Three hedgehogs having tea...

I have written three story books and also created all of the illustrations about a character named Ophelia. A few years ago I decided to make a dollhouse that would depict Ophelia’s house from the book. I wanted it to be more of a mixed media art piece then one of my usual dollhouses so it is dark and mysterious. It also has a lot of heart as do my Ophelia stories.

In one of my books Ophelia continuously hears a mysterious tapping sound coming from the attic above her bedroom. So one night she has a wonderful dream on what the tapping might be. 

Here is a small section from my book…

On the night she had the dream, she had just closed her eyes to sleep and her mind decided to solve the mysterious noise for her. She dreamt that she heard the tapping sound again and was finally able to see what it was. 

   She opened the small attic door, crouched down to enter and tiptoed barefoot up the narrow steps that led to the attic. There she heard the tapping again. It was coming from the far end of the attic. 

She made her way past a stack of crates and some old dusty furniture. Peeking from behind a tall folding screen she saw a very small dining table that was no taller than her knee. Around it were three little chairs. In each chair sat a hedgehog. There, in front of her, were three hedgehogs having tea! 

   The one hedgehog, at the head of the table, had a pair of spectacles that sat on the very tip of his nose. He held his saucer and teacup with one hand and with the other stirred his tea using a tiny silver spoon. Then he tapped his tiny silver spoon on the edge of his cup. Tap, tap, tap. 

   The other two hedgehogs sat sipping their tea and nibbling on small cookies. Then once again, tap, tap, tap. It seemed so real. His little nose was black and shiny. His little brown eyes watched his spoon as he stirred and tapped. She didn’t want to startle them for fear they would spill hot tea all over themselves so she watched quietly. As they nibbled and sipped they made little purring sounds almost like a content cat would. Right about then, she woke up and rubbed her eyes. Ophelia stared up at the ceiling above her trying to wrap her mind around three small hedgehogs having tea and biscuits in her attic…

I was truly blessed to have found Miniature Artist Fanni Sandor to collaborate on setting this scene in the dollhouse. We traded for Ophelia’s book and limited edition prints to make it happen.

I had been dreaming about this scene and saving that tiny furniture since I started the house four years ago and never imagined I would be able to have such wonderful tiny hedgehogs with just the perfect details. She also made the cookies, tea cup, and the tiny silver spoon.

Here are some photos for everyone to enjoy. All my love to you Fanni!

Ophelia Under the Day Moon Ebooks are available on amazon. 

CLICK HERE

For more about Ophelia visit auraleakrieger.com

For more of Fanni Sandor's work click here!

Miniature fall leaves for a dollhouse

Yellow card stock smooth

Water color paints

Medium and large soft watercolor brushes

Medium bristle brush

3-4small water containers

Punches both are maple half inch wide oak 5/8" long from stem to top

Old Washcloth or paper towel

I have always wanted to purchase some mini paper punches but was always concerned that ordering them online would invite a world of confusion trying to get the right scale.

Now that I am selling on Ebay regularly I have been searching for some things to purchase with the money I am making from selling things I needed to clear out.

I found these punches for a fair price and am very happy with the scale. I still need to fins an elm leaf punch though.

I thought of using real fall leaves for this but they will eventually dry up over time so this is a way to be a bit more efficient with my time. Never enough hours in the day for me so I try not to waste my creative time!

I have been romanticizing about a colorful mini pile of leaves with a rake in a garden for some time and now I can make that dream come true! Ugh, after i make a rake anyway ha! 

I am using a regular piece of scrapbook paper that is yellow all the way through. I bought a small pack of colored papers so if you have a large sheet just cut it down so it will be more manageable.

Start by putting water on the corner of the yellow piece of paper with your watercolor brush.

Dip your brush in the water and put it in your orange watercolor paint and put that paint in the middle of the wet area.

Then put your brush in the red paint and put that paint in the center of the orange area.

If needed go back and put some clean water on your brush and work around the edges so that there's a nice fade.

If you wait a minute you can go back and put more red right on top and it will get brighter.

And then you can get your brush clean again and work a little water around the edges to soften it if needed. You want soft blends for the most part.

Use the same technique for a green area.

Note that if your brush has green and orange on it it will get muddy and turn brown. So you want to keep a few containers of water nearby to keep the brush clean. It is best if you keep one or two containers for the red/orange and one for the green. The red and orange water can mix, but you need to keep that green water separate so it doesn't get muddy and brown. 

I keep an old washcloth nearby and dab my brush on it if I feel it has too much water. I prefer to have a washcloth in my studio to paper towels because I can just wash them and keep reusing them. Not only better for the environment but also saves some money!

