Miniature Monday: Stay Home, Make Miniature Magazines

Hi Guys,

I've made you a gift and hope to spread some miniature love in these trying times.

Since most of us are staying home to keep ourselves and our community safe, I made miniature printable magazines featuring Black and African American role models, performers and musicians.  You can download the PDF here!  The larger magazines are 1" tall so you can cut 1" strips from paper.  The smaller magazines are 3/4" tall .  Cut out the images, fold in half, fill with paper or cardboard.  To make them glossy, cover with clear packing tape or a coat of gloss Mod Podge.

Any questions, please feel free to contact me.  I hope you are well. Listen to scientists and your local officials. Cherish your time with loved ones.  Thanks for stopping by!
Ketsia

Miniature Monday: Make an easy Potted Palm House Plant

If you don't have access to laser cut kits, you can make this mini potted palm tree using leaves from the floral section of your craft store.

The leaves I'm using are 2 1/2 inches long (not including the stem) with bendable wire in the center and I used 8 for this plant.

























This photo and video show how I cut each leaf to look like individual mini leaves. They don't have to be perfect.

Mute before you watch the video, my dog was barking at the mailman lol.

If you've decided to paint any effects on your leaves, now is a good time.  I didn't paint mine because I was satisfied with the color.  Once you have cut all of the leaves (and painted them), gently bend each. 

Take 2 of your prepared leaves and attach them at the stems with floral tape. I usually wind the tape around 2 to 3 times.

























I add the remaining stems two at a time, and a little lower each time. I also put each set on the opposite side so that the leaves are evenly distributed.

If your floral tape is dry, add a tiny bit of tacky glue to keep everything secure.  Winding the floral tape around the assembly creates the trunk.  You can paint this brown using acrylic paint.  I fill a pot with air dry clay and glue the trunk into the center.  You can cover the clay with moss, gravel or treated coffee grounds. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for stopping by!

Miniature Monday: Tarot Card Tutorial and Download

Hi Everyone!  I recently made some really cute tarot cards and thought I'd share with you.  You can download the file, print it out in color on 8 1/2" wide by 11" tall paper (Letter size in the US). You can find the file HERE.  If you cannot see the file or download it, let me know, I will email it to you.

You can print on white or colored paper.  I'm using the white sheet for the tutorial.

Since the plain white paper is thin, i'm using washi tape on the back.

This will also give your cards an interesting back if you're not gluing
them down. I happen to have some wide ones, but you can use 
any pattern you like. Put the washi tape on before you cut the 
individual cards out.

Carefully cut out your cards and you're 

done!

I had a small box that fit my cards perfectly.

 

You can check the internet for different spreads, and glue your cards in place. The last photograph has a nickel in it to show scale.

Thanks for stopping by!

Miniature Monday: Easy Books Made from a Magazine, Tutorial

Make miniature books from your old magazines using these simple steps.

Find a magazine that is as thick as a miniature book. It has to be glue bound and not stapled.  I'm using an old Rolling Stone magazine that is 1/8" thick.  I was purging, and wondering why I had a stack of magazines the same size from 2011.  I was honestly shaking my head about my hoarding ways, until I remembered what I had planned on using them for. Now I feel rich!!

I used my T-Square to get an accurate cut as possible.  You're going to use the spine of the magazine as the spine of your mini books.  I cut about 5/8" from the spine.  This is the width of the book.

Cut your books the desired height, mine are 3/4" tall.  I used my T-square again, but I found that when I got closer to the bottom, I had more control without it.

I then covered the books with book cover printouts (re-sized from the internet), leather scraps, origami and scrapbook papers.  I also resized some handwritten journal pages and made a few open books.  The way the pages fan out are perfect.  If you need to, you can slide a bit of glue in between any pages that don't want to lay as they should. While the glue is wet, shape the pages.

This is a quick alternative to cutting individual sheets to make the pages of your miniature books that gives you a more realistic look than wood blocks.  Remember to use a fresh blade in your craft knife and take your time cutting.  You should use several slow strokes to keep your blade steady. I was able to make all of the books in the photo from one magazine spine.  Let me know if you have any questions and thanks for stopping by!

Miniature Monday: Artist's Corner In A Lantern

I purchased a lantern from Michael's and created a small miniature scene as a gift for my graduating niece's high school Guidance Counselor.

