Mayberry Miniature Coffee Shop Building

I've been given 2 more 1/24 scale buildings to put together. At first, my daughter wanted to help. But then it became all my own project. At least for the first building, which is an over-crowded coffee shop. Check out the progress and completed project! 

This was a miniature kit bought at Hobby Lobby. It is the DIY Dollhouse Miniature Coffee House set from Mayberry Street. This particular one was clearanced, so you might not find it on the shelf at your local store anymore. However, I found the exact same one on Temu. Actually, there was more than one listing for it. Not having a Temu experience, I'm not sure if they list multiple times when one is on a temporary sale maybe? So HERE is the other listing I saw.

I'm not usually a huge fan of sets with such tiny proportions, but they can have some fun aspects to them. And of course, my daughter likes having them displayed on a shelf in her room. It is starting to look like a mini city scene in there. 

The Mayberry kits are unique and beautiful if you like miniatures. However, they are also difficult to put together. Not just for the tiny features, though that certainly plays a roll. They are also difficult because of the instructions. Which are in picture form. Pictures with the item numbers near to show you what piece is where. Each kit comes with paper items that have to be cut and shaped into the details for the building. They have scissors included to help you. There are the glues for paper and for the plastics, a ruler, maybe an exacto knife, the solid wood pieces and usually some beads. There is a page with all the included parts and an instruction manual that is supposed to walk you through step-by-step.

My husband had to help me with some of the more confusing pieces. He likes to make jokes while we work. Like here, when pretending to use some of the pieces like chopsticks! 

I had to do this construction in segments. Some of the walls needed to fully dry so they wouldn't move around while I was adding other things. I think this also works to slow your pace and prolong your crafting time.

This kit grew on me as I progressed through it. Though I think some of it was too 'busy' and knew that if I kept it for myself, I was going to have to give it a twist to save my own sanity.

This little pastry cabinet was adorable. While I was putting together the main shelves, my husband helped me put together the donuts that went in it. I ended up gluing it into its corner to prevent it from falling out during movement.

Helpful hint: Don't be afraid to start several pieces and let the glue dry while doing other things. As Mom, I have plenty of other tasks to work on while this process is happening in the background.

My daughter asked me not to glue everything as I was working through it. She said she wanted to be able to move things and play with it. Here is where I must note that this is NOT meant to be played with. It is something to put together and then put on a shelf. Like a collectible that you build yourself. But when you have kids, they want everything to be a toy that can be enjoyed beyond visually.

There were times I was afraid I would have to hold a piece in place while the glue dried. But my husband would come by with this neat idea that never occurred to me. Voila! Hands free, time free. I love his engineering mind.

I was quite happy to have finally gotten the second floor in place. This one I did have to hold for a few minutes to let the glue set enough. I suppose I could have laid it on its back to set better, but I had a bunch of stuff that I had no where to put... so... yeah. The doors were awkward. I get that they are supposed to be the fold open kind, but attaching them took some finesse.

Now, we can see the final details. I decided that I would build the last piece of furniture and install the sign. My husband hung the lights. But any more plants or paper details will fall on my daughter to decide if she wants them or not. And if she does, she has to make them herself. 

And the finished project is...

Well, here we are! What do you think? Is this the kind of coffee shop you want to stop in and grab a cup from? Maybe even take your friend with you?

Well, I'll soon begin the next one. It has more rooms! I'll let you know how it goes.

Miniature Room Building for the Inexperienced

My mom sent me 2 miniature room sets. My younger sister has been doing them, and mom thought my daughter and I would enjoy trying them out too. They were quite the experience!

1:24 scale is harder than I figured...

I typically do 18" doll scale or 1:6 scale (Barbie size). Since that is what my daughters would most often play with. Anything smaller than that just seemed like work for nothing. However, these rooms were pretty interesting. And gave me some ideas. 

I helped my daughter do her set first. She was so excited to get to work on it. It was the Positively Pink house from Hobby Lobby. There is a tiny kitchen, living room, and stairs going up to the bathroom and bedroom. So many tiny details to make it as realistic as can be.

I have to admit that I didn't enjoy putting it together as much as I had hoped. For one thing, I can't do projects like this with my 10 year old daughter. I'm too much of a perfectionist. So when she hacks up the cutouts, I am left with the gluing job and a headache. She was also a little too gung-ho on the hanging chair. Which as I started putting it together, the stand snapped. Took some fine tuning to get it fixed. Then she decided to hang the chair to the stand herself, and that is why it is a wired mess. But in the end, she was in love with it. And I suppose that is all that really matters, right? 

