Chapter 90b & 91 - The Step Tansu Chest, The Left Part of the Roof Base

 August 17th - 18th 2014

I decided to put together the first part of the tansu chest because this chapter had the second set of pieces and to avoid mixing them up, I just put the first part together.  It was pretty easy.  The pieces fit well together and I took the time to sand those that didn’t.  I also stained the chest and tried to make the sliding cabinet doors work as well which, as usual, was not easy.  But I did have some success.  Once that was done, I could start work on the roof piece.

Part A of the tansu step chest put together.

This piece also went together quickly.  The fit was a bit tight so I used my hammer and coaxed the pieces to fit.  I am watching carefully that the pieces fit as correctly as possible as I have a feeling the roof is going to be one big piece and I need to be sure it all matches up in the end.  There was some painting involved in these pieces.  I guess they may be visible on one side... we shall see.  After finishing this first part of the left roof base, I went back to the tansu chest.

Gluing the two halves together.

Adding a bit of paint to the parts to be exposed.

Finished roof section. Just the beginning.

The remaining steps to the tansu were a little more complicated because again, there were two sliding doors to install.  The kit had me putting them together in sections but without glue so I could paint them.  It just didn’t seem the best method so I decided to paint the pieces I had assembled then put them together with the glue.  I managed to insert the doors and place the other pieces around them gluing everything into place.  I did the necessary sanding to make the tansu look as clean as possible.  Painted it some more then varnished it.  I think it’s very cute and I can’t believe the doors slide! I guess practice makes perfect!

Finished tansu.

And now...another small disaster I had to fix.  The firepit room floor was my pride and joy making a wonderful reflective surface to place different objects on.  When I was working on adding the firepit, I noticed the back of the floor was bowing.  Both sides.  Crap! The heat had caused the floor to bow! I knew I had just put superficial glue there thinking the weight of the wood and the sides of the walls would keep it in place.  I didn’t count on more than one day of +30°C temps outside which meant that probably the temp up in the attic room reached a good 35°C a few times.  I found my kotatsu table bowed first and now the firepit floor.  I don’t turn on the AC unless I’m working in the room so now I know I will need to turn it on when the temps get that high even if I’m not working.  My husband gets pretty upset considering the costs of the electric bill.  Oh well.... 
So anyway, now with the tansu chest which gets installed in the corner of the room, I had to fix the room’s floor.  I managed to rip out the front part of the room and remove the floor.  I then had to “break” it as a point where the varnish was and then reglue the whole thing into the firepit room.  I had rediscovered (after two years of building!!!) that I had an old scale that had cast iron weights so I used the 1kg weight and a 500gr weight to weigh down the floor while I reglued it into place (I’d be using books and such up until now...what a gumby).  So now I just had to wait until the floor was reattached before completing the room. 

Ripping out the floor.

You can see how warped it got.  I bent it at this point as I didn't dare to do it at another one.

Weights! Why didn't I think of them before?!

 












While waiting, it did give me the chance to better photograph the irori pit with the roasted fish.  I really wanted to get them in detail to show how I ended up using two normal fish from Angie Scarr to make some bbq’d food! I’d eat them.

Detail of the irori.  Angie Scarr fish made into skewers.

When the floor was glued as flat as possible (without ruining the overall look of the floor) I added the tansu and some little objects and replaced the irori and furniture.  I added a small fern plant too.  I still want to make a lamp for this room and am still debating whether or not to put a LED in it.  Will wait and see.

Tansu in situ. I found a half scale teaset and set it there.

Intermediate Work : A Salted Fish Container

Inspiration from the "How to wrap five eggs..." book.

June 6th - 8th 2014

I had found some time ago this book called “How to Wrap Five Eggs: Traditional Japanese Packaging” and although I really wasn’t interested in purchasing the book since there were no instructions therein, I really enjoyed the inspiration from the photos.  I had already been inspired to make the egg wrapper but I also saw other small objects that I wanted to try to make as well.

I used some leftover tatami matting to fashion the small box.  The box seems to hold salted fish or something.  It seems that fish were preserved mostly thru salting so my box would be for that.  I spread glue over the ends to be sure the tatami wouldn’t unravel and cut a few slim pieces of wood for the sides.  I used a black marker pen to simulate the stitching over the bamboo.  I then had to glue the box into shape and used small paper clamps to keep things in place.  I wrapped a small piece of cotton thread (dipped in some glue to harden it a bit and adhere it to the box) and added a small piece of wood to the front as a closing pin. 

Piece of tatami stained brown and with black pen to simiulate the threads.

Small pieces of scrap wood and gluing into shape.

