The shadow box house is finished

Lots of little details were added to the living room.

The kitchen just got a potted herb on the window sill .

The bedside lamp got a new shade.

The nursery got a basket of diapers, a diaper pail, and a couple of wall decals.

I made matching console tables with floral arrangements for the upper hall.

Detail oriented

 I couldn't wait to start on the details. I know what I want to put in the upper hall but I got tired of making furniture so I started on accessories. The kitchen got a new curtain, canisters, and a pan for the stove.

The living room got lamps, a bowl for the coffee table, and some art. I want to make a plant for the floor to the right of the door.

 The master bedroom now has a bedside lamp and a new art piece.

 I changed the valances to more formal drapes. I just didn't like what I first had in here.

 The girl's room and the upper hall got drapes to match the valances that I started with.

The bathroom got necessities like toilet paper and a hand towel.

The details always make a dollhouse look more realistic. I think that's why it's my favorite part of a project. I will finish that upper hall this week, I promise!

Something new and something old

The new -  Today's project was the office. I made a desk, chair, laptop, and file cabinet. The more quarter scale things I make the more fun I am having with this scale.

The old - The kitchen got some attention too. The table and chairs were just too much pattern right in front so I toned them down with some solid black. I also modified the stove just a bit and made the counter look more like granite.

There's only one room left to furnish and then it's on to the really tiny stuff.

Two more rooms!

 The one thing I don't like about taking photos of the smaller scales is that the imperfections that aren't apparent when you view the scene in person are glaringly obvious in an enlarged photo on the blog. I know that there are plenty of flaws but I am happy with the results, flaws and all. :-)

The photo on the left is of the kitchen. I am so excited about this room! I originally tried to find printies for the appliances but I'm glad I decided to wing it instead. ;-)

The living room furniture turned out much better than I thought it would. I didn't use a tutorial but just played with wood scraps until I found something I liked. Quarter scale will never be my favorite but I am having fun with it for a change. I'm having problems hanging on to the tiny pieces of furniture so I know adding details is going to be a challenge. Wish me luck!

I got a lot done today. All of the furniture was made from bits and bobs I had on hand. The nursery got a new crib and dresser/changing table.

 The bathroom now has all of its fixtures, including the shower doors.

 The girl's room now has a bed, nightstand, and dresser.

 Here's an overall shot of the house so far.

The master bedroom is furnished but the hall/office is not even started.

A new project... finally !

 A friend gave me a little shadow box house that she found at a garage sale or thrift shop. Each "room" had some sort of wooden figure. I removed all of those and started turning it into a quarter scale house.

 The windows were made from the webbing that was on the back of the tiles I used in the conservatory. Never throw anything away! That would explain why my craft room often looks like a cyclone hit, lol.

Most of the wallpapers were printed from various internet sites. The blue floral paper was leftover from the French country house.  Somehow it works for both scales. The tiny room on the top right will be the bathroom. I got a good start on the shower. Since the last photo I've added brick to the exterior. I am still debating whether or not to shingle the roof.

Next up will be furniture. I am hoping to make it all with stuff I have on hand. Hubby is recuperating after surgery last Friday and I don't want to go out anymore than necessary.

I hope you're having a wonderful week!

Finally something small!

 This isn't a new project but I fixed a couple of things that I didn't like and added a few new details. This is an inexpensive quarter scale Victorian house. I used brick paper for the exterior.

 Inside I used wallpapers I found online - I'm sorry but it's been so long that I don't remember the source. The furniture is a combination of the small plastic pieces, pieces I made, and a few that my friend Brenda made. The hutch in the kitchen and the braided rag rug are her creations. She filled the hutch, too. And did an amazing job, I might add.

 The nursery beds and crib were made with scraps of wood and fabric. The twin beds were way too long originally so today I shortened them. The proportions are much better now. The  quilts at the foot of these beds, hanging over the crib edge, and in the master bedroom are also printies from the web. The rug is a ribbon scrap. The baby in the crib was in a round robin box I used do with friends. She was not dressed. Today I made her a tiny gown from a scrap of vintage handkerchief.

