Showing posts with label miniature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label miniature. Show all posts

Saturday, January 13, 2018

collecting and diplaying one inch scale miniatures...

I've been collecting miniatures since I was a child. Way back then the miniatures were all different scales and mostly cheap things bought at the local five and dime store. I still have a bunch of those old miniatures in my collection and now they are considered kitschy vintage, lol. About ten years ago I started going to miniature shows (such as the Good Sam Showcase of Miniatures) and my collecting turned to artist made miniatures and higher end commercially made miniatures.
Miniatures are perfect for collecting because they don't take up much space to keep and display... until your collection out grows your space and you can't display everything. This is a huge problem because I want to see and enjoy my collection daily, not just store them in a box. So in my search for a better way to use my allotted display space I came upon a labor intensive, hand crafted, four room display box attached to a turn table (lazy Susan). I thought the idea was brilliant and rushed off to beg Leslie to have a kit made to sell through Alpha Stamps. And that is how the 4 Season Spinner was born. Of course my name was vetoed in favor of calling it the Rotating 4 Scene Room Box but no biggie, as I still got to make the first one for myself.
 Isn't it fabulous!? Four whole rooms to decorate!
 I decided to do the four seasons as a theme for this first one. (Yes, I will be making more because it is super easy to construct and I was able to display sooooo much stuff!) The first two rooms I decorated are Spring and Summer. It took so long to do the decorating on these rooms that you will not get to see Fall and Winter until next month when I finish them. Anyway, here's Spring in all her Easter bunny glory...
 I love the Easter Bunny wall paper, so Springy! I must admit most of the smaller stuff in this room is from my collection and is either vintage, handmade, artist made or no longer made. But there is a supply list of the available items, here. Remember, decorating a room like this gives you an excuse to start collecting or to start displaying your collection.
Let's take a look at beautiful, dreamy Summer...
 I decided to do a Victorian style boudoir to represent Summer because I had tons of stuff to use. You may remember the dresser from a previous post. I love the way the dresser turned out so decided to keep it. I did use a bunch of stuff in this room that is actually available, YAY!. Here's the supply list. (Also, the shoes are made by Sylvia Roundtree, (The Doll's Cobbler) and are amazing. But the chair is vintage and was snatched up by me on eBay.)
 By the way, I didn't use permanent glue to attach my stuff to the room this time since I was keeping this for myself and I may want to change things up at some point in the future. I used Bluestik Reusable Adhesive Putty instead of glue. It's cheap and works amazingly well.
Wow! Thanks for staying to the end :) I hope you are inspired to make your own 4 Season Spinner or maybe it will be four of your favorite time periods (18th Century would be fab!) or four rooms inspired by your children or pets, or four fairy tale inspired rooms. The sky's the limit!

Saturday, October 14, 2017

Halloween in Wonderland...