I really did not like the paper items. Tiny milk cartons and plates that had to be delicately folded into shape. I have decided that origami isn't my specialty. The tweezers that were included were not helpful for these tasks as they didn't even align correctly. She immediately gave up on doing these pieces and wanted me to. After the first one, I told her it was her kit. (Yes, Mama gave up too!) So she pulled out the tape.

If you look on the table and counter in the above photo, there are 2 milk cartons. Those are not the paper ones that came with the set. I had 3D printed something and those two were little support pieces. I painted them to look like milk cartons instead. 

I got to see more ingenuity from my husband when it came to putting the last piece on the piano though! I couldn't get the lid to glue on correctly. So he did it for me.

Now for my set! 

Then I finally started working on mine. It was a single room. I knew right from the start that it needed a makeover. I decided to make the tiny furniture for my daughter to use in her set instead. My room was going to be a Steampunk theme. Even better was that I thought I'd give it a science lab twist. 

I swapped out the photo with one of my own choice. I chose to save the photo for a future add to my daughters dollhouses. I printed a scaled picture and painted the frame a golden color. Turns out, this one I chose was swapped yet again with a Victorian couple to make it more authentic to Steampunk.

I had thought to keep the original flooring and walls. They were too light, however, so I went back and changed them. 

I really like the guitar, but decided it couldn't stay. It doesn't really suit the Steampunk look. Maybe if it were a violin...

Getting started was harder than I thought. There are so many styles, so many options. I had thought to just start with a desk and work from there. However, I ended up asking for tips from those on the miniatures group and Steampunk group on Facebook. And they sure delivered! Some things I would suggest to those wanting to do something similar: 

Before you start anything, have a true plan. Design it. Maybe even on paper. Get tips from others if that is your thing. Write down your ideas. But don't start throwing things in until you are 100% sure. And definitely DON'T glue anything unless you are completely sure. Save yourself from my own mistakes. 

Know your style. One person noticed I had a doll already. So they suggested that I know their hobbies or occupation to design the room. Make it functional by adding a story to it. I loved this! My chick is an explorer. Your everyday kind that may find herself in trouble more than once. Yep. Much like I would be if I was more outgoing! hahaha Anyways... So now I know that she needs certain things included in this room to make it more like my own style. Binoculars? Check! Globe? Check! But what else does one need? 

I had thought that before I could do anything, I needed to design the focal point of the room. For me, that was the desk. You can't do anything until you know what the main piece is.I had created one, but had to take it out later and redo the walls.

I started with printed paper, some small pieces of wood, and cube wood that I had been sent from my mom. She got them at the Dollar Tree in their craft section.

My husband helped me come up with the perfect design to have a corner desk set up. The doll is the size reference I decided to go with. With the printed paper, I covered the two desktop pieces. I glued the cubes together to make the legs. With the style I decided on, I was thinking I'd only need 3 legs. I attempted to use some deco putty that my daughter had from a craft set.

In hindsight, I didn't need to. Having the cracks where the cubes met would have been just fine. But whatever, right? I painted the legs brown, glued them to the covered pieces in the areas I needed them and flipped everything into place.This desk is nothing like a true Steampunk one, though. It should have been more like a Victorian one. More curves and class. I couldn't find things around my crafting supplies to make it more like that. Maybe later down the road.

I hung my custom picture and used a clock sticker from a Victorian styled sticker book my mom had sent me. Here's another thing I forgot to do... there was a great sticker of an Oriental rug in that book. However, I was supposed to put that down first, before the desk! So, note for the wise. Make sure you have everything planned out. Including stickers! Maybe even draw a rough sketch of where you want everything to go. Yes, I'm repeating this because it is VERY important for you to remember.

That entertainment center got a little gold paint in the front, but otherwise was just fine. Okay, wait... I added gears later on. After all, nothing says Steampunk like lots of gears and cogs! I hung it high as a storage cabinet. The little globe is actually a charm that my mom found at a craft store. It even spins like a real globe! I glued it down on the corner of the desk. Up in the shelf, there is a pair of binoculars that had come with the globe. What Steampunk fan doesn't include exploration into their lives?? And that time piece on the floor? I had originally glued that onto the wall as an art piece next to the clock, but then someone suggested that I turn it into a artistic table! So I did just that! 

