Monday 14 February 2011

An Attic and a Bar......With a Fab New Tool!

There is space in the roof of the Sid Cooke corner house which I have decided not to use to hide all the lighting bits and pieces. Like many of us I have a lot of pieces that I am unlikely to use or were just mistakes. So they are going in the attic in a number of different guises.
I have read in various posts about how to use tissue as a wall covering. This technique sounded ideal for the attic walls and floor.
 I started with toilet roll sheet which I split and then scrunched. 
 I edged the attic in terracotta as the roof tiles are going to be Tudor red and I thought it would be easier to add this colour now rather than later. I primed the interior with my new pot of gesso.
Then I had great fun squidging on the crumpled toilet paper a pieces at a time, over-lapping as and when. I glued it all with a 50/50 mix of PVA and water which made it quite wet but very easy to attach to the walls and floor.
I am really pleased with the look and texture. It reminds me of the old attics of my aunts' houses that I used to explore when I was very young. Very temporary looking, as if the builder couldn't be bothered with a room that would never be used. Now I will wait for it to dry.........
 ......and while it dried I played with my new toy. A magnetic gluing jig from MicroMark Tools. I saw it on Casey's Minis and thought it would be a good investment as I have quite a lot of woodwork to do in Diagon Alley. The only problem being I couldn't find anything like it on any UK sites so I had to bite the bullet and pay US postage. Ouch! But at least it got through customs without all the additional charges. Phew! So please don't leave me a post telling me they have one just like it for £2.50 in Tools'R'Us or somewhere because I will cry! 
 Anyway....the basic idea is very simple. You put your pieces in the metal tray and then they are held together to dry by very strong magnetic pieces.
 This is the unit for behind and over the 'bashed' bar of the Leaky Cauldron, and as each portion dried I added the next using the magnets to hold the main struts in place.
The shelves are quite narrow, about 1cm or a bottle width, with a few pegs to hold pewter tankards perhaps? I didn't want to make them too deep as I would like to get a jolly host to fit behind the bar, he will have to be a very thin bar man though!
They are standing up ok but I will glue them in place once I have finished the exterior decorating just in case I want to tip the house up.
I am hoping this jig will be really useful once I start making the Tudor bay windows as these were a nightmare to glue when I made the Witch House.
Last thing, does anyone know of a supplier of made to measure glass for dolls house windows?
I fancy trying out making stained glass windows.........

27 comments:

  1. Love the walls and the shelving unit. And I love your magnetic gluing jig! It is so cool! And have no doubts it is very helpful!:)

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  2. Fabulous Janice! The times I have looked at that jig and wondered whether they posted to the UK, well now I know and I will buy one. I've looked all over and that one recommended by Casey is the best one around..and I think the only one!!!

    Wonderful shelves you have made too, just perfect...made even easier by that jig!!!

    Michelle xxx

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  3. Love the walls - will you paint them when it dries? Loving the magnetic gluing jig too - ingenious!

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  4. Hi ladies, I will wash the walls, well the plan is to try and make them look dingy. The once white look that hasn't ever been been painted. I will probably put in some floor joists too and a loft hatch. Then fill it with junk and broken bits. With a topping of dust and cobwebs for good measure.

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  5. That magnetic gluing jug works like a charm...my Dad brought me one for Christmas many years ago. He was a terrific woodworker and always said that to do good work, you needed the right tools. I often augment the magnets with some Legos "corners"...makes a great 90 degree angle!

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  6. Hi Michelle, this is a great site with lots of handy tools like this one. Postage is yuk but what can you do? I am sure it would be easy to make up yourself if you knew where to buy the components but not sure it would work out any cheaper.
    The magnets are super strong! They say simple ideas are the best.

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  7. What a great tip Tabitha.....now where did I put all their lego? I know there is a huge box of it somewhere. In my own dingy attic methinks.
    Thank you.

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  8. I love the attic walls. What a great idea! I like the jig too.

