Friday 20th August, 2010

More 1:12th scale revisited: Conservatory

I did have this conservatory assembled too, but dismantled it a couple of years ago and it has been in storage, then repacked by Mark and moved to the storage container for several months when my workroom was cleared out. I had never done the brick work on the walls but being on a roll after doing the Corner Toy Shop I went on with the walls for the conservatory. Believe it or not, this proved more tricky because the spaces were inset and quite small and the stencil didn’t want to bend at the edges.

Finally I cut a piece out of a smaller brick stencil I had and used that. I could then get it right up against the sides of the sections so there was no build-up underneath the stencil edges.


I also experimented with colours of the bricks a little bit, to see how it went. This project will be set in the present day and I want an aged brick appearance. So I added some of the grey/neutral compound I have to the red brick compound, to make a lighter colour.

Peter cut me a rear wall and a base for the setting. I plan to add other features around the conservatory itself, and have made the base and wall quite large – over 5 ¼” wider on each side than the building. Originally I wanted to put it on another base as well, to give it more dimension with steps leading down to a lower level, but I’ve put that part on hold just for now.

When I had nearly finished bricking that rear wall I realised that I had goofed – you are supposed to paint the timber first, to be the

grouting.  And I was doing the bricks on raw wood. I was really, really well and truly over it by the time I had finished bricking that large area. I made the mistake of doing too much – sticking to it for three days between both projects, well into the evening hours. Something to remember when I tackle the massive job of bricking my ‘Cadogan Gardens’ kit from Dollhouse Emporium.

I had to then undertake the extremely tedious task of going through and painting between the bricks with a dirty wash of different shades to cover that bare wood. It also got on to the bricks themselves no matter how careful I was but in the end I realised that it just added to the old, dirty brick effect of the wall that I wanted anyway. Some of the bricks have actually fallen off – they are really fragile at this stage. I will glue them back on and hope that once it is all varnished they will be more durable.

Back in February, when I unearthed the flowers and conservatory that I had previously had stored in Peter’s shed, I found that some of the flowers had disappeared – simply melted away. They must have been made of bread dough or something dissolvable, which wasn’t mentioned on the boxes that they were in when I bought them. I thought that they would have been properly made from clay or something lasting. How annoying when they weren’t cheap in the first place. I bought them online and the vendor is no longer in business. I have no clue about their maker.


Fortunately on our trip around Australia I bought some beautiful, beautiful, flowers from Kathy B in Western Australia so I have lovely things to put in there anyway. I will post photos of some of them another time.


Big decision – do I remove the bricks from inside the rear of the conservatory or do I leave them? Opinions please.

Friday, 20th August 2010

Revisiting 1:12th Scale - Corner Toy Shop

Unpacking things from storage is going sooooooo slowly.  To get anything out I have to mobilise my husband Peter and nephew Mark (he lives with us too).  That's because things are still stacked right to the roof to save space in the half that is left to unpack.  Nathan of course can't do a lot of lifting or climbing for safety reasons because of his balance and vision problems.  And then when I do get some minis unearthed (finally!!) I have to find somewhere to put them.  However I managed to get two projects out of the container the other day: the corner Toy Shop and the conservatory.  And surprisingly (since they weren't packed by me) most of the pieces of each were there together in the same boxes.  Amazing!! 

I had both of these assembled several years ago then dismantled them because of lack of space.  However they weren't finished.  I wanted to add brickwork to them and landscape around them.  Now, wonder of wonders, I have found the bricking compound, the stencils, and the projects over the last few forays into the container.

Spatula and bricking compound at the ready, I first tackled the easier-to-access two straight side walls of the shop, then the fronts of the bay windows.  The sides of the windows weren't difficult either and the walls beside the windows weren't too bad until you get to the top where they have to be shaped over the roof on the windows.  But the wall between the window and the side trim was really fiddly.  It came out okay though, and here is the result so far.

  

As you can see, I haven't attached thewooden top trim yet (that's it sitting on the removable glass roof).  The door is also just sitting there at the moment.  And one thing that wasn't packed with the rest of the shop was the perspex for the windows!  I've kept the floor, but removed the floorboards because they had become buckled and uneven from storage.  I'll start afresh for that.

Aging the bricks? Since it will be set in Victorian times and it is red Victorian brick it is a fairly new brick - but then with the Industrial age that it was and all the coal fires, the air wasn't exactly clean either, so some aging would be appropriate and it always makes things more realistic than 'pristine'.   Any suggestions welcome.

After being stored for so long, some of the pieces tended to stick together a bit and bits of the paint is in less than wonderful condition so I will have to fix that up, which will probably mean taking a piece of the top to the harware shop to have it matched unless I can track down the original tin.

I have ordered more stencils from Bromley Craft, including cobblestones for the footpath.  Peter cut me a base that allows a quite generous footpath on both sides, with a curved corner.  I will be placing dolls on it - more about the story and background of this project later.

And in case you are wondering what the house is behind the shop, it is my 'Carrington Villa', the large commission-built house based on a RL house here in Grafton, New South Wales.  Here's a better view of the two of them.

So now I need to locate the container with the shelves and counter for the shop, get the guys to dig out the large container that has the wallpaper and flooring from the storage container (it is under a pile of other containers supporting them, and they reach to the roof) Ladders and I do not get along so it is frustrating to have to wait on their pleasure - grrrrrr!  And I think I have already unpacked the box of toys that I have that pretty well stock the shop.

BIG Plans for little things in 2010

I have always loved 'little things' and when I was a child used to make little 'houses' from shoeboxes etc, and furniture from matchboxes. Then my dad made a dollhouse - but to my disappointment it was a contemporary single storey style house, not a traditional Victorian multi-storey one. However I gained many years of enjoyment from it. Then when a subscription dollhouse was advertised I started collecting the issues, and found we had a dollhouse B&M store here in Sydney - what an eye-opener! Through that I discovered the adult world of miniatures and miniature collecting. A few months after that I went to my first Miniatures Fair and was simply overwhelmed – and thus began a very pleasant addiction indeed!

