Two little projects: marbling and a cardboard chaise

I looked at a few images of marble on Google to get the idea of how marbling should look and here is the result on the salon fireplace mantle

If you've ever though of trying it just go for it! I started with a layer of black then sponged on 3 different shades of dark grey in patches (changed the colour by mixing increasing amounts of grey and white into the black I started out with).  For the 'veining' is used a slightly diluted light grey and a soft brush with very few bristles, twisting it a bit as I went and that's what created the various widths within of the lines. They I added some very fine lines of off white over the grey veins here and there. Be sure to continue the veins over the edge of the piece. It's not nearly as hard as it looks and if it doesn't turn out right the first time just paint over it and start again. 

When I was stuck in the apartment because of the ankle injury a few months ago I made this little chaise. 

Because I couldn't get down to the basement workshop to use wood and power tools I was stuck with just cardboard, specifically box board because I didn't have any matt board at the time and couldn't get out to shop. I forget exactly what I used for the back legs, a couple of bits of thin table legs I think but I'm not entirely sure. The roll in the chaise body and the cushion insert are balsa dowel. 

The biggest mistake I made was using a piece of scrap dress lining fabric for the upholstery, it's shiny, synthetic and wasn't nice to work with (not pliable enough) but it was the only bit of green that I had and that's the colour I wanted. I'd never use that type of fabric again, no matter how much I thought I wanted a particular colour. Green was my colour of choice because I was thinking of putting it in the salon and thought that it might be nice if a piece of furniture in there echoed the green in the kitchen since both are on the same level but after all that trouble I have now decided it's going the Brocante. 

That's it for today :)  Next to come are the salon mirror and something on the bathroom but don't expect it too soon - two posts in two days is one thing - three in three is something entirely different! 

Beginning the bathroom (and seeking your opinions)

Firstly thanks so much for your encouraging and interesting comments on the previous post about the kitchen, I appreciate every single one of them.

As I mentioned I've started on the bathroom, still lots to do but at last I can see how the brass bathtub looks.   It's actually a soap dish, to my great delight I found it on eBay - Susanne @ Miniature Dreams used to have one on her blog header and I always admired it so I was excited to find one of my own. I thought it would be perfect for the old French bathroom and I'm happy to see that it looks right at home.

The bathroom is at the back of the house, above the kitchen.  Part of the bedroom will be in front of it with a doorway for 'ensuite' access.  (The door that you can see below is the hallway/bathroom door.)

When the dividing wall between the bedroom and bathroom goes in the bathroom will be visible only through that doorway and the side window.  There will also be a mirror on the wall opposite the vanity so that it, and the accessories on it, can be seen (perhaps 'glimpsed' is a better word) from the front.

I couldn't find an old fashioned toilet so I made one.  

I started out with this modern unit...

I microwaved it on full power for about 3 seconds to soften up the glue holding the two parts together so that I could pull the cistern away from the base.  About half of the back of the base was cut off so it fits closer to the wall.

I made the cistern from a small block of balsa adding some trim and a lid, also the flush lever, chain and downpipe.  The downpipe is a black plastic drinking straw painted silver,  it has a bend at the bottom just like a real one where it connects to the toilet pan.  I don't remember where I got the straw, I've had it for ages in my 'found things' stash just waiting to be turned into a toilet cistern downpipe :)

At the moment it looks like it would be impossible to flush this toilet because the lever is sitting on the top of the window blind but that's because both the wall and the cistern are temporarily held in place with blu-tac which is pushing them both forward a little.  Once everything is fixed in properly the lever should fit behind the window frame. 

I'm going to repaint the cistern (it's too dirty compared to the rest of the bathroom) possibly in a creamy colour to set it off against the white wall, but it might even go black!

I have a dilemma that I'd like your opinion on...

I'm thinking of spray painting the shower unit to dull it down a bit. It's a bit hard to tell from the photo but  it looks totally shiny and new compared to the bathtub, and the bathroom in general - I bit too shiny and new I think.  On the other hand it does match the toilet chain and the taps on the vanity, but they too may yet get an ageing treatment. 

