Thatch Cottage

Living and sleeping areas

2013-02-21T06:58:00.002-08:00

Here are more pictures of the cottage interior, namely the living and sleeping areas, I’m still adding bits and bobs here and there and I’m in the process of creating a little cottage dweller from clay. Not sure how long it will take me to complete but I’ll show you pictures when she’s been sculpted and had a spell in the oven lol. See you all soon xx

This doubles up as wash room and dressing space.

Entertainment in comfort.

She love's a good read, the book has real words inside too!

A little music...

Fluffy slippers are a must on wooden floors.

Cosy with room to swing a moggy lol.

Wouldn't be complete without a couple of dolls.

She loves her bears too!

There's always a box under the bed full of 'stuff'!

The trusted vinal record player, she still loves to dance.

The Giveaway Draw

2013-01-23T00:21:00.002-08:00

Thank you to all my lovely friends (both old and new) who entered, it is good to see you all. I love to read your comments and I love to visit your blogs and see what you have been up to. I have made the first of my four giveaway draws. This draw is the Thatch Cottage draw for the little handmade pink check pin board complete with letters and a little jar of sugar with matching pink check tag.

And the winner is...

Sognatriceabordo

Congratulations!

Please be sure to forward me your address so I will post your little goodies on to you :)

The Cottage Giveaway

2013-01-20T12:53:00.002-08:00

Oh my goodness, I just logged on to see how many followers I had... well my friends we’ve reached the 50 followers mark!! Hurray! This means I’ll be making the draw very soon, just in case you would still like to enter this section of the draw I’ll be fair and I’ll make the draw on Tuesday evening after 7pm so you have until then to enter. I’ll pop up a post to let you know who has won this round of the draw on Wednesday.

Remember you can still enter my other draws, there are three more!

Thank you all for your valued friendship and your lovely comments, please keep in touch!

Big mini hugs

Gill x

Teeny Tiny Things

Kitchen and Dining...

2013-01-11T01:34:00.000-08:00

Here is the kitchen and dining sections of Thatch Cottage, the dining section also doubles up as a hallway, its a little cosy in Thatch Cottage.

This is the kitehen area...

I love the little plant, its a succulant, it is REAL, it needs but a tiny drop of water and it will stay this small for quite some time so it is perfect for my mini cottage.

The pictures on the wall and the tea towel are a lovely gift from Jackie - Friday's Child. I made the cuttlery holder, mug and soap dish from card.

I made the little rugs and the shopping basket from string.

Even though this is slightly blured, I love the effect, the burned pan is my fave.

I made the stove, the knife and the wisk from metal and clay.

A bit of shopping.

You have to love the stains on the cooker :)

The inhabbitant of Thatch Cottage is a little messy sometimes, but she's content and so a little untiyness doesn't bother her.

The dining area...

Breakfast is served. The food is made by Amanda Speak, she makes great food stuffs.

As I said, the dining room doubles as a hall :)

Deborah Lane made this lovely cardigan.

AThe tea cosy was made by my friend Sylvia Sims.

I made the coat, the pinboard and the bag.

A view from above...

Giveaway!

2013-01-10T06:54:00.001-08:00

I'm having four giveaways... see my Teeny Tiny Things blog for full details.

Giveaway 1 (Thatch Cottage). A little handmade pink check pin board complete with letters and a little jar of sugar with matching pink check tag.

Follow my Thatch Cottage blog and post a link to your blog to be entered into the draw for this mini give away.

As soon as I have 50 followers I will make the draw and inform the lucky winner.

Good Luck!

Thatch Cottage Exterior Pictures

2013-01-03T03:58:00.000-08:00

On a sunny day I took these pictures of the cottage out in my garden.

Welcome to Thatch Cottage.

A view from above.

Washing Day.

A little bird box and feeder I made.

The grass all seems to be blowing in one direction, pure chance I think lol.

Peeking through the window.

I always end up with lots of empty pots so this garden needed some too.

The cushions on the chairs were made by the lovely Jackie.

A Comfy Chair Tutorial

2012-12-27T09:08:00.000-08:00

This is Thatch Cottage in the making...

I made a little armchair from old card and some floral fabric, below you can see how I did it.

I began by taking the size from another 1/12^th scale chair, then I cut out some cardboard and created the basic shape.

The first section of cardboard.

Now add a section of card for the seat.

I padded the arms and the back and even the front at the base.

I then covered the back of the chair with floral fabric.

I made a little cushion.

I padded the arms.

I covered the front section of the arm.

Then the back of the arms so there are no gaps.

I padded the front of the chair.

I covered the rest of the main chair, glued the base in place.

Covered the back.

Lastly I added a frill and here is the finished chair.

The Cottage Garden ...in the making

2012-12-27T08:55:00.001-08:00

This is Thatch Cottage in the making...

Meanwhile outside the cottage was still in need of work.