Now I have several 1:12^th scale dollhouses, shops and roomboxes (1:12^th scale is one inch to one foot); two 1:24^th scale houses and an altered book roombox; and am embarking on a series of 1:48 scale projects – it was either that or move out of the house and live in the shed lol!

I belong to several on-line miniatures groups. The three main ones are the Green Socks on Left Foot on Tuesday Club or GSOLFOT (long story – check out the website), the main criteria for membership being a strong streak of craziness (but we do do minis too!); the Stay at Home Miniaturists Club, for people who can’t join a regular club for some reason; and Petitpointers, which is great for all kinds of miniature needlework. The Sockees are great for laughs and a virtual existence as well as MAKES and swaps; the SaHMC has wonderful classes and swaps; and Petitpointers provides great incentive for getting on with those large projects. SaHMC has 'Sunday Show & Tell' each week, where photos can be posted of minis completed; and Petitpointers has Progress Photos on the 10th of each month, where completed projects are shown (as well as during the month) or progress on large projects is shown. All three groups are full of warm, friendly and supportive people, who patiently answer questions about everything and anything – mini related or not, and they are just great to belong to!

So here are some of my ongoing projects that I hope to share with you on this blog in 2010:

Cartwright’s Store – set in the 1930’s, pre -war so there is no rationing. Grocery store with living quarters above. Bought ready made but with the inside unfinished, simply painted white. Stairs are supplied but not installed. I do not plan to put them in, but will put in a false doorway in the back wall so suggest a hallway beyond. There are four floors including the attic.

So far it is totally empty and undecorated. I have however been collecting - lots of produce for the shop, a stove of appropriate period for the living quarters. I need to make a final decision about the layout of the rooms on the 2nd floor and the attic. The 1st floor will house the kitchen and the parlour. The 2nd floor will have the main bedroom and probably another small bedroom. The attic will contain two rooms - either a bathroom and storage space or another bedroom and a bathroom.

Coventry Cottage – Victorian cottage, made from Greenleaf kit. Nearly completed – would like to finish it off for this year’s Fair. Basically just needs landscaping and a little bit of adjusting of the shingles on the roof.
Carrington Villa – this is a craftsman-built house, constructed by a retired engineer. It was my retirement present to myself and is Gothic Revival in style, based on a house in Grafton, NSW. He has used 100-year old cedar in it, and it is all cut by him. The doors were made by him, 4-panel as I requested instead of the 6-panel he had been doing. It comes complete with its own table with a turntable.

The rooms have all been finished in gloss white paint, unfortunately, which makes them rather harsh. So decorating them involves either painting or papering them. Both of which are difficult to do when the house is totally completed. Usually I do that when the rooms are constructed but before the skirting and cornices are added, or the windows and doors are installed. Being gloss white also makes it difficult if I want to paint the walls in a low-gloss finish, which is likely since I have set this house in the present day. That way I can choose furniture and accessories from any period I wish without worrying about being correct for the time. This is a couple who love collecting antiques and have family heirlooms as well, though the home also contains modern equipment. Again, I have collected many objects to go in the house and just have to pull it all together, as well as deciding on the function of the second bedroom: workroom? second bedroom? nursery? office? My Mum gave me a lovely bedroom suite for my birthday this year, which means I have a great start on that room; I have the lounge suite and other bits for the lounge room. But I have not settled for sure on the dining room though I do have a period table and chairs with a petitpoint carpet and chair seat covers in there at the moment.

Noelle Needlework – this is a shop I have made, to fit a pre-made shop front. It is to display a selection of hand-stitched Christmas cushions and stockings and other Christmas items. Quite a few of these were completed last year for a Christmas Challenge on Petitpointers, but more need to be done.

Ann Vanture Cubby Box - I get a lot of paper product kits from Ann Vanture - books and accessories to personalise my settings. This year (2009) she brought out a Project of the Month, a Cubby Box that fits behind a picture frame with several little compartments filled with accessories. Before we left on our 6-month road trip around Australia I had completed the cubby box itself and the first month's setting, but took the next two lots with me - and haven't had time to do it on the road. So there will be plenty to catch up on when we get back just before Christmas!

Wedding Boutique – this shop features beautiful floral arrangements and bouquets by Kathy b of Miniature Artistry, to complement the colour scheme of pink, burgundy and cream. The wedding boxes, invitations, confetti etc are made from Craft Pack Company kits. As you can see I have a lot of work to do in this shop, making dresses, jewellery, and other accessories. And probably a bigger shop too!

Altered book roombox – I have put the steps involved in making this roombox in one of my picture trail albums (http://www.picturetrail.com/sandrainsydney.com) I am thinking that this might be a map shop, since the books are all on travel, so there is still a lot to do on this project too.

Conservatory – I had dismantled this for storage but will be remaking it permanently, and landscaping around it etc. In storage some of the flower baskets, which apparently were made of bread dough, disintegrated, so I have to replace many of them. I also want to include more of Kathy b’s lovely flowers instead of the lesser-quality ones I have.

Toy Shop – again, this was dismantled for storage but will be re-made permanently. I have collected the child dolls I wanted to put outside the shop, looking in, so they need to be dressed for the setting. I have many of the toys I need, and have acquired the stencils for the brickwork on the walls that I want to do. So hopefully it won’t be too major a job to get this project completed.

Quarter scale Sea Shanty – this kit is going to be my Christmas present from my husband, Peter. So it is another major undertaking this year.

All in all I think I have plenty to keep me occupied!