Dollhouse Miniature Exterior Siding Cube 2.0 Side 1

 

Watch the video here.

This week I decided to cover a side of what I am calling my Exterior Siding Cube 2.0. I talked a while back about the fact that the original cube got damaged so I had to toss it. I really liked it so I decided I was going to do another one. I asked if you guys wanted to see me create the new one and I get enough positive responses to go ahead and share the process. I decided that I while some of the sides will be the same or similar to the old cube I will try to add some new ideas this time around also. I would love your input on what to add so if you have ideas let me know.

Also if this video seems rushed I apologize, I had actually planned to do another project today but there is one key component that I couldn’t get my hands on so I had to scramble to come up with a project for today.

If you haven’t seen the tutorial where I made the cube I am using here is a link to that one. These are super simple cubes made from foam core which I demonstrate a different technique on each of the 6 faces. We have one that when finished will have 6 different ways to create dollhouse miniature porch, patio, or deck floor. This one will be ideas for the exterior walls of your dollhouse projects. I also have plans to start a roof cube soon too. I have also played with the idea of doing cubes that are devoted to different decorating styles. For instance maybe a mid-century modern cube that would have 8 different surfaces related to that style, or Art Deco, or Victorian, or whatever. Those would have a combination of wall, roof, and ceiling ideas/textures/finishes that might be a mix of indoor and exterior. Also cubes devoted to interior finishes could be fun too.

These cubes are decorative but also inspirational, I find looking at the different sides does spark ideas for projects. I have my flooring cube in my living room and guests have been fascinated by it and it has sparked conversations so it is fun for that also.

Now on to today’s project.

For this first side I am going to do a “stucco” type finish. This happens to be my favorite way to get this look. It is also really easy and really cheap to do (even if you are covering an entire dollhouse with it) I used this finish on most of the exterior way back when I built my Harrison dollhouse. I think the tour of that dollhouse was either the very first or second video on the channel so that was a looooong time ago.

All you need to do this technique besides the surface you are covering are whatever paint you wish to use and some facial tissue (make sure it is the kind that is smooth without any designs stamped in the surface)

To start peel the layers apart if the brand you are using has more than 1 layer and tear the tissue into smaller pieces.

The paint for this layer is basically a primer coat so even if you are using a latex paint for the final coat just use a craft paint for this layer.

 

Paint a small area of you surface with a generous coat of the paint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then lay a piece of the tissue on top of the paint.

 

 

Use your loaded paint brush to move the tissue to give you the amount of wrinkles and lumps you want. Keep in mind that after you add the topcoat of paint at the end it will even out the look so make it slightly more lumpy than you want in the end. Make sure the tissue starts as a single layer because otherwise I find the paint doesn’t soak through as well and bubbles will result.

 

 If you see areas where it looks like there is air trapped just mash the area with the paint loaded brush and mash it down. You really want to coat this with plenty of paint.

Allow this to dry completely, overnight is best for this step.

Normally I use interior latex paint from the hardware store but I don’t have any in the cream color I wanted for this project so I am using just plain old craft paint. I would not recommend using craft paint for the exterior of a dollhouse but if you need to be sure you use enough coats to give a good finish and follow up with a topcoat of a clear mat or satin sealer (like Mod Podge) The cream color I am using I had to mix for another project so I made extra to use here. It is just mostly a white acrylic craft paint with a few drops of the palest yellow craft paint I had on hand. I just wanted something like a cream/ivory color. Just brush whatever paint you are using over the surface and allow it to dry. You might need 2 (or more) coats depending on the paint you use. Allow the paint to dry.

Since my goal on this side of the cube was to create a really old, dirty wall I wanted to add a dirty wash. If you making a newer wall you can skip this part or just do a tiny bit. For this step no matter what type of paint my main wall color is I would use an acrylic craft paint. I started by mixing a brown color that looked like mud. You can use a ready made color or mix one like I did. Then I added a lot of water. My paint barely covered the bottom of the small container I used then I added water to be about 1/8” deep. We are really just going to use the colored water not paint in this step.

