Progress at the Miniature Half-Scale Diner

Things are moving along in the half-scale mansion! (*See latest post; others are listed in left column archives. Click photos for full size. *See exterior so far. Am adding flowers and windowboxes yet.)

While most people build this brownstone-style mansion as a modern three-story single-family home, I wanted to do something different. That's why I decided to put a diner on the first floor. I'd never made a restaurant and thought it would be fun to do in half-scale. Always looking for a challenge and trying something new, even if some parts of this can be pretty difficult.

 I know you already saw the food I made so far, the eggs and a hot dog plate. (Yeah I see the top moved; will fix that.)

I have to make some more food, too, and I found another sandwich plate I made, but that's for other tables once I get to that part. This time, I finished the front customer counter, adding the front logo and putting out the food, drinks, and menus. I like how it came out but this had some pretty hard parts.

The stools are from MiniEtchers. I have one more to add here but I wanted to show the logo on the counter. The counter was a wood block I covered a while back with painted wainscoting. The top is wood covered with the same marble paper as on the second floor fireplace.

I'm really happy with the menu set-ups, even if there was a bit of aggravation with that part and I probably have to make a few adjustments yet. ha! The salt & pepper shakers are tiny silver bead findings with an 1/8" circle on top. I used the same size cut-out to put the initials on the front of the beads. The ketchup and mustard are cut from the mini Lite Brite pegs, with teensy tips of toothpicks glued on and the whole thing painted. I shrunk down vintage-type menus and glued everything to sparkly glitter card.

Added: FYI: The peg I used is from the mini Lite Brite game. Here's a comparison. The larger peg/regular game is 1 3/4" long. I cut off the straight part on the small peg. It's slightly pointed but I couldn't get it right sanding so I gave up though it would be easier in one piece. I may try again.

The back counter partly shown in the back has since been spray-painted silver (the top surface and right lower section) and looks pretty good. I wanted to add some necessary pieces like grill dividers, knobs, faucet, etc. before I show it. Also am figuring out some food for the grill. I have some embossed silver pieces (cut from a coffee can inner liner) that I'm hoping to use as a tile strip around the back of the counter's top. I also have some food signs and shelving to glue on the walls. I do have to make a couple more ketchup-mustard bottles yet (which I'm dreading!) Don't ask how many pieces got dropped and lost. haa!

Shows are coming up, though I hate to wait until April to buy some needed things like half-scale pots, a couple cafe tables/chairs sets, and maybe a few shorter shelf units or a bookcase I can use for a display shelf for gift and holiday items on the left side of the room. It would be fun to be able to change this for holidays if it isn't too hard to get inside once I get it covered. So, that's the plan!

Thanks again for visiting! Be sure to come back soon. More to come!

Happy Mini Valentine's Day & New Find

 

Something fun! One of the members of the FB HalfScaleMinis group shared a sheet of Valentines to make, so this was a simple little project to do in-between figuring other stuff out. Also added a few in a teensy red basket. Love vintage Valentines! (Click photos for full size; see archives in left column for other posts.)

Interesting find at the Dollar Tree store. They had some new metallic stickers. I thought these would be perfect for a tin ceiling or for center ceiling medallions! The stickers are 1 1/4" square. Neat, huh?

Just a short post. Making some flowers and other things next.

Thanks again for visiting!

Half-Scale Mansion - the Latest

Adding some seating on the mansion's rooftop garden.

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 Been working on a few things between the real-life big project. Ugh. Don't ask. (Involves a kitchen floor.) So glad that is over!  (*See last post and other posts in left column archives. Here's the exterior.  Click photos for full size.)

Since the exterior is done, except for making plants, I've been working on a few kits. I did - finally - get the kitchen sink 1 built from the D-Tales kit. I think it turned out pretty good for the chef's small efficiency kitchen (third floor, turquoise room.) I'm saving the cabinet part of the kit in case I need it for something else. May add a couple of the top cabinets, too, if they turn out right.

I  put the bed in temporarily; I think I like making it into a small efficiency room. I'll making a sleeping/sitting area on the other side where the chef's daughter can stay as she works at the diner, too. The bed shown here is just to test for size. I'll make a new one to match the room's colors.

