Tuesday, October 2, 2012

The Desk - Part One



I Couldn't Wait To Show You....

It isn't Finished yet, Dear Readers, but I am having so Much FUN making this Itty Bitty desk that I could Not resist showing you what I have accomplished so far! But I am getting ahead of myself.... because First I want to show you the Piping on the Arms of the Rose Velvet chair.....

Please forgive me that I haven't yet trimmed the ends.... I have to decide where they will be glued first... under the seat...? or across the bottom of the arm facing? Sometimes these decisions are the hardest ones for me... and then there is the question of whether or not to add a Fringe all around the bottom? Would it be worth the trouble??? So while I was Dithering about whether to Fringe or not to Fringe..... I also began the Testing of possible lighting for the Library. This also has me a bit Stumped.... I was thinking maybe sconces... or torcheres.... but the Scale is so small.... So I tried poking one of the LED's in through the wall.... just to get a sense......  but I'm not at all sure I like it.....

The photo doesn't show it.. but it is really quite a harsh light.... 
when looking into the room it is way to bright to be right in the middle of the back wall....
This will take some considering...

So Meanwhile.... I made a start on the Desk I have promised you!
I began by making a to scale sketch..... on a scrap of paper......

 
I'm sorry you can barely see my pencil marks.......
And then I began by cutting and testing most of the main pieces......
Including the desk Top which I wanted to Hinge open.....!
Please Do NOT Laugh at my Hinges, Dear Readers..... 
I KNOW they are impossibly Too BIG....
But they are the best I could manage.....!
 

I had to cut the nails down to tiny stubs 
so they would not go through the 1/16 inch stock wood I am using...
You can almost see them in the plastic dish above....

And This time I stained all the pieces Before assembly.... 
so the glue will not ruin the wood for the staining!
Above you can see the hinges attached to the Desk Top......


And here you can see the base partly assembled!

It needed to have mail slots... of Course!
These I cut from leftover edges from sheets of pre-cut shingles.... 
VERY thin wood!

See how CUTE it is????
But this is only the Beginning......
I wanted the Drawers to open too.....

The drawer bottoms and fronts are made from the shingle stock..... 
the sides are the cut off edges of Woodsies trimmed down....
With Beads for pulls.....

They really do Open and Close!!!

And I added Feet made from jewelry findings for the front...
And matchsticks for the back.....

But you must NOT Laugh at my Hinges!!!
They are Huge.... but they Work!!!!
So far the Upper Cabinet Shelves are not done.....
But you can get an idea of how they will look in the Library....


I Know it is Snug.... But I Measured.... 
and It Fits!!!

And maybe with enough Books and letters on the Top... 
you won't notice the hinges are so big.....!

Or Perhaps we should just keep it Shut.....
It might even get some more Decoration before it is done......
 So Far that's the Desk - 
Part One!




43 comments:

  1. The desk is awesome! Who cares about the hinges!

    The chair is looking grand and I know exactly what you mean about stain and glue.

    Kudos! :)

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    1. Thanks, Dale! I usually just want to glue it all together first..... I'm glad I did the staining first on this piece... the glue would have ruined it!!!

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  2. The desk is lovely and that fact that everything opens is amazing. As you said, once the mini residents move in and start using the desk, when will the desk surface ever be clear enough for you to see the hinges?

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    1. Thanks, Alennka! I want to be able to open and close it... so the stuff on top is going to have to be done carefully!! I just love having it open and close!!!

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  3. You ARE crazy, Betsy!!!! It's AWESOME!!:):)Who cares about the hinges? Actually they look like there is on the desk - a golden set of pens perhaps?:)
    Hugs

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    1. I think you are Right Ewa! Lol! (About Both me being crazy and the pens!) I just Love the hinges even though they are too big!!!

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  4. I can hardly believe it! You did a fantastic job with the desk! ;)

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  5. You always amaze me with your fantastic work and details. I love your wonderful desk. This room is amazing so tiny but sooo much details I love it.
    Hugs Maria

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    1. Thanks, Maria! I Love this room too.... I pretend I can go in and sit in that Rose chair.....!

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  6. Hinges, what hinges. I don't see any. :-) The desk is absolutely beautiful. Wonderful job.

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    1. Thanks Dale!!! I really appreciate your temporary blindness...! Thanks for your comment.... it made me smile!!!

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  7. welldone Betsy! You are soo cute when you get all excited! x

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    1. Thanks Simon! I do get Very Excited about these minis....!!! :)

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    1. Thanks Faby! I'm glad you like it! Thanks for commenting!!

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  9. Where are those hinges you're talking about? I can only see some gold-coloured decoration and writing stuff on the board of your lovely, amanzing, stunning desk... ;O) I'm really looking forward to "The desk - part two"!

    Greetings
    Birgit

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    1. Thanks Birgit!!! I really appreciate your lovely comment and your ability to see the best possible side of things.... even large hinges... LOL!!! I just LOVE these hinges .... even though they are too big.... I think they are ..... sort of Charming in their own way!!
      I hope you will like part two as much! :)

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  10. Wow Betsy!!! You are magic :)

    Hugs,
    Victoria

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    1. Thanks, Victoria! (I think I have more fun with the tiniest things.... they are so much like the Medieval Illuminations for me...!!)

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  11. Hi Betsy! Wow, this is awesome work, soooo tiny and gorgeous to see! But what big hinges? They are very good, but (as you said) a bit......too big. Perhaps you could make them of fabric and glue them on the desk top: ready :D! The wood of the drawer or a small chain will keep the desk top up. I hope you know what I mean.
    Hugs, Ilona

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    1. Hi Ilona! Thanks for your appreciation of my Desk and your suggestion about other methods of hinging the top! I was afraid that cloth would be too resistant to bending and staying in position... the scrap would be so tiny... and there is so little "weight" to the parts... with the metal hinges at least the movement can be kept either open or closed! I know I am not a perfectionist about scale.... and certainly the Hinges stand out!!! For this desk at least it is too late to make that kind of change... and besides... I am very Fond of the Hinges!!! Lol!!

