Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2023 i Dolls House & Miniature Scene

Seasonal inspiration Any shop is only as good as its stock and Magnolia Hollow, with its vast range of luxury seasonal homeware is the epitome of high-end contemporary retail. Inspired by artisan, Erika Pitera’s love of magnolia trees and flowers, it’s also one of the most realistic shops ever created in 1/12th scale. Stocked with spring florals, everything from tiny oven gloves to rolling pins and delightful jute bags, the shop embodies the season of renewal and fresh growth. As autumn approaches it’s all change, dewy pastels replaced by the vibrant, rich shades of mother nature’s colour palette. “I’d have to say that the inspiration for Magnolia Hollow was a bit of an amalgamation of some of my favourite boutique home décor stores,” Erika tells me. “Some of the merchandise…

You will need Materials required ○ Polymer clay: white, sunflower yellow, translucent ○ Pastels: golden ochre, dark cadmium orange, brown, yellow ○ Fimo Liquid Gel ○ Gloss and matte varnish Tools required ○ Small paint brushes ○ Small ball tool & roller ○ Craft knife ○ 1/12th scale silicone flan mould 1 Mix white clay with a little sunflower yellow to make a cream colour. Fill a 1/12th scale silicone flan mould with the clay mixture. Use a small ball tool or, alternatively, the end of a small paintbrush to create a shallow hollow in the centre of the pie, a crust around the edge and a pattern on the latter. 2 Remove the pie from the mould and brush with grated golden ochre pastel mixed with a small amount…

This charming little scene is the perfect addition for a country cottage garden, or for alongside a shed or greenhouse to create a focal point that adds colour and interest. However, there’s no need to stop there! The toadstools and mushrooms can be made as a project in their own right, as can the log pyramid. Place the mushrooms in a wicker basket, in punnets on a market stall, or on a chopping board in the kitchen. Make toadstools and use them as part of a witch’s spell table for something a little spooky, or ‘plant’ them in weathered terracotta pots to go in a witch’s house. Or how about just making the log pile and placing it at the front door, ready to be added to the fire on…

OCTOBER 2023 ISSUE ON SALE DIGITAL EDITION AND SUBSCRIBER COPIES POSTED FRIDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER* PRINT EDITION: THURSDAY 28th SEPTEMBER DETAILS OF HOW TO SUBSCRIBE CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE 34…

Glamour and showbiz are themes in Marc’s work, but after recreating a stage scene from the musical Les Misérables, and Madame de Pompadour’s boudoir, he felt like making something completely different from baroque opulence. Having been inspired by the Netflix documentary series ‘The Andy Warhol Diaries’, his interest was piqued and he determined to reproduce a 1/12th version of Warhol’s 1970s New York studio, the ‘Silver Factory’. For those unfamiliar with Warhol’s hip hangout, Marc explained: “Photographer and filmmaker Billy Name designed the studio for Warhol, using a silver colour palette throughout. Reflective mirrors, silver paint and aluminium foil covered every surface, including the toilet and lift up to the loft studio.” Marc continued: “This was a new challenge for me, as I’d never used silver paper to cover walls!…

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t have a studio. It would be lovely to have a dedicated space, maybe a little backyard retreat, to have all my tools and materials neatly organized and at hand, and lots of surfaces for working and displaying miniatures. I pull a nearly 80-year-old folding card table into our library along with my sewing desk’s chair and set up my poseable light, and I’m off on the next project. I generally spend several days each month at this portable work table in front of the TV, pausing occasionally for ‘process’ shots to accompany the steps in a project and finally the ‘dressed’ shot, where the project is placed in situ in a room or outdoor setting. With a suitable dog, of course, too. A smartphone…

Havisham Hall, a haunted hotel… With Halloween just around the corner, this month we explore the haunted rooms of Lucy Anthony’s Havisham Hall Hotel. With an exceptional eye for detail, Lucy has incorporated some clever lighting techniques and added plenty of grunge to bring her ideas to life. Inspired by her love of horror films, she has created the ultimate quarter scale haunted hotel, complete with ghosts… visitors beware! I’m Lucy Anthony, also known as Smaller Things. I started to make 1/12th scale houses 25 years ago, but now I focus on 1/48th and 1/144th scale, mainly due to lack of space in my own house. I have a tiny spare bedroom that I currently work out of, although I am begging for a ‘she-shed’ in the garden! I bought…

