Making Miniature Clocks - The Timekeeper's Shop

Hello Everyone,

Hope you are all fine and that you are set for Christmas. I still can't believe that in a few days Christmas will be here. The kids are quite excited waiting for Santa and his goodies. 

In the mean time, while being busy, I still got to do a few miniatures of my own. I have been working on the small display box which I have turned into a clock shop. There is so much detail that I would like to add to it. I have tried my hand at making miniature clocks. I have to admit I have enjoyed them. 

Having a variation of miniature clocks to display is not very easy, especially when you want them to look a bit more realistic than the ones that you find on the market. I had a couple of clocks of my own which I will be using for the shop and one of the clocks that I had was very childish; a piece that I would never use for any dolls house. I gave the wall clock a revamp hoping to give it a chance to be in a miniature project. Luckily for the clock I have managed to give it a makeover. 

The clock before the makeover

The clock today.

Very happy how it turned out, I used cardboard, Real clock hands and also used glass for the face cover. 

A few days ago I went to the haberdashery to get some craft supplies and I passed by the button section. Seeing the buttons gave me an idea to make a few wall clocks.

Buttons to be changed in wall clocks.

Wall Clocks made out of buttons

These clocks have also real clock hands and glass cover. I have down sized a couple of clock faces to fit the buttons and printed them. 

I had an idea for a clock and I thought of  using one of my hand painted miniature figurines and turn it, into a mantel clock by marbling polymer clay to make the base of the clock. It turned out just right.

Polymer clay clock

Using thick card board I made a couple of other clocks. My favorite one is the one where you can see the gears and cogs behind the clock's face.  I still can't believe that it turned out so well. I have used very tiny gears for it.

I also made another wall clock using cardboard and weathered it a little. I'm very happy how this turned out. 

Finally I  have made the last two clocks using cardboard with a total different design to put on the shelf. They came out just right and I'm sure that they will fit in the scene. 

I have placed them in the display box just to see how they will look. Most probably they won't remain in the same spot. I have a habit of changing the scene until the last minute. 

Hope you like the few clocks that I made. There is still so much that I need to add. but so far it's looking good. 

Keep tuned for the next update on this miniature project The Timekeeper's Shop. 

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

Winter Project - Snowman Teapot Tutorial

Hello everyone,

How are you all? Hope you had a great weekend and are all set for Christmas.  Here it's getting quite cold but bearable. Compared to other countries I can't complain. 

Today I will be sharing with you a Winter Project that you can use for your miniature Christmas Scenes. 

Snowman teapot

The American Miniaturist Magazine on December's issue has featured one of my own polymer clay miniature Tutorial It's Time for Tea

 For those who don't have a copy of the magazine. Here is the tutorial. 

Here is the list of materials and tools that you will need.

1) Crafts knife 

2) Needle tool.

3) Polymer clay. I used glamour green, red, white, black and orange.

Step 1

 

Using the white polymer clay form a ball of 1.5 cm diameter and shape it to look like the body of the snowman. The bottom part should be flattened and the top more rounded.

Form a small ball not bigger than 1 cm diameter using the same white polymer clay for the snowman’s head. Also make a small log approx 1.5 cm long making one of the edges thinner and cutting the thicker slightly slanting for the teapot’s spout. If you want you can cut a ‘V’ shape at the thinner part of the spout to give it more detail 

Add the small head to the body of the snowman. Add and shape the spout to the lower side of the snowman’s body. Here you can see that the teapot is already taking shape.

Step 2

Take the orange clay and roll a tiny piece into a cone shape to make it look like a tiny carrot  for the snowman’s nose.

Using the black clay make a very thin log and cut tiny bits to form the coal pieces for the eyes and mouth of the snowman and also for the buttons on it’s body. The tinnier the pieces are the better. 

Add the nose and the black pieces to the snowman. I first start by adding the nose right in the center of the snowman’s face. Then I add the eyes and the mouth. Finally I add the buttons to the center body of the snowman. 

