Forcing The Issue...

WARNING:

The following rant has been approved to be read only by miniature enthusiasts who've ever been; disappointed in their work, failed to properly plan, left a project unfinished due to a complete lack of vision fulfillment, had a better project standing by or who just got board. Others need not go on. You may come to the erroneous conclusion that I am whining.

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It has been an uphill battle bashing the Real Good Toys barn kit from the moment I opened the box. To summarize the issues:

1. The loft floor arrived in the kit warped. I thought I could fix it. Clamped it for 4 days, it did not work. Didn't realize how warped it was until it was way too late.
2. The front wall I special ordered from RGT arrived too short. Wrong model number. All emails related to the special order deleted once the part arrived - before I measured it (rookie mistake). 
3. Tape wire installation was extremely difficult. The MDF was so hard, harder than any I have ever worked with, that it broke several #55 bits and pin vices. Including the specialized MDF tool that I paid $10 for. Lights would work, then suddenly not work. Rewired and reconnected several times. At this point, I don't even want to check them.
4. Because the loft floor was warped, my divider walls did not sit very flush to the floor. I can tell, and every time I look at it, I cringe.
5. In general, it seems sloppy to me. Cracks that need to be camouflaged because the walls don't sit right (because of the warp), Ill fitting trim work, using the wrong adhesive on the flooring, crooked and blemished wallpaper, lighting fixtures that I ended up not liking.
6. Poor space planning that lead me to believe that I had way more room than I do. I made lots of  things ahead (like the kitchen unit, 2 bathroom sinks, a baking station, appliances) that ended up not working at all. The compromises I had to make essentially ruined the possibility to achieve my vision. It is nowhere close to what I wanted.
7. It was supposed to have a dedicated miniature workshop in the project. That is now the living room because the loft was not large enough to accommodate bedroom, bath, kitchen and living room. I have several 144th scale dollhouses that I was looking forward to building for the space. I had to install a landing in order for the stairs to work with the ceiling height. Once that happened, I lost the space for my dollhouse workshop.

Those are just to name a few. Each new step forced me to come up with compromises and find solutions to the previous solutions. I would have just enough successful things happen to encourage me to want me to soldier on. Dollhouses aren't supposed to be like battling in war!

Last night, sitting here telling my husband (whining) why I was so bummed out, he came up with a simple.plan...

"WHY NOT JUST PUT THE BARN PROJECT ASIDE UNTIL YOU FEEL LIKE WORKING ON IT AGAIN? WORK ON SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE EXCITED ABOUT. THAT'S THE POINT OF A HOBBY, RIGHT?"

Did I mention that he is brilliant? And so much more supportive (enabling) than I ever deserve?

Why do I believe that I have to finish something before I deserve to go on to the next exciting thing? Probably for the same reason that I believe I have to organize the linen closet before company comes. Judgement? Guilt? Ingratitude?

It's all a load of you know what. And I am over it. Come one, come all! My house is messy! And I don't always finish things! And I eat way too much Ben & Jerry's! Who cares!

Ahhhhhh..... Deep. Cleansing. Breath.

I have decided to move the barn to a place outside my work space. I will get to it when I get to it (if I don't decide to dismantle it, strip it down and then smash it - evil grin). It is NOT the BOSS of ME!

I am cleaning and reorganizing. I ordered some nice tools and organizational things I wanted from Amazon. And then...

I am going to do whatever I feel like doing.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Today On The Barn...

Today On The Barn... I was able to complete the grout around the fieldstone. I updated the Product Review: Andi-Mini Fieldstone page with more specifics. Overall, I am happy with the results.










After completing the grout, I installed some of the trim pieces. I'm so glad that I had stained the trim in advance. It made it so that I didn't have to change gears. My dining room table is a mess at this point, and I have too much crap that I am trying to work around already.





I was able to finish staining both decks last night before bed. The balcony was dry and ready to be installed this morning.








I wasn't ready though. I must have been sleep drunk because when I had slathered it in glue and went to install it in place, I realized that I had glued the "beams" flush with the back. This interfered with the trim on the wall.  I was supposed to leave a 1/4" space. I did not.