To add the wash use a large brush and add a good amount of the wash to a small area. For this step of the project I am stirring the paint/water mixture each time I put my brush into it. Layer on a good layer of the wash and let is sit for a few seconds up to a couple of minutes depending on the look you are after. On a dollhouse you will have to lay it down so the surface you are painting is horizontal for this. After the wash sits use paper towels to blot off the excess. You should have just a stain of color. Go over the surface repeating these steps and then let it dry. It will lighten up in color as it dries. When you have the level of grunge on the surface that you like you can move on to the details.

Next I added a layer of just the water from the top of the wash container around the edges. On a dollhouse I would do this at the bottoms of walls where they were in contact with the ground. Where mud and such would splash/seep up. The more you add the older and grungier your wall will look. If you have window openings add drips coming from the corners. The only place you want to avoid adding too much is in areas that would be protected, places like just under the roof eaves, leave that fairly clean and add more grunge closer the bottom of the wall. Just have fun and make it as old or new as you wish.

 

 

Since I dd use craft paint now was the time to add that sealer coat. I just used some mat Mod Podge since I am after an old grungy look. For a newer looking wall use a satin sealer. Allow this to dry.

 

 

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.

Dollhouse Miniature Exterior Floor Cube Side 3

 

Watch the video here.

This week I decided to add another side to our exterior flooring cube. This time my inspiration was the texture on the roll of paper towels that sits on my work table. I have been looking at I for a couple of days thinking it looks kind of like some of the textured concrete patios I have seen pictures of. I just wasn’t sure how well the texture would hold up to turned into floor. I am really happy with the result and I hope this inspires you to try something different in your next project.

 

The paper towel that I used in the project is from a roll from Dollar Tree, I get the rolls with the most sheets to keep on my work table. But check whatever brand you have on hand.

 

 

I did find that the half sheet is exactly the right width for my cube so that was nice. To attach I used a thin coat of mat Mod Podge. I want to stress that I am using thin coats of any liquid on this project to help preserve the texture that inspired me. The wetter the paper towel gets the more chance of loosing the texture. So apply a thin coat of Mod Podge and carefully smooth the paper towel in place. Set it aside to dry.

 

 

Once dry trim the long flaps away and add another very thin coat of the same Mod Podge. This coat will not only seal the surface it will hopefully give the texture a bit of strength. Allow to dry again.

Once dry it is time to add some color to the surface. I picked 4 colors of craft paint, 3 grays and a very gray blue. A small amount of each color was put out on my “palette”. I then used a stencil type brush to pounce the paint onto the surface. This way my brush hits a different mix of the colors each time I get more paint. 

 

The colors combine but stay separate at the same time and the variation in color is much better. The result is a blend of all the colors and every color in between and I love it. Allow the paint to dry and add a bit more in any areas that just don’t look the way you want them to. Then allow to dry completely.

Finish the surface with another coat of Mat Mod Podge and allow to dry.

Once the Mod Podge is dry use a piece of sandpaper to neaten up the edges of the cube.

So another side of our exterior floor cube is done and I love this one.

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.

Dollhouse Miniature Exterior Flooring Cube pt 1

 

Watch  the video here.

This week I decided to make a cube for exterior floor options. If you have been around the channel for a while you might remember the cube I did about 6 or 8 years ago that I covered in different examples of exterior sidings. I loved that cube and had planned at the time to make more cubes. I was reminded of it a couple of weeks ago and decided to work on more cubes. I also want to replace the original cube because it got damaged and had to be thrown away. I loved how it looked on my desk and I think a stack of these would look really awesome.

Also my daughter had an idea which once I have enough cubes made I might try. She suggested that I do a project based on rolling the cubes to pick the various aspects of a project. Like maybe a room box and roll the cubes to pick the walls, floor, and ceiling of the box. Or do a small building project and use the cubes to pick the roof, siding and a porch/patio for it.