The box closed.

Now all I need is to purchase some more of Angie Scarr’s fish!!

Some of Angie Scarr's gorgeous fish. 

MiniaturItalia 10th Edition Milano 8-9th February 2014

Miniatur Puppenwelt Wengen

This is the second year I have attended the MiniaturItalia fair in Milano.  Last year I did go and my husband and I made a weekend of it so we decided to do the same this year as well. 
I really didn’t make a ton of purchases last year but since this year I am pretty well along on the Japanese project I had some very clear ideas about what I needed and didn’t.  I also have been surfing the net and seeing the prices that are out there and felt that some of the artisans at the show really did deserve the prices they were asking.  I mean if I cannot make something as well or as beautiful as an artisan, why shouldn’t I make an exception and purchase their work? I cannot really afford a lot of objects but each one is pretty much the make or break detail that is needed in my own piece of art.  So, this time I was a little more open with the wallet even if I am still laid off at work.  What the hell.  You never know when the next opportunity may present itself.

Miniatur Puppenwelt Wengen was the first table I hit as it was in fact the first table when I walked in the first room.  They had a nice selection of some resin vases as well as a beagle dog.  I cannot resist beagle dogs.  Anyway, I am gathering materials for my second project (once the ryokan is finished) which is a normal 1/12 scale so I decided to get a few unique little things.  I liked the block vases with the Florentine giglio on them.  I also liked the little terracotta pot with the mold growing on it.  And of course the dog who will be part of the diorama.  I also splurged on the stove.  It is really quite lovely and will fit into the tea room area.  I’m going to have to finish it differently but it’s just too cute to pass up.  I ended up spending around €40.00 here.

Miniatur Puppenwelt Wengen

Angie Scarr

My next stop was at Angie Scarr’s table which is usually impossible to approach.  I hit it just right tho.  I was looking for some fish and she did have a few that I will be able to use in the irori firepit - final details - to finish that room.  I also got a nice slab of salmon for the kitchen block.  She didn’t have any of her books left but did inform me that she will be offering ebooks on her site (yay!) for download.  Her stuff is still pricey but you cannot deny that these fish are super realistic.  The pic of the salmon doesn’t do it justice. I spent around €14.00 there.





I wandered round a bit in this room but the objects were not what I needed so I went into the main hall.  We did our voting then I made a direct line to Elisabeth Causeret’s table.  I bought some ceramics from her last year but this year she had outdone herself. There were so many exciting little things! The teapots and tea warmers! I couldn’t resist making some serious little purchases here.  I think my favorite is the decorated jug with the little wooden spigot.  I also managed to find more bowls and tumblers for the ryokan.  The 1/20 scale makes it difficult to find pottery for the table settings.  Elisabeth’s tumblers and bowls are prefect! I even like the grey rustic looking tumblers - they look Japanese in manufacture! I spent around €48.00 here too. 

Elisabeth Causeret

I had seen some bonsai trees last year and thought it was an excessive purchase.  I did end up getting a 1/12 tree from another site but it’s just ridiculously too big (yet I will be able to use it in the other project) so I broke down and got a bonsai from Manuela Ferraresi.  I was looking for the kind of bonsai that drops down over the edge of a table but also had to be deep green - like a pine of some sort.  Well, she had one.  I took that plus a small table decoration with tiny plants. She packaged up the tree in her own little bonsai carrier - the cutiest damn thing!! - with such love and attention.  Definitely one of my favorite purchases.  They had tables for the bonsai as well as small scrolls but those are things I am sure I can make.  The bonsai and the little decoration cost me €27.00 total. 

Emaniraresulfare - Manuela Ferraresi

Emaniraresulfare

 As I was leaving the bonsai table, there was a table with baskets.  I had never seen such perfect little baskets! Usually the string or twine or thread most use still looks like normal thread or twine.  These did not.  Genziana Bellé Miniature makes baskets of all types and all scales that look to scale! They truly look like the reed used in actual baskets.  What’s more, in chatting with her, she is someone who likes a challenge.  She made a baguette basket in a 1/144 scale that was perfect! I am looking for a baguette basket that looks like a cornucopia and she had never heard of it so immediately was asking me to send her a pic so she could give it a try.  That’s what’s great about this hobby.  If it becomes just a business - making the same things over and over - there’s no more challenge or fun in it.  I just may have her make me my baguette basket!

