The story of a shed (Part two)

Today was an odd day, and I really didn't expect to get any work done on building the shed (I went to see an advanced screening of About Time. It was good. There was a dolls house. And lots of miniature-scene inspiration).

I moved a few things around. Decided that somewhere to read,  lounge (and possibly nap) was essential.

Then trial-fitted a couple more bits in the kitchen area.

And was about to head to bed with the book I'm reading when I decided to try the whole 'Go on, just spend 15 minutes measuring some things out before you head off' approach.

So 15 minutes turned into side walls... 

... a kitchen window...

... and a front wall. 

(Which, of course, will have the french doors mounted this way round so they open outwards.)

(We'll ignore the fact it's only taken three-and-a-bit years to use the screenboard and cloth tape I bought (and never used) for Call of the Small, shall we?)

Op-shopped objects

Following my good luck at the Trash and Treasure Markets back in August, today I had the (mini) op-shopping fairy with me.

On the way home from the dolls house shop (yes, I succumbed to the temptation), I took the opportunity (geddit?) to pop into a couple of op shops at the other end of town.

Where a grand total of $9 netted me this:

Bamboo runner and placements to pull apart to harvest thin wood strips ($2 the lot).

Four sets of standard mug/ toothbrush and toothpaste and two sets of tools: 50 cents each.

(I think these are supposed to go on the ends of cords on clothing but will make great mini containers): 50 cents each. 

Two sets of head plaques: 50 cents each. 

Routemaster bus key chain: $1. 

And, finally, a set of sticky letters (because you can never have too many letters!): $1.

The story of a shed (Part one)

The initial inspiration

A vintage swan vase bought off eBay (the closest thing I've seen in miniature to the iconic Crown Lynn swan), and a picture of a New Zealand map ripped out of a copy of Yen (which I'd only bought for the CD on the cover), got me thinking of creating a New Zealand-inspired scene.

(And seemed like a good time to try out the rug that came with the IKEA Huset set to see how it worked in 1/12 scale) 

I added a few recent acquisitions that I thought might work, and then got sidetracked for a few days.

Stage two

My miniature Navi chairs arrived on Wednesday and made me (finally) finish the legs from the trestle kit I bought at the May show. To add a rustic-style top to the table, I pulled apart one of the damaged tea boxes I'd picked up at the Typo factory outlet.

And was happy to discover the side of the box was the perfect size for the table top:

I just needed to stain the sides to match.

At this stage I started to suspect the scene's theme was less about New Zealand and more about how my Kiwi heritage shapes me. And my favourite black-and-white-and-vintage theme was in response to the unease I feel that one of the most un-like-me scenes I have created was chosen as my first international magazine cover.

When I added my 'concrete' floor

and started experimenting with wall options,

I remembered the shed concept I was playing with in the final part of The Yellow Table Tales. And the next part of the puzzle fell into place.

Playing with the pieces

The vintage German cupboard just wasn't fitting in properly for me, so I swapped it out for an Expedit-style bookcase, which I felt fitted with the IKEA rug much better.

(At this stage, I must admit, I was tempted to recreate the Scandi studio shot using the colour scheme  I'm more comfortable with. That's an idea I might just return to: it could be fun to create a series of scenes based on different people moving in and out of the basic studio space, similar to what I do with the Limited pop-up shop every three months or so...)

 On the other side of the room I tried a vintage German cupboard unit I haven't used yet, but found that, although it worked colour-wise, it was a bit overpowering.

 Luckily, there was a sink unit as well, which worked much better (and meant that my garden shed had running water: very useful for tea making and brush washing!) You'll notice I momentarily  trialled swapping out the map and moving towards a more black-and-white look for the space, but I felt it deadened things too much so went back to the original plan:

A window above the sink added light to the space and balanced the grid pattern of the book case opposite, as did the french doors I dug out of stash. 

So now, it would seem, I have to build a shed. And decide if a run to the dolls house shop is in order so I can buy weatherboarding for the outside of it, or if I'll go down the cheap and cheerful route and declare it's made of asbestos or plywood.

Perhaps I should stop for a cup of tea and another perusal of the book My Cool Shed for inspiration?

Latest news

It's been a wee bit quiet round these parts lately: my mind's been other things (including a new job). But I have news!

News items number one

I finally have miniature Emeco Navy chairs, something I've been after for many, many years.

Many thanks to Etsy seller Amparo, who was able to accommodate my request to tweek her kitchen table chairs for my needs.

News items number two

I sorted my work table, which has been covered with a mountain of fabulous things to play with for many weeks, and has been so overwhelming every time I've looked at it than I've run away rather than create a scene.

News items number three

The Dolls' House magazine chose one of my photos to use on the front cover of their November issue. (Anyone who's been reading this blog for a while would understand the complete irony of it being their Colour Issue...)

 Oh, and there's an article on my yellow table challenge inside as well.