Mother Goose 20-30

More how I made the sections or areas of my Mother Goose Project

The outside of the book

The hill is made of floral foam that I added gel medium to as a filler.  I won't do that again for landscaping.  It was tough to do anything with shaping wise.  I had to get my dremel out to sand it.  Better off using paper machie or lightweight spackle, which either would be my usual go to product for that.
I cut the floral foam with my craft knife and used toothpicks to pin it together.  Also use those toothpicks to position it against the book and in place on the pink foam layer.
Greenery is done with green landscaping foam for train layouts.  Also wood colored ballast for the paths.

20 Jack and Jill
I received the well as a swap item from Anne Richards.  The Jack and Jill dolls was a set I purchased at a show.  I don't know the artist.  I did buy several from the artist.  Always good to buy when you can of whatever you like, as may never see them again.
I added the pail made of paper and then painted.  

21 Hey Diddle, diddle, the Cat and the Fiddle
This one is actually several combined as it features several characters that I wanted to do.
For the cat, I used another character from under my cheese dome.  This one was made by Bev Corder.  This was one of those purchases - the price was good and I had the money so I bought what I liked.
I made the fiddle by printing and cutting it out.

22  The little dog laughed
This is a metal mini that I painted and added a bow.

23 Dish and Spoon
When I heard that there was going to be a swap for Mother Goose challenge, I decided that I must be a part of it.  I immediately emailed that I wanted to do the Dish and Spoon.  It was the first thing I thought of to make for a Mother Goose type swap.  That is rare as I don't often have an idea right away.
To make them, I used a 1/12th scale plate for the dish.  I painted the edges and faces.  Then I used super glue and wire to add the arms and legs.  I also used my dremel to add grooves in the back for the wires to set in.  Not sure it made much of a difference or not.  Then added the bows.  I made more than needed for the swap as I had to order extra plates and they just were so much fun to do. They are available in my etsy shop.
The spoons were hand cut from cooper.  Hubby helped me solder on the legs and arms.  My son even helped cut the wires that had to be stripped.  I didn't need their help in the sense that I couldn't do it, it was just the timing.
I spray painted the spoons, painted the faces, added bow ties of paper.  The hats are eyelets.

24 Cow jumped over the moon
I use graphics from ME's book that I modified to fit the back of the book.

25 Old Lady lived in a Shoe
I have always wanted to make a shoe house.  I initially was thinking about making one from a paper tube and paper.  Meanwhile I kept thinking about my baby shoes.  Once I decided it was a good use of them, I quickly tested if it would fit in my plan.  
The first thing I did was to find a door and window to use with it.  Then I cut the holes. I also added a wall at the top to fit up into the roof. 
Inside is a table, chair and a icebox.  Can barely see the table through the window. 
The house is lighted - I might should pop up the roof and change the covering over the light and maybe that would help to see the insides.  
The children are from some kits I  sold at one time.  I did have to paint most of the clay heads.

wire bodies some with stockings already

Hula hoop and scooter were swaps from a prior QC convention

Skateboard from a previous swap as well

26 Ring a Round the Rosy
The children just look so cute holding hands.  

27 Three Blind Mice
I was determined to do or use as much of this project from my stash.  However I took a trip to a miniature store in Atlanta during the time I was working on this project.  While at that store I did look at items that might work.  I saw these mice and I knew they would be so much easier to buy these than to make something.  

28 Sing a Song of Sixpence
This is either a really big 1:48 scale pie or a 1:12 scale pie.  To make this pie I made my own pie pan from a metal lid (from peanuts I think).  I rubbed it to remove the indentions.  I also trimmed it to a round shape a little larger than the bottom would be.  I used a wood disk to push the foil up against then my tweezers to add fluting.  Then I used the bottom of a glue stick to further shape the pan's side.
The birds are a toothpick inserted in a seed bead. Cut and then glued into the pan.  They were then painted.
The crust is paint that I squeezed in place using a syringe.  
I added the black feathers to simulate wings.  

