Serpentine Center Table

Finally I had a couple of days for myself. And of course any mini addict knows that means working on your projects! The boys had some work to do on the house renovations and I couldn't help so I got a whole weekend of free time.
Although the weather wasn't all that good, it was unusually cold for this time of year (only 10 degrees outside!) I put on four layers of warm clothes and settled on the balcony. I didn't think that miniatures could be hazardous to my health, but I've been proven otherwise. Although I don't have a fever I do feel quite bad today. But at least I got a lot done.

Ok, enough rambling, on to the interesting part.

I've decided to make another table.... I'm starting to think I'm getting a bit stuck on these.... perhaps because I figured out how to make them and they turn out good. I'm thinking about a nightstand next.....

This table has thinner cabriole legs than the dining table and is also quite smaller. It would fit perfectly in a foyer with a large bouquet of flowers on top and some mirrors on either side.... ooh, I see an idea for a roombox coming up.... maybe someday.

It still needs to be finished with oil and shellac.

And the new dining table to compare for size. 

This is the table I started cutting out a few weeks ago. Now I finally got the chance to finish it.

And here are all the pieces waiting for the finishing touches, oil and a few coats of shellac. I also made two matching console tables this weekend. These still need to be sanded a bit though. And the two hanging shelves that I made a few weeks ago are also waiting to be finished. I like to have a few pieces ready so when I finally get to the shellac part I can do all of them at once instead of doing each one individually. Since I have to put on four coats of shellac it's better to have more pieces.

I think it was a very productive weekend and I actually have something to show. Now it's probably time for some new pieces.... perhaps I really should try a nightstand..... will need to hunt for ideas.

Until next time!

*Poof*

Another try at hanging shelves....

Today was a holiday so I had a few hours of spare time. Of course that means mini making time :) Since I'll be at work all day tomorrow I decided to treat myself to some minis today.

I've wanted to make hanging shelves from walnut wood for quite some time but never got around to it. I've also had the wood cut to size for some time and now I finally used some of it.

This one is a new design, although it is similar to a previous one. This of course needs to be further sanded and then it will get the whole treatment of shellac.

This one is from similar to one I made out of pear wood, but not exactly the same. It's smaller and a bit differently shaped. This one will also be finished with shellac. It will also be a bit darker after I apply paraffin oil and finish everything.

Sometimes, when real life deals us a plate of worries there is nothing more relaxing than taking a couple of hours off and doing a quick mini project. I love how these turned out and hopefully I will add a few more designs later on. First I want to make a few more console tables and probably one or two dining tables. Even though it's going to have to be stretched over a few weeks I hope everything will still get done.

Until next time!

*Poof*

Serpentine console table + large serpentine table

Hooray, two new tables :)

But first I would like to thank each and every one of you for all your nice comments and wonderful ideas! I appreciate every comment but sadly real life doesn't allow me to thank everyone individually right now. Please know that I love all of them and that they mean so much to me. It's always nice to know what others think of your work and it's such an inspiration to get such positive feedback.

Ok, down to business now, here's part of the process for another serpentine table and the result of the console table.

Before the final sanding, you can still see the rough spots that need some sanding.

It's still so nice to see the wood colour pop when I apply paraffin oil. I wanted to show you the difference again :)

Both tables with a coat of oil.

I love how this table top turned out. The specific grain and wood colour makes every piece unique and OOAK. It's truly beautiful.

I got this one to shine even more.... 

And the finished console table. I like how it turned out although I think I will change the sides a little on the next one. This one will probably go to my shop tomorrow.

I love making these! I will need to make some new designs for them.

I also have a question for all my wonderful followers.... If you could choose, which table would you rather have - a large serpentine table or a smaller console table? Would the console table fit better in your dollhouse since it's smaller and can be used for more things, or would you prefer the large serpentine table despite of it's size? I was wondering because I am thinking of a few new designs but I would like your opinion on what to make - smaller side tables/console tables or large dining room tables?

Until next time!

*Poof*

Serpentine console table part 2 + my new gadget

As always real life keeps getting in the way of making minis. And I had another distraction.... a new camera :D I bought a Nikon Coolpix L820 and couldn't be more satisfied with it. It suits my needs perfectly. Of course macro photography was a big factor in my decision and I can take great close ups with it.

I actually assembled the console table and sanded everything. Now it's going on the waiting list for shellac but I still need a few more pieces so I can coat a few pieces together.

