If you have all the basics to get started creating miniatures, and you've already read by blog post, "Must-Have Tools For Getting Started in Dollhouse Miniatures", and want a fun new tool to advance your mini making, this blog post is for you! I've been creating miniatures for 5, almost 6 years and along the way, I've come across some helpful and exciting new tools for my mini making that I'd love to share with you!
1. Resin 3D Printer
I’ve tried about 3 different PLA 3D printers before I finally discovered a Resin 3D Printer. All of the items I 3D print are tiny, and include multitudes of small detail, which was difficult to capture with a PLA printer. The Resin 3D Printer and accompanying Washing and Curing Station from ELEGOO has been a game changer. There is a learning curve to figuring out the new machine, but with the help of a few youtube videos and trial and error, the prints you will make will be exquisitely detailed and beautiful! The ELEGOO Saturn 8K MSLA Resin 3D Printer and ELEGOO Mercury XS Bundle with Separate Washing and Curing Station come together, and are sleek, and space saving.
You might be wondering what the difference between PLA printers and Resin printers are. PLA 3D printers use a plastic filament, that is heated up and then extruded onto a build plate to create your desired print. In contrast, a Resin 3D printer uses a liquid resin instead of solid plastic.The liquid is in a well at the bottom of the printer, and the build plate is suspended from the top, upside down. To build your object, the build plate is lowered into the liquid and lights are exposed to a light, one layer at a time, that cures the liquid resin into a solid. This process is repeated over and over agin until enough layers are completed. The best way to see the difference between the two is to look up on Youtube videos comparing and contrasting the two based on your needs. There are also some quite satisfying videos out there of a print being completed.
The only downside I've discovered about Resin 3D printers are the smell of the resin, and the alcohol needed to clean the prints. Fortunately, there is a solution. There is special resin that is water washable, eliminating the smell! ELEGOO Water Washable 3D Printer Resin is the same brand as the printer itself and comes in many colors.
2. Popsicle Stick Cutter
Popsicle Stick Cutters, or otherwise known as Miter Shears are the perfect tool for when cutting through small, soft pieces of wood such as popsicle sticks of balsa/base wood. Another convenient feature is that you can cut many different angles of cuts using this tool.
3. Mitre Box Set
For thicker pieces of wood that cannot be cut through with a popsicle stick cutter, like base molding or door trim, a Mitre Box Set is immensely helpful. This tool can cut base molding at perfect 45° angles.
4. Pin Nail Gun
If you are like me and have tried to put together a dollhouse kit with just tape, wood glue, and a dream, you know how difficult it is! Using a small pin needle nail gun is the perfect solution. This tool will be a bit of an investment as you'll need an air compressor along with the nail gun itself, but if you put together dollhouse kits frequently, it's worth it to save yourself the headache. This Arrow PT23G 23 Gauge Compact Pneumatic Pin Nail Gun is perfect for pinning together wood pieces while the glue dries, and adds stability, and ease to the building process.
5. Magnetic Gluing Jig
Gluing together fiddly pieces can be troublesome, and when glue seems to take forever to dry, holding together tiny pieces isn't ideal. With a Magnetic Gluing Jig, you can have multiple more hands to hold together delicate projects that are drying.
I hope this helped you advance, or make easier your dollhouse building!
xo,
Ella
Life In A Dollhouse LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
My most recent dollhouse project has been a greenhouse scene. The greenhouse combines two of my favorite things- dollhouses and plants! I'm an avid "plant mom" and have dozens of my own plants packed into my room and office. I find inspiration in my green planty friends daily, so I thought there would be nothing better than to set off on building a mini greenhouse.
To make this blog post super fun (for me at least), I wanted to tell you about some of the items I used to create my greenhouse, and also to share some of my favorite things for my real life plants!
]]>To make this blog post super fun (for me at least), I wanted to tell you about some of the items I used to create my greenhouse, and also to share some of my favorite things for my real life plants!
