free tutorials

Miniature makers share. A great site with free tutorials is http://community.webshots.com/user/theshedroof/profile
Keith has had over 256,000 views and has some terrific creative ideas.
His Tudor room is not just to scale but exactly to the period.
If you want ot know how to make chain mail (from non slip safety mats) , or distressed timber beams (he uses a potatoe peeler) have a look there..

How to make - wigs and mini pictures and Peg dolls

Someone asked about making wigs or hair for dolls. I have posted a picture of ringlets. These can be curly or not and can be tied back or put into plaits. I htink it's best to glue the hair onto a coin size piece of fabric, rather than onto the doll. You can have fun changing the wigs, and photographing them in different colours and styles.

One tip I'd like to pass on, is to buy your stamps at the post office with the serrated surrounds not overprinted. A quick glance at the sticky serrated surrounds to the stamps, will show if there is any colour on them. When you remove the stamps, keep the surrounds and use them as mini picture mounts for your dolls house pictures. you can either paint a picture, cut out a tiny image from a magazine or print an image at a reduced %.. (about 10% often works well).

You can also scan an image and print it onto a clear transparent label film. (The pack says to use it to make jam labels.) This will create a leadlight or stained glass appearance. When you place the sticker on the glass window, make sure you position it correctly! Draw a level line first in pencil.

I been enjoying making some peg dolls. (Another diversion from share trading, accountancy, housework and DVD editing!) I wanted to do some for the Xmas tree and the dolls house(s).

I found if you drill a hole at the armpit, and insert a piece of pipecleaner for arms, they look so much better. (all girls have a power drill, don't they?) You can buy the pipecleaners in various colours at craft and cheap dollar shops. Make sure you make a bend at the doll elbow and match the pipecleaner colour to the dress. Slightly longer arms are best, because they can be raised overhead or can carry a posie or basket. Use Nail polish to paint the edges of the fabric to avoid fraying, and craft glue to attch bows and pearl necklaces!

Don't forget to sign your peg dolls with your name and year. One day they might be an heirloom or a collectible. Someone will want to know who made them.

I also made two Raggy dolls, pictured above on the armchair. I made the heads in fimo and baked them in the microwave. They have raggy elasticated arms and legs. I have some video of my real dolls (children), playing with an 18" (50 cm) doll with two faces. The legs and arms are elastised, so I made these two as 1:12 size. I cut off some of the fabric on the big doll to make the bodies, so they will look very similar. One day I will make the video sequence linking both.

I've done some more of the cooking video with my actors. Sometimes it's like mission impossible to get a few minutes of usable footage, but I'm getting there! I'm trying to link the real children and the dolls -cooking and having fun!

Enjoy what you do, and you will be happy!- at least some of the time!

Hobbies might be an escape, but they do rest the mind.

In today's world, our minds do need some recreation and rest.

kind regards,

Mega

http://dollshousedolls.blogspot.com/

Some people ask me where do I purchase the furniture

Some people ask me where do I purchase the furniture and miniature items. I don't intend to promote or support individual businesses but I can say the kitchen furniture, the tv console and sound, the dinner set of knives and forks and pink serviettes etc etc were purchased on EBay from Eurekaonlinestore. at Ebay.com.au
I have purchased from other sellers, but Eureka have given great service and when I compare their products with comparable products in the US they are so much cheaper. I ask for combined postage and that helps to reduce the price.
I also source op shops (charity shops) and make many of the pieces myself.
I made some blocks of chocolate nested in a piece of gold paper, and was quite delighted when one of my Daughters asked where didi I buy it... (see pics at side)
At the moment the editing of the DVD is behind schedule, so I have decided to re- edit to mini segments, very short pieces 2.5-4 mins long. you can see some of my shorts on you tube, under the name of Megamoneybox. There I have a range of good and not so good. I'm called Megamoneybox because I am a small share trader trying to raise the funds to create my artistic work.
You can get the occasional free share tip on my other blog at http://megamoneybox.blogspot.com/
You can earn money to buy things... (even in these tough economic times.)
Megan

re making miniature food

I have some little videos on youtube.com as channel megamoneybox. some with dolls.
I also put up my favourite 2 min video on http://www.webshots.com as dollshousedolls.
I think you can go direct via http://community.webshots.com/user/dollshousedolls or to the video at http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/571141908XzuhhN

Food is easy to make.. the key is getting the shape right. I use fimo or das . (you could even make a home made play doh, but if it is food based, then insects might eat it!)I paint it with acrylic paints AND touch up with nail polish..clear where I want a sheen, or red/watermelon pink where it suits. This food may need some touch up.... the blue plates I used are the plastic inserts from inside a coco cola bottle. Some bottles have clear inserts and they are better.. you have to seek out some alchohol bottle caps to find them. I'm not a drinker and people think it strange when I want the bottle caps or tops... scroll down for a picture of bacon and meat.. you use craft glue, smear it onto a piece of plastic and when hard, peel off and paint with nail polish... (if the nail polish is old and thick, simply add some nail polish remover to thin it down) Just remember, your first efforts might not be marvellous, but the more you do , the better the result. Be kind to yourself.. it doesn't have to be perfect! I'm putting up a few more pictures of food. I like making boxes and little calico bags of flour etc...

