On the tiles

 While pottering with yesterday's kitchen updates, I started thinking about the idea of not using the plastic shelving units (I realised they were too big to fit under the saw, and I'm not interested in trying to cut them by hand). And instead creating some bench space on each side of the stove.

I pulled out my Miele kitchen appliances, swung the 'pressed steel' around so it ran along the wall above the benches rather than up the wall behind the stove, and started rummaging for something to use as a bench top to tie the under-bench bits together.

Thought of rustic wood, but that was heading too far away from the original idea. Then I decided on cardboard with some of the wallpaper samples I picked up last time I was at Masters on top.

While I was pulling them out, I noticed the vinyl samples I'd got at the same time . And had a eureka moment. 

The tile scores and snaps easily and cleanly, is the perfect thickness, is self adhesive (if you're in the mood for some permanence in your miniature life), comes in a (limited) range of colours. And it's FREE!

I'm feeling rather chuffed with myself.

(Miele dishwasher and fridge: Mini World. Steel stove: ELF. Herbs, olive oil bottle, salt and pepper grinders and pans: Lundby Småland kitchen accessories set (60.5089))

One-word Wednesday

Progress.

All miniatures, all day...

This morning I had a meeting about an arts festival I'm hoping to be part of

 (and then, of course, had to go home and make a scene about it!)

This afternoon friends and I went on a road trip to Goulburn to pick my work up from Goulburn Regional Art Gallery.

 Followed by a spot of op shopping, during which I found this for $2.50:

(Much cheaper that the $65 I'd been eyeing them up for at the May show.)

 It's a great size, apart from the joystick, which is way too big (but hopefully easily fixed).

An added bonus when I got home was the discovery that you can slide a mobile phone into the rear and possibly even play it. Alas it only works with iphones.

Having a play on this grey old day

It's a grey old day today, so I was ever so pleased that I'd arranged to go to the cheapy Monday movies with a friend this morning.

But after I'd arrived home and had lunch, that nagging sense that I needed to feed the blog crept up on me, even though I complained that I was tired and unmotivated and just wanted to sprawl on the sofa with a book rather than be creative.

And I heard my inner wise voice whisper gently 'Just have a play on this grey old day. And see what happens.'

So, after sighing loudly and rolling my eyes, I headed over to my pile of unused treasures and stared blankly at it for a few minutes.

Until my brain decided to take the suggestion literally (as it's wont to do), and I found myself focusing on these Kaleidoscope House kitchen stools, given to me in 2012 by Mini Dork.

Then I spotted the SLICE Tilt coffee table that Mod Pod Miniatures sent me in November last year. And the wheels started turning. A futuristic-style cafe, maybe?

Next I pulled down the silver sleigh bed (last seen a couple of years ago, and since painted silver)

which didn't seem quite right. At which stage  I stepped back for a moment: and remembered the Daiso 'shelves' I bought in Melbourne in 2014 and which have ended up quite buried in the stash. Much better!

Then I spied the ELF kitchen units that Elvira had sent. And realised two things at once: 1) this scene was turning into a showcase of miniature gifts from blog buddies (yay!) and 2) it wasn't a cafe at all, but rather a private kitchen.

 I kept playing.

Emboldened by my success in cutting the bath, I  wondering how I would go if I tried cutting the depths of the shelves down. I also wondered if it would drive me nuts knowing that no one in their right might would install a stove in a kitchen without room to place hot pans beside it.

By this point I was pretty sure I had something I wanted to develop further, so pulled out my trusty concrete paver for the floor.

And also the roll of white IKEA VARIERA drawer mat I picked up at Canberra IKEA on my first visit, although I'm fairly sure that it will scream 'space station' if I use it in this scene.

Which may or may not be a bad thing. We shall see...

Saturday scene: The art collector

Almost two years ago, Rebecca tagged me in a Facebook 'Keep art alive' game, which meant I had to find an image of a work by a particular artist (she chose John Mawurndjul for me) and post it on Facebook .

I duly searched for and saved an image I liked, then had the brilliant thought that it would be fun to include it into a miniature scene.

Today, I finally made the time to do it (sorry Rebecca!)

Even better, I was able to use some recent gifts from Mod Pod Miniatures and Phillip Nuveen (yes, that's a miniature Eames bird. How excited am I?)

And the John Mawurndjul work I chose? It's called Barramundi, and you can buy the real one for $15,500.

Finish it off Friday: In the can

The spray can, that is.

In a Shapeways order before Christmas (how could I not redirect some of my grocery budget when shipping was free?) I bought a milk crate. And when I was wondering what today's Finish it off Friday challenge would be I remembered this photo I took at Lyneham shops a couple of months ago and instagrammed:

and the 3D-printed spray paint can kit I bought at last year's AMEA Convention:

I figured it would be a suitably gentle return to Finish it off Friday.

So I spray painted the cans silver.

 Removed the lids from their printing base (a nasty job, which was followed by much sanding to try and make the lid tops flat.)

 I spray painted the lids various colours.