Today's project is one of my favorites as it combines two of my favorite things, Alice in Wonderland and Halloween. I started off with a Corner Room Box, from Alpha Stamps, then covered it with some Halloween in Wonderland paper that I had in my stash. A little black paint and some black Dresden to give the outside a polished finish and I was all set to add a scene.
 I chose to do a tea party in my scene because I love miniature tea sets and sweets. There wasn't a lot of room in my box for a tea table, soooo... I used the table parts in the Round Table & Chairs Kit to build half the table. I followed the instruction provided in the box and literally only built half of the table (the supports under the table need to be cut in half but everything else is already in halves).
 I also needed a chair for my tea party, so, I built one of the chairs in the kit and added some spooky extras... a Tiny Resin Skull was glued to the back of the chair and two Resin Boneyard Bones were glued to the sides of the chair instead of the supports from the kit. I sanded down the backs of the bones where they glued onto the chair, with an emery board, so they fit well before I glued them in place with Non-Toxic Cement for Plastic Models.
Before painting my furniture I used Primer to lightly coat the pieces.
As you can see, I primed just about everything I was going to paint with the same primer. Of course I washed everything down with Dawn Dish Washing Liquid and a soft toothbrush first! Be sure to let the primer dry completely before you begin painting over it because it will cause cracks to form in your paint otherwise. 
Above is a good view of the many things I painted, with acrylic paint, to use in this scene. The Polka Dot Resin Teapot looks so much better in black and orange! I love the Metal Alice in Wonderland Figurine and Cast Cheshire Cat Figurine, they were painted with a 10/0 brush and a magnifying glass so I could see them better :) 
The teacups and saucers did not need to be primed before painting. I did wash them with Dawn though and gave them a couple of coats of paint each (letting the paint dry fully between coats).
The frame with the photo of Lewis Carroll is made from an Unfinished Rectangular Frame with a Miniature Flying Bat glued to the top of the frame before painting.
The witch's hat was made of black cardstock. I threaded some Tiny Sheer Ribbon through a 5mm Bronze Buckle then glued it above the brim of the hat.
As you can see from my example, painting (or adding a bat or bone or something else to) a miniature or other item to use in a scene or art piece makes for more choices. Why be limited by a color combination someone else chose when all you have to do is break out the acrylic paints (and primer). 
I'm already thinking about doing Christmas in Wonderland next! What have you always wanted to do but couldn't find the right pieces for? What are you waiting for? Go make something fun!
My supply list is available here.



Saturday, July 1, 2017

pocket grimoire...

Happy July! A new month means a new monthly kit at Alpha Stamps, YAY! The July kit is called Matchbox Cabinet Kit and it comes with an adorable Matchbox Cabinet. Using the kit, as it comes, you can create a cute little kitchen cabinet with all kinds of vintage grocery items. Now I've been in super Halloween creating mode so I didn't really wanna make a kitchen cabinet BUT... the matchbox cabinet, in the kit, has some witchy potential sooo... I made a couple of collage sheets to turn that cutie into a pocket grimoire...
 So small it could fit in a pocket, but open it up and it's BIG on witchy goodness!
 So much witchy goodness, it couldn't be contained and I just had to decorate the top...
and add a cauldron of bloody bones to keep on the side.
If you're wondering how I assembled my cabinet, here's a quick peek:
 I used a piece of design tape to make a little handle on the cabinet door.
 I covered the inside of the cabinet door with paper.
 I used masking tape to attach the cabinet door to the cabinet. I had already assembled the cabinet and painted it with black gesso. After I applied the masking tape I inked the cabinet door edge.
 I applied design tape to the inside of the cabinet door to cover the sticky masking tape and to make it look pretty :)
 Then I cut out one of the cover images from the new "A witch's Grimoire" collage sheet and glued it onto the cabinet door...
 If you look closely at the above photo, you will see that the cover image is slightly larger than the cabinet door. This is so that the cover image covers the cabinet edges when the door is closed.
Once the door was attached I applied paper to the rest of the outside of the cabinet and decorated the side with a strip of design tape and an image from the collage sheet.
All of the papers, scrolls, labels and books were created using just the two new collage sheets: Tiny Little Grimoires and A Witch's Grimoire. (To assemble the books please see this tutorial.)
By the way, I always use Super Sticky Red Liner Tape - 1/8 Inch to attach the tiny labels to the bottles. It's so much easier to use than glue and keeps the labels attached better too :)
Thanks for stopping by and reading to the end! I hope you will consider making you own pocket grimoire. To help you on your way, here's what I used...

Supplies Used

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

a Wizard's potion making table...