More progress - a closer peek

Yesterday, I purchased a lovely miniature Japanese doll on a round music box, and 3 barbies.
The Japanese doll has a beautiful face, and is the perfect dolls house size. When I removed it from the music box, it was found to have legs made of used paper with Japanese writing, and the music box has a Japanese tune.
Two of the Barbies were made in 1966 and one male Barbie dated 1968.. all for less than $10.00 . Now what to make as a theme story.. any ideas?
I am not a Barbie or Doll collector, but when I see them virtually thrown out, I feel I want to rescue them. Not to mention that they look like the ones my children had!
Rose rang yesterday and said she had a box of Polly Pocket stuff donated to the club 2 days ago and it had 64 pairs of tiny shoes and 14 odds!. I bought it all, and it included 33 dolls, a hotel, 2 cars, 150 garments, plus furniture and odds. Furniture the size to fit into the white teapot, shown on the DollTate Modern art Gallery video (link on the side column) ..even a chaise lounge... The teapot is another story waiting in the wings. When I looked in K mart at the Polly Pocket stuff it was about $10.00 a dressed doll, so all this was a real bargain. .there was even a tiny wee video camera..which I coloured black with a texta (or black marker.) and it looks great. You can use textas and coloured pens to dye lace, bags, shoes and mini food. etc.
I've spent the last two weeks editing a http://www.permaculturevisions.com/ tape. (my real partnership work place- which includes tax accty and share trading. go to the blog http://megamoneybox.blogspot/ and http://richkidspoorkids.blogspot.com/ for free tips)
The tape was 90 mins of noisy footage edited down to 35 mins, then not being able to save it.
I then cut it into 6 mins on worm farms and was able to get it up on to http://www.youtube.com/ , not a bad effort for a ten year old bit of video.
You can see it and the other ones with Lloyd, Renee and Izzy with Gordon the Gardener, learning about worms. The dolls even have a short video on their experience with worm farms. We've also been working on the cooking video but it's not for show yet.
go to www.youtube.com/megamoneybox. (I was practising on Permaculturevisions videos, so I can use the test stuff later.) I had many problems ranging from the editing to saving with not enough memory, to exporting in a format which then had to be converted on the other computer. There were about 20 choices, and I had to sort out which one would work and give the best result for a mix of SVHS and Digital HD video. It felt like I had exhausted my mind, so I left it all for a few days, then I found the video player was getting the videos stuck!!!
(I haven't quite lost my marbles yet, but they are certainly getting muddled up! )
Today I had major computer breakdown and lost all start, desktop and linkages, on my main Dell computer (my own fault for stopping a restore process) luckily I found my way partly out and my son in law, Paul, advised me over the phone. I almost forgot to mention I made a blog for the Wollongong dolls club.
http://wollongongdollsclub.blogspot.com/

The dolls in their kitchen- Everyone wants some!

The Renee doll had eaten the last of the DJ's chocolates. The other dolls were not happy! Neither was Renee! Sean doll (her brother) wanted some too. You can imagine the kitchen squabble, with Renee doll protesting that there was only one left, and she ate it. They were her chocolates..Nanny doll, (Granny doll ) had given them to her on her birthday!
see slide show on the right.

Our Dolls at Dolls house dolls have been busy

We've completed the first draft of a 2 minute movie called
"Dolls visit the DollTate modern art gallery".
The idea came about when my eldest daughter April, and grandson Lloyd, reminded me of our visit to the Tate modern Art Gallery in England in 2004. I had been quite excited by the exposure to new ideas and "thinking outside of the box". I was also very impressed by similar artworks in Paris. Prior to that, I had probably been less than appreciative of modern art and it's influence on how we see the world.

This experimental draft movie was made from several hundred still photos using Picasa 3- a free program. (you should download and try it!)
The movie shows the dolls visiting the DollTATe modern art gallery and viewing rooms containing some of the images of the Blob Body, some artefact's and paintings. (all original works by Megan A Sampson)
The Doll Nanny has her own paintings and sculptures on exhibit and there are also some of the dolls paintings on show (the actual children's work). This short movie culminates in an art gallery performance by the Blob body and a stick doll singing "under an orange sky". It is quite touching. Some of the Dolls were quite impressed and thought it was funny!
It is being refined right now, deleting some captions which are too hard to read, and adding a few early shots to establish the time and place. Input from "the real dolls" has given some new ideas.
I do intend to redo do this short movie in Adobe Premier incorporating the real children and images of the actual short film we made on shoes and legs, which was shown on the actual screen in the Wollongong art Gallery, some time ago. This will be uploaded to you tube under our name there - Megamummy
The real children (now represented as the dolls) assisted in the making of that film and were enthused and motivated when they saw it exhibited. The purpose of these efforts was to teach them that you can do anything if you are dedicated and really want to..

I hope that lesson in motivation helps them through life. I think it has.
you can view the DRAFT 1 of the movie at http://community.webshots.com/user/Dollshousedolls
if you have a look at the slideshow on the dolls art gallery on the right side on this page, you will get a better feeling for time and place.
You can view some of our work at http://community.webshots.com/user/Dollshousedolls
I am refining some of my writing for children and completing some other miniature books on Dolls in the dollshouse and adding Bilbies and Possums in the roof. (a Bilby is an endangered Australian marsupial with a hopping gait, large ears and long nose. )