miniature screen door

I woke up way too early again Wednesday morning.  I was up at 3:45 am putting a movie in the dvd player at my work station and making a tiny deer antler.  The thought crossed my mind to make a screen door for my room box but was quickly kicked out because I couldn't think of anything I could use for the screen.  Later in the morning I was cleaning out my cabinets in the laundry room and I found a piece of a plastic mesh bag from some garlic that I ordered for the garden several years ago that I kept for instructional purposes.  I tossed it in the trash bag then my eyes did that "thing" they do when a miniature is made in seconds in my imagination from something that is trash.  It's kind of a frozen-in-time-eyes-cut-to-the-right-far-off-and-away-brows-narrowed-to-a-straight-line-look.  I love inspiration.  Here's semi-steps to what I made.  It took most of the afternoon simply because of glue and paint drying.  Love you!!!

Supplies, minus the paint and exacto knife.  My favorite glue to use for everything, measurements, balsa wood, Cracker Barrel carved toothpicks, fingernail file, and the plastic mesh bag piece I found.

Aren't these fantastic?!?!

I used my exacto knife to trim the detail off the tops of the toothpicks.  A couple of them were launched in the air when they snapped off till I figured out a way to avoid that.  They're probably under the stove right now :)

So apparently, in my trance, I didn't take pictures of the wood cutting and sanding steps (or painting).  I found sizes for a normal sized screen door on pinterest and divided the measurements by 12 to get to 1/12" scale.  My measurements got kicked out of the water a bit because 1. I have a crappy ruler, 2. I can't follow my own directions & 3. I like to use scrap pieces of wood from my stash and make-do.  4th child syndrome :)

The thing I like about the wood glue is that it adheres pretty quick and I can scoot my project so it doesn't stick to what I have it drying on.  My fingers are covered in drying glue at this point.

Painted plastic mesh.  Better than I thought it would be.

I had to cut it into two pieces to cover.  The bag had sat for so long stapled to the label that it had a folded mar.  I had to glue in steps and hold it down to flatten it out.  It didn't really flatten out but the beauty of finished products (and not getting discouraged) is that you don't really notice at the end.

I wound up cutting strips of extremely thin balsa wood to cover the screen on the back of the door.  I was afraid it would start letting go over time.

I was a little stumped on the door handle.  I went through beads and cardstock ideas and settled on cutting one more spindle from the toothpicks, painting it and gluing it on two seed beads for a pull handle.  I like it a lot.

 Progress mess (actually cleaned up somewhat) cause the door is finished at this point.  Tiny projects = huge mess!

I've skipped the entire painting process :(…

So I tried to crackle paint for the first time.  It semi-worked.  I first painted the door (before the screen was glued in) with white craft paint.  Then covered it with cheap white glue and painted gray craft paint over the glue while it was still wet.  It crackled a little but not like I had hoped.  I then went over some edges lightly with watered down black paint.  I used sawdust that I colored with a drop of green craft paint and a drop of water for the moss and decayed look.  Forgive me for no pictures?

I whipped up a clay circle and baked it, covered it with scraps of material and lace, moss and a primitive star that I aged and tied it to the top.  I like it but I wished I had a primitive heart to go on it for Valentine's Day.

Mid-Set-Up.  I made everything here except for the cloche, window and flowers.  I do love the little window because I can change out the scenes by just printing a picture and taping it behind it.

 I'm in love!

a tiny washtub

if you follow my instagram you've already seen this little gem.  even if you have... i'll tell you anyway.  :)

recently, we had a weekend four wheeling trip planned.  our first camping trip in over a year and a half.  as I was getting ready for bed the night before, i noticed a small bottle of mouthwash in the trash.  little did I know i was to wake up at 1:30 am and make something out of it.  something just wouldn't let me go.  i had to... although i did wait until 2:30 am.

this tutorial shows the washtub being made from a small wine bottle... the kind that comes in a four pack.  i like to buy the four packs to cook with when making sauces that call for just a half cup or cup.  if i were to open a normal sized bottle it would ruin.  see the logic?

i simply cut off the bottom of the plastic bottle, glued on ribbon handles and details around, painted and distressed using colored sawdust.  i really like the way this turned out!!

i also used a nail file to smooth out the rough cut edge.

i found this ribbon at hobby lobby.  i found it easy to separate the strands.

i scored the sawdust from my dad's woodshop.  you just stir it around with tiny drops of paint.

the painting took several coats (of several shades of gray, black, white and a silver finish).  i guess i thought watching paint dry was too boring to take pictures.

the rusty sawdust can cover up imperfections.

thanks for checking this out!

xo

whatcha readin?

Thought I quit reading did you?  Thought I stopped frequenting the library huh?  They wish!!!  The rates actually went down forty bucks for out-of-county members this past year!!  Who was excited??? me.

One of my January goals was to read two books for the month.  Well, it's January 17th and I've got 1 plus 1/4 down... 3/4 to go!  I visited the juvenile fiction section to do so but hey... whatever it takes.  I'm not a real fast reader unless it really peaks my interest.

I read The Uncommoners by Jennifer Bell.  I'll never look at a toilet brush the same.  Read it.  Super cute.  I'm now reading a compilation of short "peculiar" stories (picture of book below).  I also finally broke down and let myself buy Country Living... British Edition magazine a couple weeks ago... it's in the pics with all the post-it tabs sticking out.  Oh how I love this magazine.  So inspirational and dreamy.

ALSO! The Fairy Gardening book... I have very high hopes of turning most all of my potting this Spring and Summer into tiny worlds.  Why not?!?!  Especially my kitchen sink/potting station by the basement.  Why yes... it will have dishes and flowers that look like suds this year... thanks for asking!

And I still have flowers on my table... always.  The enamelware milk jug came from Uncle Randy.  It's one of my favorite things.

Movies and Miniatures

Two of my favorite things.  Sometimes done together... sometimes not.  I have favorite movies that I love to watch, at my kitchen work area, that I have seen a hundred times and some that I've only just rented from the library.  Sometimes I am painting a newly made mini and sometimes I create on inspiration.  And sometimes my minis start one way and take on the affect of what I'm watching... leading me to always remember what movie was on while I made a piece.

This piece was an idea I had while at work, partly.  The side table here I made while watching Pirates or the Caribbean.  Which I think gave it a more nautical look when finished.  The first picture shown.. its not quite finished.  The candle does light up and flicker.  I've been thinking about that part for months.  This is just my first one.

This photo is taken in my new roombox.  I made it while watching Alice in Wonderland (Johnny Depp version).

Every piece seen here was handmade by me... except the tiny flowers on the wall... Jesus made those.

This little basket I made last night while watching The BFG (big friendly giant).  I can't believe I've not seen this movie! (Or made a teeny basket like this before)  I woke this morning at 4:37 thinking about coloring some sawdust that I got from my Dad's woodshop for moss.  So I got up, colored it, and glued it on.  Such a difference!!  I love it :)

This picture is also in my roombox.  The roses I found just yesterday at Hobby Lobby.  They had several colors and seeing as how I'm not good at making flowers (yet) I was tickled to find them.  The basket I've had for years and the table I made.

I love and mossy look so much.  I also added it to my fireplace this morning.  I couldn't help myself.

Yes.. I've missed you too... terribly.  Let's not get into the where, how or whys.  :)

Yours Truly,

Laurie

P.S. I am on Instagram... hulseylaurie… you can see my candle in action there.  xoxo