Bed Tutorial

Parts Needed:

Card Stock

Paper Punch

Beads

Wood (Square or Circular Dowl, Stair Rail, or Coffee Stirrer)

1/4" square Wood Dowl (for bed frame)

Wood Glue

White Glue

Step One:

Use paper punch to punch (6) shapes in cardstock.

Step Two:

   

As you cut your punch out of the cardstock, include sufficient plain cardstock for the headboard, footboard, and bedposts.

(This will be a twin size bed so I have added 1 inch to the bottom of my headboard and 1/4 inch to the bottom of my footboard.  To add additional width, I added 1/4 inch to the sides of each piece.)

Make two stacks (3) shapes on each stack. Use wood glue on each layer of the stacks. Allow time to


dry thoroughly.

Step Three:

Glue one dowl/stair rail to each side.

(To increase the width of this bed I added small beads between the punch stack and stair rail.  This is optional. Additional width can also be achieved, as mentioned above, by cutting a wider piece of  perimeter  cardstock.)     

Step Four:

Cut the 1/4" dowl so that you have (2) long side pieces and (4) inner pieces. Arrange into a  rectangular  shape and glue together. 

(For my twin bed, my side pieces are 6 inches and my inner pieces are 2.5 inches.)

Step Five:

Glue  footboard to bed frame. Allow time to dry. Glue headboard to bedframe.

(I used two pieces of foam core under the bed frame to keep both the footboard and headboard level .)

Last Step: Give bed a fine sanding , a final coat of paint, and if desired a matt varnish. In a later post, I'll share the steps for making a mini mattress and a pic of the dressed bed. Happy mini-ing.

The Wizard's Study

This has been one of those stretches of time when life intrudes on the enjoyment of a hobby. Where did the year go since my last post? By way of catching up this post will be more "show" than "tell".

The Wizard's Study is 98% complete. Sifting through stored supplies often turns up something I wasn't looking for but is "just right" for a previously "finished" project.

Foamcore Right Exterior View
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This was a "How Do I Do That?" project. I used it as an opportunity to try many new techniques. In later blogs, I'll share the many processes I learned. This box is made of Foamcore and covered with tissue wrinkled with a glue/water solution. Two major things learned were the importance of keeping things square (I didn't) and the tissue/glue technique looks better with one-ply tissue (used two-ply on this project).

Foamcore Left Exterior View

I bought a poster frame and cut the clear acrylic to make the box's front. Although I have enough left over acrylic to make another box front, I'm looking for a cheaper source of acrylic.

Center View

Left View - Lighted

Left View

You cant see much of the floor. It is made of stained craft sticks (tongue depressors).

Right View - Lighted

Right View

Most of the accessories are hand-crafted, It's the little things that make miniature rooms special.

Wall Unit

The wall unit was made from craft sticks (tongue depressors, my favorite wood source), mitered trim and braided floss to accent the base. The shelf items include: rolled scrolls, bead jar, clay candles, skull bead, aged paper books, crystal balls, and potion bottles.

Wizard's Desk

If you look closely, you can find the following hand-crafted items on the desk: clay candles, rolled and open scrolls, framed picture (my grandfather), leather bound closed and open paged books, bead jar, ink jar and writing feather, crystal balls, and of course a magic wand.For easy reference, the all important Zodiac is posted on the wall.

Open Scroll and Writing Feather

Wizard's Hat

Paged Books (Paper Binding)

Crystal Ball, Leather Bound Paged Book

Great Wizards (Google Images)

Wizard's Study is complete in time for Halloween. When I find that black cat somewhere in my stash, I'll add it to the scene. Until then, Happy Mini-ing.

TaDah Garden - Fairy Tree

Making the Fairy Tree

Most of the materials for the fairy tree will be things you have around the house.

* An empty oatmeal container (Grits, Corn Meal, or Pringles can, whatever you have that is close to empty.

* Facial Tissue

* White Glue (school glue is fine)

* Small bowl or empty glue bottle

* Paint (browns, dark grey,black)

* Poster Board 

* Dried Twigs

* Glue Gun

* Foliage, Paint Brush, Masking Tape (optional)

I'm always so anxious to start a new project that I usually forget to take initial pictures. Mix equal parts glue and water in a small bowl or an empty glue bottle. Apply a liberal amount of glue to the oatmeal box and lay a facial tissue on top of the glue. Dribble glue/water solution on top of the tissue while using your fingers or a paint brush to wrinkle the tissue. This is messy, messy work. Since most kids love digging in and getting messy this is a perfect job for your youthful "helper". It will take at least a day or more for the tree base to dry. Wait until it is dry and hard before you begin painting.