 

The second kitchen counter for the diner involved combining some of the MiniEtchers kitchen pieces, adding an end piece, and cutting an angled counter. The angle wasn't quite right but I got it to work after fitting, gluing, and adding wood filler. Will cut down the wood block on right side to build the fryer at the end. I have to paint and add knobs yet.

The first two counters and the corner section under the angle are MiniEtchers' kits. I made the rest of the counter and the sink.

I'm leaning toward white cabinets with a silver top since I redid the customer counter below since I found a counter bottom I made awhile ago. The top is marble paper (the same on the top of the fireplace on the second floor.)  I'm going to add a giant cola sign, I think, on the counter front, plus I have tiny menus and have to make the condiment bottles. Also am working on the counter stools, also MiniEtchers. Then I want to add a couple cafe tables and some shelves for gifts and such on sale. Slow-going here as it's all these little things to figure out.

Fun food:

This was fun. Dug in my stuff and found I'd made some fried eggs before. Just added brown on edging and gloss. The toast was made from cutting pieces I molded from Crayola Model Magic with light rust color pastel rubbed on. I seal these with Matte Mod Podge or spray matte acrylic.

The challenge here was the bacon strips. Thanks to an idea from my friend Gigi, we cut some small strips of folded light cardboard/heavy paper that I painted with a mixed red-brown acrylic and tan for stripes. Then I added some brown on the edges and gloss. Be sure to look at the full size of this one. I think it looks pretty good!

I also made the hot dogs a while ago from Fimo clay; the bun is Model Magic topped with "mustard", (yellow paint) and tiny chopped pieces of fake green plant for some relish. Pretty pleased with how the fries turned out - teensy strips cut from Model Magic that were colored with yellow pastel chalk and some dark rust in spots. This is so tiny that you just have to give the impression of the real thing.

Yes, this is the slower stage now as I finish some kits, make some new things, change my mind, etc. haa! 

The second floor entrance:

I really like this entrance area. I added white wainscoting on the walls next to the door and decided it needed at least a small divider. I used a foil rub-on I had to make a couple dividers attached to pieces of the real-life plastic corner molding I cut down. I wanted to add something between the areas so I think this works out well. I have a vintage gold jewelry piece in front of the fireplace opening. It's not  glued in yet.

There's still a lot to do yet: furniture to add, art, and re-arranging, so I'm far from done! I'm probably making a chaise lounge and two chairs for the entrance area, plus I have to make the bedroom furnishings yet for both floors. I'm thinking of a white fabric with gold glitter for this floor's furniture. I also might add in these colors and prints to play up more of the gold:

The Roof Deck: I added a piece of paving-flooring to make a seating area on the roof deck. Still working on adding plants and things here. Oh! A visitor showed up, I see. Yes, there will be more dogs. Also working on the windowboxes and flowerpots for the front.

That's it for the moment. Will be back soon as I get some other things finished; probably flowers. Moving-in day should be coming up soon I'd think, but that's up to the furniture supplier who seems kind of slow! ha! 

Thanks again for visiting!

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Half-Scale Park Ave. Mansion Kits & Fridges

The Mansion Roof lit up. (Click to view photos full size; see last post - exterior, and archives in left column for more.)

 Yes, I've been working on a few kits in-between celebrating a new story release which I'm really excited about in:  ((I Just) Died in Your Arms: Crime Fiction Inspired by One-Hit Wonders - some cool music-inspired fiction in here. My story is based on the song "Wildfire," see post).

(I know, not a real inspired photo, but trim really does finish off a project.) The fireplace is in, too, so finishing that side up.

Still working on the Mansion - I got the back trim done on the outside, which does make it look better, more "finished," and I also decided to add some white LED lights to the bushes on the roof. (See top photo.) After all, if you were sitting out there at night, it would look pretty cool. Still deciding on what furnishings to add, though I kind of like the small planters for decoration. Here's the "night view": ha!