As Summer nears I always start thinking about Halloween because I love making creepy, spooky, magical and/or fantastical art. So, a couple of months ago, I started designing a Dragon Table that sort of morphed into the Gryphon Table you see here. The table is really easy to glue together and would be fabulous in a Medieval dungeon as well as in a modern library.
I painted my table black and dry brushed white over the top to add a bit of depth and interest. I also used four mushroom plugs as feet to give the table more height. The table comes with a thin chipboard "veneer" that glues onto the top that I chose to cover with a great distressed paper from the Tim Holtz Materialize 8x8 Paper Stash pad.
I made up a bunch of potion bottles using a couple of collage sheets and lots of bottles from the many choices available at Alpha Stamps. Some of the bottles are just beads with bead stoppers, but they do look like real bottles :) The boxes and books were made using collage sheets as well. It always amazes me that so many things can be created with just paper and glue and a little imagination.
My fancy wizard's wand is made out of a painted toothpick with a bit of washi tape on the end. I used Finnabair Art Extravagance Patina Effect Paste Set to color the Mini Scale with Weights so it wasn't so brightly gold. The candles were sculpted out of polymer clay. And, the skull is the Cast Metal Skull - White that is available at Alpha Stamps. I just painted it with dark brown acrylic paint and dry brushed white acrylic paint over it when it was dry.
I really like the way my wizard potion making table turned out. It looks like it was complicated and time consuming to make but it really wasn't. The labels are easily glued onto the bottles with white glue. There's a tutorial for making the books and anyone can paint a miniature table :) I hope you will make one of your own, come on you know you want to!
To see my supply list go here.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

a lady's dresser...

 Believe it or not, this beautiful shabby chic dresser started out as an unfinished dollhouse dresser that looked like this:
I used Folk Art Home Decor Chalk paint in Nantucket Blue and Folk Art Home Decor Wax in White to achieve the shabby chic look (I bought both at my local Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store). The tiny roses, I used as handles, were sculpted from polymer clay and glued on before I painted. You could probably use 6mm metal roses to get a similar look if you aren't into sculpting with clay. I dabbed a bit of metallic gold paint on to the roses so they didn't blend in with the dresser paint too much.
 When I was ready to "dress" my dresser, I glued down a Dollhouse Laser-Cut Table Runner. Then I lined the tiny drawers with some scrapbook paper I had leftover from a previous project.
Many of the elements used on this dresser came from a collage sheet I created with tiny things to use in a lady's boudoir. I cut out the tiny little perfume labels using sharp pointed scissors and a pair of tweezers. A Wax Pick-Up Pencil is great for holding the labels while applying glue and then adhering the label to the perfume bottle.
Some of my favorite items in this dresser are the tiny stack of love letters tied up with a bow in the top drawer and the little stack of matching decorative boxes. 
To create the love letters I simply cut out a bunch of the envelopes from my A Lady's Boudoir Ephemera Collage Sheet, folded and glued them, then glued them together to form a stack. I then glued a band of ribbon around them, tied a tiny bow in a matching piece of ribbon and glued it on top of the band.
Tip: I find it's often easier to use two pairs of tweezers in place of my giant fingers when tying a tiny bow. I use 2mm silk ribbon (often sold as an embroidery ribbon) as it is tiny and quite flexible.
The stack of boxes was also cut out of A Lady's Boudoir Ephemera Collage Sheet. 
 To create a stack of your own cut, fold and glue the three boxes (from the collage sheet) together. Then apply a strip of Tiny Gold Line Stripe Tape around the biggest lid and glue a perfume label over top. Next glue the lids onto the boxes then glue the boxes together. When the glue is dry glue a band of ribbon around the boxes and tie a tiny bow in a matching piece of ribbon and glue it on top of that band.
Thanks for stopping by and reading about my little dresser. If you'd like to make one of your own you can find my supply list here
Have a fun and creative week :)



Saturday, March 25, 2017

the memory keeper's room...

