Hi all! I hope everyone is having an amazing week :) Here we go! First I will show you guys how I do a very fast and very simple Wainscoting. The design of wainscoting varies, so feel free to go crazy and detail it as much and in anyway you want to try! The supplies can be the same so have fun with it! Secondly, I will be going through some treasure hunting techniques and basic tips so you too can hopefully treasure hunt like I do! And lastly, I will answer some questions sent to me on my Instagram page:) Thank you all and I hope you enjoy this weeks blog!
SIMPLE WAINSCOT:
Supplies needed:
-Poster board (can find at Dollar Tree; I used leftover from my daughters science project)
-Dollhouse trim and molding- (store or online, or you can use Popsicle sticks if you cant get molding and trim)
-White acrylic paint
-Wood glue (my favorite glue ever)
-Minor table saw to cut the wood (or anything that can cut wood well!)
-Blade to cut balsa wood
-Ruler to measure
-Sand paper
Firstly, you will have to measure the room size and what length and height you want/need for your wainscoting in the room. Maybe 3 and half inches high maybe 4? It's up to you! When you have the measurements, translate that to the poster board and cut out the shape. Now on top of this you will add the molding and on bottom the trim. Next you will measure and cut trim strips to fit between these two as shown in the picture below. Space them evenly and as far or close as you want depending on your design eye.
Next measure some rectangles for the space inside these and cut it from the balsa wood using your blade. Make sure you sand the corners/sides to your desired shape. {Note: If you use thicker wood you can have a slant on each side of the wood for better detail. You can also score the wood with designs as well! Its all up to you! This however is a very simple version :)}
Next you will be gluing it all down on the poster board using the wood glue. Once completely dry take your paint and... well, paint!
Let it dry completely and paint again!
Here is one side of my nursery and it is wet still:
You can put sealant on top for longevity but if you don't have that on hand you can still apply it in your room and add later; if you don't add any at all it may just not last as long and may need to be done again in the future.
Lastly, you will glue it on the walls of your room! Make sure to take heed of the shape of your room so that the trims line up (or don't) depending on what design you want :)
And that's it! All done! Easy, fast, and a great money saver; especially if you happen to have these supplies already! So have a go at it and have fun with the different designs you can make using the trim and balsa wood! Once you see how easy it is you will be wanting to try out harder designs, I'm sure of it!
TREASURE HUNTING!
Today I will be talking a little about how I find the awesome minis that I do and some of the tricks I use to help while searching! Hopefully you can try them out and honestly, if you stick with it, you can find amazing pieces for very little money! HOWEVER, it does take time and work but stay focused and keep up the search and it will pay off! I don't always succeed in my hunts, and for specific items I may have to wait months to find them. Depending on what you are looking for and where you are located it also may be difficult. So here is what I do; hopefully you can copy my method and you can start treasure hunting in your area! It's a bit involved so I will be giving more advice on future blogs as well!
1. I do my hunts in the U.S. specifically NY. I have very little money so I have to hustle all that much harder for a great deal and I know that depending on where you are it may be near impossible to find local spots to find miniatures for cheap. So location in this matter is definitely key for me. However, in your country you may have selling apps you can use as well with local people who sell for little. So don't lose hope! These tips may still apply :)
2. I use apps such as Letgo and OfferUp. I'm not affiliated with them in anyway but I have to say I have found some very awesome pieces and houses, so check them out! Also, check your local Craigslist! And when I say check it; I mean check it EVERYDAY. It takes less than 5 min to see if a new listing was put up as it will be on the top. You can put in "dollhouse" or "Doll House" and by doing this, you may get different listings!
3. Ok so lets say you found a house on Craigslist- lets say its $250 and it comes with furniture but maybe you don't need a house, just the furniture. Well, the seller may be able to sell it separately or if you spot one piece only; see if they will sell that piece by itself. The worst thing they can say is no, so go for it! I have been able to get things for just a few dollars this way! Sometimes you have gorgeous houses with terrible furniture or no furniture at all, or very ugly houses with gorgeous furniture! It doesn't hurt to try to see if the seller is flexible depending on your budget and what you are looking for. Also, see when it was listed. If you notice it was listed 2 months ago, the seller may be more motivated to sell or lower prices. Remember, the worst thing they can say is no and if they do then that's ok! Of course if you are blessed with deep pockets then just buy it all if you really want it; but if you have to pinch pennies like I do, just give it time and you may find something else! There have even been instances where what they declined to sell to me continues to be listed for months without being sold, and then I asked again and they accepted! So don't give up; just because you may not be able to afford beautiful miniatures online doesn't mean you can't get them! Sometimes it just takes some patience :)
4. Another thing I do is travel a lot, so wherever I'm going I try to line up my hunts with my trip. So if you are traveling too, look up those local craigslists of the place you are going or change the location on the apps; and BOOM! A whole new unexplored area to find treasures!
