Kitchen sink

The kitchen sink that came with the Euro Mini’s sink cabinet was very shallow and not exactly what I wanted.

The hole in the top of the cabinet for the sink was deep, so there was plenty of room to add a deeper sink. My attempts at making a sink out of polymer clay were lumpy and rather sad. So, I built one out of 1/8″ basswood and balsa.

I first measured and cut the vertical pieces to fit inside the opening in the cabinet. I then glued them onto a thin sheet of balsa using a jig. Before enclosing the box, I used a metal sewing eyelet to punch a hole for a drain.

Once the basic box was dry, I cut the balsa base to fit and drilled a hole in the base cabinet to match up with the drain.

Using 1/4″ half round strip wood, I built a frame for the top of the sink box.

I used a tiny bit of spackling to fill in any gaps between the frame and the box.

I watered down the paint so the finish would dry without any brush marks, sanding in between coats to remove any imperfections that would give away the fact that the sink is wood and not porcelain. Once the paint finish was dry, I added a couple of coats of gloss sealer (Delta Ceramcoat gloss varnish). To get the effect in the bottom of the sink, I let the gloss sealer pool. I also covered it after applying the gloss to keep dust from settling on the finish.

UPDATE (01-12-10)
Alas, the above sink is no more. The gloss varnish cracked and yellowed in the thicker areas when it dried. I had used it on the faux granite without a problem. Thin coats of this varnish work great.

I made a second sink, and this time I used Triple Thick Brilliant Brush-On Gloss Glaze by DecoArt for the finish.

The finish turned out like porcelain again, though the glaze was definitely thick and not easy to use. You have to work fast because it dries so fast. I am pleased with the second sink but disappointed that the varnish I had used ruined the first.

Here the sink is installed in the cabinet with the sewing eyelet drain pressed into place. Crisis averted! :D

Update 02-20-10:
Well, I spoke too soon. The second varnish (Triple Thick Brilliant Brush-On Gloss Glaze by DecoArt) turned yellow, too. There are big letters on the front of the package that read, “Non-Yellowing,” so I don’t know what happened.

I wasn’t going to give up on the second sink without trying to fix it first. I removed it from the cabinet, removed the hardware and gave it two coats of Krylon indoor/outdoor gloss white spray paint. It worked! :D

Categories: Miniatures
January 10, 2010 | 0 comments

Christmas wrap and presents, tree skirt

I made some wrapping paper for both presents and rolls. I found images of wrapping paper online and then used PhotoShop to replicate the design into larger sheets and then resize to an appropriate scale.

For the rolls, I cut the paper into 3″ wide strips of varying lengths, rolled the paper into tubes using a small dowel and glued the edge in place.

I bought a bag of random minis from craigslist, and this paper bag was part of the loot.

For the presents, I took scraps of wood and wrapped them in paper.

For some of the presents I added textured thread or ribbon; the bows are plastic beads (one is topped with a tiny pompom).

I used Word to create a circle 4.5″ in diameter and then added clipart trees around the edge. I printed it on fabric and adhered it to sticky-backed felt. I then sewed some silver trim around the edge.

It’s the perfect thing to cover the plastic snow mound of the Lemax tree.

Categories: Miniatures
December 11, 2009 | 0 comments

Photos from contact sheets

When I order regular size photos from Kodak Gallery online, they send a contact sheet of what is in the packet. These sheets have mini photos that are 9/16″ x 13/16″. I also have some from Sam’s Club that are roughly the same size, but those have numbers printed in the corners, which limits their usability depending on the photo’s composition and the size you need.

This first example was made using a Kodak contact sheet without the numbers printed in the corners. The mini frame has an acetate “glass” that I used to center over the part of the image I wanted. I cut out the image and glued into place with the backer.

The second example uses brass jewelry findings with 1/2″ photo openings. I first cut a template out of vellum paper, which is translucent enough to see through. This way you can center the template over the image without guessing if you’re centered over the portion you want.

I like these since the images are crisp and printed on quality photo paper and the frames already have holes to hang them on the wall.

Categories: Miniatures
November 26, 2009 | 0 comments

Miniature area rug

I followed the technique on this Finnish website. I couldn’t read the instructions, but the photos were clear enough: glue pieces of yarn to a fabric backing. I used Red Heart cotton yarn in a variegated pattern and a piece of scrap linen blend fabric.

I measured and cut the fabric for a full size area rug, leaving a little on the ends to create fringe.

Pulling out the cross fibers on each end created fringe.

I taped a piece of wax paper to my work table. I then taped the fabric backing to the wax paper making sure to cover the fringe on both ends to keep from getting glue on it. Working on a small area at a time, I cut pieces of yarn longer than the width of the fabric and glued them to the fabric backing. I measured repeatedly to make sure I was keeping the rows straight. The fabric stretched as I went along, so I ended once I reached the length I wanted.

I cut off the original bottom fringe and made new fringe below the end of the glued yarn. Flipping the rug over, I cut the excess from either side of the fabric backing.

Here is the finished area rug. :)

Categories: Miniatures
November 13, 2009 | 0 comments

Miniature Miele kitchen appliances

There are some fabulous miniatures on the market, and some carry “fabulous” prices. The miniaturist hobby itself can be pricey as a lot of little (pardon the pun) things add up. I’ve budgeted in some areas to be able to afford the more expensive items I want. In order to save money, I will be building a lot of the basic furniture myself, and I have found some good deals on craigslist and eBay for other things. I am getting ready to start building and decorating the kitchen, so I bought these miniature Miele appliances.

Both are battery operated and make sounds.  The oven also lights up, and the dishwasher came with the yellow dishes.

Categories: Miniatures, The Newport
October 10, 2009 | 0 comments