Look at the Miniature Circus

The Miniature Circus in a Matchbox

Although this was one of the smallest mini projects I've done, it was also the easiest. No cutting.  No gluing. No painting or staining. All I had to do was pop the little cardboard figures out from their perforated backing card, poke holes in the numbered 'crosses' with my cake tester (that was the finest, sharpest pointy thing I had!) and then push the corresponding numbered pieces into place.
  It all came together in about 10 minutes. For a fun little mini that's very different from the norm, it makes a nice souvenir of my time in Germany.

The Mini Circus Completed

A Miniature Circus in a Matchbox

A Circus in a Matchbox

I've been in Germany this last month visiting family and, as ever, was on the lookout for miniatures. I found this intriguing little matchbox in a souvenir shop. You can see how small it is with the paperclip beside it.

The makings of the circus

 Now with only a basic sketch for instructions and no picture of the completed circus, I think it will take a bit of working out what to put where. Like doing a jigsaw puzzle without a picture on the box to give you clues!
  I'll make this my weekend project and post a photo next week.

How to Plaster Walls in 1:12 Scale

An easy way of plastering in 1:12 scale

Keeping to my Greek theme for the mini shadow box, I decided rather than wallpapering the walls, I'd plaster them. 
  When I plastered the Tudor house (see under 'Tudor House' in the blog labels list) I used a mixture of white paint, PVA glue and talcum powder and applied it quite thickly to the walls.
  This time, because the shadow box is small, I imagined a finer 'plaster' would be better.
  In one of those serendipitous 'aha!' moments, I thought of using gesso. This is a primer used by artists to prepare surfaces such as canvas, wood and paper to provide a flexible, non-cracking surface to paint on. 
  So I squirted some gesso onto the already undercoated box walls and scraped it around with the edge of an old credit card so the walls looked as if they were whitewashed and slightly textured.
  It's an easy way of plastering and the effect was just as I'd hoped for. And because the gesso is white, I didn't have to paint again.

Mini Scene in a Box Frame: Getting Started

Continuing with the shadow box project

I took my shadow box project to minis club this month. In between the talking and seeing what others were making, I got the frame and the box undercoated in white paint, and I made the little pot plant.

Making a start on the small project

I've decided to run with the idea of decorating this as a Greek scene. So I sorted through my 'stash' of bits and pieces and found all of these that will be perfect on the table and shelves.

1:12 Scale Greek Miniatures

Next step will be to plaster the box interior and start making the furniture. So watch this space!

How to Make a Wooden Picture Frame

Oh, dear, I chipped the frame taking it off the dolls house wall!

As promised, here are the instructions for making a wooden picture frame. (For the demonstration photos, I've used wider wood, in longer lengths than 1:12 scale so the pictures are clearer to see.)

Mitre box, razor saw and gluing jig

You will need a mitre box for the 45 degree angles in the corners, a razor saw and a gluing jig. Also the picture or embroidery to be framed, glued onto thin card.
As you can see, my tools have had so much use that I've had to tape them up!
  If you are using a very thin wood, or balsa wood, or even cardboard to make your frame, you could cut the angles with a craft knife. And for a gluing jig you could use Lego blocks to hold the pieces together when ready.

More supplies for picture frames

You will also need a mechanical pencil, a steel ruler and suitable wood. Because the scale is so small, every millimeter makes a difference so a mechanical pencil gives the finest mark for where you need to cut the wood.
  Now you must follow that old builders' adage of 'measure twice, cut once'. Measure how long the sides of the frame need to be to fit your picture. Measure again. Mark where the cuts will be with a mechanical pencil. Cut on the 45 degree angle using the mitre box and saw.

Checking the sides match

Now take the pieces and place them together like this to see if they are exactly the same. I don't know how many I've thrown in the rubbish in disgust, or kept taking off a little more, then a little more to try and get the sides the same, as the size of the frame gets smaller and smaller!

Check again!

