Do you have a creation you're especially proud of?
http://craftgawker.com/
This is a site where you can see what other people make but also submit your own items.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Food Labels
did I show you this link?
http://www.thelabelman.com/index.php?cPath=54&osCsid=df7f9bb96eae2afd0103dbd31390e29f
All you need to do is resize.
All you need to do is resize.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Danish printies & tutorials
Printies:
http://www.mini1til12.dk/print.htm
http://www.mini1til12.dk/links6.htm
Tutorials:
http://www.mini1til12.dk/ideer.htm
http://www.mini1til12.dk/print.htm
http://www.mini1til12.dk/links6.htm
Tutorials:
http://www.mini1til12.dk/ideer.htm
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Multi Tutorials
http://anajah.favorietje.nl/
tips & tricks at: http://servidorti.uib.es/miniaturas/mistalleres.htm
(I may have shown this one before) http://casita-mini-1.jouwpagina.nl/
.....enjoy
tips & tricks at: http://servidorti.uib.es/miniaturas/mistalleres.htm
(I may have shown this one before) http://casita-mini-1.jouwpagina.nl/
.....enjoy
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Making 3 Baby Baskets
Material for the bucket or basket:
A scrap of cloth, a bottle cap size you want or medication caps, wool, glue, scissors, glue, a clamp.
Preparation:
Cut a circle of fabric the size of the cap and a slightly larger rectangle measuring double the length and width of the cap sides.
Glue the fabric rectangle so that half is inside the cap and the other half on the outside; then paste the fabric circle to the inside bottom of the cap.
Using your wool glue it to the outside of the cap. Begin to cover the fabric starting at the top & working it tightly towards the bottom ... once you get to the base, turn to the cap over and using the glue and tweezers fill the base in. You might like to add a thin glue overcoat to the wool to ensure it doesn't unravel.
And let dry. You can color, varnish or leave it.
You can decorate with colored ribbons etc. Or just fill and wrap.
OR:
take the same fabric covered cap
wrap the outside with a wide pleated ribbon
make a handle from thinner ribbons
this tutorial is thanks to "Casa de Bonecas
TOOLS:
* Hobby cutting mat
* Craft knife * Scissors * Acrylic paints in desired colors * Paintbrushes
* Hobby glue * Clear nail polish * FIMO oven-bake clay
DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut out "square" from the ice cube container. Trim with craft knife/scissors to desired height.
2. Paint container desired color. Samples use the standard baby colors, pink for a girl and blue for a boy. Let dry.
3. Glue piece of lace around top edge of basket. Form a ribbon bow and glue centered to front of basket.
TO FILL BASKET:
1. Fold and glue small pieces of fabric into basket for diapers, towels, clothing, washcloths, etc.
2. Make small bars of soap from pieces of FIMO. Bottles can be made by glueing various beads together.
3. A small piece of plastic tube or piece of dowel can be used to form baby bottle. Print, cut out and glue desired labels to bottle.
4. Cut out baby albums, birth cards or desired items. Varnish with clear nail polish for a glossy finish.
5. Arrange items in basket as desired and glue in place.
A scrap of cloth, a bottle cap size you want or medication caps, wool, glue, scissors, glue, a clamp.Preparation:
Cut a circle of fabric the size of the cap and a slightly larger rectangle measuring double the length and width of the cap sides.
Glue the fabric rectangle so that half is inside the cap and the other half on the outside; then paste the fabric circle to the inside bottom of the cap.
Using your wool glue it to the outside of the cap. Begin to cover the fabric starting at the top & working it tightly towards the bottom ... once you get to the base, turn to the cap over and using the glue and tweezers fill the base in. You might like to add a thin glue overcoat to the wool to ensure it doesn't unravel. And let dry. You can color, varnish or leave it.You can decorate with colored ribbons etc. Or just fill and wrap.
OR:
take the same fabric covered capwrap the outside with a wide pleated ribbonmake a handle from thinner ribbons this tutorial is thanks to "Casa de BonecasAND
MATERIALS:
Plastic ICE CUBE container* Lace * Ribbon * Fabric for towels-diapers-washcloths, etc.* Small plastic tubing, pieces of wood dowel or soft wood for baby bottle and baby powder container * Beads for other bottles* Printed labels
TOOLS:
* Hobby cutting mat
* Craft knife * Scissors * Acrylic paints in desired colors * Paintbrushes
* Hobby glue * Clear nail polish * FIMO oven-bake clay
DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut out "square" from the ice cube container. Trim with craft knife/scissors to desired height.
2. Paint container desired color. Samples use the standard baby colors, pink for a girl and blue for a boy. Let dry.
3. Glue piece of lace around top edge of basket. Form a ribbon bow and glue centered to front of basket.
TO FILL BASKET:
1. Fold and glue small pieces of fabric into basket for diapers, towels, clothing, washcloths, etc.
2. Make small bars of soap from pieces of FIMO. Bottles can be made by glueing various beads together.
3. A small piece of plastic tube or piece of dowel can be used to form baby bottle. Print, cut out and glue desired labels to bottle.
4. Cut out baby albums, birth cards or desired items. Varnish with clear nail polish for a glossy finish.
5. Arrange items in basket as desired and glue in place.
Miniature Project by Kitty Balke
Dress
dress pattern
The dress model was made in taffeta. The silk is much thinner; small changes to the pattern may be made to look better ...
Cut:
Cut the pieces of the pattern: 1 copy of the back, and all others in duplicate. We can make a surjupe (over-dress): cut it as a skirt, then roll up the end of work.
Blouse:
Build by the shoulders and the back half lead.
We will now make a slit to give volume to the bodice. It will ensure that the back and half-lead overlap properly, without the notch front is too important: it must meet the half overlap slightly at the bottom. Here's how:
-Except for the silk to make a cut on the half-lead, along the dotted line indicated by small scissors on the head. Bring the pan while the central tissue on the pan side, so that the cutting line come to overlap with the other dotted line on the boss.
-For the silk to make a notch in the center of the triangle pattern, then sew along the dotted triangle.
Sleeves:
Skip wire knits in upper hose between dashes to the top and along the bottom.
Assemble the top of the sleeves sleeves.
Assemble the top of the sleeve blouse.
Close the bodice with a side seam.
Make a small stitch to keep the two half-set lead in their bottom to facilitate assembly on the skirt.
Skirt:
Assemble the front and back of the skirt at the sides.
If there is a surjupe, prepare the same way, and carefully superimposed onto the first skirt.
Skip wire knit at the top of the skirt (in the two skirts together if one surjupe)
Attach the skirt to the bodice.
Finishes :
Add a little lace to the bodice. Use just a small rectangle of fabric.
Facing the possible surjupe, doing embroidery ...
Setting the movement of the dress not with fabric hardener that would spots on both the synthetic as silk, but with the hairspray.
More Printies
vintage advertising posters
cards, dart board, games
current grocery packaging
vintage grocery packaging
milk, juice, & soda cans
The printies liked above all came from a french site. If you want to see what else they have click here
cards, dart board, games
current grocery packaging
vintage grocery packaging
milk, juice, & soda cans
The printies liked above all came from a french site. If you want to see what else they have click here
Converting from 1:1 to 1:12
metric conversion table
high def conversion ruler ....sorry metric only!
directly printable conversion ruler .....sorry metric only!
print them off & laminate.
high def conversion ruler ....sorry metric only!
directly printable conversion ruler .....sorry metric only!
print them off & laminate.
Printies of a Different Kind
These three printie links are great for making books or classical hanging etchings:
fine art prints
panteek.com
vintageprintagles
fine art prints
panteek.com
vintageprintagles
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Halloween Fun
I'm going to post this on both sites because when I first saw it, my first thought was how brilliant and how easy!
My thanks to Nancy Cronin for her permission to post it. Here in her own words is the tutorial:
Here's another skellie rising from his grave. Guess it's hard to keep a good man down!
If you'd like to see some of the other things that Nancy's done, here's the link:
http://www.picturetrail.com/nancyc1938
My thanks to Nancy Cronin for her permission to post it. Here in her own words is the tutorial:
I was playing around with one of those easily available skellie and unfinished boxs that you can find at Micheals.
1. cut the skellie at all of the joints
2. drill a hole in the joints
3. glue a wire in the joints. Now you can reposition him any way you want.
4. I fleshed him out a bit so that his clothes hung better
5. the box is covered in faux cement blocks. I tore apart an egg carton , glued them to the box, and dabbed paint here and there. He has a mask in his hand but its hard to see in the picture.
Here's another skellie rising from his grave. Guess it's hard to keep a good man down!
If you'd like to see some of the other things that Nancy's done, here's the link:
http://www.picturetrail.com/nancyc1938
Monday, October 12, 2009
Europen Links to Check Out
lots of links on this page, wait until you have some time & a coffee or tea by your side; enjoy:
http://maipoup.blog4ever.com/blog/lire-article-132227-464722-des_liens.html
Remember to have a translator with you.
http://maipoup.blog4ever.com/blog/lire-article-132227-464722-des_liens.html
Remember to have a translator with you.
Making Pumpkins
Supplies:
Orange Fimo or Sculpy oven-hardening clay
Green Fimo or Sculpy for leaf and vine
Brown Fimo or Sculpy for stem
Brown Stain
Toothpick
Aluminum Foil
1 Tissue
Roll a tissue into a ball. Cover it with a 6" x 6" or so piece of aluminum foil, and roll this between your palms to form a rough ball.
Break off about 1/5th of the orange clay from the package, and roll into a ball. Then, flatten it with your fingers.
Place this flattened clay around the tinfoil ball. Smooth this with your fingers as you go. Make it into your pumpkin shape.
If you encounter foil popping through the clay, you can add and smooth another piece of clay over it.
Take the toothpick and make the 'lines' of the pumpkin. You can also use the toothpick to make other marks on the pumpkin.
To make the leaf, form a small ball, flatten it, and use your toothpick to cut 'leaf' shapes in the edges. You can then add the leaf 'lines' or 'veins'. Put it at the top of your pumpkin.
Roll a very small piece of brown for the stem. Use your toothpick to shape it into a stem.
Once the stem and leaf are in place, you will want to add a vine. Roll a small piece of the green you used for the leaf into a 'string'. You can vary the thickness of this, according to how thin or thick you need your vine to be. Pumpkin vines are 'curly', so just twirl it on the pumpkin as you like.
THIS IS THE TIME TO BAKE THE PUMPKIN ACCORDING TO THE DIRECTION ON YOUR CLAY PACKAGE. MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS EXACTLY. MAKE SURE TO BAKE IN A WELL-VENTILATED AREA.
Check out Julie Old Crows' other tutorials: http://yummyminiaturefoods.blogspot.com/
Orange Fimo or Sculpy oven-hardening clay
Green Fimo or Sculpy for leaf and vine
Brown Fimo or Sculpy for stem
Brown Stain
Toothpick
Aluminum Foil
1 Tissue
Roll a tissue into a ball. Cover it with a 6" x 6" or so piece of aluminum foil, and roll this between your palms to form a rough ball.
Break off about 1/5th of the orange clay from the package, and roll into a ball. Then, flatten it with your fingers.
Place this flattened clay around the tinfoil ball. Smooth this with your fingers as you go. Make it into your pumpkin shape.
If you encounter foil popping through the clay, you can add and smooth another piece of clay over it.
Take the toothpick and make the 'lines' of the pumpkin. You can also use the toothpick to make other marks on the pumpkin.
To make the leaf, form a small ball, flatten it, and use your toothpick to cut 'leaf' shapes in the edges. You can then add the leaf 'lines' or 'veins'. Put it at the top of your pumpkin.
Roll a very small piece of brown for the stem. Use your toothpick to shape it into a stem.
Once the stem and leaf are in place, you will want to add a vine. Roll a small piece of the green you used for the leaf into a 'string'. You can vary the thickness of this, according to how thin or thick you need your vine to be. Pumpkin vines are 'curly', so just twirl it on the pumpkin as you like.
THIS IS THE TIME TO BAKE THE PUMPKIN ACCORDING TO THE DIRECTION ON YOUR CLAY PACKAGE. MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS EXACTLY. MAKE SURE TO BAKE IN A WELL-VENTILATED AREA.
Check out Julie Old Crows' other tutorials: http://yummyminiaturefoods.blogspot.com/
Tiered Server
I take some woodies,gleu(for wood),tacky and my dremel, and see the photo's
At the end I take some nail polish and put it on the lage so it's almost stone-hard.
http://gondasminiaturen.blogspot.com/2009/10/cakeplateau.html
Christmas Wreath
Required materials:
◦ornaments FL430, DV730 and FL286
◦30 cm red silk ribbon 2mm wide
◦thin green wire or florist wire
◦holly leaves and holly berries
◦tacky glue, scissors, side cutting pliers, file
Tie the little bell DV730 to the middle of a piece of
red silk ribbon about 20 cm long.
