Alien Spaceship Crashes!

Not only is this 2007 American Halloween display fantastic but I reckon it'd make a fabulous miniature too :-D
It is of a crashed ufo complete with alien body. The grass is piled up where the ufo came to a sliding halt & a fog machine leaks smoke from the flying saucer's cracked dome every 20 seconds.

Alien Spaceship Crashes!

Deluxe Materials Glue Guide

For my own records really but anyone who does crafting, airfix, miniatures, model railway etc. Brilliant guide on the best glues to use for your particular needs on particular materials, surfaces, plastics etc

Deluxe Materials Glue Guide

https://www.deluxematerials.co.uk/gb/content/9-glue-charts

Miniature Ivy from Birch Seeds

A friend passed on this brilliant guide to making miniature ivy from birch seeds :-)

http://www.zaboobadidoo.com/making-convincing-ivy/

Construction Workers Surreal Miniatures

This is surreal and unusual because it's a guy. A construction worker recreates his day job in miniature! Definitely worth a visit :-)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4rm4m2M41Vy212kL67D4Fgw/construction-worker-recreates-day-job-in-miniature?intc_type=promo&intc_location=news&intc_campaign=miniatureconstruction&intc_linkname=arts_fac_article1

Oops

Only one of these is a Dextrose tablet, the others are foam board components. Guess who very nearly attempted to eat a piece of foam board.... Ah the joys of crafting with low blood sugar lmao

Zombie Church and Porch coming together.

I got a lot achieved last night miniatures wise, it was a great feeling putting the craft bits back onto the table and thinking there's a lot of bits missing only to realise it's because I've been able to fit them together tonight instead :-) And if I say so myself the church wall and porch look amazing :-D

Blogger App Fail

How damn annoying. With the phones factory reset I'd lost my Blogger app, downloaded it at the weekend and went to use it last night, it won't let me in! I had to set it up again and all done correctly but it won't open, says Signing In, then Authentication Failed, try again in another box at the bottom of the screen. Only it won't let me even try to put the password in! Goes instantly into Signing In but never offers me the chance to do anything to sort it! Thankfully got a stronger signal for Internet posting so can do it online rather than the app but the app is so useful.

Railway Bunting in place

Just a brief update on the railway bunting I did for my father's birthday in May. He put it up in the room he uses for his model railway a while back but I forgot to post a pic of it in situ.

Railway Bunting

Finally I can post this, I couldn't before incase my father saw it. He has a model railway & for his birthday at the weekend I had made him some train/railway bunting. Stitched by hand I'm quite chuffed with how it's come out, & the background is a map. Its full size not miniature!
He really loves it 
& its brilliantly unique
!
Last photo shows the planning but complete with feline assistance from Checkers, Tom & Tobacco :-D

Painting the stone to be..

Well thats the second final coat of underneath paint & both & front & back of the church & porch walls are finished. Underneath not undercoat as it's what the stone blocks making up the stone walls will be fixed to. The stone blocks are to be made up from egg boxes! The rough side is now painted over & will be cut into block shapes for the wall stones another time. Then other bits into parts for the door frames & window frames. Hope it goes as well as I hope it does!

Dreaming up Solutions

I woke this morning & there instantly in my head is i believe the solution to making a miniature windchimes in several types that will hold together. Can't wait to have a go but need to finish the painting first.

Busy again on miniatures

Got the Zombie church & porch walls painted with the underneath cover of paint, it's not undercoat but used as a base to build up the stone blocks on. Also done the same with the Dark Dreams houses dungeon. Nice to get on with it again. Photo shows the parts of the church before building. No point photographing the Dark Dreams dungeon, at present nothing as such to show.

Winter Wonderland issues resolved! I hope :-D

Another solution to long standing work halting issues has been solved. I've been stuck on the Winter Wonderland scene, this is a nocturnal scene set in a room box. It has dark blue walls & sky/ceiling & has snow on the ground. Tiny stars glittering in the sky... (fibre optics). There's trees in the wood, a pair of foxes, badger & cub in their sett underground, a barn owl on the wall, a rabbit & a cheeky poacher who's Top quality artisan made created by Hazel Voice whose name I only found out tonight.
And so I've plotted the meandering stream to create with Scenic Water & Still Water & have solved the problem (I hope!) to stop the stream leeching when I create it. Plus White insulation tape will help with securing the fibre optic star lights, it's So obvious to me.... now. Some months ago would have been better :-D So happy when my brain works :-)

Going through the Display Cabinet

Following on from my previous post this is a detailed breakdown of the display cabinet in the living room of the Beds, Knobs & Broomsticks house.
The top shelf has the CinderelIa coach in memory of my adopted Auntie Cuckoo, 3 mounted special crystals I put together (2 are amethyst, I've forgotten what the other stone is!). There's also a fairy treasure chest that I created. I also made the crystal ball too.
The middle shelfs mounted stones are 2 quartz, amethyst, lapis & tigers eye. The little ghost ornament I made from fimo & the unicorn is actually a small figure from Tudor Mints Myth & Magic series :-)
The bottom shelf has a small pewter wizard & dragon, an amethyst, quartz & I've forgotten the green ones name too lol

