TOOTSIETOY

I came across some wood letters at Michaels the other day that were on sale.  
I decided I could add another name to the logo wall in the miniature studio

You will notice that the letter "O" is a different color.  Thus begins my story.  

The "O" that came with the letters was not a circle it kind of looked more like a flat tire and I didn't really like it.  I looked all over the metro area for some perfect 3-1/2" tall perfectly round circles.  There was no such thing.  I finally found some on Etsy.  They were relatively inexpensive so I ordered them.  They are made from mdf, but I figured that wouldn't matter since I was going to paint them anyway.  They arrived and were about twice as thick as the wood letters that I had.  So I went back to Michael's to purchase another set of wood letters to stack.  I figured that I could stack the letter so that they would be the same thickness as the new "O"s.  Of course they were all out of most of the letters that I needed.  so I bought some different ones and chopped them up to make do.  For example, I had to make the back of the "T"s our of "E"s by cutting off the bottom two 'crossbars' and adding a piece to the top.  The seams don't really matter because it will be on the back of the letter.

Here is a the actual Tootsietoy logo on the bottom of a table.  I have tried to make the logos somewhat relate to the original designs.

I decided to paint the Tootsietoy logo metallic silver since the furniture is that color under the paint.  Here are a couple of photos of the logos on the wall in the studio.

To see my Tootsietoy collection click HERE

Studio Update

I added a few more brands to the wall in the studio

 (I left some room at the top for Tootsietoy)

I painted the Strombecker letters gold since that is the way it appears on the furniture, unfortunately, it doesn't photograph so well on the wall.  To see my Strombecker collections, click the links below:

Strombecker-walnut-1inch-scale

Strombecker-1-inch-collection

3/4" Strombecker collection

I selected brown, block-like letters for the Tynietoy logo.  Tynietoy initially put paper labels like the one shown above on their pieces, then later started stamping directly on the furniture and then moved to a press or brand on the wood.  click the link below to see my Tynietoy collection.

Tynietoy

The Arcade company has raised letters on each of the cast iron pieces that they produced.  I chose the galvanized letters for the Arcade logo since they are both metal.

Click the link to see my Arcade Cast Iron Collection:

ARCADE

Recent Acquisitions

I have found a few interesting items this week at estate sales.  A fireplace bookend.  Surprisingly, it must weigh 5 pounds!  I came across this set of wooden kitchen tools and a unique metal chair at another sale.  I believe the chair is a pin cushion/picture frame?  It is slightly larger than 1:12 scale.

I figured a fireplace of this weight might as well go with my heaviest cast iron furniture, my Arcade collection.  To see my Arcade Cast Iron collection click on the Arcade link.  I believe I have all of the pieces except the octagon shaped living room side table.

I did take a liking to these galvanized letters that I came across at Hobby Lobby the other day.  (and they were half-off !)  If you are new to my blog, you might enjoy this trip down memory lane and seeing the progress of my "man-cave"

Studio Drawings

Studio Construction 

Studio Construction 1

Studio Progress 2

Move In Day

Move In Day

Everything is in the studio.  

Now I need to find the right place for everything and unpack.

The other half of my day was spent hanging Christmas lights outside.  

The small arched window above the garage is the miniature studio.  

Studio Progress

There is a light at the end of this tunnel!

 There has been a lot of progress on the studio this past week, in fact I have had a hard time keeping up with things ( like this blog!)  The walls are in, textured and painted. The new laminate flooring is in and the baseboards went in yesterday.

 We have been shuffling items back and forth because grandma got the same flooring in her area.  She will be sharing the studio with me.  Notice we still do not have all the electrical installed ( outlets, coverplates, and even some of the fixtures)  No door knobs yet on either of the two storage rooms and no grilles on the mechanical vents .  I am going to finish painting tonight and install the window blinds.

The finish carpenter is installing a wider window sill / shelf for grandma's plants.  We are getting excited to finish up and move into the space.  We have guests arriving next Monday for Thanksgiving so we have to have it all wrapped up by then.

Studio Update

The walls are taking shape.  Hopefully the contractors can finish up the drywall today.