Thread the two ends of the ribbon to each side through
the holes of the inner circle of ornament FL430.
Make sure the bell keeps hanging loose.
To make the threading easier put some tacky glue on
the outer ends of the ribbon and give it a twist.
When you have reached the middle below the bell put
the ribbons backwards through a hole of Fl 430
Cut a buckle of ornament FL286 with the cutting pliers.
File the edge smooth with the file if necessary.
Put the buckle on the two ribbons and put some tacky glue
on the back of the buckle to make it stick. Cut the ribbons
slantwise to the desired length. Make a little loop with
a piece of red ribbon and attach it to the top of FL430.
Attach little pieces of green wire to FL430 by putting the wire through the holes of FL430 and bending it resembling little twigs.
Glue holly leaves and holly berries to the wire.
How to make your own Tiles
http://taeniasminiatures.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-make-your-own-tiles.html
I varnished some board black and subsequently added two or three layers of uncoloured high gloss paint.
Afterwards I cut "tiles" with the size of 2 cm x 1cm and fixed them with tacky glue to uncoated paper.
I added some trim made of corrugated board.
And this is the first finished wall...
I will grout the tiles after adding some more layers of uncoloured high gloss paint with emulsion paint.
I varnished some board black and subsequently added two or three layers of uncoloured high gloss paint.
Afterwards I cut "tiles" with the size of 2 cm x 1cm and fixed them with tacky glue to uncoated paper.
I added some trim made of corrugated board.
And this is the first finished wall...
I will grout the tiles after adding some more layers of uncoloured high gloss paint with emulsion paint.
Angel Pyramid
Required materials (from left to right):
DV 752, FL 274, KR 639 (4x), OV 900-R (4x),
SR 681 (3x), KR 666 (2x), FL 282, KR 690, KR 691 (2x),
OR 012 or OR 013 (4x), DV 771 (4x), FL 338, KR 652
Combination pliers, tweezers, cutting pliers, jewel cement, superglue, small hammer, firm pair of scissors
You can order a full set of ornaments to make this Christmas pyramid stating the order number W9 for the price of € 4,70. This set includes 1 reserve DV 771 and 1 reserve KR 652 since these items tend to get lost. http://www.bindelsornaments.nl
Bend 4 points of FL 274 upwards to a horizontal position with the combination pliers.
Skip 2 points between the points to be bend.
Glue the candleholders (KR 639) on the knick of the bended points with jewel cement.
Cut off the pin (DV 752) to a length of approximately 5 cm and make it straight as much as possible.
Glue the pin with superglue in the center hole of FL 274.
Let it dry thoroughly.
Put the following ornaments on the pin:
SR 681, KR 666, SR 681, KR666.
Do not apply any glue between these parts.
Put KR 691 through the center hole of FL 282.
Place the little tube KR 690 on top of KR 691 and give it a gentle smash with the hammer in order to let the tube fit over KR 691.
Attach the 4 angels (OR 012 or OR 013) to FL 282 using the open rings (DV 771) and the combination pliers.
Skip 2 holes between the angels.
Put FL 282 on the pin; the little tube will partly fall over the upper KR 666. Then put the third SR 681 on the pin.
Do not apply any glue between these parts.
Make the propeller of the Christmas pyramid by cutting FL 338 up to the edge of the center hole.
Bend the blades of the propeller into the right position using the combination pliers.
Put the second KR 691 on the pin with the tube part of KR 691 upwards. Then put FL 338 on the pin with the tube of KR 691 through the center hole of FL 338.
Still no glue.
Cut off the pin so it sticks out 2 mm.
Put some jewel cement on the top of the pin and glue the little bead (KR 652) on the pin.
Cut off the candles to a length of 1 cm and glue them in the candle holders.
Let it dry thoroughly.
If you blow gently against the propeller the little angels will turn and fly!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
by
Dorothy Oliver and Loes Snoodijk
To make a moses basket you will need:
Brown canvas, one piece for basket 5 1/2 inch x 5 1/2 inch or 140 x 140 mm.
Strands pulled from canvas for plaiting, 10 inch or 260 mm. in length, to make handles and top edging for basket, the leftover canvas can be used to make other projects, keep any leftover strands as they will come in handy.
PVA glue mix, 1 part glue to 2 parts water
Small pot to put the glue in
Babyshampoo bottle, cover with cling film as this will make it easy to get the canvas of.
Rubber band
Pair of scissors
Wet the canvas with the glue mix. Squeeze out as much as you can.
Moulds over bottle, hold in place with rubber band. Pull canvas though and smooth out. Put in a warm place to dry.
When dry remove canvas from bottle and cut carefully to shape,Make plait with 9 strands (9x3),
Glue on handles with PVA glue (full strength). Then glue plait around top edge of the basket.You can finish the basket in your own way, it looks good lined with fine fabric and narrow braid inside top edge or trim with lace for more frilly effect.
Cut a piece of fleece like fabric for mattress (size of bottlebase).Make a cover from crape bandage, carefully pull out threads from around the edge and middle to make a pattern, put a small blob of glue at corners to stop it from fraying.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Pipe Cleaner Teddy Bears
http://www.harvington.org.uk/guides/teddies.htm
http://www.geocities.com/fredaldous/ChenilleTeddy.html
http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/furry_stems.htm
http://www.yourspecialtee.com/Crafts/ChChenilleBear.html
http://www.julieoldcrow.com/tutorials/bear/bear.htm
http://www.geocities.com/fredaldous/ChenilleTeddy.html
http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/furry_stems.htm
http://www.yourspecialtee.com/Crafts/ChChenilleBear.html
http://www.julieoldcrow.com/tutorials/bear/bear.htm
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Printable Wallpaper
There are more than 200 miniature wallpapers to choose from, all in 1:12 scale ranging from vintage and historical miniature wallpapers dating from 1750 -1970, as well as a selection of floral, patterns, stripes,brick and borders.
Jennifers Printables
Jennifers Printables
Friday, October 2, 2009
http://www.taynasminidolls.com/Tutorials/index.shtml
make these masks:
Make a fan:
5th Avenue Lady Hailing a Cab
Learn how to work with the popular Alova Suede like fabric and what to do with lace that you feel is too big with miniatures. Also learn how to make leather looking boots.
Futuristic Doll Tutorial
Learn tricks on how to work with beautiful lame fabrics and how to make silver boots.
make these masks:
Make a fan:
5th Avenue Lady Hailing a Cab
Learn how to work with the popular Alova Suede like fabric and what to do with lace that you feel is too big with miniatures. Also learn how to make leather looking boots.
Futuristic Doll Tutorial
Learn tricks on how to work with beautiful lame fabrics and how to make silver boots.
http://www.tabloach.com/tutorials/tutorial.htm
HOW TO MAKE CROCHET ANKLET SOCKS
HOW TO MAKE A CUSTOM KELLY BOX
HOW TO CLOSE OPEN-MOUTH LIPS
HOW TO KEEP YOUR BRUSH POINTY
MINI TUTORIAL ON HOW TO PAINT NEUTRAL LIPS
HOW TO MAKE CROCHET ANKLET SOCKS
HOW TO MAKE A CUSTOM KELLY BOX
HOW TO CLOSE OPEN-MOUTH LIPS
HOW TO KEEP YOUR BRUSH POINTY
MINI TUTORIAL ON HOW TO PAINT NEUTRAL LIPS
http://www.crafttales.com/Techniques.html
Techniques and Tips:
Glossary of Craft Terms
Hand and Embroidary Stitches (Illustrated Guide)
Painted Fabric Fruit Tips
Working with Fur Fabrics
Jointing Teddy Bears or Dolls
Installing Eyes in Teddy Bears or Fabric Dolls
Tea Dyeing Fabrics
Techniques and Tips:
Glossary of Craft Terms
Hand and Embroidary Stitches (Illustrated Guide)
Painted Fabric Fruit Tips
Working with Fur Fabrics
Jointing Teddy Bears or Dolls
Installing Eyes in Teddy Bears or Fabric Dolls
Tea Dyeing Fabrics
Cynthia Howe Tutorial Index
Here is a virtual treasure chest of
27 tutorials --- including the very
latest addition "Cold Porcelain" .
What a variety of wonderful and
well written tutorials.
http://www.cynthiahoweminiatures.com/tutorialindex.htm
The Basics of Miniature Dollmaking:
o Casting Miniature Doll Molds
o Wet Cleaning Greenware Techniques
o Cleaning and Preparing Greenware
o China Painting Basics
o Assembling a Miniature Doll Body
Costuming Projects and Lessons:
o Dressing Adrianna
o Costuming Chloe
o Doo Wop Dorothy
o Dressing Dorothy of Oz
o French Handsewing by Machine - In Miniature!
o Create Scarlett's Barbeque Dress
o Design and Print your own Fabric using Your Home Computer and Printer
Millinery in Miniature: Series of four lessons on Miniature Hatmaking
o Lesson 1 - Basic Construction Techniques
o Lesson 2 - Embellishments and Trimmings
o Lesson 3 - Wired Brims and Molded Crown
o Lesson 4 - References and Resources Hairstying for Miniature Dolls:
o Create A Regency Era Hairstyle
o Create an Edwardian Upsweep Hairstyle
Ribbon Techniques:
o How to Make Silk Ribbon Roses
o How to Make Gorgeous Bows using my Bowmaking Tool
Seasonal and Fun Projects:
o Create a Halloween Scene in a Pumpkin
o Christmas Madonna and Child
o Make an Old Fashioned Santa Ornament
o Make a Fantasy Fairy
o Make a Fantasy Mermaid
NEW!! Working with Cold Porcelain:
o Making your own Cold Porcelain, recipe and instructions
o Making beautiful roses from cold porcelain
27 tutorials --- including the very
latest addition "Cold Porcelain" .
What a variety of wonderful and
well written tutorials.
http://www.cynthiahoweminiatures.com/tutorialindex.htm
The Basics of Miniature Dollmaking:
o Casting Miniature Doll Molds
o Wet Cleaning Greenware Techniques
o Cleaning and Preparing Greenware
o China Painting Basics
o Assembling a Miniature Doll Body
Costuming Projects and Lessons:
o Dressing Adrianna
o Costuming Chloe
o Doo Wop Dorothy
o Dressing Dorothy of Oz
o French Handsewing by Machine - In Miniature!
o Create Scarlett's Barbeque Dress
o Design and Print your own Fabric using Your Home Computer and Printer
Millinery in Miniature: Series of four lessons on Miniature Hatmaking
o Lesson 1 - Basic Construction Techniques
o Lesson 2 - Embellishments and Trimmings
o Lesson 3 - Wired Brims and Molded Crown
o Lesson 4 - References and Resources Hairstying for Miniature Dolls:
o Create A Regency Era Hairstyle
o Create an Edwardian Upsweep Hairstyle
Ribbon Techniques:
o How to Make Silk Ribbon Roses
o How to Make Gorgeous Bows using my Bowmaking Tool
Seasonal and Fun Projects:
o Create a Halloween Scene in a Pumpkin
o Christmas Madonna and Child
o Make an Old Fashioned Santa Ornament
o Make a Fantasy Fairy
o Make a Fantasy Mermaid
NEW!! Working with Cold Porcelain:
o Making your own Cold Porcelain, recipe and instructions
o Making beautiful roses from cold porcelain
For sites that need translation you can use these two translator links:
http://babelfish.yahoo.com/
http://translate.google.com/translate_t?hl=en#
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.everclay.dk/1_Tutlinks/projects_US.htm
Boatload of tutorial links, do check out the Faux section, it's the best. This site is in English.
Here are some international polymer clay link pages and miniature tutorial pages:
http://www.art-rukodelie.com/fimo/vse-o-fimo-uroki.html
Translate from Russian to your language of choice.
The majority of visitors to her website from another country come from this page. She's evidently popular in Russia.
http://solo-nebo.narod.ru/links.html
Another Russian page of links, lots of cute stuff here.
http://www.kerstinsfimoseite.de/fimo/Fimo_Links.html
German tute link page, translate to the language of your choice.
http://park2.wakwak.com/~pine/studio/howto/
Japanese tutorial page, they show how to use a miniature pastry bag to make spaghetti, there's a tute on making "jellies" using resin. As her mother would say, "belly intelesting". LOL
http://www.kh.rim.or.jp/~shou/howto/index.html
Japanese tutorials from Mr. X's secret site
http://www.kh.rim.or.jp/~shou/index_e.html
http://minipitou.free.fr/sitesfimo.htm
French tute link page
http://babelfish.yahoo.com/
http://translate.google.com/translate_t?hl=en#
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.everclay.dk/1_Tutlinks/projects_US.htm
Boatload of tutorial links, do check out the Faux section, it's the best. This site is in English.
