Something I'm working on

As some of you may be aware, I am looking at a career change. I have been working on a bunch of half scale house and furniture kits, which I hope to have laser cut and up for sale in the next few months. If there is anything in particular you'd like to see, let me know. I probably won't be selling the currently available miniature items (lights, accessories etc) any time soon, but I hope to make a few printed/laser cut accessory packs.

Here is a picture of a stove design that I printed out on paper, stuck onto card and cut out as a prototype.

Seeing as there appears to be discrepancies in sizes of half scale items, I am basing the size of mine on Bespaq pieces. I want these kits to be relatively detailed but easy to put together. 

The first things will be some furniture, like a French style bed, some stoves, occasional tables and a country style bedroom suite. I am also working on a house, with tab and slot construction for stability and a shop or two. I will post some more pics as I progress. 

Lastly, thanks for your comments on my last post. And no, I didn't realise I'd sprouted horns til I got home from the SF zoo and saw the photos! I wondered why people were staring!

Hope you are all keeping well and enjoy your week.

Results of my Rik Pierce course

Hi all. I am back in Australia with my Dudding Wells tearoom which hasn't been touched since the course finished. I had to make some tools and get some supplies, so no real progress.

The course was amazing. If you get the chance to join in, I highly recommend you do. Rik is a great guy and so willing to show you any of his techniques and tricks. He is an endlessly talented and inspiring man - makes me wonder what I'm doing with my life!

Not a lot to show at this stage, but here is part of the exterior, with my unpainted brickwork. I don't have the right colours of paint to finish it, so need to do some shopping for that. We have a limited selection of paints in our small town, so might need to get them online.

This is the interior of the upper floors. Having never used proper paperclay, I didn't know what to expect. I am now a convert. Unfortunately, having tried many types of air dry clays available here in Australia and found none that are remotely similar, I will be limited to buying the real thing online from the US.

This is the house in its box, ready to be shipped home:

If you have any doubts about doing a course because you will have trouble getting something like this home, don't. We boxed it pretty well (double-boxed actually) and checked it as additional baggage (which cost $95 pre-booked). With the heavy timber base, tools, paperclay and all house components (plus a few extra items of clothing used as packaging!) it weighed about 14kg. It was openned by the US customs people but they repacked it and taped it neatly. I think they were suss about the packages of paperclay!

Some quick photos of some souvenirs. This is a tiny teacup I bought at Shellie's Minis (where the workshop was held). She had beautiful stuff.

Some little teddy and bunny faces. Think I'll use these for cakes and the like.

 

My tiny dolly. She won't live in my Mountfield. Maybe she'll go in a half scale house.

All in all, the San Francisco area was fantastic, and we had an amazing time.