I've been making steady progress on the Stationery Shop this week, spurred on by the lure of the Stella Castle! It's slow going, due to my edge painting habit, but I'm really pleased with how it's coming together.
The next step is adding the lights in, so that's being left for tomorrow when my brain might be working a bit better again!
So, as my flair suggests, I do like a bit of edge painting, whether to blend the laser cut edges in with the rest of the build, or to provide a contrast colour. I don't have an artistic background or any expensive painting kit, so am over the moon with how this one came out yesterday evening and wanted to share!
For the visible edge on this stone wall/pillar, I initially used my dark grey marker, but it was far too dark and strong. With my (awful, super cheap, 3mm) white marker I managed to do the very fine mortar lines - but they looked too stark. Then I realised this was probably the perfect use-case for my semi dried up and rather fuzzy brush tip on my light grey. I dabbed that on rather unevenly all the way along the painted edge, and what a transformation! This has to be the best edge I've ever painted in terms of detail and matching its surroundings!
(Kit is Rolife Wisdom Stationery Shop)
The Offspring is now away for a while, so our Unseen University Library project is currently shelved (hah!) for a bit. I've ordered the outer box for my Moominvalley build, but that won't arrive for at least a few days yet, so time to start on something else!
So this week I've started on the Rolife Stationers Shop. I'm taking it slowly, painting edges as usual but not planning any other mods. I'm really enjoying it, although with very limited mental energy can only manage an hour or two per day on it. On the bright side that means the enjoyment is extended...
And with all the excitement around today's solar eclipse, I repurposed a box from a completed kit into a pinhole eclipse viewer thing. It worked rather well, so I'm very happy with that!
We've made some progress on the Library, but unfortunately Real Life (TM) has rather got in the way so not as much as we'd like. Offspring has done some wonderful custom art, and the Librarian's blanket nest is now installed under his desk. We're putting as many little Easter Eggs in as we can think of - from a Bank With Rocks In flyer on the desk, to a snow globe on the opposite bookshelf. I absolutely love the painting she's adapted on the side wall and wish I'd taken a 'before' picture to go alongside the 'after' with the Tower of Art standing tall.
With a bit of luck we'll get it finished next
week, and just be waiting for the Librarian to be procured!
It might not look like it yet, but this is going to be the library at Unseen University! Obviously there aren't any official Discworld books, but Offspring #1 and I are building this one together and will be customising it a bit. This is the first nook Offspring has ever made, but she's already edge painting of course, and we're planning on various extras to be added in as we go.
I've discovered our county library has 3D printers in their Makerspace, so I need to find out how we might go about using these to make our orangutan Librarian. A few other bits of custom art will be needed, but I'm relying on my very talented Offspring to produce those.
No Moominvalley nook progress to report this week, but we did have a nice trip to a local craft supplies shop where I bought a little bit of wood and a lot of tools (strongly encouraged by my wonderful Beloved!). Maybe some new developments there in the next week...
So, yes, I bought the Rolife Moomin kits last week, and was super happy that they arrived on Saturday morning. So happy, in fact, that I retreated to my craft room at 3pm that afternoon, and didn't reappear until almost 7, proudly carrying my completed Moomintroll fishing scene!
It's a really nice kit - generally very straightforward, extremely clear full colour instructions, everything I've come to expect from Rolife. It all came together nicely, with the only tricky bit being attaching the back arch with the clear plastic to the rest of the build. This took me a while and was rather frustrating at times, but it went together eventually, despite being a very tight fit. If I'd taken a moment to think I'd have sanded down the studs slightly just so that it would fit slightly easier. But as they say, hindsight is always 20/20...
I'm really pleased that I like the actual piece more than I liked it in pictures. The depth created by the design is so much better and less cluttered than it seemed it might be in the photos. Overall, I very strongly recommend this to anyone who likes Moomins and is looking for a quick and easy build. The only reason it took me as long as it did was the edge painting that I felt compelled to do, as usual. So lovely kit, great little build, and a wonderful addition to my displays. Now I just need to find where the moomin books are hiding so they can be got out and this can go and join them!
(I posted this originally at about 1am Monday for me, but that may have been not quite monday enough so it got removed. Hopefully it's ok now -!7am BST)
So, yes, I bought the Rolife Moomin kits last week, and was super happy that they arrived on Saturday morning. So happy, in fact, that I retreated to my craft room at 3pm that afternoon, and didn't reappear until almost 7, proudly carrying my completed Moomintroll fishing scene!
It's a really nice kit - generally very straightforward, extremely clear full colour instructions, everything I've come to expect from Rolife. It all came together nicely, with the only tricky bit being attaching the back arch with the clear plastic to the rest of the build. This took me a while and was rather frustrating at times, but it went together eventually, despite being a very tight fit. If I'd taken a moment to think I'd have sanded down the studs slightly just so that it would fit slightly easier. But as they say, hindsight is always 20/20...
