DOLL HOUSE CANDLE HOLDER TUTORIAL - How to make a wall hanging candle holder from mat board and card stock for your doll house.

Hello, Hello!  I know I'm running late . . .


I saw this candle sconce in a full size home decorating catalog a month ago and decided we needed to make it.

Pencils and blades sharp.

Use an oval template to draw a 40 degree, 11/16" oval.

Now, this isn't too important.  I wanted the whole thing to come out an inch or a little longer, not counting the length of the candle.  If you want to change to size or shape of the oval, you're the designer.  I am just giving you an idea to start with.

Measure 9/32" from one end of the oval. 

This isn't too important either.  You just want the mark to be on the other side of center.

Pierce a hole where you made the mark.

Cut a strip of card stock just barely 1/16".  This is going to be glued around the outside of the oval.  I want a little lip around the edge.

Using yellow carpenter's glue, glue the narrow card stock strip around the oval, twice.

For something different you could use 4 or 5 strands of twisted embroidery thread for a rope effect, pieces of a paper doily for a filigree look or use punched shapes for a different edging.

This is a "Q"-Tip with it's cotton ends cut off.  I've used these before in earlier tutorials.

Sand the stick until you have opened the paper enough to peel.

Unroll the paper until the stick measures about 1/16" in diameter.

 Cut the stick in half.

Set one half aside, this will be your candle.

Unroll the other half until it's about half the diameter of the first half.

Glue both of their loose edges down.

Set the thinner stick aside for now. 

Cut the thicker stick, the candle, 7/16" long.

Cut a strip of card stock 1/8" wide.

Glue this strip to the end of your candle, wrapping only twice around the candle.

Use a 1/16" hole punch or if you don't have one of those drill a hole, using a 1/16" bit, into a piece of card stock.  Place your card stock onto a piece of mat board to protect your cutting surface.

Make sure the "candle" fits through the hole.

Can you see the 1/8" card stock around the bottom of the candle?

Center the hole you made in a 1/4" hole punch and punch.

Use a ball stylus to shape the "drip catcher".

Set this aside for now.

Use a "T"-pin to pierce a hole in the 1/8" card stock you wrapped your candle with, that's the candle cup.

Select a bit that's the size of the second piece of "Q"-Tip you set aside.  Drill a hole into the one you just pierced into the candle cup.

You don't want to drill through the candle cup.  Just drill into it enough so you can glue the smaller diameter "Q"-Tip into it.

Use the same bit and drill into the oval at the hole you pierced earlier.  You can drill through the oval.

Insert the "Q"-Tip stick into the hole.  Pull it through until the candle cup is 1/4" from the oval.

Glue the stick into the hole and trim off the extra.

You can glue the "drip catcher" onto the candle, also.

Cut a strip of card stock 1-1/8" wide.

Cut a strip from the card stock that tapers from 1/16" or a little less to a 1/32".

Fold over a small tab at the widest end of the tapered strip.  Glue that tab to the bottom of the candle cup.  Let this dry before trying to shape the tapered strip.

Use what you have to to shape the tapered strip.  I used dowel rods, you can use a pencil or the tapered end of a paint brush.

I wanted you to see another angle of the shape.

The shape is up to you, you don't have to make it like mine.

When you have the shape you want paint both sides with the yellow glue.  Yes, it will pull out of shape a bit, but you can put it back.

Let this dry.

I mixed a little black paint with gesso.  I will paint this mixture on the edge of the card stock that I glued around the edge of the oval.  This will cover the layers.

If you don't have gesso, mix a little paint with the yellow glue, this will work, too.

I've painted the edge of the card stock to cover up the layers.

Let's make the flame while the glue is still drying on the tapered card stock curl.

I used a short piece of sewing thread or a single strand of embroidery floss to start with.  I made a knot in the end of the thread.  I dipped the knot into an acrylic finish, I used Triple Thick by Deco Art.

If you use the Triple Thick it will only take one dip.

When the "flame" has set up a bit you can dip it into orange glass stain paint if  you have some. 

This isn't too important, it just adds a little color to the "flame".



                                                                            

Paint the candle holder black.  I mixed a little soft yellow into white for the candle.  I used tacky glue to glue the "flame" onto the top of the candle.

This can be painted a brass or gold color, too.  You can make it chabby chic by painting it white and maybe wrapping green wire around the tapered curl for a stem then gluing a couple of roses and leaves onto the green wire. The wire would keep the tapered curl in shape.  I would paint the trim around the oval pink or green.

Have fun, expand on it, make it better . . . . . . . . . 

Just Keep Making Minis ! ! !

TTYL  Kris

JOANN SWANSON, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

Do we all remember Joann Swanson!!??  Love her stuff in the old "Nutshell News"  I have the old magazines and won't get rid of them, they are the miniaturist's bible, (no blasphemy intended).  Well, I was Googling around and found that she's on blogspot!!

www.joannswansondiyminiatures.blogspot.com

Go over there and have some FUN!!  Tell her I said "Hi".  I've never met her, but she's my HERO!!