The two paint options are a more aged gold/brass look or matt black.  The third option is to leave it alone, it does add a nice little bit of luxury to an other wise very practical home and I quite like having some contrasting features. 

Please feel free to share your opinion - (a) paint to look more aged gold/brass (b) paint matt black (c) leave it alone (d) some other option I haven't thought of.  

I'd appreciate knowing what you think!

A simple tutorial for a simple sofa or armchair

This is not an 'artisan' quality sofa but it's really simple and quick to make.  It's great for a kid's house because it'll stand up to being handled.  It's also fairly easy to pull it apart and recover by adding another layer of fabric cover over the top if you want to change the look.  Throw a few cushions, books, clothes (maybe your dollhouse inhabitants aren't as tidy as they could be!) on it and it's humble origins won't even be noticed. 

It's the pattern I used for the 1:12 red sofa in the little girls' house (below) and the 1:16 off white linen one in the 1920s house (second photo below) as well as the 1:16 brown check armchair (bottom photo).  This armchair started out covered in the same off white linen as the sofa but when I needed a more masculine look for the study I pulled it apart and recovered it. 

You can see that the off white sofa has a bit more padding - you can play around quite a lot with the final look by adjusting the amount of padding you use.

You could also change the look by altering the height of the back and squaring it off at the corners. Also it's flexible enough to bend the top of the back over to create bit of a 'rolled' look as well as adjusting the way the arms turn back - or not.

Changing the feet will also change the look, on all of these I've used round beads or pins with large coloured heads (map pins for example) but for a more modern look you can cut square feet from scrap wood and colour them to suit using paint, stain or marker pens. 

Step-by-step DIY

The squares on this grid (my cutting mat) are 1 cm - draw up a grid on paper, you should then be able to draw your own basic shape copying the dimensions of this outline. (You can see that the back of this fabric cover isn't entirely straight and the shape of each end doesn't exactly match either - not one of my better sewing days but because this was for the kids' house I didn't redo it and the faults aren't noticeable in the finished product.)

You can shorten or lengthen the back to make it longer if you want a big 3-seater or shorten it for an armchair.

Cut 2 shapes from fabric for the back and sides cover and 1 of cardstock to provide some rigidity and 2* of thin foam. The cardstock and foam is cut to this size but remember to add seam allowance when you cut out the cover - including at the bottom for turning in!!

*If you want more padding in the edge at the top of the back and arms add an extra 1 cm to the edges on 1 piece of foam and before inserting into the cover fold this excess over to the back of the cardstock and glue into place.

On the cardstock insert lightly score the fold lines for the arms to bend forward and then fold to create a crease. That will make it much easier to wrap it around the seat block later on. Lay the card onto the foam and cut two foam pieces the same sizes (*or make one a little bigger on the as referred to above). You can also use other padding, quilt wadding for example. If you want extra padding on the front of the back and sides only take it to the top of the seat or it will be too bulky to wrap the back and sides around the seat block.

  

Make a 'sandwich' of all the layers, pulling the cover over tightly. It needs to be a very snug fit to get a good look in the finished piece. Slip stitch the bottom closed.

To construct the seat you can use a base of balsa or foamcore board. In this case I used two layers of foamcore to get sufficient height. Top with foam or wadding. 

 

To cover the seat block you just wrap it up like a parcel gluing it around the sides, overlap a little under the bottom.  I usually run my iron over the bottom edges where they fold under, for a nice clean line. (If you've used foamcore for the base be careful of the heat setting on your iron - I don't know if it would be inclined to melt if the iron is too hot.)

Put glue on the sides and back of the seat block, wrap the completed back and sides piece around it tightly and secure with a wide rubber band while the glue dries.  All you have to do now is add the feet and your sofa (or armchair) is complete!  (You can also add braid tim around the bottom if it's an older era sofa.)

Have fun with it!!

Disclaimer

This pattern is not my own design, it's from The New Dolls' House Do-It-Yourself Book by Venus and Martin Dodge.  This is the first dollhouse 'how-to' book I bought way back in the 80s. I really love this book because all the patterns are simple and the instructions easy to follow. I used it for all the furniture in my 1920s 1:16 scale house. You can see all the posts for that project here.