CinderelIa Ware, Auntie Cuckoo & the Pumpkin Coach

This is Weetmans 'CinderelIa Ware' made in the 1950s. An adopted aunt, known as Auntie Cuckoo had the mouse sugar bowl, cream jug & the pumpkin carriage in a display cabinet (& the rest of the set left to her sister.) As a child I Adored this set, so magical & enthralling. I own it now :-) Some weeks ago I spotted by chance on eBay a pumpkin coach keyring charm & knew straight away this would go into the display cabinet. It was £7.49 Plus postage in the UK.... Or £1.46 free p&p from China..... Ten days later it was here. All I needed to do was cut & file. Its finally placed in the little display cabinet in the living room of the Beds, Knobs & Broomsticks house :-) Quite a few of the items in that house are dedicated to people either living or passed on.
The first photo shows the miniature pumpkin carriage in the cabinet, the second my inherited CinderelIa Ware & the last the coach before alteration.

New Miniatures Project from Oxfam

Well I'm quite pleased & busy plotting my latest addition to my dolls house & miniatures collection. My father bought this on my behalf from Oxfam on Wednesday. The poor old lass is a half completed project & it's a bit out of sync with itself... And so I decided almost instantly it's to be created into a 1930s/1940s wartime house that's suffered serious bomb damage on one half. This will have caused the roof to partially collapse, taking part of the bedroom floor & crashed down into the kitchen below. I'm already seeing a pantry door hanging half off, stores & provisions on show in the back corner. Perhaps the chimney tilting at a threatening angle.... Rats in the rubble & a dog going after them.... Don't worry the family who live there are fine, I don't kill my characters on a miniatures scene based on real life. However like with The Grime Reaper & Zombie Graveyard scene anything goes ;-)
I've always been interested in the social history of World War 2 & this would be a chance to bring it to life. Research & build, they'd have a mix of prewar furniture & some Utility furniture too.
The house came with 5 lights all working, loads of miniature electric extension cables which also work (hence the lit photos!) & a whole bag of bits & pieces including windows, doors, wallpaper rolls, hinges & moulding pins. I actually need the extension cables for the electrics on the Dark Dreams house.
And so, another surprise project has arrived! The entire front requires rebuilding & there's some structural support work required. But that will work with the bomb damage & instead of being hidden will be a feature in itself . It'll be a LONG time til this old lass is Finished but I enjoy the the plotting, planning & research. The building of various aspects & creating of the miniatures to go in. As I write more ideas are running through my head.... ;-)

Zombie Graveyard lights

Made a start on sorting the lights for the Grime Reaper & Zombie Graveyard & I'm well chuffed. I got these from Peter Barret garden centre 2 or 3 years ago but haven't been at a place on that scene to start work on them. The lights are meant for those little domestic Christmas village scenes you can create but I pounced on them when I saw them knowing straight away they're to be used for the Zombie Graveyard. They're not full height but half height which I've seen in by real church path. As they're meant for Christmas they had  wreaths on them whereas I want blood splattered 'Beware of the Zombie' signs... Fortunately with pliers & a fight they came/broke off :-D
Photo shows the line of lights with the end one showing the lantern with the wreath removed.

Battery Box Hidey Hole

I didn't record how I hid the battery box! The back of The Goblin Treasure House is very basic but in keeping with the design. The coins are stuck on the main body, and the hidey hole is covered by thin card & coins on it to disguise it. It simply lifts out, revealing the battery box to switch on. The hole is dug out of the 25p car cleaning sponge I got from Wilco lol

Thunderdrum & Jesters Folly

The miniature thunderdrum/thunder drum is just under an inch high. Its real life counterpart is 14" in the photo where the two are pictured together. The little one is made with a bead, opaque plastic & jewellery wire all wrapped up to create a coil & not as simple as it sounds! I was inspired to make this after meeting Jesters Folly (ha! Link <-- ) two highly entertaining, utterly bonkers showmen at the Lightwater Valley Christmas Fayre 2013. They had unusual musical instruments & various bits & did juggling. They played the didgeridoo for me & other instruments. Mental guys in a truly brilliant way!

Close Up of the Treasure Pile

The Goblin has been busy hoarding & gathering his treasures. Close ups of the treasure pile, the area of missing treasure is because once in place in the scene it butts up against the treasure chest :-)

The Huge Treasure pile & the Guardian Dragon

Two full shots of the Dragon on the huge pile of treasure :-D The treasure is made of the various bits I'd posted about previously, the Crowns, swords, shield, jewelled plates, chalices, goblets, gold fimo coins & gold & Silver coins from the haberdashery department at Boyes which were on braiding. Will do a separate post with closer detail of the treasure pile. Really happy with how it's all worked out :-)

Crowning the Dragon

On the top of the Huge pile of stashed goblin treasure is the dragon. Considering himself superior to his goblin owner he is wearing a small Elfin crown on his head :-)

The dragon was originally a red childs Papo toy & he got a makeover from me, as did his jewelled crown which was dull brass & is now glitter gold :-)

Hob, the Goblin made by miniaturo-mango

Introducing the Goblin for the Goblin Treasure House whose home is so near completion. I am seriously not talented enough to do figures, some of my elfin critters come out more like transvestites on a bad hair day...... This little guy, Hob is made by the exceptionally talented miniaturo-mango on eBay. All I've done is to add a bunch of keys to his belt, the rest is original. I've stone painted his stand & added gold & silver coins to the base :-) His home is almost finished :-)

Treasure Chest

Part of the Goblin Treasure House scene is the Treasure chest which is packed with valuable gems & jewellery :-)
The chest was bare wood then stained. The gold studs were dots of PVA glue then gold paint carefully placed over the top. The hanging lantern over the end is a broken silver ring of mine with a  'ruby'  added to the centre :-) Quite damn chuffed with the treasure chest :-)

And then there was light....

Quite damn chuffed with how the lighting suddenly worked out in the Goblin Treasure House. The lights are a 2m metal wired micro rice bulb system (actually submersible!) which has 20 lights spread out & the Goblin Treasure House scene is in a lantern with glass panels on each side, & the glass is secured like that of a picture frame, small folding pieces of metal. Suddenly in designing the hidey hole for the battery box I got hit with a Different idea to that which I'd worked on all along. Instead of immediately running the wire up the side to the roof & having the lights shine down, I have run the wire Around the bottom of lantern using those metal pieces to tuck the cable behind! Then run it up the side & around the Top of the glass panels using the metal clips again. From there it then coils twice around 3 hooks hanging from the ceiling & this sudden idea out of the blue has meant that the scene will be lit from the bottom, from above, then right down on. I'm still gobsmacked at how the 'urk' of the last 2 weeks suddenly became a 'fuck me I'm a genuis' big grin result :-D

Glow in the dark candles

Finished the other day & designed to go on the inside of the Goblin Treasure House behind the Mounted Dragon Heads (blog post 2 days ago) I was pleased to come up with this design using materials from my supplies. The glow in the dark candles I made myself with fimo & jewellery wire & look quite damn good if I say so myself :-) I created the same plaque shape as the mounted dragons heads design but added a shelf across it & a support beam under it which seems to work well. Again stained then clear glossed. The photos show the empty plaque/shield shaped shelf, the candles in daylight in place, then the candles glowing in the dark :-) Unfortunately the photo of the latter hasn't done them any justice & they look more like glowing vampire teeth than candles lol Thank fk they look good in daylight :-D

The Roof That Is :-)

Following on from a recent post about the Roof That Was
where my extensive plans didn't work out the finished roof for the Goblin Treasure House is now ready to share.....
I repainted the roof gold, then adhered burlap to the roof once dry & it looks great, went on a treat & I'd bought both sheets of burlap for just 99p total from The Works some months ago without knowing what I wanted it for! Then I added the tiny rhinestones in the roof the other night, then silver coins under the eaves & there's some moss around the chimney due to stone paint that came off with the PVA glued tiles. I am quite damn happy with it :-)

Mounted Dragon Heads

These wonderful dragon heads are made of pewter & were pin badges. They are now painted, pins trimmed & mounted on wooden plaques. I made the plaques from Balsa wood which is fabulous for muscle weakness & arthritis as it's so soft a craft knife cuts it. That was then stained with permanent ink & clear glossed. Now the dragon heads are mounted & will be going on the outside of the Goblin Treasure House :-)

More treasure

All the following have been painted by me & are a small part of the Goblin Treasure. The Buddha was a charm specifically bought for this, the Mayan style Goddess was found at the Bring & Buy stall at St Mary Church Christmas Tree Exhibition at Thirsk. Adding gems over the hooks hides them well & looks alright as they were too strong even with my heavy duty wire cutters!  The Egyptian bird statue & Roman duck oil lamp are replicas from the Dorman Museum. The vase was poor quality pottery but greatly improved with painting! The coins are from braiding.
The pewter Plates I added 'precious' jewels to, for amethyst, ruby, sapphire & emerald. They look the part now.
The chalices are very cheap wooden ones, painted up & with rhinestones added on one, seed beads on the others.

The Roof That Was...

Ah those best made plans. For the roof of the Goblin Treasure House I'd devised individual tiles of gold & silver randomly coloured. It took some time to get it set up, sorting the tiles, trimming, painting then placing them. It looked good. But wasn't right!
I left it overnight incase daylight brought new hope. No. Having roofed the bugger I was now going to have to remove all the individual roof tiles. The Good bits of roof looked good but the bad does look bad. It would have been better if the tiles had been an exact fit from end to end but the roof is wider one side than the other, & Nothing would have helped the roof join! Argh! The photos show how it came out & it no longer looks like that.