Swaps Mall - Grand Opening - Stacked Boxes Part 3

It’s Done!! No Vacancies in the Mall.  William, the Swaps Mall proprietor, is pleased as punch that all rooms/stalls in the mall are filled for Grand Opening.  He doesn’t take good pics – always closed his eyes no matter how many pics I took.

Although technically it will never be done based on my intentions for this project that it is a temporary home for my treasured, I did finish furnishing it for now. It took longer to decide what goes where and tacking them in place than installing the interior papers. This surprised me as I thought it took me so long doing those papers. Overall, the easiest part was applying Modge Podge to the floors, however I think it would have been beneficial to have added it to the interior walls too. But that is an easy enough fix should I decide to take time to do it.

So here are the ‘finished’ sides. 

For more close up photos check them out on my picture trail site - including some with shoppers.

These swaps represent over 10 years of swapping. I still have a several boxes more of swaps that aren’t displayed. I am thinking in two directions with this. One – make the projects the swaps were swapped for to begin with - like a couple of nautical/sea/beach themed swaps, a cat room and a pet shop (which could be combined) and others. Two – make a printer tray type stacked boxes – one sided instead of like this. Either way, I am inspired to get these treasures out of my swap boxes and out on display somewhere and preferably in the project they were meant for.

For someone who is looking at this and thinking, I don’t need this many boxes – this works smaller.  It could be done with fewer boxes or just one side. There are so many possibilities. 

Don’t want to make the boxes?  There are products out there in the craft stores. Some are sold as stationary boxes. Any box shape can work, just add interior floors and walls the appropriate height.

If new to swapping, then check out my article about how to do it.  I really enjoyed swapping and as you can see built up a consider amount.  For a while I was swapping every month.  I did get the point where I realized I was doing nothing but swapping so my advice there is to be selective in what swaps you sign up for.  Consider doing them every other month so that between can be applied to the project they are supposed to go in. I will swap again, when the right swap theme comes along or I get some projects done that the swaps can be used in.  

Happy Miniaturing!
Preble