Fantasy Friday: An Art Deco House

Now that I've finished my Throwback Thursday posts on my previous builds, here is a "Fantasy Friday" post on something I'd like to build. 

Once upon a time, someone at Greenleaf asked, "What would be your dream dollhouse?"  I had recently discovered the dollhouses of Henry Colbert, and it was a no-brainer for me to pick his 1:24 scale Sun House.  (Check out the Sun House, as well as more of his houses, in the link above.  One has a pool, a pool, beautifully lit with blue LEDs under the resin water!)  While looking around to find good examples of similar dollhouses, I saw plans for a dollhouse in a 1937 issue of Popular Mechanics. A couple of versions apparently built from the plans can be found here and here.  I immediately fell in love with it.  The moderne, ocean-liner style of architecture with its art deco elements had me swooning.  It occurred to me that I might even be able to build it someday.  Someone else on Greenleaf has put together half-scale plans for this house, but I've been working on some of my own.  I have very specific requirements for the house, one of which is that it must fit on a bookshelf. 

My floor plan is not a true one-half of the original.  For example, the original kitchen was only 6 inches square, which would translate to 3 inches square in half scale—that is a tiny kitchen, and almost nothing would fit there.  I expanded both it and the dining room a bit, so that I could put furniture in them!

Second, there was no bathroom. I took some space from the bedroom to make one.  I couldn't do a moderne home without an eau de nil bathroom!  (Here are some examples that Henry made.)

The sink I have sitting on the plans will likely get swapped out for the one on the right, once I've affixed it to a pedestal.

As you can see, I've been collecting items and kits to be made up for the house, with a few more on the way.  (Hi, Shannon!  😊)

I've also been collecting ties, have purchased the Brodnax 1:24 scale leopard print fabric, and have been test printing some other fabrics to use in the upholstery for the deck furniture.  I won't necessarily use all the ties, but I like their patterns.  The tie second from the right is a beautiful silver color that doesn't really show up in the picture.

Take a look at this amazing art deco dollhouse that has provided further inspiration.  More information on it here and here.  Believe it or not, this house was originally designed in half scale.  Here is an example of the 1:24 version.  (Of course, it's no longer available on eBay, although I probably couldn't afford it if it were!)  The makers (Chris and Joan Rouch of Top Toise Designs) appear to still be in business, but they are based in the U.K. and don't have a Web site, and I'm not going to be making it across the pond to attend Miniatura.  😔

So there you have it.  Once I'm back in full build mode, I really hope to make this my next big project.  Stay tuned!

Gift Basket Update

We were on vacation in San Diego most of last week, but I got some time over this past weekend to work on my prototype gift baskets.  After my first sneak-peek post on the baskets, Sherrill suggested I add handles—perhaps thread wrapped around floral wire.  Well, I thought it was an excellent suggestion, so I did just that.  I used a larger gauge of floral wire for the 1:12 baskets (obviously).  Then I trimmed them both with a bit of holiday decoration—holly for the red basket and a poinsettia for the green basket.  What do you think?

I also had, I think, good success on making the half-scale mugs.  I used this method:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERQFymWkIZ8  I modified things slightly.  Of coruse, I changed the size of the paper strips (mine were just slightly less than ¼ inch wide).  Also, instead of quilling the bottom, I punched out  a circle of card stock.  I used a U.S. size 5 (3.75 mm, size 9 UK/Canadian) knitting needle for wrapping the cup itself.  I started trying to wrap the paper near the tip of the knitting needle, but had difficulty getting my edges to stay even.  Finally, I realized that I could wrap against the back of the needle, butted up against the needle cap, and this worked so much better! 

For the handles, I made my ring around a bamboo skewer.  It has a flat end, so I could push the ring down against my work table to keep it relatively straight.

