Half Clocked – kits in progress

I’ve been working on some stash kits to fill the HC build. I have a birdhouse from Art of Mini.

And, two new old stock kits – Shenandoah Designs tiered server and House of Miniatures trestle table.

Sanding them took the most time, but I have them built and ready for finishing.

I hate assembling any three-legged stand, but they look so nice I just swear through the process to get it done. I inevitably get glue all over, so I almost always end up painting these types of bases.

I’m not sure of colors yet, though I do really like the aged military green shown on the birdhouse kit cover. I might end up going with that for this piece.

The trestle stand was a pretty clean assembly glue-wise, so I might use some stainable wood filler for the few gaps and end up staining this piece.

Categories: Furniture, Half Clocked
June 10, 2018 | 0 comments

Milwaukee Dollhouse and Miniature Show – May 2018

I was up in Waukesha, Wisconsin for the Milwaukee Dollhouse and Miniature Show a couple of weeks ago.  It was a small show but definitely worth the visit. I recognized a few vendors from the local Chicago shows as well.

J and K Miniatures – got some bare metal items including wheels I need for the moveable ladder in Watson Mill.

William Cambron Designs – I didn’t buy anything from him at the Chicago shows this year because his table was always so crowded. It was crowded here, too, but I still had some good luck!

Cecelia – lovely estate items. None had maker’s marks and I’m not sure who made them, but they are wonderful items.

Categories: Miniature Shows and Shops
June 3, 2018 | 0 comments

Miss Lydia Pickett Cottage Clock – part 7

Completing work on the Miss Lydia Pickett Cottage Clock in 1:12 scale by Robin Betterley’s Miniatures.

A dear blog reader suggested the face didn’t look right, and I thought it was just me who felt that way – or because the hands weren’t on yet. So, I decided to print two more versions with smaller dials. You’ll see this revised face for the rest of the build. Instead of digging out the pasted face, I just added another cardstock circle to bring it forward a bit more and pasted the new face over the top. I applied a thin layer of Delta Ceramcoat Satin Varnish as a sealer for the paper face and previously applied artwork adapted from The Graphics Fairy.

The hands are Susanne Russo brasses, a lovely find of new old stock at a local show. The package indicates the color is black, but they are brass. One side was tarnished, so I used that for my clock.

I drilled winding holes as accents, lining them with a bit of paint. I added tiny bits of black wire at the top and bottom to allow the acrylic to float over the hands.

I cut the middle face trim to accommodate an additional 3/16″ hinge.

There’s a small nail for the knob. I dabbed these with Taupe Metallic by Folk Art to match the other detailing. Since the hinges don’t function, the paint won’t matter. Now it looks like you can open the glass to wind the clock.

The acrylic that came with the kit had an imperfection that was large enough to bother me. Instead of digging out the Cricut, I managed to cut a new insert by hand.  :D

I added a small keyhole from a Classics door knob set and fashioned a key from a laser cut brass hook from The Ironworks.

This is one of my favorite details.  :D

Here you can see the door hinges on the body.

Here’s a reminder of what the kit photo suggested for finishing.

And, here is my finished version.  :]

I had a lot of fun with this kit and wish they were still available.

Categories: Half Clocked
May 23, 2018 | 0 comments

Miss Lydia Pickett Cottage Clock – part 6

Continuing work on the Miss Lydia Pickett Cottage Clock in 1:12 scale by Robin Betterley’s Miniatures.

After sanding down the gesso primer coat, I painted the clock Greenscape by Folk Art and finished with Delta Ceramcoat Satin Varnish. The artwork for the body and base is from The Graphics Fairy. I used the image as is for the base but then used elements from the original to create a design for the body in PhotoShop.

I printed on paper and then cut the pieces to fit. The inserts were later glued in place using Mini Graphics Wallpaper Mucilage. As you can see, the clock face pendant no longer worked since it was darker than the artwork and seemed to be lost.

I printed a regular clock dial in a similar color to the body art as a replacement. Much better.

I painted the clock face trims and the finial Taupe Metallic by Folk Art. I painted some accents in the same color on the body and base.

I used the Cricut to cut cardstock circles to fill in the upper hole. I glued these in place with tacky glue before gluing the clock face with Mini Graphics Wallpaper Mucilage.

The final steps include adding the hands, the glass insert and other small details that are too much for tonight.  :D  Back soon…

Categories: Half Clocked
May 22, 2018 | 0 comments

Miss Lydia Pickett Cottage Clock – part 5

Continuing work on the Miss Lydia Pickett Cottage Clock in 1:12 scale by Robin Betterley’s Miniatures.

I primed the main body, finial and feet with gesso. This helped me to see any flaws that needed to be addressed. I rather like the grey.  :]

I glued the scroll pieces to the main face trim, leaving the final circle trim unattached. In order to give the scrolls more depth, I built them up with dabs of Golden Molding Paste.

Once primed, they look more dimensional. I’ve painted an initial coat of Liquitex Iridescent Bronze to the circle trims. This will all get some fine-tuning, but it’s a good start.

I applied spackling with a toothpick and smoothed it into gaps and partially exposed mortises.

The spackling smooths the edges where multiple layers are joined as well, like the sides of the curved front.

Next up, painting and artwork.  :]

Categories: Half Clocked
May 16, 2018 | 0 comments