5. A big place I find dollhouse treasures are Goodwill, and charity shops and I search religiously! If you know how these shops work; usually these stores have days where certain ticket colors are half off. A good hunter would search on the days that the tickets change so that a new color is now half off and you are the first person there to get the newest things on clearance. But a GREAT hunter would ask the store associates when they put out new inventory and come on those days *wink*wink. When it comes to miniatures, I don't think about saving a dollar, I think about acquiring them period! So find out when and what times they get shipments and put out the most inventory- that's when you will want to be there to get first grabs at some really great things people have donated.
6. Yard sales, estate sales, garage sales! These are also listed on craigslist so you can find some in your area during the warmer months. Go walk around and see what you can find!
One more tip for today:
7. BE SAFE! Once you are meeting people or going to garage sales, or picking up from craigslist; BE SAFE. Take someone with you or meet in a busy place. Always remember to be safe while treasure hunting anywhere.
Q/A
1. What clay do you use for making polymer clay food? Any tips when making the food?
I use Sculpey and Fimo clay! However, if you are starting out I would recommend the cheaper brands because you will go through clay trying out techniques and it may be better on your wallet to use the cheaper clay in the beginning :) A tip that took me a bit to learn was PRESSURE. When making the swirls or pokes into the clay to try to get the texture for cakes for instance, you must do it lightly! And you have to take your time in the beginning. The more you work on it the more crumbs you will see fall off from the piece you are working with; which of course helps with realism!
2. Do you have tips on electrical work for a dollhouse?
Electric work on a dollhouse is a whole other beast for me. I can say its very difficult and honestly no fun for me at all; but when its done: OMG its amazing! One tip I found very useful was that when they say a transformer can handle a certain amount of lights, they mean individual lights. So for instance: a chandelier is not one light but four or more depending on how many individual lights there are. Another tip is to get the kit! Haha. Don't try it any other way without experience. I have seen dollhouses actually wired with red, blue, yellow wires running here and there and under the houses. The kit has the tools, pieces and the tape you need for a much cleaner and safer dollhouse! The "Cir-kit" is available online if you google it:). There is a lot that goes into wiring and to be honest, I am not a pro, I have only done a handful of dollhouses with electricity and they all have been done the same way-and each time was a tough thing for me. I've had to recruit my husband in quite a few instances because I couldn't figure out why a room wasn't lighting! So after doing a few houses I am quite content with going for battery operated lights for a while. Maybe in the future I'll do it again :) I will however, have a blog in the future about more electrical tips, issues and, things I've learned while doing it though!
Thank you all for tuning in! If you have any questions please fee free to reach out and I'll help as best as I can! Thank you for being a part of My Dollhouse Passion and I'll see you next week!
SIMPLE WAINSCOT:
Supplies needed:
-Poster board (can find at Dollar Tree; I used leftover from my daughters science project)
-Dollhouse trim and molding- (store or online, or you can use Popsicle sticks if you cant get molding and trim)
-White acrylic paint
-Wood glue (my favorite glue ever)
-Minor table saw to cut the wood (or anything that can cut wood well!)
-Blade to cut balsa wood
-Ruler to measure
-Sand paper
Firstly, you will have to measure the room size and what length and height you want/need for your wainscoting in the room. Maybe 3 and half inches high maybe 4? It's up to you! When you have the measurements, translate that to the poster board and cut out the shape. Now on top of this you will add the molding and on bottom the trim. Next you will measure and cut trim strips to fit between these two as shown in the picture below. Space them evenly and as far or close as you want depending on your design eye.
Next measure some rectangles for the space inside these and cut it from the balsa wood using your blade. Make sure you sand the corners/sides to your desired shape. {Note: If you use thicker wood you can have a slant on each side of the wood for better detail. You can also score the wood with designs as well! Its all up to you! This however is a very simple version :)}
Next you will be gluing it all down on the poster board using the wood glue. Once completely dry take your paint and... well, paint!
Let it dry completely and paint again!
Here is one side of my nursery and it is wet still:
You can put sealant on top for longevity but if you don't have that on hand you can still apply it in your room and add later; if you don't add any at all it may just not last as long and may need to be done again in the future.
Lastly, you will glue it on the walls of your room! Make sure to take heed of the shape of your room so that the trims line up (or don't) depending on what design you want :)
And that's it! All done! Easy, fast, and a great money saver; especially if you happen to have these supplies already! So have a go at it and have fun with the different designs you can make using the trim and balsa wood! Once you see how easy it is you will be wanting to try out harder designs, I'm sure of it!
TREASURE HUNTING!
Today I will be talking a little about how I find the awesome minis that I do and some of the tricks I use to help while searching! Hopefully you can try them out and honestly, if you stick with it, you can find amazing pieces for very little money! HOWEVER, it does take time and work but stay focused and keep up the search and it will pay off! I don't always succeed in my hunts, and for specific items I may have to wait months to find them. Depending on what you are looking for and where you are located it also may be difficult. So here is what I do; hopefully you can copy my method and you can start treasure hunting in your area! It's a bit involved so I will be giving more advice on future blogs as well!