I used Elmer's glue, because it dries hard and rigid, and I wanted a sturdy mug!  When it was dry, I coated it with a bit of gesso, sanded it, then painted it with white acrylic paint and sanded again with a piece of brown paper bag.  I wanted a thoroughly non-porous surface before giving it two coats of gloss white spray paint. Here you can see my two mugs flanking a manufactured half-scale mug that I already owned.  (Yes, I was experimenting on it with my nail decals, too. 😊)

And here they are with the 1:12 mugs.

I've now completed my 1:12 gingerbread men.

And filled all the baskets.

The half-scale green basket does have a bottle of brandy, but it's so short it doesn't show from the front.

I had a bunch of half-scale candy canes that appear to just be made of wire, but they look pretty good to me, so I put one in each of the smaller baskets.  The 1:12 candy canes I made from polymer clay, in my never-ending quest to actually get good at working with it!

The 1:12 baskets have a bit of extra space, but the 1:24 baskets are crammed pretty full.  Do you think I am missing anything?  Is there something else you would be expecting in a Christmas gift basket that I don't have?  As a reminder, each basket has a bottle of port or brandy, a book, gourmet hot cocoa mix, a Christmas mug, coffee, gingerbread men, chocolates, and a candy cane.

Thanks for stopping by, and hope you all have a great mini week!

Random minis

This post will be a bit of a mish-mosh, as several things have been happening.

First, Dollhouses, Trains and More, our local (about a 30-minute drive away) miniature and hobby store, announced that it would be closing its doors at the end of October.  ☹  It is sad to lose a brick-and-mortar store, especially one as large and well-stocked as that one, but the good news was that everything is 40% off.  We made a pilgrimage on Sunday, and I probably spent more than I should have, but I tried to buy things I knew I would actually use. 

A few highlights:

I bought a lot of frames, including one that was perfect for Samantha's cardinal painting, so that is finally framed and hung in the bungalow.  Woo hoo!

Second, I made a minor splurge on a Victorian settee to replace the rather ungainly day bed I had in the Fairfield's upstairs sitting room.  Now the end table looks a bit large (sigh), but I do think the settee fits the room better.  I still need to replace the pots on the etagere.

I also got half a dozen half-scale cats because I always like animals in my builds, and . . . 40% off!  I love this little cutie who has taken up residence on the rocking chair in the Fairfield kitchen.  The kitty-cat love of my life was a gray tabby with white paws and bib.  Effie likes having her as company in the kitchen.  She is an unusually well-behaved kitty and never gets on the table.  😉

My next project for the Fairfield is supposed to be the window boxes.  I have purchased several from Heritage LaserWorks and just need to make them up and fill them.  However, I've gotten sidetracked with my Christmas baskets.  I am trying to make truly equivalent baskets in both 1:12 scale and 1:24 scale.

Things I am thinking of including:

•   A box of chocolates (you've seen these already, but here they are again):

• A bottle of port or brandy.  The middle bottle is supposed to be 1:24 scale and is what I have been using in my half scale baskets.  The bottle on the right is a 1:24 scale "liquor" bottle.  I added some Gallery Glass to deepen the color.  I'll need to paint the top with Testor's and add a label.

•  Gourmet Hot Cocoa Mix.  The 1:12 jars aren't great, but the original jars I got seemed humongous to me.  I can never tell if that's because I am so used to working in half scale or they really are huge.  These are a bit smaller.

•          A book.  I have two different options.  A Christmas Carol:

And A Visit from St. Nicholas (aka Twas the Night before Christmas):

In both scales, A Christmas Carol has a full synopsis of the story; Twas the Night Before Christmas has the complete text of the poem.

• Christmas mugs.  Still can't find half-scale mugs, but I have a plan of action for making some, based on some mugs I received in a half-scale swap and a tutorial I found on YouTube.  In the meantime, here are the 1:12 versions.  These are just inexpensive 1:12 white mugs, decorated with fingernail decals.  I have a large pack of decals I bought to use for some Christmas decorations in the Merrimack, and they really stick well.  There are some tinier ones that should work on half-scale mugs.