Things I love for my Dollhouse Greenhouse
When deciding on what I wanted the interior of the greenhouse to look like, I found inspiration on Pinterest, and one of my favorite images I came across had a brick floor in a basket weave pattern. This, I knew I had to translate over to mini so I went on a search for the perfect bricks. They are a brown color and mixed in, are lighter and darker shades which does a great job at adding variety to the floor. The material is plaster, so I ended up grouting it with some Plaster of Paris that I mixed up with water. Just follow the directions on the package for the right consistency. I've found that the runnier the plaster is, the better.
I've been on a journey to find the best grass for dollhouses. I have tried a few different options, but none of them have ever met my expectations. The grass would peel up on the edges, or simply not look very realistic. When planning for this project, I knew I needed to find the perfect grass, since I was planning for an outdoor garden area. I searched around and finally found what I think is the perfect grass for dollhouses. To install the grass, I first cut it to the size of my space, then used Dollhouse Wallpaper Mucilage to glue it to my base. I'm still to happy that I found this grass, and I wish I had found it earlier!
Small Disclaimer: The grass does shed quite a bit when you handle it, but I still think that it's better than any other options that I have tried.
I decided to break up all the green I was using for this project, and used some red brick on the bottom of the exterior. This red brick sheet looks great, and is super easy to install. I have used this product before on my blue shop project for the outdoor sidewalk. To grout both of these pieces, I used some grey grout that you can use for regular tile.
I wanted to break up the grass in the outdoor garden section of the greenhouse, so I thought some stepping stones would be perfect! I looked around for dollhouse specific stepping stones, but they all looked a little too perfect for what I wanted. I found a pack of miniature slate stepping stones in 1/2 to 1 inch sized pieces and it worked perfectly!
Things I love for my Real Plants
I adore watching my plants grow, and they aren't very fast growers when they don't have much light. I have a cabinet with shelves that holds many of my plants, and I installed these LED Plant Grow Light Strips above each shelf, and now my plants are growing like weeds! They have a feature where you can program your lights to turn on at a specific time each day for either 2, 4, or 8 hours. These light strips are so easy to install, use, and are so rewarding!
When I can, I try to feed my plants all natural food. My favorite is the Grow Fertilizer from Modern Sprout. I find with any fertilizer you use, less is more. Every other week, I give each of my plants a few drops of fertilizer mixed with water.
3. Plant Merch!
Since I love plants, naturally I also love merch that shops make dedicated to plants, and beautiful pots to put said plants in. Here are some of my favorites!
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, DM me on instagram or send me an email to lifeinadollhouse.shop@gmail.com .
If you're as interested in real life plants as I am, follow my plant dedicated instagram account @lifeasaplantmom!
Life In A Dollhouse LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
]]>1. Tweezers
Because you're dealing with some pretty tiny things, even small fingers aren't small enough. Having a really great tweezer is number one on my list. I use a Fine Tip Tweezers and this Curved Tip Tweezers all the time.
2. Sharp scissors
I think this is pretty self explanatory, but because you want to be precise in cutting your materials, having a sturdy, sharp scissor is really helpful. I have a few different types that I think are helpful for different applications. A Sewing Scissors is great for working with fabrics and a Small Detail Scissor is nice for the tiny detail work.
3. Work Mat
Creating minis can get messy. I love just being able to focus on what I'm working on and not have to worry about getting my table dirty or having some glue ruin the countertop. This silicone work mat has been a lifesaver! I have the pink one!
4. Glue
Miniatures require lots of glue. I mainly use three different types: Gorilla Wood Glue, E6000 Craft Adhesive and a mini hot glue gun.
5. X-Acto Knife
Of course you need an X-Acto Knife! There are so many tiny projects where a scissor just won't cut it.
6. Clamps
Clamps are good, because you only have two hands. I use a variety of clamps in a few different sizes depending on what I'm working on. The Irwin Mini Clamps are good for the kitchens and larger mini accessories I make and the Small Spring Clamps are better for smaller applications.
7. Paint Brushes
Painting miniatures require a variety of brush sizes to get the job done. Depending on the project, you may need a larger brush from a set like this Acrylic Paint Brush Variety Pack or a really tiny brush like these Detail Paint Brushes .
I hope this helps get you started on your mini adventure!
xo,
Ella
Life In A Dollhouse LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
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