Dollhouse Miniature Fireplace Screen

 

Watch the video here.

This week for our Sunday Tutorial I decided we should make a screen to place in front of the mini fireplace we made recently. I decided to do two versions of the same screen.  On the first one I used some sheet acetate as the screen to replicate a glass fireplace screen. For the second one I used some net that had held garlic to make a screen that looks like a metal mesh screen.Truthfully when i started filming i had no idea if the second one would work.

For this project I have another free pattern for you to download so you make the project. You can find the file here. In the download there are 3 files: a PDF for hand-cutting of the pieces, 2 PNG files to use with your electronic cutting machine and a text file with handy hints and tips (and the sizing information) to use the PNG.

This project is a bit different in that you are getting 2 PNG files. The one labeled as “template” can be cut from any paper. I used some printer paper this is only a template to use for sizing purposes. Once cut set it aside until we need it.

For the PNG labeled “frame” cut the pieces from medium weight white card-stock, the kind used to make cards and such. This is way more economical than having to purchase a bunch of colors and in my experience the paint colors are a lot more stable than the paper colors. I rarely get noticeable fading with the painted projects. The second pattern piece, the template can be cut from any scrap paper, I just used printer paper. It is just used to make sure we have our screen material cut to the correct size and to aid in layout of the pieces.

You are free to use the pattern as many times as you wish and even to sell the finished project. But, please don’t give away or sell my patterns. I spend a lot of time creating them and the only compensation I get is from people watching the videos and checking out the blog post. I really want to keep offering these for free so please if someone else wants to make one send them to the video and blog so they can get their own copy of the pattern.

For today’s project we are creating the pieces in stacks of both 3 layers and 2 layers. You will need to make three units with 3 layers, 1 center section and 2 side sections. And also 3 units made up of 2 layers each of the center and 2 side sections. Make sure this glue is completely dry before going to the next step.

Once the glue dries lay the pieces out to paint. I like to tape a piece of tape down on my work surface with the sticky side up and use that to hold the individual units in place to paint. All the card-stock units get a good coat of mat black craft-paint. Allow this to dry completely before moving to the net step.

For the screen that looks like it has the glass panels.

 

Use the template piece to cut a piece of acetate sheet a bit bigger than the template. This is the label from the acetate sheet that I have, I know it is still available but the label is much different now because this package is at least 20 if not closer to 30 years old. The important bit of information on the label is the thickness of the sheets.

Tape the template to your work surface. Then tape the acetate piece you cut over the template. 

To attach the card-stock units to the acetate I am using e6000 glue. This will stick everything together really well. Just be sure to work in a ventilated area, this glue smells horrid. One this first side we are working with the 3 units that are made up of 2 layers. This is going to be the inside of the screen when we are finished. To start we are just going to glue on the center unit to the acetate lining it up with the template. Use a toothpick to spread a small even coat of e6000 on the back side of the unit. Then let this dry for long enough to let the glue set up so it won’t move when we glue the side pieces on to the acetate. Put something heavy on top while it drys so everything stays nice and flat.

When we glue the side sections onto the acetate we will need to use a thin spacer so they leave an even gap to allow the finished screen to fold. I used a slim stick from Hobby Lobby because it gave me a small gap that was just the size I was looking for. Again add a weight to the screen as the glue dries so prevent warping.

Once the glue dries enough that everything will stay in place remove both the acetate and the template from your work surface. Then tape the acetate back down with the pieces you have glued on facing down. Now it is just a simple process of using the same glue to glue the 3 layer units to the front side of the screen lining them up with the pieces we already glued. Add some weight and allow the screen to dry completely.

 

Once the glue is dry remove the piece from the work surface and trim the excess acetate from the screen. You will need to get really close to the frame especially on the bottom.

 

When you have the screen trimmed go ahead and fold the screen using the gap between the sides and the center as a hinge. You might need to hold it under some weight for a while if it doesn’t want to stay in position. I also like to use a black sharpie pen to color the acetate in the “hinge” area so it looks a bit more solid.

 

For the screen that looks like it has a metal mesh screen.

Start the same exact way up to the point where we are going to glue the 2 layer pieces to the screen. This time tape the template to your work surface followed by a layer of parchment paper. This will prevent the screen from sticking to either you work surface or the template. 

 

 

Glue the center piece in place just like we did with the acetate sheet. Allow the glue to set up.

Once the glue dried I used my black sharpie pen to add some black to the net area. I did find it really didn’t give me the color I was looking for so we are going to add more black later.

Now just glue the side pieces in place using the same spacer we used for the acetate version. And allow the glue to dry enough that nothing will move around.

Then flip the piece over and glue the 3 layer units to the front side of the screen and allow to dry.

Once I had the screen assembled I decided that the mesh just wasn’t a dark enough black for my taste. So I used my alcohol marker that I typically reserve for card making and gave the front side of the screen a good coat of a rich black alcohol ink. I also coated the front of the frame area just in case the black had a different tone than my paint.

Once you are happy with the color of the mesh go ahead and trim the excess mesh away from the outside of the screen and use the same marker to color the “hinge” area.

If you have some of the tulle on a spool or some tulle left over from another project that would also work for this project.

So there we have it two different fireplace screens. And you could vary this in a lot of ways. The one with the acetate would also look great painted to look like brass (a warm gold tone) You could add some really small vines and leaves to make a design on the mesh one. There are so many possibilities just use your imagination and look at real fireplace screens for inspiration..

As always I do want to sincerely thank all of you for watching my videos and reading my blog posts. It means so much to me that you are supporting me in this way. If I could ask you all to do just a bit more by subscribing to the channel and liking the videos and leaving comments. Those help more than you can imagine. Also if you could pass the links on to your friends I would appreciate it so much.