•          Coffee

•          Gingerbread men. 

A couple of years ago, I bought a very nice mold from Stewart Dollhouse Creations for 1:24 scale, and I have been using that.  When I bought the molds for the 1:12 scale chocolates, I also bought a gingerbread mold, but I am not as happy with it.  So for fun, I thought I would see if I could make my own. 

I printed out a generic gingerbread man image in the size I wanted—a high-resolution version on paper and several regular versions on card stock.  I stacked four card stock men, with the high-res paper image on top, and after gluing them together, sanded around the edges. I used glue to outline the mouth and the wrist and ankle frosting (unfortunately, you can't really see that in the picture), and glued microbeads on for the eyes and buttons.   

I have some Easy Mold 2-part silicone putty from Blick; you mix equal parts together, and then you have about three minutes to make your mold.  It cures in 20 minutes.  It takes only a little bit each time, so I still have plenty left, even after all my experiments (and there were more than I detail here 😊).

On my first try, I glued a toothpick directly to the back of my gingerbread man and stamped him into the mold.  The problem was it was difficult to get an even impression, and the silicon tends to smoosh up around the edges, making it difficult to fill the mold with clay and then scrape any excess off evenly.

When, after a couple of tries, I realized that was just never going to work, I glued the gingerbread man to a small square of mat board, then glued a toothpick to the back.  I didn't try to stamp more than one cookie, and I left my prototype in the silicon until it had set.  

The silicon still pushed up around the edges, but I was easily able to slice that off with my utility knife, making a smooth, even mold that was easy to fill.

He's not perfect, but I don't think he turned out too badly.

And that was my mini week.  I won't be able to mini for a few days, but I'll definitely still be online to see other people's work, which is always such a treat.  Have a great weekend, everyone!

Flashback Friday: The Orient Express

I meant to get this out on Thursday, but life got in the way, so now it's a "Flashback Friday" post.  😊

My final build before the Sagamore Hill library was Jane Harrop's Camping Coach Kit.  Apparently, some railroad cars in the U.K. have been converted into static accommodations that people can rent as holiday cabins.  Jane has put together a beautiful kit that comes in both 1:24 and 1:48 scale.  It comes with everything, including the kits for all the bathroom and kitchen fixtures, as well as pages and pages of instructions with pictures.  It is very well made and went together beautifully. 

I, however, couldn't quite leave it as she designed it.  We love trains, and I really wanted to turn it into a true train car, and a luxury train car at that.  I based my build on the Orient Express, even though the real thing would obviously have separate dining and kitchen cars.

The first thing I changed was the compartment configuration.  The kit is designed to have two seating compartments, each with two benches facing each other.  I guess these convert to beds at night, or you just sleep on the benches?

I really wanted my train to have a day and a night compartment, but that obviously wasn't going to work with the original door and window configuration.  The bed would have almost completely blocked the door!

So I re-cut the walls using my Silhouette Cameo.  It won't cut through wood, so I created each of my walls from a layer of chipboard sandwiched between two layers of wood scrapbook paper.  I used Jane's exact window and door dimensions, so that the windows and doors she provided would fit.  (I know, in the picture below, my window looks smaller, but it isn't.)

Then I set about decorating my compartments.  The wood used in the kits was not the best and didn't particularly take stain well.  The woodwork in the real Orient Express is stunning and has lots of elegant inlays.  I ended up printing out wood "paneling," with some of the OE's inlays, and decoupaging it onto the walls.  I liked the "well polished" look the decoupage gave the wood.

For the carpet, I experimented with both printing on velvet paper and embossing velvet paper with my Cameo.   I ended up going with the embossed version, as some of my little accessories (like my OE slippers) were hard to see on the printed carpet.  I used beige carpet in the passenger compartments, and burgundy carpet in the corridors and in the dining area.

