Sushi & Snow...

I had an enforced snow day today...which meant not much was done in the office. Many of you may not know but miniatures, and doll furniture and my own creations that I sell through King William Miniatures and my Ebay store Pumpkin Hill Studios are not the only two businesses I run...I also handle the office part of my husband's boiler company, 
LeoPaul & Associates . My husband has worked in the heavy industrial and commercial industry of boiler maintenance and repair and when he started his business, it was a stretch to go from packing doll furniture to writing invoices for boiler repairs and parts. Since January has been so cold and full of snow and it has continued into February, our business has picked up and so have my frenetic days of tracking parts, dealing with trucking and shipping companies, vendors and a myriad of other details. While it is fulfilling, it can be somewhat frustrating and mind numbing..to make a long story short, I got a reprieve today because of the torrential snowstorm we have been having along with 'thunder-snow'- yep a thunderstorm while it snows...in Virginia!
Here is what I worked on today- just because I was bored and needed a break...Sushi!

Above is a photo I took through our den window, hence the screen. That is our yard and part of our driveway--and the road. Yep, you can't see the road because it's covered in snow and ice...on the other side of the road is a field...which looks like whiteout conditions. 
Below are some pictures I did in the kitchen with my hybrid Barbie basics-Hanoko  she is on a LIV doll body- My IT direct - Sachiko, and Love the One Kyori who hasn't received very much camera time but was glad to be with her cousins...I need more Asian dolls for an Asian themed family. I really want to do a Japanese steak house type of restuarant and have some plans for that diorama theme...Hinamatsuri is coming up soon on March 3rd.

The chopsticks are toothpicks cut in half and sanded. I hope to make some more of these items and perfect them a bit. Today was a huge stress relief and I loved it. Enjoy!

Chateau Project: the Princesse de Lamballe

Marie Antoinette has been lonely in her lovely salon in progress; so I decided to work on one of the dolls that would resemble one of her greatest friends- the Princesse de Lamballe.
In real life, the Princesse de Lamballe was one of the first ladies who Marie Antoinette met at the Court of France when she was a young Dauphine, newly married. Her tragic death came much later, but she was one of the most loyal friends of the doomed Queen. 
Here is a portrait I worked from to determine what doll to use. My dilemna is I was not necessarily going for a carbon exact copy of the person in question, but a doll that would be a more mirror image and fit the scene I was and am trying to replicate- of the Queen and her friends and family when they were - to coin a phrase of Suzi Orman-'Young, Rich and Fabulous'...which they must have been in the 18th century- Louis was 20 and Marie Antoinette was barely 18 when they came to the throne.

I looked around online at different dolls that might fit her face mold or look, and found nothing that satisfied me. I then decided to look through the dolls I had and settled on this Star doll I had purchased last year on sale. I realized her hair was perfect and the only thing she needed was a new body- which I swapped with an extra Frank Sinatra Barbie I hadn't deboxed. (I purchased two or three of those dolls for body donars from walmart and Tuesday morning when they went on sale) I may do some cosmetic work on her lips as her lips are an unnaturally dark red, the portrait I worked from the Princesse was very pale and delicate looking, which fits in with her gown.
I still have a few touches to add to her gown. Her 'Pouf' cap or hat is made of sheer chiffon, gathered with sage silk ribbon bows and streamers. I made the paper roses on the pouf and in her hair. I could not find pink satin in the color the princess is wearing, so I used a pale pink broadcloth muslin that I had on hand along with some delicate lace. I may still add some bows to the sleeves and the ruffle. The silk ribbon is also on the back of her lacings on her bodice. 
I am still looking for a doll to be Gabrielle - the Duchesse de Polignac. Louis will be a custom repaint and reroot of a Twilight Emmett doll by Dawn at  One Sixth Sense. I am currently looking for a Kyu Dynamite boy body for Emmett as I will need him to be articulated. 
Right now, here are some pictures I took this afternoon of the two friends having tea with a daughter of one of the ladies who has stepped out of the room.

Here they are having tea in the Salon, near the french doors. 

More Chateau project diorama spam...

More Chateau project picture spam....this time, you may notice the diorama looks a little different. The floor is a 24 w x 36 inch long piece of cardboard, with the Home Depot wood tile squares stuck to it- they have the peel and stick backs. This makes the floor more in period to look like parquet flooring so popular at the Petite Trianon and in the private appartments of Versailles. The doors open a little smoother on this floor too. 
Though yesterday was the Superbowl and I thought of staging a superbowl party for my boys, I could not get it together enough figuring out clothing and props, so that may be for another picture time. If you are on Pinterest please be sure to follow my board on this ongoing project! I also have other boards- almost over 60, with the most interesting 1:6 scale dioramas and dollhouses I can find. I love Pinterest, I secretely call it my electronic hoarding for ideas and inspiration. 
Thank you!

Cheateau project: 1:6 scale French doors- Part 2 & a tutorial

Previously, in my post about 1:6 scale French doors  I showed you how I cut french doors to scale out of foamcore.  I have skipped over the laborious part of covering the edges with white contact paper to give the doors a 'smooth' look and not like they are carved out of foamcore. Today I show you the finished doors, hinged, within the 1/2 inch foamcore wall. 
Today was a great day for me as it was warm- all the snow is melting, and I finally finally had time to go and buy the supplies to finish this part of the diorama. I went to my local dollhouse shop Belle's Exclusives- they have been great people and always have a variety of items. I purchased the doorknobs and hinges from them, as well as some other items that will show up later as this diorama comes along. For those of you with a local dollhouse shop nearby- please remember to patronize these tiny specialty shops. Many 1:12 scale components can be used in 1:6 scale and the owners do this for a living, so they can usually advise you for the larger scales. I found many items for this diorama, but will be going back later after I get some things figured out.
Then I went onto Michael's for more foamcore- 2 sheets of 1/2 inch and 2 sheets of 3/16ths ...be sure to use your 40% off coupon. I also purchased some $1 picture frames and wood embellishments as well. Now onto the tutorial!
1st- after your doors are cut out- recap measurements- 15 inches high, 5 1/2 inches wide. Cutout your windows, at 2 inches high 1 1/2 inch wide on each one. 
Cover the edges of every window with contact paper cut to fit. Then cover the sides, and the top, then the middle with strips. You want clean lines.
2nd- Onto the 1/2 inch foamcore for your wall. First, glue your doorknobs to the doors. Use a doll to figure out where their hand would hit on their height.
Place the doors in the center and draw around them.

3- Now you are going to carefully cut out the door part you have drawn. Do this as evenly as possible. Afterwards, there will be some shards of that foamcore innards that come out all over the floor. Sand them off, and then cover all three cut sides with white contact paper so no innards bleed out or through.
After that- you are going to do your hinge placements. I placed my hinges on the doors and doorframe after the door part was cutout, and drew little holes in the hinge part where the screws go. I then took my exacto knife and 'drilled' holes for the screws to go into.

I glued the hinges down when I put them onto the foamcore, then pushed the screws into the holes. You may have to watch, as the doors are thin -3/16th foamcore, so the points may slightly come through if the screws are too long. I used regular tacky glue for this. I also used scrap pieces of foamcore underneath the doors to give them some height while I adhered the hinges, due to the difference in the thicknesses of the two foamcores used for this project, it really helps. 

Now onto some photos as Marie Antoinette enjoys her new doors!

Here is a quick picture to show that the doors work with the Fashion Royalty hommes too!
Enjoy the tutorial and I hope you have fun with these doors!