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.

3D Printing for the Whole House

My Dad gave me one of the most amazing gifts imaginable. A 3D printer! The first time I remember seeing a 3D printer, was in Jurassic Park 3. Remember that? They printed the resonance chamber of a velociraptor. Wasn't called a 3D printer back then though. Okay, nerdy moment over. The next time I saw a 3D printer, was when I worked for Target. They were donating one to the School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine. We did art with the kids there. They would draw a picture that would be scanned in, and then it would 3D print it for them to feel their creation. I loved seeing what they wanted to make! Fast forward to now. I have my own. Thankfully, it does not rely on my artistic skills. There is this great website where people have already done the CAD work or scans and created the file to input into the printer. Though I wish I had remembered my Dads training in using CAD... There have been things I wished I could create. Thingiverse.com has become one of my favorite places to browse through. I've even made gifts for family from it. 

When we first received it, we were printing little things. My husband made extensions to add to the printer. I printed various things for the girls' and I to use with our dolls. Since then, our collection of prints has just grown!

Since moving, I have been printing upgrades to this old house of ours. Starting with a different light switch cover in every room.

Yes, this switch flips like a mad scientist one and even makes a clicking noise while doing so. I have walked by my husband just in time to hear him switching it on while crying out, "We have light! Muhahaha" 

Painting is out of our budget right now. So these walls are getting just a temporary beautification until we have a little more funding to change the cosmetics. Ugly orange from the... what? 70's? Meet Star Wars!

I really can't wait to redo the kitchen. Especially the cabinets. *shudders* Why they thought orange was a cool color back in the day, I'll never understand. However, at the very least, my kitchen has been taken over by Star Wars. Salt and pepper shakers, oven mitt gloves, knife set - I have pulled out all my Star Wars aesthetics to really make it home in there. And this plate cover just adds icing to the cake for me.

And then my second love, Steampunk, is also being introduced. How could I not have some of that in our new home? Sadly, not all prints work as well as they are claimed to. This one is stuck in this position. Not functioning, despite my husbands efforts to adjust it. But it works out. This one controls a fan that is left on all the time to keep the kitchen cool. 

This one is still a work in progress as we have to adjust how to hang it better. For now, this was the engineers fix my husband came up with. There is nothing to attach it by except command strips. My husband is waiting for the day when he can use it to prank someone.

One by one, our light switch covers around the house are slowly being shifted from plain to nerdy! I have a Nintendo controller plate for the game room. The girls have a unicorn. Boys have a lovely Legend of Zelda plate. We even have a key ring hook for the first time ever in Zelda theme.

I've printed stands to hold my sons geode slices, and plan to print another one for a hand-painted plate that my husbands Great Grandpa gave me. 

This is just around the home. There are so many other amazing things you can 3D print. Like Christmas gifts! This year, Christmas is not going to be the same. One, we are in a town at least 6 hours from anyone we know. Two, we be broke. Let me rephrase, before I get frantic phone calls and my husband revokes my blogging rights - we have what we need to get by paycheck to paycheck. Not for extras. I really miss having that small cushion we had before the move. However, I'm glad to have the home of my dreams. So I'd say it is a fair switch off. But that means that unless I make the gift myself or find something super cheap for a person on our list, they are getting nothing more than a card this year. Which isn't so bad. I have plenty of filament in various colors. The trick has been finding something for each person. The second trick will be getting the gifts either mailed or delivered to them... I'm still working on a plan for that. 

There are so many ideas on there! I even found things that are customized to have unusual names on there. That is something you hardly find in stores. 

My son loves the Halo game ships. So I printed these and hung them from the ceiling for him. See that gas station set he has? For his birthday, we are giving him accessories to add to it. Including a car lift like they would have in the garage to lift the car and work under it. 

What do you think? Are you impressed where technology has gone? I know I am! I can't wait to see what other creations I can make.

Creating Lasting Memories Through Crafting

My daughters both love their 18" dolls. They have all kinds of dresses and accessories for them. And then my Mom sent some American Doll craft books. If you are new to reading my blog, then let me start by saying that I believe creativity is an important part of growing up. A child that learns to think and be creative while young, will be more successful later in life. Which is why I helped my daughter try out some of the crafts. And I must admit, we created some awesome accessories for the dolls. 

Our dolls love to read. To expand their minds and learn about everything. Best way to do this is to get books from the library. And when you check books out, they get stamped. Or at least used to... 

