Making a custom door, part 3

Continuing work on the custom door. I opted for Lilac Love by Folk Art for the final color. It’s a beautiful color that will stand out nicely from the final finishes without being overbearing. I painted the front and back sections while the door was unassembled because I didn’t want to risk getting paint on the window inserts.

I then applied Delta Ceramcoat Satin Varnish around the window openings to finish those edges. I cut three pieces of rippled plastic sheet from HBS to serve as the window inserts.

I glued the front to the back and pressed flat for a few days to make sure it was a solid bond. Here you can see all three layers that make up the door.

I filled in the edges with spackling to even out the surfaces. I sanded these smooth by laying sandpaper on my table surface and gliding the door over the flat paper. This keeps from rounding the edges inadvertently.

On the hinge side, however, I did round the edges. With a pin hinged door, you need that edge to be rounded otherwise it will bind.

I flipped the opening direction of the door by transferring the holes to the opposite side. I have a full post on that process here. I then added the pin hinge to the new door.

Checking the fit.

To remove the drafty edges, I applied thin strip wood. I have a full post on that process here. I finished painting the edges and sealed the door.

The door is thicker than the usual Houseworks door that sits in this frame, but the overhang is so slight that I opted not to pad the frame. It won’t be noticeable with the final interior trim in place.

Next up…painting the frame and adding hardware.

Categories: Otter Cove
August 18, 2015 | 0 comments

The Wee Sisters Three

A group of friends went in together and sent me the most adorable trio of mice for my birthday (from CozyMilArt). These three wee sisters are Daisy, Poppy and Fleur. While they each have their own personality and vary in looks, I still might have to make bracelets for them so I can keep them straight.

The included flowers are removable, but they can stand on their own without them. They can even hold other things.

They found the toy chest! Wheeeeeeeeeee!

As you can see, they are good for child size in 1:12 scale, though they could work as adult sized mice in half scale. Thank you so much, ladies!! I love them! :D

Categories: Animals and birds
August 10, 2015 | 0 comments

Milo Valley Farm – landscaping, part 3

Continuing work on the landscaping. I added additional dark brown fine ballast around the bushes and touched up the rabbit hole.

I am still deciding on the grass mat I will use, but I will need a template no matter which I choose. I made the template using tracing paper. Since I couldn’t see the dark dirt line through the paper, I lightly pressed masking tape along the edge.

I traced the line with a pencil, adding more toward the dirt since I can always trim any excess.

I cut the template and checked the fit.

I continued around the front and opposite side, taping pieces together as needed.

I’ll use this template to cut the grass mat.

Categories: Milo Valley Farm
August 9, 2015 | 0 comments

Milo Valley Farm – landscaping, part 2

Continuing work on the landscaping. I touched up the paint over the stucco application and dirtied up the lower portion of the stone foundation with a brown and black paint wash.

After looking at it some more, I decided I needed to build up the land to the barn door. I glued and pinned a piece of thin foam to the existing ground. I cut it to fit.

I then built up more stucco to even out the edges.

I painted it to blend with the rest of the land.

Instead of having the grass go all the way to the barn, I will have dirt showing along the foundation. I started with Fine Ballast Dark Brown by Woodland Scenics.

I spread a layer of glue with a brush.

I applied the ballast liberally and gently pressed it into place.

The rabbit hole has a layer of ballast as well. :]

I let it set overnight before brushing the excess back into the container, then vacuuming the remainder. I added a dark black brown paint wash to the ballast after I cleared the excess. This will dry a little lighter than it looks now.

While that dried, I planted two greenery bushes purchased from A Little More in Miniatures at the mini shows earlier this year. They smell awesome. I dug out holes for the bases and glued each bush into the foam, spreading some brown ballast over the bases. Why not plant these later after the barn doors are in? No reason really. :]

Operator error led to the bush by the rabbit hole losing a few branches. I will use these as final touches, so all is not lost! These are natural elements and as such might not last the test of time. Nice thing about an old barn is it won’t matter if they end up bare and sad looking.

On the ramp, I applied random streaks of glue and then spread the glue with a brush. The gravel is Woodland Scenics Ballast left over from Baslow Ranch. I poured it on generously and pressed it gently. I didn’t bother to let it dry overnight before brushing the excess back into the container, then vacuuming the remainder. I added some paint washes to make the gravel look more natural.

We’re getting somewhere.  :]

Categories: Milo Valley Farm
August 7, 2015 | 0 comments

Finding a Holy Grail miniature

I’m sure every miniaturist has a Holy Grail or two…I’d say I have roughly a dozen. These are miniatures we long for but cannot find, or perhaps afford. I searched extensively for this metal trash can, and now I have one in my collection. :D

It has the perfect metallic finish and ribbed detailing. There is no maker’s mark, and it came from an estate without any additional information. (A blog reader later said this was likely made by Ken Ketteridge.)

I’ve seen this item only once in the book Dolls’ House Shopkeeper by Lionel and Ann Barnard. Excellent book, by the way. So, one Holy Grail down!

I will not be altering this item in any way, so it might be too clean for the barn. But, the Brownstone has that fancy trash nook. :]

Categories: Miniatures
August 4, 2015 | 0 comments