“Sweet Cafe DIY Miniature Dollhouse Kit” Crafts&Co (Action, MyCuteBee) Part 2: the build!
Part 1, which shows what's in the kit and which tools and materials I used is here.
In the end, it took almost a month to build, and I did quite a bit of extra work on it. Very enjoyable little kit.
First, all the small bobs and bits.
Some of it was very fiddly, but it all came together nicely and the clay was a joy to use. The "tacky glue" was very useful, because it does not leave threads and shiny spots, and sticks right away.
The electrics are very simple, just one LED and a battery holder that fits in a compartment inside the counter. Not sure how they wanted me to tie the very thin electric wires together; in my experience there is only one reliable way to do that, and that is to solder them. While I was at it I also added a switch as the tiny switch on the battery holder is impossible to reach when everything is in place. I made a little box from offcuts to hide the switch in.
And this how it all goes together. I didn't like the wall and floor textures that came with the kit, as they were printed on a shiny type of paper. Also some walls did not even have a texture. So I replaced them. Most of the textures I used came from a little book called Craft Sensations Designpad "Textures".
I built a little deck from disposable bamboo coffee stirrers for the table and chairs to sit on, just to bring in a bit of depth.
The kit comes with plastic for the windows, and a template to cut the plastic with. But plastic scratches and warps easily and just does not have the transparancy glass has. It seemed to me that after all this work I might as well do it right, and I used real glass (from a very cheap picture frame) for the large window in the front, and the one in the roof.
So that's all for the “ Crafts & Co DIY miniatuurhuisje“ from Action for €9.99. It's pretty darn good, but it takes a bit of time and effort. Much recommended!