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.

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.

This and That

It has been a while since I've had time to sit and write. I've been working on Stone Cottage and will have pictures to post soon. I thought I would share some pics of my practice collections and craft projects. First, the miniatures:

Miniature Hat Collection I

Before I began the Red Hat Project (A collection of 18 different Red Hats.), I followed a variety of on-line tutorials. There are many ways to make a miniature hat. They range from scaled down versions of real hat making procedures to shaping the had out of clay. I combined those techniques that worked best for my fingers. One day I'll add to this collection and make a Hat Shoppe. The Red Hat Project can be viewed on my "Shutterfly" photo page. Red Hat Project.

Cake Collection

Nothing to do on a rainy day - try playing with clay. So far I've only attempted cakes and french bread. These are my best practice pieces. I'll continue to add to this collection as I work on different clay techniques

The Teapots

I absolutely love making these little teapots. These three are my favorites. When I finally finish the  kitchen room box I am working on, I will display the teapot collection around the kitchen. 

Halloween "Mardi Gras Masks"

These were so much fun to make. A little lace, ribbon, some feathers a lot of glitter and hot glue.

Potting Shed 3 - Potting Table Tutorial

The dimensions of my purchased potting table overwhelms the interior of  the Potting Shed. As I sat looking at the beautifully finished commercial table, I wondered, how difficult would it be to replicate a smaller version.

Materials Used:

           Note: finished dimensions will be based on your needs.

          1/4" square dowel rod.(6 pieces cut to the same height)

          (Popsicle, craft, lolly) sticks - (2) sizes: one wide, one thin

               The larger (wider) sticks are used, side-by-side, for the shelf and top.

               The smaller (thinner) sticks are used as braces.

          Round tooth picks (to make the hanging pegs under the top shelf)

          Cutting Tool

          Sandpaper

          Craft Glue

          Paint

Step One: Determine how tall you want your finished table and cut the (6) table legs. If you prefer, the table can be made without the middle legs.

Step Two:  Using the thinner of your craft sticks, cut (6) cross pieces. the length of the  pieces is determined by how wide you want your finished table. Put (2) aside for later.

Step Three:  Decide on the height of your shelf and glue the cross pieces to the legs, as shown: One cross piece on the inside left legs, two cross pieces to the center leg, one cross piece on the inside right leg. Let dry (very important) leave it alone until the cross pieces are firmly stuck.

Step Four: Using the larger craft sticks, cut, install, and glue the shelf pieces.

Step Five:  Attach the remaining two crosspieces. One to the top, left, outside legs and one to the top, right,outside legs.

Step Six:  Cut the larger craft sticks long enough to reach from the left outside cross piece to the right outside cross piece. Lay the larger sticks side-by-side and glue. Let dry.

Step Seven: The upper shelf can also be as wide and as deep as you desire. My upper shelf construction is two skinny sticks wide. Using the two-stick wide model, I was able to use one long skinny stick (toward the front of the table), add a skinny stick shelf midway, and lock it in place with two smaller skinny sticks.

Step Eight:

    The top is finished off with two larger craft sticks, glued together at a right angle. 

    The round toothpicks have been cut into pegs and glued to the back of the right angle .

Step Nine:  Sand any rough edges and paint as desired. 

In a later post, I will share my method for making the little stools.  Until then,

Happy Mini-ing!

Primrose Cottage - Siding Disaster

Note to self: Do not use water-based glue to install future birch siding strips! At the end of my last post, I congratulated myself for a job quickly and well done. This morning I awoke to find the overlapping sides of the birch siding strips curled up like a layered flipped hairdo.

This picture does not show the awful detail - take my word for it, it's a mess. The only solution I can think of is to grab a scraper and peel this stuff off.  Dealing with a disaster sometimes result in new directions. Instead of a traditional cottage with siding, I will now have a traditional cottage with a stucco exterior.

Doing the exterior in stucco eliminates the need to smooth out rough surfaces left after removing the siding. Scraping off this siding is an unplanned job, I do not want to spend time or effort sanding. I have some fine sand in my stock of supplies so getting the textured exterior will only require adding sand to my paint choice. 

Repeat note to self - always use the correct adhesive for the product you are gluing. Following this simple rule will save time and money.

Happy Mini-ing!

Primrose Cottage - Siding Installation

This is my first attempt to complete the exterior of a house with siding. I choose birch strips (they were on sale), drew guidelines similar to the method used for placing shingles and glued each strip directly to the house. 

                              

The foundation of the house is to be brick, so the siding starts  about two inches above the base of the house.

Once the guide lines are drawn and checked to make sure that they meet at the sides, adding the siding was quick and easy. 

All sides complete. Nothing to do now but admire the job and select paint colors.

Happy Mini-ing

Noelle's Cottage

"Victoria's Cottage Jr" Dollhouse

This small cottage was my very first attempt at making a dollhouse. When I began the project, I had no idea it would take so long to complete - nearly 6 months. It was intended as a gift for my young niece but became a keepsake and not a toy. Noelle did receive a dollhouse that year, a four-story play scale house into which she immediately moved her dolls.

I learned a lot completing this house. FIRST - this can be a very expensive hobby. Although I attempted to purchase  the least expensive items (the dollhouse kit was less than $50), completing it totaled more than 5 times the initial cost. Only a few of the pictures and a couple of the picture frames were hand made. As a" newbe", I just didn't know any better.

The next big realization came when I realized that many of the items I was purchasing could be made from found bits and pieces in my home. You just have to change the way you look at things. Now when eating breakfast in a restaurant and I have jelly in a square tub, I don't see garbage, I see a miniature kitchen sink (round margarine tub - miniature vanity sink.).  As I dig through my projects and figure out this computer program, I will share the money saving and artistically fulfilling techniques I have learned.

The First Day

Although I am new to much of the 21st century's technology, I am looking forward to working my way through this program and learning to Blog. As indicated by the title, one of my passions is miniatures. Currently I only work in 1:12 scale. I fear the smaller scales while more appropriate for my physical space, may be too small for my aging eyes. It is my desire to use this space as a platform to share my completed works (and many works in progress). As well as a place where I can share the many tips and techniques I have learned throughout the years.

The very first dollhouse, I completed, was an expensive process because I had not learned many of the money saving hints I will share in this blog. For example. the wallpaper in that first dollhouse cost about $9.00 per room. Five (5) room dollhouse - $45.00. Scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, and for us older hoarders, stationary is available for less than $3.00 a room. One third the cost - a big savings.