Au revoir for a while...

You may have noticed a slump in my babble for a while - real life has intervened.  We have been back in the UK for December and have been caught up in my daughter's wedding and Christmas.  We leave here tomorrow to return to Naples (FL) until the end of March where we have two sets of visitors pretty much filling our time there.  I have, therefore put aside my hobby until I return to the UK at the beginning of April.  I had all kinds of plans to do stuff here and to sort out things to take back to America to make while I am there;  realistically I can see that it isn't likely to happen.

I will still be in the three groups I am in and have plans to go to Molly Cromwell's show in Sarasota and the mini flea market also held in Sarasota while we are away so they will turn up in my show blog (Dolls House Shows) when I've been.

Don't abandon me - I will be back in full flood, no doubt, in April.

Bases

I have been talking to various people about bases for kits and at the moment these are the three that are in play.

They all work in slightly different ways and look different.  If you are thinking about getting one, you will need to go to the vendor's site and read all the detailed information about them - this is just a pointer to them.  Start with what you want it to do for you and then decide which one does it best.

Price-wise it will be a case of where you are buying from and what the delivery cost is to you 

This all began for me because when I ordered my Petit Palais from Petite Properties  I also ordered the very nice base that goes with it.  I think it really finishes off the structures to get them off a (piece of furniture) surface a little way.  It also makes for a good way to hide the electricals.

1/48th Display Plinth Kit

£4.99

    

5.0 average, based on 1 reviews

Manufacturer: Petite Properties Ltd

Product Information

The Display Plinth has been designed for our Le Petit Palais kit but can also be used to further enhance many of our 1/48^th kits, or can be used for a multitude of display purposes.

This kit comes with a set of full colour, step by step instructions which teach you how to construct the plinth.

The Display Plinths Approx constructed dimensions

Width = 23 cm

Depth =  13.5 cm

Height = 2.8 cm 

I have pinched this from PP's site - hope it's OK to do that.  Obviously I don't have mine built to show you just yet.

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Also in the UK J. S Miniatures has just developed four stands and they come in a couple of sizes.  Two work with Jen's lighting kits and have an additional extension connector so they work with her micro plug and the other two bases will work with any other sort of kit you might want to use.  Jennifer will also be offering landscaping in small amounts to help you finish off the structures. 

Prices - £12.99 - £16.25

Again I stole the photo.

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In the States True2Scale is also making very nice stands with a drawer for your leccy bits.  I did share a photo of it yesterday with you but here it comes again finished and underneath their Bushel and a Peck kit.

This base kit is priced at £18.47

Again I stole the photo.

I will check with all the vendors that this is OK.

Lighting - True2Scale

When I was at the Philly show I stopped by True2Scale's stand - why would I not?

Carol, who has an amazing memory for stuff, remembered that I had been wittering to her at some point about needing longer wires for my lights and fires.  She had devised an elegant solution to the problem...... this is it:

simple connectors, no need to solder or wrap

just plug and go

I have filched Carol's description of the item from her site to explain how this works:  

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The perfect solution for extending the length of wires when lighting a project. These also provide the ability to easily disconnect the wires from a project when moving the project.

How the wired connectors work: the small pins on the male end of these wired connectors are pushed into the holes in the female connector. Then, the wires on each of the connector ends are twisted to the negative and positive wires (red to red, black to black) on the project. Shrink tubes are put over the twisted connections and are heated.

• 1 male and 1 female connector per set. The wires are attached.
• Set includes shrink tube connectors. No need for soldering!
• 8" long. The wires may be cut and stripped to any length.
• These may be used with 12V, 9V and 3V systems; including round wire systems, a 9V battery, and the 3V battery systems that we offer.

The wired connectors work well with our Base Kit for Lighted Structures. The wired connectors make it easy to extend the wires from the project into a battery holder and switch that is hidden in the drawer under the base. So, no need to plug anything into a wall outlet and it makes transporting the project easy!

These wired connectors are also great for connecting/disconnecting different systems. For example, if a wall adapter system is used to light a project at home, but a battery system will be used for traveling to a show, 2 sets of these connectors could be purchased. One end of the wired connector would connect to the wall adapter; the same end from the other set would connect to the battery holder; while the opposite end from one of the sets connects to the lights in the project. 

