To: The Dangerous Mezzo!

I can't believe it! So you are "The Dangerous Mezzo". I just put the sofa up to show it off and I thought I would look for comments. I love comments! And I saw yours, such coincidence. I do hope you have fun decorating and send pictures, I love pictures! I feel honored to say I have you as one of my customers. I found your blog and I love the tudor castle, that's a big project, but it looks like you have it under control.
I have so much fun making the furniture, I want you to be happy and have fun putting all the parts together. My sincere thanks to you! Kris

New Custom Piece

This is the newest custom piece of furniture I've made. A miniaturist from Nova Scotia ordered it. I'm glad she did. It gave me a chance to work out how to make the middle cabriole leg. This is fabric she picked from my stash. Oh, my stash of fabric, I've been collecting for awhile just for mini work. I used to own a fabric store so I love fabric and can't get enough of it.
TTYL Kris

Aged Painted Finish

This is the painted finish I was telling you about in a previous blog entry. I was watching "This Old House" and they went to a custom cabinet shop to see this finish. It was going to be on the cabinets they were putting in.
I changed everything to craft paint for us and it worked out beautifully.
The colors I used are for the sample experiment, any craft paint would do.
Paint base color, for the sample I used Delta Wedgewood green. Sand lightly with 220 grit sandpaper.
Second coat with base color. Don't sand, want to leave for texture, something for the top paint color to grab onto.
Paint the top color, I used Folk Art Vintage White. Can I say paint heavy? This coat isn't neat, leave brush strokes, light and dark areas.
I like to leave this overnight.
Sand the top coat lightly showing more base color. I used 320 grit in a circular motion.
Add texture, dent with a rock, one with alot of different edges. On the show, the mother of the owner did this with a broken brick for different sizes and shapes of dents.
Brush on a water-base stain, I used Minwax American Walnut, use water-base because the craft paint is water-base. I left the stain on for maybe 30 seconds, then wiped off. Buff with a piece of brown paper bag. I wad up the brown paper a bit to make it soft before I use it.

I am working on a limed finish to go over a piece of finished furniture. When I have a sample I will tell you about it.

Have fun . . . . TTYL Kris

Furniture in Review

This is all of the furniture I have in stock that is NOT on CDHM.org. I thought I would update and put it all in one blog entry. Everything is 1 inch scale. Remember I can make any of these pieces with your fabric just contact me at camceiling@frontiernet.net. There is a $5.00 shipping charge for each piece or set, (in U.S.) I do ship international just contact me for more information.



This is a 1 inch scale contemporary pillow back sofa trimmed with twisted embroidery floss that has a matching chair. Included with the sofa are four accent pillows trimmed with the same floss. This fabric has a slight nubby texture and is slightly shiny. The color is called bronze, but I call it a greenish gold. If you want a sample of the fabric, please contact me. Measurements are 3 1/8" tall, 6 3/4" wide and 3" deep. $25.00

















The is a cute chair for a cabin or vacation setting. The fabric is cotton with a checked design and ducks, the ducks have blue, green and tan on them. You could trim out your room in any of these colors. The chair also has an accent pillow included and is trimmed with piping from the fabric. The skirt is pleated with piping above. The back cushion is "buttoned" to add to the casual feel of the chair. The measurements for the chair are 3 1/8" tall, 3 1/2" wide and 2 1/2" deep. $15.00















A set of slipper chairs upholstered in a Mary E. cotton fabric. They are trimmed in red twisted embroidery floss. Measurements are 3 1/2" tall, base 1 7/8" x 1 7/8" and 2 1/2" deep including slope of back. $15.00 for the pair.







This is an overstuffed sofa done in a blue cotton print trimmed with piping made from the same fabric. The bottom has a pleated finish with piping above. I have included 2 hand crocheted pillows. Measurements are 3 1/4" tall, 5 3/4" wide and 2 1/2" deep. $20.00















This chair matches the sofa with the same blue cotton print and trimmed with piping using the same fabric. It also has the pleated skirt with piping above to finish. Measurements are 3 1/8" tall, 3 1/2" wide and 2 1/2" deep. $15.00

Bought Some New Used Books!

Hi,
I visited my used book store today and brought home 4 books. I went to the antiques section and found some GREAT furniture books.
The first one is a catalog of Baker furniture from the 1980's, I think. It's the 68 edition, would like to find out what year that is. Love the measurements, they give inside and outside measurements of chairs and sofas! It's 264 pages and only 5 dollars.
Then I bought a French book, literally in French, but the pictures are pretty! I figured out the words interiors and rustic, none of the pictures look too rustic to me. Every page has pictures of room settings, some color, 138 pages, hardback and only 5 dollars.
Next one is Cabinet Makers and Designers by Hugh Honour . This has examples from the 16 century to present day of noted furniture makers and designers. 320 pages, hardback and 6 dollars.
The last book is The Encyclopedia of Furniture by Joseph Aronson, it has 2000 illustrations, 480 pages and hardback, the cost 6 dollars.
I will have a wonderful night of looking through these books and tagging the pages of the furniture I want to try. I think the Baker catalog is the best, I love getting these. I have only found 2 old furniture catalogs to date. I wonder why, they are lovely and I wouldn't throw them out. Ah . . . . but it's me, isn't?
I am including pictures of a pair of custom sofas I made for a miniaturist from the U.K. She sent me a picture the full-size one and I made 2 for her. They are upholstered in white dupioni silk. Working on a settee' for a miniaturist in Nova Scotia right now. Will try to put some new designs on CDHM.org soon.
TTYL Kris