 Therefore, I had to pull off the beams, scrape off the glue, re-measure, re-glue the beams, and then install the balcony. Sheesh... I never fail to trip myself up on this project!!!








I like the front deck a lot! It looks great with the fieldstone! Once I get started on the lanscaping, I bet I'll like it even more!


But first, tomorrow, I must clean up my messes! I can't stand looking at or working in it any more!!!

Then, I will take some photos of the AWESOME 3D items I got in the mail today! I am so excited! I can't believe I made them!!!

Some Exciting Things On The Horizon...

Even though the weather outside is dull, grey, and sad, there are some exciting things on the horizon! I think if you are prone to seasonal depression, like me, you have to keep yourself busy and looking forward!

Things are really progressing on the barn project, and as it gets closer to completion, it's character is really starting to show! My daughter's fiance is always really surprised and excited when he sees the progress. He's a very linear thinking engineering student, so it's hard for him to visualize my ideas. He has to see it, and when he does it's really fun to see his reaction! I keep trying to get him to build a project with me. I think someday he might just be open to it!

I've finished building the front deck and stairs. Once I studied a little about deck building and realized that it was just a matter of following steps, I decided to go ahead and make a smaller deck balcony for the french doors off the bedroom.

Deck Railing

Constructing The Balcony

I still need to finish it up. I've been patiently letting the glue dry before moving to the next step. I did my best to replicate them in miniature. I pre-drilled holes and then used sewing pins in addition to glue to secure everything. After a little wood filler and sanding, I plan to stain them.











Once I had the entry deck built I traced the profile onto the house. This was so I'd know where not to put rocks. The fieldstone is all installed and varnished, and just needs its grout. I think I will put the grout in an old glue bottle and just squeeze it carefully in between the rocks. I've done real life tile grout and I want to control the mess!








The 3D miniatures I designed for my next project - Alki Point, are on their way from Shapeways. One order should be delivered tomorrow, and then the second sometime in the first week of November (if there are no production issues with my designs). I haven't ever done a really modern type of project, so it's been fun to design the pieces for it!


I am using two of the Asahi Teahouse kits from  Greenleaf's 2012 Spring Fling contest. The kits just arrived in the mail today! This will be the first tab and slot kit I have done since the late 80's, and I am really looking forward to a project without the challenges of bashing and lighting MDF.









All of the hard to overcome challenges I've had to deal with on the barn project have been as a direct result of my poor planning. Boy have I learned my lesson! I am doing all I can to pre-plan for the Alki Piont project. I really hope that I remember everything ahead of time, and that I have an easier time bashing!

I want to thank all of you that have been reading my blog and sending me such nice emails. It is really humbling to be touched by all of the kindness that exists in the hearts of folks who share this passion. Just think how far we've all come with our knowledge and skills now that we share a global consciousness in our community. Truly remarkable!

Product Review: Andi-Mini Fieldstone

In my miniature adventures, I have tried several brands and methods of making brick and stone. I have really enjoyed how they've all turned out, I guess it comes down to personal preference.

Packaging and sticker roll

I have used the Magic Systems kits on 3 projects. It is essentially a roll of brick, block or stone shaped sticker paper that comes on a roll. The idea is that you attach the sticker paper to the surface of your project (walls, floors or whatever), then spread the mortar mix (provided in the kit) over the top of the sticker. Then you carefully peel the sticker away, and viola!

Magic Slat

You must first paint the background of the surface which serves to be the "grout" when finished. The mortar mix comes in several color choices, depending on the kit you purchase. For example, red mortar for bricks, grey for flagstone etc.

Magic Brik

I like it, it is easy and it works great! You can dry brush or color wash it after it is dry to add more depth. Once done, seal it.

Magic Ston

It can be on the pricey side, depending on the scale and budget of your project, so that is a consideration. Speaking of scale, it's perfect for 1/12, and could probably pass in 1/2 scale, as well.












I tried out the stone paper from HBS in this project. It's okay in this setting because there is so much else going on you hardly notice it. I added color wash to varied stones to give it more life. I will probably not order it again, unless I am going for an animated or cartoon looking vibe.