Now is the time to stain the wood, before gluing, so the wood will take the stain. If you want to paint your frame, you don't have to do it now, you could wait till the frame is assembled and the glue dried.
  Assembling the frame takes time because you need to let the glue dry on each piece before taking the next step. This is really hard for me because I'm always tempted to fiddle with it! Use the gluing jig and walk away!

Glue two sides together. Let dry.

Glue the third side into place. Let dry.

The completed frame, ready for painting.

The angle of the photo makes the frame look slightly lop-sided, but it isn't!
  I hope this tutorial will be useful. Have fun looking for little pictures to frame to hang on your dolls house walls.

Mini Projects for the New Year

A Kit Set to Make 

I wonder what miniatures you'll be making, or planning to make, this year. I hope my ideas and 'how to' articles will be helpful for your projects.
  I bought one of these 'Long Vacation' kitsets to make. It's the one pictured in the middle here, called 'Leisurely Lunch'. It's a scene set in a box frame.

The detailed instructions

  The instruction book has such little print, I think I'll need stronger glasses to read it all!

The makings of the box frame

Here are the parts to make up the box frame, the wallpaper and flooring paper.

All the items needed to complete the project

  So far, all I've done is unpack the box the kit set came in and photograph the things to show you. But already I'm thinking that I don't really like the wallpaper; that the blue painted wood to make up the table is the same colour as a table at a taverna in Greece I've been to; that maybe I could tweak things and plaster the walls white and add other bits and pieces of mine to make a Greek theme.
  Watch this space! Who knows how it will turn out!

The Christmas Box is Finished

The Christmas Break Front Box

Remember a few blog posts ago when I showed you the photo of pieces of wood, ready to be made into a 'break front' box? Well, here it is, finished at last!
  So, take off the lid....

The box lid is covered in fabric and tied with ribbon

Then let down the front and there you have it - a Christmas market stall selling Santas!

A good way to display my collection of little Santas

The side that folds down gives extra display space

Showing the layout of the box interior

A close-up view of some of the miniatures

I am pleased with the way this has turned out. I think it will have pride of place under our Christmas tree this year!

Decorating the Christmas Box

Starting to paper the box interior

The first step in decorating the basic 'break front' box was to cover the interior with wood panel paper, specially made in 1:12 scale for dolls houses. 
  I did that at Minis Club day this month, although I seemed to do a lot more talking than gluing!
  

Adding the display boxes and counter

This week at home I made the counter to fit the width of the box & covered that in the wood paper too, and stuck in the two smaller display units.

Assembling the box lid

I had already glued the lid of the box together and painted it white, inside and out. Now I glued the wood paper inside the lid and stuck the red and white fabric to the top of the lid. It is easier to use the fabric larger than the lid and then cut it with a craft knife to size, after the glue has well and truly dried.

Adding fabric to the box exterior

  I left the fabric in one long piece so I could wrap it round the three sides of the box without having to cut pieces and match up corners. To make a neat edge at the top of the sides I folded under the fabric and carefully glued it on. I used a tacky glue suitable for material. Then I folded the bottom edges to the underside of the box so all looked trim and smooth. So far, so good.

  I'll soon be ready for the fun part - filling the 'market stall' with Santas!

The 'Break Front Christmas Box - Preparing the Materials

Preparing to decorate the Christmas box

This week I've been gathering my supplies to make the 'break front' box I'll decorate as a Christmas market stall. I read that in Nuremberg, Germany, the famous Christmas market stalls have traditional red and white striped canopies, so I was off to the material shop to buy some fabric like that. I found in my 'stash' the wood panel paper and the cobblestone card, the strands of lycopodium to make wreaths, the two tiny Christmas trees and of course, my tin of mini Santas. Off to the shops again and I tracked down the strings of little Christmas lights that are actually scrapbooking decorations, and the Christmas stickers which have greetings in German, perfect for my theme.
  At minis club this weekend I hope to attach the side of the box that will break away, and decorate the inside with the wood paper and the outside with the red and white fabric.
  More photos and an update to come!

