More Favorite Things
This is an historical reproduction of Stephen F. Austin's dogtrot
cabin built in 1836. The original is now in San Felipe, TX.
This cabin was made in a 4 day class in Giddings, Texas. Each log
was carved and then built log by log just as they were done in the past.
The chinking was done with rolls of paper clay pressed between each log,
inside and out. I spent 16 hours chinking these logs. It would
have been much more easily done if we'd used caulk in a cake decorating
pouch. Sigh. The 2 firplaces have cast iron (paper clip painted
black) cauldron hooks. Both fireplaces, chimneys and fireboxes are
"bricked" using construction paper. We took brick colored
construction paper and spatter painted it with several neutral colors.
Once dry, it was put thru a 1/4" paper shredder. We painted the
wooden forms gray (to simulate mortar) then cut 1/2" pieces of the
shredded construction paper and bricked each piece, brick by brick.
Great technique, but very labor intensive. Gave us time to gossip
tho! I have now furnished the interior, complete with bear skin rug.
More pictures coming.
This attic project was done at a SAMs (Society of American Miniaturists)
free day. An attic is a great place to put those things you just don't
know what to do with. You can't see it, but in the back left corner
is a rag-tag aluminum Christmas tree. Trunk filled with old stuff,
winter gear, extra furniture, pictures, life's discards and cast offs.
Here's another SAMs project. This one is "Granny's
Front Porch". I completed this roombox with my mother-in-law
in mind. Her favorite color is yellow. LoneWolf Mini Creations
(Wolfie) custom made the "Granny" to look like my mother-in-law.
She's complete down to the necklace and rings that Mom always wears. This
roombox doesn't have a room behind it and the windows were rather blank.
So, I added a matboard false back and scrounged through many decorating
magazines to find 3 correctly proportioned room pictures. Size wasn't
a problem, it was perspective. Peak through one window and you'll
see a comfortable livingroom. The other window looks into a bedroom.
And, of course, the scene behind the door is a hallway. Bits of lace
made great valances. There's birdhouses, a thermometer on the wall,
a pitcher of lemonade with 2 glasses waiting. On the chairs you'll
find reproductions of old church fans used to keep a breeze blowing.
A welcoming rag rug (like the one her mother had) in front of the door and
fishing pole and can of worms ready. The can of worms was fun to make.
Its the metal part of a pencil eraser filled with glue and coffee
grounds. The worms? Bits of stiffened brown quilting thread!
Mom was especially pleased with the watermelon (a painted unshelled
pecan) waiting by the box of laundry she's folding.
My breadbox kitchen.
I had coveted Robin Betterley's Harvest Home for several years, and Santa
finally got the hint! I was a little distressed to find out that the
design had changed just a bit. There was no repeating design on the
refrigerator or the stove. It really didn't match well. So,
in true miniaturists fashion, I took the table and sink to my local color
copier and duplicated it. A little sealer and a flash of decoupage
and I had it! I love the faux chalkware veggies over the sink.
In the shelving unit you'll find vegetable teapots. The rug under
the table was made by a friend's grandmother in the 50's as a doily.
I removed 2 bands of crochet to make it fit the room. The colors were
perfect!
Now, a visit to my Dad's living room.
My father turned 70 last year and the occasion called for something special.
So, being a miniaturist, I got pictures of his livingroom and proceeded
to duplicate in miniature. Dad's favorite things are watching NASCAR races
on TV and harassing his dog. His favorite chair is a Contour Lounger which
I've never seen in mini, so I carved this one from floral oasis and covered
it in fabric. Of course, it didn't look like vinyl, so I coated it with
ModgePodge and it worked! The box is a picture frame vignette that is 6"
deep. Because of the way his livingroom is constructed, I couldn't have
a solid back wall, so I put 1" separaters in the back, copied a picture
of a kitchen and enlarged it. He has wooden lattice work separating the
kitchen from the livingroom, so I faked it with plastic canvas cut on an
angle. The pictures on the walls are copies of their artwork that I scanned
and framed. I also put a picture of my parents on the TV. Needless
to say, it was a major hit!
144th scale (dollhouse for a dollhouse)
My first real try at 1/144 scale. This is the Northeastern Scale Models
"Cottage" kit. I added a 1/4 inch "lip" to the front
and sides so I'd have a place to landscape. There's a flower bed with dormant
daylillies edged with a rock border. The climbing roses are covering the
porch posts. Pansies and petunias are happily growing in windowboxes. The
house is cream, royal blue windows, steel blue porch railings. Now all I
need is a kitchen table/chairs. The sofa and recliner in the livingroom
are made from woodstock and leather scraps.
This lovely 144th scale home was built and furnished
by John Haw of Abigail's Fantasy. It is fully lighted! One ceiling
fixture in each room and a porch light for extra fun. There's plates
and silverware on the kitchen table (and a bowl of oranges), a music room,
wonderful bedroom, fancy livingroom (with an ivory coffee table), plants.
Everything a teeny tiny resident would need.
