Monday, January 3, 2011

Miniature Monday - Sabine's Cafe

Hi Everyone!
On Monday’s, I will be posting pictures from my miniature collection.


Today's project was a special one for me.  It's a French Cafe in 1/12th scale named, "Sabine", in honor of my darling older sister.  Once completed, I donated "Sabine's Cafe" to the National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts for their National Fundraiser.


I made the box to fit an 11 X 14 picture frame that would keep the dust out.  It is electrified so that the inside and outside are illuminated.  The scene outside the cafe is from a Parisian street scene wallpaper border increased in size to fit to fit the back wall.  The inside walls are made from illustration board and the trim/molding from strips of wood stained walnut.  I printed and cut out the tiny menus and the various signs around the cafe.  The chairs were Christmas ornaments from Restoration Hardware - I cut off the hooks and sanded them down.  The tables are altered chess pieces with a round woodsy on top, spray painted black gloss.  The counter was made from illustration board, wood and thin plexi-glass.  The plexi was a chore to cut because of the angles, but the results were well worth it!  I made some of the food and purchased some in my travels.


I created flower boxes outside with red geraniums and white daisies.  I loved making those paper flowers, petal by petal, tedious and beautiful!  The floor is made from standard home floor tiles with a tiny pattern which I then scored at 1" intervals to make the equivalent of 12" square floor tiles in miniature.  The red coffee cups started out as grommets that I attached a tiny wire to then spray painted glossy.

The wine bottle is actually glass, with a cork.  The magazine rack is made of wood strips and has French newspapers and magazines scaled down to size. The posters on the wall are also French.  I left the bulletin board empty so that the person who won the box could add their own touches.



I hope you enjoyed this little tour.  If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.


Thanks for looking!
Ketsia

3 comments:

  1. Ketsia-

    What a wonderful cafe!! Thank you for explaining how pieces in the the cafe were done. It helps myself and I am sure others take the guess work out of wondering how can I make one of those myself. Congrats on jumping into the blogging pool. You are off to a great start... :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love it and I'm sure the winner treasures it as well...I am so happy that you now have a platform to share your art with the world!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is fabulous! I have been in French Cafes and yours looks very good!
    Hugs,
    Terri

    ReplyDelete