Miniature Book Tutorial

Good morning all!! Today I am sharing how I make books for my dollhouse projects.  A lot of people make really realistic looking books with specific jackets that seriously look like miniature versions of life-sized books.  And while these are great and awesome, it's not really my style.  I've tried to make them like that and have never been truly happy with the results of what I made.  So... I came up with my own simple book making version.  Although I am sure I am not the only one who does it this way.

I plagued myself some years ago by acquiring a packet of legal sized paper for my printer.  I say "plagued myself" because how often do you truly need legal sized paper.  Since then I won't allow myself to buy regular sized copy paper until this batch is gone.  Yet somehow each time I get out a little bit of paper to use the pack seems to have grown.  So it forces me to print regular sized documents on legal sized paper.  When I'm done I always snip off the three-ish inches left at the bottom of the page... and you know I just can't seem to throw this slack away.  So I use it for various projects when I need it, such as making tiny books!  :)  Here's how I do it...

I simply water down some paint.  Usually browns, tans and I sometimes add a bit of yellow.  I brush it onto both sides of the paper and place them on cooling racks in my kitchen to let them dry.  They naturally tend to curl up a bit.  Once they dry I get out my paper slicer and slice them into strips.  Then I stack them together and cut the strips into lengths of about an inch or whatever size I feel like making the books.  I then stack a wad of the cut pieces, straighten them up and trim if necessary.  I will take a skinnier strip of paper for binding and use my handy wood glue on the straight end and glue the binding strip to the stack.  I let that dry by clamping with a clothespin and leaving it alone.  Then I trim the binding.  And there are your book pages.  

You can cover them however you wish.  My favorite way to cover my books is with fabric.  Especially vintage fabric with tiny prints!  I recently acquired a new (to me) batch of old fabric at a local quilting store.  Quilting stores always have cheap scraps and for miniatures scraps is all you need.  I cut a piece and glue it on to the outside of my book pages then trim the edges.  And then I am left with the prettiest little books!  You can also add binding labels or labels to stick on the front or whatever you wish!  Here are one thousand pictures of how I do it :)

Ahhhhh... a picture of my messy work station with a handy bowl of paint water left over.

Seriously, the equivalent here is about six to eight books from two 4 x 8 pieces of leftover paper. 

This fabric stash is seriously dreamy.  

Miniature Tea Kettle Tutorial

Good morning!  While I don't so much like being awake during the night with my mind racing, I don't mind so much when I have an idea on a mini!  I recently tiny wooden bowls at Hobby Lobby in the woodworking section.  They are super easily painted for any bowl needing situation.  I have to admit that I am not the best clay bowl maker... at all.  So these were a joy for me to stumble across.  My "middle of the night" idea was to turn one of the little bowls over and make a tea kettle for my new stove.  :)  I was pleasantly surprised yesterday that my idea worked great!  Here's how I made them.

Back to the vintage buttons that I love so much!  I got REALLY lucky when I found the old raised rhinestone button for the copper kettle!  I also found a green domed button that I used pliers to break the back off of.  For the vine kettle I used a regular button and a flat topped button glued on upside down.

I also used cardstock.  A long piece for the handle and a piece to roll up for the spout along with the wooden bowls and Elmers wood glue.

I rolled the spout piece of cardstock around a toothpick and placed a little glue inside the roll to hold the shape.  Allow to dry and snip the excess. When the glue has dried, snip the spout at an angle on one end so it will fit snug on the kettle.

Roll one end of the long skinny piece into a curly Q and pull the rest of it over a paint brush handle or pencil to round.

Glue the buttons on the bottom of the bowls and snipped spouts.

Glue one end of the handle at a time and allow to dry somewhat before you glue the other end.

So cute already!  Once the glue is secure, paint as you wish with a teeny brush.  You always have the option of painting your pieces before hand.  I wasn't sure it I would paint the whole thing or not so I waited til the end.