Here are some international polymer clay link pages and miniature tutorial pages:
http://www.art-rukodelie.com/fimo/vse-o-fimo-uroki.html
Translate from Russian to your language of choice.
The majority of visitors to her website from another country come from this page. She's evidently popular in Russia.
http://solo-nebo.narod.ru/links.html
Another Russian page of links, lots of cute stuff here.
http://www.kerstinsfimoseite.de/fimo/Fimo_Links.html
German tute link page, translate to the language of your choice.
http://park2.wakwak.com/~pine/studio/howto/
Japanese tutorial page, they show how to use a miniature pastry bag to make spaghetti, there's a tute on making "jellies" using resin. As her mother would say, "belly intelesting". LOL
http://www.kh.rim.or.jp/~shou/howto/index.html
Japanese tutorials from Mr. X's secret site
http://www.kh.rim.or.jp/~shou/index_e.html
http://minipitou.free.fr/sitesfimo.htm
French tute link page
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Venetian Blinds, Bench, Planter, Doormat, Stone Floor Tutorials
Today I thought I'd show you some tutorials by a talented lady named Grazhina who runs New England Miniatures.
Faux Stone Floor using Drywall Compound:
Here's a picture that gives a better view of the floor of Tall Chimneys kitchen. I spread the drywall compound and let it dry a few minutes so it wasn't gloppy. I used a pencil to lightly trace out the shapes of the stones. If you press down on the pencil too much you make ridges, not enough and your stones tend to become indistinct. It takes a few practice trys. I made a couple of errors and just resmeared it up and started over. When your stones are drawn let the floor dry thoroughly overnight or at least a few hours. I next sanded the floor where I had any unwanted bumps and ridges. After that I started smoothing it with a damp rag. A damp rag is the same as sandpaper to unpainted drywall compound. I didn't want the stones perfectly smooth, but I didn't want them lumpy, either. I just kept working with the rag til I got the look I wanted. The nice thing is, if you feel you have totally botched the whole thing, or even just one section of it, you can reapply compound and start over or fix a section. I know, I goofed a couple of times and had to do a fix.
When you're happy with your stones you can paint them. I like to use color washes when I paint stones. I'll cover the stones in a base color, then start applying washes. You can wait for the base to dry or you can apply the washes right over it while its damp. The look can differ a bit one way or the other, you have to try and see what you prefer. To make the washes I select the other colors I want to show up in my stones. I don't recall the exact blend. Most likely it was a mix of ochre, off white, a beigey color, a brown...Color washes are easy to use. They're wet and just flow right onto the surface when you touch your brush to it. If you don't care for the color you can go over it with another wash and change it, or you can intensify it. I did a bit of color washing over my base color in a general way for the first step, giving the whole floor a sort of subtlely mottled appearance. I then began to pay attention to the individual stones. I'd do a stone here and there in a browner wash, then others with an off white wash til I was satisfied. The whole secret to successful painting techniques is to relax, let your wrists loosen up and just fool around with it til it begins to get comfortable and it seems to just naturally flow. I've made many stupid painting mistakes when I was tense and worried how it was going to turn out. It's funny, after years of painting I'm still pleased and surprised when things turn out just right.
A non-working miniature Venetian blind
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This project is pretty easy to do. The materials are cheap, so if you make a mistake, just start over. The result looks pretty impressive.
Materials:
Cardstock
Ribbon
Dollhouse molding or strip wood for the valance
Hot glue or other glue for attaching ribbon to paper
White, wood glue, (or optional contact cement)
Thin scrap wood
The slats of the blind are cut from cardstock. I happened to have a paper cutter, which made cutting the paper strips a quick job.
Cut a sheet of cardstock to the width of your window frame. You’ll then cut the strips from this sheet.
Ideally, the paper strips should be 3/16” wide, which equals a 2” wide real life blind slat, but ¼” wide strips work just as well.
You’ll need enough strips so that when laid side by side, they’ll cover the window. I saw right away that not all the strips I cut were exactly alike. Some were a bit too narrow, others a bit too wide, so I cut more than I needed.
Once I had a nice little array of paper strips I started matching up the ones that were closest in size, and I arranged them so that they’d cover about half my window. I then set these safely to one side, keeping the other strips to stack at the bottom of the blind.
If you want your blind to cover the full length of your window, you’ll just have to make sure you have enough paper strips that are the same width.
I then cut 2 lengths of ribbon, making them quite a bit longer than I needed, in case I made a mistake somewhere.
I drew a picture of the window on a piece of paper, then I drew on how I wanted the blinds to look, measuring the distance between the tapes (ribbon).
and checking how many slats I was going to need. A standard single dollhouse window needs about 13 slats to cover it halfway and about 26 for full length.
Iron the ribbon before you use it, so that it stays nice and flat. I used a bit of spray starch to stiffen it up a little, and make it easier to work with.
I decided to use hot glue, because I didn’t feel like waiting for glue to dry, and I wanted to make sure my paper slats or ribbon didn’t crumple from the glue. You can use any other glue that you feel works well for you.
Lay a length of ribbon on the table, then squeeze a thin bead of hot glue on the ribbon, about 1” or so long. You don't want the glue to harden before you get your paper strips attached. Carefully lay your paper strips on the glue, pressing down gently. You’ll want to leave about a ½” overhang.
You’ll also want to leave an extra 1” or so of ribbon at the top.
Once you’ve got one side done, carefully flip the paper strips and ribbon over.
To attach the second ribbon, you’ll need to glue the ribbon down onto the strips, instead of gluing the strips to the ribbon. From my experience, I found this the easier way.
Mark your ribbon, so you know where to bead on the glue. You don’t want it to go up or down too far, or it will get in the way during the next steps.
You should now have what, on the face of it, looks like an unfinished tiny Venetian blind.
If you’ve decided to make a blind that completely covers the window, you can skip the next section I call “stacking”.
Remember the extra paper strips, that may have included ones that were maybe a tiny bit too narrow or wide? You can use these at the bottom of the blind.
If you look at a real size Venetian or mini-blind, you’ll see there’s a wooden or polyvinyl slat at the bottom. I used a Skinny Stick to make one for the miniature blind. You can also cut one from a 1/16” thick piece of basswood, or a craft stick. Cut it the same size as your paper strips, and paint it white, and let dry.
Next, glue a paper strip to the wooden slat. Use just a narrow bead of white glue down the center. Keep gluing on strips of paper till the height of the stack looks right. How many should you glue on a stack? That’s up to you.
If you’re making your blinds full length, you’ll just need the wooden slat.
Position your slat, with the stacked paper strips, on its side, just under your unfinished Venetian blind. You’re going to hot glue the ribbon to the front of the stack, then down under the bottom and up the back.
When it’s all cooled, dry, and secure, you’ll need to glue the ribbon up the back of the paper strips.
At this point, you’ll have a cute, very mini Venetian blind. All you have to do now is attach it to the window frame.
Next I cut a length of dollhouse molding, though I could also have used stripwood, for my valance.
I lined the top of the blind with the bottom of the valance. I chose to overlap my blind slightly (about 1/32" or less), gluing it to the very bottom edge of the back of the valance. I thought it might make the blind a little bit sturdier. Then I glued the end front and back ends of the ribbons to the back of the valance, cutting off any extra ribbon.
I used a short piece of bass stripwood as a spacer, and also to help in firmly attaching the blind to the window frame.
The spacer makes the top of the blind come forward slightly, so that the bulge at the bottom isn't noticible unless you peer closely at a side view.
I glued the spacer to the back of the valance, sandwiching that tiny edge of the top paper strip between the 2 pieces of wood.
When the whole assembly was dry I glued it to the window frame. Since I was using wood glue, which can sometimes take a while to set, I turned the house on its side, so that the wall be more or less horizontal.
It occured to me now, that contact cement is another solution. You'd need to spread a little of the glue to the back of the spacer, and some to the section of the window frame where you were going to attach the blind. Wait 10 to 15 minutes til the glue was dry, then set the blind into place. You have to be careful and do it right the first time, because you will probably not be able to reposition it.
The last step is to cut tiny pieces of valance molding to glue into the space between the valance front and the wall. See side view photo.
You can skip the side pieces if no one is going to see them. I believe I attached one to only to one side, because no one will ever see the back side view.
When gluing the paper strips, I placed them side by side, and when the light shines through the window, you can see little glimmers of light. If you want to block the light, overlap your paper strips slightly when gluing them to the ribbon.
A doormat
Do you have a problem with tiny feet tracking dirt and mud onto your clean dollhouse floors? I'm not talking about the cat.....that's a small attempt at humor. OK, a very small attempt.
The last time I bought non slip matting to put under my real size runners and area rugs, I was immediately reminded of a rubber welcome mat.
I set some scraps aside, thinking, too bad this stuff doesn't come in black. I could cut it up and sell it as dollhouse doormats for 99 cents each.
It doesn't seem to come in black, though. So to turn it into a doormat, I had to cut a piece and paint it.
I used black acrylic craft paint to do it, painting one side and letting it dry, then flipping it over to paint the other side. When that was dry I painted any little white bits that were left. One word, though, if you bend the mat, the black paint might crack or flake off.
This does make a great looking rubber doormat at a cost of 0 money, as long as you happen to have some of the matting around the house. I've also recently seen small squares of the same non slip product being sold in bundles, to put under the corners of rugs, for as little as 99 cents, and also as a roll of shelf matting for kitchen cabinets. The shelf matting came in white or brown. It was also very inexpensive.
Too bad it didn't come in black. You'll just have to paint your own doormat.
PS
Since publishing this, I've heard from several people that they've seen the matting sold in black. Too bad I haven't seen black ones in my area.
A Simple Bench
When I realized I needed to make some of my own miniature furniture for my dollhouses, because I couldn’t find what I was looking for in mini shops, one of the first things I made was a bench.
This is the bench, something rustic and old world for the cottage I had just built.
Let’s start however, with a basic style.
This is as simple as it gets, a seat, 2 supports and underneath a structural piece.
This particular bench was made of balsa. I use a band saw to cut my wood. I had a scroll saw, back before I got into miniatures, but it broke, and I’ve never gotten around to buying another one.
Generally, you can sand balsa pretty well, except for the grain, which shows up no matter how much you sand. If you have a Dremel, or similar tool, it makes sanding curved cuts so much easier. These benches are pre Dremel, but it’s ok, they’re rustic and a somewhat rough look is quite appropriate. On the other hand, don’t leave your rustic furnishings too rough. You need to decide just how much you want to sand to give things the look you want.
When designing a bench like this, just decide on how wide, long and high you want it to be. This particular bench is 1 & ¾” high. The seats of chairs and benches should be around 1 & ½” to 1 & ¾” high, with 1 & ½” being the most common used height.
Once you’ve decided how long and wide you want it to be, cut out a simple rectangle for the seat. With the supports, you can stay simple or get a little creative. I tend to lean towards curves, some people like straight sides. Look around at benches for sale in stores, or pictures in magazines and catalogs for looks you like and adapt them.
My favorite tool to draw curves for furniture is a anything I have in my kitchen. I have a compass up in my studio, but I find I do most of my planning while I’m in my kitchen. When I kept the compass in my kitchen drawer, I always found I wound up needing it up in my studio. I suppose the smart thing would be to buy another compass for the kitchen drawer, but I keep forgetting to. Anyway, as long as my kitchen is full of glasses, lids and coins, I can make a curve whatever size I want.
I’ll start designing the supports by drawing a rectangle that’s as high and about as wide as I want the support to be. As an example, here I drew a rectangle 1” wide and 1 & 3/8” high. Assuming that I’m using 1/8” thick wood for the seat, that would make the finished bench 1 & ½” high.
In the upper illustration I drew a curve with a red pencil using an item I had on my desk. In black pencil, I drew another pair of curves using a larger cup. The smaller stamp holder is 1 & ¾” in diameter, the cup is 2 & ¾”. You can see how the curves differ.
Note also, in the lower illustration, that I marked off the bottom and top of the curves. I’d cut those little tips off when I cut the bench support. Those tips tend to break off eventually.
The final piece you need to cut is a brace that helps hold the bench pieces together, and here it is.
Below is another bench, made just like the blue one, only it’s longer. Notice that there are 2 braces, one at the top, one lower down. You need extra bracing to make a longer bench a sturdy piece of mini furniture that won’t break into pieces the first time you drop it.
By the way, use wood glue to put it all together. Wood glue is formulated to hold wood, and is a basic woodworking tool.
Also, sand your pieces before you glue them together, it makes things easier.
Finally, lets talk about the paint.