Last spring I finally had occasion to try the egg carton method. I was really surprised at how much I loved the results! It was very easy, and completely customizable!

Basically, you cut or tear pieces from an egg carton, (to-go drink containers and anything that is a recycled formed paper item will work) into the shape you're trying to achieve. . You tacky glue them to the surface you're covering. You can dry brush, use artists chalk, or color wash with acrylic paint. Seal them well with matte sealer and let dry overnight. Next day, grout with real tile grout or your own mini mortar mix. Otterine has a real tutorial. It's a great one!







One product I hadn't tried yet was the Andi-Mini Fieldstone. I saw them in the HBS catalog and thought they could be fun! They are made from high density casting plaster, and are a solid color throughout. Apparently, this is so when you cut them they still look like authentic stone. I ordered a couple bags of the Brown Fieldstone and some Andi-Mini mortar to try out on the barn.






The body of the barn is a darker blue with some grey undertones. The stain I used throughout and will use on the roof shingles is a honey oak color. The grout is grey. The combination of those colors makes me a little nervous, but we can only move forward and see what we see and learn what we learn!





I'll pop back in on this post and update how the progress is going. It will be interesting to see how these stones look when glued over top of milled clapboard siding.

Wish me luck!

UPDATE

When I had rocked up to the front door area, I had to stop and make the deck. Otherwise I'd have no idea what to cover and what to leave. I finished constructing the deck, and finished installing the rocks. A coat of satin varnish was added. The fieldstone comes alive with the varnish! I'm loving them!

All I have left with the fieldstone is to grout, and then install the trim cap. I'll update again when finished.

UPDATE to the UPDATE...

I tackled the grout today! It was a messy job, but I kind of like messy projects!

I decided as I was going to sleep the other night that I should put the grout into a container that would allow me to squirt the grout in between the rocks and there fore control the mess a little better. I found an almost empty honey container, so that's what I employed for the job.

The directions on the mortar jar said that you could add water to get the right consistency. It looked good to me, so I scooped all of the grout from the container into the newly cleaned empty honey jar, then set to work. Don't get me wrong, it


was still messy, but it was definitely a more controlled mess.

I found that once I squeezed the grout in between the rocks, the best tool for getting it squished in was my finger. I'd do an area, the wipe down the rocks with a damp sponge.

The grout went on a pretty dark grey color. I left the grout to dry, and by the time we'd finished dinner it had dried to a very light grey. In fact, I'm not sure if it was the terrible night time lighting in my dining room, but it almost seemed to perfectly match the blue on the clapboard.

At that point I took a kitchen wash cloth and really gave all of the rocks another good wiping down. It seemed like the rocks had dulled a bit from the grout residue.

Still looking dulled, I added another coat of satin varnish to both the rocks and the grout. That seemed to deepen the nice variegated color in the rocks again, and made the grout a deeper grey.

The clean-up was great! The mortar dries like sand, so I just brushed off my work surface and ran the vacuum. The sponge and wash cloth came clean right away, too!

So, all in all I would say I enjoyed the product. I have about half of one bag left, and enough mortar to use them in some future project. Would I spend the $15 again for each bag? Humph. Probably not. I think I could have had really decent results with egg cartons and real life grout (I still have tons left over from tiling my laundry room). Better to spend the money on something I can't do myself. I would rate the project as an intermediate skill level kind of thing.

Relearning Math: How To Make Dollhouse Stairs

As part of making the entry deck for the barn, I needed to figure out the stairs. I'll be so glad when mini folks can fly! Casey, it must be nice that Tessie can.

I started by wondering... Shall I use what's left of the string of steps I cut for the landing in the barn? Or shall I use the stringer and treads that I purchased on an optimistic impulse?? Hmmm........... I think the open type construction of the stringer and treads will look more like what a realistic deck would have. Now........ How do I get the right measurements and how do I cut the correct angle?