So this is where I got stuck. I asked on groups on Facebook for some ideas. I could see so many possibilities in my head, but nothing was coming out how I wanted. The 'rug' was from the original set. I had forgotten to lay down the Oriental one from the sticker book BEFORE securing in the desk. Always try the look out before you glue anything down. Now, I'm looking to print out another one to glue in. The teacup was given a golden paint job before I glued it down. The plant, glass top table, guitar and the Transformers headpiece are likely going to be put into another project. I'm attempting to add a Telsa-style device too. The doll has begun transformation through a makeover by painting her golden locks a more brown-colored sheen. Then I have to make her torso into a corset top. 

Reverse! Back it up! 

Yep, I redid so much of what I had originally thought. This is what happens when you don't thoroughly plan through your process. Or have enough creativity to just do it as you go...

Let's call this Take Two. I added dark wood floors. Then brick walls. See my photo on the wall? Aren't they so cute?! Those pipes on the walls? Made from a drinking straw. Sanded it a little to make it rough, painted it, added hot glue drops and painted them to be rivets, and finally a gear that looks like that turnable pressure gauge thing. Nope, can't remember what they are called and really don't care. You get what I mean! The grate above the pipes? That was a support part from a 3D print job I had done. I saved it because it looked useful. Turned out it was! Just a little paint made it the perfect addition. Under the cabinet, I attached a tiny hook to hand this old Chinese coin piece I had.

I printed the photo and painted the window frame to give my explorer a look into her Steampunk town. Of course it had to have a flying machine!

The tiny jar on the shelf holds a tiny crystal that she found during her travels. The dragon tile on the same shelf was a mahjong game tile that we found on a shelf in our new home. I gave it an aged paint job and thought it was perfect in this set up. The seashell is painted a brassy color and reminds me of a unicorn horn. I just need to touch up the paint job. I had the idea to paint it after I glued it the shelf. See the little LEGO guy on the desk? He is a golden statue she found. Her skirt is made from the tip of a glove finger. She has blueprints to her latest build - her own flying machine! On the floor is a random part she is saving to add to her build. Came from our 3D printer when we replaced it with a new one. 

I also printed tiny Victorian styled papers for her to read the latest news and updates on scientific studies!

It was suggested that she needed a world map, so I gave her one with a frame for reference. And another piping system underneath. The shelf is held up with gear-shaped brackets.

And for the finish she needed a rug on the floor to help keep out the cold. Like a dork, I printed one instead of adding the sticker one. Ah well. Next time right?? I actually loved this. And while trying to build it, I had ideas for others that would be cool to make. Like a Wonder Woman or Star Wars themed room? Or even a mermaids secret grotto. But that will be a long while down the road. For now, this beauty adorns a shelf in our game room for me to enjoy.

I took an orange juice bottle lid and gave it a paint job. It had the right shape like a gear. I added that time piece from the wall and it looks like a fabulous table! My husband then suggested I add the round, clear bubble piece. Looks like a device or a tunnel to somewhere. 

There is one final thing that I just had to have for this build. After all, what Steampunk explorer doesn't have a hat?! I decided she couldn't go without one. And thus, I present to you, her magnificent top hat! Okay, I admit it isn't as spectacular as I had hoped. But for my first try, I'm not too disappointed.

What I enjoyed about these

I love miniature, or mini, things. I have them all over the place. My favorite collection has been the Minecraft figures. But has spread to other things. I like anything I can pair up in my doll photos. These house and room dioramas may be too small for Barbie, but they were the perfect size for her smaller companions - like her dolls. Which is what my daughter wanted her house to be used for.

Everything was included that you would need to complete them. Maybe not the most efficiently or neatly, but they did provide each part. 

The best part was that tools were included in hers. Great crafting scissors, a ruler and the screwdriver. Those were the most useful. The tweezers were okay for holding things in place or for placing the tiny items in their rooms. That was about it. Eventually I may have to invest in real crafting tweezers. 

Everything was pre-designed. Instructions were included, although they were not the easiest to understand. They were in pictures. But when items were white with a white background, it was hard to tell if I was lining it up correctly. 

There were some pretty cool accessories. Things you'd expect to see in a modern home. The tiny baskets and books were fun to build. A good bit of these are going to the girls to add to their little house. 

This is everything mostly put together as the set came. I didn't hang the photo or leaf art. Or the window. And the plant on the far right side of the photo is actually one of my own design using green paper, wire twine, a pink lid from an old spray bottle and some of the planter material that was extra from the set.

My daughter wanted more plants in their dollhouse. I decided to go ahead and make the TV too for the girls. My Steampunk room wouldn't be needing it.

What do you think? What would you do with a set like this?? Love to hear in the comments below!

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.