At just $1 or 64p per set how can you beat it? 

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I you are in the UK and want to shop from home Jennifer Smith has them too.  She also does small connector blocks if you want to join multiple wires rather than one to one.

Trying to improve Photos

You may want to click on each of the photos to enlarge them so you can see any differences.  If you look carefully at the clock face on each photo you will see how the clarity diminishes. 

There is something ironic about my inability to take decent mini photos.  I was married to a professional photographer for twenty-five years.  My photographic inability is a testament to my lack of interest in how anything works - cars, washing machines, you name it - I simply want them to do it without cluttering up my brain with how. (Kind of applies to people too!)

So here we go....

I am unhappy that my Canon A-1300 16 megapixel camera takes such good photographs.  To explain - they are too detailed for quarter scale items and show every little flaw.  I have been trying to find out how to improve them without getting bogged down in technicalities.

I understand that if you are a whiz with Photoshop or similar software this will never be a problem to you but again, being lazy, I don't want to tackle that either.

Incidentally Carole Kubrican of True2Scale has a great tutorial on her blog if you do want to travel that road:   http://blog.true2scale.com/p/photoshop-tutorial.html

After asking for advice on three groups I belong to the consensus seemed to be - step back from the object.

So here are three photos of the same objects in (sideways) daylight taken at the same time in three different ways.  There is a notation beneath as to what I did.

Close, no zoom

stand back, zoom in, crop

stand back, no zoom, crop

To deal with the first one last - for me that is just out of focus and too vague.  The second one isn't a big enough improvement over the first to put up with the lack of sharpness.  So it looks like I am still stuck with  'up close and personal'.

I am continuing to experiment.  

I adjusted my camera by changing the recording pixel setting but I am not convinced that taking it down to post card size quality made a lot of difference.

I then changed the compression ratio again down to the same post card size quality and yes, it made a slight improvement BUT so slight as to not make it worth chopping and changing settings on my camera each time I use it.

I am going to have a go at decreasing the resolution on the finished picture in Picasa which I suppose is the same as fiddling about with Photo Shop et al so I will let you know if that reaps results.

Footnote:
Just did the Picasa 'How to decrease resolution on Picasa' exercise and it does what it says on the tin.  It decreases the resolution on a sliding scale down to a workable minimum.  Guess what - Mrs Awkward doesn't like that either.  It all becomes so vague it just annoys me on a whole other level.

Quite seriously I have realised the problem lies with me - I want super sharp images of a perfect object; while the object remains imperfect there is no (simple) way to obtain sharp images which make it look perfect - it is an impossible ask.  I am resigned to all my 'manufacturing' flaws showing up and live in hope that it impels me to simply get better at it.

Sleigh, Sewing Machine - Two little sweeties

Oh, how I wish I knew how to photograph quarter scale in a flattering way.  I assure you that both of these have turned out just great.  They really look the part: not at all lumpy bumpy and scabby as seen in these photos.

This little sledge is a B J Miniatures kit (again).  I just have to chew and generally mess up the string to age it a bit and maybe dirty up the sledge a little.  It will then be hung on, or leaned against, the wall along with two pairs of skis.  I have seen some on someone's printies - if I could only remember who.....

A 'Sister' (not Brother!) sewing machine from Robin Betterley's Miniatures.  I think is it so clever how these designers decide what to leave in and what to leave out to give you a great representation of an every day object at 48th.  Like painting, cooking, writing (!) I suspect what you leave out is the important factor.  It is very easy to over-egg the pudding.

I really enjoyed this one as it offered new(ish) sets of challenges and several of them in one small package.  It may not look it here, but this is a little gem.  Four bits of wood, a piece of paper, a pin, some wire along with paint and glue and we have a sewing machine.

TV - B J Miniatures again

No particular reason for a-make-a-day for the last three days being B J Miniatures other than they must be incredibly useful.

