Hot Stuff - French House

 

Handy husband B. has fulfilled his promise to make me something for my Miniature Houses. I had two thoughts on what I would like for my Christmas gifts last year. The first idea/request was for a replacement stove for the French country kitchen. I showed him pictures of a Lacanche stove and he said "no problem, what colour!" 

I documented the process so this post is in the form of a tutorial and as an encouragement for you to think about the possibility that you could do something similar. 

Patience is the first requirement - patience to cut carefully, patience to sand, fill and to let the layers of paint cure. Patience to create the illusion of knobs etc. and realize it will not be a quick project.

How to get from here .. to there!

Decide on a style, check the space you have to fill. We printed a picture just to remind us of the "look" and adapted the size of the doors to fit the space. 

B visited the Dollar Store to look for bamboo to make the basic box. There were two cutting boards of bamboo - note that the larger one was hollow with two laminated sides. This larger cutting board was difficult to work with so I would recommend the smaller one that was solid. Just buy two so you have enough to make a mistake. I think they were $3 each in Canada. 

When we built the fridge for the Swedish House, detailed in a previous post, we found it was easy to get a highly polished look with Rustoleum Enamel spray paints.    

Make your basic box - mine is 5 1/2" across and almost 3" deep- fill the edges and sand. Make sure everything is very smooth so it will take the primer and layers of spray paint to produce a smooth a glossy finish. B sprayed four times with Navy Blue enamel Rustoleum - allowing each to dry overnight. I did mention patience was essential.

Cut the doors and dry fit.  You could make the doors with thin foam board perhaps. Think about the space required for the metal trim on the base, the metal grill under the knobs and the space for knobs and handles- also the width of the handles.

Once you have done a dry fit to your satisfaction, prepare the doors by sanding gently and priming then painting ....more waiting. 

 

While you are waiting for paint to dry search for something suitable to represent the trims on the unit. I settled on needlepoint canvas painted and stiffened by silver enamel paint for the metal grill.

The silver metal-look kick board at the base of the stove is sticky backed silver foil paper. We call it MacTac in Canada. I have used it in the past on mini table tops - painted to represent a zinc table top.

B: To create the handles I used lengths of hollow brass tubing, cut to length and spray-painted silver. 

I used a small plastic straw from a juice box for the end cap (painted brass) and finished it with a ball chain through which I put a flat head pin. Important - this ball and pin head has to be added in to the overall width of the end size of your door handles to fit the width of your door correctly. 

Look carefully and you will see that the large top handle will be attached to the stove by two lobster necklace clasps. I cut the moving part out to create hook/hangers for the handle.

Below: Straw cut into sections and painted ... now dry.  Make more straw pieces than you need as they can crush easily - these are a section of the decorative ends of the handles. 

 J.: We tried beads as spacers behind the brass tubing handles to raise them off the front of the oven doors.  I thought they worked well but B. liked the look of earring backs with the sides cut flush. This was more difficult as a machine was required to cut the edges and a steady hand to epoxy them on to the door handle.  Just find an appropriate bead!

J.: Writing of appropriate beads - I used a bead and glued a cap on to each to create the knobs. I know one can buy 3D printed knobs. That may be a good idea along with buying the grills for the top for a very professional look. 

The manufacturers ID medallion on the centre door is another jewellery finding filled with off-white nail polish. I actually wrote Lacanche on it!

KEEP GOING ...... you are almost there!

The top caused me the most angst .... I almost succumbed and spent money!!! No, that was not the idea! 

The burners - These are one part of a grommet in a couple of sizes. In the centre of the smaller three is part of a press stud - painted to match ... the ones in the larger grommet parts are just two things that were in my metal collection - also painted.  The grill was a challenge - shown is ribbed foam. B. had used this foam on the kitchen doors of the Swedish House to create the look of reeded doors. It was one of many ideas we tried.

In the end I found a section from a lead stove kit to suggest a grill shown in one of the final pics.

Maybe we should have tea and cookies and smell the roses!
 

You need to be in a Zen frame of mind when you are saving yourself a LOT of money by DIY.

