A Breakfast At Tiffany's Happy Ending!

This past week I was able to focus on the last few tasks for the Breakfast At Tiffany's custom order. The big job, creating a door based on the brownstone's, was challenging! You see, the dollhouse kit's door openings are much slimmer, and instead of a copy of the original basement door, the client wanted both doors to match. Here's the comparison photo to refresh your memory:

Client's Park Avenue Kit Left, BAT house right.

I had to try to capture the detail and feel of the door in a much more compact design. The main BAT door has two windows on top. The client said she could live without them, but I was determined to try and make that feature a reality for her. Since she wanted to paint the doors herself, this created another challenge because I had to make the glass removable. I cut the doors from 2 mm chipboard, two outer layers and an inner core, with the Maker. This allowed me to create a recess for the glass to slide into. This sequence of photos shows how the window feature will function:

Lexan and trim piece cut to size.

Slide Lexan into recess.

Lexan seated into cavity.

Insert top trim piece.

A pin hinge has to fit here, too. Tight!

I created the door parts in Tinkercad, then 3D printed detail molding pieces to fit into the chipboard recesses. Here are the doors with the detail molding glued in, dry fit into the door frames and with the two different pediment options. I included both pediment options for the client to choose from once she's seen a live dry fit. The basement door does not have windows per the client's request. I also added the same 1/16" x 1/4" trim detail onto the door frame to match the window frames. This is to try to recreate the stepped depth look of the original facade details. I think she could even add an additional 1/16" x 1/8" piece on top of all of the frames to even further the effect.

If you remember, the client had sent me both doors and their frames from the kit so that I would have exact measurements. This was great so that once I made the new doors, I could actually mount the doors into the frames. After priming, sanding and drilling holes for the pin hinges, I mounted them. The client asked that the doors open from the left instead of the right, so I changed the hinge pin holes on the door frames, as well.

Basement door front and back

Main door front and back

Doors Opened. The chipboard has been rounded off so it does not get hung up on the frame.

The client thought, after seeing the fancier large window pediment, maybe she'd want the large window above the entry to match all seven of the other slim windows. I printed a simple rounded pediment and sent both so that she could choose her favorite once she'd seen them both in person.

Large window with fancier pediment, with simpler pediment and slim window.

I was surprised that the door portion of the project went so well and so quickly! Because of that, I was able to get final approval from the client, get paid and ship her package well before the one month time frame that I quoted to her! Here's a collage of the final order, though I included a lot of extra architectural elements (not pictured) for fun.

I can't emphasize enough what an amazing opportunity this was! I was challenged in many new ways, learned so much about the possibilities of my tools and myself, and was able to help a fellow miniaturist fulfill a dream! It just doesn't get any better than that!

Now that this fun distraction is finished, I'm looking forward to getting back to the Beachside Bungalow's kitchen. Hopefully, I'll have some progress to share with you next week!

xo xo,

Jodi

All Work And No Play...

Makes me a very cranky miniaturist! Therefore, this time in my bi-monthly work overload, I instituted staggered deadlines! It's been brilliant! Every 9 days or so I get 1 or 2 days off! I am at the end of the second day of play time, and while I will be back at the grindstone tomorrow, I managed to finish up quite a few items on the Creatin' Contest To-Do List!

First up, it felt like the kitchen area needed some more detail. I decided to reconfigure another Michael's hutch to make a small shelf for under the window. This involved popping the piece in the microwave for about 30 seconds. After each time in the micro, I would pull the parts off that I didn't want or that I wanted to reconfigure. For anyone who's new to softening glue with this technique, please make sure to remove any and all hinge pins before placing in the microwave. Also, only handle the hot piece using potholders or in my case an Ove-Glove. They work great!

Original hutch - removing the doors and metal hinge pins.

After the first 30 seconds in the micro, I separated the top and bottom.

I had to use a variety tools to saw off some curvy bits to make the bottom flush.

I popped it in the micro again to remove the shelves - there was not enough space between them to display what I had in mind.

I wanted to use the scrolly piece, but needed to cut it down a bit.

Scrolly bit and first shelf were ready for painting, gluing, filling and sanding.

I decided to stain the shelves and top, and use Georgia Clay on the rest to tie the piece to the other furniture in the build.