Kris

INCHES VS. MILLIMETERS

Hello . . .I used to put the metric measurements in the tutorials.  To tell you the truth I've gotten lazy because of time.  I am sorry to short change you.  I did go to the Google page and click the Images tab and type "conversion chart inches millimeters and found many to choose from that you could print out.  There is even a picture of an inches ruler compared to a metric ruler.  I do apologize for the inconvenience.
TTYL     Kris

GARDEN BASKET TUTORIAL - HOW TO MAKE A 1 INCH SCALE GARDEN BASKET WITH CARD STOCK.

Hi everyone.  This month I made a Garden Hod, that's what the catalog called it.  I made the first one by scaling the full-size measurements down to 1 inch scale.  It was far too big, I think you would be making clay vegetables forever trying fill it up.  I made another, smaller this time for your vegetables and flowers.
The watering can is from January of 2011, How to make a mini watering can.  It's in the index at the left of the blog and it's in 5 parts.

Keep your pencil sharp and use a new blade in your craft knife.
I used yellow carpenter's glue for gluing.



Cut a rectangle of card stock to draw on.

Draw a rectangle 1-1/8" x 1-7/16"

Measure in from the original rectangle 1/16" and draw a new rectangle inside the one you have all ready drawn.

Use your ruler to measure and mark at 1/16" intervals on the long side of your rectangle.
We are drawing the "spokes" of the basket.
When you have all the marks made use your ruler to draw line to connect the marks.
In this picture I have darkened in every other space past the frame.  We are going cut these out with a craft knife.

I've got all of the lines drawn.

You should have 10 spokes that are not darkened, not counting the frame.

Use your ruler or a steel straight edge to guide your craft knife while you cut out the darkened spaces.

Be careful, don't cut into your frame.

Cut from card stock at least 9 strips, 1/16" wide.  I did this by eye, it's not too important to measure these, they just need to be thin.  These are our weavers.
Start weaving, over the frame, under the first spoke, over , under.  Tweezers help getting the weavers between the spokes.
Begin the next row doing the opposite, under the frame, over the first spoke, under, over and so on.

The weaving is done.

Glue the ends of the weavers to the frame, be sure to turn the weaving over and glue the weavers on the back side.

With a straight edge and your craft knife cut the woven mat away from the rest of the card stock.

Set aside.

This is the pattern for the ends of the garden hod or basket.  Copy it to a program that you can change sizes in.  I have listed the size the pattern should be.  Of course, you could also draw this with a ruler and round off the corners.

When you have your pattern made trace it onto mat board.

Please, be careful and use a piece of mat board large enough you can grasp and move around without getting your fingers too close to the blade.

One cut out, another one to do.

Dry fit the woven mat to the ends.  The long edge will be glued to the ends.  We are going to glue a strip to the top edge so if your woven mat is short this will be covered.


Measure and mark the middle of the ends.
Measure down from the top an 1/8" and mark.

Drill a hole at the mark you made.  Right now it doesn't matter the size of bit.

A "Q"-Tip is used for the handle.

Cut the cotton ends off.

The "Q"-Tip needs to be thinner.
Use sand paper to open the seam.
I start sanding back and forth while the sand paper is wrapped around the stick.
When I get a little bit started I then know where the seam is and can sand there and open up the rest of the seam.

I've got the seam open.

Peel the paper away until you have about 1/16" in diameter.

Cut the extra paper away and glue the seam down.

Find a drill bit that's the same diameter as your stick.

Set the stick aside for now.

Drill into the end, at the hole you drilled before, with the bit pointing up at an angle.

The side of the end that you started your drill bit in is the outside of the basket.

Glue the long edge of the woven mat to the rounded edge of the end.

Remember, the outside of the end is the side that has the lower hole.

The woven mat should fit, but if it doesn't a strip is added to the top of the basket.

Both ends have been glued on.

Cut the stick to 1-5/8" long.

Shape the stick.

To make inserting the stick/handle into the hole I've sanded the tip a bit.

Slip the end of the handle into the hole in one end of the basket.
You will have to slide the handle through a bit to get the other side of the handle into it's hole.

When you are satisfied with the position, glue the handle in.
You can shape the handle more after it's glued into the basket.

If any of the handle is protruding you can sand or cut it off.

Cut a strip of card stock to fit over the top of the frame of the woven mat covering up the ends of the weavers.

I painted my garden hod with Delta's Burnt Sienna, then applied a wash of black.  I added lots of water to the black and brushed it on and dabbed off.  I then sprayed a coat of clear satin finish on.

I added some vegetables I made a long time ago.  I think my tomatoes look awful big compared to those tiny ears of corn!



Have fun trying this out, our little people should be getting out to start their gardens and they need a basket!

Have fun, expand on it, make it better . . . . . 

Just keep making minis!