The finish is almost in reach!

Roast lamb by my wonderful friend Fatima, of Beauxminis and VancouverDollhouseMiniatureShow. Look for her detailed tutorials on Instagram for inspiration. 

Elizabeth of http://www.studioeminiatures.blogspot.ca offers two stove tutorials - search the archives for Home on the Range 4th April 2014 and Land's End 30th August 2014.  Just go there and disappear for a few hours into the wonderful world of Elizabeth's StudioE.

Of course to patience personified #1 husband B. many thanks!

Parcel Arrives:

 In November I ordered a treasure from South Africa. I was aware that it would take approximately ten weeks to arrive but at last it is here!

The lady of the house has been gathering rose hips and returned home to find the cat monitoring an arrival at the Swedish House. 

I know what the parcel should contain, yet it is an exciting and tension filled moment with the uncertainty of expectation being fulfilled or disappointed. 

It's warm in the kitchen after a walk in the open air. 

All is quiet but for the sounds of paper hitting the floor. 

Here is the treasure revealed at last. A charming silver tea set that travelled from the Artisans hands all the way to mine - South Africa to Canada. Imagine that small parcel leaving the semi tropical environs of Africa being shipped around Cape Horn, possible but unlikely. I will rethink this while I put the kettle on ....

Just think, from South Africa - did it fly across the fertile plains of Botswana and the ocean of sand of the Sahara? Across continents to be tumbled into planes, trains, trucks and vans to Canada and to my own postman who knows I am waiting for a parcel from afar.

A treasure to be sure. Oh happy dance, it is beautifully made. The spout is delicate on the teapot as is the spout on the milk jug. The lids fit seamlessly and all items sit flat.  Did I mention that the sugar spoon is perfection! Thank you Hestelle for making this Georg Jensen influenced service that finds its place in my Swedish inspired Miniature House.

HestelleMare is on Etsy.

Sunset colouring the clouds as the light fades.

Regards to all, Janine

Spring on the Horizon:

 Once daffodils and tulips appear in the stores I know that Spring must be on the horizon in southern BC. 

The snowdrops have been blooming for a couple of weeks, aconites are shining yellow and the birds are very active. 

I spoke too soon, as soon as the thought “Spring” gelled in my mind, Arctic air dipped our temperatures with the wind chill across the Bay to -16C. A shock after the mild winter we had experienced to date.  Local children had a wonderful time sliding down a steep hill at a local park. This same slope in mid summer has dry grass that those same children use as an extended slide. Such a lot of fun to watch their descent. 

It seems that I settle to Mini time at this time of year. I note that my previous post that it was indeed last February!

Flowers arrived for the Swedish House from StudioE Miniatures - also known to many as my good friend Elizabeth.  Elizabeth does a lot of experimentation creating miniatures and I am one of those who benefits from the culmination of those experiments.

Daffodils and Elizabeth’s Paperwhites in the living room displayed in Chinoiserie pots and saucers. The hurricane lamp on the table highlights the flowers. 

I am having so much difficulty posting photographs .... I may post this as an incomplete post and try again as I have obviously done something incorrectly. Janine

The kitchen table is the perfect space to Lllllll

Cool! ... made a Mini fridge!

B, handy husband and excellent side-kick, has been working away making a fridge for the Swedish   House. We did admire the look of the SMED (we call it SMUG) curved-top fridges but

I mentioned previously that I found a bamboo napkin holder for $3 at a Dollar Store.  I used wood from it for the kitchen counters and the wood also worked in scale for the fridge/freezer doors.

Below the picture shows the basswood box finished.  The doors cut to fit before beginning to paint, sand and repaint with light coatings of gloss spray paint.
Note: Carrie asked what type of paint we used. It is Rustoleum White high gloss. Two coats, allow to cure then sand. Then three more coats - drying and sanding with 400 grit sand paper.

The shape is correct - freezer on the bottom .... there are lots of illustrations with dimensions on the Internet of European styled fridges.

Painting ...

The handles are made with brushed brass pipe that has been drilled to take nails that will connect it to the box. The nails were glued with epoxy.