 And when I'd removed the cans from their printing base and sanded them, came up with an ingenious solution to hold them steady while painting the bases...

And in case you're beady-eyed enough to notice that there were four spray cans in the kit and only three in the scene, this is what I did with the missing one:

Yes, I know the label is a bit dodgy but I couldn't be bothered creating a better one from scratch. Perhaps I'll do that later today. Or perhaps I'll collapse on the sofa with a book and a glass of wine...

Behind the scenes

Yesterday's christmas-themed scene started while I was editing the February issue of The tiny Times, which is themed 'For the love of miniatures'.

Although the submission deadline isn't until February 10, I know that it's always a bit of a struggle filling the February issue as people are more focused on end-of-year festivities that on writing about what their club and they have been working on recently.

So I figured it might be a good idea to have a couple of scenes ready to fill space, just in case (and besides, it's been two years since any of my miniature work has been published in the magazine!)

At this stage of the editing process I often have a temporary picture for the front cover of the issue: one that would be perfectly adequate if nothing is submitted that would work better, For this issue I decided that my Lucky Dip scene from April would do the job nicely: and if it ended up being the final cover, I could include a DIY project for making the dipped vases.

I remembered last year's never-completed lounge for Seaside Shack, with its wall of heart art, and made a note to finish it off and photograph it just in case.

But before I got to that I noticed the pile of Lundby dolls' house furniture sets I'd been given, sitting on my spare office chair waiting for me to use them. Including the Småland Red LivingRoom Set (60.2081).

And it seemed like the perfect time to finally work some of the (3/4" scale) Lundby pieces into my usual (1/12" scale) scenes.

From this set I chose the picture (of course) and the books (I always need more books). I want to try using the tables in a future scene as wall display shelves, so I put them aside. The sofa and cushion were also put aside as I'm not sure how I'll use them yet...

Also in the pile was a Småland White Bed (60.2062), given to me by a friend and set aside until I had a scene to use the heart-shaped cushions in.

I shopped the stash for other items that might work, including a christmas tree that's been loitering for ages and that I have no memory of acquiring, some scrapbooking paper given to me in a swap from my friend Sandra, and a Tiffany & Co bag from a swap with Phillip Nuveen, which picked up the teal in the love picture.

By this stage I was feeling quite uncomfortable, partly because it's been almost two months since I've made a scene and partly because the whole feel of what I'm putting together is so not my usual style...

Then, just to add the discomfort, I decided that this would be the perfect scene to finally try and make a bath sofa for. I've only been wanting to make one in miniature for 20 years, since I used to sit in one at our local after-work drinking spot in Wellington.

Luckily, I have a couple of Chrysnbon bathroom kits set aside for just such an occasion.

Initially, I was trying to work out how to cut a curved line out of the front of it, but after some googling of pictures of bath sofas, I decided that it would be easier all round if I just cut straight across the front.

So, secure in the knowledge that I had a spare if I completely wrecked my first attempt, I attached a length of masking tape where I wanted to make the cut, drew a guide line onto it, help my breath and turned on the scroll saw.

And all was well!

In the end I was a bit over the whole thing. There are a couple of things I should have tweaked, but all in all I'm happy with the results of my experiments: I discovered that Lundby works well in 1/12 scale (there are actually five Lundby items in the final scene), and I now have a miniature bath sofa, which crosses one more thing off my mini wish list!

One-word Wednesday

Back.

Missing: mini mojo

Alas I seem to have peaked too early and my brain has gone into Christmas close-down mode (which is a little odd, as I don't do Christmas.)

The most I've achieved miniature-wise this week is convincing a friend who is in town for work that she doesn't want to take her hotel toiletries home for her Mum, but give them to me to make silver pots out of:

(Perhaps part of the reason for the lack of mini mojo is that I cleared my HBS Creatin' Contest build off the dining table to make room to entertain said friend?)

Where did the week go?

Suddenly it's Friday: which means that I gave my public programme at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery today.

Lorraine from Fairy Meadow Miniatures brought me flowers of the best kind:

 printed on paper

 and wrapped around a miniature shed!

(Which will be perfect between the back windows of my HBS Creating Contest build, to 'mask the noise leakage' between the studios, but really to hide the wiring stuff...)

And I completely fell down in the good-blogger stakes and forgot to take any photos, or ask any of my friends who attended to do so for me. So the only photo I have of the presentation is from the gallery's Facebook page...

Goulburn goodies

While I was in Goulburn on Friday, I made sure to visit Dimmey's, my favourite discount store there (I'm not linking to their website because they have an annoying auto-play ad which you can't stop).

I spent some time trawling through this large display of 49-cent placemats

and came away with a good number that I plan to use as flooring, wall covering and for screens.

Also new in the stash are these laser-cut beams for my HBS Creatin' Contest build pergola (thanks to JWT Dollshouses and Miniatures for the fabulous and speedy service).

 Speaking of the HBS Creatin' Contest build, I'm planning the front and staring more closely on the windows in my real house than I ever have, to see how they're made...

And there's been lots and lots (and lots) of undercoating over the past week.

#HBSCreatinContest2015