I do want to know if you all want to see how I make the cube itself? I didn’t film that this time since there was a lot of noise going on the day I was working on it that prevented filming. So if you want to see the process of making the cube itself let me know.

Also when I re-make the exterior siding cube do you want to see that again. I will probably do some of the same choices but possibly some different ones also on it. Again let me know.

And thirdly, do you have an exterior flooring that you would like to see one of the sides of this cube? Again let me know.

So onto the project. The cube measures just a bit over 4 ½” on each side and is made from foam core. My foam core was black because that was all the store I was at the day I got it had on hand.

We will be covering 2 sides of our cube today and then the others over the course of the next few months as I get ideas for what kind of floor to add to each side.

The first floor we are adding to the cube is the same about the same as the one I used for the front porch on the Beachside Bungalow. I am making a “wooden” porch floor from strips of thin cardboard. This cardboard is what was used between the layers of cans of cat food when I purchase the cat food by the case. You can find similar cardboard on the back tablets or even use cereal/cracker boxes. I cut my strips cut ½” wide and long enough to fit across the area you are covering.

I wanted to start in the middle so I first found the middle of the surface I was going to use and then glued on the first strip at the center mark. I then laid the strips from the that center strip to the edge doing my best to keep the strips straight. I tried to leave just a very tiny gap between my floorboards to help them look more realistic. The last strip overhangs the edge, it will get trimmed later.

Now it was time to let this glue set up so that I can work from the center to the other edge without worrying about messing up the boards that are in place. I put a piece of wax paper on top of the floor and added my small quilter’s ruler and a small weight too help keep everything flat and let the glue set about an hour or so.

Now it is just a matter of repeating for the other side of the floor. And again let the glue dry a while.

Now it is time to trim any pieces that are hanging past the edge of the cube. I used my knife on a self-healing mat for this step but if you are careful you could use scissors for this step.

Next we need to neaten up the floor, first by using some sandpaper to even out the cut edges. Then go through and any ends that are not glued securely add a drop of glue so that all the edges are securely glued.

I like to use a piece of sandpaper to go over the edges of any boards that have a slight gap between them to round the edges of the boards and make them again look more like wooden boards.

Now onto the wood-grain. For this I am using a wire brush, the kind they sell to clean tools with. This works really well when drug lengthwise on the boards. Really push down to get some good texture.

Then follow up with some kind of pointed tool to add even more lines that are a bit thicker. Be sure to go the length of the boards and make them slightly wavy to look like wood-grain.

Now the glue will need to be completely dry before we move to the next step which is to paint the floor boards. You can pick any color you want to fit the project you are doing. I looked up what are the most popular colors to paint a porch floor online and navy blue was I believe number 2 so that was what I picked. Just simply paint the boards with your chosen color. Just use a light color so that your texture shows through.

 

Then once dry give the floor boards a coat of a satin finish (I used Mod Podge) and allow to dry.

 

 

 

For the second floor example we are doing today I decided to replicate in miniature a concrete paver patio. We put one of these in a long time ago so I do have a good understanding of how they are made. Also I like the look of them so I thought this would be a fun choice.

To begin again find the center of your cube side.

To prep I cut a bunch of 1” squares from cardboard egg carton and sponge painted some white and gray paints to give a slightly aged concrete color. I painted on the side that was the outside of the egg carton since this is a smoother surface, we normally use the inside surface. Since there was a lot of printing on the squares they took multiple coats of paint.

Once dry I started by gluing the 4 center blocks in place. I put a weight on top to keep everything flat and let the glue dry long enough that I was certain the blocks would not move. We will need to push the rest of the blocks against these to get them in place so we need these to be sure to stay in place.

Once the glue was dry I went in and added the rest of my blocks. I set this up so that I have a nice boarder all the way around to place the “treated wood” border that “holds” the patio together. Once again let the glue dry,

 

For the wood strips I am using some craft sticks that I picked up at Dollar Tree. These are bigger than normal craft sticks, I cut two to fit next to the paving stones and glued those in place. I only cut the length, the width I will cut once the glue dries. Once again do put a weight on this while it dries to keep everything flat.

