Peacock table

I found this photo of what I call peacock blue table on Pinterest the other day and thought that it was so pretty I would try to make it.

 First of all as usual a scale drawing and choosing wood. Easy choice for the wood, more venetien blind wood as its fine and cuts well. Here I glued two pieces together at the ends to scroll out the front decorative panel. I had already done the sides which I had to imagine as the original photo was frontal. For the legs I used some square section mahogany wood I had in stock. It is much harder to work than the usual wood but as the legs were going to be spindly it was better to go stronger.

 The front panel in detail with the sides already done.

 Here you can see the legs which I fluted on two sides, a very tricky business! Almost gave up! I strengthened the decorative panels with strips of wood and then glued a tongue depressor to the drawing to use as a guide for glueing.

Here I sandwiched the pieces between blocks and then used clamps to keep it all in place.

 In the background you can see two sections of wood assembled for the top. I cut out the top in a finer Obeche wood at first but it felt too fine and the venetien wood was a better choice. Before I discovered this source of wood I would be very mean with the use of my wood stock as its so expensive usually but with this wood you can really go to town!

 The almost finished table with added top supports in mahogany.

 Here are the two proposed tops, the first one is Obeche and although a pretty grain is a bit too fine in thickness. This table is a country piece albeit a slightly posh one! In much of this type of furniture the large pieces would be assembled from planks.

 The finished table sitting on some printed parquet flooring from a dollhouse kit and with a mirror sitting on top. The tiny french porcelain jug was a gift from my friend Chantal along with a lot of other goodies!

 The full frontal to compare with the original. Nothing is yet fine sanded and painted so there are slight areas of 'unfinish' !

 Sitting against the page of a catalogue pretending to be in a Swedish manor house. This was a tricky project but I learnt a lot doing it which will make any more tables easier to make. I am pleased with the spindlyness of the legs which make it look like its floating. The finished painted version will be up soon.

Metalica

Something that probably everyone in the mini world knows already but sharing all the same. I wanted to make a zinc topped farm table and had the idea of using a soda drink tin to immitate the zinc. The mini ones, like here, seem to cut easier with a scissor and after flattening out look quite good. Not sure how to age it, maybe sanding as there is a 'food' finish on the inside. 

Venetian Bed

Yesterday's project, the copy of an antique Swedish bed found on Pinterest. Not sure if I am allowed to post this picture but it's from Hargaantik in Sweden.

I began as usual with a scale drawing and again some slats of Venetian blind wood, hence the title!

 After choosing all the materiels I then glued four pieces of wood together at the scrap end ! so I could fret the four at the same time on my table Dremel. When I first used this saw it terrified me ! Now I know what it can and cannot do and it's actually fun if you have the right wood and patience.

 Here you can see just how fine this wood is to cut, the grain is almost invisible which is great for miniatures. This picture was taken before I cut away the scrap end, freeing up the four sections.

 Deciding on the trim that goes under the scrolls. Fine obeche strips via Etsy.

 Here I began cutting the fluted lower legs of the bed. I taped the leg each time to a piece of scrap so that the blade would not damage the end of the cut. I did this twice as the 'flute' is on two sides of the leg.

Here is my saw and a detail of the cutting proceedure. Again the sawdust is fine and irritating. I do have a vacuum attachement but when cutting small bits they can sometimes be sucked up !

 Just glued one side of the bed, I then added a second trim under this one that you can see in the next photo. You can see the fluted lower legs of the bed, it makes it visually lighter.

 The finished bed, still un sanded or painted. It will be slighty stained and then given washes of grey and then 'dirtied' up and waxed. The popsickle stick glued to the drawing for a guide for assembly.

 Another view, I added a small trim, again Obeche strip to the bottom of the end panels to finish it visually.

 The underside showing construction. It was a bit fiddly but quite easy amazingly. As I am still very novice at this I do learn a lot as I go. The slats are of course tongue depressors, cheap and easy! I was going to make the base frame removable but I decided to glue it in place for stability.

 Now to make the bedding. I often buy tiny check shirts and childrens clothes at the flea market for generally 50 cents to 1 euro and once washed and cut up they make good mini materials! I might make three thin mattresses to pile up like the princess and the pea!

 One last look at the sketch for dimensions. If ever anyone sees this blog one day and wants patterns I can freely give them! For now still no one has seen this blog which might be a good thing until I work it all out!

The writing on the wall.

Just a quick image. I pick these small pictures up at the local Emmaus ( charity shop ), they are all hand written with saying praising a father, mother, sister etc Some are religious in tone. As usual I bought one for 50 cents then another and began a collection. As individual pictures they are quite worthless but as a group they make quite a good effect. I have a few not yet put up so it is still growing and this is a bedroom that no one uses! I might run out of walls one day!

