Archives for: "January 2012"

Parlor hearth

by brae  

The next order of business for the parlor involved turning the cardboard hearth into marble.  :D  Don't you just love alchemy? This technique is shown in the DVD by Master Miniaturists called Faux Finishes.  I used it once before to make the… more »

Parlor firebox

by brae  

Before I could truly get to work on the parlor floor, I needed to finish up the parlor fireplace.  The first order of business was gluing the final side wall into place.  Before I could apply the parlor wallpaper, though, I needed to make channels… more »

Fancy parlor floor - the real deal - part 3

by brae  

The next step in the floor finishing was staining the guitar marquetry.  I wasn't sure if the stain would take to it the same way as the flooring sheets, so I started with a small sample at the end using Minwax English Chestnut.  It was too dark and… more »

Fancy parlor floor - the real deal - part 2

by brae  

Using the same Minwax English Chestnut as I did for the herringbone portion of the parlor floor, I stained the walnut flooring sheet to coordinate.  Even though I will be cutting strips out, I made a full sheet to have consistent coloration.  I can… more »

Fancy parlor floor - the real deal - part 1

by brae  

I finally have all the supplies I need to make the parlor floor a reality.  The marquetry border I am using is from eBay seller great-instruments and was advertized as being for guitar making.  It is thicker than the flooring sheets, so I will need to… more »

1920s kitchen sink and a beautiful basket

by brae  

I love the 1920s porcelain Kohler kitchen sink by Jacqueline Kerr Deiber that I bought for the Heritage.  But, the legs are shorter than the drain pipe, making for a rather wobbly sink that likes to tip forward...and fall down.  Bad.  :[ To fix this… more »

Pocket door hardware

by brae  

The lever I built to open and close the pocket door is great and all for my omnipotent hands, but the mini residents need to be able to operate the door as well.  ;]  Putting a doorknob on it doesn't really work since it would keep hitting the door… more »

Kitchen update and gifts from Italy

by brae  

For the cooking area, I treated myself to a lovely Ray Storey pendant gas light.  If I had had a larger budget, I would have bought the matching 3-arm down light for the dining table.  :D  But, the white chandelier is still a beautiful piece. The gas… more »

Dining area lighting

by brae  

After all the fuss about the color of the dining table and chairs, choosing a light was relatively easy.  :D  I picked up this white chandelier from Green Gables Dollhouse.  I love this fixture.  I used one in black for the Newport dining area.  The… more »

Fancy parlor flooring - marquetry border

by brae  

I've been stalling on the parlor floor since I wasn't sure about what type of marquetry border to add between the plain wood border and the herringbone center.  I sent Lyssa some of my ideas for her opinion, and she suggested I take the one I liked… more »

Clare Bell Brass hurricane lamp

by brae  

The area under the stairs in the parlor is very dark, and I don't want to lose the detail of the bookcase after spending all that time on making books. I needed a light here, but I didn't want to clutter the space with another table or even a floor… more »

Perfect mitred baseboards - a tutorial

by brae  

One of the best ways to achieve realism in a miniature setting is to add baseboards.  But, nothing ruins that illusion more than big gaps at the joins.  With a little patience, there's a relatively quick fix to achieve perfect mitre joins, even if your… more »

Kitchen working windows

by brae  

Today, I worked on the Houseworks working windows for the kitchen.  I had already given them their first coat of paint and applied the crackle medium to the exterior some time ago.  I can fiddle with windows and painting tiny parts only so long, then I… more »

Kitchen table and chairs update; more new minis

by brae  

Thank you to everyone who took the time to offer some advice on the kitchen table and chairs.  I opted for Sunflower by Folk Art to cover the Italian Sage used originally.  Forgive the lighting, but I am moving my house around to accommodate a real life… more »