I have a stack of kits, most of which I can't attack until I know where precisely I want to use them.  They might need a wood finish they may need painting and then, if upholstered, the upholstery fabric could be anything, depending on which project and which room and how decorated............

When I go home in ten days time (counting the hours) I intend to measure and photograph The Gate House and Les Roches and try to make lots of decisions so I can bring back notes and can crack on making stuff to fill the houses.  I won't have much time when we get back Jan 3rd as we have back to back visitors pretty much until we leave for the UK at the end of March but there will be time here and there.  The joy of most of these kits is that generally they don't take a lot of time to do.

So for now I have sorted out just a handful that are sort of generic wherever they are used - the infamous rocking chair, yesterday's coat hanger and today this lovely little gem:

man-size TV and stand

Just like my portable Jim, I think it is the bee's knees.  You even get a choice of programmes that you can stick on the screen which I have ready in case any of my little people end up watching TV.  Right now I have other plans for them.

I had fun with the no-hole silver beads.  B J kindly made holes for the handles/beads to sit in and provided gold ones.  I swapped to silver - the fun bit was trying to lob them into the holes - talk about pin ball alley.  Proud to say I only got four out of the pot and was able to return two.

Incidentally these came from the little mixed pot I bought from Ruth Stewart's table at the show.  Absolute bargain ($1.25 I think) and hundreds of all sorts of colours and sizes.  I would imagine they would do most things for quarter scalers without having to buy pots and pots of different colours.  That said I do have a few pots already back in the UK!  Don't do as I do, do as I say........  just because I am like a magpie for shiny things.****

**** scientifically studied this year and declared to be bunkum - I am nothing if not a source of useless information. 

Coat rack - Boo hoo

Boo hoo! There doesn't seem to be another rocking chair like the one I turned into a pile of crumbs.  I looked on Debbie Young's site and B J Miniatures and nada.

I did go on to make a pair of coat stands from B J Miniatures in (probably) the very same wood as the chair and they are OK.  They are very fine so need to be treated with respect.  I did not stain these pieces nor attempt to buff them up in any way.  I still managed to break off one of the hooks trying to remove some excess glue.

Hope you can get some idea of how delicate these pieces are.

Tah dah!

My gent is about six feet tall aka 1.5 inches.

So sad

Those of you who do these things will understand when I use the big words 'heart breaking' to describe this evening's 'work'.

These nine pieces should be only five.

This was the loveliest rocking chair with a rush seat.  It is a kit made by B J Miniatures but I think I bought it from Debbie Young's table.  I stained it last night, left to dry thoroughly overnight and came to assemble it this evening.  It simply fell apart with each handling.  Now I know the material (wood) is very, very fine but I think the issue is something more than just that.  It would 't take the slightest pressure, so gluing and straightening up the angles was just impossible.  It even felt sort of soft in my fingers when I was handling it.  I wonder if it was the stain that affected it?  I used one of my Min-Wax pens.  If so I have no way of knowing when that may or may not happen with something else .....

I tried to mend the first couple of breaks a few times but that made additional breaks and eventually I had to admit defeat.

Footnote some days later:  After lots of help and tips from three mini groups I am pretty sure it was all down to me.  Basically I soaked it in stain and assumed it would dry overnight and now I suspect it hadn't - hence it sort of funny feel and weakness.  I am a chump.  A good tip for staining was to put on the minimum and blot off excess and give it as long as you can to dry thoroughly.  Common sense really when the pieces are so fine.

Experimenting with my iPad

II have known for ages that I should be able to blog from my iPad but have never seen the need until I was away last week and had time here and there when I could have 'done something useful'.  So this is my first attempt to blog away on my lap instead of at my desk to see if I can do it.

I just made a sweet little clock from Petworth Miniatures...... Now, there we go, how in heaven's name do I link the name to its web address?  Can't be done.... 

Onwards.....  Try inserting photo....

Well that seemed to work from here no idea how it will turn out in the blog and I don't seem to be able to resize it or add a caption or get it to sit in the middle.

Back to the clock...

I did a couple of things wrong with this little gem so if you want to make one listen and learn!  

Handle gently.  I broke the legs on one side trying to squeeze everything together when it was gluing.