To Pris, The Thorne Rooms

Hi Pris,
I am lucky enough to be able to go by train to Chicago; I visit my daughter, Katie. She is the product manager at the flag ship Victoria's Secret Michigan Ave. store. I go to the Art Institute when I am there and sit in front of the rooms! It's fun to listen in on the non-miniaturists' comments. I love the whole Art Institute, the Impressionists make me cry. I always wanted to work in a museum, loved art history.
I bought the book, too. I look through it all of time. I've read the philosophy of the Kupjacks, make it look real, things don't have to work, light comes from somewhere else, you don't leave lights on when you leave a room, you don't leave doors and drawers open in real life so don't do it in miniature. I believe that way, too. Makes it much easier to blame it on a "philosophy" as to why I don't make my kitchen cabinets open! Ha!
Now you would think that I have also been to several Chicago miniatures shows, not a one! I know I would need a LOT of money, so I don't even go. I have never been a "window shopper", when I see something I want, I want to buy it, right then. Now that I am making the furniture and stopped on the corner cabinet I don't need anything. I am a practical person, I work with a budget. I really love making all that I do, but it came from need. I was not satisfied with what I could afford so I taught myself to make the things I liked.
Katie lives within walking distance of "Think Small by Rosebud". It is a very nice miniature store and I have fun shopping there when I go to Chicago. They have a workshop in the basement for the miniaturists to work on their projects. The houses are put on wheels and wheeled away when not being worked on to have room on the tables for others to work on their houses. It's great, you just go upstairs and get what you need, keep a list, and keep on working. You should see the houses! Some are replicas of homes in Chicago; I admire all of the miniaturists there. The last time I was there I needed help picking carpet out to match fabric and paint; ladies came from everywhere to help, even offering from their own stash. Nice people!
Inspiration can come from anywhere, be on the look out! TTYL Kris

Answer to Daisy

Hi Daisy, I thank you for your kind words about the kitchen. I have an Ethan Allen Catalog, I think they still publish them, it has beautiful room settings, that I have copied, but the most important thing are the measurements. I will convert to 1 inch scale to make my furniture. As I said I made everything in the rooms, except the pottery and the red step stool. I sell the kitchen chairs, I have examples in the blog of these slipper chairs, ( January 8, 2010, Furniture for Sale, Too). I can make them in your fabric, I sell upholstered furniture at cdhm.org.
I know Ethan Allen has a web site, Google them up and look at all the beautiful furniture and get some ideas, think of how you could go about making something. Use the skills you have and make it as close to the picture as you can. Break it down in parts, what you can do and can't. Find the things you can do, gain skills and confidence doing those and move on to something else. That is how I did it. And I read every how-to article I could get my hands on. Books, don't pass these up at the shows. I have so many, if I got one thing out of one book I thought the price was worth it.
If you have a used book store go in and see if they have any miniatures how-to books. I was very surprised when I found them at my used book store. She gets them in every so often, some of them are old, back in the 1970's, these aren't so good. You have to sit down and look through them to see if there is anything in them that can help you. For ideas I look for decorating books, they are a hoot when you find the old ones. I have an old Ethan Allen catalog from the 1960's. Home Depot has lots of beautiful books on trim and how to use it, those are good when you are building your doors and windows. They have books on bathrooms and kitchens, books and books, I love books.
Another place to look is the antique section of the used book store. There a lots of books we can use there, too. I would love to be able to make pottery and china so I buy books that show shapes and patterns. The teapot on the kitchen table is one I made from Fimo using a picture from a book on English porcelain and pottery, "The World of Wade, Book 2". I love Clarice Clift, I hope I spelled her name right, anyway that book had some things in it that looked like her style. I haven't found a book just on her at the used book store, yet.
Information, I collect information and resource books. My problem is remembering what I have, so every once in while I take a quiet afternoon or evening and look through a big stack and make notes and stick tabs on the pages I want to remember. Before a project I will go through and make copies and stick everything in a folder just for the project and refer to it all of the time.
Magazines, they have them on country, cottage, shabby chic, just about every decorating style. Next time you are buying groceries take a look at these, I bought many just for ideas on how to decorate a room box I want to do . . . . in . . . .the . . . . F. .U. .T. .U. .R . .E . . . . .
I have many, to say the least.
Lots of resources, look around. TTYL Kris