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House of Miniatures (Kitbashing Stories??)


MaryKate

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Hi everyone,

The heat may be affecting my judgment; I've recently bought several lots of House of Miniatures kits and while I haven't had time to build any of them (or work on the houses they'll go into), I keep dreaming about how I'll finish them and use them when the time comes.

I'd love to hear (or see, if you have photos up!!) examples of what you all have done with these or other furniture kits (I'm really tempted by the Realife Library Kit, if I can find one at a reasonable price)--especially if you've kitbashed them, either slightly or drastically. The thing about buying lots of HOM kits is you get many fun things, but there's almost always a clock involved as well*, and while I have a lot of houses planned, not all of them need a traditional grandfather clock. I'm thinking about steampunking one of them somehow, but I'd also love ideas for completely different (i.e., non-clock) ways to use the components of that kit. Between my recent purchases and some stuff I've inherited, I have at least 4 grandfather clock kits (HOM & Chrysnbon). I'll probably take just the top part of one of them and make a mantle clock; my dad has made one for each of his 7 children, so at least one of my houses needs a mini version.

(* I remember, as a kid, wanting to sign up for the HOM kit of the month club or whatever that was; I read those ads word for word and drooled, so I know the reason there are so many clock kits floating around is that it was often the "free gift" for joining.)

Oh, and seriously, how many candle stands and fire screens does any miniaturist need?? There has to be something fun I can make with some of those pieces! Is there any way to turn a fire screen into a book stand? I have at least 3 houses that could use one. 

I'm planning to use some of the cabinet tops to make kitchen cupboards, and will probably turn at least one of the chests of drawers into a vanity for a bathroom sink. But I want to get even more creative than that. So help me dream! What have you done, or planned to do, with your furniture kits?

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I have a great many of Xacto House miniatures kits and am working on them as we speak. When I have completely finished using them in mahogany as is I may do a bit of bashing but at the moment I am building them. Just finished the Chippendale oval dining table with five leaves, 1 removable and the breakfront cabinet,, Chippendale sideboard to match the table, and I have the six matching dining 4 +(2 carvers)partly finished. I do have the original glues and finishing kits too.

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I also pretty much build the furniture kits as is to use, although at one point I had three of those William & Mary case clocks t that I replaced the kit clock face on two of them with old watch dials and finished off differently.  The one I painted green is in the pub's snug nd I don't have  any photos that really show it:

the kitchen, left wall

I stained another one and decorated it with sesame seeds & rice grains painted gold; bugs at the seeds & grains; paint, sealer &all, so I just touched up where they used to be with a gold felt pen:

gallery_8_988_73647.jpg

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11 hours ago, MaryKate said:

(I'm really tempted by the Realife Library Kit, if I can find one at a reasonable price)

I love this kit too.. and have been searching for a reasonable one for a while. I saw this one though and thought of you. I think it's reasonably priced. I'm not buying because they are charging an extortionate amount for international shipping (think more than 3 times the price of the item). But if you are in the US the shipping might be ok.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/282586764476?ul_noapp=true

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12 hours ago, MaryKate said:

Hi everyone,

The heat may be affecting my judgment; I've recently bought several lots of House of Miniatures kits and while I haven't had time to build any of them (or work on the houses they'll go into), I keep dreaming about how I'll finish them and use them when the time comes.

I'd love to hear (or see, if you have photos up!!) examples of what you all have done with these or other furniture kits (I'm really tempted by the Realife Library Kit, if I can find

My kitchen room box is from a Realife miniatures kit. I used all the cabinets, the stove and the refrigerator.

 What I love about those old kits is the smell..LOL! I don't know what causes the smell, but it reminds me of  my Granny's photo albums, and old pictures she had stored in cardboard boxes. I think it's the combination of old paper and wood stored in high humidity?

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I bought a bashed RealLife Miniatures dresser - they removed the last 4 drawers, made those into shelves and did a weathered white finish with crystal hardware. It was lovely and made me think outside the box with those kits.

 

RL_dresser.jpg

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1 hour ago, Elsbeth said:

I bought a bashed RealLife Miniatures dresser - they removed the last 4 drawers, made those into shelves and did a weathered white finish with crystal hardware. It was lovely and made me think outside the box with those kits.

If any of you do that with yours, I noticed a Pinterest craft pin that used old dresser drawers for wall displays, adding wood dividers and painting them in pastel colors.

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5 hours ago, Samusa said:

I love this kit too.. and have been searching for a reasonable one for a while. I saw this one though and thought of you. I think it's reasonably priced. I'm not buying because they are charging an extortionate amount for international shipping (think more than 3 times the price of the item). But if you are in the US the shipping might be ok.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/282586764476?ul_noapp=true

I checked-to mail it to me in the states would have been nearly twice the cost of the kit itself! Yikes. But thank you so much for the heads up, and good luck with your own search!