 

Positioning the handles.

 

The fridge is almost ready. There are feet at the base to hold it above the floor and small metal   pieces on the edge of the doors to represent hinges.

       

Cool!
You can do it too!
Janine

Small Stuff ..

Hi, Hope you had a lovely Sunday.  Where we live near Vancouver BC, temperatures are still cold. Certainly above freezing so not insufferably cold but the garden has a long way to go till Spring. The snow drops, camellias and aconites are blooming and today I notice the tete-te-tete daffodils beginning to unfurl and that makes me happy!

I thought I would settle into my little workroom to try and work through the list of things to do in the mini house.  I had been trying to decide on a rug to use in front of the sink.  After a short  sojourn on Instagram  I noticed what was named as a “Swedish antique Kilim”.  I was  surprised as it did not fit the image of patterns I associated with Sweden.  

    

I had a silk rug that had a similar pattern. I measured and cut onto paper the size that I thought would suit and tried it out  in front of the sink.  

The central pattern on the silk rug matched the size I needed. To stabilize the silk threads I pushed pins through from the front to mark  the correct edge of the front pattern. I applied white glue on the back to capture the threads. Once that was  dry I cut very close to the edge of the pattern.

  

The picture above is closer to the colour than the lower pictures. The “rug” is displayed on white paper not pink!

The incorrect colour but this is the section that forms the new rug. 

This morning the Mistress of the house was awake early to make cinnamon buns and bread. TheMaster and visitors headed out to catch seafood for dinner. 

Below you can see the stove, now complete. A guard rail helps keep small hands off the hot surfaces and will possible hold other items. The new kilim is in position in front of the sink.

  

 
The Mistress has now put the dough to rest and raise. She had made a cup of tea using the Monique Juvenal teapot, cup and saucer with her feet supported by the little heart footstool for a few quiet moments. The teapot, cup and saucer are painted with delicate flowers.

I have mentioned before but it may be helpful to know that most of my displays are waxed into position using Museum Wax on acrylic sheets. Anna asked me what I  used. Fatima bought a supply and kindly shared it with Elizabeth and me.  The acrylic is from packaging . In this way I can slide the display onto a table or shelf and then just as easily remove it.

Another small thing in the list was to paint oars - these from a Playmobile dinghy.  You will see them displayed elsewhere in due course.

 

  The wall to the left of the stove hood had one shelf but even though I like empty space it seemed this needed another shelf. It is too high make to  sense to use as kitchen storage but not too high for showing off a vintage yachting picture and assorted boating trophies .... even a small boat built by one of the grandchildren.

You may notice the wire at the top of the range hood ... this is for two LED’s installed under the range hood. I will tell you of our experiences with installing LED lights .... very soon.

 

 

Take care.
Regards Janine  

The Stove - Almost ....

Some may recognize the origins of the wood-burning style stove?  It is a Chrysnbon kit that one would normally see with a base that includes legs and a side (for heating water, I think) as well as an elaborate back frame. The photo below shows the original back that I thought I would use.

I could tell immediately when I saw it on the counter that it would not work and more surgery was required.

   I had successfully detached the water heater side using a hacksaw. It is plastic and quite brittle so I      was pleased when it all came off without cracking the unit.

The stove would now need a hood. Below are two cupboards bought separately - one from the Portland Show in 2018 and the other at the Vancouver Show in 2019. They were identical.  I bought them with the thought to paint them in a Swedish primitive style to use as wall-hung cupboards for the kitchen. I looked at them more carefully when I gave up the idea of using them as cupboards. I had run out of wall space! I decided to try and convert one to a stove hood.

 I removed the legs, drawer and cupboard doors and painted one black. The black seemed too severe and did not seem of the era I imagined. You can see I have made a small box for wood to go below and create a support for the stovetop and oven.   
The photo below shows the counters and a half piece of plastic pipe, painted black, that connects the stove with the hood. The decorative metal at the bottom conceals lights and gives space for a saucepan hanger. This was part of a light fixture that I had disassembled for my granddaughters who played with it as as a crown. I don’t think they will recognize this part now it has been recut apart.