Now it comes to planning the inside. Working on what to fit in but I got inspired to make a few kitchen kits. I'm leaning toward two kitchens - one with the first floor diner and a small "efficiency" kitchen in the chef's third floor room; I have to decide what to use and what will fit. And if you wonder, the older lady on the second floor doesn't cook. She goes downstairs or the chef brings her meals. Why cook when you have a chef - and a diner - on the premises! I may give her a microwave, though, and maybe a tiny fridge to heat up snacks or leftovers. Not sure yet.

Some kitchen cabinet pieces from MiniEtchers.com. Deciding which to use where. I could use the center cabinet for the lady's microwave and "pretend" it's refrigerated. I might do that. (Yeah, I should've turned the doors around on the left cabinet so the "knobs" would be on top. ha! I'll fix that.)

The counter I'm figuring out for the diner is an L-shape in two pieces, cut on an angle to fit two walls. Then I'll add a customer eating counter, too, with chairs. The "efficiency" kitchen upstairs may be one small straight counter, using parts of this kit from Ron Chase, D-Tales Miniatures (he makes all those fancy filigree-carved clocks.)  

Here's one cabinet and a new fridge I got:

For comparison, the cabinet is 1 1/2" square. I found this cute plastic fridge on eBay. Very detailed and only $5. That it was my favorite color yellow, and that it has shelves and a pull-out bin, got my attention. It's a little smaller but it could still work, I think. I can always add a small base under it, too. I saw one of those tinier and thinner real-life fridges like this at Menard's and they are much smaller than a regular fridge.

 

As many learn, 1/24 or half-scale furnishings come in many sizes. Most will work, depending on your setting and what you use with them.

The yellow fridge is just under 2" high and is 1 7/8" wide. 

Below: 

The plastic vintage fridge (non-opening) is 2 1/4" high and about 1  3/16" wide. I might use the older fridge in the diner, not sure yet. 

The third wood fridge kit, unfinished, is from a Greenleaf punch-out kit. 

The wood fridge kit is a bit bigger at 3 1/4" h and 1 1/4" w. (The top door is only taped on.) They all vary but could work, so we'll see what I decide on. I kind of wanted to see what I could make to fill one - but holy cow! It would be very tiny items for the yellow one. ha! But I am leaning toward the old fridge and the yellow one since the Mansion isn't super big. The wood fridge could fit in the log cabin I'll do eventually or even the Raggedy Ann house. We'll see.

So that's the update for the moment. I did finish my swaps for the Half-Scale group and mailed the box. Yay! I went for a useful, "older" item this time. I'll share the contents when it's mailed back in March. And despite several inches of snow outside right now, spring really is around the corner. Thinking of April and the dollhouse shows! Can't wait!  (** Update: Haa! I'm optimistic since we got like 8" of snow and it's now -8 below zero right now on Sunday!)

Thanks again for visiting! I'll share what I get finished -  soon, I hope!

Releases Today! Crime Fiction Inspired by One-Hit Wonders!

 

Releases Today! The unique anthology, (I Just) Died in Your Arms: Crime Fiction Inspired by One-Hit Wonders is now available!

Based on 12 somewhat familiar songs, including my haunting tale, "Wildfire," inspired by the sad song  of the same name.

* *** Limited time - Special SALE! Buy the paperback - ($10) -get the ebook free HERE. ** 

* Get it here! (If any problems, use main link here.) Paperback only $10! 

*Another option - paperback only $12 at IngramSpark.

 * Also available on Kindle and at Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo - UK, Kobo - US 

* Just saw it on the Japanese Kobo site  * a German site - and Australia 

(Note: affiliate link may earn some commissions.)

                                   ***********

Authors and Stories: (links are to YouTube videos)

* Vinnie Hansen: 96 Tears

Song: 96 Tears, ? and the Mysterians (1966) - Listen 

* Jeanne DuBois: Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye

Song: Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye by Steam (1969) - Listen