 In the master bedroom I added the mirror over the chest of drawers and the vase of flowers on top of the chest. I didn't make many changes to the plastic furniture in here. I cut down the bases for the lamp and the bowl, gave the bed a new spread, and added a cushion to the chair seat.

 I think I made a couple of minor changes to one or two of the bathroom pieces.The towel and rug are fabric scraps.

 Here's a closer view of Brenda's hutch and rug. I love both pieces. I added paint to some of the plastic pieces when I built the house. Today I made the stockpot simmering away on the stove.

The plastic furniture is mostly as it came from the package in the parlor. I added paper work to the desk.The tablecloth is a small fabric applique. Two tiny stacked beads make the centerpiece vase. The fireplace is a mini Christmas ornament.The artwork is made with a fingernail sticker.The rug is a bit of ribbon.The center table holds a potted plant on a doily made from a lace cutout.

I'm not sure if I'll ever do another quarter scale project. It's certainly not my favorite scale. I much prefer the detail you can get with 1:12 or 1:24. It was a fun experiment, though, and the scale certainly doesn't take up much space. I may not have a choice soon if I want to keep making mini houses, lol.

Recovery from foot surgery is going well.  I have to spend most of the time with my foot elevated and I can't drive yet so it's been lonely. Most of my mini projects require me to sit at a table with my feet on the floor. I haven't got to that point yet.  My best friend has kept me well stocked with library books and my daughter shared her Netflix account so I haven't been too bored. It was very nice to play with minis for a little while today.

Wishing you all a blessing filled day!

A comparison shot

I just thought I'd show my quarter scale townhouse with the 1:12 townhouse. Both of these are Victorian. I don't usually do Victorian but it was fun to do the two one inch scale houses and this little one, too.

Cleaning, laundry AND minis!

Yes, it's true. I swept and mopped the main living areas, finished the laundry and had time to mini. All before 3:00 pm! The quarter scale townhouse is finished except for artwork and little (and I do mean little!) accessories. This first photo shows the parlor. The rug is a piece of woven ribbon. The sofa was made from a piece of potpourri and beads with a little paint. The low table is just a cut down version of the larger dining table. The fern is bits of moss planted in a tiny plastic cup. Everything else was used pretty much as it came out of the package.
I painted the stove a flat black - the brown plastic just didn't cut it, lol. I painted the pump handle black but I think I want to use a bit of metallic paint on the pump itself.
I changed the bedding, added a cushion to the chair and cut the bowl down a bit in the pitcher/bowl set.
Again, I used this stuff straight out of the package. The towel was cut from the original bedspread and the rug is a snippet of woven ribbon.
In the nursery, I had to make more. The beds and bassinet were made from some of the punch outs from the windows. The little table between the chairs is the stool that came with the bathroom set. I added a little wood top.

All but the furniture

I love how the brick exterior turned out~It looks so much more elegant than the overscale siding that was scribed into the front.
You can't see in the photo but the parlor and the bedroom both have borders at the ceiling level. I have several of the finished quarter scale room sets of furniture that my friend gave me. I am working on personalizing those now.

Big Progress on a Little Project

So far, so good. I did make one significant mistake but was able to come up with a solution to fix it. The kit is not difficult but doesn't have real instructions. The diecut sheets are simply shown with each tab and slot numbered. You have to match everything up. There's no order to any of it - just sort of guess and go. The windows make it difficult to cut the paper around the holes. I'm not sure how I'm gonna do the wallpaper inside. The door doesn't even come out so I have to sort of guess at cutting that opening for the wallpaper.
I will divide each floor into at least two rooms. Kitchen and parlor downstairs and bedroom and bathroom upstairs. The interior colors are shades of pink and burgundy.

I must be crazy!

My friend, Brenda, gave me some quarter scale furniture - I think she just wanted to challenge me to try a smaller scale. It worked...here's the start of my new quarter scale townhouse. I've covered it in brick paper that I reduced to an appropriate scale. I made wallpaper the same way. Wish me luck with this project! I'm not sure I have enough patience or dexterity, lol.