Lighting the Way

 Now that the Main Event is over, I can relax by getting back to the Manchester project. While I am not quite ready to install the lights, I've been trying to figure out how to create miniature modern glass globe pendant lights for the kitchen. I began gathering tiny glass globes from Hobby Lobby, but I had some design dilemmas: how to attaching the chain to hang the lights from the ceiling and how to secure the light bulb in the globe. I received quite an Instagram gift when a random miniature post appeared in my feed: Miniature Escape,  (whom I didn't follow at the time) with this photo of her kitchen glass globe pendant lights. The solution as to how to hang and attach the globe is brilliant: a small Christmas ball tree decoration, like this one:

I found an entire container of these smallest of Christmas balls at ARC thrift store. The ball is a bit out of scale, and I wasn't really keen on the iridescent bubble effect, but what I really wanted was the wire hanger.

I had been collecting all sorts of glass globes from a variety of sources:

From left to right purchased from Hobby Lobby in the jewelry findings area. The first one is a pendant that will hold tiny flowers, shells, or whatever. I really like the 4th one, a perfume (or even blood) pendant with a screw on lid because of its shape. The last two I purchased from Just Miniature Scale. They come 4 to a package in clear or frosted. These are actually 1:12 scale, but seemed too small for the modern glass globe pendants. The first globe is the largest with a larger opening, as do the next three.  

There are also companies such as Chun Supplies that have great varieties of glass globes. This image will help you decide the size, and as you can see, the product ships from China. Do some searching on Etsy for local supplies closer to your area if you want items to arrive in a more timely manner. The problem with all of these, except the last two was that I only had one of each. I would have chosen the perfume globe with the screw-on lid, but couldn't find a second one.

This next photo shows the size of the openings. I selected the first one, which is not in the first photo.  

I ended up finding two globes with the fish net on them. That was a great win! that day at Hobby Lobby. So now you can see the light that I designed. 

                                                

The other components are easily sourced.

Decide on the type of globe you want and the size. Use an Etsy store to help you figure out size and perhaps to order from if you can't source the glass globes at a local craft store.

Left to right: 

• Nautical inspired net wrapped globe
• Bead cap
• The black bead cap I found long ago at Hobby Lobby and has since been discontinued. I bought several because they make such nice chandelier bases. You can find similar jewelry findings at Bindles Ornaments and Fire Mountain
• Tiny grommet. I placed the grommet inside the bead cap then threaded the light through it. The grommet helps to stabilize the bulb.
• Tree ornament hanger
• 12 volt bulb that you can source at any miniature online store

Assembling is a matter of stringing the component on the wire of the light bulb. You can add the hanger before or after. I have not yet glued the pieces together. I will use bead and glass glue that won't cloud the glass globe.

Note: I am using using copper tape wiring with a 12 volt transformer.

You will have your choice of a variety of light bulbs available at many of the online miniature supply stores. 

Any of these lights can be purchased at Cir-Kit Concepts. I especially like their new bulb--the top one--which I had hoped to use, but won't it won't fit in my globe, so I'm using the bottom one--not this one that I ruined.

Digging in my stash, I have a variety of bead caps that I tried on the various globes, but remember that while any one of globes would have worked perfectly, I only had one of each. 

You find a variety of bead caps in the jewelry supplies aisle of your craft store.

I have these items in my stash. These little grommets come in so handy for a variety of projects. If you want to make your lights, lamps, chandeliers, a nice bead stash is so handy. Bindles Ornaments in The Netherlands has great bead supplies that are fine quality, beautify, and affordable. They also off kits to that will help you learn how to build your own beautiful lights.

Fire Mountain is a good source online to find bead caps and chain.

These little LED lighting kits From Evan Designs are great to keep on hand. I make all of my table lamps using these kits, hiding the battery pack in a dresser or side table with doors. Click here a tutorial on how to create a lamp.

The only items on my Christmas gift list this year, aside from a collection of Lenox china mugs with song birds on them, was this light box--that accounts for the reflection of the light on the glass globes. I'm still learning how to use it, but I love it.

I have it set up on my ironing board. For its power source, it uses a USB plugin that attaches to my iPhone charger.