Since I knew I would want a door and a window, I cut them out before adding the tissue and glue. I saved the curved door cardboard to later reattach.

This is the beginning of the painting process. I painted the whole thing grey and dribbled in watered down brown. The paints began to bleed into one another so I left it to dry.

Front

The painting is complete. Forgot to take pictures again. The final color is a dark brown with streaks of watered down black and watered down maroon. The beauty of paint is you can keep adding colors until you get what you want.

Back

To make the roof, cut a circle out of poster board and cut a pie slice out of the circle. Close the gap left in the circle, glue the sides together and you have a cone. The cone was painted dark brown. The twigs and foliage were added with a glue gun. 

In an earlier post, I shared the steps for making stain glass. This was a practice piece just laying around. There will be lights in the finished Fairy Tree so I figured,"why not".

This is the original cardboard door. The shutters were made from craft sticks. I am always "color indecisive".  The door has been tan, bronze, maroon, red  and my final choice bright yellow. The door will swing into the tree house, so masking tape will be used as a hinge. The shutters will be attached with the glue gun.

I added a flower box made from craft sticks and cardboard. The flowers are made out of clay and colored paper punches.

Side View

Front View

A little froggy over the door and and the TaDah Fairy House is move in ready. 

Happy Mini-ing!

Miniature Furniture Update

"Faux Marble"

One of the arguments against collecting, creating, and building miniatures as a hobby is the cost. True, I have seen miniature houses and furniture costing well into the hundreds even thousands of dollars. But, with a “little” skill and a lot of “patience”, I have found that expensive looking miniatures can be created for very little cost.

The very first thing you need is a “can do” attitude. Next, I suggest “do a little research”. I have found You Tube videos to be invaluable. Most of my searches begin with “how to make miniature _____”. If I don’t find a tutorial specific to miniatures, my next search is for a life size example.  Of course, internet key word searches are another valuable source. After reading and looking at pictures, I suggest trying out a few of the techniques – combining and practicing until you develop a methodology that works for you.

Faux Marble (Tips and Suggestions):

·      An inexpensive piece of miniature furniture.

Often, miniature furniture can be found in dollar stores. I keep an eye out for inexpensive “dollhouse furniture lots” on Ebay. This is a piece from a dollar store.

·      Hobby paint: at least two colors (one for the base and one for the marble veins).

I used four colors for my veins: tan, brown, dark grey and a dark green metallic

·      With a brush, paint your piece with at least two coats of the base color. Allow each coat to dry, and rub with a piece of fine sand paper in between coats. Be sure to wipe away the fine dust before you paint the next coat.

·      Draw the veins with the point of a round toothpick. Extend some of the veins over the sides of the piece. If using more than one color for the veins, do not wait for the veins to dry before adding the next color. Keep adding and reworking until you like the finished piece.

When completing this step, it is recommended that you have a picture of marble in front of you. I worked in the kitchen and attempted to replicate the vein patterns visible in the granite counter top.

·      Painting Techniques:

o   Use a toothpick for long narrow veins.

o   Use a small paint brush and “flick” on spots of paint.

o   Wad a small piece of paper towel and blot some of the base color “over the veins”.

·      When the veins have dried add at least two coats of high gloss varnish or ModPodge. Lightly sand between coats of varnish and be sure to wipe away all dust before adding the next coat.

·      The beauty of this process is that you can keep working and starting over until you like the finished piece. 

                                        "Just a Little Paint" 

Sometimes just a little paint greatly improves the look of a well used piece of dollhouse furniture. This is the before and after pictures of an "Ebay Lot"  used, damaged, and kinda ugly piece of furniture. It has found a new home in the hallway of my Stone Cottage. Updated pictures on the way. 

Before

After

Remember step one: Can Do Attitude - Happy Mini-ing!

Miniature Stain Glass Tutorial

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been of the mind set to add to my blog.  During the Spring I was fortunately able to attend a “Miniature Stain Glass” workshop by Barbara Sabia. My in-class project received a “When you get home, play around . . .” response from Mrs. Sabia.  Being a dedicated diy crafter, that is exactly what I have done. Recently, I shared a picture of some practice pieces with a friend who’s many hobbies include creating full scale stain glass. She was interested in the materials and steps required to complete stain glass in miniature. Instead of sending her a very lengthy e-mail, I’ve attempted to share, in this tutorial, what I have learned.  With a cautionary notice that I am still “playing around”, here goes:

Materials Needed:

·       Plex-glass, acrylic panel, (While you are playing/practicing I recommend the hard plastic that is free when you purchase package items. It’s rigid but can easily be cut to size with household scissors.)

