Wallpapering 2.0

I've joined a Face Book group, Dollhouse Miniatures, Tutorials, and DYI. It's a closed group, so those interested in joining have to request admission and then be accepted. There are rules, but basically members are supposed to only post their 'how-to' tutorials. Face Book is not particularly my forum, blogging is, but I get such good ideas and it's so much fun to share mine. One question those new to dollhouse building have is how to or when to wall paper, so here is a brief tutorial on how I wallpaper.

To begin: with a new build it is wise to make templates before you assemble the pieces. I use a roll of butcher paper because you can cut large pieces. You will get an accurate template of the house's walls.

If you are renovating a thrift store find (lucky you!) then I use computer paper and press it against the wall, running my finger around curves and widows and doors so that I have impressions then cut out what I need to, such as this template that has been pieced together and taped. Someone asked me why I didn't make templates when I started the house. I did. But I forgot where I put them. This house has been a three year project.

This is my attic room in the Bellingham Farmhouse. You can see that is a very difficult space.

Cutting: I use a metal ruler as a cutting edge and an Exact blade,  with a new blade. I also have used a rotary cutter, and my scrapbook paper cutter (like the one in you school's art room. Mine's a Martha Steward. Great for straight lines.) I've left the white border otherwise the sheet is too short. It will be covered with crown molding and base board. This is Itsy Bitsy. I like the company because the walloper is nice quality and the company offers coordinated patterns in nice collections.

 Now the paper is in place. I used Grandam Stover's Mucilage, a nice gooey paste that goes on nicely. I spread it on the back of the wallpaper and and put the piece in place. I use an old credit card to smooth out the air bubbles and the excess glue.  You can see that it laps over the the corned, covering up the gap in the corner--and there was a gap between the two walls. Add 1/2" inch on each side.

You will see that the side wallpaper will slide nicely right into the corner and you have a very clean corner where the two walls join.

Even on the right wall, I have a nice corner. Not sure if I will paper that far wall. It's an attic.

This just may my favorite room of the house, I think. 

Wallpapering can be daunting for new builders. Here are some suggestions:

• Start with a simple room, a nice box. Make a a template; best before you assemble the house, but not always possible, especially if you are doing a remodel.
• Measure twice or three times or how ever many you times need to get a perfect template, cut once.
• Where to buy wallpaper: I use http://itsybitsymini.com because of their  variety of papers and and the quality. I also use scrapbook paper because there is such a great variety or patterns and it is cheap. In fact I used scrapbook paper in every room of the Bellingham Farmhouse, except for this attic room because I couldn't find anything I liked. Remember to keep the scale of your house in mind when you select a printed paper. 
• I have made all of the mistakes, ripped, torn, cut too short, not ordered enough of a discontinued paper--a I found a very nice lady online who was able to find a piece. Bless her. Finger Tip Fantasies Dollhouse and Miniatures in Deleware. I've had to remove paper, because my wiring failed,  so buy a bit extra. 
• How much wallpaper should you buy? I have found that even small rooms may require three sheets. Scrapbook paper will require more.
• Keep a damp cloth handy to wipe away glue the has gotten on the wallpaper. Wipe gently because you will wipe away the ink. I spay the scrapbook paper with a sealer to strengthen it. 
• Print your own? For me it takes too much printer ink and I've never tried to set the ink. I just wouldn't print wallpaper. Some do very successfully. 
• In the end, you will do what works best for you based on these things: skill, desired results, budge. 

I read all kinds of suggestions for glue: hot glue, tacky glue, regular wallpaper glue for the real houses, but Friends it pays to buy quality products, so I use glues sold by wallpaper outlets because they spread nicely, clean up easily, and removed easily.

Good luck with your wallpaper projects.

Exciting New Finds!

If you are like me, you are always looking miniatures--everywhere. I found this soap dishes at the Garden Center. Perfect size for 1:12 bathrooms.

The Westville is scheduled to get a total remake. It didn't have a bathroom to begin with--now it has a bathtub. I will use a free standing faucet from Shape Ways if I can't make my own. Pink has to approved everything. She likes it. Thankfully.

I searched the Internet to see if these cute tubes are available anywhere else and they are. 

That's all I have. Thanks for visiting.

Pitchers, Galore

Here is an easy project for a quiet evening in your miniature workshop: a vintage pitcher. Once you make one, you will want to make more. 

Before I begin, I must give credit to Tutorials for 1:12 Miniatures for her wonderful instructions and access to the images, so I'll direct you there to get the instructions and to find the pre printed patterns that all you have to do is to print the pattern--well a little more than that. You will download the image that you want. From your preview screen, copy the image in a Word document.

