Barbecue, part 2

Read the first post about this project.

Following from where I stopped: I painted the fence green, let it dry, painted over white and wiped it off with a cloth.

I remember a comment from a facebook friend about aging miniature objects. Why are people so obsessed with aging, they said. When things were first used, they were new. That's absolutely right, but a perfectly painted mini-fence just doesn't look natural. Or maybe you need a different kind of paint. Chalk paint? I need to learn how to use it.

Anyway, here is the fence, and it's time to make a backdrop. Since the focus is on the outdoor scene, I won't bother to make a whole house, just a front, but it doesn't mean omitting details.

I started with a piece of cardboard, matching the size with the yard.
  

  

The door and window will be fake, so when I painted the wall, I wasn't very particular.

 
However, I didn't like the smooth surface. I didn't have sand paint, but if you use coffee grounds the effect will be similar.

I had some left-over slates from an old project. I have since then learned how to make roof slates, but at some point I need to use these left-overs, and there isn't enough for a larger house, so I decided to use them.

 

I painted them rusty red.

 

As you see, I have also started making a door. I cut it from a cheese box and painted in the same technique as the fence. For the little window, I used a lid from a spice jar, cutting half of it and inserting "frosted glass" (plastic file holder) and a dark background behind it. The door knob is a paper clip.

This is as far as I got today, and I will save some fun for tomorrow. I have an idea about how to make the window. Come back soon!

Yes, there is a lizard under the swing.

Barbecue

During a raid on a craft shop I came across this set of garden furniture.

It isn't particularly elegant, but it wasn't expensive, and I thought I could make something interesting with it. I have never made an outdoor scene, and the grill just begged to build an environment around it.

The first step was to decide on the size of the scene, and because it is an outdoor scene, I didn't use a box, just a piece of cardboard. I may add a backdrop, but I am not quite sure yet. Flagstone deck felt right for a barbecue, and it is fun to make from egg cartons.

 

You need a lot though, as I remember from my Roman turret project, and in a household of one, it may take some time. So I made as much as my current egg supply allowed and moved on to making a fence. I could have made a stone wall, but it would obscure the scene, and I wanted something that would emphasise the scene without disturbing it. A conventional wooden fence felt appropriate.

At the moment, most of my tools and supplies are in storage, waiting until I get a place of my own; moreover, what I have brought with me turned out to be quite random: for instance, I don't have my cutting mat and have to do with a piece of cardboard. Which works perfectly well.

I like putting furniture even in unfinished environment because it helps with planning the whole project.

I cut the cushions from a kitchen sponge cloth. I also decided that the owner of the patio is a bit lazy and hasn't weeded between the stones, and everyone who has ever had a stone patio or yard knows how stubborn weeds are.

Yes, I know that you can buy miniature grass in model railway shops, but what's the challenge? Much more interesting to make your own by unraveling a piece of fabric. Once again, my supplies are random, but I will save the dark threads as they can come handy in another project.

This is a later stage (when I had consumed more eggs), but it shows what I did. Bits of embroidery thread, bits of florist tape, and a few fabric leaves cut to measure.

I found a very interesting gate structure on Pinterest, which didn't work in small scale, but at least I made something less usual. And then, on my walk in one of the wonderful corners of my city, I saw just what I needed:

I have never seen a gate lock like this. My walking companion was puzzled about me being so excited and taking pictures of something so ordinary. But it isn't all that ordinary, is it? It's very clever, and it was fun to try and reproduce it in miniature.

 

The battery is for scale.

I was so eager to build the fence that I abandoned my principle to paint before assembly. It will of course be much more difficult to paint, but on the other hand I needed to see what it would look like before I can decide what paint to choose. I am considering the rusty red as in the picture of the full-scale gate, but I am anxious that it would be too conspicuous. If you want to know what I have decided you will have to come back.

In this picture you also see a bit of my workspace.

To be continued.

Re-calibrating

I have moved again. (If you wonder why I keep moving and downsizing, it's a sad story, and you don't want to know the details, but it wasn't by choice). I am now renting a furnished flat, which means that I have to adapt to the available furniture and arrange my workspace to the best of my abilities. It also means that still more of my stuff had to go to storage, and I only brought one box of supplies. I packed in haste, and it's funny to discover how randomly I chose what to bring and what to store. I have the most essential tools, but my cutting mat is elsewhere. I have paint, glue, fabric, paper - enough to do some projects. And I have a hobby shop close by.