Elizabeth of StudioEMiniatures visited and one of her recommendations was to continue the tile around the back of the sink. We have now done that and I like the look. It is painted with high gloss white paint and reflects the lighting.

Below... originally I had just one shelf with preserves etc as I like white space - but the space did seem to call for another shelf.

  I decided it was too high for every-day kitchen items so I have made it a nautical shelf displaying an earlier era photograph and yachting trophies including a world map and a grandchild’s version of a rowing boat.

My desk is a mess - I have so many different projects under way. B (handy husband) made an L shape for me to be able to sit the boards that my displays are built onto. This is the first time I have done my build this way. The wood of the renovated farm house is warped and this seemed a better way to straighten things. The card walls with all attached are slid into place and glued to the existing walls. I will show you that process underway in the next post.
If anyone has questions I would be happy to expand on process we have used. Unfortunately I cannot reply on comments but could address questions on Instagram: wordsworth502018

Thank you for dropping by.

Janine

Sinking it!

Hi, Thank you for visiting. There does not seem to be as many active blogs at present and I miss seeing what is happening. Instagram etc are wonderful for a quick photo but it is also good to have a forum to share the process of how our miniatures are made.

In the Swedish House I decided to have natural wood counters, a concrete apron-front sink, reeded cupboards, open shelving, a wood-fired style stove, mmmm what else was on the list ... oh, yes wood flooring and good lighting.

Isn’t it amazing .... in a mini house I can have almost anything I want!!!  But how to get it!
 
I started with a bamboo napkin holder and pulled it apart. This was a $3 investment that proved to work for all the counters I needed. The counter depth was correct so it was just the width and lengths to be cut.
The plate rack is basswood with bamboo skewers painted black set into the sides to hold the plates.

On the counter cinnamon buns are cooling beside a raised platform tray with the coffee pot, honey container and cups. Behind is a tray that Elizabeth made - at one time you could buy them laser cut ready to be punched out, glued and stained. E then put a motif suitable for a farmhouse on an island!
The sink is made of basswood, cut to size and then covered with drywall mud to soften the edges and after sanding I painted it with Antique White Acrylic Craft paint. The crackling was unintentional and happened after I painted it with a clear matt finish.
There is a drain and plug attached with a chain ... the drain is one side of a necklace box clasp.  I am very happy with the way it looks. I needed to hammer it flat and paint the area behind with black to Create the impression of a drain.  I searched through my metal collection to see if I had anything suitable. Yes, this is a requirement for mini house builders. I also had BB pellets from an air rifle (amazing things in my metal box!) - they make perfect pewter looking cupboard knobs!

I made cutting boards with basswood - scored, stained and threaded wire through the wood  to create the look of a leather tie for hanging up the boards.

Below you can see the bass wood box measured to set into the counter before mudding.

These are the cupboards in progress. You can see the texture of the sink prior to sanding. I did paint it to represent concrete but I was not happy with it in the room as I already had lots of grey. It looked so much more appropriate once it was antique white.

The cupboards are made with mat board boxes overlaid with bass wood to give the impression of cupboards and inlaid with ribbed craft foam that took paint very easily to make the reeded door panels.

The foam was so much easier to work with than creating the reeding in wood. Handy husband rebuilt a cupboard that you can see in a previous post for the bedroom. It has reeded doors in wood and it can be worth the effort.

Below is fabric  my friend Fatima gave me as it looked in the style of the Swedish house. I recovered these chairs that I had previously used in the French house.
Note the spacer beads attached to the bottom of the kitchen table. The table had a grid at the bottom that I removed but the table was a little low but it was a simple fix to increase the height and paint it.

Original upholstery below - more French than Swedish I thought.

The original table - meant as an island but converted to a kitchen table.

Below you can see the sink painted to represent concrete .... and the stove ... but that is a story for another post.  You must be a miniaturist to read to the bottom of this post!  Thank you for dropping by. I can also be found on Instagram: wordsworth502018 

Have a great weekend! 

Janine