Once everything for the shelf was finished, I glued it together. Now I could work on the shelf fillers. I believe the last time I worked with polymer clay was when I was working on Starbucks back in 2013. The last time I made canning jars was way back in 2003! I made some basic fruit and vegetable shapes, and a couple loaves of bread. I had a couple adorable, wonderful loaves that I purchased for this project, but they completely disappeared someplace and I was forced to just make my own. I do hope I find them one day - they were so stinkin' cute!!!

Rolling balls for peach slices. I like to bake the balls, then cut the slices while the clay is still warm.

I made apples, peaches, choke cherries, green beans and potatoes.

Here the canning jars are getting ready for filling. I like to use food coloring, alcohol ink or chalk pastels for coloring the resin.

Chalk gives the loaves the perfect just baked look!

I also needed to fill the kettle with wolf meat and vegetables in wine sauce.

Now I needed to make some groceries for the shelf. I cut 1/4" dowels into 1/2" lengths. These were going to become canned goods. Instead of painting the tops, I decided to try out the aluminum tape that I have. I used a paper punch to punch the tape then affixed one to the top and bottom of the cans.

I thought that food labels from the 40's seemed kind of appropriate for the piggies. I found some really great labels googling, then adapted them in my graphice program to fit some wooden shapes I cut.

Here is the filled up little shelf in it's new home. I was careful not to block the view out the window of poor Sam's straw house still being blown about in the wind. I added a few other details I had in my stash, unused from past projects.

These little piggies won't be going hungry!

I made some napkins, added some silverware and painted plates and bowls for the table. Since they're celebrating their freedom from that terrorizing wolf, they'll even partake in some wine with dinner.

Musical instruments are always close at hand for these merry fellows!

Joe likes to display his daily epicurean genius on the menu board. Today's menu is truly an inspired culinary experience!

Kettle braised wolf tenderloin, harvest root vegetables in red wine bordelaise.

Mmmm... Looks delicious!

Ooohhh and crusty french loaves, too!

Nothing beats a home cooked meal shared with the piggies you love!

This was just the relaxing break I needed to fill up my happy tank again! I'm ready for more hard work, and soon after I'll be back to my beloved mini world! This time, to begin adding final details to this fun little build!  See you in about 10 days or so!

Jodi

We're Cookin' Now!

I put the finishing touches on the little stove last night! This was after several coats of black spray paint for the accessories and several white coats for the stove itself.

I really struggled to find little parts and pieces around here to make more realistic burners, knobs and digital panel. The ones that came with the kit were VERY '70's. Like clock dial and everything. I wanted something a little more 3D as opposed to some shiny stickers. I think I'll hold onto them for a future "retro" project...

I often take apart old cordless phones and any other neglected or broken electronic gadgets to harvest realistic looking mini "parts". I kind of struck out with that, but when I looked through my grandma's old sewing machine table drawers (all her wonderful sewing tools and gadgets are still in them) I found lock washers for snaps and snap heads. Those (plus washers from the hubbs) became the burners.

I have several picture hanging kits with all kinds of great parts when you look with your "mini eyes". The burner knobs are nails with fancy heads cut down to just allow them to pierce the wood on the stove panel.

The backsplash part of the stove was really whimpy since it was only about 1/16 thick. I beefed that up with a piece of beveled scrap wood and added a printie control panel I found Googling.

The instructions called for both the oven door and drawer to hinge open. That is silly! Everybody knows that the bottom door is a drawer! So I made a drawer and painted it black.

One thing I have to say about this kit is that you have to constantly measure, pre-fit parts and do a lot of punting. I don't know - maybe it's just me, but the instructions are lacking. For example, in the shelf and lower cabinet instructions when they tell you to punch out a part number, if there is more than one with the same number they tell you in parentheses. By the time you get to the stove you are baffled why there are 2 of each of 45 and 46. You never use them, and there's just no explanation. So, I have extra parts and that scares me!

When I went to fit the oven door after inserting the drawer, it didn't still fit! What the heck! It was all fine when I dry fit it all! Okay, punt again. Cut a bit off the bottom of the door, make hinge holes, insert pins. And now the oven door only opens half way. When I put so much extra effort into something and it does not work perfectly I get very disappointed. So, all I can do at this point is figure out what went wrong and learn from it. Sa la vie...

Natasha's Kitchen - Roof And Ceiling

In the post before last I'd shown you that I added extensions to the walls to make them about an inch and a half higher. Once that portion of the build was done it was time to move on to the roof/ceiling.