Again in simple steps:

Wet the corner.

Add a good amount of red paint in the center.

Clean your brush and get more water on it.

Work the edges with cleanish water so it fades.

Get orange on your brush and blended in around the red.

Clean your brush and work the edges so they fade.

Do this all over the paper and then flip it over and match the same areas on the back the best you can. Doesn’t need to be perfect though.

If you start noticing that your paper is coming apart a little bit in places just ignore it because you'll be able to brush off those little pieces once it's dry.

Don't be afraid to put some bright red right up against the green.

Once you are happy with your painting, lean it against something so it can completely dry on both sides.

Once it is completely dry brush over it with a bigger brush to wipe off any small pieces of paper that came up.

Use a bristle brush and wet it, rub it in your brown paint and dab it straight up and down on a scarp piece of paper until it looks like stipples.

This effect will be with a leaf has gone brown.

Dab straight up and down with your brown painted brush in certain areas. Then let it dry for 30 seconds or so and then dab again to get it nice and dark.

Once you have finished let it completely dry so you can get clean edges from your punch.

Cut your paper into strips so you can punch from both sides and use all the paper.

Punch upside down so you can see what your leaf will look like and make a variety of them. Press down on the punch and the button will press on the table.

I also painted red and shades of brown onto a brown sheet of paper. After I cut them out I crinkled them by squeezing a handful in my palm so they look aged.

If you want to be a true mini maniac then go ahead and use a fine marker to make veins and stems. Otherwise throw them in a lovely pile, scatter a few on your dollhouse porch and roof, or use them in mini arrangements for decorating.

As always, each tutorial is a starting place. It is up to you to take it to the next level and make improvements and please be sure to share your inventive methods with others. By sharing our techniques we help propel each other to amazing new heights as artists!

My new dollhouse build from foam board

My new blog is up and running. I hope you will be a part of my journey and that my dollhouse story will interest you!

http://thekinfelddollhouse.blogspot.com/

A new 1:12-scale dollhouse build

I will be launching a new sister blog in January 2016 to represent my newest build, The Kinfeld.

Be sure to "Follow" it once it's up and running because it will be full of great tips, and fun photos! I will announce the launch here.
This house will be made from foam board and cardboard in 1:12 scale. I have been playing with this idea for a long time and have finally took it on.
Because I love creating fun stories and characters, once the build is complete it will be an ongoing photo journal about the spirited family that moves in and I will also be sharing lots of tutorials as I make items for the inside.
Here is a sneak peak of what will soon be a three-story Victorian style home with a modern touch.
More detail about the build will be on the new blog once it's up.

This is Bradley, my mini-carpenter. 

Sigh...asleep on the job, again!

Miniature Christmas garland

What better way to dress up the stairs and fireplace than to add a festive string of garland with big red bows!

This is a super easy little project that will definitely be more fun with Christmas music playing. So set up a Pandora Christmas station or line up some holiday CDs in your player and let’s get creative!

Cut a thin green wire the length of your garland. Fold the end over.

Pinch off three small sections, of lycopodium, also known as prince's pine,princess pine or erica moss. 

Wrap green thread around the small bunch as well as the wire about five times and then overlay another bunch and wrap the thread around where the two bunches meet and then down to the end of that second bunch.

Basically you want each bunch of three to overlap over and over down the line.

Then add another bunch and wrap the thread in the same way and the same direction you did the very first two.

Continue this until you get to the desired length.

Once you come to the end of the strand put a dap of glue there and wrap the thread into it. Bend the end of the wire into the glue as well and let it dry.

Once dry you can snip the thread away. 

Use a small pair of scorers to trim the garland shorter if desired.

There is a new mini show in town! 
This will be the one to go to in Chicago next spring. I will be there. Will you?

http://www.theminiatureshow.com/

Weave a miniature basket with no wires!

The beautiful angle wing candleholder and vintage rabbit book were gifts from Pricilia at TresPetite Dollhouse Miniatures on Etsy.


This is a faster way to weave a wicker bowl without having to struggle with many pieces of wire. Choose a paper close to the color of the basket you wish to make. I used regular thin paper, but you can try a thicker paper or even thin vinyl would work. I will say the gentler you are with your string as you weave, the easier it will be using thin paper. You also want to find the thinnest hemp string that you can.

Trace the pattern onto your paper. Cut out using a craft knife.

Tuck the hemp string into one of the slots and secure it against the back base with your finger.

Begin to interweave the string around the pattern. Go over and under the tabs.

As you weave around gently pull a bit tighter to make the tabs move upward to form the dish shape. Push the string down on the tabs as you go if there are gaps.

