Intermediate Work : Additional detail to Kitchen Table, The Obi Stand, The Ice Box

Inspiration

 

My Obi stand

 7 June - 13th June 2012

Still putting off starting the second porch area of the first floor...

I had seen some time ago a really nice Obi stand.  I found one (a set with some other little bamboo embellishments) for $37.00 so, thinking it was excessive (and it is), I made one.  Just with leftovers and some black paint and gloss.  I had the fabric from the room to make a sort of Obi belt to hang on the stand.  An Obi is just basically a very long kimono belt that ties around to the back of the kimono and creates a box like shape.  The stand would be a westerner’s version of a butler - the wooden hanger thingy that lots of men use to hang their jackets for work the next day.  Again, the trick is just figuring out the scale then cutting up a few pieces and glueing them together.  Looks great in the bamboo bedroom.

I had made a little table for the kitchen in the last chapter and it was pretty much a slap dash kind of thing.  Then I saw on a Pininterest page a really nice aluminum topped table.  A few nites ago, we got chinese take-out.  Different from American takeout, here it comes in aluminum tray pans with aluminum backed paper covers.  One portion had a double cover which meant clean and pristine.  So I threw it into my “may need for future construction” box and wouldn’t you know, came across the aluminum table pic.  I glued some of the tray top to the wooden table I had made, then added the fish tray and the wooden plate for sushi display and - WOW! made the difference.  Now that table is special.

Aluminum table top

On my never ending quest for an ice box, I had no luck but I did find a few pics showing two door and one door boxes.  I decided to build my own.

Calculations for the obi stand and ice box

After purchasing some balsa wood and glueing it to the aluminum lined paper tray cover (the inside of the box is lined with some kind of metal as are the doors), I had to paint the pieces. I had seen a really lovely “shabby chic” matchbox side table (again thru Pininterest) and decided to make the ice box the same style.  All it takes is some dark paint, applying some candle wax to the object, then painting it white.  Once the white is dry, sanding away the paint (which doesn’t stick to the wax) makes the object look old.  And since our dollhouse is supposed to be late 50’s early 60’s, I figured our ice box would be much older.

Left over take away tray cover

Just some normal wax will do...

Then embarking on the quest for some hinges.  Since 1/20 or even 1/24 are so hard to find, I was considering going with some kind of fabric hinge until I came across something called an “arc hinge”.  Basically, it is a flat piece of rounded metal (which I can glue onto the doors) and insert into the balsa wood using jewelry wire.  Thank the gods I actually did some jewelry work otherwise I wouldn’t have realized the ease of substituting one thing for another.  I ended up buying some frame hanging brackets when, cut in half, could sub for some decent arc hinges.  But then I had an idea - using aluminum trays.  I cut up an aluminum tray into tiny hinges, rolled one end and trimmed the other.  The tray metal was much easier to work with and pretty resistant.  I then cut the nail heads that came with the brackets and managed after much coaxing to hammer in those as hinge heads.  My hands are just not up to the challenge and again, the cut nail head fell on the floor and was lost for a bit.  I did find it after some searching with a flashlight.  At first I thought the balsa was going to be too weak for this ice box but luckily, having to use jewelry wire to insert the hinges, it was perfect.

Aluminum tray to the rescue

Working on the hinges

Milk box and ice block.

In my travels, I also came across a printable page in Japanese.  With of course a milk box.  Ok, it’s a bit big but I still think it looks super in there.
Oh, and the ice is a piece of gardening plastic blocks bought at Ikea.  They are used to fill up a vase for flower arrangement.  But they look just like ice ! What luck I had bought a box of them many years ago! :-)

Finished Ice box... for now...

Seems to fit right in.

Intermediate Work - LEDs, Fire In the Stove, Futon Bed and Bedding, Kitchen Decor

April 16 - 19th 2012

While listening to a Sox game last nite, I was thinking about how I could work on the bedding in the right hand room.  I have an idea of the actual cover and pillows but just laying them on the tatami didn’t seem right to me.  I liked the idea of having an actual futon frame.  So, with some leftover pieces of wood and some coffee stirrers, I managed to make a little futon frame.  Now at least the bedding will look more realistic sitting on top of it.  I made a little mattress from a foam piece left over from our iPad packaging.  While I was navigating, I stumbled across this site which had the most amazing roomboxes I have ever seen.  The most interesting aspect was how he manages to render pillows that drape.  I discovered that he does workshops and mentioned that he uses sand.  So, of course, out I went to get some fine grain sand (not beach sand - I figured that would eventually stain from the oils and dirt in the sand) so garden decorating sand. 

