Be back soon

Hi, if anyone is following my blog, thank you! You might have noticed that I haven't been blogging lately, I am moving everyone around in my house. Daughter going to college, son still living at home, rearranging bedrooms, painting, flooring installed. I will be back as soon as I get this all done, I am expecting about a month. Kris

Miscellaneous Items in Kitchen Room Box

Just going to talk about a few items in the kitchen.

The round "tins" on the bottom shelf and canister set on the counter. These were made from card stock.
I use a wood dowel for the forms, choose the diameter you want for the size of "tin" you want. I find 3/4" dowels make a nice size tin. They come in all sizes, you choose the size of dowel you need.

Take a length of sewing thread, grey if you have it, and run it through your fingers full of silver paint. Get the thread covered, hang the thread to dry. Do enough to go around the tin twice. I do this the night before to be sure that the thread is dry.

The tin I'm copying is 2 1/2" tall. I'm going to cut a strip of card stock 7/32" wide and 2 5/8" long. Wrap it around the dowel, overlap the ends and glue with Elmer's white glue. Be careful not to glue it to the dowel. Let dry. When dry, sand the seam a bit to soften the joint.

Do you want to have a tin that opens? You can fill with cookies, candies or like mine, a button box. For the lid I like a pattern. There are lots of Dover Books that have copyright free designs and patterns. There are catalogs full of pictures that can be used. You can make your own on the computer. Or you can paint the lid. Small print calico is a good source, you can copy it on to card stock.

Cut a strip of card stock or your patterned paper that's been glued (with glue stick) onto card stock, 1/16" wide and 2 5/8" long. Wrap this narrow piece around the already glued strip that is still on the dowel. Carefully glue the lid strip to itself. Don't let glue go onto the bottom strip or you won't be able to open your tin. Let dry, testing occasionally to see that it is not glued to the bottom strip.

Push the lid strip slightly off the dowel, not all the way. Leave the bottom strip where it is. Cut a circle, a little larger in diameter than the dowel, from your patterned paper/card stock. Apply Elmer's white glue to the edge of the lid strip and set the circle (top) onto the glued edge. Let dry. When dry, carefully trim around, cutting close to the edge. I use curved scissors for this.

Take the completed lid off the dowel. Cut another piece of card stock a little larger than the diameter of the dowel. Push the the bottom strip slightly off the dowel, not all the way. Apply Elmer's to the edge and set the bottom circle onto the bottom strip. Let dry. When dry carefully trim off the extra card stock.

You can paint the bottom tin, I use Delta's PermEnamel, to coordinate with your patterned top. Let dry.

To make the rolled edges apply tacky glue in a very narrow line along the bottom edge of tin and apply the thread along this glue line. Let dry. Do the same thing with the bottom edge of the lid.

The canister set is made the same way using graduated sized of dowels.

To make the floor I first made a pattern and then cut a floor from poster board. I found something I liked from a "Better Homes and Gardens" 1940's magazine. I painted the whole surface dark blue, I used a little roller I found at Home Depot. You can use a foam brush, too. This time I used Delta's Ceramcoat. I let this dry. I marked off the border, it's about 5/8" and left an 1/8" space and masked another line about 1/8" wide. I used painter's blue tape. Then I sponged, I'm a great sponger, that's my answer to everything, "Sponge it". I used 2 shades a little lighter that the orignal blue plus white. Let this dry. Then according to the picture from the magazine I painted a little blue square, a yellow circle and 2 red lines. It's not much, but it gave the kitchen a 1940's feel. Take the blue tape off. I finished the floor with Delta's PermEnamel Clear Gloss Glaze.

I made the clock radio from polymer clay. The metal ring around the dial is a rim from a "Gripper" snap from the notions department in a sewing store. I use these for sink drain rims, too. The dial is a barometer face from a clock catalog.

The cabinets do not open. They are all boxes with doors glued on the faces. They are made from basswoood. The handles are drinking straws I painted silver. I snipped off small rings, trying to keep them all the same width, then I cut the rings in half, there's your handle. I glue them on with super glue. I painted the counter tops dark red. The old counter tops were covered with linoleum, some didn't have back splashes. I finished them with Delta's PermEnamel Clear Gloss Glaze. The edge of the counter tops is made from silver foil from a stained glass store or supplier. It's narrow, just the right size for the counter top, you can fold it over the top and bottom. This comes on a roll and is sticky. It looks just like the aluminum edge that used to make the front of our shirts black!