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Holly, that's so...I think the word I want is "unsettling", about the bugs eating your decor. I mean, I know they're going to do bug things no matter what, but ugh. Glad you found a solution; the clock looks very nice!

 

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11 minutes ago, MaryKate said:

I checked-to mail it to me in the states would have been nearly twice the cost of the kit itself! Yikes. But thank you so much for the heads up, and good luck with your own search!

Mmmm.. I think there are some unscrupulous dealers on ebay that pocket the excess shipping charges too.. I've had this happen because when I check my statement the amount paid to the vendor is often different than what I agreed to pay but then when I look at the separate global shipping charge it is cheaper than what was on the listing. When I add the two amounts together I get the exact amount of the price + shipping on my checkout, or near enough to it to be rather suspicious. It's a shame that vendors do this.. I have a pretty good idea of what shipping should cost to Australia and when I see something much higher then I steer clear.

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If you see an outrageous looking shipping charge be sure to message the seller first and ask if it's accurate. Apparently if a listing gets automatically relisted then eBay defaults to charge the highest shipping price. I had a seller charge me for priority mail but ship media mail so I communicated with them and they told me they didn't realize it had happened (yeah right) and refunded shipping overage. 

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Wow, Jodi, you sure do like to bash.  All your bashes are a definitely an upgrade to the original kits. So very creative, but that is how you roll.  ( i follow your blog to watch your builds).  You have given me a lot of inspiration, as I have a lot of these kits.  

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Those are wonderful, Jodi! I'm in awe of that kitchen, it's wonderful!

Jeannine, do you find the glues and stains still work okay? I have some that are from the 80s, I think, in a set I inherited, and I was wondering if I can still use them.

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11 minutes ago, Its_a_sm_world_after_all said:

These were a few fun ones... I love me some bashing!

You certainly do Jodi, and you are a master at it. :D

I just picked up a Realife Kitchen kit.. I hope mine comes out as cute as yours did!... What did you use for your door hinges/hardware?

And the stove and fridge look fantastic.. did you use that triple thick gloss that I can't get over here. :rolleyes:

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11 minutes ago, Samusa said:

You certainly do Jodi, and you are a master at it. :D

I just picked up a Realife Kitchen kit.. I hope mine comes out as cute as yours did!... What did you use for your door hinges/hardware?

And the stove and fridge look fantastic.. did you use that triple thick gloss that I can't get over here. :rolleyes:

Thanks, Sam! Be very patient with it - it's a little persnickety, but with the right frame of mind (wine helps) you will have fun with it!

These "hinges" came with the kit. I think they are meant to be keyplates or something? I just gave them a coat of bronze metallic paint and glued them on - my cabinets don't open but don't tell anyone!

I used gloss Krylon spray paint on the appliances and - WHAT? You can't get Triple Thick in AU? That's no fair! Can I, ahem, sneak some to you? PM me...

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On 7/26/2017, 5:15:44, havanaholly said:

I also pretty much build the furniture kits as is to use, although at one point I had three of those William & Mary case clocks t that I replaced the kit clock face on two of them with old watch dials and finished off differently.  The one I painted green is in the pub's snug nd I don't have  any photos that really show it:

the kitchen, left wall

I stained another one and decorated it with sesame seeds & rice grains painted gold; bugs at the seeds & grains; paint, sealer &all, so I just touched up where they used to be with a gold felt pen:

gallery_8_988_73647.jpg

I like the wall treatment, banquet and blinds, too, Holly!

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32 minutes ago, Its_a_sm_world_after_all said:

I like the wall treatment, banquet and blinds, too, Holly!

Thanks, Jodi.  It's the Magnolia, my Florida Cracker house. so the beadboard walls and coquina tabby are right, and the blinds and banquette are because my mini family has a thriving tupelo honey business and a grove of Stewart papershell pecans.

Sable, I love your kitchen dinette!

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3 hours ago, 1martinimomma said:

Wow, Jodi, you sure do like to bash.  All your bashes are a definitely an upgrade to the original kits. So very creative, but that is how you roll.  ( i follow your blog to watch your builds).  You have given me a lot of inspiration, as I have a lot of these kits.  

Thanks, Colleen! It is so much fun to see what other creative minds come up with on all these mass produced kits!

I have been slowly accumulating different jewelry findings, thinking maybe you could add some to drawer and cupboard fronts along with some Dresden to give the pieces a "Bespaq" vibe. Elizabeth over at Studio E adds layers of paint on top and makes the most beautiful furniture like that.

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7 hours ago, Its_a_sm_world_after_all said:

and - WHAT? You can't get Triple Thick in AU? That's no fair! Can I, ahem, sneak some to you? PM me...

So I just went hunting again and apparently I can get it shipped from Canada! It's not too expensive either, less than $5 for shipping. Wheee!

Thanks for the very generous offer Jodi, but it looks like you are off the hook! :D

 

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