Hogsmeade cottage - the bedroom part 1

After having finished the roof with the gabled dormers, I treated myself on some kits from 't Tafereeltje. A reward as well as a motivation for the bedroom ;)
I was very happy to have found the candle wall sconces I liked for the bedroom. Love the rocking chair and the dressing table with the mirror. I've also bought door handles, so I can finally finished the doors after four years (a) Furthermore black stiletto's for Bianca and some cleaning supplies for the cupboard under the stairs. 

I assembled the wand lights after I drilled holes for the wires.

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I sanded and painted them. 

Then I coated them with acrylic varnish (gloss).

I needed extra light bulbs for the candles, and couldn't resist to buy
some bonbons as well. They are white resin paint-them-yourself
bonbons. I've also bought a small bottle for glue or paint. And as a
surprise I got an extra resin object; Alladin's lamp. But those
bonbons .... omg I can hardly see them :') 

I made candles around the wires just underneath the little light bulbs,
baked them and then put the wires through the hole in the cups.

I punctured two little holes on either side of the door opening and
threaded the wires through after I have put some black nail polish
on the wire just under the sconces so you won't see any white.

I wallpapered the next wall, using a soft light mint coloured
wallpaper, a left over piece from my sister's bedroom ^^ 

I spend quite some time deliberating how to place the beams.
This way I can hide two ledstrips in the 'gap' between
the beams and the side walls at the back.

The beams all have been cutted, carved, sanded and stained

While working on the ceiling (inlay), I found out I made a mistake,
and had to make, craft, sand and stain a new beam :')

I've changed the layout of the room. Penny's bed is now at the 
front,  with room next to the fireplace for her dollshouse or a
desk or other play things. With the beds on the other wall you
could hardly see the potbelly stove and the window. 

I've beewaxed the wooden floor and put in the window sill. Next will be making the curtains and attaching the door handle. But for now I'm taking a little break to work a bit on my story :')

Advent calendar 2020 - day 22. 23 & 24 of Santa's workroom

The last blog before Christmas Day, and the last one of the Advent calendar, and probably the last one of the year ;)
Like I'd said, I haven't done more of the tutorials (it's all too tiny and straining for me atm) but I put in  some final decorations in the workroom and the tree.
So this is it for this year. I had a great time with this project and I'm still amazed at what I've done in less than a month. I guess that's not something I can do again, but I hope I can continue working on this project and maybe add a toy shop next winter :)

The parcels in the lest corner are made by Kim
(Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo)

Also, I finally finished my Santa. He almost would have been a nearly-hairless Santa tomorrow ^^
I used the curly wool type hair Kim had sent me and it worked so much better than the straight viscose fibres I used for Bill! That needed a much more steady and experienced hand than mine ;)

With our crafting club we started making a Santa back in September and I didn't expect him to be finished on time when I started a second project in December.
Jolinda has finished her Scottish Santa as well, and you can see him here: click

Now it's time to put all matererials away and enjoy the holidays. My son arrived today, hadn't seen him in six month, and tomorrow we'll have diner at my parents, what more could I wish for in this very difficult year.

I wish everyone a merry Christmas and hope 2021 will be a good/better year
and most of all a healthy one.

Take care 💗

Advent calendar 2020 - day 20 & 21 of Santa's workroom

I told you I'd think about another layout. However, that will be something to tackle next Advent. I'll see then whether or not I want to make a toy room next to the work room. Maybe I'll keep this whole space for multiple elves to work in, or have a fireplace and a comfy chair for Santa on one side. I could alway make another roombox the same side and have a toyshop with the workroom on the first floor ;)
Since I don't want to make that decision yet, I won't finish the inner or outer walls.
I will make some more decorations for the tree and the room, but not much; making the smaller miniatures, combined with the working pace is taking a toll on my upper body again :')

Though I did do another challenge from the Advent calendar this weekend.. The tutorial used tiny 8 x 10 mm spools which I didn't have, so I made a cylinder shape in that size from Fimo, and then I took some inspiration from this tutorial from Catharine Black. 

It was fun trying to figure it out and I love the result, but two was more then enough ;)

I'll decorate the tree further and I'd almost forget that I still have Santa to finish so there will probably just one more blog about the Advent calendar. Hopefully before the 25th ^^

Here is the complete list:

Day 1 - getting together the roombox
Day 2 - a standing-table
Day 3 - shelf unit above the desk
Day 4 - 3 drawers unit on wheels
Day 5 - a bench stool
Day 6 - Santa's little helper
Day 7 - Santa's little helper
Day 8 - Santa's little helper (hair & beard)
Day 9 - step stool
Day 10 - desk accessories
Day 11 - desk pad & paper bin
Day 12 - Christmas tree
Day 13 - tree skirt
Day 14 - small wall unit
Day 15 - large wall unit
Day 16 - Christmas tree candles
Day 17 - knitted Christmas bauble
Day 18 - little drums
Day 19 - Christmas cookies
Day 20 - little rocking horses
Day 21 - Star anise and cloves
Day 22 - Christmas baubles & garland
Day 23 - Little paper angels
Day 24 - Crochetted Christmas star

Crafting together (birthday swaps) - September

Yesterday our miniature crafting trio met again. Since Monique had had her birthday during the holidays and Jolinda's will be in a short while, we'd decided to do the birthday swaps for both of them this time.
I hadn't been crafting at all since I'd finished making the red bricks for the (Italian) pavement, so to have to do those swaps was nice :)

For Monique I'd made a little playtent, a reversible playmat and a flags banner. Found the idea in the Dutch magazine P&M nr. 162, though I did some tweaking.