* Josh Pachter: The Rapper

Song: The Rapper by The Jaggerz (1970) - Listen

* J. M. Taylor: It’s Hard to Die

Song: Seasons in the Sun by Terry Jacks (1974) - Listen

* Christine Verstraete: Wildfire

 Song: Wildfire by Michael Martin Murphey (1975) - Listen

* Sandra Murphy: Pigeon Talk

Song: 867-5309/Jenny) by Tommy Tutone (1981) - Listen

 * Joseph S. Walker: Come On Eileen

Song: Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners (1982) - Listen

* Wendy Harrison: It’s Raining Men

Song: It’s Raining Men by The Weather Girls (1983) - Listen

* Bev Vincent: Somebody’s Watching

Song: Somebody’s Watching Me by Rockwell (1984) - Listen

* Leone Ciporin: Life in a Northern Town

 Song: Life in a Northern Town by Dream Academy (1985) - Listen

 * Adam Gorgoni: Bitch

* Song: Bitch by Meredith Brooks (1997) - Listen

* Barb Goffman: Teenage Dirtbag

 Song: Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus (2000) - Listen 

Half Scale Mansion Trim & Exterior Update

 

Remember the plain jane - not-quite-finished exterior?

Ah.... it's undergone quite the transformation with all the necessary trimmings in place!

(Be sure to click photos to see full size!! *See last post.)

Keep reading below.... 👇👇👇

I just LOVE 💗 how the extras and the different details I used really add to the design!

I don't like plain or drab, so I'm always thinking up different elements to use. But first....

Something Fun! If you didn't see my previous toys post, my friend Gigi found a car which looks good with the house! I'll have to fit dogs and lots of boxes in here for moving-in day!

And now... The results so far:

TA-DAH!!!!

The Roof:

I just love it!! 💗This turned out pretty cool. I hadn't even thought of a rooftop garden until Joanne mentioned she was doing one. (Yeah, copycat I am! See her "modern" house on a previous post.) (Ignore all the bare edges as I have to cut and glue trim yet.)

 I cut 1" scale stairway railing into pieces for planters to fit around the top edges on the roof. I drilled holes in the center and filled them with a somewhat sparkly fake fern I found at Christmas as I wanted something kind of bushy with some shimmer to it. Can't have the people falling off the roof. ha! I'm thinking of adding a string of tiny white mini lights but I seem to only have multi-color, so will keep searching.

 I really like the plants as, to me, it looked too plain without them. And yes, that is a Gargoyle on top to "protect" the building. Maybe later I'll add smaller ones at each corner. (I realize I have lots of skulls in the stash but need more gargoyles!) I glued fake grass on top and put a fake doorway that leads to the "stairs" going down. Yeah, there are lots of "fake," I mean  "faux" elements. haa!

The Front:

It takes me sooo long to finish things as I'm never happy with doing a kit or any project as-is. I always have to change things!

One thing always leads to another and another: I used the staircase railing pieces for the front posts since I had to change the portico as I forgot to make room for the light I'd already added. I also added a "metal" sticker design (Dollar Tree) to fill that empty space in the center. 

So, the light got moved over a "smidge"(technical term 😆), then new posts were cut which led to adjusting the staircase railings. And I didn't think the larger brick posts looked right at the ends of the railings, so I cut smaller wood posts. Those look much better!

I then had to move the brick post over slightly to the right and cut the fence a tiny bit to fit. Whew! Still with me?

 🌷 Now it's pretty much done, except I still have to add some tiny window boxes I made and make flowers 🌸 for them. Not sure whether I'll use them only on the tower windows or in all of them. Will have to see what looks best. What do you think? 

👀 And... I keep eyeing those flat bare spots on top of the brick posts, which seem to be calling out for some kind of round planter pots. See what I mean? Will have to hunt in my beads; I know I had some small bowl-type beads... or it'll be back to the craft store. Again. Besides, I like flowers. They're like books (mini and real.) Can't have too many. 😊

Inside:

Third floor doorway:

I put in a couple "beams" to cover that slot I cut in the ceiling.

My idea for the faux doors leading to the "hallways" worked out great - after I had to redo some things--of course! haa! Luckily I only covered up one tape run and the paper pulled up so I could pull out the light, move it up, and re-solder it since it didn't quite reach the hole. I moved a second light also. I drilled a hole in the wall and in the small box, which was then covered with a printed transparency. And it worked! (I had to re-solder quite a few times and believe me, I hold my breath every time that it'll work!)