I painted the bench, then sanded it smooth. Paint will raise the fibers of the wood and make the piece seem very rough. The sanding takes off quite a bit of paint. Use an emery board to sand your curves and edges. If you have a small rotary sander like a Dremel, that’s great, however, use the Dremel to sand before you paint, not after, it will take every bit of paint off.
After sanding, I painted the bench again. This time I sanded gently, to give it a worn look. I used very fine sandpaper and the finer side of the emery board. Another great sanding tool is a foam sander. They come in various grits, in blocks or in sheets. I’ll cut smaller squares off sheets of foam backed sandpaper to sand my miniature pieces.
I’ve seen lots of pieces of miniature and real sized furniture that were sanded to give a worn effect. The problem is that many over sand and/or do it in the wrong places. Places that get handled or kicked will show wear and tear. Places that are constantly rubbed will eventually loose some paint color. Edges get worn before anything else.
Don’t wear your paint down willy-nilly, give it a bit of thought and you’ll be glad you did.
How to make a miniature planter
I had originally published this tutorial on my old blog back in 2007.
Materials...
4 balusters: I used the traditional balusters, made by Houseworks
1/16th " thick basswood: a small piece
A very thin dowel: I happened to have some wooden old skewers laying around. My skewers are @ 1/8" in diameter.
A square dowel @ ¼” thick
A piece of wood 1/8 to ¼” thick. I used a piece from a bag of assorted craft wood I got at a craft store or Walmart
A piece of decorative wooden trim
Wood glue
Wood putty, in case you drill your holes all the way through the baluster
A drill, I used my Dremel tool.
I began by drilling 2 holes in each of my balusters, you’ll notice one is slightly lower than the center of the block, the other hole is closer to the top of the block. This is important, or your holes will just run into each other.
Be sure your holes are centered and spaced correctly. If your holes are wrong, your dowels will look all crooked.
Try not to go all the way through the baluster when you drill your holes. If you find you’ve gone all the way through, don’t despair, just make sure you have some wood putty to fill the holes up before you paint the finished planter.
Next cut the dowels. You’ll need 2 long and 2 short. I cut the longer ones 3” long, and the shorter ones 1 1/8 “ long.
You need to give the ends of your dowels sharpened points, so that they can fit into the holes you drilled in the balusters.
At this point, some might say, well why can’t I just make the holes in the bottom of the baluster bigger, so I cen just put the whole dowel straight in? The answer to that is, if you make the tiniest mistake in the placement of your drill bit, 2 bigger holes in the bottom of those balusters will eat up the whole piece of wood. Why not use a thinner dowel? If the dowel is too thin, it’ll break more easily, and the proportions of the plant stand won’t be as pleasing.
I used an electric pencil sharpener to sharpen the ends of the 3” long dowels. I had to lift them in and out and turn them a bit, but they came out fine. You can’t stick a 1” long dowel in a pencil sharpener, so I sharpened one end of the dowel before I cut it. I found that a drum sanding attachment on my dremel worked very well to shape the other end of my 1 1/8” long piece.
Dry fit the rods in place in the holes
This shows how the rods go into the baluster block.
Now you are ready to glue the longer rods in place. Be sure you match your holes up correctly. Dab the rod points with a glue and push them into their holes. Press them in firmly, but not too hard. Lay the 2 balusters which are now attached to each other by the rod. Make sure that everything is laying down flat, with no twisting. Readjust the rod before the glue has a chance to set. Make sure everything looks straight.
Repeat this with the other 2 balusters and long rod.
Let the glue dry and set a bit.
Meanwhile, get the piece of 1/16th inch basswood.
I cut 2 pieces, each ¾” x 3 ¼”. When the glue on my balusters was set enough so I could handle them, I glued the basswood pieces to the upper parts of the balusters.
I used some small clamps to keep the basswood in place and let dry. My basswood strips turned out to be almost 1/16th” too long, which was fine. The extra bit can be sanded or cut off so that the ends of the basswood pieces are even with the baluster. Having them a bit too long is better than a bit too short. If they are too short, you have to recut new baswood strips.
Again, when gluing, be sure you keep everything straight. A jig is helpful. I still haven’t gotten around to making or buying one, so I used a carpenter’s square and a square dowel to align my pieces.
Be sure the glue on these pieces is quite dry and firm before you proceed to the next step. Look at the picture below to get a closer look at how the pieces fit together to form the box.
I cut the square dowel into 2 pieces that would fit between the balusters. They were 2 and 13/16th inches long. I glued them to the bottom of the inner side of the basswood. Clamp and let dry. Below you can see the underside of the plant stand
I then cut 2 small pieces of basswood, each ¾” x 1 and 5/16th inches. These will make up the sides of the “box”. I also cut a piece from the thicker wood, the one listed as 1/8 to ¼ inches thick. I could have used some thin basswood, but I felt the thicker wood might make the planter a bit sturdier. This thicker piece was 1 and 3/16th inches by 3 and 1/8”, and was notched in the 4 corners . This piece forms the bottom of the “box”.
Now comes the tricky part, adding the side pieces and gluing it all together.
Take one of the short dowel pieces and glue it into place at the bottom of the baluster, then carefully glue the small basswood piece into place. I held it in place for a few seconds, then gently layed it down on its side .
I slipped a piece of the thin basswood under the lower end of the legs to keep everything aligned,while the piece was laying on its side, and let it dry. I then flipped the planter over and glued the other short dowel and the other basswood piece into place and let dry.
When everything is dry and set, you can pop the thicker bottom piece into place. If it’s a bit big, just trim where needed. If it’s a bit too small it doesn’t matter, it will still hold everything together once it’s glued in place. Just apply a bit of glue everyplace where this piece touches another piece.. Let dry.
If you’ve drilled through the baluster bases, apply some wood putty.
Next you can apply some decorative trim. I had a couple of pieces to choose from, I selected the one I thought looked best.
It’s important to lay out the trim pieces carefully so they are in perfect visual balance. No cutting through a flat part on one end and a curved part on the other end.
Then cut to fit, glue and let dry. Small clamps are helpful.
Sand any rough edges with an emery board.
You are now ready to paint. I chose to use spray paint for this project. I have found, however, that if you apply a bit of acrylic artists paint to the cut edges of the wood, it’ll seal them and the spray paint will come out looking better, faster.
I dabbed a bit of white paint in a few spots and when it was dry I spray painted. I used the fast drying paint, and was able to apply a new coat every 15 minutes or so.
I did sand the flat trim surfaces slightly after the second coat had tried. I continued applying coats of paint til I was satisfied that everything was covered with an even coat of paint.
ADDING THE FLOWERS
You can place potted plants inside the stand. I have those wooden “pots” that I paint to look clay-like, however, they are a bit big. Mine are 1” tall which translated into human sized is a pretty big pot, or 1 foot high.
I decided to just “plant” the flowers into the stand.
I used a piece of the ¼” thick scrap wood I used to form the bottom of the “box”. I cut it the same size, with the notches, and painted it dark brown.
I rummaged through my flower and leaf pieces and made my selections. I had purchased a clump of tiny leaved ivy in the floral department of a craft store to use when I did the exterior of the Nuthouse. I plucked off some of the smallest leaves, then trimmed them somewhat and used them to form the leaves of the yellow plant. Houseplants are actually tropical native plants, and quite a few, if you’ve noticed have rather large leaves, so the size of these works well for that.
I also found that if you drill holes into the wood for your flower and leaf stems, they will be more likely to stand up just the way you want them to.
When your selection is made, and the proper sized holes are drilled, dab a tiny bit of hot glue in 2 or 3 holes. The glue will melt the plastic stems if you apply it to the flower, but I’ve found that in the moments it takes to put down the glue gun and pick up the flower and place it into the hole, the glue has cooled enough so it is not a problem.
The circled areas show where the stem of the plant is less likely to melt. I had to cut the stem of the longer flower on the left. When gluing it into place, I let the glue cool a couple of seconds longer. You can also tape several fragile flower stems together with floral tape, then drill a hole big enough to hold the taped stems.
Once your plants are glued in the way you want them, you can add tiny pieces of reindeer moss underneath them, to partially obscure the painted wood and the occasional bare stems. I had originally considered using coffee grounds, but saw that the slight fluffiness and texture of the moss would suit better.
Finally I glued the piece of wood holding my completed flower arrangement in place inside the planter using wood glue.
Faux Stone Floor using Drywall Compound:
Here's a picture that gives a better view of the floor of Tall Chimneys kitchen. I spread the drywall compound and let it dry a few minutes so it wasn't gloppy. I used a pencil to lightly trace out the shapes of the stones. If you press down on the pencil too much you make ridges, not enough and your stones tend to become indistinct. It takes a few practice trys. I made a couple of errors and just resmeared it up and started over. When your stones are drawn let the floor dry thoroughly overnight or at least a few hours. I next sanded the floor where I had any unwanted bumps and ridges. After that I started smoothing it with a damp rag. A damp rag is the same as sandpaper to unpainted drywall compound. I didn't want the stones perfectly smooth, but I didn't want them lumpy, either. I just kept working with the rag til I got the look I wanted. The nice thing is, if you feel you have totally botched the whole thing, or even just one section of it, you can reapply compound and start over or fix a section. I know, I goofed a couple of times and had to do a fix.
When you're happy with your stones you can paint them. I like to use color washes when I paint stones. I'll cover the stones in a base color, then start applying washes. You can wait for the base to dry or you can apply the washes right over it while its damp. The look can differ a bit one way or the other, you have to try and see what you prefer. To make the washes I select the other colors I want to show up in my stones. I don't recall the exact blend. Most likely it was a mix of ochre, off white, a beigey color, a brown...Color washes are easy to use. They're wet and just flow right onto the surface when you touch your brush to it. If you don't care for the color you can go over it with another wash and change it, or you can intensify it. I did a bit of color washing over my base color in a general way for the first step, giving the whole floor a sort of subtlely mottled appearance. I then began to pay attention to the individual stones. I'd do a stone here and there in a browner wash, then others with an off white wash til I was satisfied. The whole secret to successful painting techniques is to relax, let your wrists loosen up and just fool around with it til it begins to get comfortable and it seems to just naturally flow. I've made many stupid painting mistakes when I was tense and worried how it was going to turn out. It's funny, after years of painting I'm still pleased and surprised when things turn out just right.
A non-working miniature Venetian blind
This project is pretty easy to do. The materials are cheap, so if you make a mistake, just start over. The result looks pretty impressive.
Materials:
Cardstock
Ribbon
Dollhouse molding or strip wood for the valance
Hot glue or other glue for attaching ribbon to paper
White, wood glue, (or optional contact cement)
Thin scrap wood
The slats of the blind are cut from cardstock. I happened to have a paper cutter, which made cutting the paper strips a quick job.
Cut a sheet of cardstock to the width of your window frame. You’ll then cut the strips from this sheet.
Ideally, the paper strips should be 3/16” wide, which equals a 2” wide real life blind slat, but ¼” wide strips work just as well.
You’ll need enough strips so that when laid side by side, they’ll cover the window. I saw right away that not all the strips I cut were exactly alike. Some were a bit too narrow, others a bit too wide, so I cut more than I needed.
Once I had a nice little array of paper strips I started matching up the ones that were closest in size, and I arranged them so that they’d cover about half my window. I then set these safely to one side, keeping the other strips to stack at the bottom of the blind.
If you want your blind to cover the full length of your window, you’ll just have to make sure you have enough paper strips that are the same width.
I then cut 2 lengths of ribbon, making them quite a bit longer than I needed, in case I made a mistake somewhere.
I drew a picture of the window on a piece of paper, then I drew on how I wanted the blinds to look, measuring the distance between the tapes (ribbon).
and checking how many slats I was going to need. A standard single dollhouse window needs about 13 slats to cover it halfway and about 26 for full length.
Iron the ribbon before you use it, so that it stays nice and flat. I used a bit of spray starch to stiffen it up a little, and make it easier to work with.
I decided to use hot glue, because I didn’t feel like waiting for glue to dry, and I wanted to make sure my paper slats or ribbon didn’t crumple from the glue. You can use any other glue that you feel works well for you.
Lay a length of ribbon on the table, then squeeze a thin bead of hot glue on the ribbon, about 1” or so long. You don't want the glue to harden before you get your paper strips attached. Carefully lay your paper strips on the glue, pressing down gently. You’ll want to leave about a ½” overhang.
You’ll also want to leave an extra 1” or so of ribbon at the top.
Once you’ve got one side done, carefully flip the paper strips and ribbon over.
To attach the second ribbon, you’ll need to glue the ribbon down onto the strips, instead of gluing the strips to the ribbon. From my experience, I found this the easier way.
Mark your ribbon, so you know where to bead on the glue. You don’t want it to go up or down too far, or it will get in the way during the next steps.
You should now have what, on the face of it, looks like an unfinished tiny Venetian blind.