Below is a real-life OE "day" compartment.

I used neckties for my upholstery and was able to find some great lace to use for my antimacassars. The picture below is a test run, as you can tell from the wall and the carpet.

To recreate the pink-shaded lamps, I took some small, clear lamps I had purchased from Alpha Stamps, painted the bases silver with Testor's, and used pink Gallery Glass on the shades.

I added a hassock, a knitting bag, a book (Agatha Christie's 4:50 from Paddington), and a few travel magazines.

I also added a coat and shoes (that my traveler slipped off before putting her feet up on the hassock).  The shoes are made from Origami paper.

In the night compartment, I ironed beige twill fabric onto freezer paper so I could print the Venice Simpleon Orient Express logo on it, then added some ribbon in an attempt to create their signature blankets.

Then I added a ladder, some complimentary slippers, a nightgown and, of course, Murder on the Orient Express for nighttime reading. 

And what elegant lady would travel without her train case?  This one is made from painted cardstock, with latches "borrowed" from the Jane Harrop luggage kits (sold separately from the train kit, but located on the same page as the camping coach kits).

Here you can see both compartments from above.  One of Jane's suitcases is on the luggage rack.

The kitchen and dining area were fun to do.  All of the appliances came with the kit.  I painted them silver in an effort to give them a high-end, stainless steel appearance.

The table was so narrow, I had to stagger the place settings, but I think that's OK. 

The plates are the Etoile du Nord pattern, produced by Villeroy Boch for the Etoile du Nord dining car on the Orient Express.  (You'll need to scroll down a bit in the link.)  The napkin rings are crimp beads.  The champagne bucket is the metal mini I painted and supplemented with miniature plastic "ice."  The fire extinguisher is also a painted metal mini.  All of the food, except the dinner rolls, was purchased.

To make the bathroom a bit more elegant, I printed marble tile for the floor and walls, and painted the fixtures a glossy black.  Again, all the kits for the fixtures (with the exception of the towel bar and toilet paper holder) came with the main kit.

The only thing I needed to change on the fixtures was the toilet seat, which seemed way too narrow to me.  I ended up replacing this one with a chipboard one cut with my Cameo.  You can see the new seat in the picture below.

 I also added some toiletries and a basket of towels to my sink.

All of the lighting was affixed to the final wall before I glued it on and connects to battery-operated switches located under the train carriage.

A view from the corridor side:

One portion of the roof is glued on.  The other is removable, to make it easier to see inside.  I really wanted a tin ceiling for my train car, so I once again used my Cameo to emboss sheets of stick-on metal.  They call them stippling sheets because the Cameo isn't technically designed to emboss.  However, I found that I could use the embossing tool for the Curio, and tell my Cameo it was using the drawing pen.  I think it did a great job of embossing!

The kit is designed for the car to be up on blocks.  However, the hobby section of our local hardware store gave us an old G-scale freight car!  I removed the car portion and fixed my build to the top.

This did require some reworking of the stairs, since they were designed to fit with a much lower car.  In real life, the track would generally be sunk down below the pedestrian level of the station, but that was not a possibility for me.  I used what I could from the kit, and cut strip wood to add height to the stairs.

The latticework was designed to go along the entire bottom of the train.  I made a section of it as a stand-alone structure, both to hold the signs (which came with the kit) and to help obscure the batteries for the lighting.  

Here is a top down look at the nearly-completed train car.

And here is the completed train car living on our mantel.  The wood bench also comes with the kit, and we have added a Phoenix Models "Bygone Age" ice cream cart, along with some lamp posts and a popcorn stand made from pencil sharpeners.

At Christmas time, it got all dressed up.  🎅 😊

And that's it.  You're up to date.  Thank you so much for following along as I strolled down memory lane on all my previous builds.  Hope to soon have a post on the next project I'd like to do.

Enjoy your weekends!  Hope you all get a lot of mini time!