Tree House Progress!

Back to Work!

With a Three day weekend devoted mostly to Minis, Dear Readers, I have made some Wonderful progress on the Tree House Kitchen and all it's tiny furnishings! To begin with, I have made a tiny "Leaded glass" window with diamond panes for the Kitchen opening wall. Here below you can see the window looking into the lighted room from the outside.....

I made the "leaded window" by painting some scraps of gold mesh netting with dark gray acrylic paint
as you can see here below...

And here you can see that I have glued the painted mesh to the window pane cut from clear plastic packaging.... except that you almost can't SEE the window...! I generously covered the window in a layer of Aleen's tacky glue and pressed the mesh onto it. I did this for Both sides of the pane... being sure to carefully align the mesh pattern. I think the layer of glue over the "glass" adds to the "wrinkly old glass pane" feel of the window.

And then I glued it in place over the hole in the front wall panel.... 

after I had built the Window seat on the inside...

(Actually I stained the wood Before I attached the window pane....!)

Like This....... dark walnut stain.......

Then I sewed a plush blue velvet seat cushion......

And then I made one of these.....

"What is this ?" you ask....

Why it's a little Pillow for the Window seat.... of Course!

And I couldn't stop with just one! 

They are each about one quarter of an inch square!

But That is not all I have been making, Dear Readers..... 

I have tried my hand at building tiny furniture for the kitchen....

Using wooden matchsticks.......

I started with a table....

Here you can see the underside of the framework....

And here you see it right side up....

 the top is the punched-out piece from the smallest windows on "The Folly"

(First rule of a mini-maker is NEVER throw those little pieces out!)

And if you have a Table you Must have a chair.... 

so here I have started the chair....

(I am gluing the pieces together on top of a piece of plastic so the glued pieces won't stick to the plastic...)

And here you can see the framework of the chair completed....

It was really quite tricky because the front section is wider than the back (as it should be) so the angles are NOT right angles where they meet the sides! 

And once it was stained a lovely light maple color.....

I started "weaving" the seat from embroidery floss......!

It turned out BETTER than I had hoped!!!

I think I am in LOVE with this little chair!!!!!

And I had to add some placemats and bowls to the table......

filled with tiny golden "cheerios" (beads!)

And once I got started on accessorizing.....

I made cups from sections of coffee stirrer straws....

(collected on my recent travels...!)

And made micro spoons cut from a disposable aluminum pie pan....!!!

Here you can see it all with my INDISPENSABLE Tweezers......

Without which I would accomplish Nothing in this scale!

I have also added some potted plants on the window sill.....

(lumpy pots made from sculpey.... and one Cloisonne bead)

And if you look Closely you can see I have added the dishwashing soap on the sink.... 

and a scrubbing brush hanging from the shelf.... 

and a woven "Rag" rug on the floor......

And here you can see the table and chair in place.....

just not glued down yet......

in case I need to adjust anything Behind them first.....!

But all in all I'd say I made some Great (I mean Tiny)

Tree House Progress!

I Took a Trip

I Took A Trip On A Sailing Ship....

Several weeks ago, Dear Readers, I was enticed to buy this little model ship (which you see still in its packaging for safe-keeping...) when I was searching on-line for little electrical lights. The ship came with a table which could be very useful, and a pair of old "Ships Lanterns" which you can see below.

But it was the little model ship which I really wanted.... for Clarence... to remind him of his seafaring days.... once we get the Cupboard House a little more finished....! It will sit on the mantlepiece of his Library fireplace. This particular ship is a Schooner which resembles very closely the REAL Schooners which once plied the waters of New England.... and in fact still do sail along the coast of Maine with tourists on board. I had never Actually sailed on one of these Schooners until LAST WEEKEND when I went to Virginia for my Niece's Wedding and they hosted a party aboard The  Schooner "Alliance" sailing out of Yorktown, Virginia.

I could not have imagined that it would look so much like the tiny model ship!

With all it's sails catching the fresh breeze....

My Beautiful Niece and her Husband talking with my Daddy.......

It was an evening to Remember!

And lest you think that I got Nothing of a Mini-sort done all weekend..... 

I will show you what I Bought in a little tourist shop in the Old Williamsburg Plantation.....

In a Christmas shop I found this Gorgeous little Musical instrument! 

It will probably pass for a Cello or maybe a Bass Violin!

It is quite well made with real little strings and beautifully polished wood.

And that is not all I found......

They also had this Fantastic Electric Keyboard in Perfect 1:12 scale!!!

(Now I won't have to keep making one from cardboard for the Band!!)

So even while I was exploring the Historic Old Houses and Palace..... I had mini's in mind!

As for those mini lights I was searching for... 

I found a GREAT source for mini builders at  

ModelTrainSoftware.com

The kit for mini hobby lights comes with the battery holder and switch and a selection of lights to suit the size you are working with... 

I chose the 1.8mm LED and got extra ones.......

"Where am I planning to use them you ask?"

In the Folly Tree House, of Course!!!

Here you can see the Tiny Hearth without the lighting.....

And here you can see it with the LED lights!!!! 

I have painted the bulbs with a layer of yellow and orange paint to tone down the brightness.... even such tiny bulbs are brighter than needed in this Tiny room! The overhead light will need some kind of "shade" or Fixture.... but I haven't decided exactly what.....