Around the walls I stuck pieces of cardboard that I’d cut out into random stone shapes. I covered all this with tissue paper and PVA glue, you gota love PVA glue, its great stuff! When set I painted with a matt white.

I got some fake grass and set about deciding on where to place it.

That decided I continued with the gate and the paving. I had miniature paving stones which I laid dry first to check where they fitted. They didn’t seem to be high enough so I raised them with some cardboard.Once I was happy I stuck the paving down and filled the gaps with grout.

To complete the effect I stained the gate, made a small step from card and tissue paper and added some moss growing in the cracks in the wall.

Now to make some flowers... this was my first every attempt at flowers, I learned a lot and know how I could make them ten times better in the future but for now, here they are along with a few other finishing touches such as a bird bath, a washing line post and a watering can, all made with my own fair hand lol.

Lastly I needed a garden table and chairs, I couldn't find what I wanted in the shops so I made my own.

Add the odd spot of moss and a few dirty plant pots and you’ve got a garden to be proud of :)

More Mini Makes for the Inside

2012-12-27T06:43:00.001-08:00

This is Thatch Cottage in the making...

I added more and more bits and bobs as I went along. I purchased a tall boy that I scuffed up then I made a couple of door mats, a shopping basket, a kitchen shelf, a cupboard for above the bed, some boxes, a pin board, a little coat, an umbrella, some utensils, a retro record player and all number of other things. Some friends sent me things, Jackie sent me some handmade cushions, Sylvia made me a tea cosy and the fringe on the base of the armchair is from good old Sue and I bought a lovely fascinator from Kat the Hat Lady. All these things put together and the cottage was getting very full but it was also really coming to life.

Making and Painting Furniture 2

2012-12-27T05:59:00.000-08:00

This is Thatch Cottage in the making...

I decided the cottage needed comfort so I bought a wooden bed and again I painted it to make it look old and worn. I added some blue and white stripped flannelette sheets and matching pillow.

I made a comfy chair from some cardboard and a piece of floral fabric. I'll do a tutotial on this later.

I wanted a little two ring stove for her to cook on so I made this from some metal and clay.

It had to be a little dirty and used looking of course.

I made a little mirror from an old mirror I had laying around and some card and tissue paper. I then painted it cream. Later on when I had more things in the cottage I brushed over it with a little gold to finish off.

I felt a little table was needed so I purchased one and again I made it look used with scuffing on the legs and coffee cup stain on top. I added a little table cloth and some breakfast foods I had purchased from a fantastic artist called Amanda.

The cottage was really starting to come together now.

Making and Painting some Furniture

2012-12-27T05:33:00.001-08:00

This is Thatch Cottage in the making...

As a work in progress I never knew exactly how this would turn out, I just sort of ran with it and let the cottage guide me. I wanted it to belong to a woman who was quite content to live there by herself with everything she needed in one room (apart from the WC which shall be later housed in its own closet outdoors). She needed a bed, somewhere to sit, a table and chairs, and a wall unit or dresser oh and a few shelves.

I didn’t think she’s care much about making things match, she’d have pieces of furniture that had been passed on, or that had seen better days but all of miss-matched. I set about painting a chair in a lovely blue colour. As before on my other wood I painted it brown first, waxed it, painted it blue and rubbed some pain off in areas that would have been worn such as the seat.

I found a dresser and painted it brown, then I painted all but the centre section and draws white then I scraped off some paint to make it look worn.

I made a coat hook with a shelf above it. This was made from balsa wood and painted brown and then roughly painted pink.

I still had a long way to go but I was pleased with the outcome so far.

Making the Kitchen Sink Unit

2012-12-27T05:13:00.003-08:00

This is Thatch Cottage in the making...

Here are some more pictures of the inside before I filled it with furniture...

Now for some furniture...

I wanted to make a Belfast sink, I remembered one from when we moved into a old house when I was small. It was huge and we also had them at school. I decided to make the sink from clay. It was a bit fiddly but I managed it.

Next was the sink unit. I wanted this to look as if someone had crudely built it into the cottage so I set about creating a frame and to which I added a couple of shelves. I wanted it to be left open and have nothing but a curtain to cover its contents. I painted it an old brown colour and then glued the sink in place. Then I stretched a little wire across the openings and added the curtain, the wire meant I could give the effect of a ‘dipping’ curtain.

Iron on Floor

2012-12-27T04:40:00.000-08:00

This is Thatch Cottage in the making...

I decorated the walls inside with a delicate pink floral paper and to add a shabby, old, used look I first painted all my wood brown, this included skirting boards, window frames and door and I even added some horizontal strips of wood for effect. Once the brown paint had dried I added a little candle wax then painted everything in matt pink. Lastly when all paint was dry I rubbed some of the paint off in areas I felt would be scuffed over time.

The floor is miniature iron on flooring... great stuff and easy to use. Here are some pictures of the floor being ironed in place. Looks lovely when its finished. Or course it also looked rather neat, tidy and clean so I dirtied it up a little later one with a little paint wash.