The first thing I worked on was the flooring.  Since the only opening was at the top, I used index cards to make a pattern of the inside.  I then transferred that pattern onto thick cardboard (actually the back of a watercolor paper pad).  I soon realized that I wouldn't be able to fit the floor through the small opening, and cut the cardboard in half.  I also carefully marked the front and back so that I would not have a problem fitting everything snugly.  Those corners were tricky to cut!

I used craft sticks and my small table saw to create the flooring; cutting off the rounded edges, then sanding them smooth.

To ensure I had enough, I laid them out on top of the cardboard.  Since this was a small floor, I only needed to cut 2 sizes in order to get the look I wanted.

I used Gorilla Wood Glue and Quick Hold to adhere the wooden craft sticks to the cardboard, then placed a sheet of wax paper and heavy books on top so they wouldn't warp while drying.  I left this to dry overnight. I wanted the flooring to be a bit rough looking, but I was still careful to make sure none of the glue seeped through the planks.  I used the table saw and an x-acto knife to cut any planks that were not flush with the edge of the cardboard.

 This detail shows the slight overlap of the wooden strips that covered the seam beautifully!

When you're working on something like this, dry fit at each stage to be sure everything still lines up perfectly.  I used the same 2 glues to adhere the completed flooring to the bottom of the lantern and put bottles of paint to weigh it all down while it dried.

To cover the top of the lantern, I used a 1/8th inch thick piece of basswood and craft sticks.  The craft sticks fit perfectly into the opening and kept the cover in place.

Now it was time to go through my miniature stash to find art studio related items to put into the scene.  This honestly took longer than the flooring!!  Once selected, I glued everything in with tacky glue and the scene was done!

If you have any questions, please let me know.  Thanks for stopping by!

Miniature Monday: Making Miniature Scrolls, a Tutorial and Download

I recently participated in an exchange where I made 30 scrolls.  Making multiples of anything feels crazy, but I had fun making them.  I thought I'd share the process with you, and give you the file that I made so that you can print your own scrolls.  This is the finished product:

I searched the Internet for images that would look good in 1/12th scale for the scrolls.  I then re-sized each image.  Since you need paper to roll on both sides of the scroll, the images are in the center of the printout.  The downloadable file should print on a sheet of paper that is letter size:  8 1/2" wide by 11" tall.

Download File:  Miniature Scrolls PDF

If you are having a problem downloading the file, email me and I will send it to you.

I printed the sheet onto natural vellum paper, but you can use any type of paper you want.  This is specifically what I used (I have a few different sizes.)  This paper has no problem going through my printer, and I'm able to tea stain it without tearing it.

If you use regular paper, instead of using a tea stain, consider aging it with an ink pad.  Tim Holtz makes a nice variety of ink pads perfect for aging.

After Printing the scrolls, tea stain the page so that the scrolls will look aged.
Put the page aside to dry thoroughly

Once dry, you can cut the individual strips that will become your scrolls.

I used these great beads I got from a craft store near me, and skewers I purchased at the dollar store.  You will need 4 beads and 2 short dowels for each scroll.

I cut the skewer so that it is about the same size as the scroll image.  If you cannot find skewers, you can use a toothpick or a small dowel.

Put tacky glue on the edge of the paper.  I used Aleene's Tacky Glue.

Put the skewer on the glue, allow it to dry a bit while you hold it down.

You can place lines of glue every 3/4" (not an exact science, so don't worry.)  You do not need a lot of glue.

Since you want to give the illusion of an actual scroll, put your last line of glue along the edge of the image.

You will then repeat the same process on the other side of your scroll.

Make sure both sides are completely dry before you move on to the next step.

It's time to add your beads to the ends of the scrolls to fancy them up.

Any size beads are fine as long as they look good to you.  If you can find beads that fit over your dowels, great!  Mine didn't fit so I used tacky glue and a drop of crazy glue to keep the beads on the end of the scroll.

Glue the beads to the four points of the dowels and you are DONE!

I can't tell you how much I enjoy your blogs and learning from all of you.

I hope you enjoy this tutorial.

I actually recorded the process and will try to upload the video. That will be my first video.  I asked my 11 year old to help me since he has experience with you tube videos (so funny.)

I used my scraps to make closed scrolls out of decorative toothpicks, tiny stones, and embroidery thread to tie them closed.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for stopping by!