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Thursday, December 1, 2016

Instant Gratification (almost)


It's so nice to be working on a small project! It's like almost instant gratification! I may just have to do several of these before I get back to the soap shop! :O)
The photo above shows where I'll stop for the night - as much as I'd like to have more hours in a day, my body makes me sleep. If you'll indulge me, I'll share the days activities...

Here's where I left off last night. I fit all the tabs into the slots for a dry fit, made some adjustments, then glued and taped. The chipboard is very forgiving, and even easier than 1/8" plywood to trim as needed. I had all of the trim (quarter round at the ceiling, chair rail and baseboard prepped, painted and waxed. The wax needs to sit overnight, so this left me at a great stopping point.


7:10 am - Woodson, extremely active puppy that he is, was awake and making noise. The kind that lets you know he's up to no good. He knows that this will surely startle and wake me up - which means he can now get served his breakfast. He was sad to discover that there was no more turkey left over, and all he got was boring old kibble.

On the to-do list was to buff then install the trim and moldings. While they were drying, I searched out a photo for the window's view. I like the fall colors against the blue sky - something we don't often see together here in the northwest. The window I used was one from the Creatin' Contest kit. I didn't want to cut a hole for it in the chipboard, as the back is actually THE BACK for the book. (What? You hadn't already guessed that it was a book? Shhhh... Don't tell!) So, I just trimmed a little off to make it sit a little more flush to the wall.




Next up was to install the metal plate for the magnetic LED battery light fixture. I glued it with E6000 to a painted woodsie, then attached the whole assembly to the ceiling. I got the fixture during a closeout sale at Grandma Holly's House. She sells miniatures through her web site and eBay, and is so close to my location, that I get my stuff in 24 hours most times. ~C~O~N~V~I~E~N~T~! The light isn't very bright, but for $18 including shipping, I can live with semi realistic lighting. I'll save the real $$ on important things for the scene, like shoes and a purse! The fixture was brass, but a little white nail enamel 'washed that brass right outta my fixture'!


In case you feel dizzy, you are up-side-down!


Next on the agenda was to make some shelving. I could have gone with wood, but I am concerned about the final weight of this project. And, I just so happen to have an awesome new Cricut machine. Oh! I can make some chipboard shelves, YES I CAN! With perfect measurements for the space, too!


The shelves' design elements...

Precisely cut elements... Aren't they pretty!

See the brown? that's the bonded kraft backing layer.
It just stuck to the REALLY STICKY purple mat.
Oh! And by the way... I was being a total baby in my last post. Changing to the deep cut blade for chipboard cutting was soooo easy! YOU ALL NEED THIS MACHINE! Mind-blowing-wake-you-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-kind-of-ideas will come to you! If you are a maker you need this machine!

So... I did this twice. Not because I am diligent and wanted to have a dress rehearsal for the real show. Nope. Because I changed my mind. You see, the first time I covered the shelves in red paper. Then I remembered that Some of the accessories for the shelves ARE RED. Too much red does not pop and make your little heart flutter. I really need me some heart flutter. Sooooo, on the second thought I decided no paper, just assembled shelves, brackets and trim painted the same color as the window trim: Happy Housewife. Just kidding, but that is a good name for paint.


These perfectly good shelves will go in the drawer I lovingly refer to as: Gen Pop. Meaning that any of the items in that drawer are okay to steal for any project I like. I.E.General Population. Some things I accumulate are only for specific projects and I am not allowed to steal them... Says me!

So the second batch of shelf parts went something like this...

Shelf and supports are laminated for
strength, trim is delaminated to reduce bulk.


Shelves assembled.

It was a long and satisfying day. For Woodson, too, as he got to have his very first bit of white chocolate! Happy grandpuppy, happy grandma!

Back soon,
Jodi

10 comments:

  1. Hi Jodi, the room box has a lovely nostalgic look. I like the edging on the replacement shelves. Are there any issues with the chipboard warping because of glue or paint?

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    1. Thank you, Shelley. I am going for a post war kind of vibe and this paper pack totally fits the bill.
      To be honest, I was expecting to have to clamp all of the chipboard while the glue dried. To my amazement, even the shelf and trim pieces were a dream! I am not experienced enough yet to know if it is the particular brand of chipboard that I have, or if it is just a natural bonus to using this material. I glued both on the white and the exposed side and there was literally zero curling - a very pleasant surprise!

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  2. I like your colors and patterns. There's a lot going on, but it is so well balanced. Well done! :D

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    1. Thanks, Brae! I am so happy when I look at it, and I think my daughter will be, too!

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  3. Wow! Looks amazing! So this is going inside a cookbook!

    I was wondering about that too... how does the chipboard hold up with the paint, glue, etc. I've noticed thinner woods have the tendency to curve.

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    Replies
    1. Yes! On the outside it will just look like a vintage cookbook. But open it up and ~Surprise!~
      My daughter is becoming quite a gourmet cook and amazing baker. She comes over to my house and looks at all of the wonderful gadgets I've acquired over the years and gets so excited! I just give them to her because I am ~Over~Cooking~ after doing it for 30 years! She forgot to bring back my stand and hand mixers at Thanksgiving, so we had nothing but elbow greats to whip the cream! :O)

      Chipboard is really compacted paper fiber. It has a kind of wood feel and strength, but is much easier to cut, paint, cover etc. It's acid free, unlike some woods, so it will stand the test of time, apparently. I painted all of the red shelf parts and, Sheila, I may never go back to wood. It's wonderful! No curling! I should put the caveat in her that says *So Far*

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  4. I like it!

    I didn't comment on your last post, about making the ceiling, because I was taught if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

    BUT....now that I see in place, I'm a believer! It turned out very, very nice. :D

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    Replies
    1. Ha ha! I love your honesty, so never hold back! If it's crap, tell me! I am just making stuff up as I go! :O)

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  5. Hello Jodi,
    What a great mini-mini project. I love the papers you chose and the finishes for the walls. The shelves look great!
    Big hug
    Giac

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Giac! My daughter, Natasha, just loved it! That was exactly what I was hoping for! I'll rope her into doing minis with me eventually! How can she resist?

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