29 Pat a Cake
This was a swap from Shelly Norris.  

30 Mother Goose cover
This is from ME's book and I did modify it to work for my book cover in size and removing extra bits.
I have a photoshop program that I have had for a while.  I have tried it off and on.  It isn't difficult so much as just have to learn what the steps are and what they are called.  It does take time to do the work.  Certainly there are ways to create shortcuts, but doing this as a hobby, it is something I haven't taken the time. My advice is if you have a program, find something you want to do and set a goal to do it.  Don't pretend.  It makes it real to learn how to do something that is actually want you want to do, not just an example of what you can do.

Kite in the tree - from a previous swap

Mother Goose 14-19

I am still blogging about how I did the sections in my Mother Goose Challenge project - Here's #14-19

14 Piggies

The main piggies are on the page of the inside of the book.  Figured there was no point to waste the cover.  The white piggy is a one that a friend gave me.
I always loved the wee piggy.  I never thought of him as crying.  His pinwheel is a pin and paper that I painted and it really moves although can't blow it - too tight on the pin.  I looked for a template online to see how to cut it.

15 London Bridge is falling Down

I needed something to fill the space and this rhyme was one of my favorite as a child.

16 Three Men in a Tub

I have collected various people figures over the years.  My father is an O gauge enthusist and he gave me a bunch of train people in different poses and shapes.  I selected 3 figures to make the three men.  These figures were covered in bad paint jobs that needed to be redone.  I had the bright idea to soak them in polish remover - straight acetone.  Well the paint came off but the plastic was melting as well.  I threw those out. Thankfully I have a whole bunch of these so I was ok to toss these and not try to recover them.
Moving to another tact I looked at the wire dolls I have made.  I have a number of bodies made but need to be dressed.  Well those seemed too much work - so I put that all aside.
Then I decided to have a garage sale and found some Christmas items.  This box included a bunch of nativity set people.  I had seen these used to make people.  I selected three I felt would be suitable and I started modifying them with my dremel tool.  here is the process:

3 nativity figures 

legs cut off, staffs cut off, removed backpacks and hat is ready to be pulled off

desicant container emptied - use as the tub

checking the fit - what needs to be modified

Part of the fun in doing this project was to research ideas for what this might look like but also I used a site that told how the rhyme came about.  It seems this one was about three maids in a tub at a sideshow/fair and the three men jumped in with them.  That's a lot of people in a tub (bathtub or otherwise) so I stuck with the three men.  

17 Row, row, your boat

I made the rowboat by cutting a shape and sides from paper printed to look like wood. To go around the shape I folded a lip and cut a bunch of tabs - gluing them individually - overlapping if needed. The gunnel is a piece of bunka.
The guy is a kneeling nativity figure (same one I used for the butcher).  I cut the bent leg off and added it back in a different position.
The oars are straight pins that I cut the head off and then added shaped thin card for the blades.

18 The Pie Man

One of the swaps I received was the pie man's tray from Kim Wood.  I decided to use a resin bunny for the man.  Using my dremel tool, I had to cut away a shovel and shape the belly to allow the tray to hang properly.  Then a re-paint.

19 Rock-a-bye Baby

The baby and cradle was made by Jyl Adams
The tree is made of wires twisted together and adding some texture over the wires.  Previously I have tried using paper machie, layers of paint and spackle.  This time I used gel medium.  This worked very well for this purpose.  Then layers of paint to give color.  This time the layers weren't to add depth.  I do a lot of dry brushing when adding paint like this.  Although this was more just adding several colors dabbing and brushing about all over, but not full coverage coats.

Mother Goose 9-10-11-12-13

How I made sections 9-10-11-12-13 for my Mother Goose Challenge Project

This was a purchased book that I added the walls to make sections.  

I painted over the inside before I added wallpaper so there was no color show-thru.
9 Little Jack Horner
The stool with the pie is a swap item from Ruth Goodger. Sweet.
I made the wallpaper.  Flooring by Joe Hermes.
To make Jack I modified a resin rabbit. With my dremel tool, I removed the spy glass leaving just the top to paint as a plumb on his thumb.  I also removed a pail of water with the boat. Then a repaint.

10 Mother Hubbard
The shelf unit/cupboard is my own design.  
The dog and bowl were metal minis from Susan Korman. I did the painting.
I made the wallpaper.  Flooring by Joe Hermes.