Second floor: Got the rest of the trim done. Just have to glue the fireplace in (right side, below). I want shelves but I may just add one or two across the whole wall as ugh! all the measuring to make them fit, I'm tired of measuring (or with me, measure once, cut three or more times. haa!) We'll see what I end up with. (I might have to adjust the bottom of the door a bit I see.)

I like the ceiling molding which has scribed lines at the bottom that I touched with the gold paint  to match the wallpaper (scrapbook paper.) I really liked the shiny gold accents in the paper. I also changed the brick inside the fireplace to match the white brick paper I used on this floor. 

First floor: 

It's hard to tell here, but the ceiling trim in the diner area has a scalloped edge on the bottom which gives it a fun, "circus" feel to go with the striped paper.

Next: Working on some furnishings and kits, and I need to configure the diner counter, cooking grill, etc. to see what will fit and what goes where. Got another of those ideas in my head - burgers sizzling on the griddle - so it'll be fun to see how I can get that idea to work and look right. 

So far, so good! I'm pretty happy with how this is turning out. Stay tuned for more updates!

Thanks for visiting again and following along on my projects! Hope you have lots of mini fun in  the new year!

Dollhouse Miniatures Gifts & Toys

Halloween all the time. Isn't this cool?

 HAPPY NEW YEAR! I got some pretty cool new miniatures, mostly from my good friend, Gigi. We love getting together to work on kits when we can and also enjoy celebrating a Merry "Mini" Christmas so figured I'd share the latest toys.

We also enjoy finding things that can be used for minis, even if it's not the item's actual purpose. Oh, and there's no "crime" in re-using things to make into something mini! ha! It's like the mini charm bracelets I have. Someday I may take them apart, but right now I still enjoy wearing them. I pick them up cheap at thrift stores or yard sales. (Click photos for full size.)

* Raven and skull. Just love this!!

* This is a cute little house kit (the blue one.) I saw some people showing this online. It'll be fun to do even if it's tiny. ha! But I already have a "theme" idea in mind... Yeah, I can't do things as they are. ha! I'll share the progress once I start it.

* Speaking of little houses, my friend made and finished up this tiny kit for me. It is awfully cute. I fell in love with that mini fridge! Yes, it is that small! (4.25" tall)

* Another real cute house! This one had a bunch of round chocolates in it. We like to wrap up lots of little minis, so we'll have our own Advent calendars next year. Loved watching people open theirs this year and wished I'd bought one!

* She even gave me a mini car for in front of one of the houses. haa! I'm picturing a trunk full of stuff and dogs in the back seat. And it does fit well in front of the mansion! Now I'll have to expand the front and add a brick walk or street.

* It's so fun that miniatures have caught on, with all these places coming out with those plastic balls filled with miniature toys and figures like the Mini Brands Toys, Disney versions, and others.

Recently I found a World's Smallest brand mini kid's three-wheeler trike. Had to have it! I am still looking for the Mini Popper push-toy.

Then I tried something new. There's a new set of Kylie (yes that Kylie) Bratz mini dolls which are actually kind of cute (but pricey as you only get 2 items for $9. The doll on right; the other item was a fake phone (not shown.)) I also got a couple of the mini Bratz dolls which are neat. I never got into Bratz dolls but I like the tiny ones. Now they need some Monster High mini versions! I do have a few of the regular size dolls. And I got a few more of the Mini Brands toys. (This is over time, mind you! It gets expensive. ha!)

 So, until I make an actual doll shop, these will all go in the toy store though I am thinking of saving the kid's trike for the Raggedy Ann house. I do have another roombox with shelves in it that was going to be a shoe store. Maybe I should redo that for all dolls. That's a thought...

Been tempted by the Mini Brands Foods but haven't tried that one yet as they seem to be more Barbie scale. But the kitchen items are pretty cool if I ever decided to make a Cher doll roombox, which would be so big that I really don't have room (right now.)  Here's some of the latest from the Mini Brands toys:

Well... that's it for now! Back to mini work. 

I'll be sharing more on the Park Ave. Mansion soon. Have made some good progress on it. Stay tuned! 

Thanks for visiting!