See the groove in the floor at the front of the room box? That is to hold a piece of plexiglass to protect the things displayed inside from dirt and dust. Originally, I had intended to make the front half of the roof hinge open so that the plexiglass panel could be lifted up and removed. But in a "Senior Moment" that I'll explain later, that was no longer an option. I'll share the new plan for removing the plexiglass in a later post on the main structure. For this post, in the interest of not hogging all your blog reading time, we'll stick to the ceiling/roof. 

Although I knew I would be installing lighting in this project, I thought it would also be nice to bring more natural light inside, too. So I cut holes in the front half of the roof for skylights.

While I had the scroll saw out and was already making a sawdust mess, I thought I better just cut the sink window opening, as well. More on that in the next post.

For the inside of the ceiling, I planned on leaving it vaulted with exposed cladding and roof trusses. As if the kitchen were in an old house that had been updated, but also embraced the home's history and the workmanship of an era gone by. Both Tasha and I appreciate Time's Patina, and when played off of more modern fixtures, magic happens. I am no expert on aging miniatures, but I gave it my best shot on the ceiling.

I painted a rough coat of 3 parts water to 1 part brown paint onto 1/16" x 1/2" basswood (both sides to prevent curling). Once that was dry I applied a light coat of white to one side. This is the same method I successfully applied for the shiplap boards in the Display Shop project.

Once dry, I lightly sanded until some of the white paint chipped and revealed some brown paint beneath. This was the look I was going for. 

To begin laying the cladding onto the ceiling, I first needed to join the ceiling with the 5/8" square beam that came in the kit. This is where I forgot that I needed the front roof panel to remain free so that I could attach a piano hinge. Instead, I plowed ahead and glued both roof pieces to the beam. I only realized my mistake after I'd already applied several of the cladding strips, too late to be undone.

Not to worry! "Senior Moments" don't have to be followed by "Charmin Moments". I calmly thought through the problem and contemplated ways I could still have a sliding plexiglass panel. In my next post I'll show you the solution I figured out that will still allow the plexiglass panel to be removed.

Once I had all of the cladding applied, I needed to come up with material to make the roof trusses. I had ordered some material in anticipation of the task, but it was not meant to be. The company is new to ecommerce, lost the order, was backordered on the product anyway, and ultimately issued me a refund. So this is where Russ, the handiest and most helpful husband in the world, came in. 

I informed Russ of my dilemma. You see, I have only mini sized wood and molding in my stash, and some plywood. But not anything 5/8" square and not enough of any scraps to do the whole job. And nothing that looked like old timber. But Russ has a real workshop in the garage and had some leftover oak trim from a job. He also has a nice, real sized miter saw that he used to cut down the very hard oak. First, he made it 5/8" x 5/8". And then, going off my diagram, he cut the wood to size and with the angles I needed. All I had to do was sand, stain and install!

Once the beams were in, I cut "iron" straps from kraft board using the Cricut. I cut the fastener flaps off silver metal brads and used them as the bolt heads. 

Here's what the ceiling looks like from inside...

And a peek through the skylights...

The last thing I could do on the roof/ceiling for now was to install the lights. I am using all LEDs in this build from Evan Designs. The ceiling will have six can lights, and possibly two additional pendant lights later on. Those I will try to create and print with the 3D printer. So for now, the 3mm bright white can lights with mounting clips are all I had to install.

I was originally going to mount them right into the ceiling. Due to the angle of the ceiling, the concern that they would give an irritating glare through the skylights and that the roof itself is only 1/16" luan, I decided to install them in the beams, themselves. This was really tricky, because I had to drill deeply enough to allow the mounting clips to seat, but then also at an angle so that the wiring could be concealed all the way through the beam and out through the roof.

Some came out better than others, but luckily, they are barely visible while looking through the front opening, and not at all visible when peering in through the skylights. What I am after here is good lighting, and I think I've achieved that. Phew! I have tested each individual light but still have to test them in the room at the same time to make sure I have enough. With supplemental cabinet lighting, and a few fixtures, Tasha will have plenty of light to play.

I am relieved that I don't have to worry about the roofing shingles just yet. I can procrastinate on that for a while. But if ever the corner trim shows up, I can begin making the skylights. Until then, walls, wall treatments, cabinets here I come...

May your "Senior Moments" always be followed by clever solutions, dear friends!

xo xo,

Jodi