Carolyn's Miniatures
Let's Start Something Small!
Evergreen Castle
Fabrics
One of my goals as a miniaturist is to recreate the full size world as realistically as possible. A pet peeve of mine is when I see ill-fitting, puffed up clothing, splayed out curtains, linens that stick out from the side of beds, etc. Many new fabrics contain a stiffening agent which makes for very unconvincing objects in your mini house. An easy solution to this is to use well-worn fabric. Before you toss out your old clothes or linens, consider using the soft fabric for your minis. Pieces of an old sheet can easily be re-dyed to look new and vibrant. Even thrift stores are a great source for old fabrics at cheap prices.
Carpeting
I have been working on building an old fashioned hotel for a few months now and am finally getting to the point of laying the carpet. A few of the rooms are large, and I was having trouble finding premade carpet that would fit. Since I have Berber carpeting in most of my own home, I want to recreate that look in my miniature rooms as well. I found a great answer to my problem when I was recently at JoAnn's (a fabric/craft store). They were having a sale on upholstery fabric and I was able to buy several different styles in half yard sizes. They make fantastic carpeting! They can fit any size room, have great colors, patterns and textures, and there is an incredible selection available. One of the best parts is that the cost was only about a dollar a room!
When I was doing an office in one of my houses, I was looking for pencils for the desk. Instead of buying them, I used finishing nails. I pushed the heads into styrofoam about a quarter inch then painted them yellow, tan at the chiselled end for the wood, and then a black tip. When the paint was dry, I took them out of the foam and cut the heads off with nippers. I brushed the metal with the back of a knife to make it shiny (for the metal band that holds on the eraser), and then painted the end pink for the eraser. I then sprayed them with a clear coat. I think they turned out great!
I recently found a cute and easy way to make topiary. (I had some styrofoam balls left over from my son's school project, and hey - they can't go to waste!) I took a few of the balls and stuck them on the ends of bamboo skewers and sprayed them with spray adhesive. I then rolled them in some green landscaping foam (this I had leftover from am old kit, but you can buy it). After the adhesive dried I sprayed them with fixative. I took a couple miniature terra cotta pots and pushed foam balls into them to anchor the topiary. I placed the prepared balls onto clean skewers and pressed the ends into the pots. then I added some more landscaping foam into the pots to make them look nice. I just used round balls, but the possibilities are endless!
Cleaning and Repairing Dollhouse Miniatures
Wax
Wax on flat surfaces can easily be removed by carefully scraping large amounts off with a fingernail or the edge of a credit card and wiping the residual off with a paper towel. If on delicate furniture, be careful to hold the piece so you don't apply pressure to table legs or other parts that might easily break off. The wax may also be lightly warmed with quick swipes of a blow dryer or craft embossing heat tool. Just be careful to only warm the wax and not the furniture or your fingers!
Wax on wire furniture can also be easily removed with a paper tower and heat tool. Simply place the paper towel on the back side of the wire with the wax, then lightly apply the heat. The wax will quickly melt and be absorbed directly into the towel without any need for you to wipe. Again, use caution not to burn your fingers.
Upholstery
Cleaning the fabric on furniture is a little more tricky. There is really no hidden place for you to try a product to see if the fabric is color safe, so I suggest starting with the least aggressive approach first. Try starting with a cotton swab and water. Lightly moisten and buff the stain. If this seems to work, stick with it! Change the swab often so you don't just spread the stain around. Don't apply too much water as this will also make the stain spread. If this fails, the next product you might try is one like Fantastic or 409. Again, use them sparingly and apply to a cotton swab. Don't spray directly on the furniture as this will apply too much cleaner and in places you don't need it. These products cut any grease and don't contain colors that may stain.
