Time Flies When You're Having Fun...

Has it really been a whole year since I last blogged?!?  

Where does the time go?!?

The Mini Les Bois Dollhouse Miniature Show & Sale 2014 was awesome!  I met some new collectors, new artisans, and had a great time.  

My favorite purchase this year:

Too cute for words!

For size comparison, here he is with a penny:

He's been added to my Jungle Babies Nursery Roombox and he looks right at home in there.  :)

Mini Les Bois 2013 Treasures

Vintage Trunk by C.L. Kaset

August 1988

Magic Hands Miniatures

I found some great treasures at the Mini Les Bois miniature show April 20th and 21st.
The craftsmanship on this trunk is phenomenal.  I think it might become a toy chest
 in a vignette with my Under the Sea nursery collection.
Or, it might find a place of honor in the attic once I finish my dollhouse.  

I love that the lid stays open without propping it up.  

If anyone has any more information about this artisan, please message me.

My second great find was this old time file cabinet by T-E.

I love that the drawers really open; can't wait to stuff it with worn and

tattered folders stuffed with dog-earred papers and receipts.

Such fine craftsmanship!  I'm sure I'll find a great spot to put this --- maybe

Grandma's room doubling as a night stand.  Both of my grandmothers

practiced upcycling long before there was a term for it and "Grandma's Room" 

in my dollhouse will reflect that part of them which they passed on to me.  :)

 

The craftsmanship on this table and chairs is remarkable!  I love it so much.

Pictured with a beautiful vase made by Bertie Pittman of  Bertie's Miniatures.

Flowers by Joyce of Mostly Art.

The makers' mark on the bottom of the table and a chair.  Perhaps someone

will recognize it and I can give credit to the artisan.

The table with the leaves dropped (it really works!) displaying some of the

groceries and cleaning supplies made by Cindy Gonzales of CindisMinis that

I picked up for the mini peeps.  This photo does not do them justice.  The

labels are so crisp and clear that, with the aid of a magnifying glass, one

can read the nutritional information! 

I love everything I added to my collection at the show.  I also bought some supplies

 and a few other odds and ends that will make their way into my dollhouse

 as-is or perhaps with a few adjustments here or there.  ;)

Until next time, happy mini-making!

*******

Hotel Roombox by Paris Renfroe

Hotel Roombox by Paris Renfroe

Oftentimes as artisans, we create our little labors of love and then ship them off to their new homes, never seeing them again.  Sometimes a collector will tell us that a piece is going into this house or that roombox, but it is left up to our own imaginations to fill in the details.  That is why I especially appreciate when an artisan or collector takes the time to send me a photo of the finished dollhouse, roombox, vignette or scene.  

Hotel Roombox by Paris Renfroe, room view

Imagine my surprise -- and pure delight -- when I recently received a message from Paris (prdminiatures.com) with the above photos attached.  (Photos posted with permission.)  This stunningly amazing hotel roombox is the new home for a set of my rolling luggage.  Wow!  I am well pleased that the luggage will be staying in such posh accommodations.  (In this case, I wish I'd travelled with the luggage.   Maybe next time.  ;-) )

Paris  has a background in full scale design and architecture, talents he now uses to create one of a kind highly realistic miniature scenes that he photographs in such a way it is impossible to distinguish his full scale designs from his miniature ones.  In any scale, I love the clean lines and beautiful details of his work.  Paris has ordered several more sets of luggage and I very much look forward to seeing where their travels take them to.  Hopefully we'll be treated with some more photos to drool over.  In the meantime, take a peek at Paris' website.  You're going to love what you find there.

*******

Dollhouse Small Print Fabric by Whimsy Cottage Minis

Happy Hour Patio Collection

 

Awhile back I wrote that I was working on a new product line which would make its debut at CIMTA 2013 in Las Vegas this past month. 

Well, I was, and it did.  And now it's arrived in my Etsy Shop.  A contemporary, decidedly whimsical line of detailed, coordinated, small print fabrics perfect for decorating a 1/12th scale dollhouse.  I'm adding listings daily and have many more designs and coordinates coming soon!

Happy Hour Pillow Fabric

Making pillows is a snap with my new pillow kits, which, as far as I know, have never

been done in this way in miniature before.  No more hunting small print fabric for an image that is perfectly centered without partial images hovering around the edges.  I've designed fabric panels with material -- including seam allowances -- for three coordinated

pillows printed right onto the fabric.  Matching/coordinating fabric for drapes, bedspreads,

upholstery and even floor coverings make decorating fun and easy. 

Cars and Trucks Coordinates

 

I made this display for the show to showcase the fabric and was very pleased with how it turned out.  What little girl wouldn't love a bedroom set like this?!?

Daisy on Pink Pillow Fabric

Daisy on Pink Fabric

Celeste of TheLittleQuiltShoppe made up the bed pillows for both of the above displays for me.  She did a fantastic job and does such beautiful work.  She welcomes custom orders, so if you love the fabric but hate to sew, send her a convo and see how easy it is to create  one-of-a-kind coordinated soft furnishings for your dollhouse! 

Coming soon ~ Nursery Crib Comforter Kits and Coordinates like this one:

So much to do, so little time, so I better get back at it.  Until next time, I hope my mini friends are all happily creating their dreams in miniature...  :)

Upgrading a Mass Produced Refrigerator

Years ago when I started stockpiling miniatures for my then "future" dollhouse, I purchased what was, at the time, the most current refrigerator on the market.   But over time, the fridge looked dated and less than impressive.