Going to make the sink top next.

Kitchen Room Box, Stove, circa 1940, 1" scale

This is the picture of the stove I copied for the Kitchen Room Box. It's from "Better Homes and Gardens", April, 1941. I find these magazines at antique malls, it's good to have a few. I would really like to have some magazines from the 1920's, but those are hard to find and cost more.
This stove will be made from basswood. It is painted with oil base enamel. I paint, sand, and paint again until I get a smooth finish that looks likes porcelain enameled metal.
I don't make my appliances open, I don't think I could get them to look realistic if I made them to open. I'm just interested in making them "look" realistic, anyway.
If you don't like this style of stove, get on the Internet and type in "vintage stoves". You'll get some beautiful examples, with measurements.
I make my appliances first, then I fit my countertops to them. Sometimes when I scale the measurements down I will round off the fractions to make it easier.
This stove is 3 1/4" wide, 2 1/2" high and 2" deep.

Use wood glue for everything, until I mention the tacky.

First you will need a block of wood measuring 3 1/16" wide, 2 9/16" high and 1 13/16" deep. This can be a solid block of wood or you can stack basswood and glue & clamp together any combination that will get you to 2 9/16" thick.
If you are stacking, rough cut pieces about 3 1/4" x 1 3/4", glue & clamp 3 to 4 pieces together, let dry them cut 3 1/16" x 1 13/16". Then glue & clamp, using wood glue, your stacks together, KEEPING EVERYTHING VERY EVEN. Let dry.

Cut a bottom, this is the toe kick, 3 1/4" wide, 1 5/8" deep and 3/8" high.
This piece is not as deep as the block, that's for the toe kick. This piece is 3/16" wider than the block, that's because we are going to add sides to the block, each side 3/32" thick.
Glue & clamp the bottom onto the block, keep the backs even, 3/32" on each side and 3/16" back from the front.
Soften the 2 front corners of the bottom by sanding.

Cut a back 3 1/4" wide and 3" high from 3/32" thick basswood. Round off the 2 top corners. Glue & clamp this onto the back of the block/bottom assembly. The back will have 3/32" extra on each side and 1/2" extra on top for the back splash.

Cut the top 3 1/4" x 1 29/32" from 3/32" stock. *(That's a 32nd beyond the 7/8" mark)*
Divide the top in half and center 4 circles, 3/4" in diameter on the left half. Cut or drill these out. Place the top on the block and mark your circles. Remove top and paint the marked circle areas on the block silver. Let dry. Glue & clamp onto block.

Doors. Cut 2 from 3/32" stock: 1 1/2" x 1 1/2"; and cut 2 from 3/32" stock: 1" x 1 1/2".

Sides. Cut 2 from 3/32" stock: 2 9/16" x 1 29/32".

For the light on the back use 3/32" stock and cut 1 piece 1/2" x 1/2". Cut a 3/8" dowel 1 1/8" long. The safe way to do this next step is to sand this dowel flat, in half, and round the ends, like the shade in the picture. If you have a Dremel with carving bits, you can hollow out the shade, but you don't have to.

Using fine sandpaper soften the front and side edges of the top. Soften the front edge of the back splash. Soften the front outside edge of the sides, only. Soften all four sides of the doors.

Glue the 1/2" x 1/2" piece to center edge of back splash. Let dry. Glue the shade onto this piece. Let dry.

Mask off the silver painted holes in the top.

Using oil based enamel, I use white Rustoleum, paint the top, top and front of back splash white.

Paint the sides and doors white, paint both sides to seal and prevent warping.

Paint the bottom and the block all around and the back with black enamel.

Let everything dry.

Paint it all again, black and white. You only have to paint the fronts of the doors from now on. Let dry. Sand using fine grit sandpaper, 220.

Paint it all again and sand with finer grit paper, I'll go up to 400 grit. You are looking for a glass smooth finish, when you are satisfied, stop. Don't sand again. I will sometimes paint and sand 7 or 8 times until I get a finish I like. Something always gets on the wet paint, somehow, I don't know.

Glue on the sides and the doors. If you clamp, be careful, don't use much pressure, and put something between the wood and the clamp. If you don't it will leave a mark and you'll have to sand and paint again, Oh no!

