crafting
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Making Your Own 3D Printed Tools and Organizers
Although we love using our BambuLabs P1S to print miniatures themselves, we also find it handy to create 3D printed tools and organizers for miniature making. Below is a list of some of our favorite free files. The 3D printing community is SO generous in sharing so many different types of files. Our favorite feature…
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Custom Order: 1:6 Scale Wedding Guest Books
We had fun working in a different scale for a change on this custom order of 1:6 scale books. The customer will be using them for her wedding, with each guest able to write a small note inside the front or back cover. Now, back to the 1:12 scale where we belong!
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Cross-stitched Rug for Luna’s House
After six long weeks, I am excited to have finally finished the cross-stitching on the rug for Luna’s house. I knew it would take a while, but I was still surprised at the number of hours that went into this one. Very happy with how it turned out. This project came with me everywhere in…
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Adventures in Polymer Clay: Lattice Strawberry Pie
For my first foray into polymer clay, I made a strawberry pie, one of my favorite desserts. I had the most trouble with the lattice, but I am happy with how it turned out overall since it was my first clay project for A’s house. I made the silver pie tin on the 3D printer…
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Our Top Five Buys for September
Here are the five products that made our September such a success. Matte PLA Filament: the basic building block of prints on our new 3D printer (link). We have gone through 3 spools already building the new multiboard for tool storage in the workshop. All-in-one color printer: the Wirecutter recommendation (link) for printing shipping labels,…
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Rehabbing a Fixer Upper Dollhouse, Part 3
Please see here for Part 1 of this series and here for Part 2. After testing a few stains on the coffee stirrers, I went with pine (link) for the floors of Luna’s house. They now have a classic and traditional look. After letting the stain dry overnight, I finished with a coat of krylon…
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Giving Older Items New Life In Miniature Making
As a lifelong pack rat, it gives me great joy when something I haven’t used in ages comes in handy for our miniatures projects. Here are a few examples of the new life I have found for old purchases that were otherwise collecting dust. Food scale: When we started shipping on Etsy, we needed to…
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Twin Bed for Attic Kids’ Bedroom at A’s House
I finished up this cozy bed this weekend for the attic kids’ bedroom at A’s House. I cut the wood pieces on my Cricut Maker. The balloon legs for the bed are 3D printed. The sheets are a striped flannel that I picked up in person at Joann’s. The pink blanket is felt from the…
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Gift for a Librarian’s Promotion
A librarian reached out to our Etsy shop as she planned a celebration for the promotion of a colleague. She wanted 50 books that the staff could write a small note in to congratulate the colleague and wish them well in their new position. As lifelong bookworms, it was a delight for us to get…
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Our Shop’s New 3D Printer: The Bambu Lab P1S with AMS
Our first 3D printer was one I purchased for my kids a few years ago. It was a great, user-friendly introduction to the technique. But once we started co-opting it for miniature making, we were pretty limited in what we could accomplish. The build area was not quite big enough for a mini bathtub, and…
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Tools of the Trade: Scale Fabrics from Spoonflower
We can always find so many fabrics that work in miniature at local fabric shops, particularly solids or small calico prints. But what about when you want a pattern that isn’t available in 1:12 scale? My recommendation is Spoonflower (link)! You can support independent artists or upload your own patterns. You have a TON of…
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Rehabbing a Fixer Upper Dollhouse (Part 2)
Luna’s house continues to come along nicely. My kids picked out a light blue-gray for the exterior paint. I’m using this classic, tile-look flooring from Hobby Lobby in the kitchen (link). I decided to cover the other floors in wood. I used coffee stirrers (link) and cut them with miter sheers (link). I got guidance…
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Tips for Miniaturing on a Budget
If your miniatures hobby is like ours, it can eat up a lot of your full-size dollars. Here are our top suggestions for saving money in your miniature adventures. Recycle and repurpose found objects Shop at discount stores Buy refurbished Thrift a dollhouse Visit your local hardware store Check books out at your local library…
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Tips and Tricks for Using Your Cricut Maker to Cut Basswood for DIY Miniatures Projects
The Cricut Maker (or Maker 3) can cut 1/16 inch thick basswood sheets with the knife blade. But getting it to come out right can be a battle! Here are our tips and tricks for getting good cuts most of the time. (Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means we will earn…
Saint B Miniatures 