Obey the maker.  I keep telling you this but I don't heed my own advice.  In her instructions Gayle suggested it could be painted and then gilded.  I decided it would be utterly impossible to just gild all those incredibly tiny details so I just went with 'painting' it gold with my lovely pen.

You will note it is impossible to get the pen in all the nooks and crannies so it would have been easy to paint and gild.

Never mind, unpainted and half crippled it is still a sweetie.

Cross my fingers as I hit Publish.

PS   Think I would have to be pretty desperate to Blog from an iPad and if I can't add links it is a definite no-no.  Is any one out there doing it this way?  Why am I not loving it?

Finding Findings

I find it really hard to track down bits and pieces to make accessories with as I am not out at the craft shops on a regular basis.  Also, if you do find the one you want, you have to buy how ever many there are in the packet.  When I was at Philly I discovered a fantastic source for findings.  They are called Jar-Jaf Miniatures and have just been acquired by Judy Oak (Acorns by Oak).  

At the show they had great displays of their items beautifully laid out on revolving boards so you can find just the one you want, note the ref number and buy the required amount.  Clearly this isn't the cheapest way to acquire one piece if you are lucky enough to have a hundred friends you can share with but, if like me, you work pretty much in isolation it is still cheaper to pay 95 cents (or whatever) for a piece rather than three, four or more dollars for many of them and never use them.   

This is a link to their catalogue where the items are printed life size, so you can measure any that interest you and figure out if it will do what you want.  It does satisfy all scales.  This is high on my keeper list:  Jar-Jaf's catalogue

click to enlarge

I was told after publishing this in an on-line group that mailing costs and possible import duties make things very expensive to buy from the States but I was reminded we do have Tee Pee Crafts who do some lovely stuff.

Bought at the Philly Show

If you want to see the things I bought at the Philly show for Les Roches and The Gatehouse, click here Dolls House Shows

Philadelphia Show

My comments on the Philly show and a link to the photo album are in my Dolls House Show Blog.

Photos

Here's a link to a few general dolls  house related references, so you have something to look at while you are waiting for the proper blogs from my Philly trip.

Photo References

Agecroft Hall is a 1600s house moved from Agecroft in Lancashire (five miles from where I live!!) to Richmond Virginia with (as the English would say) more money than sense and reassembled as a centrally heated electrified (contemporary) home.  I have mixed feelings - nice to see how much has been saved but it sort of begs the question, when it is redesigned and reset this way, as to why?  Hey Ho!

There is a Sears and Roebuck bungalow aka The Avalon which I am still slathering after and a reminder that if I am ever stuck for references for an American Victorian house I need go no further than Google 'houses Cape May images'.

There are some visual notes for ideas I have stewing such as buying several of the same building and making a row of houses with very different inhabitants in each.

Enjoy.

Felt tip pens

As I have been boning on about the gold leaf pen I thought I might share the sum total of my 'painting' pens with you - this is all I have - no colours or anything fancy.

seven in total

As you can see I did a sample of each of the Min-wax wood finish pens on coffee stirrers.  I need to get a few more for the other pens: meanwhile they are on a piece of scrap wood.  These are just a quick reference when deciding what to use for what.  Their colours will change from material to material but this is a rough reminder of how they look.  In addition I satin varnished half of each of the wood ones so I could see the difference that would make.

new gold v. old gold

Sorry this is so out of focus but it will do well enough to show you the difference between the gold leaf pen (left edge) and the gold pen I was using before.  Incidentally there is a down side to the gold leaf pen it has a rather chunky nib for our purposes;  don't despair, if you pump it a few times to get it wet you can pick up the gold from it with a fine paintbrush and go from there if you want to do any detailing.  Your brush will need to be cleaned with spirits though as I discovered too late to save my sweet little brush.  

You will now get a week's respite from me as I am off to the (four day!) Philadelphia show tomorrow and then a bit of a road trip down the coast to end up flying back out of Richmond, Virginia.  What japes, Pip!

Karin Corbin - my hero

The hugest of thanks to Karin Corbin - she solved the problem of the missing photos - this blog now has all the stuff it has been missing for months now.