 

 

At this point I also prepped the sand I am going to use later in the project since it will need a bit of time to dry. If you have some gray sand you can just skip this step and use that.

Since all I have is white sand I needed to make some of it gray. To that I used a gray alcohol marker and scribbled in the bottom of a plastic container. I then sprayed in some Isopropyl alcohol to create some gray alcohol ink. I then stirred in some of my white sand and set it aside to dry. Once dry I have gray sand to use in the project.

 

Once the glue dries on the shorter sticks trim the excess width off and add long sticks to the other 2 sides of your floor. Add a weight and allow the glue to dry. 

Once the glue dries trim off the excess on the sides and ends.

 

 

 

Next I decided to add some color to the wood strips to make them look more like the treated wood that would hold one of these patios together in real life. For that I just used a very thick dark brown paint and wiped it on the wood and then wiped it off like a stain. Let this dry.

Once the paint is completely dry add the colored sand to the surface of you mini patio and use a soft brush to work it into the cracks between the paver stones. Take your time and work it in and off the surface.

Then very carefully add some mat Mod Podge to just the patio area, keeping it off the wood strips. I like to add the small bottle with the pouring top and add a small amount right over the sand and then carefully spread it. You want seal the sand in place but not brush it out over the stones. Take your time with this step.

Once dry this side of our cube is finished and ready to display. Now what to put on the other 4 sides?????

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.

Dollhouse Miniature Wallpaper 101(revisited)

 

Watch the video here.

One of the subjects I get a lot of questions about on a regular basis is wallpaper for the dollhouse. I did do a wallpaper 101 video almost 10 years ago. A lot of the information here was in that one also but some things have changed (mainly what to use as a wallpaper adhesive) so I decided to do this video today. If you have questions about wallpaper that I don’t cover be sure to ask and I will do my best to answer them. If there are enough I will do a follow up video where I answer those questions.

So our first subject is glue. What is the best thing to put wallpaper onto the walls of the dollhouse. My all time favorite will probably always be Yes! Paste, but I have not been able to find a good source for that product for many years. Also the places online I can find it is extremely expensive. I have tried several different brands of adhesives that are marketed to dollhouse miniaturists. The brand I like the best is New Creations Wallpaper Gel. It goes on well and I have had very few issues with it. It is also available online from several places (including Amazon) and the price seems to range from around $5 to $10. so it is not terribly expensive.

Another product I have used in the past with mostly success is the adhesive that is sold to put wallpaper borders in real size homes. This is not the paste for the actual paper but specifically for wallpaper boarders. I am not sure what the difference is but I have read in the past not to use the regular wallpaper paste for dollhouses but I am not sure of the reason now.

Stay away from any adhesives that are thin (like Mod Podge) because they are very hard to work with on the larger areas that we are applying wallpaper.

The next thing we need to talk about is what to use as wallpaper. There are wallpapers sold for use in the dollhouse. They are normally large sheets about 12” by 18” depending on the manufacturer. They are a bit heavier than regular scrapbook paper but not by much. The designs are scaled for use in the dollhouse so they will look correct as far as size goes. Also the designs usually have fairly regular repeats across the sheet to make matching seams in the paper a lot easier.

The down side is depending on the style of your project you might have problems finding what you are looking for. There are only a few companies that make these papers so the choices can seem limiting sometimes.

Scrapbook papers come in many more styles/designs and are easy to find. Almost every craft store has at least 1 aisle in the store devoted to papers with designs printed on them. These however are not always going to be in scale for your project. You will have to use you “mini” eyes to gauge scale. Also the sheets are smaller generally (in the US anyway) either 8 ½” by 11” or 12” by 12” so you are more apt to need to have a seem in the paper on a larger wall. Also since this is not what they are designed for they generally are very difficult to match the pattern if you do end up with a seam. This can be worked around by being careful about placement though. I just want you to be aware.