Making Stone Effect Walls

2012-12-27T04:26:00.000-08:00

This is Thatch Cottage in the making...

To create a stone effect I used lots of news paper and lots of PVA glue. The news paper a tore into strips, twisted up and then glued in place. Once set I added some water to some PVA and tore paper into little squares, I dipped them in the watery glue and stuck them over the walls until everywhere was completely covered. I allowed this to dry for about a day or so, then I painted it with a matt white paint.

Miniature Thatch Roof Tutorial

2012-12-27T04:16:00.003-08:00

Thatch Cottage Roofing Turorial

I was asked to do a little tutorial on thatching a miniature cottage so here goes...

To thatch a roof you will need:

Coconut fibre (about two bundles were used on my little thatch cottage so if it’s a big job you will need a lot!)

2-3 large tubes of Calk or Clear sealant (the sort used for bathrooms etc)

String

Thick card

I believe there is a degree of personal judgment required so during this process step back often and take a look and use your personal judgment, perhaps you need less space between the rows of thatch or maybe they should be closer together, do you feel they should be thicker or thinner etc, it’s really up to you so have fun and enjoy the process.

Firstly, make sure that any roof decoration/alteration/painting around the edges etc is complete and dry before you begin.

Mark a line from one side of the roof to the other, around 6cm from the lower edge of your roof as a guide then cut some coconut fibre into 10cm (aprox) strips.

Generously spread some sealant or calk onto your roof (aprox 6cm square).

Tip: I use both calk and sealant, the sealant does not dry ‘bouncy’ like it would around a bath, it also stretches a little more and dries clear so that you can’t see it through or on the thatch so it’s great for finishing off the top layer.

Push/slide a thin layer (aprox 0.5cm thick, 3-4cm wide) of coconut fibre upwards from the base of your roof into the sealant/calk and leave a large overhang of 4cm and press down.

Tip: this is a messy job so it’s a good idea to wear a pair of thin latex gloves, if not have an old flannel/face cloth in a bowl of water close buy so you can clean your fingers regularly.

Continue filling up the bottom layer in the same way.

The second layer should sit around 2cm up from the first layer; again mark a line from the top of the first layer 2cm up. Spread a generous layer of calk or sealant and overlap it onto the previous layer leaving the bottom 3/4 free from any sealant. Again push or slide a section of the pre-cut (10cm) coconut fibre into the sealant and onto the roof.

Continue until you have completed a full row. Then repeat this whole process on both sides of the roof until you have approximately 4cm left of roof to cover.

This is where the artistic bit starts.

Take a piece of card 8 cm wide x the length of your roof. Fold the card in half length ways so you have two sections 4cm x roof length and set aside.

Take a small bunch of coconut fibre and the string, bend the coconut fibre in half and tie tightly with string, do this with several bunches, enough to cover the top of your roof. Wet the coconut fibre bunches and then hang up to dry.

Take the card and spread some sealant down one side. Next press a thin line of coconut fibre (aprox 0.5cm) onto the sealant being sure not to overlap the fold line. Do the same on the other side, be sure there is no sealant showing through and cover with a piece of paper. Stack some heavy books on top to weight it down and leave overnight.

When you return to the thatched card lift the books and paper and leave it to sit for a little longer, before going any further be sure that it is fully dry.

Take another piece of card and make a template for your pattern. Place the pattern onto the thatched card and using some sharp scissors cut the shape into the card and thatch on both sides.

Tip: to help you gain the shape you want you may have to cut the basic shape, step back and take a look from a far then gently trim any straggly strands a few at a time like clipping a hedge until the desired effect is achieved.

Trim a straight line around the base of the roof, I like to leave a wide overhang but use your judgment here.

Next you will need to trim the thatch on your roof. It’s much like a haircut, using sharp scissors aim the length of the scissors upward towards the top of the roof and cut upwards only on a sort of diagonal. In this way you will avoid cutting chunks out of your new roof and it will achieve a much smoother finish.

Tip: if the thatch is sticking up to much or moving as you try to cut it. Place your hand on top and press down gently to hold it firm while you cut.

Tip: if you do end up with a couple of gaps or chunks missing, cut some thatching quite small, cover the end with sealant, open up the hole and slid the thatch into place, leave to dry and trim later.

Now cover the top of your roof with a thin layer of calk, place the dry, folded card on top and press down firmly and hold. If possible apply a small amount of pressure in the form of a clip or something to hold it in place for a few hours.

When the roof is set, take the bent bunches of coconut fibre and stick a thin layer over the very top of the roof (and thatched card). Once these are stuck in place trim to match the pattern you have already cut out. Repeat this until you can no longer see any card and the top of the roof is completely covered.

Lastly take the string and glue it with PVA glue into a pattern to finish off the roof and make it look more authentic.

Be sure to send pix to my facebook page of your roof when finished.