11 Hickory Dickory Dock
The clock and mouse were a swap made by Heather Drinkwater.  Cute.
Rug from a previous swap by Sharon Anderson.
I made the wallpaper.  Flooring by Joe Hermes.

12 Pussycat, Pussycat
The throne is a swap item by Catherine Wojewoda.  See the face and tail?
I made the wallpaper.  Flooring from a supply swap.

13 Humpty Dumpty
I was very interested to learn that Humpty was a canon - a very large one that got knocked off a wall.  
I used the graphics from ME's book - modified to fit the area and what I wanted to show.
I wanted an egg for Humpty, but also didn't want to buy one.  I made him using polymer clay. First I made a egg shape of foil.  Then added a layer of clay.  I cut around his middle before I baked him.  I also insert pins into the spots for the wires.  Then to the oven.
He came apart quite nicely.  I removed the foil unsure if he would be totally open.  It helped to work on the wires that way.
Under him is indeed an egg yolk.  I just made sense why he was broken  beyond repair.  
I did paint him all white and had shaped his face.  That was creepy  and so he got some extra paint to soften the stark white and add some clothes.  

Mother Goose 5-6-7-8

How I made sections 5-6-7-8 for my Mother Goose Challenge Project

5. Little Miss Muffet
I like to buy characters I see and fall in love with.  I have found that if I don't then they won't be around later to purchase.  Not that I always have the funds.  Because of this buying plan, I do have a number of characters that are in my cheese dome.  As I work on a project often they inquire if there is a place for them yet.  
Inspired by ME's rendition with a girl sitting I debated about removing an already placed doll. But one day this bunny got my attention.  After hearing what project I was working on, she informed me that she could get the job done.  Her audition went great, so she is now Miss Muffet.
The table is a dowel cut to size that I added paper.  The paper was actually leftover wallpaper from another project.  To drape it, I added glue and paper towel.  While the glue was wet, I shaped it.
The tuffet was a resin chair that I cut off the back and base.  The middle section pictured became the tuffet.

The chair was over-sized and so I hadn't found a good spot for it yet. I repainted it to match the room.
Spider is a trimmed pom pom painted black.  Legs were cut from the edge of black paper. Eyes punched from white paper and painted.
The two plant sculptures were swaps. Purchased the stands.
The dish of curds and whey was a punched bowl plus some bits of dried paint.
The lattice is grandtline.

(I actually received a swap for this section - but I totally forgot about having it.  I may add it to the shoe house. )
6. Queen of Hearts
The Queen was a swap from Mary E. Johnson. Fabulous!
The ice box and dry sink are painted BPF.  
Wallpaper and flooring is by Joe Hermes and was some I had in my stash.  The baseboard is painted quilling paper, which is my new favorite thing - I bought a bunch of white this year to have in my stash. 
The windows are Grandtline.  I painted them, then added plastic and a printie background.

7 Baa, Baa Black Sheep
The sheep and the bags of wool are a swap from Alicia Ramirez.
The landscaping is bits of foam.
The road is ballast from a train store.

(I am debating the background - should I add some clouds or something???)
8 Mary had a little Lamb
The lamb and hook were a swap from Kristie Dubord.
The brick is red plastic.  I added white paint to fill the grout.  Then I used a paper towel dipped in isopropyl alcohol to wipe away on the brick surface.
The base stone is also plastic and I left it unpainted.
Both plastic siding was purchased online.
The taller greenery is lycopodium.  Other landscaping bits are foam.

Mother Goose - 1-2-3-4

How I made sections 1-2-3-4 for my Mother Goose Challenge Project

1. Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater
Inspired by other challenger's projects, I decided I wanted a pumpkin as part of mine as well.  When I noticed the gourd it was a meant to be sort of moment to me.
To make this section, I started with a 4 inch gourd.  I cut this in half and then across the top and bottom using a dremel tool and a cut off wheel.  I used same to cut out the openings.