Virtual bouquets being sent to Karin (I will always be grateful but remain cheap!)

Lighting - Evan update

Just an update from Evan Designs about the lighting.  Don't forget if I can help just ask.  Haven't done much lighting yet in this scale but think I have it sussed thanks to Evan Designs who decidedly went above and beyond.......

So you need an adapter with a switch, it is there now....

http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/3-volt-adapter.html

And red and black wire are here

http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/kynarwire.html

I also ordered in some "quick change up" units, for those who see the need to swap between adapter and battery.  Like when you want to show off your beautiful creation, say at a club meeting or show and a wall plug is not handy.  I go over that on this page

http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/pin-connectors.html (scroll down for the pictures) but to make it easier, I am having some AA holders made with a pin connector female already part of them.  And some power jacks also with pin connector female.  Then, if you hook the leads coming from the various floors to a male pin connector,  you can quickly plug or unplug from either supply.

I ordered them today so they are likely coming in about 10 days. 

PS:  If you are in the UK and want to shop nearer home - this is your lady:

Jennifer Smith's small scale lights


Get out all the lights you can - it is Hallowe'en!

Ott light

I told you about buying the Ott light and said I would get back to you; well here I am.

This photograph is taken around mid-afternoon in my dining area of the condo.  As you can see it does look pretty dark in the room around the lamp.  Our apartment is long and thin and so it is well lit at each end; anything in the middle is always a bit 'shady'.  That said working with good daylight in my room in the UK is still less than great on a dull day or past the peak hours.  This Ott lamp fills those spots.

To explain why it is better than an ordinary lamp takes more little grey cells than I possess.  I am told it is a full spectrum light which acts as daylight and that will do for me.  Does it work any better than any other table lamp - certainly does!

It gives a very clear crisp light without 'hurting' your eyes and the colours and the definition of a piece show up really well and accurately.  I am very, very impressed.

For anyone who wants to consider it and has a Jo-Ann's near them, when I bought this they had a ton of different sorts.  This was midprice at $50 but had 50% off!  I considered a lovely (less expensive) little one which folded neatly and even had a carrying strap so you could take it to clubs and workshops (?).  As I don't really do that it made more sense to get one more suited for lighting a larger area.

When I get back to the UK I am going to take a look for full spectrum light bulbs for the main centre light in my room - seems the easiest solution if they exist - with fittings for a normal ceiling rose.

B J Miniatures

B J Miniatures describes itself as Quarter Scale Specialists, that in itself makes it a joy to shop at if this is the scale you are working in.  Additionally it has a lot of decorative items and small accessories I am not seeing elsewhere.  I am sure I am not alone in struggling for ideas of how to make things to fill my cupboards, shelves, mantelpieces etc.  These details are also dependent on your being able to get to a really good craft or bead store etc and spend inordinate hours trawling them in hopes of seeing something you can convert to 48th usefulness.  This requires the premises, your time and a ton of imagination.  If this isn't a challenge you enjoy (many do) take a look around B J Miniatures; there are lots of bits and bobs to help you complete your project.  Here are just eight:

Click on any picture to enlarge

You can't see it here but these are in two beautiful colours - rich brown/red on the left and deep green on the right.

These look wobbly because of the tack holding them in place.  They are lovely.

So finely cut and smooth and comes in a choice of three colours

I hope you gather that the item used in the photo to give you a sense of scale is a toothpick and that you also understand I am not skilled in photographing such tiny things.  Every single one is just beautiful in real life.

I commend B J Miniatures to you wholeheartedly.  I have made a note in my diary to order from them again in January to be sure I have them before I leave at the end of March.  there are things here I want to repeat for future use and there is still other stuff on the site that I liked but I wanted to see the quality before committing any more dollars.

B J Miniatures

B J Miniatures had some very nice pieces of furniture and unusual ways of going about constructing them.  You'll get to see that when I put them together, for now just enjoy the shopping.

I have the hump back sofa and two matching chairs.  These look easy to make as there isn't a lot of construction.  The main part of the kit is resin (?) you then cut out and stick on the fabric to get the finished look.  What I especially liked is that the trims are wood not plastic and I love the little feet.

Having seen those I then fell in love with the lyre table set which really seem to go with the seating.  They are really finely cut from a good quality wood.  I have no idea where these will go but I had to have them.

I liked the holiday storage cabinet as much for the papers as for the furniture, indeed I ordered it saying I didn't want it if the paper wasn't included.  Joy of joys, I got two little Christmas parcels and the wrapping paper as well as the piece.  I think this one is a bargain and perfect for this project as Elizabeth is 'discovered' wrapping Christmas presents.

This is definitely one of those: 'this is three times better than this photo' moments.  It is finely made, nice colour, smooth as silk, nothing for me to do and all for $5

The inhabitants of this project are trying to collect Ats and Crafts stuff so these sort of look the part and will be finished as pieces of furniture rather than 'kitchen' cupboards and stand either side of the fireplace.  You get three little stained glass pieces in the kit, so you can choose the finish you want.  It also means that if, like me, you wanted a pair you can make them match.  They would also be perfect for either side of an Aga if you were making that sort of range surround.  Being tall and narrow the cupboard is ideal for all sorts of places - you could replace the glass with a mirror and put it in a bathroom, nice too in a hallway.

This is another difficult one to decide on where to place it.  I am finding this a bit of a problem in quarter scale; it means I don't know how to finish it until I know where it is going and I don't know where it is going until I have a gazillion things to choose from and preferably can see them all made up and in place.  I am happier pretty much finishing most things before assembling which sort of scuppers this way of doing it.  This, for example, has a mirror - who would want to paint or stain around a mirror?  I can finish in soft cream for the French house or stained wood for this one?

The pieces in this kit are much daintier in real life than the photo suggests and you get two stands for $5.

Lastly something modern and needs to go in both my projects (so I bought two) - a very nicely made TV and a console you can fiddle around with to your heart's content to make it yours.  

Come back tomorrow for the third and final instalment of Treasures from B J Miniatures.  They are all decorative pieces.

B J Miniatures

This is the last of the orders I placed in the UK for delivery here in Naples.  I have been really pleased with every single item I have received from the various vendors but I confess to this one really feeling like Christmas.

I had a little box just stuffed with tiny goodies of all kinds.

I know nothing about B J Miniatures and I suspect those of you who have been in this game for years will sigh deeply and wonder how I had never heard of them.  It is a burden not having a wealth of information at your fingertips but a delight when you discover things for the first time so allow me to enjoy the moment.

Their website does say your order may take up to six weeks so they are not a source for the need-it-now item. That said if there is no rush it was a nice straightforward order/delivery.

I found them because I was scouting around for a fridge that looked like a Smeg (a fifties American would do) to finish the kitchen here in The Gatehouse and they had a three piece set which would do the job.  The fridge for here and if I double up Les Roches the other two pieces will go in the apartment kitchen.  Of course you have to have a look round a site before you leave it and I ended up with twenty-three items and therefore the most expensive tab of all my orders. This is the sort of amount of stuff I would buy at a two day show if I was lucky enough to find them.  How great to find them all in one place.

As I have done before, I'll slice the sharing into three days as I am sure you don't want to see twenty-three things in one go.... just in case you do .... this is what that looks like:

All present and correct

Today's group is kitcheny stuff, starting with the fridge that kicked off this order:

Details such as taps, handles, cooker rings are actual add-ons not just painted.

I need to collect loads of dishes as I go along; almost every project will need something.  Their price was as good as any.  

I chose Fiestaware for the mugs - so I have every day dishes

I already have these from the Lapin Sauté pack but I am sure they will all get used some time

No idea when I will have a character that will need all these

Again, the always useful pots and pans - love the kettle.

These are terrific when painted (or penned!)

You can never have enough of these to fill your shelves and glass cabinets:

Can I get you some tea, Vicar?

They are also going to prove much easier than the last time I did them (see Gate House kitchen) now I have a sprue cutter.

I promise more interesting stuff tomorrow now these are out of the way.  Seeing them might be useful for newbies like me though because they may not have seen them before.