 This little shabby chic roombox is a tribute to all of you out there who collect vintage ephemera and photographs. I started collecting when I was a child because I spent a lot of time with my Great Grandmother, who was a collector. I still get a thrill when I find a particularly interesting old postcard or well worn love letter. The memories attached to these treasures may not be my own, but they still speak to me and inspire me to imagine a long past world so different from my own.
 As you can see, the focus of this room is the tray filled with old letters, postcards and photographs. There is even a magnifying glass for closer inspection. Below the tray is an open faux book box, with more photos and ephemera, waiting patiently for perusal. A couple more faux book boxes on the shelf await their turn as well.
 I felt this room really needed a window to look out of (while daydreaming) so I used a set of Dollhouse Windows with Shutters 1:12 to add one. The image I used behind the window wasn't quite tall enough to fill the whole window sooo... I made a decorative window shade out of a toothpick and some cardstock to hide it. I just glued the cardstock around the toothpick, added a piece of cardstock to the back so it hangs down and glued filigree beads to the ends. A small piece of white Dresden trim adds a finishing touch.
 I love cats, so I always try to put a cat or two (or three or four!) in any room box I make and this one is no exception. There's a mama cat and three kittens (who are really half scale cats that work purrfectly as kittens!)
I thank you for stopping by my blog and hope to see you again! Remember to take time to daydream and use your imagination :) Now run along and create something!
Supply list is available here.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Little Christmas Cabin in the Woods...

This whole room box started because I begged Leslie (of alphastamps.com) to order this awesome Kraft Christmas Deer Scrapbook Paper. She wasn't crazy about it and didn't think it would sell so I said I'd make something cute with it so that people would see how very awesome it is :) I thought it would be the perfect wallpaper for a miniature cabin, especially if you had a Mini Deer Head Trophy hanging on the wall that the wallpaper was covering...
I really prefer a deer head trophy, miniature or not, with a festive wreath around it so I decided to go all out and make my cabin a Christmas cabin. Of course this necessitated the creation of a Miniature Advent Calendar, a Chipboard Sleigh - 1:12 Scale and multiple collage sheets. All the extra work paid off (at least the extra work I did... not sure how Leslie feels about the extra wok she did, lol) and I really adore how it all came together.
Look at that tiny little sleigh! It's so easy to put together with only seven little pieces. I used a metallic gold paint pen I purchased at Michael's to color all the pieces before I glued it together. Then I used a fine red glass glitter to add color to the sides. A few pieces of Mini Pine Fern and three cards from Christmas Wrap & Cards Collage Sheet and it's all done and looking super festive :)
The lovely advent calendar has a lot more than seven pieces but it is still pretty easy to put together. Just make sure to give it a dry run before gluing it together as the side cubby divider pieces are nearly but not exactly the same size as the top and bottom cubby pieces and are NOT interchangeable. If you get them mixed up you won't be able to put the outside edges on correctly. The Tiny Advent Calendar Collage Sheet makes finishing this miniature calendar a breeze!
The sweet wrapped gifts under my tree are really just tiny blocks of wood wrapped up with the paper from my new Christmas Wrap & Cards Collage Sheet. I added a bit of Tim Holtz Pine Twine Garland around the neck of the smallest deer from a set of Tim Holtz White Resin Deer and added a slice from a Polymer Clay Red Swirl Peppermint Cane at the front. The wreath around my deer head trophy is made from pine twine and peppermint cane too.
My flooring is from the Tim Holtz Christmas Tidings 8x8 Paper Stash which has some lovely prints in it. That very realistic braided rug is from my new Rustic Dollhouse Rugs Collage Sheet that I printed out on White Suede Paper* to give it some texture. If you were wondering why I added a baseboard to my room, it's not just for decoration, I accidentally tore some of the paper in that area and the baseboard covered my booboo right up!
I popped the mirror (not made of glass, but unbreakable mirror material) out of a Wooden Medicine Cabinet and turned it into a little table top curio cabinet. It sits on top of a dollhouse side table I had in my stash. The curios inside on the shelves are O Scale model train minis or quarter scale minis. I also used a tiny sea shell on one of the shelves.
 The back of my room box is covered by Kraft Christmas Postmarks Scrapbook Paper which matches the Kraft Christmas Deer Scrapbook Paper perfectly :)
For a complete listing of all the products I used that are available at alphastamps.com go here
Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed reading about my room box project and are ready to go make one of your own :D
 

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!