How do you assemble a kit - Day 3

Today we finish the kit.   I started this two days ago and have taken you through the steps.   Today the fun starts - it's finished or will be shortly.

The first day it was lots of gluing and assembling.   Then day two it was mostly making birdhouses and other contents.

Today we will put it all together. 

I had to add the greenery to the tree inside the shop and the trellis and the side with the wagon wheel.

 The tree has to be draped with the greenery.   A little (very little) glue holds it in place.  

The trellis needs to be put in place, greenery added and then yellow flowers added to the greenery.   

Sorry about the fuzzy picture.   Wagon wheel sitting in greenery with red flowers.   

Finished project.   Lots of bird houses and lots of bird seed.   Bench is in front with a couple of bird houses on it.  Two hay bales used for display.   Sign added to wall.   

I told you it was small.  The case is a baseball display case.   

I said think baseball.   A very cute project.   Very easy to assemble.   It took slightly less then 6 hours over 3 days.   A lot of that time was waiting for glue and paint to dry, but probably an accurate amount of time to complete the project.   

It was great fun!

Join me tomorrow for more minis.  

How do you assemble a kit - Day 2

I'm still working on my little kit that I started yesterday.   The reason I am spending so much time on this process is to give followers an idea of the effort that goes into the process.   

This is the kit that I am working on.  Yesterday I went over the beginning stages of this  kit.   Lots of gluing and assembling.  

Today I am working on contents.  Yesterday I did the bird seed bags, there were 12 of those.   Today I am doing bird houses.   There were 9 houses that needed to be glued together.  18 pieces that needed to be glued.  Let glue dry.  Cut out graphics for 6 of the bird houses.   Add front and sides, then back, then roof.   3 of the houses had to be painted.   I'd rather do the graphics.    Also painted and then stained 2 hay bales.   You can see one on the red paint stick.   I also assembled the bench and then stained it.   They are very delicate and I find a stain pen works great.   

Here are 5 of the bird houses with the graphics applied.   These graphics are very small.   I spent about 10 minutes crawling around the floor (now that's a scary scene) looking for the front graphic of a birdhouse.  If it had been the back, I probably would have just painted it.   

I really didn't like painting the 3 birdhouses, but they turned out really cute once done.   

First, my apologies for the bad picture.    There was a kit with 5 different birdhouses in the main kit.   They all required you to apply 4 graphics to each birdhouse.  Both sides, front and back.   Then add a roof.   Also very tiny.   Look at the dime - bigger than 3 of the birdhouses together.   

I spent about 2 hours painting, gluing and waiting for glue to dry.   So far about 4 hours invested in kit.   

How do you assemble a kit - DAY 1

I do a lot of miniature scenes in both sizes.   I work in 1/4 scale and 1/12 scale.    I like them both and they both lend themselves to specialized scenes.

Most generally when I work in quarter scale, I work from a kit.   Everything is laser cut and quite easy to assemble.   I generally don't do kits when I am working in 1/12 scale.  I buy or obtain the container and work from there.

I work very fast and am quite experienced in putting kits together  but they are still not instant projects.  I thought I would take you thru the steps in a small project.   This is RED ROBIN REALTY by The Quarter Source (Karen Benson) from Jupiter Florida.   This kit was offered thru The Quarter Connection Yahoo Swap Group.  When you think size, think baseball.   The finished project will fit into a baseball plexiglass display case.

First, I generally get the kit out and make sure all the items are included.   

Although it is a small kit, there are lots of parts.   In day 1, I spent about 2 hours working on it.   

I dry fit the back to the floor to know how it went together.  

I stained the floor, both top and bottom.

I wallpapered the back, both inside and outside the walls.

I added trim to the curved parts of the wall.

I glued walls to each other and to the floor.

I spray painted the tree branches to make them look more realistic.

I assembled the planter for the tree.  It was 4 parts.

I mulched the top of the tree planter.

I assembled the two picket fence display tables.

I also assembled 12 packages of bird seeds.   This involved assembling the bags, adding material to the inside so the bags appear full, and then gluing the top.

With the exception of the bags, this is how the project looked at the end of the first day.   

   Come back tomorrow to see the assembling of the bird houses, bench, etc.   

Swaps, swaps, and more swaps

Sometimes when I mention swaps I have people draw a blank.   A swap is an exchange of items.   There are different types of swaps.   One-on-one is where I give you something and you me something. Central Point swaps - I send a number of swaps to one address and    I get back the same number of swaps from other people.   

