My First Magazine Article on the Fairy Tale Cottage by "The Dolls' House Magazine".

I just had to share the pictures of my very first magazine article that "The Dolls' House Magazine" did on the Cottage I built last year.  I received the magazine right when I just finished the 2nd cottage I that looks a lot like this one, that I just made and posted pictures of last.  It makes me feel awesome that I have something that I created in a magazine and that more people get to see my work and hopefully are inspired to create something of their own, or maybe want to have me want to create something for them.  Have a Wonderful November Everyone!  Stan

     

 

 
 
 

English Cottage October 2015

Hi Everyone, I just finished my newest consignment job-( The English Cottage ).  A wonderful lady from the Denver Miniature Museum hired me to re-create a miniature house I made a year ago.  But this house was to be bigger and she wanted to furnish it herself, but brought her favorite lights to incorporate into the house and a few pieces of furniture so I could build the house to the right scale.  I am usually very critical of my work on my miniature house, but this one I feel is my best work so far.  I taught myself some new techniques on making the slate tile roof and the stone and rocks around the house out of paper clay.  This one took 11 days and about 55 hours to complete.  I individually made each stone and rock around the house, which I have never done before.  Usually I carve the stones and rock out of the paper clay.  But I was trying to go for a more realistic look and did brick and mortar around the windows and doors and on the chimney.  I really love the way my Slate Tile Roof turned out making it out of Egg Cartons.  I still have blisters from many ours of tearing the egg cartons into little pieces.   Its actually killing me not to furnish it.  But I know she has a lot of incredible furniture and miniatures to put in this house.  I hope you like the pictures and I think I will take a month off on building miniature houses before my vacation at the end of next month.  But I am not sure since I have been dying to try to create a Modern Glass Miniature House.  Have a Wonderful Month Everyone!

Since I made the house bigger than the one I made last year, I am surprising her, since I was able to create more living space in the attic with a roof that opens and you cant tell there is an opening with the way I laid the slate tiles over the hinges and opening. 

I still love using popsicle sticks for the flooring.  It gives it a aged look like its a hundred year old cottage inside. 

 

Picture of what it looked like after applying each stone individually. 

This is how I tried laying the electric tape for the plug-ins.  I actually hard wire the plug-ins into the electrical tape since I am not a fan of the plug ins that press into the tape.  They can get you Swearing since they never hold good and when you unplug a lamp they can come out of the wall.  I want to create something that works better than what you can find in the miniature stores.  I usually glue down the wire from the plug ins I buy and nail them to the electrical tape, then cover them with the wood flooring. 

Mansion

 Hi Everyone, I just wanted to share what I have been working on for the past couple of weeks!  This is the Mansion as I am calling it.  I bought it for myself to keep but it sat in the closet for a year.  I wanted to actually keep one house for myself and to have a place for all the miniatures and furniture I have been collecting over the past couple of years from the Denver Miniature Shows and Auctions I go to.  I kept looking at the Mansion thinking its just to plain and Boring on the outside-picture is on the right.  So before I could add the lighting and miniatures I had to give the house a Facelift.  I made little window planter boxes and created flowers for all the boxes, then I decided the front door needed something over it since there was a huge Nothing but wall above it. So I created a Copper Awning out of Balsa wood and wood strips and lots of Copper paint.  Then I added lots of shutters.  Then I Taught Myself how to make Trees and Shrubs in the front of the house to give it more character, there is a close up picture below of the trees.  I am not completely finished with the house, but as usual I am realizing the house is just to big for my house and no good area to display it so I am contemplating putting it up for sale on E-bay.  Just the house not the furniture.  I found some awesome pieces over the years such as Sonya Messer Import-Couch and 2 chairs that I found out are worth a lot, plus the bedroom set is all Bespaq and other Bespaq furniture around the house.  But MY FAVORITE OF THEM ALL is the furniture done by Laura Crain, whom was also selling her furniture at the show--such as in the kitchen of this house the table with the bread and cheeses, and the table and chairs in the kitchen and also lots more of her distressed furniture throughout the mansion.  Laura which is such a nice lady and her friend bought the 2 large Tudor Houses right of the bat from my sales table this year.  Then I was admiring her furniture pieces she created and she Traded me another house I had for the equal value of her Furniture- I was in Miniature Heaven picking out furniture from her table.  I hope you enjoy the pictures.  Happy Fall Everyone and Have a Wonderful October

First Floor Living Room

Second Floor Living Room.

Second Floor Living Room

The Upstairs Hallway

The Entry Way

This is one of the Sonya Messer vintage chairs I think is beautifully crafted.

The couch and chair on the left is also Sonya Messer.  I also found a whole box full more of Sonya Messer furniture I purchased at an auction.

I truly love the little hand painted painting I put on the walls. I keep meaning to look up the artist name on the back of them to see if they might be valuable since I also purchased the artwork at an auction. 

I have been saving the Bespaq bedroom set for years for the right house.  I found the Dress on the mannequin on the left at an auction which still had a price tag of $100.  Someone worked really hard creating it cause up close its nice work.  

Someone hand made the dolls on the bed and chair and up close are very really looking!

The Dinning Room

The Kitchen

My first attempt at making a realistic looking tree for the outside of the house.   Nobody sells them the larger sizes I need and that also look realistic.  I created this from 2 stems of greenery I bought at Hobby Lobby and I cut them apart and wrapped them around the main wire the greenery came with and then individually added each branch and wrapping its wire around the main wire, then I wrapped each branch with brown floral tape and Walla-a tree. I think it looks better then just flocking wires with glue and green fluff. 

The shrubs this time I created out of Large Think Scrubbing Pads I bought at Home Depot, I cut them to the basic shapes and then sprayed with glue and dipped in green landscaping fluff.