Thursday, February 25, 2010

Pictures of My Current Project, Put On Hold!












This is an unpainted pine catalog corner cabinet my daughter left here at home when she moved to Chicago. It was free to her, now free to me! This all started in "Miniature Collector", they had an article about a miniatures store, the owner's mother had decorated a beautiful antique Queen Anne corner cabinet with a dollhouse inside. I have always wanted a dollhouse in a piece of furniture, a baby house. Suddenly I remembered the corner cabinet Katie left and now I have my baby house! Hope you enjoy the pictures, I have had fun figuring out how to make everything.
I didn't make the pottery, that's a weakness of mine, love Jane Graber. Didn't make the red step stool, that's Aztec, I think.
Made the doors and trim around the front hall, it's all poster board! Used my Dremel and it's workstand to make the turnings on the kitchen cabinets and the center island. The hall floor is from a rubber stamp from Michael's, big square block with different sides to stamp marble, how cool. The furniture is all from Ethan Allen, with a few changes I've thrown in.

If you have any questions on how I did anything, just ask and I will gladly try to explain it here in the blog.

The rug on the kitchen floor is a copy of one from the Internet printed on the ceiling paper from a previous blog entry. The counter tops in the kitchen are painted to look like red granite and the baker's rack has painted black granite. No, the kitchen sink in not a china one, I made that from wood and painted it, several times. The faucet is from aluminum tubing and wood, I turned the handles with my trusty Dremel and workstand. I didn't like the door hardware available so I made mine from wire, it's twisted, painted black and I used a diamond paper punch to make the escutcheons. The banjo clock on the wall is from a picture I found on the Internet. I laminated very thin slices of wood to create the curved outer box of the clock. I did make the teapot on the table, my experiment with fimo.
I have more to do to the back porch. I made the door and screen door. I made the windows, the ones I can afford seem so chunky. I want 4 murals to represent the seasons. I have a goose, and I am going to dress her!

The fabric on the couch and chairs by the bay window have been reduced on the printer. I do that alot, the color isn't always the same, but it works most of the time. I reduced the fabric for the chairs in the kitchen, too. I bought a coordinated set of fabric from Keepsake Quilting for the living room. I used Jacqueline Kerr Deiber's instructions to make a piece of caning for the back of the chair in front of the desk. I didn't drill holes in the chair, though. I laminated an oval and sandwiched the caning between it and the chair back.

Going to do a bedroom and a yellow and blue "ducky" bathroom on the top shelf, that is if I ever get back to it.

I especially love that this cabinet is in my workroom, with me, and that's where I am basically all of the time! This is my little dream house.

Kris

P.S. Yes, that's the lady leg lamp from "A Christmas Story" I had to make one for myself. Don't where I'm going to put it, though.

P.S.S. I don't know if you know this, I just learned it, but if you click on a picture you can make it bigger, full screen.

Hi Pris!

Just found you signed up! How cool is this Internet stuff. I don't know how to answer your comments so I just answer in the blog. This is so much fun. Kris

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

CDHM'ers Looking for furniture?

Hi CDHM'ers! If you are looking for furniture you'll need to look through the older posts, they will have titles telling you they have furniture. Trying to add something new all the time, but have custom orders to do, too. I love your custom orders, making something special just for you is a lot fun. TTYL Kris

Full Size Techniques, Minis Can, Too

I have been looking at some full size techniques and they can be applied to minis, too, just like the marbling I did before. The next technique I am going to tell you about is aging a painted finish. I could never get this to look right, then watching This Old House I saw the way to do it.
I haven't gotten my suede paper, yet. I am anxious to try out making rugs with it, I hope it goes through the printer! TTYL Kris

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Cheater Rugs

I have a couple of ideas for cheater rugs.
The first one uses wallpaper. I bought a roll of textured wallpaper at one of the big box home repair stores, Menard's. I like them, I have one in Springfield, IL, takes me about an hour to drive there, but it's worth it. This textured wallpaper is what we miniaturists buy from Hobby Builders as ceiling paper. I cut it 8 1/2" x 11" and using my printer I printed rugs off a Internet site selling full size rugs. If the rug has fringe glue a piece of muslin to the underside of the wallpaper, be sure you have straight grain at each end. Trim the sides even and leave at least a 1/4" at each end and ravel the muslin to look like fringe. I've used this for the big room size rugs and lots of little throw rugs.
The next one isn't mine but it's good nonetheless. Have scrapes of carpeting left over? Make them into something special by cross stitching or needle pointing a border around them. I measure my piece of carpeting and make the inside border the same size. I needlepoint using 22 canvas, the size of canvas is your choice. You can use Aida cloth, too. After I am done I finish the edge of the border, everybody has their favorite way, and glue the carpeting into the middle of the canvas or Aida cloth. Another way is to cut the blank part of the fabric out and glue it with the carpet in that blank space onto muslin.
I have another idea but I am waiting for www.dragonflyintl.com to send some suede paper to me. I tried flocked card stock from the scrap booking store, it caused a paper jam in the printer, several times, I'm hardheaded, I tried more than once to make it work. Going to try the suede paper to print rugs. Think it could be great!
Kris  P.S.S. on this blog, I am recommending buying suede paper from www.franticstamper.com, it works in your printer.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Hi to you all!

A great big thank you to the new followers! Just a reminder if you have any questions about a project you are doing and need some ideas on how to do something I am always open to experimenting for you. Talk to you all in a bit, I have some cheater rugs to talk about.

Kris

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Carl's Room

I call this Carl's Room because the little cat inside looks like Carl my daughter's Siamese. I have 3 cats living with me, all grandcats!
I used d.Anne Ruff's chair and ottoman kit. This kit is very good. If you ever get a chance to buy one, try it, you'll like it!
I started with the border at the top. I found this in the scrapbooking isle at Michael's. Ahh, the scrapbooking isle, so many things we can use. Although, I am a little disappointed that they have gone to large punches. There for a while I was getting some wonderful punches for flowers. I am still hoping and looking for an ivy punch. I know Hanky Panky Crafts has the handmade punches for ivy but they are too expensive for me just wanting to make ivy once in a while. So, I am still looking!
Anyway, I loved the border, bought it, and kept it for a long time before I knew how to use it. The rest of the furniture I copied from catalogs. I do that a lot! The fish pictures on the wall are from the catalog. The lamp shade was tricky, gluing all of the pieces of card stock together. I used Elmer's, still the best for paper to paper.
Kris