The roof is made from a single full size faux maple leaf that I cut up.  I added some real grape vine tendrils that I painted green.
The awnings are thick paper I cut to shape using regular and scalloped scissors.  These are painted by hand using a 10/0 liner, but I could have used printies instead.  
Window box of thin card, plus foam painted brown and added yellow punched petals to make the flowers.
The window and door are from Grandtline.  I did modify the window - a leftover from another project.  I jsut added a window sill.  The shutter was cut in half to fit.
Lantern is made of grape vine tendril and a seed pod - all painted.
Interior walls and floor were printies I created or scrapbook paper.  
The hutch is brown plastic furniture (BPF).  I removed the cabinet doors from the top and added the punched plates.  The table is also BPF with a pumpkin I made years ago for swaps.
The exterior walls were painted by hand.  I used fine ground floral foam and dried tea leaves for the landscaping.  The little pumpkins I made a long time ago.  The pumpkin leaves are from a wreath/ garland.  

2. House Under the Hill
I had this odd corner that it just seems to fit to have a house under the hill.  I wasn't really familiar with this rhyme, so it was an after thought.  But I really like how it turned out.
The wall is made from a piece of paper machie pot.  This stuff is easy to use and creates great texture.  I tore it to fit.  But cut the opening for the door with my craft knife.  
The door  I finally used is Grandtline screen door that I added mesh ribbon to back.  
The interior does have wallpaper and flooring, but not really seen.
The landscaping is fine landscaping foam that I added after painting the paper machie green.
The wee lady is swap from Sue Herber (not a swap as part of this challenge).  Very sweet.

not door I ultimately used

 

3. Mistress Mary (How does your garden grow?)
I love Mary Engelbreit and I considered using the graphics in a book I got.  Instead I thought about the ME notepad that I had used before.  This graphic had a girl watering flowers and it just fit for me.  I simply cut it out using my craft knife - lots of tiny cuts.  Then to give depth I added a piece of matt board before gluing to the wall.
The plants are a combination of dried materials - some dyed, some painted, and green landscape foam and punched petals. 
The plastic fence was a leftover from a project but was bought online.

4. Little Boy Blue
This was a very simple one to do.
I received the haystack and little boy blue as a swap from Susie Newel.  so cute
The walls were done using graphics from ME's book - I did modify them to fit what I wanted for my walls.

Mother Goose Project

Mother Goose Challenge

Updated with new front cover photos 11/23

Challenge Accepted

A challenge was issued and it was one I accepted.  I have to like the concept or theme in order for me to accept a challenge.  This challenge was issued by Pam Junk Knapp over on Smaller and Smaller Adventures on yahoo groups.  The challenge was to make a project in 1:48 scale that had a Mother Goose / Nursery Rhyme theme.  In addition to the challenge was the opportunity to participate in a swap.  I also choose to do this swap and I received some wonderful things.
Thinking about this project and how I would do it - I recalled the hollow books I have been playing around with lately.  I had wanted to make a really big book with multiple sections in it. I decided that the book idea and Mother Goose rhymes would fit nice together. 
Here is the completed project:

With children added

The inside of the book

pages side of book

back of the book

View from the top

More pics can be found in the links below and also on my picturetrail site.

Rhyme listing

These links are where I share "How I did it".

Peter, Pumpkin Eater * House Under Hill  *  Mary How does your garden grow?  *  Little Boy Blue  *  Miss Muffet  *  Queen of Hearts  *  Baa, Baa Black Sheep  *  Mary had a little lamb  *  Little Jack Horner  *  Mother Hubbard  *  Hickory, Dickory Dock  *  Pussy cat, pussy cat  *  Humpty Dumpty  *  Piggies  *  London Bridge is Falling Down  *  Three Men in a Tub  *  Row, row your boat  *  The pie man  *  Rock-a-bye Baby  *  Jack and Jill  *  Hey Diddle, Diddle  *  Old Lady who Lived in a Shoe  *  Ring a round the Rosy  *  Mother Goose  *  Three Blind Mice  *  Sing a Song of Sixpence * Pat a Cake

