Etsy Shop Update

 Good day to you all!  I wanted to let you know that I have listed some of my handmade miniatures along with some vintage miniatures for sale in my Etsy shop!  It's been a while since I've offered my miniatures for sale.  I do love each one of them so but sometimes you've just got to clean house.  So I decided to share some!  There is always free shipping on my miniatures.  I also sell fabric scraps hand chosen with the tiniest patterns perfect for minis.

There will be more listed soon!  Please let me know in the comments if you have any requests for my handmade items that you have seen here on my blog!

You can visit my shop by clicking HERE

Thanks for looking and visiting!  

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Laurie 

Miniature Watering Can Tutorial

 Hello Folks!  I have to admit... these tiny watering cans make me drool!  

Black Cardstock has been my go-to and mini-making craft supply of choice for a while.  I used to use a lot of balsa wood but cardstock is every bit as sturdy when pieces are glued together with wood glue as any mini craft wood.  I just love it.

My mini watering can is made completely from cardstock.  Here's how I made it.  But first here's the can we are making in it's completed yumminess!

Ok so I measured nothing.  But the main part of the can is one inch tall.

Take the long, one-inch-tall piece and curve it around your fingers.  Place a little bit of glue throughout the paper as you go so it won't unravel.

Glue the edge flap down.

Once the oval can has dried, glue it to a piece of cardstock.   When it dries, trim the excess off.

Take a piece of cardstock and curve it for the front/top of the can.  Wood glue adheres at a fairly faster pace that regular craft glue.  Place glue on the top rim only about halfway around.  See the glue in this picture?  Just hold the piece on until it adheres to the top half of the can and trim off the excess.  

For the spout, take a piece of cardstock and roll it around a toothpick.  Glue the edge down.  Cut the ends at an angle, one to fit and be glued to the can and the other for the waterspout.

Curl to soften a strip of cardstock for the handle on top.

And curve a piece in two directions for the handle.

WaaLaa!  I feel that my instructions are very vague since I don't give proper measurements!  Sorry about that!  Cardstock is very forgiving as you can just trim and cut to your heart's desire!

And this is apparently how many colors of craft paint it takes to paint three mini watering cans LOL!!!  I mix different shades of gray and silver for the gray one.  And also use browns and oranges for the rust spots.

For a little bit of texture to your can to make it look old, basically glob your paint on the can, wait just a minute and dab it with a paper towel.  Dry brush brown in the creases to create depth and shadows.  And use dark oranges and browns together for rust spots.  And black also for age spots.

And now for a gallery of loveliness!

You can find my tutorial on the Vintage Metal Lawn Chair HERE!

I hope you are able to use this tutorial to make your own watering cans!  

Did you notice the old paint brushes??  I have a tutorial on how to make them next week!  

Please stop back by and check it out.  I think you'll love them!

XOXO

Miniature Laundry Cart Tutorial

Hello mini friends!  I don't quite recall what inspired me to create this little laundry cart.  I'm sure I saw a picture while scanning IG.  

I don't know about you, but for me working with wire is not easy.  The glue that I use doesn't want to adhere to wire and I don't know how to solder. Maybe I'm just not patient enough to wait for the right kind of glue to dry.  Even when I have been patient enough my projects would still fall apart.  So, in this project I use small strips of cardstock across the wire to hold it in place and simply make a tight pinched bend on the wire frame.  For the actual, rectangle frame I used tape.  Then when adding the canvas basket I used wood glue.  

When I made the first cart I didn't have trouble when I made the holes for the "wheels" from tiny eye hooks.  When making the second cart for tutorial pictures, the wood split.  I simply glued pieces of cardstock to repair the splits.  If you use something small, like a toothpick, to mash holes where the legs will be before screwing them in your wood shouldn't split.

I used an old piece of fabric for the basket.  You can also use drop cloth.

You can use whatever kind of stamping for the laundry business design that you have.  I wound up using some old leather punch stamps.  I call it Carriage House Laundry.  I ironed folded creases to go over the cart frame and glued them into place with wood glue.

I cut small strips of fabric for the handles and ironed a fold in the. and just glued them on.

The second cart went together a lot faster than the first one.  Trial and error!  

At first, I was going to add button wheels but decided in the end that they didn't need them.  

Hope you enjoy!!  

Share if you do!  

 

Miniature Vintage Lamp Tutorial

 Hello!  These lovely little faux vintage lamps are simple to make and look stunning and real in your miniature setting or dollhouse.  Just a side note before we begin to plug my Etsy shop... I  do sell these from time to time in my shop if you don't want to go through the trouble of making your own.  

They are made from plastic paint trays from Dollar Tree that come in a set of three (I think).  Other materials include a pre-made spindle for dollhouse furniture or stairs, jewelry findings, sewing pins, paint and glue.

HA!!  Below is a real example of my skills.. lol.  Don't know what I was doing with the edit to get the red marks.  LOL

I pre-poked holes into the center of the spindle on top and bottom to make with the pin to make it a little easier to insert.

Below shows the pin stuck up through the jewelry piece into the spindle.  You will want to apply glue to fix these permanently.

For the base coat I used a drop of paint mixed with a drop of clear drying glue and a tad of water.

Paint flowers using a few colors mixed on your tiny brush and apply using swooshes or paint in a circle.  Then paint leaves and branches if you wish.

I used chains from old earrings for the light pull.  Snip a pin and put it through the piece of chain then stick the pin into the side of the spindle for the chain pull look.  Cut your chain to the proper length.

I also painted the spindles.

Lastly, you will need to cut out your lamp shade and poke a hole in the center of the lamp shade, put a pin through a smaller jewelry finding and stick (with glue) into the top of the spindle.