I also started working on another large serpentine table. So far I have the table top and the cabriole legs cut. 

I love the way this one looks. There can never be another one the same :)

Roughly sanded legs. These will need a lot of sanding to become the way they should be.

And of course I had to play around with my new Nikon. A couple of shots so you can judge for yourself if it'll do for miniatures :D

Now another day of work and then we're off to our mini vacation in a spa. I can't wait!! 

Until next time!

*Poof*

Serpentine console table part 1

The last few days I've been busy cutting legs, skirts, table tops,.... I want to make another large serpentine table but I've also made new plans for a smaller side table or actually a console table. Again the plans are my own design although I did have a few inspirational photos.

The whole design was mostly based on this table. Of course mine won't be as elaborate since I haven't mastered miniature carving yet although I wish to learn that someday too. We'll see.

A rough work in progress..... just dry fitting here to see if everything is going according to plan. As you can see I changed the cabriole legs a bit too, actually slimmed them down as I didn't think the more bulky ones would fit on this smaller table quite as nicely.

So far so good. Now I need to do a lot more sanding and perhaps then it'll be ready for glue. Since this is made out of walnut wood I want to put on the same shellac finish as on the large serpentine table. This will again require a lot of time so I think I'll make a few pieces and then have two or three ready for shellac at the same time.

I do have a few more legs for the large serpentine tables cut but I forgot to take pictures.... I haven't done any more work on the chaise lounge though.... I will have to put everything together so I can put on shellac with the rest of these pieces. 

Well, this is all for now :)

*Poof*

Chaise lounge part 2

I've wanted to get to this project every day but somehow never found the time to actually sit down and continue. Today I was a little selfish and worked on it a bit.

I sanded everything and shaped the tiny cabriole legs. It doesn't sound like a lot of work but between all the interruptions it took up the whole morning. 

It's starting to look like something..... I'm still not very good at padding everything so I'm not sure how that will work.... perhaps I should have padded the back first and then assembled the rest. Oh well, it's done now so no use thinking it over again and again. I still have to shellac the whole thing before making the padding anyway. 

The front and the back legs. I need to let these dry and maybe I can continue tomorrow. 

This is coming along nicely although I'm not entirely sure I designed this project like it should be. But if it turns out ok in the end then who cares, right? 

Now I will have to look for some fabric.... I was thinking red velvet would be nice. I've also thought about leather but I think it would be too thick and hard to work with. Or I could always use the gold fabric I used for the bed tufting last year....

Any suggestions?

Until next time!

*Poof*

Antique chaise lounge part 1

Since yesterday was Sunday and we decided we weren't going to be doing anything around the house I finally got the time to start a new project.

I've wanted to do something like this for ages but haven't worked up the nerve to try it until now. Even now I can't be sure it's going to turn out the way I want it to, or turn out like anything at all.... but if I don't try I'll never know, right?

Since I've decided to make an antique chaise lounge I first had to come up with the design. This was mostly winging it and combining things from several different inspirational photos. After that came the cutting part.

The back and the front sides. Here you can see how this should turn out.... should being the operative word...

I also have the legs cut, all four of them. These are very small and so I've decided to leave them attached to the block they were cut from, making it easier for me to hold them while shaping them with my rotary tool. 

I still need to design the front part, plus cut the rest of the back and sides. At least I cut most of the pieces that will be visible after upholstering. The rest don't have to be as neat as they won't be seen anyway. Now I'll have to sand everything since you can clearly see that no sandpaper has touched this wood yet, hahaha. Hopefully I'll be able to continue this soon.

Oh, and I wanted to show the supervisor for the house renovations....

Nothing to add here really.... :D

Until next time!

*Poof*

OOAK Walnut dining table now on Etsy

Whew, it's done! The serpentine dining table that is!

I finished it with another coat of shellac, so that makes four in total. After waiting for over 12 hours to make sure the shellac was completely dry I added the finishing touch - shellac polishing oil (the one with lavender :/). And this is the finished product. Again the photos aren't the best but since it doesn't look like we'll be having any sunny days soon I photographed it anyway.

Although it's not visible so much it has a semi gloss finish. I actually prefer it to the truly polished finished like on pianos. I think that this way the table looks more realistic and less plastic.You can find this piece in my Etsy shop.

