Encounters Gifts & Grub

My first project back in the mini world was a replica tourist store and campground that my husband and I had dreamed of owning for years. Since we live in the shadow of Mt. Rainier, our dream business is called Encounters Gifts & Grub. It's a place for tourists on their way to Mt. Rainier National Park to camp, eat, and learn about all things Bigfoot!

Any fun campground has to have spooky campfire stories, and around here, that means bigfoot stories! And because bigfoots are so curious, this one is eavesdropping from behind the trees!

Inside the shop you'll find books, dvd's, t-shirts, cameras, tent and sleeping bag rentals, bumper stickers, tarps, fire logs, flashlights, 

There's also a habituation center where you can pick up some apples, peanut butter, glow sticks, wood knockers and bigfoot sighting maps.

And of course if you're hungry, there's lots of delicious grub!

And the friendly carved bigfood greets you at the front door.

This project was the precipice for so many more! I think I am making up for lost time!

Mom's Beach Cottage Lamp

This project was the kit from the 2013 HBS Creatin' Contest - the Charming Cottage. I had just finished the fishing cabin/lamp for my dad, so I decided to make mom's a lamp, too!

Mom loves purple, so I just went for it! Her bedroom is all antique furniture, doilies, perfume bottles, lace and flower arrangements so the purple house fits in nicely!

I kit bashed a few items to make the fridge, sink stove, and counter island. I made the stools from scrap lumber (I always have scrap lumber).

Next time I'm at mom's I'll take some additional photos. The wiring for the lamp runs inside the chimney. I bought the parts for the lamp on Amazon for around $16. I made the chimney structure out of basswood and then clad it with magic brik.

Starbucks at Pike Place

December of 2013 I used my Happy Birthday 25% off coupon from HBS to purchase the Street Of Shops. I had done all three shops in 2002-2003, but had a completely different vision for this set. I wanted to replicate what you might find in a block of shops in Pioneer Square or at the Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle. Plus, I wanted to make almost everything myself!

I'll apologize now for some of the terrible picture quality. I left my "good" camera in the hotel room at McMennamin's when my daughter and I stayed there for her 25th birthday. All I had left was my iPhone 3g camera at the time. I now have an iPhone 5 and a GoPro, so all future photos should be much improved!

In this photo I'm employing my gluing jig as I build the display shelf.

Here it is as I dry fit into place. The front and back counter, as well as the restroom door were all made using 1/16th to 1/8th basswood.

A lot of my family and friends on Facebook have no idea about 1:12th scale. I took this photo to show a real life sized object so they'd have a comparison. I made the food display unit based on measurements I found from their distributor online (converted to scale, of course). It is also electrified using LED lighting strips. The wires are hidden under the wood flooring, which has a plug, which the unit plugs into.

All of the baked goods, food, beverages, salads etc. I made from Fimo, resin, wood, mold putty, printies etc. The baked good trays are old eye shadow trays painted with spray paint.

Below are photos of the fixin' station. I made the napkin holder and cup sleeve holder out of balsa wood. The sugar substitute packets are printies and the holder was made from taking apart old electronics items (such as a cordless phone). The closest thing I could think of to make the Starbucks green straws was to take the copper wire out of old phone wire. The stir sticks are just carved and sanded wood scraps. I traced the rounded shapes for the counter and the platform onto balsa, then sanded and fit until they looked right in the bay window.

The espresso machine frame is made from basswood, then I cannibalized the previously mentioned cordless phone, plus an old electric razor for parts. The coffee bean dispenser on top was a plastic jar from the dollar store cut down to size and then filled with Fimo beans.

The cash register screen glass was the display window of the cordless phone. The Starbucks payment screen is then sandwiched between the glass and a wood backing. The cash drawer base is made of wood. The item scanner is made of more metal parts and Fimo, and is connected to the cash register with black electrical wire. The receipt dispenser is also Fimo and a scanned receipt.

The Tazo tea display and signboard were made from wood and printies. The cups are made from various glue lids with printed labels. The syrup dispensers and milk are replicas I made after casting original containers into silicone mold, and then using them to make resin bottles. Color changes to the resin were achieved by adding shavings of artists chalk.

The sink is a candy tin I've been holding onto for a while. I just added the faucet and cleaning products purchased from HBS. The microwave is wood/metal pieces salvaged. The blender was made from silicone mold/resin/fimo.

Below is the second cash register for the front counter.

This is Starbucks drip coffee machine - The Clover.

I guess about now you're probably thinking I must go to Starbucks a lot. Well, I used to, sometimes twice a day. Now that I am not working/commuting 13 hours a day I don't need nearly as much coffee. I do still go by for a hug in a mug periodically! ;0)

Verona Basket

Displayed By The Counter

Point of Purchase candy, cd's, Via packets,

Just wood, printies, and a lot of patience!

All these to go and ceramic mugs are resin molds of the originals.

The French Presses were made from Xacto blade packaging, leftover parts from a Chrysnbon kit, and brads.

The pictures below show just where my progress has stopped. I can't go any further until I complete the other two shops in the set, as well as the restroom addition to be placed between Starbucks and The Tasting Room. Once I have all the shops complete, I'll secure them all to the 60" base and begin brick streets, lamp posts, landscaping, and the drive thru. Stay tuned, as I'll post news on the blog as I update!