"Ah, a new e-mail (or at least there would be if someone could be arsed to print me out a new screen for this prop monitor)...

"Hmmm, why, Thank you Mr Committed... but really, you can't expect me to share my secrets...   ... to let daylight in upon the magic?   ... oh, ok then."

"Dear Mr Nick... I think u r a genius and your wild + whacky stories have me peeing my pants. I luv your startlingly realistic sets. How do u build them + as u have so many, where do you store them all? More Toyville please. Thanks" from committed@parkviewmentalasylum.com "p.s. please 'cuse any spelling mistakes as I'm having to type this with my nose as I'm wearing a straitjacket..."

First up is this, my one and only 'permanent set' - some sets of art card/mounting board stuck together. It's permancey means that I can decorate away without having to worry about taking the whole thing back down again... and then putting it back up piece by piece with everything in the same place.

What you see here may not look like much - it's actually parts from the framework of a Vintage Sindy dollshouse from Merry Olde England's toy past. You need the one that has this box/x type frame work - they can be a bit pricey but as long as the frame's ok you needn't worry about the card inserts as you can make your own out of mounting card again... which is what I did to create...

Even more permanent... the great outdoors. Of course, one problem for me is the seasonal weather here in ol'Blighty which is why Toyville 2 took so long to finish - a cock-up in the planning dept. meant that when it came time to film the outside scenes it was Winter time. oops. Next time I'll try to remember to plot, plan and storyboard better... Anyhow, back to set construction and a recent acquisition...

... the Clearance Bin Bar. This kind of set is not only nice and sturdy but can be built up and torn down in a matter of minutes. Plus you can slide the walls in and out to allow for a change of camera angles during the shoot. There are also problems; you've got to cut the card to fit and you're limited to sets of a particular size.