I'm really pleased that I like the actual piece more than I liked it in pictures. The depth created by the design is so much better and less cluttered than it seemed it might be in the photos. Overall, I very strongly recommend this to anyone who likes Moomins and is looking for a quick and easy build. The only reason it took me as long as it did was the edge painting that I felt compelled to do, as usual. So lovely kit, great little build, and a wonderful addition to my displays. Now I just need to find where the moomin books are hiding so they can be got out and this can go and join them!
Ordered a couple of days ago (and very glad for this sub's discount code!). For some reason the tracking link I was sent in the email didn't work but once I realised it was a Royal Mail delivery I checked on their website and discovered it was already waiting in my porch!
Moominhouse won't be mine properly for a few more days as it's a wedding anniversary gift from my Beloved, but that's fine - I have the other two in the meantime if my scratch build isn't enough moomins to keep me going ๐
My little Moominvalley has been occupying a large ty of my thoughts this past week, even when I haven't been able to face entering the oven that is my craft room in hot weather! I have managed a few hours in here, so there's a bit of progress with the design:
* added flowers to the lawn
* Hobgoblin riding his panther through the sky over the mountains
*Right hand side now has mountains and greenery, and I've managed to include a bit of the sea view, with the bathing hut and - at Offspring #2's 'request' even a tiny boat with a few teeny wee hattifatteners in it!
I'm pretty happy with all of that, and feel that it works well, but am less sure about the left hand side. I currently have the woodshed, a couple of flower bushes and a few trees, but it feels both cluttered and empty. I'm wondering about moving the smaller bush to face forward on the main ground, to see if that helps - or possibly removing it altogether. It could be that paler trees will work better than the dark spruces.
I've just had another look, and suddenly wondered whether the actual answer is moving Snufkjn's camp to the other side of the path, nearer the river; putting a flowering shrub where the tent currently is; taking out the foreground-ish trees on the left side wall, and just having a few more spruces in the distance at the foot of the mountains. That's something to try tomorrow as I have to go water the garden now!
So I think I'm maybe nearly there with the overall design and layout. Then I need to figure out what I need to make it in wood - although I'm definitely going to keep this model as I'm growing very fond and proud of it too!
Oh, and yes of course I've ordered all three new Rolife/Moominvalley kits. They should arrive in a few days... ๐๐
I've been thinking for a little while about making my very own Moominvalley booknooks, but not really knowing where or how to start. But a couple of days ago I sat and sketched out a couple of ideas, and this evening I've started putting together a (very) rough model in cardboard.
The ground will be in green, with some Tove Jansson-esque daisies and flowers in it. And I think I might try to add a hobgoblin riding his panther across the sky on the back wall.
The right-hand side will have more trees in the background, and possibly a view of the bathing house if I can work out how to put it in. The left-hand side will hopefully have a little woodhouse and some jasmine bushes.
I think I want to build out the steps from the house so that there can be a proper porch/veranda there, but am not absolutely certain how 3D I want to get with that. And I intend to try making at least Moomintroll, Moominmamma and Moominpappa from polymer clay.
So there's lots to do - I think this is going to be a slow-burn long ongoing project, with other builds happening at the same time. And even once I'm happy with this rough draft, I then need to work out how on earth to do it for real! Wish me luck...!
I thought I was only going to do a little more on this today, but it turned out I was very near the end, so here it is, finished!
The kit is exactly what I expect from Tonecheer - good quality boards, bright colours, and a beautiful design. The instructions are absolutely spot-on, and leave nothing to chance at all.
I absolutely love the movement in this build; the gear on the right-hand outside turns a whole chain of gears on the side wall and back of the nook, and spins two dials visible on the inside and outside of the back wall. And the left-hand wall has a lift platform which is lowered and raised by a dial on the outside. I used prolific amounts of wood lubricant, and checked the movements frequently, and all seems to have gone well with these.
I've made very limited mods: edge painting, as usual - and two 3D models to replace the bird on the floor and the cat on the back wall. I've just noticed the cat curled up on the stairs, so will try to make a late replacement for this - but not today!
All in all, a really lovely build. Two levels of lighting, and the choice of proximity or touch sensor to turn it on. Lots of (mostly self-inflicted) detail to get into and enjoy, and a gorgeous end product. I'd absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants to try something with gears and movement.
Following my post yesterday, asking for suggestions on how to make things take longer, this afternoon I've taken the plunge and decided to try making a couple of 3D models to replace the 2D pieces. These still need to be baked, then I'll add the colour for the beak and eyes on the bird, and eyes on the cat. They're not perfect, but I'm very happy with them - and they've taken me well over an hour of fiddling and tweaking tiny details of shaping, so job done as far as that's concerned ๐
I'm not going to try and replicate the detail in the cats colouring - I think I know my limitations - but I might add a couple of patches of darker shading... Let's see how brave I feel after dinner!
Im working on the Tonecheer Clocktower, and am struggling to pace myself! I'm deliberately trying to take it slowly, as I haven't the money or space to complete each nook in a few days, but it's so hard not to keep going!
I already try to limit the amount of time I spend working on it in a day, paint the edges as carefully as I can, adding details where possible, ensuring I've used plenty of lubricant for the gears and testing them regularly - but the lure of the Next Step is so hard to resist!
I know I'm far from the only person here wrestling with the need for self-discipline; what other techniques do you use to prolong builds?
I'm having so much fun with the Tonecheer Clock Tower. It's been so hot here this week that I've not ventured into my garden office until the evenings, but I've had some good productive time.
Both the side pieces are now almost complete,
but the back, top and base are yet to come. There's a long line of prepared components across my desk, waiting their turn- but they may also need to wait until the temperature drops about 10ยฐ(C)...
I'm having lots of fun with my metallic markers, and have added some touches of the bronze to this one so it's not just gold and silver everywhere. Looking forward to seeing the next bits come together.
I was going to make a start on the new Rolife Stationery Shop when my Beloved said I could have one of the kits he's stashed away for me - so I changed my mind very quickly and will now be building the Tonecheer Clock Tower instead!
I've only done one Tonecheer build previously - the Space Time Museum - but so far I'm very happy with the kit, instructions etc. i've successfully tested the lights, and made a start on building some of the teeny tiny components which will go into the build. I'm edge painting everything, of course, but not expecting any other mods at this point. I didn't time it particularly but think it took about 2 hours to make this little array of small boxes! Plenty more
fun to be had yet... ๐
I was very nervous about this one - I'd never seen the brand until the day we bought this, so didn't know what to expect from them. And having decided to colour it, didn't know how well that might go. I have to say, I'm super happy with both concerns! The instructions were some of the clearest I've come across so far - the diagrams were very easy to follow. The only minor issue was their layout on the page - I occasionally nearly missed a step due to having to look below the precious rather than going straight across. But no mishaps happened with this, so it was just a case of having to be alert.
The pieces fitted together very well. Some of the joints were tight due to the paint, but that's obviously not a fault of the kit at all, but just a consequence of my choices. I especially love the teeny tiny furniture - the bed, sofas and coffee table are utterly delightful!
And the painting? I'm delighted with how it's come out. Some of the painting is less tidy that I'd really like, but it was my first time using the tube of white acrylic paint rather than a marker, and I only have one brush so couldn't always be as precise and detailed as I might have been otherwise. But I'm very pleased that I took the plunge and braved it!
Overall, a very satisfying little project. I'd definitely want to get a few more of these if only we had more suitable houseplants for them to inhabit!
Having finished Cats Crossing earlier, I decided to stop being scared of a plain wood build and get started with the Tiny Treehouse kit I got a few weeks ago. This is the Forest Cottage - I wondered about leaving it totally plain but really wanted a more colourful cottage. So I got my pens out and am having a go - the worst that can happen is that I'm not happy with my colour choices and can try repainting. And if that doesn't work and I just hate it, then that's been a learning experience. So far, so good though. I think I need to introduce a couple more colours somewhere but don't yet know quite what or where. But there's plenty of build to go yet!
I should hopefully get this finished later today, but here's where it's up to so far. All 3 cats have been repainted to resemble our own cats (to the best of my limited ability!). Two have come out well, but one was very tricky and I'm not especially satisfied.
I've tried making some little roses from polymer clay to use instead of the red beads in the next step, so that's a new adventure for me!
I had a busy week last week so barely managed any time working on this, but I've had a few good afternoons making progress this week. It's going well, and I'm relaxing into the freedom of placing the books, grass and vines where I want.
The instructions weren't very clear on how and where the pictures attach in the corner between the side pieces, but they seem to be placed ok I think. I'll check them tomorrow to make sure the glue was in the right places to hold them securely.
I also want to rummage through my fabric stash to see if I have anything suitable to add a few more leaves to the vine, as it seems rather bare to me. Must remember to do that before it goes too inaccessible!
All in all, I'm enjoying this, and looking forward to seeing it come together over the next few days/weeks ๐
Last week I managed barely any time in my craft room, but I've definitely made up for it this week. I'd got within the last few pages of instructions for Arcade Dating on Thursday, so managed to finish that this afternoon. I'm super happy with how it's come out. (The blue door is slightly out of place in the photo, but that's been fixed now!) I've really enjoyed the kit - nothing too fiddly, all nice and straightforward. The only mods I've made are the usual edge painting, detailing the flower at the front, and using fabric instead of stickers on the tables and chairs.
My Stationery Shop (event prize) arrived today, so that was a lovely discovery mid-afternoon when I had to go out and found it in the porch!
And having finished the Arcade I decided to start the Cats Crossing book - my first from Anavrin, and the first time I've used fake grass etc. It's a very different start to my previous builds, but I'm looking forward to seeing it come together. And will be asking my very artistic Eldest Offspring to customise the cats and make them ours.