The copper one is my favorite... I think :)

Fun-kin Floor Tutorial

Howdy all!  Many have asked lately how I go about installing the floor in my Fun-kin (carve-able craft pumpkins) dioramas.  Since I am in the process of beginning a new one I thought I'd share how I build up and install the sub-floor in my projects.  I totally understand how this can be mentally time consuming because I've been there and even though this process has several steps it has worked for me in my last three pumpkins.  The first ones worked as well but we won't go into how the floor is being held up lol.  This method is the easiest for me but still involves a measure of patience.  But if you are a mini-maker like me you've already got the patience part down pat!  Here goes.

I have a piece of Styrofoam that came in a parcel at one time.  It is one inch thick already so I just cut three squares about an inch each.  This is not exact measurements because Styrofoam somewhat falls apart anyway.

I also use cardboard at double strength, meaning double ply... I guess.  It's just thicker and stronger.  I cut a circle about the size of a saucer for this pumpkin because it smaller.  Anywhere between six or seven inches works for the larger pumpkins.

Place the foam pieces around the bottom inside.  You will see that they are at different heights because the bottom of the pumpkin has different heights.  Then place your piece of cardboard on top of these along with your level straight across.  Turn your level in a couple of different positions to see where the floor is higher.  Then take out that piece of Styrofoam and gently slice off a sliver and level again.  Do this until you've got the bubble in the center of your level.

Carefully remove the Styrofoam one piece at a time and place glue on the bottom.  Glue it back down on the spot you picked it up from.  I use Elmers Wood Glue (for everything) for this.  You can use a glue gun BUT with the thickness that hot glue can add you might not be level when you get done.  After you glue each piece, glue your cardboard circle (I put glue on the cardboard itself not on the tops of the foam) to the tops of the Styrofoam and place something heavy on top like a soup can or something and leave it for at least an hour to adhere well.  Now you've got your subfloor.... yay!!!

Back to your cardboard to trace around your pumpkin as best you can. I hold my pencil straight up and go around the outside.  Don't measure at the base because your circle will be too small. Cut the circle out carefully.

When you cut your circle out be sure to make a B and F for "back" of the pumpkin and "front" of the pumpkin on your cardboard.  Next, draw a straight line from the front to the back of your circle and carefully cut the circle in half.

Obviously this circle is too big but that's how it is supposed to be because you're going to trim it down as needed.  Place one side in the pumpkin and trim where necessary to get it to easily lay on top of your subfloor.  This could require a little bit or a lot of trimming and it doesn't have to fit exactly to the walls. Just as close as you can.

You can use a pencil to mark areas that need to be trimmed.  Take out the cardboard and trim with scissors and try it again.

Once you've got the one piece pretty good put the other half in and trim until it fits inside.  It will be laying partly on top of your piece that you've already trimmed.

Draw a little mark of where the bottom half meets the new half.

Hold it tight and take both pieces out.  Flip them over and draw a line of where you need to cut this half so they both fit.  See the next pictures. 

Cut down your line... just cut a little better than I did LOL!  I used scissors to flatten out that oceanic curve I had going! 

Place them both in your pumpkin.  The new piece is going to need trimming a touch to fit right.

Get out that handy level and see how you did.  I had to work on mine trimming on the outside of my pieces for them to lay flat and level.  It can get a touch frustrating at times. But it will eventually level up because you already leveled your subfloor.

Make two little notches with your pencil on the back wall so when you take out a piece at a time to glue down you will put it right back in the same spot.

Glue down one piece at a time and place something heavy on top to hold in place while the other piece is still there.  Once that piece has had time to adhere, take out your other piece, place glue on the underside and place back in the pumpkin.

And that's it!  You're ready for whatever flooring you wish!  The cardboard doesn't have to be perfect because it won't be seen once your floor is down and your flooring will likely be trimmed a small piece at a time to fit against the wall more evenly.  Even so, your pumpkin will be filled with goodies so the edges of your floor won't be seen as much as you think at this point. 

And that's how I install and build up my floor in my Fun-kin projects!  Have fun!!