Also these papers vary a lot in the weight of the paper they are printed on. They can be about the same as the mini wallpapers or very thin lightweight paper all the way up to cards stock weight. Depending on where in the dollhouse you are using them may or may not be an issue.

In most of the miniature rooms I have created over the 30+ years I have been doing this I tend to use more solid colors to create rooms that look like they are painted drywall like most of the rooms in the real homes I am familiar with. I prefer painted walls in real as well as mini homes. To me too much wallpaper with designs on it is over powering and I looks to busy. I tend to use patterned wallpaper on accent walls in both my mini rooms and real rooms. To do this I had figure out how to successfully replicate the look of painted dry wall. You can’t just paint the walls of the mini room and have it look right. I spent some time looking at the papers available in the craft stores/art stores and found the option in my opinion is to use the papers that intended for artists that use colored pencils and chalks. The paper I like the best is made by the company Canson and is called Mi-Tintes Art Paper. This comes in large sheets (19” by 25”) and in many solid colors. It is mostly smooth with just a hint of texture that looks like drywall in scale. I love this stuff. Over the years I have used this many many times and always been very happy with the results. I use it for both walls and ceilings.

One aspect of dollhouse wallpaper that I get asked about a lot is the question of which is better to add the wallpaper before or after the room/dollhouse is constructed. I have always wallpapered after construction, I prefer the look.

I know a lot of people do like to wallpaper before construction when everything is flat and easier to reach. They don’t have to worry about reaching into a small space and smoothing the wallpaper. And if that works for you great. I don’t like to do it this way and I will talk about why.

I do agree that it would be easier to apply the paper to the flat panels rather than reaching into the awkward spaces that the small rooms can become.

However I one thing I don’t like about this is that there will always be a line where the side walls meet the back wall of the room. When I look into a room that has been papered that way that usually is one of the first things I notice (unless you can hide with furniture or something) and that distracts me totally from enjoying the rest of the room.

 

To avoid this I usually wrap the paper on the corners to hide the seams so I am able to hide them better.

 

 

Also, I tend to not always put the walls dividing up the interior of a dollhouse exactly where the instructions might say to. Sometimes when I get ready to assemble oi decide to move a way a little bit one way or another. If I had wallpapered before assembly this would be much harder.

Another thing I always want to do is to add my lines of tape wire to all of my dollhouses, even if I am not planning to add lights right away. And this tape wire needs to go on the walls under the paper.

So in the end it is up to you when you wallpaper and do what works for you but those are my reasons for doing it when I do.

If you have any more questions be sure to ask and I will do my best to answer them.

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.

Dollhouse Miniature Front Door Knob

 

Watch the video here.

 

This is a project I should have done a long time ago. But since that didn’t happen and I have the door knob now I decided to show you how I am doing this today. (also this way I actually get the door knob installed before I loose it and have to buy another one…..)

The door knob set I purchased has a back plate with a key hole detail. I both love and hate this little detail. If handled properly I love the look of the extra detail even if it is a bit out of scale. However, I hate when the color of the door shows through the key hole. I am just as guilty of this as anyone. I can’t remember how many times I have put a door knob on the exterior door only to notice the paint showing a day later. So I started doing this little trick I show today and I love how it looks.

To fill the hole I cut a piece of paper, I used a scrap of card-stock that was on my work table from a recent Cricut project, and cut it to a size that will fit in the recess of the back plate of the door knob. It doesn’t have to be good fit just small enough to fit in all the way and big enough to cover the key hole.

Then I use a black pen, or paint, or whatever is handy and color one side of the paper.

Then use a glue, like e6000 to glue the paper in place to cover the key hole. Let this glue dry, overnight is probably best since we will be putting glue against it to attach it to the door.

