Friday Inspiration: Light up Scene in a Lamp

Friday Inspiration: a picture of anything that makes me want to get creative.

Screen shot from Pinterest.

Obviously, as a minature adoring person, this holds a lot of appeal. I would love to make something similar.

If you like what you see, share it using one of the magic buttons below. 

Leave a comment or even subscribe, it would make my day :)

Screen shot from pinterest.

Monday Make: Tiny World in a Tin

Monday Make: This week's project

After last week's fun with the teeny tiny house I had to make something small again.
Luckily for me, my Mum had been away and come back with a stash of some gorgeous little shell boxes to sell in a gift shop she helps run. They are made of the shiny insides of shells, all softened, glued into shape and then dried. They're amazing and so pearlescent. Even better, they come from a charity working in the Philipines who claim to support the local people there, giving them well paid jobs and the like. I'd be able to tell you more if I could get the website to work but all it says is 'check back later', which I will.

I would have taken some photos of my making process, but to be honest, baby Zander and I were in a little car crash, which left us perfectly healthy, thank goodness, but me a little discombobulated. A teeny tiny project was just what I needed to get my head straight again but I just had to focus on the task in hand and there wasn't space in my head to stop and take photos.

I made the relief section with some paper mache and painted it when it was thoroughly dry.

Then I made my little wire tree (with a lot of patience).

I painted some sand to make it mud coloured and glued it in with a few random tiny rocks.

Glued my tree in and covered the 'ground' in moss to make it grassy. There are a few painstakingly placed flowers in the grass.

And lastly, I filled a section of the cave with some beautiful 'ore', shall we say it's lapis lazuli or sapphire? Who knows.

Completely random I know, but the single apple was inspired by a friend's painting.

Think I need another little box...

If you like what you see, share it using one of the magic buttons below. 

Leave a comment or even subscribe, it would make my day :)

Monday Make: Miniature House Kit

Monday Make: This week's project

Have I ever told you how much I love miniatures? 

Miniature villages, dolls houses, tiny detailed silver charms...it goes on. Basically if it's scaled down by at least 1:4, I'll find it utterly charming.

the box.

I saw this kit on eBay, I don't honestly know what I was supposed to be looking for when I did, but it's possible I was simply having a mooch at doll's house furniture. I kept it in my watch list for ages before impulsively buying it.

It cost me £15 including postage and the shop, Pure_sign sells a lot of different kinds of houses, some in globes like this and some in glass boxes. They also have the tools to do it with, I ordered a little £5 set because I knew my tweezers had been snapped ages ago by someone small. I'm glad I did too, I couldn't have done it without those little tools and they'll go on to help me with future projects.

What's in the box...

When I first saw that crappy looking tube of glue, my heart sank a little bit, but as soon as I started using it, I realised I was wrong to judge it for being plain Jane PVA. It is the perfect consistancy, dries really quickly and most importantly, dries with a good strong bond despite the tiny amounts needed for teeny constructions.

It took me three days to complete, in and around my motherly/wifely duties (with only a tiny bit of husband neglection).

I think the main reason I enjoyed doing it so much is that it's a little like meditation; I couldn't think about anything else while I was doing it, I had to concentrate on getting the pieces in the right place before it dried. It's mind centering, junk clearing and completely adorable.

The kit came with a set of lights and sensor so that when you tap the glass, three tiny LED lights come on inside the house, but sadly, despite my best efforts, I couldn't get the electrics to work. The first set broke and Pure_sign sent me a replacement no quibble, but when I fit it into place, nothing happened. I don't know why, everything was in the right place, I only know that the electrics board was getting too hot too quick and no lights came on, not even a flicker. So I pulled out the lightbulbs and gave up. Never mind, it's still awesome.

The pot plant that I thought might kill me when I first read the instructions.

I loved doing this kit, and the instructions were really easy to follow, despite clearly being translated. I've since been back on eBay looking at all sorts of miniatures from airfix to these crazy metal cutout things that make a little R2D2. But alas, it's all rather pricey.

I may just see what I can make from a cereal box...