One of my goals for the Manchester was to make as much of the furniture and as many of the accessories and lighting that I could. I knew from the beginning what I wanted for the kitchen, lighting that I'd like in my real kitchen. I would never have thought of using Christmas decorations as lights in the dollhouse, but thanks to Miniature Escape, I found my solution, allowing me to bring my imagination to life. First, however, I had to get through the holidays and there certainly were days that I would have much preferred to have been working on my mini lights.

We had a wonderful Christmas celebration with friends and family. New Year's will be really quiet and then the next week we have 3 birthdays on the 3rd, 4th, and 7th, which means that I'll be running the Maker, making birthday cards. 

I hope everyone had a joyous holiday and that the New Year will bring joy, peace, good health, and that all your mini dreams come true.

Thanks for visiting. 

 

Enticed by a photo on my favorite coffee shop Instagram of a beautiful red mug filled to the brim with hot cocoa, topped with whipped cream, and embellished with cheerful red and white peppermint candy crumbs, I decided to make myself a cup of hot cocoa--mini style using Fimo soft polymer clay. I found two great YouTube tutorials to learn how to create my mugs. Both are great tutorials, but one worked best for me, Ashly DIY, while This Charming Stuff , one of my favorite clay artists, has a great tutorial, but I didn't get the best results.

So in this photo we see both methods. The top one is Ashly's method which uses scrap clay to fashion a foundation tube that is baked for 30 minutes then covered with foil to form a mold for the mugs. The white finished mug is my model mug, ordered rom Factory Direct Crafts

For the second method, the red mugs use the same premise of creating a mold from scrap clay, baking it to harden it, then wrapping the clay around the foil covered mold and baking it again. I liked this method because I could vary the shape of the mugs to create the taller mugs. 

So let's begin and see how things turned out.

I have plenty of scrap clay and I welcome any chance to use it up.

So here are four mugs that I created using Ashley's method.  

Roll out a length of clay and cut the width for the height of the mug. I tried to get my mugs the size of my example. Wrap that clay around the hardened mold, trying not to dent or crumple the clay. By now my clay has become quite soft from the warmth of my hands. It the clay gets really soft and hard to work, it can be chilled for 10 or 15 minutes to firm it up.

Once the handles are attached, the mugs are ready to bake: 230 degrees F for 30 minutes--or the recommended temperature and time according to clay package. I baked the red ones at 275 and they cracked.

 

I made two white mugs with better results. I wanted smaller mugs, but I'm sure they they are much smaller. I created a new mold and baked these at the correct temperature for better results.

Method 2 works on the same principle: create a mold out of scrap clay, cover with foil and bake to harden.  This artist then rolls out thin--key word "thin"--sheets that she wraps around the mold and rebakes, as my photos show. Again 230 F for 30 minutes.

Once baked mugs have cooled, she cut the top off and easily removed the mold from the center of the cup.

        

You can see my results. Disappointing. A massive fail. I was so disappointed and threw these in the trash. I didn't roll my clay thin enough and the the narrow opening at the top made it impossible to grab the mold to remove it.

 

                   

Next, fill the cooled mugs--pick the best ones of your batches--fill about 3/4 the way with more scrap clay. 

So engrossed in my work, I forgot to photograph this step, but the Ashley tutorial will show you: use Sculpty or Fimo liquid clay with chocolate pastel dust mixed in, which you will dab on top of the scrap clay, covering it. Insert a candy cane and top with a bit whipped cream--white clay thinned down a bit with liquid clay and sculpted into a dollop or shape tiny marshmallows. Bake again to set the the liquid Fimo and to secure the candy cane in place.

I had to make the candy canes, too. Really very easy: roll out a thin rope of white and one of red (or green) then simply twist them together. Here the mug of hot cocoa and the candies that I made were ready to bake: 230F for 10- 15 minutes.

I had fun making more candy canes, suckers, ribbon candy and hard candies and putting them in little jars, making me wonder if maybe some day I might create a candy store. 

My mugs look a bit rustic, certainly hand made, but while I was out shopping yesterday, I found a mug that had been purposed designed with that handmade, imperfect charm. I felt better about my own little mugs. I finished the red ones with a coat of polymer glaze to make them shine.

Merry Christmas friends. It's been such a fun and exciting year for us in our miniature studios. I've enjoyed watching you build, create, discover, and thankful that you have taken the time share your work with us. 

I didn't decorate my little village of houses in the basement, but I will share with you my Christmas village that I set up every year.

Have a joyous holiday season. See you next year.