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  12. The desk is gorgeous. But I agree with Ilona - why not use strips of fabric, glued, and tiny thin chains to keep the table top from slumping. Weren't ancient hinges made of leather?
    Otherwise love the desk. & the whole room. You're right about the led light; it's too harsh. You'll think of something!
    Love,
    Mom

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    1. Hi Mom! I'm glad you like the desk in spite of the hinges.... because they are staying! LOL!
      As for the lighting.... I have a lot of testing options to do before I am done! I will HAVE to think of Something!! LOL!

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  13. Love the chair and desk. Agree about fabric hinges though, but also about covering it up with papers etc. About the light, you could try a bit of yellow paint on a tiny bit of plastic to cover the LED to tone it down, I don't think you can dab it onto the LED itself, but it's worth a try. I do like these LEDs as they as sooo small.
    Idske xx

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    1. Thanks, Idske! Welcome to my Blog! I think I will be taking the "covering the desk up" option... LOL! But I really do Love the hinges even though they are too big!!! As for the lighting... I have painted directly on the Leds... in the kitchen the lantern is "yellowed" a bit... but it also decreases the amount of light... you don't need to use much paint! I am going to try some other locations in the room too... but also need to decide on the style of Light fixture I am making...! We shall see...!
      Thanks for commenting!

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  14. You'll work out the kinks, Betsy, but the desk nevertheless looks brilliant! I bet by part two, it's pure perfection!

    Big hugs,
    John

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    1. Thanks for the vote of Confidence, John!!! :):)

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  15. I love the desk! I wouldn't laugh at the hinges, they work and that's the important part. :) Besides, I bought a similar mini at a co-op, it had giant hinges too.

    I'm not even sure mini hinges are all that great. The dollhouse I'm renovating had tiny door hinges and most of the doors ended up falling of their frames.

    Awesome work!

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    1. Thanks Kyle! Welcome to my Blog! I'm glad you love the desk.... I must admit I think it is very Cute... in part BECAUSE of the large hinges!! (Like an awkward puppy LOL!)
      I will come look at your building project... it sounds like you are doing serious upgrading!!
      Thanks for commenting!!!

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  16. Hello Betsy,
    I don't think it';s snug...It's very warm, welcoming and enchanting to me. Everything looks just right. You did an amazing job on the desk. I love it and frankly I think the fact that the hinges are out of scale adds a lot of magic to the room...actually that's the best description I can give of this project...it has a very "magic" quality to it. i think it is one of the most beautiful, fun rooms i've come accross. again the fact that you acheive such great detail in such a small scale is a source of great astonishment to me. As for the led, I know they are becoiming more and more popular, but unless it's a vvery modern setting, i just hate them.
    Big hug,
    Giac

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    1. Thank you, Giac! Your words mean a Huge amount to me!!! And I have to admit that it is in part that off-scale detail that adds just that piece of "shock" that makes you realize how small a thing you are looking at.... and yes, ADDS to that magical quality...!!! Thank you for being able to articulate that so beautifully for me!!!
      Besides... I just Love those hinges so much... I am willing to make all kinds of excuses for them... LOL! They are Tiny... but they WORK!!....It's just that the Desk is even Tinier!!!

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  17. Every time it's such a surprise what you thought about to make.
    I loooove the desk, it so tiny but so perfect!!!
    The red chair is wonderful too, it's unbelievable how much detail you can get in such small items!

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    1. Thanks, Margriet! I am enjoying this scale so much... I will have a hard time making Big minis again!!!

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  18. Oh, it's so unfair! Drawers that pull out, a desk top that folds over, I'm ashamed of my glued on drawer fronts! Your magic is built on bravery and skill, the way you approach challenges! I remember when I first started making things, in my case, it was puppets, and my Dad gently suggested to me that the back of the puppet was just as important as the back. That was something I've had to pay extra attention to my whole life, something that you obviously know. Even if no one ever reaches into one of your rooms and checks on the drawer pulls, you know that they open, and that you worked out the way they should do so. That's wonderful. And so is this beautiful room.

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    1. Thank you, Amy! We all start with those stumbling first steps! I look at my early minis... and I am no longer as satisfied as I once was.... Now when I return to the 1:12 scale I am going to want a whole different level of detail! I am sure you experience a similar thing when you make more than one of a similar thing... each one becomes deeper and more detailed... I am SURE you would have no trouble with hinges and doors that open....! You will see...!!!

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  19. Hi Betsy, The Library is turning out to be my favourite room so far, it looks so cosy and snug, and all the little bits of furniture you've made fit in so well, HOW you make such lovely pieces in such a TINY scale is a marvel in itself!! The hinges are fine, so don't worry at all! Lighting does cause problems, that you are thinking of lighting in such a small scale at all shows your pluck, so you will think of something, perhaps a wall sconce made from metallic coloured clay would work? it would be a fiddle, but you seem to cope with fiddly things very well!! ;)

    I might just shrink down and curl up in that cosy wing chair with a good book and a cup of tea, listening to the log fire crackle as the flames dance! LOVELY!!

    love
    Andy xxxx

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    1. Thanks, Andy! I must find some metallic clay... or pull out my metallic paints!!! Great suggestion!!! Don't we ALL wish we could shrink into our mini Worlds....!

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  21. It worked! It worked! I totally didn't notice the hinges when I read your last post! :):)

    Bets, I may still not notice them when I eventually can hold it in my hand :):).

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    1. Dear Sans!!! I only Hope that Day may come!!! :):):)

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