1. I do my hunts in the U.S. specifically NY. I have very little money so I have to hustle all that much harder for a great deal and I know that depending on where you are it may be near impossible to find local spots to find miniatures for cheap. So location in this matter is definitely key for me. However, in your country you may have selling apps you can use as well with local people who sell for little. So don't lose hope! These tips may still apply :)
2. I use apps such as Letgo and OfferUp. I'm not affiliated with them in anyway but I have to say I have found some very awesome pieces and houses, so check them out! Also, check your local Craigslist! And when I say check it; I mean check it EVERYDAY. It takes less than 5 min to see if a new listing was put up as it will be on the top. You can put in "dollhouse" or "Doll House" and by doing this, you may get different listings!
3. Ok so lets say you found a house on Craigslist- lets say its $250 and it comes with furniture but maybe you don't need a house, just the furniture. Well, the seller may be able to sell it separately or if you spot one piece only; see if they will sell that piece by itself. The worst thing they can say is no, so go for it! I have been able to get things for just a few dollars this way! Sometimes you have gorgeous houses with terrible furniture or no furniture at all, or very ugly houses with gorgeous furniture! It doesn't hurt to try to see if the seller is flexible depending on your budget and what you are looking for. Also, see when it was listed. If you notice it was listed 2 months ago, the seller may be more motivated to sell or lower prices. Remember, the worst thing they can say is no and if they do then that's ok! Of course if you are blessed with deep pockets then just buy it all if you really want it; but if you have to pinch pennies like I do, just give it time and you may find something else! There have even been instances where what they declined to sell to me continues to be listed for months without being sold, and then I asked again and they accepted! So don't give up; just because you may not be able to afford beautiful miniatures online doesn't mean you can't get them! Sometimes it just takes some patience :)
4. Another thing I do is travel a lot, so wherever I'm going I try to line up my hunts with my trip. So if you are traveling too, look up those local craigslists of the place you are going or change the location on the apps; and BOOM! A whole new unexplored area to find treasures!
5. A big place I find dollhouse treasures are Goodwill, and charity shops and I search religiously! If you know how these shops work; usually these stores have days where certain ticket colors are half off. A good hunter would search on the days that the tickets change so that a new color is now half off and you are the first person there to get the newest things on clearance. But a GREAT hunter would ask the store associates when they put out new inventory and come on those days *wink*wink. When it comes to miniatures, I don't think about saving a dollar, I think about acquiring them period! So find out when and what times they get shipments and put out the most inventory- that's when you will want to be there to get first grabs at some really great things people have donated.
6. Yard sales, estate sales, garage sales! These are also listed on craigslist so you can find some in your area during the warmer months. Go walk around and see what you can find!
One more tip for today:
7. BE SAFE! Once you are meeting people or going to garage sales, or picking up from craigslist; BE SAFE. Take someone with you or meet in a busy place. Always remember to be safe while treasure hunting anywhere.
Q/A
1. What clay do you use for making polymer clay food? Any tips when making the food?
I use Sculpey and Fimo clay! However, if you are starting out I would recommend the cheaper brands because you will go through clay trying out techniques and it may be better on your wallet to use the cheaper clay in the beginning :) A tip that took me a bit to learn was PRESSURE. When making the swirls or pokes into the clay to try to get the texture for cakes for instance, you must do it lightly! And you have to take your time in the beginning. The more you work on it the more crumbs you will see fall off from the piece you are working with; which of course helps with realism!
2. Do you have tips on electrical work for a dollhouse?
Electric work on a dollhouse is a whole other beast for me. I can say its very difficult and honestly no fun for me at all; but when its done: OMG its amazing! One tip I found very useful was that when they say a transformer can handle a certain amount of lights, they mean individual lights. So for instance: a chandelier is not one light but four or more depending on how many individual lights there are. Another tip is to get the kit! Haha. Don't try it any other way without experience. I have seen dollhouses actually wired with red, blue, yellow wires running here and there and under the houses. The kit has the tools, pieces and the tape you need for a much cleaner and safer dollhouse! The "Cir-kit" is available online if you google it:). There is a lot that goes into wiring and to be honest, I am not a pro, I have only done a handful of dollhouses with electricity and they all have been done the same way-and each time was a tough thing for me. I've had to recruit my husband in quite a few instances because I couldn't figure out why a room wasn't lighting! So after doing a few houses I am quite content with going for battery operated lights for a while. Maybe in the future I'll do it again :) I will however, have a blog in the future about more electrical tips, issues and, things I've learned while doing it though!
Thank you all for tuning in! If you have any questions please fee free to reach out and I'll help as best as I can! Thank you for being a part of My Dollhouse Passion and I'll see you next week!
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