How to Make a 'Break Front' Box for Christmas

The start of the project

These bits of wood don't look very exciting, do they? Over the next few weeks I'll be transforming them into a 'break front' box with a Christmas theme. The finished box with lid will look like a wrapped Christmas present tied with ribbon. But when you lift off the lid, the front will 'break' away and fold down so you can see the scene inside. (That's the theory!)
  We started this project at Minis club this month. The pieces to make the 8 inch square boxes  had been cut out for us and we glued them together with wood glue to make the box with three sides, the arched insert and the lid. One side (the break away side) was left to be dealt with at our next meeting.
  Once the glue had dried and the joints were stable, we painted the box and lid with undercoat.

The box and lid are made, glued and painted

  I decided not to use an archway like this. I want to make my box look like a German Christmas market stall, so cut the insert piece up to make the counter and display area.
   From my 'stash' I took a piece of wallpaper that looks like wood panelling and will use that to paper the interior. I also found a couple of little boxes I covered in the wood effect paper to make display stands.

Using paper that looks like wooden boards

  My Christmas market stall will sell Santa Claus ornaments. I've been collecting them on my travels for several years so it will be great to have a place to display them.

Some of the Santa ornaments for the Christmas market stall

I'm looking forward to doing more work on the box at our next Minis club meeting. I'll keep you posted on how it's progressing.

A Dream Cottage in Miniature

Pearl Cottage by Deb's Dream Cottages

Have a close look at this beautiful miniature scene. It's like something out of a fairy tale, isn't it? An historic weatherboard house surrounded by a cottage garden in full bloom. There's even a dovecot.
  I'm sure you'll be as surprised as I was to learn that everything you see is made of fabric, ribbons and threads!
  I'm always on the lookout for unusual miniatures that I can share with you. So when I saw an advertisement in an Australian home decorating magazine for Deb's dream cottages, I was intrigued. I contacted Debbie and asked her if I could write about them here.
  On her website, Deb has a range of cottages to make, all set in pretty landscaped grounds. She sells the patterns which give sketches and measurements with detailed instructions for the techniques and skills you'll use in making the houses and gardens.
   They are such lovely miniatures, certainly that bit different! 

Hallowe'en in Miniature

Gayle Davey's Haunted House for Hallowe'en

You can really let your imagination run riot at Hallowe'en! Spooky witches, giant spiders, rattling skeletons, crazy cobwebs, black bats and any other creepy thing you can think of!
  Gayle decided to make a haunted house and during October scoured craft shops and dollar stores to find suitably themed items that were small enough to use in this mini project.
  She had a lot of fun and, as you can see, created a house that is certainly spooky!

How to Make a Leather Shopping Bag in 1:12 Scale

A little leather shopping bag

I thought I'd tell you about our workshop at miniatures club today. We made shopping bags out of very fine leather. The pattern we used was from Dolls House World magazine, Issue 161.

Starting the workshop - note the essential cup of coffee!

Our tutor, Joan, had adapted the pattern slightly, so the indented edges were not so deep. She brought along fine leather in several colours for us to choose from, and silver and gold jump rings for the handles and clasps. I used a piece of beautifully soft, extra fine leather from an old glove. 
   I traced the pattern onto the back of the leather with a sharp pencil and cut it out with very sharp, small scissors. I cut the thin shoulder straps and piece for the fastening with a craft knife against a steel ruler to keep these thin pieces as straight as I could. 
  Then all of us in the group seemed to ignore the instructions and attack the making of the bag in different ways! 
  I stuck silver jump rings onto the four points first. 

Gluing the jump rings on

  And then I folded up the sides and glued them so the curved edges made the gussets on each side of the bag.

Making the bag shape

Chris did hers a different way, gluing on the handles while everything was flat, which was probably more sensible!