I used the centers of round plastic canvas cut to size and painted black for the burner grates. For the knobs you can use poster board stacked and glued together for the right thickness or polymer clay. Cut 9 circles, 1/16" to 1/4". Cut 3 of them less than in half and place cut edge onto middle of the circles. Bake according to package directions. Or glue the 1/2 circles onto the circles. Paint the color you want. You can use tacky or super glue to glue these on.

I found clock dials on line at clock making websites. Size the dial the size you want, I glue it to a thin circle of wood or posterboard a little bigger and painted silver to look like a rim. Then I'll coat with a finish to make it all shiny. Glue this on with tacky or super glue. The handles for the doors are cut from 3/32" basswood. You can use tacky or super glue to glue these on. I used an oval template for the shape, 1", 20 degree oval. I painted these black with a silver line through the middle. I also painted the shade with a silver line along the edge.

A good substitution for the silver line is silver foil from a stained glass supplier. It's thin and narrow and has a sticky back. You'll have to cut it even narrower but it looks very nice, just like the metal trim used. I also used this as the edge along my counters in the kitchen room box and for the trim on my refrigerators.

I want to give you a tip. I am married to an architectural woodworker, we have a shop and he makes cabinets and furniture, free standing and built into homes. When he is figuring how much wood he has to have and how to cut it out from sheets of plywood and his hardwood, he makes a "cut list". I call it his "recipe".
This method saves on wood and also saves on table saw changes, especially when you are cutting 1 29/32". You don't want to have to set the saw up twice for a measurement like that!

The easiest way to explain how to do this is visually, once you understand it you won't have to draw the pictures anymore. Go through the directions and draw all the pieces needed, put the measurements and which way the grain is going. Now go through and find the common measurements. When you have the saw set up to cut 3 1/4", run them all at that time. It does take some careful pre-planning, but it helps out in the long run.

I have another stove in my "First Apartment" room box, it's a small apartment size and it is cute! If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me. I do aplogize, again for the lack of a photograph, still saving for that camera. Kris, 1 Inch Minis

Picture of the Kitchen Room Box

Here's a bigger picture of the room box. I will publish this once in a while as I go around the room. I think we'll make the stove next. If you want patterns e-mail me. Kris

Canning pot from Kitchen Room Box, 1:12 scale

This speckled canner is setting on top of the stove in the kitchen room box. This canner is made from card stock, it has wire handles and the "jars" of beans are sitting on a piece of plastic canvas. The plastic canvas is round, I think coasters are needlepointed from them.

The jars are from medicine capsules. Our dog was taking medicine that came in clear capsules. Instead of giving her the whole thing, I emptied the capsules into her food and saved the capsules. (Check the Internet for empty capsules, I found them on www.iherb.com, empty capsules (it looks like size #1 by the measurements they give) or ask an independent pharmacist or health food store for them.) By putting a gold painted polymer lid on the rounded end of the capsules they became canning jars. I made beans from leaf green polymer clay. Tip for keeping the beans close to the same size: Roll out the clay with a pasta maker, thinnest setting and use a 3/16" Kemper circle cutter to cut circles. Cut these circles in half, this should give you the right amount of clay for a bean. You can always adjust this. I cut the lids out using Kemper circle cutters, too. Glue the lids on with Tacky glue, let dry. Turn the jar onto it's lid and fill with a little, very little resin. Then fill with beans. Experiment, the beans are going to displace the resin, you don't want spill over. Let dry. I got my resin from Hobby Builders, www.miniatures.com. I didn't put anything on the bottom of the jars, with the resin being hardened that was bottom enough. I was afraid that the resin would melt the capsule, but it didn't, all went well. Linden Swiss, www.lindenswiss.com makes very nice canning jars that you can use.