Several times, while cleaning and organizing my studio and mini stash, I considered throwing it away.  But I always kept it, thinking that 'someday' I would recycle it into a more modern version of itself.  'Someday' kept getting put off -- I think I was concerned I wouldn't like the end result.  Finally, I decided to roll up my shirt sleeves and take the plunge.  I'm glad I did!

Refrigerator with handles removed and hole cut in left side door

 
I first removed the handles to the side-by-side doors and then cut a square hole in the left side door.

Then I fashioned the water and ice dispenser using wood, black paper coated with sealer, a straw, and polymer clay.

I reattached the handles and painted the entire outside black.  It took several coats.  Then I sealed it with Krylon Matte Sealer.

Refrigerator, front view

Side view

Close up of water/ice dispenser.

In it's new home in my mini kitchen.  :)

I still need to make and add some decals to represent the command buttons.  It's on my list of things to do.  :)

The next project, of course, is stocking the fridge. :D

Creating a Low VOC Dollhouse or Roombox, Part 2

The kitchen

Work-in-Progress

A few days after writing my last post, I had to remove the roombox from my office 

and return it to the garage as the chemicals off-gassing from the plywood were 

making me sick.  The sealer that I used did greatly reduce the fumes, 

but unfortunately, it was not enough.  :( 

I was really disappointed and took a few days to contemplate my very 

limited options and then decided to build a dollhouse out of foamcore. I hope 

I'll be able to make it strong enough to last a long time. 

So far I have the kitchen mostly completed and have ordered the wallpaper for 

the adjoining dining room.  I'm very excited about the progress and will post 

 pics as the process moves along.  In the meantime, do you notice the 

black fridge?  The outside is almost finished and I'll be writing about the 

transformation in a future post.  Until then, happy mini-making, everyone.  

I'm looking forward to catching up on what ya'll have been up to soon.  :)

Making a Low VOC Roombox or Dollhouse, Part 1

What do you do if a) you realllly want a dollhouse and b) are allergic to the products (MDF and plywood) that most dollhouses are made of?  I developed an allergy/chemical sensitivity to the VOC's (volatile organic compounds) that offgas from MDF and plywood a couple of years ago while making this dollhouse.

Not yet aware that I was allergic to the MDF (I thought
I had a respiratory bug),

I couldn't resist setting up the rooms and playing with

the furnishings prior to painting, papering, and wiring.

Since then, I have been "between dollhouses" as I looked for an affordable alternative that met my requirements for both size (had to fit against a wall like the one above) and number of rooms.   Unable to find one, I turned to trying to find something that would seal in the offgassing vapors, thereby eliminating the problem from its source.

I learned about a product called Safe Seal* that, when applied to the mdf prior to gluing together, painting, or wallpapering, claims to virtually seal in the VOC's  and prevent them from off-gassing into the environment. 

I recently ordered a quart of it from a company here in the U.S. and received it in about a week.  It cost just under $15 which, ironically, was just a few cents less than the cost for shipping.  So for about $30 I'm ready to start my experiment.  (I'm still smarting over paying $15 for shipping to get a $15 item to me, but I had no choice.)

It is a milky liquid about the consistency of water  that goes on easily with a foam brush

If it works, it will be the answer to my dilemna! I tested it on one of a trio of inexpensive roomboxes that have been off-gassing in my garage since I got them as the fumes were too toxic to have them in the house.  If it works on the one, I'll proceed with the other two and then onto a dollhouse!  :)

Here you can see all the pieces laid out on the table which I have protected

with a plastic sheet.  I used weights to flatten out the warpage.

As you can see in the above photo,  once again I couldn't resist 'playing' with the kitchen cabinets and appliances which have been packed away for far too long.  It seems to be a pattern with me when I'm putting together a kit -- work for awhile, then play for awhile.  ;)

So now the big question ~~ did it work?  My current feeling is that it helped significantly although it did not remove the fumes entirely.  I did give each piece, including all of the edges, about half a dozen coats.  The directions state that one coat is usually sufficient, but in this case the fumes were particularly pungent and it took repeated coats to reduce the odor enough that I am hopeful I will be able to tolerate it with the exception of one board -- the first story ceiling/second story floor -- which is a lost cause.  Numerous coats have not been successful in blocking the odors sufficiently and I'm going to have to substitute some foamcore for that piece.  I think foamcore will be ok as I'm not planning on putting anything very heavy in that room.   Perhaps I'll use two pieces of foamcore stacked on top of each other for double strength. 

In conclusion, I'm hopeful that with the exception of that one board mentioned above, the sealer reduced the off-gassing enough that I'll be able to tolerate it in my small workshop.  Let's keep our fingers crossed!

And now more play time- erm, I mean research and development.  ;)

And next time I'll share how I updated a tired and outdated mass-produced fridge from the mid-90's (see above photo for the "before") into something any self-respecting miniature kitchen would be proud to 'wear'.   Ok, that might be an exaggeration, but you can decide for yourself when you see the "after" pic(s) next time. 

Bye for now...  :)

*I do not work for the people who make or sell Safe Seal and I am not being compensated for this write up in any way.  I am merely telling about my experience in the hopes of helping others.*