Saturday, May 2, 2009

How'd she make that?!

Thanks for all the lovely comments on the garden!
Today I'll show you how I made some of the things in the garden.
I'll start with the gate because so many people want to know how I made it. I didn't actually have to do much - it was a lid of one of these mesh boxes that I found at the Japan shop. I couldn't believe it when I got it home it was exactly the right size for the gap I had left in the fence! It was even 'rusty' already, I just glued a bit of fake grass (from a model train shop) here and there on it to look like moss.
The gate posts are made from balsa wood as is the shadow box which was made by Katie. I painted them all in an old weathered wood style and added some fake grass for moss again.
The pond - I started with one of these little 'things' I don't even know what it is really for, it may be something off the bottom of a chair leg. I just bought a couple of them one day in case they had some future use. I glued shells I collected from a beach in it, I found a beach that had the tiniest crushed shells, it was easier than trying to crush them myself. The fish was silver and black when I bought it but it was too hard to see on the shells so I repainted it. Then I just cut some clear plastic off some packaging that was lying a round to cover the top with. I've put some tiny bits of the plants that are ' growing' around the pond on top and it looks like they're floating on the water.
The statue was part of an old metal hairclip that broke some years ago but I couldn't bear to part with it (I bought it in Canada). The base is just a ceramic vase. I used Blu-Tack to stand the statue in the vase. I painted the whole thing rusty - I have discovered I LOVE painting things rusty! The brick wall is made from terracotta coloured Das modelling clay. A lady at the miniatures club made a mould of the wall and we just pressed the clay into it. It dries quite a light colour so it needed painting, I threw a bit of fake grass on it too - I love using that stuff! It makes such a difference to the look of a piece.
The tiny bells are actually called 'Liberty Bells' I bought them years ago. The rusty wire I twisted to make the hearts was in a scrapbooking bargain bin, it has been very useful.
The trees are twigs from the same tree in the park where I found my Easter branch. I was wondering how I could add foliage to them without having to make ten thousand leaves. Then I remembered I bought this flower making stuff at our club once, I have no idea what it is called, I have tried making flowers with it but it's far too chunky. However, for spring foliage and blossom it is perfect!
The box hedge is made from a piece of Oasis and sprinkled with the grass and some of the chunky flower stuff, it could have done with a bit more of the chunky dark green stuff but I only had a little bit of it and someone opened the door while I was making it and all my green stuff blew away!
The topiary tree was made from the top of a larger tree that I bought at a model railway shop, I used hot glue to attach it to a real twig for a better looking trunk. All the dirt is dried tea leaves.

So hopefully all that helps anyone else out there who wants to make a little garden. If there's anything else you want to know, just ask!
Mercedes

17 comments:

  1. Wow!!!! What an imagination!! The gate I found was just too easy...you could have fooled us all. You made me laugh about the'chuncky green stuff'...that's technical miniature talk isn't it??
    You did a fabulous job with your garden!!!
    Regards, Linda

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  2. Oh, I am so copying this page for ingenuity and resourcefulness. I still can't really visualise in mini i.e some people can look at seemingly useless thing like a snap cap of glue and see a coffee percolator but not me, not yet at least. Well done, Merce! Gorgeous work.I find your before and after pics really useful and yes, the "little bits" and the chunky monkey lingo is endearing as well.

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  3. This is my favorite kind of mini work - using bits and pieces of things you already have and found objects. I love your garden, Mercedes, and the gate was, indeed, a very lucky find!

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  4. Mercedes I really Love your Garden. So many lovely details...

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  5. Mercedes everything is so lovely. Thank you for sharing how you put everything together. :-)

    I think the flower stuff is flocking. I know a few places that sell it on-line if you need more. And depending on the color you need, I might have it. :-)

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  6. Wonderful that you let us see how you made everything, lot's of inspiration again!!!

    Love Sylvia

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  7. You lucky, ingenious, genial girl! the gate was a great finding but all the rest is true genius. I love the way you did the pond. Hugs

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  8. Thanks for taking the time to give us all these wonderful ideas. You really lucked out with that garden gate....It's just so perfect!

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  9. Thank you very much for sharing your ideas. The gate is just perfect and so clever of you. I love how you made the pond too. Nice to see the details here.

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  10. Your garden is beautiful. I am going to have to pay more attention at the oriental import shops. Great work!

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  11. Thank you for your details about your wonderful garden. You have made me think about what I can do more about my own mini-garden. What an imagination.. I used Das for my gardenwalls too but have never thourght about painting it. Maybe I should give it a try.

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  12. It's fantastic your garden!!! A lot of lovely details.
    I'm very happy to follow your blog.
    Greetings from Italy
    Roberta

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  13. Mercedes your garden is just amazing!!! You are so talanted doing all those beautiful items!!!!
    Your imagination has no limits.
    I also love the bags that you have made!!!
    Warm regards,
    Meli

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  14. I have just found out about your blog and I must say I love it. I didn't even see all of it yet. Thanks for explaining how you made this lovely things.

    Kim

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  15. Hello Mercedes,

    I love your garden, it's gorgeous, I just wish the gate was for sale here in the Netherlands.

    Greetings, Karin.

    www.westzijde.punt.nl

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  16. Hey Mercedes!
    My name is Melissa and I a from Atlanta Georgia USA. I just found your dollhouse blg and I am just amazed!!! Your talent is beautiful and I love your country house! I live in a mobile home that decorated vintage country style. I can't believe you "Little Tiny Winnies" they are all so cute!
    Melissa

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  17. Hey Mercedes!
    My name is Melissa and I a from Atlanta Georgia USA. I just found your dollhouse blog and I am just amazed!!! Your talent is beautiful and I love your country house! I live in a mobile home that decorated vintage country style. I can't believe you "Little Tiny Winnies" they are all so cute!
    Melissa

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Thank you for your comments!