     

  

For Jolinda I'd made two candle sticks, a tray and a French press coffe maker for either her brocante or her French doll house.

Tutorial for the coffe maker by Easy DIY Miniatures. 

Tutorial for the candlesticks by My Miniature Madness.

The tray was inspired a similar idea from the Dutch magazine P&M nr. 163. 

After exchanging the gifts and having tea and coffee we started crafting.

Monique tried to work out how to use her new 3D pen though when that didn't work, she made Fimo canes and then some very nice succulents.

Jolinda has been participating in Thea's Summer Project and worked on one of the last items - a watering can - she needed to do.

I've made a first batch of grey cobblestones for the Italian pavement. I'm not really sure about them. Maybe they'll turn out okay after some sanding and aging, but I might just start over.

That won't be anytime soon though. It's time to continue working on the cottage again. I know I said that before, but this time I've put the Italian project away (out of sight, out of mind? ^^) and the cottage on the diner table again! :)

Beewax candles by accident :)

A good friend (not miniature) has asked me if I could make something fitting for a display of Lemax Scary Town Theme figurines. I'd already promised before realising that those are 1:32 scale :')

Photo from Lemax site

I suggested some dripping candles on pumpkins and skulls, thinking that would be the easiest to do something like that for that scale. Fortunately she liked that :)
I've made the candles just the way I always do; learned from a tutorial in the DHN (Dutch) magazine by Marike's Magical Minis, with translucent white and a scrap of cognac fimo.
After baking them however they'd turned out yellow-ish and had tiny cracks. Not sure what I did wrong; the mixing or the baking.
A friend told me that they look the same colour as church candles, the beeswax ones. The colours were not the worst though, I was worried about the cracks. Didn't want the candles to break.

The 'original' candle on the left, unbaked clay on the right.
I've painted some tiny pumpkins I had a brighter orange than I
normally would since that seemed to fit the Lemax style better.
 I also added some washed down paint on the skull(bead)s.

I think I didn't like them much because of the previous candles (in the back); they look so much better.

But the next day I discovered that the candles looked so much better in daylight :)

From the left over clay I've made some 1:12 scale candles, since you can never have enough of those ;)

Square wooden chandelier

This weekend I've made a chandelier for the living room of the Hogsmeade cottage. I had already been planning that but so far I had not seen a tutorial or example for one that I liked for a cottage.
Untill I found a great tutoral from Jennifer's Miniatures and instantly fell in love with that chandelier :)
Since mine would be hanging above the sitting area instead of a diner table, I've made a square one instead of a rectangular. Mine is made from Balsa and measures 5 x 5 cm and I used an oak woodstain to match the beams at the ceiling.

For the candles I used an (old) tutorial or Marike's Magical Miniatures from an old DHN magazine. This time I used even less Fimo cognac to mix with Fimo Translucent White.

Top: old baked ones with a bit more cognac
colour. Middle: the new baked candles. Under:
prebaked Fimo Translucent white with a sliver
of cognac colour.

I put a pin needle in the middle (before baking)
and carefully rolled it like a rolling pin to
make enough room for the wires.

I painted strips of black card board with lamp
black acrylic paint, and then put some
Fimo glaze on it (a)

I mixed a bit of the polymer clay with some vaseline till it
got sticky and then added (a lot of) Liquid Fimo for the
dripping effect on the candles.

I put the candles on a same sized piece of Balsa, covered with
tin foil, hoping I would be able to get some 'drips' hanging
from the wood as well :) And then I crossed my fingers and
wished the paper wouldn't burn ^^

Which it didn't ;) So time to put the little
lights in the candles, and check if it worked.

Using the heat shrink tube was a bit scary, because I kept
expecting the glue or the Fimo to melt ;) Maybe that's why
I didn't shrunk as much as I thought it would.

But I'm still more than happy with the result
and also a bit proud (a)

A photo can't even capture how wonderful it looks
with it's light on, but still! 

Before I'll put the chandelier in place I have to finish the walls and the floor, so that's a very good motivation ;)

Credits:
The lights I used are Nal-LEDS from Nalladris. I'll be used this system for all lights, candles and fire places in the cottage!

Aprons, lanterns and candles :)

After taking photo's yesterday of everything that was send to me by Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo, I also took some time to take some of the new Christmas miniatures I've made :)

With all those mugs of chocolate and the candy I'd decided I needed an apron :) First I'd made the one with the white ruffles, then I'd made two more masculine aprons, for Harry and Draco ^^

I'd made a wreath with one of the gingerman and some peppermints. And since I'd made so many peppermints and candy canes, I decided to decorate a christmas tree with them.
Doesn't Harry look handsome? He has just baked an apple pie ;) 

Next I wanted to make some lanterns for the Christmas market stall I've made last year.
The inspiration came from this blog called Pequenece.

    

I've made them from cardboard and some ornament, painted everything black with acrylic paint, and then added some brushes of azure blue acrylic. For a finishing touch I brushed a little bit of goldenbrown eyeshadow on the corners.

For the candles I used translucent white Fimo, blended with a (very) tiny bit of caramel Fimo.

I mixed some Christmasred Fimo with some of the translucent white/caramel mixture to make some more candles :)

The candles with the three candleswicks didn't turn out as well as I hoped, and I think the bigger red candles need a red wick instead of a white, but overall I like them.