The case of the bookcase

Yesterday's project, a small bookcase. I used venetien blind wood again, it has been suggested that it is poplar wood but I cannot confirm. These blinds exist also in dark wood and even teak and for all the wood they contain they are a great bargain! This wood is easy to cut and takes fine detail with fret as you can see in the side 'feet'. It doesn't split and the grain is really fine. This bookcase idea came from an antique one I saw on Pinterest in a sort of ox blood red and a muddy greeny beige interieur. I haven't yet painted it but that will be another post.

I have no details on who owns this piece or the photo sorry! 

 Here the glue is setting between wooden block with lined paper to make sure it is squared.

 The back showing the recess for backing wood. I added a small strip of wood at the top to glue the backing against. The original backing is simple wooden planks but I used balsa strips, sanding lightly the edges to show up as sort of tongue and groove.

 This is the finished piece, it measures 6.8 wide x 5.7 high and 1.8 deep ( centimètres ) so is quite small even for a 1:12 scale bookcase. It could also work placed on top of a chest of drawers.

 This is the back with the balsa strips, again not my favorite wood, the strips were two colours but as they are painted it makes no odds.

This was fun and amazingly quick to do. Next time I will make a better scaled imaged to place it on when glueing ! AND have since found that using the dremel sanding head to strip the finish off the blind wood makes life a LOT easier but the dust is super fine so beware those allergic.

The World of my Interior

Here are a few pictures of my home, I saw that quite a few bloggers do this and I do love my collections so I thought that I would share. I hope that you can't see the dust in the photos, believe me it is there ! 

 Every time I find a birds nest I put it on my hall table and put inside an egg shaped stone. This colourful birdie is a xmas tree decoration from Conran Shop. The lion that you can just about see is one of my favorite things, bought for 3 euros near Aix en Provence.

 A snap of the top of the desk in my bedroom. I have a few vintage tourist treasures representing various monuments in France. They generally cost a few euros. The little painting of trees in the background I purchased on eBay believing it to be quite big but when it arrived although surprised I was not dissapointed.

 Owning dogs means that I generally find dog related items when scouring junk shops. The glass poodle bottles came from a local junk shop and were really very dirty but cleaned up well, they have bakelite stoppers so much be quite old. The top dog is a desk clock, I have dragged it all over the world but it doesn't work. The little red dog is very old and holds salt! The other poor toys are behind glass but they don't seem to mind.

 More dogs but this time Chinese Fo Dogs. One of my greatest friends Britt, a textile designer, loves turquoise so this is a hommage to her. It began as usual with one from the Emmaus for 1 euro then I bid on two on eBay and got them for two euros the pair and then it just continued. The pair of beautiful miniature Indian paintings behind came from a local car boot sale for 5 euros and the frame with the double insert I found in the street, they fit perfectly. The pair of rather fine Chinese Cloisonné vases came from an antique shop in Paris, a birthday gift to myself two years ago.

I bought this large marble statue of Winged Victory in our local Junk shop for my birthday this year, she has a broken wing which sits by her feet. I hang old rosaries on her and surround her with anything white -ish, shells corals and other statues. The table came from Emmaus for 10 euros and the table top which fit perfectly is a carved store panel in fossil stone from the front of a 19 th century shop. The shop which no longer exists was in Laval and the stone says it sold, paint and gilding materiels and assorted artists wares. I have another one in the garden where it looks frightingly like a gravestone! The curtains that you can just about see came from the Ritz Hotel in Paris when it was remodelled recently. I bought two and were so heavy I have to take a taxi, they filled the boot! They have at least three layers and if I had to make them would cost the price of  small car!

Bed making, the long way!

Here is a tuto on making a bed, not I admit the quickest or easiest way, only for those who like me enjoy the process! I made these some time ago now. 

  I began with a 'real' bed base structure in wood, thin ply and tongue depressors. All this would of course never be seen!

  This is the result of an old shirt, some coton and some wadding to pad out the edges like a real bed, the sort I can only dream off!

 The upside showing the plain coton insert and the slightly raised/padded edges.

 Adapting some shop bought spindles as feet.

 Here the feet are drilled into the base. After trying several mini drills, this one costing only 14 euros complete is the one I use most.

 A better view of the padding before trimming.

 Hand finishing the mitred corners.

 The finished base, sorry but my camera sometimes decides to make blue pictures.

 The mattress is made from layers of batting roughly basted together. The cover has real piping trim, not the glued on after version ( Nothing wrong in that but I wanted to go the full hog on this one ) The underside of the mattress cover is hand sewn in place.

 The finished mattress and base. I 'tufted' the mattress with small lengths of 12 ply coton embroidery thread.

 The underside in plain coton hand sewn in place before inserting the feet. This cover hides all the work put into the base but I know it's there!

 I then decided to make a single bed. Same method except I just stuffed the mattress with wadding from an old pillow without first assembling layers as with the double bed.

 Another view with tufts of embroidery coton. I have since made a bed head which I will show in a later post when the bedding is finished. A good tip for bedding is to use old hankies! most are plain but you can find them emboidered or printed or check. The fine coton used is quite good in 'scale'. Pillows are best stuffed with small beads as wadding makes them look too perky.