Lessons I have learned doing this project

At some point, I decided that this project needed to use up stuff.  Ideally this meant I didn't buy anything for it, but that wasn't to be the case as I worked with it.  But it was a good brain stretcher to do so.
- This was my first time to build boxes that had to fit together.  There a many ways to do this and it isn't that my way didn't work, but I could have saved myself some time and measuring if I had cut all the boxes at the beginning.  I also think I should have used a layer of matt board across the bottom the full size so I didn't have to later add floors.  This would have likely helped me with the issues I had around size of the whole bottom level.  
- This one was not so much a lesson that was new, more a reminder - keep an open mind about what might work.  This really was where the brain stretching came in.  I have collected so many supplies and swaps over the years that I really need to use them.  I feel really good that I did, but sometimes I had to think beyond what I wanted to do initially as I didn't have the supplies on hand.  Another time was thinking I needed to make a shoe and I concluded that I needed to use my baby shoe instead. Yet another was trying to find an egg shaped solution for humpty - ultimately I was avoiding using clay.  Not that clay is a bad thing.
- When doing multi-levels - use connectors so that the wiring can be disconnected to work on one level and not the whole thing.
- Get ideas from others - when you get stuck or just want to hear how others might do something, ask other miniaturists.  Again, this wasn't a new lesson, but a reminder of how this can help expand my thinking.  We don't have to use their ideas, but it can help us to move beyond what we have been thinking.
- Everyone has their own gifts.  Don't envy the gifts of others.  Let their work inspire you to do better, be more creative, or try harder to do what you can do. Envy will discourage you and can keep you  from seeing the worth of your own work.  This isn't something I typically have an issue with this, but it is a good reminder as well.

Overall I am very pleased to have done this challenge.  This was truly a challenge that I made my own - challenge to just use what I have.  I may have not done that 100% but I am very happy with the percentage I did.  
Psst - I did actually do one thing here in 1:12 scale - see if you can figure it out in the how I did posts I will be sharing in the next few days.

MerrieBunnie Gets a Craft Room

As I walked by  my display dome the other day, I heard a tiny voice, "Psst".  I stop and lean in and sure enough MerrieBunnie was trying to get my attention.  I lifted the dome and said , "Hi, what's up?"

Mb: "Well, that is what I wanted to ask you. Why haven't you been at your work desk much this week?"

Me:  "I'm on vacation."

Mb: "But you are here and not off somewhere?"

Me: "Well, that's because I took vacation so I could enjoy the Online House Party."

Mb: "What's an online house party? I don't see any party going on here."

Me: "No, that's because it's online.  I've been in chat all morning."

Mb: "Oh, so what are you working on lately? Anything I might like?"

Me: "Well, actually, now that you mention it, yes, there might be."

Mb: With eyes lighting up "Oh really?"

Me: "Yes, why don't you come for a look,"  picking up MerriBunnie.  "I am putting together the Thursday Night project for the HP that I purchased separately.  TNP for short."

MB: After setting her near the project, "Oh my!  I can hardly stand the thought of it!  I love it! Can I really get to live here?"

Me: "Sure.  What do you think of the wallpaper?"

MB: "They are my favorite colors."

Me: "Are you ok with that lavender window?  A fellow HP attendee said I should go with that over white."

MB:  "Oh my, yes.  I think it looks splendid with the wallpaper. Where did the wallpaper come from?"

Me: "I had it in my stash, along with the flooring and the brick paper that I used for the outside."

MB: "Wait, there is an outside too?"

Me: "Yes, see it has this nook that I am going to add a garden too."

MB: "Wow, this is a really neat project.  What goes inside the room?"

Me: "Well as a registered attendee to the HP, I received several items as souvenirs, including a desk kit, a chair, a laptop and a plant. Plus, I participated in a swap and some of those items will be included in the room as well."

MB: "What about the outside, did you get items for it as well?"

ME: "No, but I have items from previous conventions and swaps that will likely fit."

MB:  "I am so excited.  I can hardly wait until you finish it and I can move in."

Me"  "Yes, I am really enjoying this project.  Give me a few more days and it will be ready."

MB: "Tell me more about this online HP? How are you here and there too?"

ME: "Well, being online means that some things like tables are virtual.  Many other things like the sales room are real - well the dealers are real - the room is not.  As matter of fact, while I was in chat, I was also sneaking off to the dealers tables or websites. "

MB:  "This is interesting.  So what did you buy?"