My last two stops for purchases was to be an English miniaturist but she wasn’t there this year.  Instead I bought a small pub toy from Jane Harrop.  You would think the UK tables would bring lots more pub stuff (although I did find an Italian table with limited pub like objects) but perhaps they had sold out by the time I got around to them.  I then moved around to a table with lots of small metal stamped grills.  No one had a round grill.  I have been trying to figure out a way to make a small table kettle heater for the ryokan but I need to find a grill cover.  I just may have to make it.  But I did find a few little objects at Le mini di Pierluigi .  I picked up a grill for another hibachi which I will make for the back garden and a trivet which I can use as a grill perhaps if I make my tabletop heater from fimo or something.  Always ideas.

Le mini di Pierluigi

So the show was nice.  There seemed to be a few less tables and less people but I got there right after lunch on Saturday and usually there are lots more people in the afternoon.  The voting for the roomboxes and the dollhouse was very limited this year. But perhaps the theme wasn’t popular for the box and I can appreciate the fear of having to bring your precious dollhouse into a large setting like that.  I can’t imagine entering my ryokan and leaving it there for two days! I’d be terrified people would steal stuff from it or break something! So bringing a full house is understandably a risk hence there were only two houses to vote on.  Anyway, all of them were very nice!

My husband and I then enjoyed our weekend in Milan.  We had pouring rain all evening but we still managed to get to the zone of Navigli which has all kinds of canals.  There were tons of shops and little clubs.  We hit a few for cocktails, then spritz, then a burger.  It’s easy to get around with the metro.  Had it not rained so much it would have been funner.  The next day we met up for lunch (by chance!) with my work colleague who was going to the show again (she had gone in the morning and was going back) and we exchanged info about our purchases.  Anyway, it was a good weekend.  Too bad that two days after I got home I came down with a fever and am now being treated for bronchial pneumonia.  Never had that in my life.  WTF.  I don’t think it was the rain tho.  Just metro, train and bumping into sick people.  Shit happens as they say. 

Intermediate Work : Some Miniature Food stuff

1/24 scale bread, 1/12 scale bento boxes

November 6th 2012

I started navigating to search for miniature food stuff a long time ago.  The thing is I’d like  to learn how to use my Fimo so I can make some stuff but I just don’t have the manual control I once had.  I’m not writing it off just yet but I wanted to see if I could find some finished food and at the right price.

I searched a number of different sites and came across the problem of scale.  This house is slightly larger than half scale and not quite 1/12 scale but some things can actually fit even if they are larger scale.  The 1/24 scale is really very tiny and depending on the food I have to be able to see the objects next to a measuring tape or ruler or a penny to gauge if it’s correct or not.  Another hinderance was that I needed Japanese food.  The house is supposed to be a Japanese inn so I really needed some oriental dishes.

I found one site that makes really lovely detailed 1/24 scale food.  But it was much too small (see the loaf of bread on the table above).  So I ended up searching on Ebay.  I found two sellers out of Thailand that had very nice ceramic and food products.  One in particular had the Coke cooler which I really wanted in the foyer of the inn.  It also had the bento boxes and the dim sum bamboo steamers so I purchased from them.  I think the scale is going to look just fine and the prices are very honest.

Bento Boxes

Dim Sum

I also made purchases from another Ebay seller who also has their own site.  I got mostly fruit and veg from them and you can see those in my kitchen shelving.  They also had whole fish and some knives so I bought these from them too.  The fish were essential if I wanted to have fish plates being prepared in the kitchen.  In fact they look pretty realistic sitting on the butcher’s block.

Apples, pears and some sweets which I will use with a tea set.

The final purchase was from a food miniaturist who is pretty famous.  She makes lots of food and sells them in slices or in canes (which can be sliced by you).  They tend to be more expensive as a food solution but I was able to get hold of some sashimi packets (50pcs) some shrimp, salmon steak and smoked salmon.  I then could create my own dishes.  I eventually want these dishes to be set out in preparation for bringing them to the guest’s rooms. 

Tiny sashimi and lemon slices.

Shrimp, salmon steaks and sashimi.

I used liquid Fimo to glue the loose pieces onto the cute dishes (purchased off Ebay together with the Coke cooler) along with some sliced sashimi pieces on to the tray.  I also got some ice off the same seller and fimo’d that onto the tray.  All you have to do is heat the pieces up in the oven on its lowest setting to fix the liquid Fimo.  I think it works better than superglue or other liquid glue solutions because you have to wait so long for the glue to dry.

Fimo Liquid

Fish prep tray, sashimi and salmon plate

Set up on the table

I’m not sure if I can afford to make frequent purchases from the Angie Scarr site so I may have to attempt some Fimo food on my own (thinking about a joint of meat or something - or even a Kobe steak!) but I’m pretty far from that right now.