Much Creativity This Week!

 This week I have been at my workbench, beavering away at three different creative projects at the same time........below I can show you a hint of each!

Robin Britton, my  Nostalgia In Miniature Workshops partner and I have been asked to write a "show how to make" project for a UK dolls house magazine. It is still in the very early stages but lets just say that it will be in the same style that our vintage garden workshop projects are based on ie. vintage, weathered and realistic! We finally made a start this week.....above you can see a dustbin that Robin made brilliantly out of cat food cardboard packaging- she said it took her a while to suss out how to make the lid......but I think you will agree she got the shape perfectly. She then handed it over to me for the fun bit.....to paint it!

The rusty old metal effect was obtained from enamel paints and we were both chuffed to bits with the result. Over the next few weeks we will bring you an update on that particular  magazine project but hope the above was enough to tempt your tastebuds and inspire!

Meanwhile.......I went into mass production of cold frames in readiness for our next workshop that is taking place on Sunday, September 18th - Down The Little Garden Path. This project is being offered in 1/12th as well as 1/24th scale.  I have made up the basic frames, based on a 1930s design from an old book, in readiness for attendees of the workshop to learn how to age them.  By the way.....we still have a couple of spaces left for this workshop. So do get in touch with either Robin or I if you would still like to come!!!

Our contact details can be found on the workshop website:

http://www.miniatureworkshops.com/Contact_Us.html

Finally, today I have had to pull my finger out on a more personal project that I have left until the last minute (as is often the case)!!! It is needed for next Monday evening's  dolls house club meeting (here in Thame) of which I am a member, needless to say it ended up at the bottom of my "to do" list as KT Miniatures work had to take precedent.  But, after an afternoon at my workbench, am pretty pleased with the result and it is beginning to take shape rather nicely.

The club's annual project is to construct an attic scene in a MDF room box, supplied as a kit by The Dolls House Builder.

This project is just up my street as I have taken on many attic room scene commisions over the years.  However....because of that reason,  I wanted to attack it from a completely different angle. Instead of making the interior construction out of wood which I would have done had it been a commission, I have instead used foamboard and cardboard - no wood at all - to illustrate that you don't have to have fancy tools and materials to model these scenes.....as already illustrated from the dustbin made out of cat food packaging, earlier in this posting.........

The window shape was cut into the sloping foamboard (the back wall having first been painted in a mixture of pale blue and white to replicate sky). A window was made from sliced up strips of cardboard painted brown and lightly sanded, then a square of thick acetate cut from packaging ( a double shirt pack from Next) and all glued into place.

Convincing floorboards have been made from cardboard, painted with burnt umber acrylic layers and shaded with a touch of white, sanded well then sliced up and fixed into place.

The mock door has literally been created from just two layers of cardboard sandwiched together, strips of cardboard glued on the one side, painted with several layers of raw umber paint then sanded well. A commercial brass handle has been added.

The alcove in foamboard on the right of the scene has been added to give extra interest and the door will be fixed ajar tantalisingly giving a glimpse of a landing!

Well...that is as far as I have got. As this little personal project progresses, I will show you more on here.