 The space measures just under 500 square feet.

 The area with the windows is going to be Grandma's craft corner.  She likes to do scrapbooking.

 I am going to have a busy weekend.  I have to paint the walls and ceiling because the floor installers will begin next Monday!

The Energy Star windows designed for our region of the country.  

Studio Progress

More progress.  The electrical is done (for now) and so is the insulation.  The drywall starts going up today.

 I have been trying to keep the dogs out - but are sure curious !  

Note the little blue box on the floor - that is going to be a floor outlet for the work table which sits out in the middle of the room.

Nick and Chris ( short for St. Nicholas and Christmas) were abandoned puppies that my son found last Christmas while we were visiting my sister-in-law in Texas.  

This is a picture of the track light that I am using.  Four of these will be mounted on the sloping ceiling around the room to highlight the miniatures.  I chose the oil rubbed bronze finish because it matches the metals in the rest of the house, and I also liked how this fixture mixes contemporary and classic. Drawings can be found here

Studio Space Update

The new studio space is taking shape - literally!

Here is the new dormer window from the exterior.  The siding and windows are supposed to go in this week.  Then I get to paint.

Here is the new dormer from the interior.  Notice that we had to add to the thickness of the roof joists to get the proper depth for the insulation to meet code.

BEFORE

AFTER

 Here is the new closet door and closet all framed out

AFTER

 Here is the other closet all framed out

BEFORE

Humble Beginnings

Just a quick update on the new studio space.  The lumber was delivered yesterday and the contractors are supposed to start today.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate.  I had a wonderful weekend with the family on a weekend trip to Kansas City, including a trip the miniature museum there and a really great Victorian mansion tour.  I will post those pics later in the week.

A New Place To Call Home

My collection has patiently been waiting in the garage - the houses are all vacant and everything is boxed up.  We had a pretty mild summer, so I am hoping everything has survived the heat and humidity!  I have come across a few items at estate sales that I purchases and have been storing in the cabin.  I will post those photos another day.

Here is another before photo of the space.  This is looking at the existing small front window.  The space is great and has a vaulted 12' ceiling.

This is standing by the window looking towards the back of the house.  I added some text bubbles to show the new dormer location and the new storage closet location.

This view is also looking towards the back of the house.  The area behind the pink insulation houses the stairwell.

I came across this couch from a co-worker, I like the hounds tooth fabric.  It may set a black & white kind of theme for the space?  The couch is also a queen size hide-a-bed, so that we can also use the  space as a quest bedroom. 

A New Place To Call Home

We have been in our new home nearly 6 months, I have had little time for blogging and we are finally at a point were we can finish out the attic space into the new craft room. I have attached the drawings that I used for the building permit, home owners association approval and pricing.

This first drawing (above) is the floor plan, showing the new dormer window and the two new closets and the electrical outlet locations.  
Click Here for a photograph of the existing space.

This drawing shows the ceiling layout, I am planning on using a mixture of recessed can lights and track-like fixtures to position over the dollhouses.  Ceiling fans are a necessity here in Oklahoma in the hot humid summers.  The room will serve at least 3 functions - house my miniature collection, house our hobby area, and serve as a guest bedroom.  

Here is a section detail and elevation at the new dormer window, I am excited to see how this will open up the space and add some natural light.  The new window was also a necessity to meet the code as a second way out in case of a fire since the only window in the space is a small non-operable one on the front elevation of the house.

This last drawing shows where the dormer sits in relation to the rest of the house.  It will add a little character to this side of the house which is pretty boring ( and rather close to the neighbors)

I will post more pictures later as the project progresses.  The big question right now is what kind of flooring?  I am leaning towards either laminate or vinyl that looks like wood. I did also see an interesting cork floor.  Let me know what you have on your craft room floors and if it works well!

Humble Beginnings

We got the keys to the new house today and we start moving in tomorrow.  I went over tonight to make sure everything was in order and snapped a picture of the space for my new miniature room.  It is an unfinished area of the house over the garage.

It's not much yet, but it has a lot of potential and possibilities. Wish me luck!