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  9. I love the ease of the tissue Janice, I might use this idea. So easy and who doesn't have the tissue and glue. The glueing gig is brilliant. Your shelves are perfect behind the bar. I can't wait to see how you finish the attic walls.

    Victoria ♥

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  10. what a brilliantly simple and effective tool that is! I 'need' to go find the link for that now LOL
    Your tissue walls look great too and after a good ol' dirty wash they will look perfect :o)

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  11. I lol'd at your Live feed visitor counter too cos every time I clicked to enlarge a pic for a nosier view it counted that I'd visited again! I only visited once, Im not a stalker honest hahaha

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  12. The walls and shelves are looking great!
    I like the magnetic gluing jig - what a good idea. I have used lego sometimes - the real lego works well, but the cheap lookalikes are not so good.

    I've worked out a way to make leadlights to your own design - are you interested? So far I've only been able to mount the black lines on acrylic sheet, though, haven't found real glass that's reasonably believable.

    Glenda

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  13. Hi Wendie, love that gadget. First saw it on Joy's Blog. I am fascinated by all the different places in the world blogger reaches. I use it as a bit of a Geography lesson, I don't check for stalkers honest!

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  14. Hi ladies, I think I first saw the tissue idea on Nikki's blog. It seems to works better the messier you are. Essentially it is a bit like paper-mache and the more layers you add the more uses it could have. I filled in a huge hole in the attic by just adding lots of tissue and glue mixture.

    And of course best thing of all....it's free, well sort of.

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  15. That sounds interesting Glenda. I hadn't thought of adding the lead to the normal acetate sheets. Does it work ok?

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  16. Your walls look great and I want one of those jigs!

    I've done leading on a cupboard (dollshouse) on acetate sheeting and it has been fine.

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  17. Janice, I'll do a leadlight how-to on my blog within a couple of days, and see what you think
    xx Glenda

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  18. O my, I have to have that jig! But I am equally fascinated with using Lego. Just have to steal them from my nephew :).

    I have tried the tissue thingy as well. Like you, I love the textured effect. After you paint it, it can look like plaster. I had used real plaster on the outside of my tribal house. I really love that look.

    Your bar has turned out so nicely, Janice, after the paint and aging job and I really like those shelves too. Everything look very realistic, old and well loved. Very much my cup of tea.

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  19. I love all your idea's for the attic it's looking brilliant. The Leaky Cauldron is coming a on beautifully. I love the tatty, dingy curtains with all the little bottles on the pellet :)

    The Live feed visitor counter is good isn't it. I'm learning the flags for different countries now :):):)

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  20. I love the tissue effect, I used it in my potion room and will probably use again in Ems castle as its so cheap and easy! I HAVE to get me one of those, I have so many shelves to make up. Very good idea! The shelves look fantastic. Im completly lost on the lego front what do you use lego for, I have loads!! Kate xxx

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  21. Thanks Christine and Glenda. I think Diagon Alley has to have some stained glass don't you?
    Also it must be the one aisle I haven't been down in Hobbyland!

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  22. Hi Joy, the shelf and curtains were made by the marvellous Nikki before she left us for felting. It is wonderful and I bought it with this doorway in mind.

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  23. Thanks Sans, so encouraging as usual. I used your 'dirty water' tip for grunging the attic walls and floor today. Worked a treat.

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  24. Hi Kate, I might be wrong but I am thinking that you can use the lego bricks to build right angles or even squares/oblongs to hold your pieces in place while they dry or for measuring even.
    I am going to dig my boys' lego out of the loft!

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  25. Janice - I've done the simple leadlights tutorial

    http://peppercornminis.blogspot.com/2011/02/make-your-own-leadlights.html

    It might be of use :)
    Glenda

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  26. Love the technic how you made the walls and the cupboard looks great !Jeannette

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  27. wow! this looks like so much fun! very talented to be able to make this stuff!

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