And then when the doll learns something she wants to remember, she needs her composition notebook. 

And then there are so many reasons to give gifts. So a wrapped box that opens and closes is perfect for re-gifting moments! 

But you know what is better than all that? She and I worked together to create the things she liked. All because she helped me with my steampunk designs earlier. Her interest was peaked. We did all this while creating memories. She was able to craft with me. That is the most important element for us. Creating memories and deep connections that I hope will last a lifetime. 

What do you do to connect with your kids? No matter the age. What is one thing you do special with them? Let me know in the comments below!

How I'm Creating My Perfect Steampunk Goggles

I don't have a lot of free time. Between the appointments and kids... I stay busy. But every so often, I take a moment for me. Which, right now, means that I am working on my next steampunk project. 

Goggles! 

What steampunk costume would be complete without them?! I've always been fascinated by them. In college, I had a buddy that always wore goggles. Not steampunk, but still cool ones. I envied him for strutting his style so freely. 

Now I'm finally doing the same. And I love it! A friend gave me these goggles. I painted them and used gears that my Mom had sent me a while back to add some flair.

I also took apart a pair of aviator glasses my Mom had sent. They were pretty twisted, so I'm giving them a new life. Used the glass lenses to add a greenish color tint to my goggles.

Loving the effect! 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - what my kids always tell me :) 

I decided each side should have its own unique design to it.

So I switched up the pattern of gears. My engineer husband has plans to help me attach movable parts to create this effect next time: 

So what do you think?

Next, I am going to attempt to make pouches that I can attach to my belt and wear with my corset top. I have multiple sizes of glass bottles to put in them. Hoping to complete it all before Halloween. Around that time, we are wanting to go to Free Comic Book Day for Halloween and maybe catch an event at a local collectible's shop next to our favorite photographer!

Getting Into the Steampunk Spirit

I've always known I was a nerd, but I didn't always know just how big a nerd I was. As I got older, I developed my tastes and interests a bit more. I branched out from Star Wars and Lord of the Rings and discovered other cool things. Cosplay and conventions and such. But my favorite being Steampunk. Where the past and future collide to create amazingly detailed designs. Victorian styled clothing with steam-driven gadgetry and plenty of gears! It is absolutely beautiful. Which is why I have decided to design and create not only a costume to cosplay in, but even a purse that I can wear around daily. I scoured the internet for ideas. Pinterest was a big help, of course. I found one pin that showed how a lady transformed a regular purse into a steampunked piece of art! Mine may not be so decorated, but it is my own work-in-progress. One that I hope to keep working on as I get the supplies.

"Everything begins with an idea." - Earl Nightingale

Step one is always to have the idea. My purse is not the first thing that I wanted to embellish for my cosplay. Originally, my husband and I wanted to give a couple Nerf guns a makeover. Which is still on the agenda. Just taking the back burner at the moment. We will also try to get some top hats to fit our characters. I've decided to go along the lines of time travel.  He's still deciding on his. Then there is the need of a bustled skirt.... Well, you get the picture. We have an idea in our head of what we want. So now for the next step.

With the vision in my head, I have started gathering pieces to bring it to life. My Mom has helped a lot. She shops at yard sales and thrift stores in St. Augustine. Plenty of older things that fit my needs there. 

Following the birth of an idea comes the path of design! 

 

Creating the designs has been the biggest reason it has taken me so long to get this much done with it. First of all, I'm not much of an artist. I hold the vision in my head, but can't seem to transfer it so easily to my hands. And then I am never truly satisfied it is done. But I look at it this way, as long as new pieces come my way, it can always be a work in progress!

I practiced with painting on paper first to make sure I was able to get the look I wanted, then I started painting the purse. Unless you have multiple purses and don't care about trashing some, I suggest you take this route too.

Then I practiced laying out the pieces I wanted on it to see where things fit best.

Not everything I originally wanted, had a proper place in my designs. No worries, I'm hanging on to them for future uses. I settled on a clock design, directional star (or compass star) and a key element.

For the most part, I love them all. The star came out a little shaky, but not too bad. As I get certain other materials, I plan to add to the purse. For now, however, it is ready to be shown off as is! 

And the fun has just begun! I am thinking that in what little free time I have, I might start working on other parts of our costumes. Not sure I'll be ready for Halloween, but eventually I'll be rocking it!

Are you a steampunk fan? I'd love to hear your ideas. Share them in the comments below!