If you’ve decided to make a blind that completely covers the window, you can skip the next section I call “stacking”.
Remember the extra paper strips, that may have included ones that were maybe a tiny bit too narrow or wide? You can use these at the bottom of the blind.
If you look at a real size Venetian or mini-blind, you’ll see there’s a wooden or polyvinyl slat at the bottom. I used a Skinny Stick to make one for the miniature blind. You can also cut one from a 1/16” thick piece of basswood, or a craft stick. Cut it the same size as your paper strips, and paint it white, and let dry.
Next, glue a paper strip to the wooden slat. Use just a narrow bead of white glue down the center. Keep gluing on strips of paper till the height of the stack looks right. How many should you glue on a stack? That’s up to you.
If you’re making your blinds full length, you’ll just need the wooden slat.
Position your slat, with the stacked paper strips, on its side, just under your unfinished Venetian blind. You’re going to hot glue the ribbon to the front of the stack, then down under the bottom and up the back.
When it’s all cooled, dry, and secure, you’ll need to glue the ribbon up the back of the paper strips.
At this point, you’ll have a cute, very mini Venetian blind. All you have to do now is attach it to the window frame.
Next I cut a length of dollhouse molding, though I could also have used stripwood, for my valance.
I lined the top of the blind with the bottom of the valance. I chose to overlap my blind slightly (about 1/32" or less), gluing it to the very bottom edge of the back of the valance. I thought it might make the blind a little bit sturdier. Then I glued the end front and back ends of the ribbons to the back of the valance, cutting off any extra ribbon.
I used a short piece of bass stripwood as a spacer, and also to help in firmly attaching the blind to the window frame.
The spacer makes the top of the blind come forward slightly, so that the bulge at the bottom isn't noticible unless you peer closely at a side view.
I glued the spacer to the back of the valance, sandwiching that tiny edge of the top paper strip between the 2 pieces of wood.
When the whole assembly was dry I glued it to the window frame. Since I was using wood glue, which can sometimes take a while to set, I turned the house on its side, so that the wall be more or less horizontal.
It occured to me now, that contact cement is another solution. You'd need to spread a little of the glue to the back of the spacer, and some to the section of the window frame where you were going to attach the blind. Wait 10 to 15 minutes til the glue was dry, then set the blind into place. You have to be careful and do it right the first time, because you will probably not be able to reposition it.
The last step is to cut tiny pieces of valance molding to glue into the space between the valance front and the wall. See side view photo.
You can skip the side pieces if no one is going to see them. I believe I attached one to only to one side, because no one will ever see the back side view.
When gluing the paper strips, I placed them side by side, and when the light shines through the window, you can see little glimmers of light. If you want to block the light, overlap your paper strips slightly when gluing them to the ribbon.
A doormat
Do you have a problem with tiny feet tracking dirt and mud onto your clean dollhouse floors? I'm not talking about the cat.....that's a small attempt at humor. OK, a very small attempt.
The last time I bought non slip matting to put under my real size runners and area rugs, I was immediately reminded of a rubber welcome mat.
I set some scraps aside, thinking, too bad this stuff doesn't come in black. I could cut it up and sell it as dollhouse doormats for 99 cents each.
It doesn't seem to come in black, though. So to turn it into a doormat, I had to cut a piece and paint it.
I used black acrylic craft paint to do it, painting one side and letting it dry, then flipping it over to paint the other side. When that was dry I painted any little white bits that were left. One word, though, if you bend the mat, the black paint might crack or flake off.
This does make a great looking rubber doormat at a cost of 0 money, as long as you happen to have some of the matting around the house. I've also recently seen small squares of the same non slip product being sold in bundles, to put under the corners of rugs, for as little as 99 cents, and also as a roll of shelf matting for kitchen cabinets. The shelf matting came in white or brown. It was also very inexpensive.
Too bad it didn't come in black. You'll just have to paint your own doormat.
PS
Since publishing this, I've heard from several people that they've seen the matting sold in black. Too bad I haven't seen black ones in my area.
A Simple Bench
When I realized I needed to make some of my own miniature furniture for my dollhouses, because I couldn’t find what I was looking for in mini shops, one of the first things I made was a bench.
This is the bench, something rustic and old world for the cottage I had just built.
Let’s start however, with a basic style.
This is as simple as it gets, a seat, 2 supports and underneath a structural piece.
This particular bench was made of balsa. I use a band saw to cut my wood. I had a scroll saw, back before I got into miniatures, but it broke, and I’ve never gotten around to buying another one.
Generally, you can sand balsa pretty well, except for the grain, which shows up no matter how much you sand. If you have a Dremel, or similar tool, it makes sanding curved cuts so much easier. These benches are pre Dremel, but it’s ok, they’re rustic and a somewhat rough look is quite appropriate. On the other hand, don’t leave your rustic furnishings too rough. You need to decide just how much you want to sand to give things the look you want.
When designing a bench like this, just decide on how wide, long and high you want it to be. This particular bench is 1 & ¾” high. The seats of chairs and benches should be around 1 & ½” to 1 & ¾” high, with 1 & ½” being the most common used height.
Once you’ve decided how long and wide you want it to be, cut out a simple rectangle for the seat. With the supports, you can stay simple or get a little creative. I tend to lean towards curves, some people like straight sides. Look around at benches for sale in stores, or pictures in magazines and catalogs for looks you like and adapt them.
My favorite tool to draw curves for furniture is a anything I have in my kitchen. I have a compass up in my studio, but I find I do most of my planning while I’m in my kitchen. When I kept the compass in my kitchen drawer, I always found I wound up needing it up in my studio. I suppose the smart thing would be to buy another compass for the kitchen drawer, but I keep forgetting to. Anyway, as long as my kitchen is full of glasses, lids and coins, I can make a curve whatever size I want.
I’ll start designing the supports by drawing a rectangle that’s as high and about as wide as I want the support to be. As an example, here I drew a rectangle 1” wide and 1 & 3/8” high. Assuming that I’m using 1/8” thick wood for the seat, that would make the finished bench 1 & ½” high.
In the upper illustration I drew a curve with a red pencil using an item I had on my desk. In black pencil, I drew another pair of curves using a larger cup. The smaller stamp holder is 1 & ¾” in diameter, the cup is 2 & ¾”. You can see how the curves differ.
Note also, in the lower illustration, that I marked off the bottom and top of the curves. I’d cut those little tips off when I cut the bench support. Those tips tend to break off eventually.
The final piece you need to cut is a brace that helps hold the bench pieces together, and here it is.
Below is another bench, made just like the blue one, only it’s longer. Notice that there are 2 braces, one at the top, one lower down. You need extra bracing to make a longer bench a sturdy piece of mini furniture that won’t break into pieces the first time you drop it.
By the way, use wood glue to put it all together. Wood glue is formulated to hold wood, and is a basic woodworking tool.
Also, sand your pieces before you glue them together, it makes things easier.
Finally, lets talk about the paint.
I painted the bench, then sanded it smooth. Paint will raise the fibers of the wood and make the piece seem very rough. The sanding takes off quite a bit of paint. Use an emery board to sand your curves and edges. If you have a small rotary sander like a Dremel, that’s great, however, use the Dremel to sand before you paint, not after, it will take every bit of paint off.
After sanding, I painted the bench again. This time I sanded gently, to give it a worn look. I used very fine sandpaper and the finer side of the emery board. Another great sanding tool is a foam sander. They come in various grits, in blocks or in sheets. I’ll cut smaller squares off sheets of foam backed sandpaper to sand my miniature pieces.
I’ve seen lots of pieces of miniature and real sized furniture that were sanded to give a worn effect. The problem is that many over sand and/or do it in the wrong places. Places that get handled or kicked will show wear and tear. Places that are constantly rubbed will eventually loose some paint color. Edges get worn before anything else.
Don’t wear your paint down willy-nilly, give it a bit of thought and you’ll be glad you did.
How to make a miniature planter
I had originally published this tutorial on my old blog back in 2007.
Materials...
4 balusters: I used the traditional balusters, made by Houseworks
1/16th " thick basswood: a small piece
A very thin dowel: I happened to have some wooden old skewers laying around. My skewers are @ 1/8" in diameter.
A square dowel @ ¼” thick
A piece of wood 1/8 to ¼” thick. I used a piece from a bag of assorted craft wood I got at a craft store or Walmart
A piece of decorative wooden trim
Wood glue
Wood putty, in case you drill your holes all the way through the baluster
A drill, I used my Dremel tool.
I began by drilling 2 holes in each of my balusters, you’ll notice one is slightly lower than the center of the block, the other hole is closer to the top of the block. This is important, or your holes will just run into each other.
Be sure your holes are centered and spaced correctly. If your holes are wrong, your dowels will look all crooked.
Try not to go all the way through the baluster when you drill your holes. If you find you’ve gone all the way through, don’t despair, just make sure you have some wood putty to fill the holes up before you paint the finished planter.
Next cut the dowels. You’ll need 2 long and 2 short. I cut the longer ones 3” long, and the shorter ones 1 1/8 “ long.
You need to give the ends of your dowels sharpened points, so that they can fit into the holes you drilled in the balusters.
At this point, some might say, well why can’t I just make the holes in the bottom of the baluster bigger, so I cen just put the whole dowel straight in? The answer to that is, if you make the tiniest mistake in the placement of your drill bit, 2 bigger holes in the bottom of those balusters will eat up the whole piece of wood. Why not use a thinner dowel? If the dowel is too thin, it’ll break more easily, and the proportions of the plant stand won’t be as pleasing.
I used an electric pencil sharpener to sharpen the ends of the 3” long dowels. I had to lift them in and out and turn them a bit, but they came out fine. You can’t stick a 1” long dowel in a pencil sharpener, so I sharpened one end of the dowel before I cut it. I found that a drum sanding attachment on my dremel worked very well to shape the other end of my 1 1/8” long piece.
Dry fit the rods in place in the holes
This shows how the rods go into the baluster block.
Now you are ready to glue the longer rods in place. Be sure you match your holes up correctly. Dab the rod points with a glue and push them into their holes. Press them in firmly, but not too hard. Lay the 2 balusters which are now attached to each other by the rod. Make sure that everything is laying down flat, with no twisting. Readjust the rod before the glue has a chance to set. Make sure everything looks straight.
Repeat this with the other 2 balusters and long rod.
Let the glue dry and set a bit.
Meanwhile, get the piece of 1/16th inch basswood.
I cut 2 pieces, each ¾” x 3 ¼”. When the glue on my balusters was set enough so I could handle them, I glued the basswood pieces to the upper parts of the balusters.
I used some small clamps to keep the basswood in place and let dry. My basswood strips turned out to be almost 1/16th” too long, which was fine. The extra bit can be sanded or cut off so that the ends of the basswood pieces are even with the baluster. Having them a bit too long is better than a bit too short. If they are too short, you have to recut new baswood strips.
Again, when gluing, be sure you keep everything straight. A jig is helpful. I still haven’t gotten around to making or buying one, so I used a carpenter’s square and a square dowel to align my pieces.
Be sure the glue on these pieces is quite dry and firm before you proceed to the next step. Look at the picture below to get a closer look at how the pieces fit together to form the box.
I cut the square dowel into 2 pieces that would fit between the balusters. They were 2 and 13/16th inches long. I glued them to the bottom of the inner side of the basswood. Clamp and let dry. Below you can see the underside of the plant stand
I then cut 2 small pieces of basswood, each ¾” x 1 and 5/16th inches. These will make up the sides of the “box”. I also cut a piece from the thicker wood, the one listed as 1/8 to ¼ inches thick. I could have used some thin basswood, but I felt the thicker wood might make the planter a bit sturdier. This thicker piece was 1 and 3/16th inches by 3 and 1/8”, and was notched in the 4 corners . This piece forms the bottom of the “box”.
Now comes the tricky part, adding the side pieces and gluing it all together.
Take one of the short dowel pieces and glue it into place at the bottom of the baluster, then carefully glue the small basswood piece into place. I held it in place for a few seconds, then gently layed it down on its side .
I slipped a piece of the thin basswood under the lower end of the legs to keep everything aligned,while the piece was laying on its side, and let it dry. I then flipped the planter over and glued the other short dowel and the other basswood piece into place and let dry.
When everything is dry and set, you can pop the thicker bottom piece into place. If it’s a bit big, just trim where needed. If it’s a bit too small it doesn’t matter, it will still hold everything together once it’s glued in place. Just apply a bit of glue everyplace where this piece touches another piece.. Let dry.
If you’ve drilled through the baluster bases, apply some wood putty.
Next you can apply some decorative trim. I had a couple of pieces to choose from, I selected the one I thought looked best.
It’s important to lay out the trim pieces carefully so they are in perfect visual balance. No cutting through a flat part on one end and a curved part on the other end.