For this, I turn to YouTube. I am a visual kind of learner, and things just make more sense if I see them in action. I'd really like to understand the concept and math behind basic stair making. This way, I won't be intimidated by them anymore. I came to this conclusion after staring endlessly at the stair parts. I waited for the epiphany of instantly "getting it". It was not happening. I gave it 15 minutes. Did I mention that I am a little impatient?

After resigning myself to the fact that I'd just need to learn the math, I watched some YouTube tutorials on real life sized stairs. They were not all that helpful. While I did need a refresher on Pythagorean theorem, a How To on Miniature Dollhouse Stairs would have been much more helpful! Specifically? How do you convert this math to scale miniatures? After absorbing the basic concept, I just started working on my stairs and figured it out myself.

In the interest of sharing and making us all better, this is what I ended up doing to figure out how to measure and make them work in scale. Hopefully, it will help you too.

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These are basic stair making instructions. Using the principals behind them, you'll be able to adapt your stairs for your particular circumstances, in any scale. 

First, here is a diagram of standard stairs and what the parts are referred to as:

1. First, you are going to make a template from paper. It must be the height and length of the room they will go in, so you may need to tape several pieces together.

2. Measure the height (rise) of your room. Convert it to decimal. Write it on your template paper. Mine happens to be 4-5/16", or 4.3125".

3. Measure the length of the room you have designated for the stairs (run). Convert it to decimal. Write that on your template paper. Mine happens to be 5" or 5.0".

4. On your template paper, transfer the measurements using a straight edge ruler. Try to keep the angles at 90 degrees. Connect the measurements. It should end up looking like this:

5. A standard real life stair riser height is 8". That equals .75" in 1:12 scale. The riser height of the stringer I purchased at HBS is only 5/8", or .6250. That is the number I will use. You can choose either in your design if you are starting from scratch and don't have a pre-cut stringer.

6. Divide the Room Height decimal (4.3125) by the riser height (.625"), That is how many steps or stringer triangles you will need. Mine happens to be 6.9. I'll just round up to 7 stairs.

7. For those without a pre-cut stringer, transfer your measurements onto your template. I would have to mark every .625 if I did not have a pre-made stringer.
NOTE: If you happen to have a CAD program, you can also draw your design there and print the template when finished. If you have a drafting compass, you probably don't need this tutorial so God speed!

8. Divide the stair length (5.0) by the number of stringers you need (rounded from 6.9" to 7"). Mine happens to be .715". Since I have a pre-made stringer, I can essentially skip this part.

9. For you true Do-It_Yourselfers, transfer your measurements onto your template. Remember, this is only a dollhouse and there are no building codes, so you are allowed to lengthen or shorten the overall length to make the treads in equal measure. In my case, I probably would have rounded up to .75".

10. Using your straight edge ruler, connect all lines to form a grid.

11. Using the piece of basswood that you are going to cut the stringer from (I would use 3/4" x 1/8", draw your stringer line.

12. Cut out pattern. It should look like this:

13. Affix pattern to your basswood strips. I might use Zots to hold the pattern in place, but a touch of white glue in several spots works well, too. It will sand right off when you're finished. If using a scroll saw, you can tape the basswood strips together and cut them all at once. If not, use the newly cut stringer as a pattern for the second stringer. Remember that you will need at least 2 stringers for your staircase. More if the staircase you are making is very wide.

14. With both stringers cut, you'll now just need to cut the treads and risers. Since I am doing an outside staircase, I get to skip the risers, Measure the width of your staircase opening, and use this as the width for your treads and risers. If you'd like your treads to have a little overhang (nosing), calculate this into the width of the basswood you are using.

NOTE: Remember that your landing is essentially a stair. I needed 7 steps, but after taking one away for the deck platform (my landing), I really only needed 6.

15. Glue treads and risers to your stairs - do all of the risers first, then glue the treads. If you glue the top and then the bottom riser first and let the glue dry, this will help to stabilize the stringers and make it easier to glue.

Here is a brilliant idea from Pepper (Mitchy Moo Miniatures) on how to be sure your tread and riser spacing are perfect!

I am happy with how the deck platform and stairs turned out. More importantly, I no longer feel intimidated!

Now, on to the deck railing! See how I have learned to plan better?