Sadie’s Top Tip “For a smoother, more accurate finish, iron the fabric before starting work!” YOU WILL NEED Materials required • Lightweight denim or denim look fabric • Lightweight patterned cotton fabric • White polymer clay • White fabric chalk • Dark blue pastel • Craft glue • Silver tone 1mm jewellery wire • Silver tone 1mm curb chain • White faux fur fabric from old soft toy/Christmas decoration Tools required • Needle tool or sewing pin • Scissors • Jewellery pliers • Jewellery wire cutters 1 Using white fabric chalk draw the shape of the skirt on a piece of lightweight, light wash denim or denim look fabric. It should measure 6.7cm across the top, 9.6cm along the bottom, with sides 3.7cm in length. 2 Carefully cut out the…

Regular readers will have heard me lament about the dearth of miniature shops, courses and workshops, and fairs north of the border in Scotland, so it’s always a joy to get myself along to our annual dolls house fair near Edinburgh – and this year was no exception. The July event was run by Gail Tucker of MGM Fairs (also of Merry Gourmet Miniatures fame), who’s spent over 20 years running successful and popular fairs across Britain. She always gives visitors such a warm and enthusiastic welcome. Gail explained to me that this may well be the last fair in Scotland, at least for the time being. It’s a simple matter of geography and economics. It’s a long way for many stall holders to travel, and they need to be…

YOU WILL NEED Materials required • Old rucksack fabric or similar • Flat foam or toy stuffing • Craft glue • Super glue • Two bright primary colours, ecru and grey polymer clay • White paper • Coloured paper from old notebook cover • Silver twine • Tiny snap fastener • Small jewellery finding or similar Tools required • Scissors • Craft knife 1 Cut four pieces of material from old rucksack fabric, each measuring 4.5x3.4cm. 2 Cut two pieces of thin flat foam measuring 2.5x2.2cm. 3 Use craft glue to stick the foam squares to the centre of two pieces of the rucksack fabric. Glue the two other pieces on top, trapping the foam inbetween. 4 Fold the edges of the fabric inwards towards the foam and glue into…

YOU WILL NEED Materials required • White, translucent, red, fuchsia pink, purple, terracotta and spring green polymer clay • Sunflower yellow, lemon yellow, golden ochre, dark cadmium orange, brown and white pastels • Sculpey Bake & Bond • Gloss varnish • 1/12th scale cream ceramic plate Tools required • Needle tool or sewing pin • Roller • Craft knife • Small paintbrush 1 Mix 1-part white polymer clay with 1-part translucent, adding grated sunflower yellow pastel to create a pale shade of cream. Divide the mixture into two, putting half to one side. Add some grated golden ochre, dark cadmium orange and a little brown pastel to make a shade resembling sponge. Next mix red, fuchsia pink, purple and terracotta polymer clay to create a colour resembling raspberry jam. 2…

YOU WILL NEED Materials required • Translucent orange, red, yellow, white, green, brown, orange and Sahara polymer clay • Black, dark brown and light green soft pastels • Dark brown acrylic paint • Clear gloss liquid • Natural white and brown feathers • Small piece of kitchen tissue paper • Small piece of newspaper • Green model makers grass • Very fine green floristry wire (preferably paper covered) • Tacky PVA glue • Blu Tack • Strong glue • 1 x small wooden bowl (2cm in diameter) • 1 x small wooden crate (5cm x 3.5cm) Tools required • Pokey tool • Cosmetic applicator • Large embossing tool • Medium embossing tool • Fine paintbrush Carrots 1 Form translucent orange clay into six natural looking carrot shapes in a variety…

YOU WILL NEED Materials required • Ecru polymer clay • Extra fine acrylic paint pens in a selection of bright colours • Matte varnish • Paper Tools required • Craft knife • Small paintbrush 1 For each pencil, roll a ball of ecru polymer clay into a tube measuring 1mm in diameter. Make a point at one end. Cut to roughly 1.4cm in length. Bake and allow to cool. 2 Put an unpainted pencil base to one side as you’ll need this later, but for the rest, take a selection of brightly coloured extra fine acrylic paint pens and begin by painting the points. Next, paint a line all the way around each pencil around a couple of millimetres up from the tip. 3 Paint the entirety of each pencil…

I have a tendency to feature my favourite kit makers in this column, in the hope that you will love their kits as much as I do. Arjen Spinhoven is definitely well up there in my favourites list, as his kits are always stylish, well-designed and a bit different to what else is available. What I love about Arjen’s range is that it is so broad. Need a kit to make a piece of traditional Dutch furniture from the 16th or 17th century? Arjen’s your man! A bit of curvaceous Art Nouveau. Arjen’s got it! Deco? Arjen! Retro 1950? Arjen! His background as an architect is clear. He knows how to design and this is reflected in the ingenious way his kits fit together so well that you’d never guess…