Then cut to fit, glue and let dry. Small clamps are helpful.
Sand any rough edges with an emery board.
You are now ready to paint. I chose to use spray paint for this project. I have found, however, that if you apply a bit of acrylic artists paint to the cut edges of the wood, it’ll seal them and the spray paint will come out looking better, faster.
I dabbed a bit of white paint in a few spots and when it was dry I spray painted. I used the fast drying paint, and was able to apply a new coat every 15 minutes or so.
I did sand the flat trim surfaces slightly after the second coat had tried. I continued applying coats of paint til I was satisfied that everything was covered with an even coat of paint.
ADDING THE FLOWERS
You can place potted plants inside the stand. I have those wooden “pots” that I paint to look clay-like, however, they are a bit big. Mine are 1” tall which translated into human sized is a pretty big pot, or 1 foot high.
I decided to just “plant” the flowers into the stand.
I used a piece of the ¼” thick scrap wood I used to form the bottom of the “box”. I cut it the same size, with the notches, and painted it dark brown.
I rummaged through my flower and leaf pieces and made my selections. I had purchased a clump of tiny leaved ivy in the floral department of a craft store to use when I did the exterior of the Nuthouse. I plucked off some of the smallest leaves, then trimmed them somewhat and used them to form the leaves of the yellow plant. Houseplants are actually tropical native plants, and quite a few, if you’ve noticed have rather large leaves, so the size of these works well for that.
I also found that if you drill holes into the wood for your flower and leaf stems, they will be more likely to stand up just the way you want them to.
When your selection is made, and the proper sized holes are drilled, dab a tiny bit of hot glue in 2 or 3 holes. The glue will melt the plastic stems if you apply it to the flower, but I’ve found that in the moments it takes to put down the glue gun and pick up the flower and place it into the hole, the glue has cooled enough so it is not a problem.
The circled areas show where the stem of the plant is less likely to melt. I had to cut the stem of the longer flower on the left. When gluing it into place, I let the glue cool a couple of seconds longer. You can also tape several fragile flower stems together with floral tape, then drill a hole big enough to hold the taped stems.
Once your plants are glued in the way you want them, you can add tiny pieces of reindeer moss underneath them, to partially obscure the painted wood and the occasional bare stems. I had originally considered using coffee grounds, but saw that the slight fluffiness and texture of the moss would suit better.
Finally I glued the piece of wood holding my completed flower arrangement in place inside the planter using wood glue.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Clay Info
I don't remember where this came from but there's some really good info.....
My question is there a major difference between using Sculpey III and Super Sculpey?
There are differences in 3 of the Sculpeys --between Sculpey III and SuperSculpey (flesh), and also differences between those and original Sculpey, and also differences between those 3 and all the other brands/lines of polymer clay.
1. Re strength, original Sculpey, S III, and SS are all the most brittle polymer clay brands/lines after baking in any areas where they're thin (i.e., not "fat" and rounded) so will break easily if stressed--original Sculpey is worse than the other two.
2. Re handling, those 3 clays are fairly soft so can be difficult to sculpt with to get fine details, to keep distortion at bay, to avoid fingerprints, etc. Clayers with hot hands or environments will have even more problems and may need to continuously cool the clay/hands, or "leach" some of the plasticizer out of the clay before shaping (or use a firmer clay).
Some clayers just like to use other brands/lines of flesh-colored or solid-colored clays to sculpt with anyway (especially if they're pushing-pulling on the clay, as with earth clay), and/or many clayers like to mix SS with another brand of clay for more firmness while raw, less "plaquing," etc.
The clay that's in an individual box of SS can feel pretty different from that in other boxes too depending on age (how "advanced" they are), as well as exact type of plasticizer available at time of manufacture and other things. Some clayers even have "tests" they apply to SS before deciding on purchase.
3. Re baking, those 3 lines will also darken more than most other lines (though that may not matter to you if you're simply painting over them)... in fact, SS-flesh especially is sometimes baked a long time for extra strength by those who use polymer clay for sculpting in that situation. Again, original Sculpey will change the most and the most easily--actually, white orig. Sculpey turns a bit "purplish" rather than just darkening.
"Translucent" polymer clays will also darken more easily than opaque colors.
...SuperSculpey is basically just a lightly tinted translucent clay.
...Sculpey III colors often have a lot of translucent clay in them (though that's often not obvious), compared to other brands.
Quote
I have a 50% off coupon for Micheals and I was thinking of buying a big block of polymer clay.
Be aware too that there are cheaper ways to buy other brands and lines of polymer clay besides what's easily available at retail stores. For example:
...Super-Sculpey Firm is supposed to be a stronger "sculpting" polymer clay after baking
...Kato Polyclay, Premo, Cernit, and the Fimos are usually available in large bricks online (and cheaper by weight than you'd find in retail stores)
(...and using armatures under thicker clay sculpts can bring the price down too)
There's loads more detail on all those topics on these pages of my site, if you're interested:
Sculpey, Sculpey III, SuperSculpey, etc, and other brands of polymer clay... + strength
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/Characteristics.htm
...click on any particular brand/line of clay you want to know about
...click on Strength
preferred polymer clays for sculpting + smoothing info, etc.
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/sculpture.htm
...click on Polymer Clays for Sculpting... and also Fingerprints/Smoothing and General Sculpting Tips
making your own skin-colored clay
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/heads_masks.htm
...click on Skin
baking
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/baking.htm?
...click especially on Times & Temps... and perhaps on Darkening, Scorching
cooling clays + leaching
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/Conditioning.htm
...click on Cooling ...and perhaps on Leaching
translucent clays, plaquing, etc.
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/Conditioning.htm
...click perhaps on Plaquing ...and on Brands
painting on top of polymer clay, if you're interested
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/paints.htm
...from Preparing the Clay down through Misc.Re Paints...& Other Paints
suppliers of polymer clay (online and local)
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/supplysources.htm
...click on Polymer Clay suppliers
http://www.youtube.com/user/GardenOfImagination
http://www.youtube.com/user/elleban
really love the translucent clay, and I use it in quite a few projects, this is why I want to mix sculpey III with other brands, such as the sparkley clays.
You can mix any brand or line of polymer clay with any other brand or line of polymer clay. What you'll get in color/characteristics/etc is directly proportional to the amount of each you've added.
You can certainly mix Sculpey III's translucent with one of the FimoSoft glitter clays (or instead with a mica-containing metallic-colored clay like gold/silver/copper/sometimes colors like red/blue/green, in the Premo or Kato lines, or some by FimoSoft... or even Sculpey III or Cernit though they have much less mica in them than the others have). Be aware though that those FimoSoft "glitter" clays are really pretty transparent where the "translcuents" are not truly transparent unless they're very-very thin, used as a covering generally (..for more appearance of depth, translucents or translucents mixed with other clays or colorants are usually given a gloss surface with a gloss finish or sanding/electric buffing).
You can, however, mix your own glitter or your own other "inclusions" into a translucent clay (brands with translucents: Kato, Premo (2), FimoSoft, Cernit, Sculpey III) and get some great results.
These inclusions can be all kinds of things from polyester glitters to sand, metallic powders, herbs/spices, etc., etc.
You can also make "tinted translcuents" (for adding inclusions or not) by adding a tad of solid polymer clay to a translcuent, or for more clarity use alcohol inks or artists oil paints, etc.
There's more info on using translucent clays as well as the various brands/lines of it and their differences, and also on putting inclusions into polymer clay on these pages if you're interested in much more info:
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/translucents-glow.htm
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/inclusions.htm
My question is there a major difference between using Sculpey III and Super Sculpey?
There are differences in 3 of the Sculpeys --between Sculpey III and SuperSculpey (flesh), and also differences between those and original Sculpey, and also differences between those 3 and all the other brands/lines of polymer clay.
1. Re strength, original Sculpey, S III, and SS are all the most brittle polymer clay brands/lines after baking in any areas where they're thin (i.e., not "fat" and rounded) so will break easily if stressed--original Sculpey is worse than the other two.
2. Re handling, those 3 clays are fairly soft so can be difficult to sculpt with to get fine details, to keep distortion at bay, to avoid fingerprints, etc. Clayers with hot hands or environments will have even more problems and may need to continuously cool the clay/hands, or "leach" some of the plasticizer out of the clay before shaping (or use a firmer clay).
Some clayers just like to use other brands/lines of flesh-colored or solid-colored clays to sculpt with anyway (especially if they're pushing-pulling on the clay, as with earth clay), and/or many clayers like to mix SS with another brand of clay for more firmness while raw, less "plaquing," etc.
The clay that's in an individual box of SS can feel pretty different from that in other boxes too depending on age (how "advanced" they are), as well as exact type of plasticizer available at time of manufacture and other things. Some clayers even have "tests" they apply to SS before deciding on purchase.
3. Re baking, those 3 lines will also darken more than most other lines (though that may not matter to you if you're simply painting over them)... in fact, SS-flesh especially is sometimes baked a long time for extra strength by those who use polymer clay for sculpting in that situation. Again, original Sculpey will change the most and the most easily--actually, white orig. Sculpey turns a bit "purplish" rather than just darkening.
"Translucent" polymer clays will also darken more easily than opaque colors.
...SuperSculpey is basically just a lightly tinted translucent clay.
...Sculpey III colors often have a lot of translucent clay in them (though that's often not obvious), compared to other brands.
Quote
I have a 50% off coupon for Micheals and I was thinking of buying a big block of polymer clay.
Be aware too that there are cheaper ways to buy other brands and lines of polymer clay besides what's easily available at retail stores. For example:
...Super-Sculpey Firm is supposed to be a stronger "sculpting" polymer clay after baking
...Kato Polyclay, Premo, Cernit, and the Fimos are usually available in large bricks online (and cheaper by weight than you'd find in retail stores)
(...and using armatures under thicker clay sculpts can bring the price down too)
There's loads more detail on all those topics on these pages of my site, if you're interested:
Sculpey, Sculpey III, SuperSculpey, etc, and other brands of polymer clay... + strength
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/Characteristics.htm
...click on any particular brand/line of clay you want to know about
...click on Strength
preferred polymer clays for sculpting + smoothing info, etc.
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/sculpture.htm
...click on Polymer Clays for Sculpting... and also Fingerprints/Smoothing and General Sculpting Tips
making your own skin-colored clay
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/heads_masks.htm
...click on Skin
baking
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/baking.htm?
...click especially on Times & Temps... and perhaps on Darkening, Scorching
cooling clays + leaching
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/Conditioning.htm
...click on Cooling ...and perhaps on Leaching
translucent clays, plaquing, etc.
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/Conditioning.htm
...click perhaps on Plaquing ...and on Brands
painting on top of polymer clay, if you're interested
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/paints.htm
...from Preparing the Clay down through Misc.Re Paints...& Other Paints
suppliers of polymer clay (online and local)
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/supplysources.htm
...click on Polymer Clay suppliers
http://www.youtube.com/user/GardenOfImagination
http://www.youtube.com/user/elleban
really love the translucent clay, and I use it in quite a few projects, this is why I want to mix sculpey III with other brands, such as the sparkley clays.
You can mix any brand or line of polymer clay with any other brand or line of polymer clay. What you'll get in color/characteristics/etc is directly proportional to the amount of each you've added.
You can certainly mix Sculpey III's translucent with one of the FimoSoft glitter clays (or instead with a mica-containing metallic-colored clay like gold/silver/copper/sometimes colors like red/blue/green, in the Premo or Kato lines, or some by FimoSoft... or even Sculpey III or Cernit though they have much less mica in them than the others have). Be aware though that those FimoSoft "glitter" clays are really pretty transparent where the "translcuents" are not truly transparent unless they're very-very thin, used as a covering generally (..for more appearance of depth, translucents or translucents mixed with other clays or colorants are usually given a gloss surface with a gloss finish or sanding/electric buffing).
You can, however, mix your own glitter or your own other "inclusions" into a translucent clay (brands with translucents: Kato, Premo (2), FimoSoft, Cernit, Sculpey III) and get some great results.
These inclusions can be all kinds of things from polyester glitters to sand, metallic powders, herbs/spices, etc., etc.
You can also make "tinted translcuents" (for adding inclusions or not) by adding a tad of solid polymer clay to a translcuent, or for more clarity use alcohol inks or artists oil paints, etc.