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I hope this at least gets you started. I found a lot of great info while I was searching, so if you're willing to learn the info is out there!

Pepper from MitchyMooMiniatures has an excellent Back To Basics tutorial about wood and the characteristics and cutting of it. Thank you Pepper!

And if you've ever wondered why a speed square is the shape of a triangle? Learn the basics of a speed square here. It will really help if you ever decide to take on a roof and for cutting roof trim.

Good luck, learn something, have fun!

Learning and Doing

I started gluing the Andi-Mini flagstone to the front of the barn, around the garage doors - so far, so good. It's like fitting a puzzle together, only there is no box cover telling you what it should look like when you're done. Freedom to get creative! I LOVE the 3D depth they are giving...

Then, I had rocked up to the front door. Oh. Yeah... I am going to have to make the entry deck before I can finish the flagstone. Hmmm... I've made lots of stuff before, but never a deck. Again this barn is stretching my comfort zone.

Thank you Universe for Google! Deck photos disected and plans studied. It all makes so much more sense now! Putting my own together is going to be challenging!

Thank you NancyLand for the excellent tip: using pins to hold wood pieces together. Sometimes things seem so simple, after someone tells you about them!

I am going to try to put this deck together as if I were a little carpenter. We'll see how it all comes out...









Meanwhile, I wait for glue to dry, sipping coffee while I fritter away in TinkerCad. Here are the next series creations:

Enliven Kitchen Sink w Faucet

Exhilarate Bathroom Fixtures

Exhilarate Modern Wall Toilet

Exhilarate Bathroom Sink

Exhilarate Bathroom Shower Fixture

Exhilarate Bathroom Shower Fixture with Tile Wall

Exhilarate Bathroom Shower Tile Back Wall

Exhilarate Bathroom Shower Tile Side Wall

Persuasion Bedside Table

If they turn out to be good and usable in real life, I'm going to have one cool Alki Point project. If not, I've literally wasted a good deal of time and mini money. Oh please let all of those tutorials pay off! Fingers crossed!

Finding Inspiration Again

You know when you reach that point in a project where you become, well, I'll just say it - BOARD!?!

I had gotten there with the barn. I think because mostly it just wasn't turning out at all how I'd envisioned. AT ALL! It wasn't just that I've encountered so many obstacles, because that's normal in working with miniature building. It's really because the obstacles that I've encountered have forced me to completely change the layout. Which made the pre-fabbed pieces I made not work or look at all like what I had in my mind's eye. I'm just so sad about it, that I had lost some steam...


The optimist in me always wins, so I rolled up my sleeves and just started making little Sharpie pens out of toothpicks. I found an old plastic shim in my junk drawer, probably left over from some Ikea piece I purchased years ago. These, once cut apart, sanded, filed and glued together became an organizer for the garage bench. That kind of got me excited, and that is usually all it takes to get going again!

I needed to measure, cut stain and install the trim for the doors, and then I needed to finally figure out what I was going to do with that window. I like to use Zots to temporarily hold things in place for measuring or painting and such.

The kit came with barn doors, which I didn't use because I installed the working garage doors where they were supposed to live. Why not put them on the end? That would solve both the window and door problems.









The upper part of the barn doors need something... Maybe a frame with our last name initial inside? Hmmm...
Also, I have decided NOT to put an elaborate deck off the bedroom french doors. Just a juliet balcony, I think. I have other, more exciting projects to get to...







I printed out a barn door photo to Mod-Podge onto the inside of the barn door. I printed an insulated wall photo for the interior window frame. I may add 2x4's and some pink batting later on. Just a peek into the walls.









Here are a few more photos of the details. I really need to start using the iPad or the GoPro and not my phone taking for photos. Laziness is the excuse...









The next steps will be:
1. Finish Painting.
2. Install remaining roof and trim pieces to the open back.
3. Install roofing.
4. Make deck for entrance.
5. Finish exterior lighting.
6. Buy base mdf.
7. Landscaping, touch-up.
8. Figure out where it's going to live.




 I've learned a lot with this complicated project. The biggest take away is that I will definitely plan better, and make a scale layout ahead of time.