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

Hallway - upper level-Swedish House

The weather continues to be wet and cold. Perfect conditions to either read or become absorbed in mini magic.

Like most miniaturists I endeavour to make or create an impression of something without incurring too much expense. This allows me to buy things that I could not possibly make.

My plan for the upper hallway was to display pictures on the wall that may help place the house as one that is in the now but carries a sense of its past. I imagine it as a renovated inherited family farmhouse on a small island off the coast of Sweden.

I checked in my supplies for a narrow picture-frame moulding to make simple frames for the pictures I had chosen.  Alas, nothing left in my collection ..... thinking, thinking ... I decided to cut cardboard and cover it with fine linen to use as a frame. I found little jump rings to which I threaded silk ribbon that attached to the linen backing.  I had a few decorative nails ... only four! Lucky for me ( note to new Miniaturists - never throw anything away!)
So now my pictures could quietly take their places in the hallway.

Down the stars you can just see the checked fancy flooring of the living/dining room. Another inexpensive - time consuming, but rewarding solution to finishing the flooring of this style of house.

As always a cup of tea keeps inspiration fuelled.