When you live in somebody else's space it takes time before you can, first mentally, then physically, re-arrange it to your liking and your needs. Obviously, a folding table makes a perfect workbench, and if I ever have guests who require a coffee table, I can quickly put everything away. But the best thing about this place is that I don't have to clear it away every night.

My landlady has kindly given me one and a half book shelf, in a corner closest to the floor, but as I haven't brought any of my books - you see where my priorities are! - most of my Really Useful Boxes can just about be squeezed in. And I start by going through them to see what I actually have brought.

Maybe this is the time when I will choose projects based on supplies. All those saved posts from Facebook, when I thought: Yes, I can make it some time. Now is the time.

I have brought a small selection of kits that will keep me busy for a while.

And I have also brought a few pieces that I bought at a car boot sale just before I moved.

The broken dressing table begged for my attention. Apologies for poor picture quality - I haven't yet adjusted to the light in this place.

 

It is one of those pieces that are sort of ok, but crude, and the finish is dull. To do it properly you need to remove the varnish, for which I have neither space nor equipment, so I just sanded it and then painted. I haven't taken step-by-step pictures because it was quite straightforward. I painted with brown paint first and then antique white, with golden details. I distressed it a bit.

The only problem was painting around the drawer pulls. They seem to be glued on rather than attached with nails so I didn't risk removing them.

I also lined the drawers with Japanese paper.

 

This piece wouldn't win a prize at a miniature fair, but it was fun to upcycle a boring piece into something more exciting, and it was a good way of getting back into the making mode.

In a kitchen drawer I found some string - an opportunity too good to miss.

 

I am thoroughly thrilled with my first day back miniature making. I wasn't aware that I had missed it so much these past weeks. I am looking forward to many great projects even before I eventually get a place of my own with a HUGE hobby room.

A weird chair

A friend of mine posted a photo on Facebook from a local museum. Another friend commented that they had had a chair exactly like that when they were a child.

 

The opportunity was too good to miss. I said I would replicate it in miniature.

It was supposed to be a quick and inexpensive project so I didn't bother to build the chair myself and bought something that was close enough.

 

I posted this on my friend's timeline saying that I accepted the challenge. Yet another friend commented that the point of the chair was the missing part. Well, yes, exactly.

I have most of my tools temporarily in storage, so I didn't even have a little saw. I did it with a scalpel which took some time, but I wasn't in a hurry. A lot of sanding too.

 

Then I stained it with dark oak stain.

 

Then I rubbed it with a candle here and there. Painted with green and wiped off immediately. Paint does not stick to wax which produces the right effect.

It was fun to make. Not sure what I will do with it, other than post the picture on my friend's FB.

Library room box, final

The library room box is going to the people is has been made for next week, the wonderful librarians in my department library. It is the least I can do to thank them for eleven years of fantastic support. Of course it is a surprise, and I hope they will be surprised and like it. You never know.

So this is the last chance for me to take a picture and reflect on what I have done and what I should have done differently.




I started this project three months ago, confident that I had plenty of time. This week I suddenly realised that vacation season is approaching, and I may never find a moment when all librarians are in. I was right. I asked yesterday, and already next week some of them will be away, and more the week after. So now is the time! And of course nobody will know what I had intended to do and didn't.

To begin with, I am pleased with the idea of making a library inside an old book and quite proud of the way the overall design worked. You can see it step by step here and here . I am glad that I took the time to make interesting floors, wallpaper and ceiling.

I compromised on bookshelves. Mostly because I didn't have all my supplies and tools. I considered several options for DYI, but finally decided that I would buy unfinished shelves and make them unique. At the very least, I made this fake open drawer!

I compromised on library steps. I tried various options, but again, without supplies and proper tools it didn't look right. One day I will make library steps from scratch. 

I am really glad that I didn't compromise on books. If you compare my first post in which I used printed book spines with the final result featuring 150 individual books, I hope you agree it was worth the trouble. Many hours of work, but highly satisfactory.

Of course I did compromise on books in the sense that most of them are still fake, that is, do not open. My ambition was to replace them with real books, but I ran out of time. A few can be opened and have real stories and pictures, and they will do the trick.