The first edition of this book was all in 1:16 scale  but the second edition (published 1993) has patterns for houses, furniture and accessories in 1:12 and 1:16 scale.  It would be easy to adapt the 1:12 patterns for 1:24 by simply photocopying at 50%. 



Guest post: by Lamina from "do a bit... everyday" - printed cushions from original designs

Hi there everyone, my name is Lamina from "do a bit... everyday"!

I am thrilled that Norma asked me to do a guest post about my mini cushion makeover here at make mine mini :)

It's been a busy couple of weeks for me, leading up to Christmas ... I bought this really cute little dolls house furniture set for my sister's little girl, but I wasn't really loving the cushions that came with it! So I decided, in the midst of all the craziness last week, that I would give the cushions a makeover... Yes I am slightly insane! Not sure how I found the time but I did!

:: cushion makeover - before

I prepared the fabric by soaking it in bubble jet set 2000, ironed the fabric onto freezer paper and then using my ink jet printer, printed my little designs onto it and then sewed them up into cushions... it was very easy!

:: cushion makeover - printing

:: cushion makeover - sewing

Voila... new cute little cushions!!!

:: cushion makeover - after :)

And when you turn the cushions over...

:: cushion makeover - after

I printed different images on each side of the cushion so she can mix and match! I used my own designs... rainbow cloud, home sweet home and the cupcake designs which I had screen printed on kids tops, cushions and tea towels. It was so much fun doing this little project.  I'm so please with how they look, they are so cute and my sisters little girl absolutely loved them :)

Thank you Norma for giving me the opportunity to show off my cute little cushions on your gorgeous little blog... it was great fun!

Hope you are all having a wonderful day!

Cheers,
Lamina
do a bit... everyday

Creating a weathered look on exterior paintwork

No pretty pictures for this post which is an extract from the "Complete Dollhouse Building Book" published in 1982. 

I made these notes many years ago from a copy in the public library of my hometown in New Zealand and they've been tucked away in the back of one of my dollhouse 'how-to' books ever since.  Susan's (Tabitha Corsica) recent comment about removing coats of acrylic  from painted miniatures using acetone reminded me about it and I thought some of you may find it useful. Please note that I've never tried it so I don't guarantee the results nor recommend the method as such - I'm just sharing the information as I have it.

FOR "WEATHERED" PAINTWORK

Materials: water based house paint (NOT artist acrylic), linseed oil, buffing cloths, extra fine black sandpaper, paste wax, oil based wood stains (grey, blue and brown), brushes.

1   Paint house, including doors and windows (these may be stained).  Allow to dry completely.

2  Rub a small amount of linseed oil over the entire surface using the buffing cloth - some painted surfaces may fade a little.

3  Decide on areas to be weathered.  Apply grey stain with same buffing cloth. Rub into wood.  Follow with brown and blue stains - overlap in some areas to create intensity and visual dimension.

4  As stains soak in lightly rub some areas (eg sections of window frames and doors - as well as walls themselves) with slightly wet sandpaper so portions of original wood show through.  Apply another light coat of oil over exposed areas and reapply small amount of stain, rubbing well into wood.  ALLOW TO DRY THOROUGHLY - BEST TO LEAVE IT FOR A FEW DAYS.

5  Repeat process in areas where not enough.  In areas where too much sand lightly and start again, beginning by painting raw wood.

6  As a final step apply paste wax to areas chosen for greatest weathering.  Now buff smooth, will look as if wind has worn away some of the wood. 

If anyone tries it maybe you could let me know what you think.

Source acknowledgement: "Complete Dollhouse Building Book" (1982), Faulk and Griek (ISBN 0-672-52339-6).  (I did email Kathryn Faulk who I believe many be one of the authors seeking permission to publish this extract about 10 days ago.  I have had no reply as at the date of publishing this post.  This post will be removed if any objection from either the authors or publishers is received).