In the Word document, size your image by changing the original height size to 3 inches. You will find that tool in the upper right hand corner of your Word tool bar. Microsoft Word is not just a word processor; it has some very handy, limited and simple imagine editing tools, so get the know them and make your life simple. I do all of my minis editing in Word.  I also print my practice project on plain computer paper then print the final on either card stock or the free 4x6 photographic papers that come with the packet of photo paper.

I use a stylus that is specifically made to score paper, but if you don't have one, use a card maker bone folder, or another blunt tipped tool to crease along the fold line of the triangles that will be folded inward to provide a platform for the bottom of the pitcher to get a clean folding line.

I used Elmer's glue to glue pieces, holding them in place with clip style tweezers.

I am not sure why the pattern includes two handles, unless you want to glue them together so that underneath of the handle has the pattern on it instead of plain white.

Can I say that I am proud of my accomplishment. As a prototype, it turned out nicely. The tulips fit in the water pitcher nicely. I'll make the third Queen Ann's Lace flower to fill it out.

Sweet

I tried it out on the kitchen table. I like it. Originally the flowers were supposed to go in the attic bedroom that I am working on, but I like them in the kitchen. My final pitcher will be made out of card stock for a sturdier pitcher.

Tell me: Too many polka-dots?

Dishes found at Michael's in garden fairy section

Thanks for dropping by. 

Stepping out of My Comfort Zone: Flower Making

After watching bloggers with more expertise and experience than I have create beautiful flowers, I finally caved to the urge to try my hand at making flowers. I want flowers for the attic bedroom in the Bellingham farmhouse, so I decided to make them. I ordered two kits from ItsyBitsy. com and went to work. The first kit contained six pink tulips. 

 I followed the instructions, using a stylus to shape the petals into little tulip cups. I posted this on Face Book, only to receive criticism that tulips in arrangements are usually closed up. Excuse me, but there are tulip blooms that open up all the way. So I'm good.

I am not so sure that I like the black stamens, but then they are authentic, and I was criticized for them, too.

I was actually pretty proud of myself for accomplishing flower making.

Compared to the little dried flowers, the tulips have more character and look fresh and will look nice in the bedroom.

I also bought Queen Ann's Lace. I made those last night. I love them and I think they turned out better than the tulips, I think.

I used a tooth pick to put a dab of glue one each petal. They are very small.

I did not attach the leaves because they would fit in the vase. I'll glue them in separately.

At the moment, I am using a glass jar that I purchased in the jewelry aisle at Hobby Lobby. The tall tulips require a tall vessel. Flowers in floral arrangements should be 1 to 11/2 inches above the rim of the vase. These are plenty tall, then.

The Queen Ann's Lace adds fullness and interest to the tulips.

Making these kit flowers, or any hand made, hand cut flower is so time consuming, but a lot of fun and a good sense of accomplishment when you are finished. I will buy more kits and get better, but for those on budget there is another way to make pretty flowers. I purchased this packages of flowers at Hobby Lobby. They are pretty, affordable, and come in a number of colors.

In my stash, I have a variety of sizes of floral and jewelry wire. This one is a small floral wire.

I use my jewelry long nose pliers to twist a loop a the end of the wire.

Then I fold the loop down, perpendicular to the stem. The blossom will be glued to the loop.

 I squeeze out some tacky glue out on my work top butcher paper so that I can just dip the stem head in and then place it on the back of the flower. Simple. Clean.

The bouquet fits nicely in this little vase, but needs some help.

 When I put loose stemmed flowers in a vase, I often put a rubbernecked band around the stems to keep the flowers in a nice tight bouquet, so I wanted to do the same with this bouquet to create a nice bunch.

I used floral tape to weep the flowers together  to bunch them up. I also bent the end of the stems to create sort of a base that will rest in the bottom of the vase.

Now the flowers looked a little more natural.

Now they don't, so I worked with them a little more.

The wire for the stems is a small gauge and bends very easily, so it was simple to spread the flowers to a bit and position them.

I am learning more and more each day as I work with my minis. The other bloggers whom I follower inspire me and challenge me to push myself beyond what I think I can do. I learn so much from the blogs and from the Face Book Group, too. Thank your friends for your inspired work, sharing your mistakes, frustrations, fixes, and solutions. Your lists of materials and vendors are always so helpful an I have discovered good resources. Again, thank you. 

Shedding Light on the Subject

I'm making lamps for the attic bedrooms. This one is for the girl's room. My original instructions came from Dollhouse Miniature Furniture Tutorials: 1 inch. I was thinking about how much work we go to create a room to make it believable, charming, and realistic and that's what makes the hobby so much fun, living out our fantasies, revisiting our childhoods, maybe, channeling our creative nature. And I am so glad that you are here with me. Thank you. 