There's more info on using translucent clays as well as the various brands/lines of it and their differences, and also on putting inclusions into polymer clay on these pages if you're interested in much more info:
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/translucents-glow.htm
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/inclusions.htm
Needlepoint Embroidery Tutorials for Beginners
Janet Granger has designed part of her website to tell you everything you need to know about how to start doing miniature needlepoint: what equipment you need to get started, how to master the stitches, as well as hints and tips on how to finish all the various kinds of needlepoint kits that they produce for doll's houses. Whether you want to know how to do the fringing stitch that puts the finishing touch on a doll's house carpet, or how to mount canvas in a rotating roller frame, to how to make the hanging tabs for a Tudor wallhanging - you'll find all the answers in this section!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Mossy Glen in a Glass Dome
Designed for the Creations in Miniature Online Group
May, 2004
by Wanna in El Paso
May, 2004
by Wanna in El Paso
In the winter of 2004, Lenora Smith, the moderator for the Creations in Miniature online group, asked me to design a water project that the members could do together. Since quite a few people had already made ponds, I wanted to make something different, but couldn't decide what. Not long after her request, my grandson's fourth grade class was doing research on endangered species and he asked me for some ideas on doing a project showing the Spotted Owl. In the course of our research, I came across many pictures of wonderful old growth forests, some of which included small streams, and this was the impetus for the Mossy Glen.
I purposely left this scene open to the interpretations of those who create it. Who lives next to this small remnant among the silent age-old giants? It might be only some lovely shade-tolerant flowers or more moisture-loving plants growing along the stream bank.
Or a colorful bird or a Spotted Owl could perch in the top of the remains of our ancient tree.
Perhaps a deer could pause for a drink.
Or a small family of skunks could walk along the side.
Maybe a rabbit could poke its head out from the end of the root system over the ferns.
Or the emphasis could be on fantasy, with a unicorn poised on the bank or a fairy preparing to dip a toe into the cool water.
And, of course, there is the question or who or what lives inside that little bitty doorway....
PROCEDURE
TOOLS NEEDED:
Spray bottle of water for misting paint, for cleanup, etc.
Paper towels (I like to cut them into fourths)
Brushes for paint and for spreading glue
Serrated knife for cutting foam
Craft knife
Scissors suitable for cutting matboard or cardboard
Pencil
Foil for making pattern
Paper or small plastic cups for mixing dirt; for paint; for glue
Plastic lid from a coffee can or similar container as paint palette
Paper plates
Toothpicks to hold pieces of foam together
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Matboard or sturdy cardboard for base
Spackling Compound (the lightweight kind that is like marshmallow fluff)
Sand
Coffee Grounds
Fine brown florist foam, sold in blocks at craft stores
Sobo and/or Tacky glue
Model railroading turf in three shades and three weights, mixed
Paper mache egg or drink holder carton
Piece of driftwood or other wood for tree trunk
Acrylic Paints in three shades of green and muted blues; black; brown iron oxide
Dried curlies for vines; or vines made from other materials
Ferns made from fringed flower leaves or other materials
Tiny mushrooms or other plants that suggest fungus-like growths
THE GLASS DOME:
I like to use a dome because it provides opportunity for viewing from all sides, but is limited enough that designing and creating are not overwhelming. And, with each scene built on its own matboard or foamcore base, the same dome can be used over and over to showcase a setting. This is particularly good for holiday displays, too.
The most readily available glass domes are twelve inches tall, with seven and a half-inch wide bases; other sizes, smaller and larger, can be found, too, but the twelve inchers are most versatile if you are only buying a single dome, in my opinion. I have found mine at Michaels and used my 40% off coupons to buy the dome one week; the base another. (Bases and domes are usually sold separately.) They can also be found at places like Hobby Lobby and Ben Franklin's. And, of course, they can be ordered, which is more expensive because of shipping and postage.
This could be done as a roombox, too, of course, although this particular project is designed to be seen from all sides.
STAGE ONE: PREPARING THE BASE
My goal in designing this scene was to use commonly available materials in creating a setting which could be taken in several different directions. The project also served as a test for making water in an inexpensive way, using glue. There are several different ways one can do water, of course, but I wanted to use something that would be available to everyone, no matter where we live. I used Sobo, but Tacky or other similar glues could be used as well. Tacky was used for much of the other gluing.
This is the base for a twelve-inch glass dome.
Since even supposedly identical wood bases vary, it's always a good idea to create an individual pattern for each. From the foil impression, a pattern can be readily cut that will provide enough room for the glass dome to slide into the groove.
After cutting the foil piece and trimming a bit off to allow for easy insertion of the dome, I have traced the remaining circle onto a piece of matboard. Sometimes I use foamcore, but matboard is what I most commonly use. Either will warp somewhat, but as long as you make sure that you dampen both sides at the same time, it isn't too bad. I usually find as the base is drying from glue and paint applications that I can bend it back to shape. You can always glue two layers of cardboard or matboard together if you want a heavier base.
This is a messy process. Wear your old clothes, keep your water squirt bottle and some paper towels handy, and clean up periodically as you go.
Because I wanted a surface that would be as waterproof as possible, I used spackling compound mixed with sand and glue to make the uneven bed for my future woodland stream. This needs to dry at least overnight before you proceed further, in order for any warping that's going to happen, to happen. I always spray water on the underside whenever moisture is being applied to the upper. It isn't that hard at this stage to straighten the base by manipulating if it looks wonky the next day.
I always give my landscaping scenes a coat of brown paint to meld everything together. In addition, if in later stages something shows through, it looks realistic because it suggests soil. Remember throughout: If you get it wet on one side, get it wet on the other.
Don't forget to paint the edges brown, too. I usually do that last to cover any splotches or unevenness.
Here I began a process of sprinkling sand over the wet paint of my streambed. I like to use paper plates for this process; it's easy then just to cup the plate and pour any excess back into the container.
To create the elevations, this lightweight florist's foam is excellent because it is easily carved with a serrated knife, and can be smushed into appropriate contours. The plastic container on the right contains a mixture of sand and coffee grounds, which I used as my dirt. Of course, model railroading dirt, even tea leaves, can be used as well.
Here the built up base for the watercourse is spackling compound mixed with sand and brown iron oxide paint; the higher part is the florist foam.
Here is a piece of a paper mache hot drink carton from McDonald's. I thought at first I might use this cup section to make the remains of my tree. I think it would work, although I did not use it for that purpose this time. Instead, for the little falls area, I used torn pieces of paper mache to create a series of steplike contours for the water to fall down.The brown foam is so porous that you can make a slit with a knife and just poke the rocks in (until you add paint, then it hardens).
Sidenote: Interesting to me here was what to call my old-growth tree remains. Snag is the name for a standing dead tree but somehow that word sounds too ugly. So, even though technically it's a snag, I decided to call it a tree when I refer to it from here on. (Maybe this little semantic excursion is another example of why it takes me so long to get things finished.)
I knew I wanted a tree and found this piece of driftwood in my stash. Perfect, with a little tweaking. It had a silvery gray appearance, which would have been ideal in a seashore scene, but for our purposes I wanted it to look like decaying redwood.
I brushed brown iron oxide over most of the tree's surface, leaving a few bare areas, then drybrushed with fern green. Actually, that step wasn't really necessary probably; the addition of the moss would probably be sufficient.
The entire area around the tree has been given another unifying coat of brown.
It was at this point that I also began thinking about "submerging" my streambed so that it wouldn't be lying on top of the surface, and began gluing down and smushing more foam for the right bank. Use toothpicks dipped in glue to hold various pieces together, cutting or breaking them flush with the surface.
Here the banks have also been painted. The next step was sprinkling with my soil mixture of sand and coffee grounds. Unfortunately, that stage is missing, because I could not retrieve the pictures from a bad disk.
Let this dry at least overnight before you proceed with landscaping. You want to be able to pick it up and turn it in various directions as you are adding the moss, etc.
STAGE TWO: ADDING MOSS AND SOIL
AND FIRST WATER POURING
Unfortunately, bcause of a bad computer disk, several pictures that showed the process leading to this point were lost.
Here, the soil has been added, the tree and the area around it have been brushed lightly with glue and then a mixture of varying colors of model railroad foam has been added. Do this over a paper plate as previously directed and shake off the excess. It is important to do this BEFORE you pour the water.
If you look closely, you will see that the moss varies in both texture and color; this is important for realism. The merest bit of gold, rust and yellow were added to the green foams to suggest the kind of fungal growths that one sees on old, old trees.
The first water (Sobo Glue) has been poured. The right banks have only been painted brown and drybrushed with green because I wasn't sure yet how I wanted them to look.
Let the water dry at least two days.
STAGE THREE: WORKING WITH THE WATER
This is the glue/water after two days. It has dried, but has a muddy cast to it, which I didn't want (probably some of the brown paint wasn't dry enough), so I decided to paint over it to get a clearer look.
I used various blue shades, a dot of black and a greeny-brown mixture on my palette and sprayed it with water to thin it.
Well, darn, when this one dried it looked too blue! Back to the paints again!
I started lightly drybrushing/dabbing various shades in a very thin mix of green, brown and black
Somewhat better.
Still too blue, so I drybrushed some more.
This was definitely better. Now it needs to dry at least two more days.
Do you think I should throw this away? Why, I bet I could make something from it. Hmmm.... I better think about that tomorrow!
STAGE FOUR: WORKING WITH THE TREE TRUNK
While I waited for the second pouring of water/glue to dry, I began thinking about the landscaping. On closer examination, this opening in the base of the tree looked so intriguing that I figured some little somebody lived there. It needed something to fill in the cleft so that the little owner could have a door, however.
Then I remembered the paper mache again.
I cut this roughly to fit and decided the door had to be round.
Here is the back of the door piece after painting and being coated with glue. The mache was softened enough by the paint and glue that it molded nicely into the opening.
By the time I added the moss, you couldn't tell the door wasn't part of the original tree base. Since a tiny portion of the tree's interior was visible, I decided to make some stairs for our little inhabitant.
I knew there was a good reason I bought this mulch in the after-Christmas clearance! These little wood slivers should work..
Yep, they worked nicely. Notice I had made some suggestions of stepping stones earlier from the mache. Before I glued in the steps I glued in a very thin bit of the mache to suggest the floor. I think I need to do a wash over the steps so that they don't look too new, but I don't want to darken them too much or they can't be seen.
Quite pleased with my little abode, I moved on to landscaping, where I knew I wanted to use ferns and perhaps some kind of fungus like the toadstools that grow in leafy mold.
STAGE FIVE: LANDSCAPING; ADDING FERNS AND VINES
I take apart artificial flowers for all kinds of purposes, and always save the leaves from flower stems for other uses. Certain ones fringed finely with scissors make perfectly acceptable ferns.
Here is the first fern, made from fringed flower stem leaves.It's hard to tell these from some that I made very laboriously with wire and floral tape.
The sawtooth plant on the right is simply rather stiff leaves creased in the center. The little fungus clusters came from a stem I found at Michaels. I cut individual pieces to plant here and there.
Here is a better picture of the fungus and the little doorway. I made a latchstring for the door using a needle and brown thread but it doesn't show up in the picture.
I decided that my tree needed some vines/shoots so these curly dried thingies from Michaels came into play.
A coat of brown paint.
Rolled in my moss mixture.
Here the second pouring of water is drying and more ferns and fungus have been added, as well as a purple plant.
My husband saw this and said "Nope. The vines wouldn't be sticking out from the tree like that. They would cling to it." Well, heck. I kind of liked this lacy effect, but since he grew up in the woods and I only ventured into them .... Back to the drawing board.
Okay; I see his point, and I do have to admit this looks more realistic. Even though I remember swinging on big old wild grapevines when I was a child in Oklahoma, I don't want to limit this setting to one particular place, either. So, a more universal vine would probably be snugging up against the tree - and they aren't called clinging vines for nothing!
Besides the dried curlies that I used, cloth-covered florist's wire and beige buttonhole twist coated with glue and dipped into foam, among other things, makes good vines.
Here the scene is almost finished. The dirt and moss have been added on the right side and the water has dried.
I left the scene at this point and removed the purple plant because it might be a distraction. From now on, the scene can be taken in several different directions. It all depends on where you want to go with it and what you have on hand.
I hope you and your woodland residents enjoy the Mossy Glen, and I look forward to adding your Mossy Glens to the website.
STAGE SIX: DISPLAYING THE MOSSY GLEN DOME
July, 2004
At the Santa Fe International Figurative Arts Show in the spring, I bought a fairy, planning to use her in an upcoming scene. When I got home and was showing her to my husband, he said, "She looks like she could fit in your dome scene," which was in a nearby bookshelf. I lifted the dome, set her in place, and she fit, as if made for the spot! I left her there just to see what the reactions would be from family and friends. She got universally good comments, especially from the grandchildren.
"Look, Nana," said my youngest grandson. "She's going to put her toe in the water." So, the fairy is still sitting in the Mossy Glen.
One day my husband walked by the bookcase where the dome is sitting and said, "Too bad you can't have that picture inside the dome, too. It really added a lot." I agreed. I tried it, but it wouldn't work because the scene is designed to be viewed from all sides. (The base revolves.)