Playing with patina "DIY" from ultra grunge to prettyish

The finish on these doors is my attempt at patina similar to the real cabinet in a previous post (two below this one).  Reproducing the aged finish on these doors was a bit of a challenge as they'd already been painted - originally dark green and then repainted in dark French grey.  The first challenge was to cover the grey with a colour resembling raw wood, that was achieved with a mix of acrylic paint and wood stain.  After that was dry it was covered with a thick coat of crackle medium which was left overnight to dry thoroughly.  The top coat is a very pale grey, almost white.  When that was dry on the surface, but not thoroughly right through, it was rubbed over with a damp cloth.  In some cases the paint was almost removed, in others just the surface, and some places not at all.  The same technique was used on the bench plus a coat of 'dirty wash' (a mix of mostly water with a little black acrylic paint added). The staining on the 'plaster' wall was done with fairly strong coffee - you might recognise the wall and floor- it's the brocante, but not as clean looking as you've seen it before :)

 

Like most budget 'ready-made' furniture this chair started life stained and varnished.  OK for some settings but of course I couldn't resist getting out the paint brush and giving it a bit of grunge/age.  It was first sanded a bit then had a couple of coats of gesso followed by a few coats of light cream and then a thinnish grey wash.  Wear spots were sanded then it got a 'dirty wash' made from a little dark brown stain and lots of water.

The cutlery tray is balsa lightly stained with a thin solution of a water based wood stain (before putting a water based stain onto a piece that has been glued together with a water based adhesive wait until the glue is well and truly dry or it will fall to pieces!  -  I found that out the hard way). This does raise the grain a bit but since we're looking for an aged look, not perfection, I don't think it matters.  I guess you could give it a light sand if you want. It was then painted with French grey acrylic paint thinned with quite a bit of water (which will tend to raise the grain again so I suggest you just relax and live with it). A slightly thicker coat was added here and there to get 'grading' of colour which imitates uneven wear of the painted finish. 

The stain on the back is fairly random. Extra dirty wash was 'painted' along the top where it settles into the valleys and then runs out and down the back.

Something a little prettier, the desk is another piece purchased already stained and varnished, it was treated in a similar way to the chair above but without the grey wash.  This chair originally had a pine-look seat and dark green back.  After a light sanding it was painted with a 2-3 of coats of dark brown followed by several coats of light green, each one a slightly different shade, then sanded at wear points and finished with the dark wood stain 'dirty wash'.  I'm not sure if it will stay this colour or get a few coats of grey wash.  

The roses are cheap ribbon roses, I'm sure you've seen bunches of them in craft supply stores.  The original colour was a very bright pink.  They've been painted with a thick coat of gesso, it soaks into the ribbon in a random way giving nice uneven shading.  I think these make nice big shabby roses to add a little colour here and there. The basket was a natural colour that I covered with gesso.   You've probably guessed by now that gesso is a favourite of mine! 

I hope this will encourage a few of you to play with some 'cheap and cheerful' purchased or handmade pieces to create an individual look.  They don't have to be grunged/aged as much as some of these, just go for colours and finishes that will suit your settings.  Most of all just have fun! 

~left click the pics to enlarge ~

The white journal on the desk is by Glenda at Peppercorn Minis - she makes them in various sizes and colours to suit different settings and scales, she sells them in her Etsy store (linked on her blog) for a very reasonable price.

The portrait on the desk is one of my maternal great grandfathers, 'keeping it in the family as usual :)

Tick tock - wanna make a clock?

Click here for a step-by-step tutorial by Maria.

I picked up that link from Nasu's blog - she's also posted great tutorial of her own for a different method for making an alarm clock. Thank you Nasu!!

Transferring ink-jet printed words and images to wood

I've been trying to work out how to do this for ages. This morning I found a tutorial on it via the Modge Podge Rocks blog. To go to the tutorial click here.

A note of caution - if you try it remember to print the words as a 'mirror image' (ie back-to-front) so that they are correct when they are transferred. Have fun!

An additional note: if you can't get Modge Podge which says on the label it is a 'waterbased sealer, glue and finish for all surfaces' and which I've used for decoupage and to seal and strengthen papers I think you could try anything similar. But maybe try it on a scrap first and see what you think.

Here is a link to another technique you might like to try. It uses waxed paper made for transfering images onto t-shirts.

(Acknowledgement - image sourced from www.countryliving.com)