I decided that by using fine sand, I would have to use adhesive tape while making the bedding.  That way, grains would not escape the way they would if I had sewn the actual futon duvet.  I must say that it looks much nicer - it actually lays flat on the futon instead of sticking up on the sides or something.

In the meantime, my LEDs arrived.  First thing I did was drill a hole in the stove piece and install the lights there.  I think they look pretty good. I added a few pieces of painted wood and glued down the lights.  I wanted to be able to see the colors a little more so by covering the lights with wooden kindling I figured it would look a little more interesting.  I managed to install the stove in the kitchen front room and create a little back shelf to hide the wires and cell battery.  I glued the actual on/off switch to the wall as if it were an actual light switch.  It’s not so obvious so more than acceptable for me. 

Still need some knives, utensils and pots...

After printing off a bunch of mini boxes (soap and food stuff) from Jim’s Printable Page and Jen’s printables, I glued in a few items in the kitchen.  It just needs some utensils and we are at a good point!

I also managed to install some of the lighting into the ceilings and run wires along the back of the house.  I should have ordered extra wiring as the gauge wire I used for Gianluca’s trains is a bit big.  I will have to hit another hardware store to see if they carry a finer gauge.  But the lights fit perfectly and installation should be a breeze once I hook them all up. 

Top of the Spa

It seems the further I get along in the house build the more stuff I discover that sets me back.  Still, I don’t have a timetable.....

Chapter 33 - First Floor Landing, Spa Window, Kutsunugi-ishi (Shoe removing Stone)

March 13 - 15th 2012

The Shoe Stone is quite strange.  It’s a little stone platform set into a small area that is then covered with sand.  I have never actually seen one so I have no idea what the true usage is.  It seems to be more used at the actual entrance of a house (not at an inside door entrance) and traditionally is surrounded by larger stones, not sand.  Technically, this is where you’d remove your shoes.  But I figured anyone entering the house would have already taken off their shoes downstairs in the vestibule. 

The Spa window was quick work except that it came out a bit darker than the surrounding woodwork.  I’ll have to sand it down a bit when I get around to making the shōji.  The inside sills were difficult to glue in because of the doors - even if my hands are quite small. 

Again here I had to make the “hardwood” flooring for the landing.  I do not enjoy this very much as I have to measure out each “board” 5mm from the last.  Still, the final effect is very convincing.  This flooring came out a little darker but I figure it’s ok considering that it would technically be less traveled.

You can see the small Kusunugi-ishi stone outside the door.

I also played around with one of the printables.  I found a bunch of little lanterns and printed and glued one.  Pretty cute actually.  I’m hoping I can put a small LED light inside these around the house.

Little printable lantern.

Chapter 31 - Wooden Overhang to First Floor Room, Table, Vestibule Wainscotting

March 8 - 9th 2012

This was a small chapter.  The table was very straight forward and easy.  Painted it black and glossed it up to simulate a kind of lacquered look. 

Table on the left and the few pieces for this chapter.

The roof piece needed some painting and warped out a bit during that.  Some of the wood pieces are more sanded and exposed on one side than the other which causes warping as the paint dries.  Still, it’ll be somewhat internal so not so visible.

Finishing up the portico finally.  The two panels of wainscotting were easily attached and it is complete.  The actual roof portion will be attached much later when the actual first floor is attached. 

Slightly enlarged bambo pattern.

In the meantime, I did some searching and finally found my printable page.  This site has lots of useful stuff for all different scales.  I was using it for making Gianluca’s train set up and couldn’t locate it again.  I finally stumbled upon it last nite while looking for some kind of solution for the futon quilts I’m going to have to design.  Anyway, this site not only had printable quilt design (one in perfect green for the bamboo bedroom I’m going to do) but lots of really good tips.  One was for printing on transfers then ironing the transfer onto cotton then using that for simulating a quilt.  So, today I purchased some inkjet transfer paper and am going to give it a try! The quilt is half scale so I can make it a little bigger and that should do great for the futon quilt.  Now I won’t have to go on a search for actual kimono material (although I would have liked that too).