Yearly swaps - I do swaps once a year and send them to individuals and every month I get swaps from the others.   All are great swaps, I prefer the Central Point Swaps.   There are also variations of the above swaps.     I've been swapping for years and years.    

When we moved from Leavenworth Kansas to Key West, Florida I left a miniature club that I loved and left access to miniatures to an island 150 miles from the nearest miniature shop.   When I do miniature room boxes I need lots of 'stuff' to finish the scene.   I like my miniature scenes like I like my house - full of things I love.   

Reason for swapping.  One, gives you access to other miniaturists, gives you an opportunity to improve your skill, gives you lots of things at a very reasonable price to fill your room boxes.

The above swap was for a swap for main dish.   I thought spaghetti would be good.   These little bowls are about an inch across which is perfect for 1/12 scale.  

The above plates and shelf were for a shabby chic swap.   They plates are copies of plates that I got from the Internet and made them the right size to fit in a little jig that gives the curves to the edges.   The shelf was just scrap wood trim.   The jar on the shelf was a bead with a metal bezel added as lid.   

The above mounted fish was from a fish  that I bought and made a mold from polymer clay.   I added scrap wood.   These will be one of my future swaps.   

The ribbon holder was one of the very first swaps I did years ago. I it a replica of one done on the Carol Duvall show in full size.   It is a wrapper paper organizer.   I did 32 of those swaps and I am amazed that I kept swapping.   I couldn't get the ribbon to glue the ribbon together and it took me forever.   

There are several places to find swapping groups.   Through your local club if you are fortunate enough to have one.   All of the groups I do swaps with now are through Yahoo Groups.    There are many.   If you sign up to do swaps in miniatures, be sure you understand the rules of the group you belong to.   Some are run rather rigidly (which works well for me) and some rather loosey-goosey and you might wait for a long time for your return swaps. 

Most of the groups I belong to now are either 10 or 12 swappers.   However some groups  do annual or biannual swaps of 50+ swappers.   Again, it is very rewarding, but please fully understand the rules.   

Swapping is a great way to improve your skills and obtain a lot of very nice items for your miniature projects.   

Grape Harvest Celebration 1/12 scale

After the harvest, it's time to celebrate.   This project, in 1/12 scale, was started in June at the Lakeland, Fl Show and Fun Day.   Jill Castoral was the instructor.   When I got home I finished it up but decided it needed more.   Her project was great, I just can't leave well enough alone.   I always have to add just a 'little' more.   I took a 8x10 frame and make a floor on some Masonite and added a harvest table, a crate of grapes, a cat and a tiny mouse.   Tools are starting to be put up and it's time to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

There is a light in the upper part of the cabinet to show off the stained glass.   

Cat can watch the mouse from his nice location.   (Mouse is in front of bucket in the other corner)

The light is a real asset in the cabinet.  

Stay tuned for tomorrow I will tell you how to make the grapes.   They are quick, simple and cheap.  

The floor is stucco wall paper cut into squares with mock grass added between blocks.   

I enjoy you stopping by for this month in celebration of National Dollhouse Miniature Month.   Stop by tomorrow for the grape lesson.   

Another started projects finished. Quarter Scale Bedrooms

I love boxes and especially boxes that can hold a Plexiglas cover.   This little box has been on my work table for months.   A month ago I painted it and put little bedroom furniture in it.   I have so much unused furniture and I hate to have that.   I like to see my 'stuff'.   The painted box and the furniture sat there and sat there some more.   Not a good situation.  

Here is how it turned out.   

Now my little box is on the wall and displays the furniture and accessories that I love.   

Join me tomorrow for another post for National Dollhouse Miniature Month.   

Oh, Those Unfinished Projects Quarter scale

Have you had a project that you loved and for some reason, it just didn't get finished.  It got looked at, dragged out of storage, mulled over and yet - it remains still unfinished.   Oh what disappointment.  

Quarter Connection had a project during September to finished started projects.  Finished means, furnished, landscaped -- in other words, any thing that was needed to display it.

My first was a little house done in Mary Englebreit style.   I loved the little house.   It was from a yard sale and after adding a floor for the bedroom and painting, wallpapering etc, it was ready to go.   Then the dilemma of how to display.   It didn't seem complete to be displayed all by itself.   I had these little building fronts that actually formed a box and I thought they were cute and they didn't seem to have a home either   Then I thought, why don't I do a ME compound.   This is the final project, my ME Compound with a display of several snow men and lot of snow.   Burrrr!!!!

Join me tomorrow for another finished project.   

I will post everyday during October for National Dollhouse Miniature Month.