative material but the basic design remained the same. In 1932 an improvement on the basic design that used cardboard tubes on the upper shoulders and lower bar that helped prevent wrinkles. From this concept came the idea of padding the hangers with materials such as satin to protect expensive clothes from shoulder dents.

We have some rather pretty satin and lace coat hangers for ladies and babies in 1/12th scale on our web shop.