Back to the canner, the diameter is about 1 1/16" to 1 1/8". I usually look for a small bottle for a form, I save sooo much. If you don't have one you could use a 1" dowel rod and wrap it with wide tape around one end until you have the diameter you want. The width of the card stock is 13/16" and the length is 3 3/8". Wrap the card stock around your form and glue with Elmer's white glue. I use Elmer's on paper projects, it takes a little longer to dry, but when does it's permanent. Tacky is always flexible and can pull apart.
When the seam is dry push the card stock cylinder down and away from the form a bit. Put some Elmer's on the edge and place onto a circle of card stock larger in diameter than your cylinder, let dry. Trim the circle to the edge of the cylinder and now you have a pot with a bottom.
When the seams are good and dry sand them a bit to soften the edges.
The handles are 1/14" x 3/16" and made from wire. I used 26 gauge paddle wire. I buy it in the floral department, it's wound on a plastic paddle and hanging on a peg hook. Use paper and Elmer's to glue on the handles on opposite sides of the pot, see diagram.
Canners have rolled edges and raised ridges on them. We are going to make these with buttonhole thread. Use Elmer's to glue thread around the top of the pot. Glue another piece of thread about 1/4" down from the top, under the handles, let dry.
Lid. Cut a circle of card stock the diameter of your pot. The lids are raised and that's done by making a cone and gluing it to the center of the circle.
**Do you have an architect's circle template? Michael's sells them, they are very useful.**
I used the 7/8" circle, marked the quarters and drew lines to find the center. Cut on one line to the center. Overlap edges about a 1/4" and glue together, let dry. To soften the pointed top, place your finger into the point and press onto a flat surface.
I made a lip on the lid so that it doesn't slip off the pot. This is the trickiest part. The lip needs to fit inside the pot. Cut a strip of card stock 3/32" wide, about 3 1/3" long. Place it inside the pot along the top edge to get a length. Pull it just a smidge more and glue the ends together. Center the lip on the lid/circle and glue with Elmer's, let dry. Flip the lid over and glue the cone shape onto the top of the lid in the center. Glue on the handle at the top of the cone just as you did the handles on the sides of the pot.
For a rolled edge on the outside edge of the lid glue on buttonhole thread.
Your canner is done!
I used Delta's Permenamel Emperor Blue, (a dark, dark blue) and Permenamel Ultra White. I finished with Permenamel Clear Gloss Glaze.
To speckle, I dipped an old toothbrush into the white paint and quickly ran a popcicle stick over the bristles.
If you are going to place jars of beans into the canner: cut the plastic canvas circle the diameter of the inside of your pot. Paint the plastic canvas circle silver. Glue 7 jars onto the plastic canvas, use Tacky for this, it sticks better to plastic. Coil a strip of card stock the width you need to keep the jars up and out of the pot. Glue the card stock into the pot, then glue the plastic canvas full of jars onto it. Take wire, painted silver, if needed, and bend it to resemble the handles on the jar basket of a canner. These can be pinched on or you can glue them.
**You can make these handles actually hold the plastic canvas if you want and discard the card stock coil. Make the handles from 1 piece of wire, bending over one side of the pot, going down and under the plastic canvas and up and over the other side. I have a diagram drawn. Do this and then paint it all silver and then glue on the jars.
At the time of year Wal-Mart should have canners to look at if you are not familiar with what they look like.
Thanks for taking time to stop by, take care and make minis! Kris Compas

How to make a MiniatureToaster, 1:12 scale

How to make a miniature toaster, 1:12 scale. This toaster is in my Kitchen Room Box and my First Apartment Room Box. It's modeled after the classic ToastMaster toasters. I've given a diagram with measurements. If you would like actual patterns, please e-mail me.

Set A: cut 2 pieces #1 from 1/16" thick basswood
Set B: cut 3 pieces #2 from 1/16" thick basswood
Set C: cut 2 pieces #2 from 3/32" thick basswood

The two 3/32" thick pieces from pattern#2 are the toast slots. I use a scroll saw to cut out my wood.
To cut the patterns all the same glue the wood together with paper between. Rough cut, about a 2"x 2", something you feel comfortable with under the blade. Now cut paper the same size. For pattern #1 cut one piece of paper. Use glue stick to glue the paper to one of the 1/16"x 2"x 2" pieces of basswood. Now glue stick on the paper and glue the second piece of 1/16"x 2"x 2" basswood on top, making a sandwich. Hold this together for a couple of minutes or use a small clamp to secure.
Cut 3 pieces 1/16"x 2"x 2" of basswood and 2 pieces 3/32"x 2"x 2" basswood. Cut 4 pieces of paper. Glue the paper between the basswood as before, clamp.
Trace the patterns onto the the stacks and cut out. Separate set A, separate set B from set C. Leave set C together for now. Separate set B. **I have found the best way to separate the pieces is to slide the stacks like you are opening a fan. Peel the paper off and sand lightly.**
Set C will be the toaster slots. Cut out the slot on the scroll saw. Now separate them.
Using wood glue, glue: B to C to B to C to B together, keep all edges even, clamp and let dry.
Glue one of A to each side of your toaster assembly matching the bottoms, let dry.
Glue the bottom onto the center of the bottom of the toaster.
To have a smooth look to the toaster, paint the end grain of the center section with gesso, let dry, sand and repeat.
Use a oval "Woodsie" for the handles. I sand thin on each end before I cut off the tips for the handles. Glue onto toaster into the seam where the bottom and toaster meet. Sand the end of another "Woodsie" for the lever. I used a rounded end of a toothpick for the "lightness/darkness" knob.
Scrape a slot in one end of the toaster, in the center of 1/16" piece of basswood. Glue the lever at the top of this slot and the knob at the bottom.
Drill a hole into the other side of the toaster, in the seam where the bottom is glued onto the toaster. This will be for the electrical cord, made from painted wire or string. I made the plug from polymer clay, but you could carve it from wood and glue onto the cord.
I used Delta's Permenamel black and silver, and Permenamel Clear Gloss Glaze. Paint the inside of the toaster black along with the bottom, lever, knob, cord and plug. Paint the toaster silver. Finish with the clear gloss glaze.


