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Friday, January 11, 2019

Creating French Miniatures


 Creating my own miniature pieces for the dollhouse is exciting.  
There is a big learning curve, as miniature making is fiddly work, 
and requires patience and precision. 
 Behold the French Dressing Screen! 
 Sitting at my desk, I created this screen out of paper and paint, with the 
exception of the legs, which are made from dollhouse staircase balusters.
Bristol Paper, which is heavy card stock, is cut according to a pattern
found in my favorite book on miniatures:  The Big Book of a Miniature House, by
French author and miniaturist Christine Lea Frisoni.  She also writes a blog,
which is linked on my blogroll on my right hand sidebar. If 
you are reading this on a mobile phone vs a laptop or desktop,
you can scroll to bottom of blogpost and 
click on "view web version" to view the sidebar. 
 Her book has many DIY projects and this one was the one I decided to try.
 It required Bristol or heavy paper, and acetate paper for the mirrored area,
as well as a printed paper in a pretty  French vintage inspired design.
 The screen gets assembled as if a sandwich, with back solid sections 
layered over with the mirror paper. Then I glued the printed paper to the 
bottom of the mirror, to line up with the top framework of the screen.
 The book says to insert the decorative paper at the end, but I found it 
easier to glue the pink floral paper to the mirror first.
 The finishing touches are the wooden legs, 
and the ribboned bows at the top, which are made of thin paper strips.
Lea shows how to do this in the book.
Its a charming addition to my French dollhouse.
I have much work to do on the house, but finding or making pieces 
that fit my esthetic are ongoing as I complete the interior rooms. 
 Making flowers out of paper is another project in the book.
Lea (the author ) makes them from crepe paper streamers, that she paints 
in a water color way so the colors of the petals are soft and realistic.
I used a coffee filter as I did not have streamers on hand.
 The result was ok, but not as great as the flowers Lea makes....
I will be making more once I buy some streamers. 
One other neat thing I discovered was three dimensional paint!
I used gold 3D paint to add some details to my pastry table and
I loved the result.  These little projects will add nice personal touches to 
the house.  I have a special Vintage piece of furniture coming....
excited to share when it arrives!



8 comments:

  1. Dear Amy,

    You made a great screen, I love the color and the design you chose, it is perfect in your pretty miniature house.
    Thank you so much showing how you manage with my book!
    I'm sure you will do great roses with crepe paper.
    These are already beautiful, as a first try, congrats!

    Hugs from France
    ♥ Léa

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Lea!! I am sure you can tell how much I am enjoying your book!

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  2. Wow, you are so talented! The screen is absolutely beautiful, and I love the flowers you made...I think your dollhouse will be a treasured family heirloom for generations to come.

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  3. Amy, this screen is amazing! Love the intricate details. You have way more patience than me. Working with little tiny things makes me nuts, but I'll enjoy watching your process.

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  4. I can't get over your patience and dexterity. When I imagine myself doing this I laugh.

    I'm enjoying the process of you making a small French house

    Cindy

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  5. Lea's book IS an Amazing resource and you have not only produced a Beautiful French screen but your roses have a beautiful color and shape.
    I'll also add that as a rookie miniaturist, your work on your doll's house is A Great Pleasure to look at.

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  6. Your work is amazing, Amy. I also have this book, and plan to make the Double Bed....I hope it turns out...it will be my first project from the book. xo

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  7. You have inspired me to update my own dolls house! I have retrieved it from the garage where it has sat since I moved house 2 years ago! Like you I love French style and my new home reflects this although it’s a 1970s bungalow! I look forward to you dolls house updates!

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