Not long after that, I was sitting at the computer and swiveled my chair around to reach for a book in the bookcase behind me.
My husband's Certificate of Appreciation from Texas Parks & Wildlife was just sitting there in a clear acylic stand up frame. Hmmmm.
I looked it over. It would work perfectly for my purposes!
So, I cut off the white edges from the printed-out photo, backed it with a piece of dark green cardstock and inserted it into the frame.
Just what I was hoping for - no visible frame to distract; just the photo.
Now when you see her in the dome, there is a background behind her for atmosphere.
Plus, the scene is still visible from the side ...
and from the back. Not a perfect solution, but better than bare wall at the back of the bookcase.
Oh yes, in case you were wondering, I plan to get another frame for my husband's certificate.
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Wanna has some other tutorials on her site, if you're interested.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Louis XVI Bergère Chair
by Christine-Lea Frisoni from her book "Le Grand Livre de la Maison Miniature"
(this has been translated from her french site)
(this has been translated from her french site)
Supplies for the shepherdess Louis XVI
- Bristol-board (1mm thickness)
- fine Bristol-board
- double sided foam tape (0.5 cm thick)
- double sided foam tape (1 cm thick)
I have tried to come up with the most likely translation of "carton plume" as double sided foam tape. If someone has a better translation, pls let me know!
- 2 wooden staircase dowels
- 2 round wood dowels
- cotton canvas cut to A4
- embroidery yarn
- woodworking glue
- white paint (acrylic Matt) or Gesso
- model paint Gold (Humbrol)
- scissors
Trace and cut out the forms on a 1mm thickness bristol-board. Make 3 copies of each
- glue each form together until it reaches a thickness of 3mm. The Bristol-board makes it easy to cut using scissors
- For the legs, I used staircase dowels, recut to a height of about 3.1 cm
shape the bottom of the leg, thus
make a small ring cut from Bristol-board using 2 pieces of 1mm x 1mm to give an approximate height of 1cm. This is placed 0.2 cm from the end of the foot.
Order of assembly
note the curves...
the arms are made of 2 pieces, assemble, glue onto the chair & if need be, adjust with small pieces of wood
allow the glue to dry thoroughly
- paint the first coat using Gesso. This will act as protection of joinings before using gold modeling paint (Humbrol) containing solvent. The solvent will otherwise dissolve the glue holding the bristol board together.
- When the Gesso is quite dry, dry brush with gold paint, allowing the white to show through 
It is possible to consider a hand embroidered tapestry (in this case to envisage a fabric of the silk gauze and fine embroidery cotton) however, to remain in the practical and fast spirit, for this project, the tapestries will be printed on a fine cotton fabric unbleached or white.
To print fabric, it is enough to cut a piece of fabric to an A4 size, and to pass it like a sheet of paper in the printer. If the fabric is too flexible, attach it on a sheet of paper with adhesive taped along the edges. In this case to cut the fabric a little so that it is smaller than the sheet of paper.
When printing choose printer settings: the highest resolution + special papers 
My first photocopied fabric was done in 1999 and the color has not faded.
- cut the following shapes of double sided foam tape
remove the film from the top of the seat shape and press the printed fabric down. Bring your fabric around underneath. Remove the bottom film and stick the seat in place on the chair.
Arms:
the finished measurement for the arm cushions should be an oval 0,5cm X 1,5cm in size
Cover the back of the chair in a similar manner using the printer fabric in front and plain fabric in the back.
- Cut 1 m of embroidery yarn. fold in half, twist it, and fold up it into two, it will be twisted on itself to give a fine braid. To keep it from unravelling, spread a thin layer of paste over the entire length and glue along all edges of your fabric at the front:
Your shepherdess Louis XVI is finished
Skeleton in Your Closet
Skeleton in the Closet
By Deb Roberts
Every family has a few skeletons in the closet, and this time of year, it’s always fun to show them off! In my family closet, we have Old Aunt Harriet. If the truth be told, Aunt Harriet had a taste for wine, but no one liked to talk about it. Of course, Aunt Harriet never admitted to it either, but at least one family photo caught her in the act. As long as we’re exposing a family secret, we’ll also share how to make this cute Halloween mini.
Supplies:
One small wooden hutch from a craft store
One plastic skeleton
Small dowel cut to fit inside of closet for hanging rod
Small wooden hangers
Bit of lace for dress
Accessories such as a parasol, hat, shoes and bottle of wine
Black and grey paint
Glue gun
Begin with painting your wooden hutch. Since I was going for a Halloween look, I used black followed by a dry brush of grey to age the closet. You can use your own choice of paint colors to fit your mini décor. Paint the dowel to match.
Place the hangers on the dowel rod and glue it in place. Be sure the dress is already on the hanger since it’s hard to reach into the space once the hanger is on the rod. (Quick tip: if you don’t have a mini dress handy, use a piece of lace tied with a bit of ribbon to give the form of a dress) Tuck the parasol in the corner.
Now it’s time to begin reshaping your skeleton so it will sit nicely in the closet. Using a sharp pair of scissors or your EZ Cutter, cut off the arms just above the elbows and the legs just above the knees.
Bend the upper arms at the shoulder joint so they are pointing outward.
Using the hot glue gun, glue the lower legs onto the cut edge of the upper legs, giving the legs a natural looking bend.
Place a dot of hot glue on the outer edge of the left knee and press the left arm against it to hold it in place.
Glue the forearm onto the elbow joint, so that it appears that the skeleton has its arm wrapped around its knees. Place another dot of glue on the right knee and hold the hand in place, slightly bending the fingers.
Glue the right lower arm to the elbow joint, hand raised as if waving.
Then add the hat. Aunt Harriet always wore hers tilted at a rakish angle. (She was such a character!)
Now your skeleton is ready to be placed in the closet, seated on the floor. Add the wine bottle next to it, and you’re all set!
By Deb Roberts
Every family has a few skeletons in the closet, and this time of year, it’s always fun to show them off! In my family closet, we have Old Aunt Harriet. If the truth be told, Aunt Harriet had a taste for wine, but no one liked to talk about it. Of course, Aunt Harriet never admitted to it either, but at least one family photo caught her in the act. As long as we’re exposing a family secret, we’ll also share how to make this cute Halloween mini.Supplies:
One small wooden hutch from a craft store
One plastic skeleton
Small dowel cut to fit inside of closet for hanging rod
Small wooden hangers
Bit of lace for dress
Accessories such as a parasol, hat, shoes and bottle of wine
Black and grey paint
Glue gun
Begin with painting your wooden hutch. Since I was going for a Halloween look, I used black followed by a dry brush of grey to age the closet. You can use your own choice of paint colors to fit your mini décor. Paint the dowel to match. Place the hangers on the dowel rod and glue it in place. Be sure the dress is already on the hanger since it’s hard to reach into the space once the hanger is on the rod. (Quick tip: if you don’t have a mini dress handy, use a piece of lace tied with a bit of ribbon to give the form of a dress) Tuck the parasol in the corner. Now it’s time to begin reshaping your skeleton so it will sit nicely in the closet. Using a sharp pair of scissors or your EZ Cutter, cut off the arms just above the elbows and the legs just above the knees. Bend the upper arms at the shoulder joint so they are pointing outward. Using the hot glue gun, glue the lower legs onto the cut edge of the upper legs, giving the legs a natural looking bend. Place a dot of hot glue on the outer edge of the left knee and press the left arm against it to hold it in place. Glue the forearm onto the elbow joint, so that it appears that the skeleton has its arm wrapped around its knees. Place another dot of glue on the right knee and hold the hand in place, slightly bending the fingers. Glue the right lower arm to the elbow joint, hand raised as if waving. Then add the hat. Aunt Harriet always wore hers tilted at a rakish angle. (She was such a character!) Now your skeleton is ready to be placed in the closet, seated on the floor. Add the wine bottle next to it, and you’re all set!
Did You Make Your Bed Today?
This Sleek and Shiny Bed tutorial comes to you thanks to Deb Roberts.
A modern house needs a modern bed and something sleek and shiny might just be what you’re looking for. It’s easy to make a modern bed with just a few simple supplies and a little creativity.
Supplies needed:
One cd cut in half
One small box (an HOM box bottom works perfect)
Two fabrics of your choice
Piece of soft foam or folded quilt batting
Tacky glue or a hot glue gun
Liquid starch
Sewing pins
Cut the foam or batting to fit the top of the box and then cut the fabric you wish to use for the mattress. The easiest way to do that is to lay the foam on the piece of fabric and then cut the fabric about two inches away from each edge. Fold the edges of the fabric over the foam (hospital corners work well) and glue into place. You can use tacky glue and pin it down until the glue dries or just use a hot glue gun. All the gluing is done where it can’t be seen so you don’t have to worry about it being pretty. Repeat the same steps to cover the box.
Now you can simply glue the mattress in place on top of the box.
A cd half makes a great headboard and is fairly easy to cut with an EZ cutter or by scoring it with an exacto blade till it can be broken on the scored line. (be sure and wear eye protection when you do in case small shards fly off) Then glue the cd in place as the headboard.
Take your second piece of fabric (I used a coordinating piece with a tiny pinstripe) and cut it large enough to drape over both sides and the end of the bed. Put the bed on a piece of cardboard and then position the second piece of fabric as a bedspread or sheet. I like a rumpled look to a modern bed………let’s face it, most people don’t have time to make their bed every morning and a rumpled bed gives a live-in look. Once you have the exact look of draping, rumpling or fussiness that you desire, use pins to hold it all in place.
Mix liquid starch with water; about a half and half solution. Using a soft brush or sponge, dab the starch onto the fabric. Be careful not to use too heavy a hand with the brush or sponge because that will flatten out your draping. A light dabbing motion will coat the fabric without pushing it flat.
Leave the bed overnight for the starch to dry. After it has dried thoroughly, remove the pins. With a sharp pair of scissors, trim the edges of the fabric. That will remove any frayed edging or threads, as well as give the finishing touch to the fabric shape.
Place small dots of glue on the bed frame where it can’t be seen to hold the bedspread onto the bed.
To create a pillow for the bed, cut a rectangle of fabric to fit the width of the bed. Fold it in half and glue the edges together, leaving the top open. After the glue has dried, turn the pillowcase inside out and stuff it with cotton. Fold the edges under and glue or blind-stitch the ends shut.
There’s your bed! Sleek and shiny and perfect for your modern bedroom!
A modern house needs a modern bed and something sleek and shiny might just be what you’re looking for. It’s easy to make a modern bed with just a few simple supplies and a little creativity.
Supplies needed:
One cd cut in half
One small box (an HOM box bottom works perfect)
Two fabrics of your choice
Piece of soft foam or folded quilt batting
Tacky glue or a hot glue gun
Liquid starch
Sewing pins
Cut the foam or batting to fit the top of the box and then cut the fabric you wish to use for the mattress. The easiest way to do that is to lay the foam on the piece of fabric and then cut the fabric about two inches away from each edge. Fold the edges of the fabric over the foam (hospital corners work well) and glue into place. You can use tacky glue and pin it down until the glue dries or just use a hot glue gun. All the gluing is done where it can’t be seen so you don’t have to worry about it being pretty. Repeat the same steps to cover the box.
Now you can simply glue the mattress in place on top of the box. A cd half makes a great headboard and is fairly easy to cut with an EZ cutter or by scoring it with an exacto blade till it can be broken on the scored line. (be sure and wear eye protection when you do in case small shards fly off) Then glue the cd in place as the headboard.Take your second piece of fabric (I used a coordinating piece with a tiny pinstripe) and cut it large enough to drape over both sides and the end of the bed. Put the bed on a piece of cardboard and then position the second piece of fabric as a bedspread or sheet. I like a rumpled look to a modern bed………let’s face it, most people don’t have time to make their bed every morning and a rumpled bed gives a live-in look. Once you have the exact look of draping, rumpling or fussiness that you desire, use pins to hold it all in place.Mix liquid starch with water; about a half and half solution. Using a soft brush or sponge, dab the starch onto the fabric. Be careful not to use too heavy a hand with the brush or sponge because that will flatten out your draping. A light dabbing motion will coat the fabric without pushing it flat.
Leave the bed overnight for the starch to dry. After it has dried thoroughly, remove the pins. With a sharp pair of scissors, trim the edges of the fabric. That will remove any frayed edging or threads, as well as give the finishing touch to the fabric shape.
Place small dots of glue on the bed frame where it can’t be seen to hold the bedspread onto the bed.
To create a pillow for the bed, cut a rectangle of fabric to fit the width of the bed. Fold it in half and glue the edges together, leaving the top open. After the glue has dried, turn the pillowcase inside out and stuff it with cotton. Fold the edges under and glue or blind-stitch the ends shut.
There’s your bed! Sleek and shiny and perfect for your modern bedroom!
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