 Then I attached the handles, then unattached them and reattached them because I'd stuck them from front to back instead of both ends of one strap on one side and the other strap on the other side - am I making sense here?!

This is how they turned out

We were pleased with them. Now I need to make some Fimo groceries to put in my bag.

Free Printables for Mini Projects

Accessories I've made from free printables for my dolls houses

Have you discovered the wonderful range of free printies for dolls houses yet? There are so many things you can make out of paper and card when you visit websites that have printables for miniatures. All you need to do is print what you want on your home printer, then glue them onto thin card, cut them out and construct them by folding and glueing. Easy peasy!


   Items range from boxes and bags; books, magazines and newspapers; packages of toiletries and food; signs and labels; games and toys, and wallpapers, flooring and maps. There are even dolls houses in 1:144 scale that can be found as free printables.
   Here are some of my favourite websites for printies:

• www.jennifersprintables.com   This has an extensive range, especially in 1:12 scale wallpapers.
• www.printmini.com  Printies are available here in several scales in many categories. Especially useful for modern mini settings.
• www.cdhm.org/news/printies.php  Some beautiful labels and food packaging amongst a good range of items
• www.miniatures.about.com  Search under 'printies' for examples and also a good section of instructions for constructing printables.

Be prepared to spend an enjoyable time looking at these sites! You'll find so many ideas of extra accessories to add to your mini projects. And they're free!

How to Make Items For the Dolls House Laundry

Hand- made items in 1:12 scale for a dolls house laundry

If you have room for a laundry in your dolls house, you can really get cracking on making lots of bits and pieces for it. This photo shows some of the items I made for my Edwardian dolls house laundry/scullery. All these things would suit dolls houses from the Victorian era right up to the 1950s. And the best part is that I made them from scraps of wood & lengths of wire so they didn't cost a cent!

• Carpet beater: this is made from 1 length of wire. Starting at the centre of the wire, form the heart shape then twist the ends round and round each other. Pliers came in handy here for getting the wires tight. At the handle end, finish off the wires into a loop so the carpet beater can hang on a hook on the laundry wall.
• Fly swat: another piece of wire, of a finer gauge this time. Start in the middle of the wire, at the handle with a loop, twist up the shaft then fan the ends out into a square. Bind the end with a piece of cotton then glue a square of fine tulle or mesh onto the square. If you make the material larger than the square, it is easier and you can trim the excess off when dry.
• Laundry basket and pegs: the basket was a fridge magnet I adapted and filled with squares of cotton folded to look like linen. The pegs I made from the ends of toothpicks, the ones that have the fancy turnings.
• Feather dusters: again, the fancy ends of toothpicks, with little feathers (donated by my bantam hens!) glued onto each toothpick and bound with black cotton thread.
• Brush and shovel: the brush is a piece of balsa wood whittled into a brush shape, then stained brown, with black paint for the bristled edge. The shovel is made from a piece of cardboard folded and glued to shape then painted with chrome nail polish. I had my real size one in front of me when I made this so I could measure it and get the look and sizing right for 1:12 scale.
• Scrubbing board: balsa wood for the 'body', fine square stripwood offcuts for the edges and corrugated cardboard, painted silver with the chrome nail polish, for the scrubbing insert.
• Duckboard: this is what the poor washer woman would have stood on to keep her shoes off the wet floor. It's made from wood offcuts 2 1/2 inches long and 1 1/4 inches wide, glued onto 3 lengths of matchsticks on the underside to raise it from the floor.
• Laundry tub: this is the thin metal surround that a tealight candle came in with the 'eyes' of hooks and eyes used in sewing as the handles.
• Housemaid's box: more scraps of thin wood made into a box shape, the edges bound with black paper strips and a handle made of a toothpick painted black and glued between the 2 long sides. In it I've put a brush (made as the other brush was), dusting cloths, a tin of Brasso and a feather duster.

Even if you don't have a whole room for a laundry in your dolls house, you could make some of these things for your mini kitchen. 