So before I get down to business here, I posted my electrical problems on the Face Book group that I belong to that focuses on tutorial and how-to's. I don't think that I am allowed to to mention my blog there, so I am re-writing the tutorial that I wrote for Face Book. I have sosmetimes directed readers to go the blog, asking them to comment if they visit, but it is very hard to get them to sign on or leave a comment, so I am ever grateful for the handful that visit me here and take the time leave a little something to make me smile. 

More importantly, however, aside from my own ego, are the horror stories that those miniaturists told about their own experiences with the MFD kits and tape wire. Seems that a lot of people have heart ache over the eyelets or brads coming loose from the composite wood. Round wire and batteries seem to be the solution, but there is another that I have seen on Greenleaf's forum, so I began to practice yesterday: Soldering. 

A bit scary at first, but I think I am getting the hang of it. Might need stronger glasses, tough. My bifocals may need updating. 😁My sweet hubby bought me a simple soldering kit from Amazon, so I finally got brave and tried it out, after doing a bit of reading about how to use it. 

I put a piece of copper tape on a little piece of wood, striped off the plastic covering and went to work. A bit messy, (and out of focus), but I got the hang of it. The connections are secure and strong.
Could this be our answer to brads and eyelets?

I practiced connecting wire to wire, using round wire and with some practice I think I have that down, too, except for the glob that is not good. The one comment on Face Book said that it is a weak spot and told me to flux to help the flow of the solder and to help it attach to the wire.

One note: the small shrink tubes will not fill over the joint. I have larger ones, but they add bulk, but soldering these splices is superior to just twisting wires together and putting the shrink tube on because the splice is not secure. Solder reduces that mishap.

So here is my parts list:

• Hobby Lobby cabinet. Cheap. I don't like to paint or drill my vintage Shackman furniture.
• Evan Designs, a web store that sells parts for hobbies: a lithium battery kit
• Shrink tubes Electrical tape
• Wooden spindle with extra wood removed and hole drilled down the center
• jewelry finding: tube. probably 1/32-3/32 in diameter. 
• Lamp shade kit. This one is out of order on most sites. Very hard to find, but there is a lamp kit in the online stores that has all of the parts or you can visit 1 inch minis to see how Kristen builds support for the lamp shade and you will find dozens of tutorial on Pinterest for lamp making and lampshade patterns. Search 'lamps' on my side and you will find my previous tutorials.
• Tool: drill--either a thumb drill or a Dremel. I put my spindle in a vice on my workbench in the garage to secure it in place then use my Dremel with the round cutter blade to remove the ends of the spindle and to drill. I used two bit sizes to drill the hole: 1/32 and then the 1/16. You may have to use a sharp blade to hollow out the top of the hole to make your jewelry tube fit.

To splice the wires from the battery to the LED together, read the instructions that come with the light, but it is red to red. Green to black. The wires on the left are the batter. Do not insert the battery yet to avoid a possible short.

To begin: drill a small hole in the top of the furniture piece that you hide the battery. 1/16 bit or big enough to accommodate your wiring.

Assemble your lamp. Insert the jewelry tube, insert the LED.

Now begin splicing the LED wires to the battery wires.

Twist the wires to tether. The LED wires are much smaller than the more rigid battery wires, so it is sort of a one sided twist. If you are going to use shrink tubes instead of solder, put them in place before splicing the wires.

Solder. I think for my very first try, I did okay. the shrink tube will not slide over this splice.

So I cut a small piece of regular electrical tape to keep the bare wires from touching, avoiding a short.

Not very pretty, but the splices will be hidden.

I wind the wires in a circle and tuck them inside the cabinet, with the switch easy to get to.

I used craft acrylic paint, two coats and fingernail decals. Some who are talented (I am not) can paint their decoration, use water slide decals, cover shade with fabric or wallpaper or craft paper. Create whatever looks you want. I love my lamps. Search 'lamps' to see my other lamps.

I am excited to get this little room finished. I have wallpaper on order. Oh and the little photo. I love that one. It's grand parents celebrating their wedding by eating cake on a bride to somewhere. Early 20th century, Kansas. My dad was born in 1917, so 1918. They are married in a double ceremony with grandpa's brother and his bride, Renny and Goldie.

Finally, the Bellingham farmhouse lighting has been patched. It was a messy fix. I simply ran round wire from the point of origination for the electrical system to the wire on the second floor where the kitchen lights are connected and the lights are on, again. I'll hide the wire best I can. I do think that I will end up soldering the top connection because it tends to be sensitive to touch since the eyelets don't seem to be in tightly secured or the wires or something. 

So glad that you stopped by. Perhaps you have noticed that I add a Pin feature to my photos, so feel free to pin my good photos.😜

Have great weekend. Next, the Roy Rogers lamp.