To make the placement easier I cut what is basically a jig to help me line up the door knob. I first measured from the center of the door knob to the bottom of the back plate of it and found that to be about ½” since I want to glue this in place with the door knob at just around 3” from the porch floor I cut a piece of wood to 2 ½” long. In this case I used a piece of a craft-stick that was on my work table. That way when I place the stick with one end on the porch floor I can glue the door knob in place with the bottom of the back plate resting on the top end of the stick. Then I know my door knob is in the place I want it and I don’t have to try to get a ruler in the already cramped working area of the front porch. (yeah, this would have been soooooo much easier before I put the door in place)

Before we get out the glue do a dry fit of the knob to make sure where you are putting the knob. I also placed a heavy object (a brick that is wrapped in foil) behind the door so it would stay closed while I am working on it.

 

 

Now using a glue that will work with all the materials we are trying to glue together (metal, paper and wood) add some glue to the back of the door know plate and put it in place on the door. I do prefer a glue that dries clear for this. Depending on the glue you use you may need to hold the door knob in place for longer than I did. I found mine stayed in place with just a few moments of holding. Allow the glue to set up before moving touching it again,

The hardest part of this project was probably trying to figure out a way to get the camera set up in a safe way (where I wouldn’t knock it down) in a place where you guys could see what I was doing. So tape roll to the rescue, the camera with the tripod base fit perfectly on top of a bit roll of masking tape. Hey you use what you have, right??

 

Once the glue dried and I was able to move the dollhouse back in place and add the back the current seasonal décor I am very happy with how much better the door looks with the door knob in place. Oh, and you get a little sneak peek at Sunday’s tutorial here too…..

 

 

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.

Dollhouse Miniature Scarecrow Flag

 

Watch the video here.

Like always we are starting with a strip of plain white, 100% cotton fabric. I use bleached muslin for my flags, you should be able to find this fabric in any fabric store/department especially if they carry any fabrics geared to quilters. For our flag we need a strip that measures 1” by 3”.

The other item we will need to begin is some paper backed fusible web. This is basically a fabric glue that is heat activated and comes on a sheet of paper making it very easy to use. I prefer the Heat 'N Bond brand. There are other brands in stores and you can use whatever brand you can find. I do recommend you pick one that is designed to hold without sewing. Mine is labeled “Ultra-Hold” this way you won't need to worry about your flag coming apart later. You will need a 1” square of the paper-backed fusible web.

Follow the directions on your fusible web product to form your flag.

Now that we have a blank flag we can begin making it fit this month’s theme. I wanted a nice bright blue background like a couple of the scarecrow flags I saw online. However, I did not want to have to cover the blue color with my light face color paint. So I found my circle template and made a ¾” circle on the flag where I wanted the face to be. You will want to do this on both sides of the flag and do your best to line them up. 

 

 

By drawing this circle I can leave the area inside it plain and paint the bright blue right up to the edge all the way around. I don’t mind if the blue affects the colors of the other elements of the flag design.

 

 

 

 

 

Once the blue paint dries on both sides of the flag, use a creamy color to paint the face area. And allow to dry.

 

 

 

 

For the impression of the scarecrow’s shirt just paint a rounded shape with the color of your choice. I used a dark winey red. Be careful that you are painting this at the correct end of the flag (the sealed edge not the pocket edge)

 

 

 

For the hat I just paint a triangle shape on the top of his head.

 

 

 

 

Now we can start to add the details to the face. I used my white paint pen to make eyes, I will add to this in the next step. Some orange to make a small triangle nose, and finally some bright red to create a collar on his shirt. All to dry. I also added a small red flower to his hat.

Now with some black paint place a dot in the white dot for his eyes. I used my paint pen for this step. Then with a toothpick (or a very fine brush) add some black lines for the eyelashes and mouth. Then with some yellow paint  a dot to the middle of the flower.

 

With a darker yellow add some hay around the areas where the face meets the hat and shirt. I did find that my toothpick was much better for this step than a brush.

 

And with that our flag is ready to hang for fall.

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.