Have fun!

How to Make a Screen for your Dolls House

A decorative screen in a dolls house

In real life, people used screens in their houses as decorative features, or as draught excluders in reception rooms, and as modesty screens in bedrooms for privacy when dressing or undressing. They also look great scaled down to 1:12 scale in a dolls house.
   I made the screen in the room above to match the chaise longue I had made for my Edwardian dolls house morning room.
  The fabric and edging trim are in shades of pale blue and I covered the back of the screen with a darker blue paper. As you can see, the tops of the three panels are curved: the tallest is 5 1/2 inches, the middle piece is 5 inches and the smallest is 4 inches tall. Each panel is the same width - 1 1/2 inches. 
  

Items needed to make a dolls house screen

You will need:

• pattern for screen
• matboard
• fabric
• fabric glue
• thin cord or stranded embroidery cotton or fine bunka
• paper for back 

What to do:

1. Cut out the screen pieces in matboard, using a sharp craft knife.
2. Cover the matboard pieces with a fine layer of glue.  
3. DO NOT CUT THE FABRIC. Leaving the fabric in one piece and right side up, smooth it over the screen pieces. Cover with a sheet of plastic or baking paper and weigh all down with something heavy. I used cans of tomatoes! Leave to dry overnight. The weights will stop the matboard from warping as it dries.
4. Now take very sharp scissors and cut out each fabric-covered screen piece, trimming the edges neatly.
5. Glue decorative paper over the back of the pieces in the same way as you did the fabric. Trim when dry, again keeping the side edges neat.
6. Doing one piece at a time, run a fine line of glue along 3 sides (not the bottom edge). This will stop the fabric fraying and will glue down the edging. Use a toothpick to position the edging. I use a fine cord but stranded embroidery thread and fine bunka work just as well.
7. If you like you can make hinges with masking tape or ribbon. I didn't. I just glued the pieces into place, holding them at the angles I wanted till the glue dried. 

A screen for a 1:12 scale nursery

Here's another screen I made. Each piece has a rounded top and they are all the same height. I didn't use fabric, just black paper with 'scraps' glued on with a layer of mod-podge.

  I hope you will have a go at making a screen for your dolls house or miniature room setting. Play around with shapes and colours to custom make one just for you.

How to Landscape a Miniature Scene

Examples of  landscaping materials for miniature scenes

I really enjoy landscaping my miniature projects. Adding some greenery and flowers can enhance a dolls house. Creating a scene around it will add another layer to the miniature 'story'.
  Many landscaping supplies can be bought from model railway stores or you can make your own.
  Here are the instructions to make a garden around a dolls house:

• Cut a baseboard larger than the building. This will be the garden. Mark on it where the building will go. Leave the space clear.
• Paint the rest of the board green, not forgetting to paint around the sides. if you want a little path to the front door, paint this in now with brown paint, or use a strip of paving paper like the ones in the photograph.
• Spread tacky glue over the green surface and sprinkle on a fine green railway scatter as grass. If you want to make your own 'grass', collect fine sawdust and dye it various shades of green.
• You can make flowers using flocking or Flower Soft which comes in various colours. Use a toothpick to dot tacky glue onto places you want flowers to be, then dip another toothpick into the flocking and dab it onto the glue spots.
• Other flowers and leaves can be made from paper using punches or you can buy flower-making kit sets to put together.
• To make a climbing vine, run stranded green embroidery thread through tacky glue, then 'grass', then wind it round the building supports. When dry, add flowers as explained above.
• You can buy ready-made trees and bushes or make them yourself. I collect little pieces of lichen from a tree in our garden, dry them, then use them as miniature bushes.
• To make trees, take lengths of florist wire, hold in a bundle and wrap brown florist tape partway up the bundle for a trunk. Spread out the un-taped ends of wire for branches. Dip into tacky glue and then into railway scatter for the foliage.

Landscaping a miniature scene adds to the appeal

Have fun making a garden!