Wednesday, September 28, 2016

the Naturalist's Curiosity Cabinet...

I created my curiosity cabinet in the new and adorable Millinery Cabinet 1:12 Scale because I really loved the cabinet, but I'm not really into making hats ;)
I think it worked out nicely using the Cabinet of Curiosities collage sheet I designed just for this project...
 The collage sheet has Riker Mount drawers to put together so that you can fill in the cubbies with drawers if you want (although you will need two collage sheets to make enough drawers to fill all 16 of the cubbies). I used Small Antique Brass Suitcase Handles on the drawers, for handles, and it was pretty easy to do. I took photos as I added the handles so I could show you just how I did it...
 I cut out and scored my drawers, but didn't fold or glue them. I then cut a long thin strip of cardstock to reinforce the area where the handle would be mounted.
 I glued a small piece of the strip to the back of each drawer.
 It took 8 sets of the Small Antique Brass Suitcase Handles to cover all 16 drawers. I used a pair of flat nose jewelry pliers to carefully bend the loop part, on the ends of the handles, so they were less curved. They should look like the bottom handle in the above photo.
 Then I measured a drawer to find the center...
laid a handle in position...
then poked holes with a pointy tool.
 Next I laid a handle over the holes and inserted a headpin through each hole. The headpins I used were just some cheep bronze ones I had in my stash with large enough heads.
 Using my pliers I bent the wires on the back of the drawer as close as I could to the drawer without creasing the paper.
 I twisted the two wires together to keep them in place. You could glue or tape them down, with masking tape, if you didn't want to twist them together.
 Here's what the handle should look like when you finish.
After you fold and glue your drawer together, you may need to use a marker to cover the score marks on the edges of your drawers. The Distress Marker - Hickory Smoke is a perfect match.
Here's a bird's eye view of my cabinet so you can see some of the curiosities I used. The bones in the Mini Red Shadowbox are from a real mouse skeleton! I love the tiny mushrooms growing in a mossy pot under a glass dome.You could make your own curiosity cabinet as creepy or as scientific as you'd like, as it's all just a matter of what you like to collect.
Here's a view with my hand to show scale... 
Yes, that is a giraffe skull on the bottom left side. It's from an educational toy set made by Safari Ltd, I aged it with a bit of acrylic paint. I've also used tiny seashells, a miniature handmade bird nest and that wonderful owl statue made by Reutter Porzellan. If you'd like to know more about the other things I've used to create my cabinet you can view my supply list here.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope I have inspired you to go make you own miniature curiosity cabinet!

5 comments:

Tristan Robin said...

Teri, this is just gobsmackingly marvelous! I am going to get one of the blanks and try to totally copy yours - so much for being creative! - I'm going to be a total and complete technique-and-idea thief! Just charming - thanks for sharing the great ideas and lovely photos!

Unknown said...

Teri, this is really cute...so small. When I first saw it, I thought I'd like to try making it but it is so tiny, I'll just enjoy yours. But I did find your piece on "How to Add Tiny LED Lights...", and I'm going to try to make that one, as I did order the lights, but had no idea what I was going to do with them. Thanks for the idea! Hey, and I live in Martinez, just over the hill. Take care.

Artfully Musing said...

Oh what a cool idea and it turned out fab. That giraffe scull is cool. It looks like some kind of fantasy creature. Well done Teri!!

Kee said...

This is absolutely charming! I love the fabulous tip on securing your drawer handles...I have been trying to figure that one out. Thanks for sharing this and inspiring me to get in my studio and play!

Theresa said...

This is so amazing...reminds me of a "house" we saw in DC at the Portrait Gallery. I am going to try and make this for my daughter (who adores that house in DC) for Christmas! Thank you for sharing!!!!