Me:  "Some rabbit things, some molds to make food, and Logan helped me buy a gypsy wagon kit."

MB: "Logan, your kitty - that mean monster?  How did he buy things?"

Me: "Yes, Logan.  I understand why would call him a mean monster - he is quite large too you.  Not to mention that whole knocking things down off the counter where you were staying these past few years."

MB: "So how did he buy something for you?  He doesn't usually use your computer, right?"

ME: "Well, not that I have known of before.  But today, he put his paws on the keyboard and went to ordering things. My hubby saw.  I pointed it out to him so he would be sure to notice it. He has very nice taste."

MB:  "Ok, if you say so.  Just keep him away from me.  I don't want to get chewed on by him.  I am sure he would ruin my nice dress."

Me: "Yes, I think he would.  So I will be sure to use a case when the project is finished.  It also keeps the dust out.  However I do have to go get one - ah a trip to the hobby store."

MB: "Wait how do you chat with people if they aren't here either?"

Me: "In an online chat room - which just means you type your posts to each other.  This chat has been really fun.  People generally add their location to their id in a mini chat room.  For the costume party part of the banquet, I even changed mine to reflect my costume for a while."

MB: "What do you do at a HP?"

Me: "Browse the roundtables when they get posted for one - I didn't purchase any - maybe because Logan wasn't around to help."

MB: "Well I can see that you didn't need any roundtables you have plenty of tables set up in here to work on."

Me:  "Opps! I forgot to explain what that is - which is a small kit that's usually put together at a round table.  At an online one you just get to see the pictures and then order them from the dealers."

MB: "What else is different from an online HP and a real one?"

Me:  "Well, since I have never been to a real HP, only been to shows and Fun Day events, I can just tell what I have heard, that there are HP Helpers, Auctions, Exhibits, Centerpieces, Workshops and more.   The online HP had all those just in a different format.  The helpers, auction items, exhibits, centerpieces were all via pictures.  But there was a chance to win a centerpiece at each table.  I didn't win one though.  Workshops happened a few months ago - the ordering anyway.  But I did get a first timers gift as this was considered my first NAME HP.  Another thing a real one has is meals - at an online one we just get pictures and we travel to different places for each one - virtually of course.

Oh and I was also on the committee - Home Improvement Seminars Chair."

MB: "What is a Home Improvement Seminar?"

Me: "A presentation on how to improve the home - in this case the mini home.  Mine was on 'Organizing Swaps' which I have a lot of,"  pointing over the swap boxes stacked up.

MB: "One more thing - you said you worked on this TNP at the same time as being in the chat room - how did you do that?"

Me: "Between typing of course, but I also tend to get quiet when I work.  Although sometimes I share what I am doing with the others and have them give suggestions or inquire how they did something in theirs if they have said they had been working on it. I am about to put the desk together - want to help?"

MB:  "I would love to!"

Me: "Hold this while I get the glue…."

MerrieBunnie and I just finished putting the project together and she is just pleased as punch to have her new place to live.  Here it is

 The desk was a souvenir kit that had to be put together.  The chair, laptop and plant were also souvenirs.  In the totefavors I received the clock on the wall and the poster 'I heart minis'.

The shelf above the desk was a kit by Pam Junk I had in my swaps.  The typewriter is a metal mini that I painted.  The red poster was printed from an image on the internet.

The garden bench was signed VH, a swap from a previous online convention.  The bunny flag and hanging plant were also swaps and I don't have the name for the makers either.

More pictures can be found on my Picture Trail album here.

The TNP was a fabulous companion piece for our souvenirs.  I was really glad to have purchased it.  It was very clever in that the walls were able to be laid out in different ways.  I really liked one of the examples that had this layout and also a window so I did add a window.  I selected my window (Grandtline) and then cut the opening using a cut-off wheel in my dremel tool.
I added wood trim to the top and also around the window exterior.  

MerrieBunnie and her cousin BunnieAnn were made by Bev Corder.  In the display dome is also several other lovely characters that she made and I got at a miniature show in Atlanta.  You can see the room I made for BunnieAnn here.