Step 3

To make a tiny hat for the snowman I used the green polymer clay. Form a tiny log of 5 mm long and flatten a tiny ball for the hat’s brim. 

Adding the 2 pieces together, shape a tiny hat and position it on the snowman’s head.

Step 4

Using the red polymer clay roll a very thin long log to make the scarf for the snowman and the handle of the teapot.

 

Taking half of the log start from the right and go clock wise around the snowman’s head until the piece falls in front like a scarf. Cut the front  part of the scarf in any length that you prefer. The other end of the scarf should be hidden underneath.

Taking the other half of the red log,  form the teapot’s handle starting from underneath the scarf going down to the snowman’s lower side. This will make the handle look like it’s part of the scarf.

When you are happy with how the teapot looks, you can add more detail to it. I have added a small holly on the snowman’s hat and added a green pocket on the front.

Bake the snowman according to the specifications of your polymer clay’s brand.

Once baked you can add your teapot to your miniature dolls house scene or just add a golden thread to the handle and hang it to your Christmas tree

Hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and that you will find it useful.

In the mean time I'm still working on my new display box and I have so much to share with you. So make sure to keep tuned for the next update.

Take Care and see you soon,

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx 

The Timekeeper's Shop - Display Box

Hello Everyone,

How are you all? Hope you are fine and that you have enjoyed your weekend. Today is the first day of Advent. This weekend I was busy putting up the Christmas Tree and decorating for Christmas. The kids loved it as much as I do. 

Time does fly by. In a few weeks we would also be saying goodbye to another year. Mentioning "Time" I have started working on a very small project which is a display box and I have decided to turn it into a Clock Shop. This one is going to be called The Timekeeper's Shop. 

Time is always something that I'm running out of. Time is something that I always fight against. It is something that works precise. There is no going back or going forward. Time can work in your favor or against you. I  have always been a very organized person and let's say quite the perfectionist and to add to my list I am a very punctual person. You would most definite find me five minutes early than a minute late.  Some would say it's a good thing, on the other hand I don't see it that way because at the end I'm the one who has to wait.

I had this display box. It came in white. I had a few figurines in it that  eventually moved to another project. It was put away for a few years and I guess now was the right time to do something with it. At the moment I'm really, really busy. I never have been busy as I have been in the past few weeks and starting a big project is definitely not a wise decision. 

I liked the shape of the shop but I just didn't like the color. So I sanded it down and painted it in a blue-grey color. I also ripped off the old wall paper. 

I wanted a weathered look for it which I dry brushed with dark brown paints. 

Another thing that I hated about this display box was the shop window itself. So I designed a new one using thick cardboard and painted it to match with the display box. 

The front window was designed keeping in mind that I wanted the shop sign; "The Timekeeper's Shop". I have also printed a nice wall paper to match. I didn't want the wall paper to be too eye catching so the clocks won't lose their effect in the shop. 

To add some more details to the front I bricked the lower front of the shop and weathered it to match. 

Being a display box, space is always an issue. You can have a lot of ideas for it but you just can't make them fit. The pieces of furniture had to be custom made for it which I have managed to do. I made a small desk or work table to fit the side wall. 

Then I made a custom made  floor shelf, not too deep but good enough to display the clocks in it. 

I added a few more pieces and I think they fitted in perfectly to the display. 

I guess it will be fun now filling up the walls and shelves with all kind of clocks. There will definitely be more details added to it.

Finally I worked a bit more on the front and I'm really pleased how it turned out. 

I almost forgot.....Posy has also helped me decorate for Christmas. She has found one of my favorite Christmas decorations. My miniature Fisher Price dolls house. She was a great help especially as it's her first Christmas. 

So this is all for today. I hope you like my new small project. I'm looking forward to work on it a bit more.  So keep tuned for the next update. 

Take Care and See You Soon,

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx