Creating and Finding Miniatures for Beginners!

I have recently joined a miniatures group on Facebook. People all around the world collect tiny things. From making diorama scenes to drawings on rice - you would be amazed how far down the rabbit hole people have gone with 'little' collections. Even in my own journey, I started with making accessories for my daughters' 18" dolls. Which then moved to making things for the Barbies. I had to focus and make only things which we are likely to use. You can get crazy lost in all the possibilities. Ideas were over-abundant! Pinterest has become a source of inspiration for me. I've even created a board if you are looking for ideas and how-to's. I have been trying to get it organized into categories too. Then I started making things for my little sister too. And then there is the 3D printer... You get the picture, right?

So where am I currently? 

Well, after joining this group, I have come to read a question posed by newbies quite often. "How do I get started?" It can feel overwhelming. You might have an idea of something you want to create, but no idea where to even start! What materials do you use, how to find the pieces to finish your creation. It got me thinking. How do I find things? Where do I find them? I thought that it might be useful if I share a few of my finds/creations so that you might be inspired in your own journey. 

Everywhere I look...

Once you start thinking of making your own little things, whether for a diorama or for dolls, you will start to notice your mind shifting in how it sees things. And not just you - my husband now sees things in the potential for my Barbie scenes! You would be surprised how often he sees something of potential before I do. 

A lid to a bottle is not lid, but a cake waiting to be made. Or a planter pot. Depending on the size, it is also good as a cooking pot! The possibilities just grow. 

Places to look can be in the recycle items. They can be pre-made items. My favorite places to look are at sales. Yard sales, estate sales, thrift stores and even at antique malls. At an estate sale, I have found Oriental rug mousepads that are the perfect size for Barbie doll rugs. And they have the grips on the under side so they hold in place without tape or sticky dots. I can arrange them or leave them as needed without hassle. They look so realistic too! I was fortunate to find 2 of them. I have also found a chair that gives a regal touch to my doll scenes. You can see it on the left side of this photo.

Made from dark stained wood and a velvet on the cushions. In this photo, it was her office chair. However, it has even been a throne for our Skelly (something that seems to be on a more permanent basis these days).

I have seen others use pin cushions as chairs. They come in those shapes after all. My mom found a rocking chair that my girls love to use for their Barbies. It was made to hold spools of threads. At another estate sale, I found a clock that is small and looks doll sized. Perfect mantel clock! 

Craft stores like Michael's and Jo-Ann Fabrics even have little things. I prefer Hobby Lobby, personally. They have sales and cheaper prices. But so many cute things back where they have the dollhouse items. Dollar Tree has cheap Barbie items. They look cheap, but are easy to decorate and change up to look more stylish. 

Then you can make things!

Books are easier to print, but I do struggle with getting them made. There are a variety of styles and techniques to use. My Pinterest list has a few of them on there.

The thicker books were fun and give real titles to my dolls' bookshelves. I have made some for my little sister and daughters too. I have even been able to make doll-sized bookmarks.

My Little Pony ones were my youngest daughters favorite. Barbie ones were a cute twist. 

This drill was made from a plug. Headphones maybe? I just snipped it off and added a drop of hot glue to the cut end. You can do something similar with earbuds that have broken to make a hair dryer.

Not everything has to be made! 

As with the rugs and the chair, some things just look about right. For instance, my husband picked up this monocular at another estate sale. He loves using it! But one day, he was fiddling with it and setting it on the little tripod that came with it. All the sudden he turns to me and says, "This looks like a Barbie telescope."

We both laughed! I have him seeing Barbie stuff in everyday items we have. Works for me. Helps me with my hobby. So pay attention! You never know what might look useful as something else in a tiny world.

Store finds

Dollar Tree has a lot of great finds. I have found 2 bloggers that can show you how to use Dollar Tree items to make things. They typically use them for Barbie rooms, but you can scale it to your own needs or get inspired from their makes for your own creations. 

Something that costs more, are Zuru Mini Brands. They can be a lot of fun if you don't mind multiples, can afford them, and love being surprised!

If Barbie is what you are looking for - these things were at our local store.

From pencil holders that work as trash bins and recycle bins, to contact paper that you can use for flooring or wallpaper.

They also had some rub-on transfers in a wood grain pattern to use on smaller projects. I'm not sure yet on how well these will stick to various surface materials, but looking forward to trying it nonetheless.

I had previously found these tile stickers too. I've seen where the smallest ones can be used to make little coasters. Or you can use them to add a raised design to a piece of furniture that you paint over. I plan to add them to the decor as I create new rooms. 

Speaking of rooms, my first one is this old entertainment center that my husband had. During our recent move, it suffered some damage. It was pretty old after all. So we bought a different center for game room and I decided to give new life to this one. Stacked on top of another shelf unit we didn't need for the game room, I also gave myself some storage.       

Bloggers that have great inspirations!

Brunbelle Barbie is a great one to check out. This post is where you can get started. 

My Froggy Stuff not only offers you ideas, but walks you through the steps. She does various doll sizes too. AND she has free printables! From the things she shows in her pictures to patterns for clothes and accessories you can make. 

Poppy Seed Mini has a great number of video tutorials that are on YouTube. She is really good at using Dollar Tree finds too. 

Pixie Dust Dolls has some printables and instructions on making some cool things. I haven't finished exploring it just yet, but I hit up the printables already. 

3D printing options too!

My dad gifted us a 3D printer. I have used it like crazy until recently. My husband has to fix the nozzle that seems to be having issues. But before that started, I was printing things to put in the dollhouses as well as to give as gifts. 

Sometimes, there are pieces called supports that look useful. You just need a creative set of eyes to give you ideas.

           I had 2 such pieces that came from printing laundry baskets.

I posted to the Miniatures group to get some ideas. Talk about a flood of comments! People on there had all sorts of suggestions. In the end, I made this toy basket for my daughters baby room in their dollhouse.

I still have plans to make a cooler from the white one. Just been a bit busy to get these projects finished.

The joy I have in my mini me

I've come to find that toy photography and mini things are becoming quite popular. One of my friends has been doing it for a while now. He now sells his photos of his toy photography in amazing ways. From prints to holographics to acrylics! I have an awesome Mikasa from Attack on Titan that he did. All because he got an idea and started snapping pictures. Of TOYS!

For me personally, it is living out my dream world through my dolls. Sounds pretty lame for an adult, huh? But when I was little, I loved The Borrowers, Indian in the Cupboard - basically anything that involved little perspectives. Imagine! What if you were tiny? What might a stick pin be used for? What adventure a life would be if you were the little person living in the walls and under floors in your home? It was exciting to me. And now as an adult? Yep. Excitement still exists. Besides, this hobby started when we were in lock downs. When we realized I could not take the kids out on my own and my husbands schedule kept us home more often than not. It gave me something to do in free time. I couldn't afford to buy the girls all the little accessories, so I made them. My daughter wanted realistic things for their dolls, so I got creative and gave their stuff makeovers. Then I took it further! I practiced my photo taking skills. 

I haven't regretted it. I found something that brings joy to me and my little girls. The best part being that we can bond over it. I'm the mom that lets them bring a toy or doll along when we run errands - AND I bring one too. We see something cool and I snap pictures. It can be so much fun!

Later on, I plan to make a double doll bed. After all, sometimes dolls like their better half to share the sleeping spaces. If you liked this post, let me know! Leave me a comment and I'll start sharing more of my builds/creations.