And here you can see I have added the bubbling Cauldron over the fire.......!

I can't tell you how EASY these kit lights are.... 

and how Excited I am to have lighting in the Tree House!

So that's what I found when I took a Trip!

The Folly Tree

How Small Can It Be?

Dear Readers, I have been making some Progress on the Landscaping for "The Folly", although I must confess it is NOT Turning out Anything like what I had first Imagined! "How can that Be" You ask? Well, to begin with I was planning that "The Folly" would have a "domesticated" garden on the side where the Walled garden is, and on the other side where the little brook is to go there would be a "Wilder" garden with perhaps a slightly Japanese feel to it... all green and natural... with a large tree overhanging the brook and sheltering the House. That part of the plan has not changed.
But a Little over a week ago I drove across the Wilds of New Hampshire so that I could go to an

Art Gallery Opening Night 

(Please click on link to go to Amy's blog...)

to meet a Blog Friend whose Artwork I find very inspiring. Amy Gross makes the most AMAZING little creations.... both in the Dollhouse world and in her "Fuzzy Orbs" as I call them...

(Amy I am not sure what You call them!)....

Here is a picture of Some of them that I took at the Gallery... 

I just Love them and could get LOST in each tiny fungus adorned world.....

It was SO Worth the long drive to meet Amy and see her creations up close and for REAL!

And after the Long drive home .... quite late because they fed me Dinner Too!.....

I dreamed all night of amazing Fuzzy Mossy Landscapes.....

And the Big Tree beside "The Folly" became a Hollow Old Fungus Bedecked Tree.... 

And BEFORE I Knew WHAT had Happened.... the tree had Little Tiny Rooms in it.... 

one on top of another... for a Tree House for some Tiny Creatures to live in!!!

And when I woke up... I had the feeling I had fallen down the Rabbit Hole.....

Because THIS was one of those Ideas that Would NOT go away!

So I started to build the Tree House for "The Folly"!

The Tree was going to need a Sturdy and SOLID attachment to the base, so I needed to carve out the layers of Foam all the way to the bottom and attach the Main Tree Upright to the wooden base. I made the tree itself a separate wooden base layer so the whole Tree structure is removable while construction is under way. The vertical wires are coat hanger wires straightened and attached for the three other "corners" of the Tree House Trunk. The wires are so there is some flexibility in the shape of the tree as it is being constructed. The eventual outer layers of cardboard and paper mache will make it structurally solid. The wooden support on one corner is so I can attach the little hinged doors to the rooms.........

And here you can see I have carved out the upper layer of foam so that the Lowest Room will be "underground" in the roots of the tree.... and the door will be open on the side where the brook runs past...

Here I have started the basic structures carved from the foam... and the tiny steps from wood. The little "people figures" are stand-ins just so I can get the scale correct. How small are they you ask? The taller one is one and a half inches tall.... the shorter one is one and a quarter inches...... Yup, this is a Quarter scale Tree House! One Quarter inch equals one foot!

Here you can see the Kitchen floor painted to resemble stones.... 

and the Hearth begun and the stairs are painted and glued in place.

And I have started on the cupboard shelves.

Here you can see the cupboard doors in place and the hearth has some "coals" made from colored beads and that glittery gauzy cloth I like to use for smoke...... (sorry this picture is blurry...)

I realized fairly quickly that this TINY House was going to have to be all assembled and glued in place before the next room above was begun.... it is VERY hard to reach in even with the "ceiling" still not in place! And because I don't want it to take me YEARS to Finish THIS house.... I needed to make the things I needed rather than buy the parts.....

So I started to make the TINY dishes and pots for the Kitchen out of sculpey.....

The large white thing is the future Sink!

See how TINY they are??? Am I NUTS???

But the more I make... the more I am getting into the tiny scale......

Here you can see the beginnings of the Kitchen sink...... 

with peel off scrapbook "tiles" from Michaels...

The tiles are each about one quarter inch.....

Here it is painted.... with little faucets and beads for handles........

(next to the Super glue for scale....)

Finding the perfect piece of old plaid silk ribbon for a kitchen sink skirt.....

Isn't it Cute????

Here you can see the TINY cup hooks I added to the shelf to hang the TEENSY Tiny Cups.....

 And some more of the Tiny dishes.... all Glued in place!

Here you can see a Temporary mock-up of the outer layer of cardboard tree trunk.... 

just to give a sense of the size and proportions of the Tree House...... 

With the Little Door in the roots....

Yes, the leaning trunk is intended.... but it will have to lean less at the top!

Here is the view from the side where the "opening" to the kitchen level is located......

With the "Door" hinged to open.... 

this will be covered with paper mache to simulate tree bark.... 

and fungus and lichen to disguise the opening.....

 I still have NO Idea WHO is going to live here......

And there Sure is a LOT of Building to do......

And Eventually Maybe there will even be a Mossy and Fungus covered Landscape surrounding the Tree....

Inspired by the Beautiful Creations of Amy Gross.... (Thank you, Amy!!!)

But for Now I seem to have embarked on yet Another House project...

In a Scale I NEVER expected to be working in!!!!

Just HOW small can it Be?