When you get to the height you want, cut the string and put a dab of glue on the end of it and tuck it under the other strings with a toothpick.

Trim away all the excess paper with scissors, flipping the basket up and over for each tab so you can see the highest strings on the tabs and don’t accidentally cut them.

Cut three 8” pieces of string and tie a knot at the end. Tape it to your cutting board.

Braid the string nice and snug and then tie the end into a knot.

Put some glue on the end, just before the knot, on the top and bottom of the braid with the toothpick.

Run Tacky Glue around the top of the basket using your toothpick.

Lay the braid along the glue, pressing it down as you go.

Snip of the glued end of the braid in the center of the area you glued before the knot. Press it to the basket edge.

Put glue under and over the other end of the braid right where it meets the end you just cut. Snip in the center of that glued area and press it to the end to complete the circle.

Spread some glue on the base and begin wrapping the string from the outside in, until it’s completely covered. Do the same for the base if you wish.

You can use a toothpick to move the strings on the tab if you see areas where the paper shows through. This is why you want a paper close in color to the string.

Make your template small for a smaller bowl. You can also use embroidery thread or even thin yarn in pretty colors for this project. If you do that then you can put coordinating fabric on the base instead of wrapping the thread.
Get your groove on and have fun weaving!

Just found this great conversion chart!

http://webpages.charter.net/sinkwich/sdventure/html/sd_scalecalc2.htm

Merry Mini Christmas!!

Do you see little Bat?

Miniature cottage windows

I finally finished making the little windows to go in my new cottage. :-)

Still trying to figure out my new camera though. :-/
Can't seem to get it to focus on everything in the frame and not just the center point.
Anyway, they turned out pretty cool!

Now I just have to put them in. I made the handles from paper, but glued them at the wrong height so I had to flip the windows upside down and now the handles are at the correct height, but on the left side instead of the right. Haha Oh well, perhaps the resident is left handed!

Next up will be shutters!

Make a miniature Christmas stocking

I decided to add some stockings to my little fireplace for Christmas. Note that these stockings are before Santa pays a visit! If I only had a mini glass of milk and some cookies.

Trace the stocking pattern onto the backside of the fabric. Be sure to flip the pattern piece when you trace the second one.

With a very sharp craft knife, cut the corners as shown on pattern (dotted lines on pattern).

Use a toothpick to spread Tacky Glue along the edge of the stocking and fold over the extra fabric. I use the other end of the toothpick to fold and press each piece. Press again as you go to be sure the fold stays down.

Cut some felt to fit inside the stocking.

Using your toothpick run glue all around the edges, but not the top opening of the stocking. Press the pieces together and keep pinching until they are adhered.

Once dry, use sharp scissors to trim away anything that is not even around the edges.

Use your choice of trimming around the top. Glue the trimming on.

Wrap embroidery thread around a 1/2" wide piece of mat board 3 times and cut.

Thread a needle and insert it at the top and pull through until you have enough thread to tie two knots. Trim thread off the needle so you have at least one piece of thread about 4” long.

Push the craft knife under the thread at the base of the wrapped thread and slice it off the board.

Pinch the top and push the threaded needle through the pinched area and then wrap in around about seven times. Then push the needle through wrap and push it through again. Snip the thread off close to the tassel.

Lay the tassel on your cutting board and run the tip of the needle through the embroidery thread to open up the strands. Press in between fingers to shape.

Put a dab of glue on your finger and twist it up the tassel string on the top. Let dry.

Put a blob of glue inside the back of the stocking. Position the tassels where you want them and pinch them against stocking. Snip the threads on the top of the tassels and push them inside the stocking into the glue with a toothpick. Pinch and hold until set.

If needed put a bit of glue behind the tassels to keep them against the stocking.

 There are so many styles you can make! Have fun!

antiqued mirror in miniature

I was given this little mirror as a gift and I knew right away I wanted it to be an attic treasure. After researching online about how to age a mirror I found some really cool techniques for a life size mirror using a piece of glass, but had to come up with my own solution for a mini mirror.

It's a pretty basic technique, but I thought maybe someone out there would like to know...

First, I used a course brush to stipple on some grey paint and dabbed it immediately with a crumpled up napkin. Then stippled spots of black and dabbed it again.

 

I cut a piece of shiny acetate and put it in the mirror hole and then put the mirror in behind it.
Even though old mirrors are chipped and discolored the fronts are still shiny. Because the paint dulled the shine, the acetate helped to give it a shiny effect.

I painted the mirror cream and rubbed some brown charcoal on it with a course brush before I assembled it. Such a fun addition to the attic!