I hope you like your new toaster, this fits in the late 1930's up to now, I've seen these in the stores.

Contemporary Shell Lamp

I thought I would start with this lamp, it's one of the first things I made and also wrote instructions for. Also, the kitchen is 1940's and I love the era, but I mostly do contemporary rooms now. No worrying about what does not belong in the scene because "They didn't make those in 19......".

This lamp is non-electric but it is easily made into an electric one. I use Cir-Kit Concepts lamp kits,
www.cir-kitconcepts.com

The things needed are: an auto light bulb, this one is a signal bulb, polymer clay, a toothpick, cupcake liners, a small gold bead to act at the finial on the top of the lamp and some card stock for the shade, and a flat gold bead that looks like a washer. And whatever you want to put inside the lamp, I used tiny shells.
Please read through the instructions, I usually leave something out in the items needed because I'm usually making things from what I have on hand.
Carefully cut the metal end off the bulb. I used a small triangular file for this. Please wear safety glasses for this. Sand the cut edge of the bulb after the metal part is off.
Use polymer clay for the top and bottom. I used brown to simulate wood, but you could use any color to coordinate with your room. Shape the clay to fit your bulb. I pushed the bottom of the bulb into clay so the bulb would sit right. I also made a small round bead to go the the top of the top. Make a hole through the bead to accommodate a toothpick. Bake your three clay pieces according to package directions.
While the clay is baking make the shade. Using the pattern, cut the shade shape from card stock. Glue together, for this I used Elmers, it's paper to paper and you can't beat Elmer's for this. Cut from card stock the round center for the shade. Make a hole in the center of this circle to fit the toothpick. Glue this circle inside of the shade. Let dry.
After the clay pieces are done baking and cooled you can begin to assemble the base. Glue the glass bulb to the base, making sure the bulb is straight all around. Ahhh, glue. What can I say, we all have our favorites. For this I would use something that is not flexable when dry, such as a tacky glue. For this I used Beacon's 527 glue, I bought mine from Wal-Mart. Fill the bulb with tiny shells. Glue on the top, Beacon's 527. Glue the flat gold bead, (you can make this from polymer clay and paint it gold) and then the round polymer bead you made onto the top. Let dry. Paint the toothpick a gold/brass color.
To finish the shade I used a cupcake liner because it looks like the pleated shades we have now. If you have a mini-pleater you could use it with the fabric of your choice. Make a cut between a pleat and cut out the bottom of the cupcake liner. Carefully fold along the pleats to compress them. I usually don't have to cut any excess liner off. All the liner is used to go around the cardstock shape you glued together earlier. Once you have compressed the cupcake liner, glue it to the cardstock shape, Elmer's. Over lap a couple of pleats.
Slide the finished shade onto the toothpick. Glue this assembly into the polymer clay bead on the top of your lamp. Let dry. Move the shade so that the bottom of the shade is above the top of the polymer bead. Glue the shade to the toothpick and let dry. Carefully nip off the toothpick just below the top of the shade. Glue a gold bead, round or oval, to the top of the toothpick.


I am knew to this, and the lamp shade pattern may not print out the size you need. From what I understand you can copy it into one of your programs and adjust the size. If anyone can help me with this problem, please feel free to offer suggestions. I am going to be putting patterns on the blog and need to have them the right size for you to use.


How did I do? Kris