·       Lead Tape (aka golf tape)

·       Glass Paint (I prefer Gallery Glass Brand)

·       Round Tooth picks or skewers

·       Fine point cutting tool

·       Straight edge (I prefer a metal ruler with a cork bottom)

·       Cutting mat

·       Stain Glass Pattern (find images on internet, in books, or design your own)

·       Tape (paper tape if you have it on hand)

·       Sheet of white paper (printer paper works fine)

·       Light Box (If you don’t have one, use the sheet of white paper.)

·       Marker, spoon handle (Anything that is firm and can be used to tap the underside of your project. Tapping helps the paint to even out and is useful for bursting paint bubbles.)

·       Paper towel for cleaning painting tool before changing colors.

Method:

Part One: Copying and Leading the Design

1.      Work in an area with good light.

2.      Tape acrylic panel over stain glass template. (I saw this quilt block on the internet and decided the simple lines would look nice in stain glass.)

3.      Lay out a length of golf tape on cutting mat,

a.      use the straight edge to control the width of the cut

b.      using the cutting tool, cut very thin strips of lead tape. Getting a supply of consistently thin strips really does take practice. That’s why I suggest doing your first projects on container plastic. The cheaper the practice, the better.

4.      On the acrylic, cover (copy) the lines of the stain glass pattern. Try not to touch the glue side of the tape; excess handling will cause it to lose its tackiness.

5.      Use a toothpick or the rounded bottom of a pen to smooth out and firmly adhere the golf tape to the acrylic.

6.      When the stain glass pattern has been completely reproduced, remove the acrylic panel from the pattern.

a.      Place the panel completed side down on a white sheet of paper.

b.      Secure the reversed panel to the white paper with tape.

c.       Using your reproduced lines, outline the stain glass template pattern on the opposite side of the acrylic panel.      

Part Two: Coloring the Design

This is where the fun starts. You can copy the color scheme of your template or be totally creative and create your own.

1.      Decide on your color scheme. Important – do not shake the paints. Shaking produces unwanted bubbles.

2.      Choose the best looking side of the acrylic panel and place on light box. If you do not have a light box, place your design on a sheet of white paper.

3.      Using the toothpick/skewer, dip the tip into the paint and tap the color into the design section.

4.      Slowly fill each section with color.

5.      Start coloring in the center of the design and work out to the edge.

6.      As you complete a section, use your tapping tool (spoon handle) tap your design under the wet paint to remove unwanted bubbles and to even out the paint.

7.      Lay the painted piece on a flat surface and allow time to dry. As the paint dry, it become translucent.  (I usually let mine dry overnight.)

                    

     Enjoy.

Primrose Cottage: Stucco to Stone

In the last pic that I shared of this house, the house was covered with siding. My intention was to strip the siding off and change to stucco. What can I say, plans continue to change.

This little house has really been a challenge. I have learned that water-based glue should not be used with thin Birch siding. The siding will warp and curl. I used a chisel to remove almost ALL of the previously applied siding and purchased fine sand to prepare the stucco paint. I decided on a basic medium brown for the house and got stuck on the accents. (Sometimes I become very color challenged.) What looks good in my mind looks awful in reality.

First Painting - Tan with gray accents - UGH!

Second Painting - Tan with red accents - NAW!

Third Painting - Tan with dark green accents - Not quite right.

At this frustrating point, the house went on the shelf to await further inspiration. Weeks later, I was in the garage, noticed a bag of Pea Gravel and "Stone House"  became the next project.

I decided to keep the green accents on the door. Kinda wish I had changed it to brown before I spent time drawing lines on and installing the windows. Maybe, I'll change the door to a solid green. The shutters aren't installed yet but, like the door, they are two-toned. I will have to wait and see how it all looks when the shutters and flower box are installed.

I cut foam board to make the chimney and fireplace additions. I really do like this rustic look. With all of my scraping, painting, and handling to add the stones, I have pulled a few of the roof  shingles out of line. Fixing that problem will be one of my last touch-ups. 

So far, I'm happy with the way this is going. I will add updated pictures to show my progress.

Happy Mini-ing!