Now I have to be good and write my thesis. I already wrote 10 pages today so a couple more days and I should be finished. And then it's back to minis (hopefully next week!)

Until next time!

*Poof*

Walnut Serpentine Table - part 2

So between everything that's been going on in the last few days I finally managed to give the walnut table a coat of paraffin oil. I swear, I think everyone was just waiting for me to get a job and then they started having picnics, birthdays, doctor's appointments,... Lol!

Ok, on to serious business :) Yesterday before going to work I mixed my shellac flakes with alcohol to get shellac I can actually work with. You can get pre-mixed shellac I've been told, but I don't think they sell it here and I prefer to do it the old fashioned way anyway. So I mixed 100 ml with 24 grams of flakes and got a 2 pound cut. Shellac can be mixed in different "cuts", depending on what you're using it for.
And then after mixing in the flakes I had to shake it every few hours or so (well, my mum did that for me thankfully, since I wasn't home all day yesterday) and after 24 hours or so it's ready to go. Well, I did have to pour it through an old T-shirt first, in case there were any bits left that didn't dissolve.

On the left is the mixed shellac and on the right a small amount of alcohol to wash my brush with. The shellac would ideally be stored in a darker container but I didn't have anything else on hand. I will store it in a dark place though. I realised I mixed way too much even though I only mixed 100ml. But it would probably be harder to mix even less. I guess I'll have to produce quite a few more pieces in the next 6 months (which is usually how long mixed shellac has before going bad).

The table finally coated with paraffin oil. I had to do more sanding after the filling part was complete, but it was so worth the work! I love how rich the colour is! Now I have to wait until tomorrow for the oil to settle in and for the grain to lift. After that the table will get another light sanding and then, finally, it's first coat of shellac. At least I hope so, since I want to finish the scrap piece with at least four coats today. And then I'll see what kind of shine it will have and also if I have to put anything else on.

And again, the difference in colour. The upper piece is not coated with oil. It's amazing how a little oil can transform a piece so much!

The last thing I wanted to show you is the scrap piece. On the left is the first coat of shellac, already dry. In the middle the wood is coated only with oil and on the right side it's completely unfinished. You can see the difference in colour here perfectly. Also the shellac has a slight shine to it, but nothing drastic yet. Now I will have to wait for 2 hours between each coat of shellac but since I already have the second coat drying I will probably get to finish the scrap piece today.

Well hopefully tomorrow I can start coating the table with shellac. Will report on the progress and show more pictures of shellac layers as I apply them.

Until next time!

*Poof*

Walnut Serpentine Table - part 1

Well, it's been a crazy few days. But still, I decided to make another serpentine table. And this time I was brave enough to try making it out of walnut!

I love how it turned out. My main concern was that I won't be able to get everything fitted together perfectly and of course I couldn't. But luckily I coloured some filler. Although I didn't need much I still needed it but it did turn out good anyway.

I used a similar design as on the previous serpentine table, although this one is larger. It's 15cm long and 8,5cm deep.

Here you can see the parts that still need some sanding and filling. 

Mixing the filling with a drop of paint. Worked out perfectly!

After all the sanding and filling was done I faced another dilema. How to finish the table? I've been tempted by shellac for a long time, but never got around to quite trying it. We had some flakes and alcohol left over from a while back, when my mum and dad used it for French polishing a few antique pieces of real life furniture. And so I went to the basement and dragged everything out. Not just shellac but also paraffin oil.

They explained the process to me. First use paraffin oil and let it sit for at least 24 hours and after that a few coats of shellac. I won't be able to rub it on like they could but I can still paint it on with a brush. So I decided to try the whole technique on a scrap piece of walnut.

Here you can see the difference in colour, the scrap piece on top of the table is already coated with paraffin oil and the table is not. I love how rich the colour got and the best part, it stays this way!

Shellac flakes. I will have to mix my own shellac but that shouldn't be a problem.

And I also have the alcohol. Thank got we still had this at home, since it's terribly expensive to buy. Who would have thought that something as silly as denaturated alcohol would be so pricey!

Well, now I have to leave the scrap piece to dry and then I can start applying shellac. I decided not to try it straight on the table since I have no idea how this will turn out. I know that shellac finish is amazing but I'm not sure how this will react with being brushed on versus rubbed/polished on. Will have to see and of course I'll report on my progress here :)

Until next time!

*Poof*