Monday, September 16, 2013

Poor Man's Photo Box--Photo Tutorial

      Tools/supplies: ILLUSTRATION BOARD (custom frame/art supply section of craft stores), quilting ruler (preferred) or ruler, pencil, Xacto knife with sharp blade, CARPET TAPE 1.5” wide

Illustration Board is used because it is thicker and RIGID like wood (except you can use Xacto knife to cut, and it is acid free to boot). You can use mat board, but it is too floppy to my taste.


Template for cutting the photobox (boxes labeled #1, 2, 3,5). Not to scale. Ignore Box #6,4

       Draw the template onto illustration board, on the side you do not want showing (with all the writing on it), including the dash lines. A square quilting ruler as shown is easiest because lines are level as you draw. For a 16 x 20” board, you can make a 6” box using the template above the picture. 

The picture illustrates the lines for making an 8” box from 16 x 20 board. For bigger boxes, you will need 32 x 40" illustration board.

     Use your Xacto knife to cut as follows: DASHED lines get cut into but not through the board, NON-DASHED LINES get cut through full thickness of board. You should be able to bend the sides where there are dashed lines. You may have to make MULTIPLE passes to fully cut through the board.

      Seal the sides of the box with CARPET TAPE (basically industrial strength double sided tape). 

      The finished box will have 3 sides & a bottom, but no top or front.

 6” and 8” photo box nested in each other, both used 16x20 illustration board.

       Now you can place your miniature items into the box and take pictures. The box gives you a nice clean background on all 3 sides. I chose white so that if you print the picture, you won’t waste a lot of ink on background color.

     If you want a colored background, just add colored paper or fabric into the box and voila!

Friday, September 13, 2013

Completed projects day 5

 A quarter scale winter/Xmas vignette completed in 2012

This project was the brainchild of Gayle Clausen for the OKC Mini Club

I used to drive 3 hrs once a month to attend the OKC mini club meetings, conveniently held on Saturdays
They felt bad for me, so they gave me the name of a lady in a miniature club in my own town, and they (OKC) haven't seen me since.

 The doll armature and faces were made by Gayle Clausen and she taught the club how to dress QS dolls---it's easier than you think



 A quarter scale Christmas Baking vignette

From a kit by Janet Smith of Desert Minis, originally Harvest Time Kitchen

The doll is by Gayle Clausen--I had her make a Ms Santa Claus and she added all sorts of wonderful details

I made most of the accessories using Joann Swanson's 1" scale instructions for Xmas Baking vignette, but scaled down to QS
Then I decorated the outside of the roombox too to make it more Christmas-y and make it more of a house than just a plain roombox 
 The other side of the roombox

 QS Lady's Shop Vignette completed 2012
From a kit by Suzanne Herget
All the shop items (hats, jewelry, purses, hanging dress, shopping bags, hat boxes, picture frames, shop catalogue, flower arrangement) are items I made or received from QS Swap group run by Ginger Anderson
I decorated the outside of the roombox too
  
 A quarter scale Lady's Boutique with a purse frame
From Tom Bishop Chicago International 2010 class with Sally Manwell, completed in 2012

 I made the chandelier following instructions from a JAR-JAF booklet
The lady trying on the hat was included with the class workshop
The lady shopkeeper I won because I had the lucky pink pencil in my bag of supplies in class
 We learned to make hats and purses seen on the left
The cameo is something extra I added from my stash
The flower pot I got from a QS swap
The tray of perfumes on the 2 tables I made
Everything else you see was part of the class/kit wkshop

You can get the "purse" frame in enamel red from Hobby Lobby and ask Sally Manwell to make you the shop interior and roombox structure kits

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Completed projects day 4


QS Upstairs Craft Room front view
I actually completed this in 2012
Kit from Luci Hanson of Cascade Miniatures
 I tried to make this look as much like my kitchen in real life, using items provided by the kit, except my real house kitchen doesn't have those signs on top of the cabinets

I do most of my miniatures in the breakfast nook off the kitchen and family room where the flat screen TV resides
 I had Gayle Clausen make the doll of me and a little boy sitting on my lap while I do minis because he loved to see what I was up to
The Yorkie is from Barbara Meyers. We have a Yorkie (boy)
 That bookshelf is way neater than my actual cabinets
 I got as far as wallpapering that house pictured, but no furniture, which about the same as my real dollhouses LOL

 A bakery inside a paper cupcake, quarter scale
 Interior view of the cupcake Bakery



This was my table exchange gift at Charlotte's NAME National Convention
The lady who received it didn't seem particularly impressed or excited to receive it.

 Quarter scale Bliss Roombox, roundtables from Charlotte's 2012 NAME National Convention
The roombox kit is from Susan Farnik
The bed, dresser and armoire kits are from Jean Scribner
The umbrella stand, houseplant are table gifts from Charlotte National Convention
The rest of accessories I made or received from swaps through QS swap group 
 I used a fabric quilt purchased from Debbie Young for the bed instead of from the kit
The slippers are from Fern Rouleau
Side table from Jennifer Berkeley

 Side view of the roombox
 Back view of roombox
Other side of the roombox

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Completed Projects Day3

 Pam Junk's English cottages doll's dollhouses in 2 scales (the 1"/HS is pictured)
Following pictures show the front and then the back view
You just have to stain or paint the interior, glue the cottage graphic to front & glue the house pieces together














 This shows the 2 scales of the houses
Each kit makes TWO houses
Get them while you can---Pam is retiring them

 The following are Pam Junk's English Shops. The shop "boxes" vary considerably in size compared to the Carpenter Gothic House kits. Each kit comes with material to complete interior/furniture




















Not a kit, but a witch's hat I bought from Shelly Norris
It has Fimo formed roses, wire flowers, and ruched silk ribbon band 


Side view of the hat