Using Household Objects in a Miniature Setting

Using Household Objects in a Miniature Setting
By Julia Morrison

Your dollhouse hobby is a great opportunity for recycling. There is no real "standard" inventory when it comes to dollhouse miniatures. Expect to gather your own inventory of miniature supplies as you complete doll house projects. Keep your eyes open, always thinking 'one inch scale..' If it seems the right scale, set it aside to create a doll house accessory. Save these pieces in small jars or containers so that you aren't faced with the prospect of digging through a big box of odds and ends.

There are plenty of wooden household objects that can be used to build miniature furniture and other accessories. Coffee stirrers, skewers, tongue depressors, Popsicle sticks, toothpicks, and golf tees make great 'lumber.' Drawer knobs can be made with beads and map tacks. Kids' building blocks, matchboxes, small gift boxes, and wooden thread spools also make a great start for all kinds of tiny furnishings for your dollhouse.

Miniature lamps and other decorative miniatures can be made with beads and jewelry making supplies. Other common household items that may come in handy as you decorate your dollhouse include thimbles, toothpaste caps, broken jewelry, buttons, wristwatches, film canisters, drinking straws, and paper clips. Of course, this is only a basic list; if you keep your eyes open, you'll find that nearly everything you come across offers a usable part for doll house accessory projects.

Never throw away fabric, wallpaper, place mats, ribbons, scrapbooking papers, or other scraps with a print that's fitting for the miniature scale. Even paper napkins and paper towels can find a new use in your dollhouse. These can be used to make carpets, throw rugs, floor coverings, textured walls, blankets, tablecloths, and nearly every other cloth item in your dollhouse.

You can even make a doll house accessory from food packaging. Empty coffee creamer containers can be used to make flower pots, buckets, and lamp shades, while aluminum foil is great for simulating metal surfaces, and the texture of egg cartons makes excellent stonework. Even bottle caps and lids can find a use in the miniature setting.

When it comes to creating a doll house accessory out of recycled household objects, the only limit is your imagination. Start looking through your junk drawers to see what leftovers you can transform into miniature accessories. Soon you'll realize that you have plenty of items lying around that would be perfect to create dollhouse miniatures.

The Dollhouse Company is a one-stop shop for everything you need to build a doll house. From dollhouse kits, furniture and accessories to finished dollhouses and how-to books.

A large variety of Victorian dollhouse furniture including accessories such as fine china, cutlery, vases and many other miniature items that were used or displayed in the home during the Victorian ages is available to purchase from our online shop.

Down load our FREE e-book on how to choose, build and decorate you dollhouse at http://www.thedollhousecompany.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julia_Morrison
http://EzineArticles.com/?Using-Household-Objects-in-a-Miniature-Setting&id=7034717