I have also put in a book by me. I wonder whether the recipients will spot it.

I added more items, framed maps on walls, stacks of manuscripts, pencils, index cards. I stuffed the desk drawers with all kinds of things, including miniature diaries.

I considered and dismissed a grandfather clock. It dominated the room too much and obscured other items. 

I was planning to add display lights, and I bought a LED strip, but I couldn't make it work (maybe the battery was wrong) so again, I ran out of time. Nobody will ever know that there was supposed to be light. I have fake ceiling lamps. I also wanted to make a typical library lamp with a green lampshade and a chain pull. Maybe it would have been too much. There is enough clutter already.

On the whole, I am happy with this project, and I am looking forward to giving it away to people who will hopefully appreciate it.

Library room box, part 7

In my previous post about the library project I mentioned that I needed more books and other details to make the library look like a living workspace rather than a display room. While the shelves are full, there must be books on the desk, on the floor and everywhere.

I am sure many of you recognise these because we all use the same free printies.

I also noticed, in pictures of real libraries, that there are piles of manuscripts. I made some from pages of the Webster dictionary, and also an authentic handwritten letter I found on the web and resized. It's the same letter, but I printed out several copies.

I put some "leather"-bound notebooks in the desk drawers, as well as piles of teeny tiny index cards. Then I made some pencils. Yellow Faber pencils and red pencils. It's easy and fun, but takes some times and patience.  As always, I am not in a hurry.

First, I painted two ends of toothpicks, leaving some unpainted bits where the pencil has been sharpened. Then for lead pencils, I painted the tips black and for red pencils obviously red. Then I cut each toothpick in two and dipped the ends in gold for the Faber pencils and in black for the red pencils. Dipping rather than painting with a brush gave an even edge.

Many, many pencils for the library. Some in desk drawers, other will be just lying here and there. But I also wanted a pencil holder on the desk and made one from those plastic thingies that protects prongs on electric plugs (if you live in the UK). Very helpful material for various projects.

I glued three together and onto a piece of card, then painted bright red on the inside and shiny black on the outside, sort of Chinese lacquer look, with golden edges. I will add scissors, a letter opener and other office stuff. Unfortunately, my huge box of watch parts is stored away; watch parts make great pens, knives and even rulers. 

I will also add more maps and/or portraits of famous librarians. 

I have definitely decided against the clock. There must be space on the floor for the books.

 

It is getting closer to what I want it to be. A librarian friend saw this project several weeks ago, even before I started making individual books, and thought it was perfect. But I know that each tiny detail adds to the full impression, and even though the people for whom I am making this room might never find the tiny erasers and pen sharpeners in the desk drawers, it's a matter of honour to have them hidden there.

Come back soon.

Library room box, part 6

If you have followed my library project, you must be wondering whether I have totally abandoned it, but I haven't. All this time I have been making books. In the previous post I estimated that I would need 120 to fill the shelves, and that was correct.

120 individual books of various shapes and models that look as authentic as they can be, without being real books that can be opened and read. But I will make some real books to spread strategically to create the effect.

As you see, I have added library steps.

I wish I could say I made them from scratch, bit I didn't - I have neither skills nor tools. I bought a kit and put all my efforts into finish, and I am pleased with the result. It is a beautiful piece that adds much to the scene.

I have, as I planned, made some extra books that will be on the floor and on tables.

In most pictures of libraries, there are books and manuscripts everywhere, so there is still a lot of work for me to do. There must be piles of books on top of the book cases as well (fire hazard!). And I will put all kinds of stuff in the desk drawers.

I have considered adding a tall case clock.

It takes space and perhaps eclipses the library steps, but I think it adds a good balance to the left side of the room. I will let it stay in for a while, then remove, then put back again and see what feels right.

It is now time to make ceiling lights. This is what I am using:

The lamp shades are cut from a chocolate box. I think it is just the right sort of lamp for a library. Of course somewhere among my stored-away supplies I have a perfect chandelier (Christmas decoration).

I have used the strongest glue I have. If it doesn't work, I am in trouble.

But fortunately it does. So here we are.

Not finished by any means, but I just want to share the progress. And here is a version without the clock, for you, dear reader, to judge which you find best. Please leave a comment and come back soon.