Post by astudyinscarlet on Mar 22, 2023 17:34:46 GMT
During a major sort out recently I finally decided to finish this stable block I partially made years ago and have been making over off and on (more off than on) for ages and had been cluttering up my bedroom floor for probably something like 3 years. I made the loose boxes originally but they never had a proper surround so I've now turned them into an actual stable block with a roof and a small storage area above them. The loose boxes were made from shoe boxes and lolly sticks, the metal bars are bamboo skewers and the frames for the bars are lolly sticks and balsa wood. The outside of the building is made from foam board covered in either brick paper or lolly sticks and craft wood. The roof is made overall from foam board but I had two (originally bright pink!) tile-effect panels from an old Cassy stable that was missing other pieces so was no real use to anyone so I used them on this, filling in the middle section with wooden tiles and some made from craft foam sheets. It has a raised section in the centre for ventilation and the clock. I've painted the boxes and doors and part of the outside to match my other stables and my (not actually completed yet) barn and it's had shelves and a tool rack and hanging hooks added. Also I've fitted LED lights into it and added other details like the guttering and drainpipe and plant pots and things.
It's one of those things where due to the nature of the materials and tools I have to work with, nothing is particularly straight or level, the materials warp or they don't ever quite cut evenly or whatever but I'm not going for pristine brand new modern stables here, that's not my thing. So it doesn't really matter if things are never quite square or straight. I am happy with it anyway now.
The roof, painted, weathered (with acrylics and pastels), with lichen (paint) and moss (scenic scatter, glued and then coated in matt varnish so hopefully it won't just drop off the first time I dust the roof) added.
The end and ridge tiles are made from craft foam and the ridge ventilators from cardboard and matchsticks.
Storage area (which is removable so you can access the loose boxes better). Also you can see where the battery for the LED strip goes (I didn't bother to get one with a switch because it's easy enough to just detach the battery to turn them off).
Close up view of the loose boxes. The straw is thin yellow card from a folder, chopped up very finely. Under that is 'rubber' matting (craft foam sheets).
End view. The planters and the planted pots are dolls house terracotta ones mostly bought with the plants already in, but I've added dirt/algae/moss to the pots with acrylics to make them look less pristine. The horse hanger is an MDF shape with added chain, painted to look like rusted metal.
Back
Other end
The shelf supports are made from some bits of wood which came from fireworks sticks so they already had a bit of a 'rustic' finish anyway from lying about on the grass for a while before I picked them up. The actual shelves are thin wooden strips weathered slightly to match using watered down black gouache. The pots are a mix of terracotta dolls house ones again aged/weathered, a ceramic blue dolls house pot, a thimble (far right), a cap from a tube which I painted and weathered and plastic dolls house ones which I painted with nail varnish then added some weathering to. The horseshoe hooks are made from horseshoe charms with a piece of wire attached into the hole in the charm using superglue and baking soda, with a bead on the end, all painted with black nail varnish. The ventilator is made from thin card and matchsticks, the drainpipe from square wooden rods and craft foam, and the tool rack is made from some scrappy offcuts of craft wood. The no smoking sign was just printed off and stuck on card. The horse hanger is an MDF shape again with a bit of chain from a broken necklace added but this one is painted to look like weathered copper.
Jack in his new loose box.
The hinges are plastic dolls house ones, I just added strips of thin plastic or card (I can't remember which actually now) with nail art studs glued to them, put next to the hinges so they look more like proper stable door hinges. The bolts are just made from wire with a bead glued on the end and 3 screw in eye hooks. The curved part of the door is plastic tubing with wire through it.
The name plates are made from balsa wood (I would have preferred to use paper clay but I hadn't got any and couldn't afford to buy any more at the time). I stamped the name into them using metal letter punches, then sanded them, then painted them the green colour, then brushed the copper paint into the letters, wiping the excess off the rest of the nameplate.
I attach them using tacky wax so they can be replaced or switched around if necessary.
This box is still empty/lacking a name plate as I haven't decided who's going in it yet but it might be one of the Julips I'm still in the process of restoring/making over.
The horse shoe is a Barbie one, sanded down to round off the edges and ends, with tiny nail art studs glued to it for nails, then painted silver, then washed with terracotta coloured paint so it looks nicely old and rusty.
It's one of those things where due to the nature of the materials and tools I have to work with, nothing is particularly straight or level, the materials warp or they don't ever quite cut evenly or whatever but I'm not going for pristine brand new modern stables here, that's not my thing. So it doesn't really matter if things are never quite square or straight. I am happy with it anyway now.
The roof, painted, weathered (with acrylics and pastels), with lichen (paint) and moss (scenic scatter, glued and then coated in matt varnish so hopefully it won't just drop off the first time I dust the roof) added.
The end and ridge tiles are made from craft foam and the ridge ventilators from cardboard and matchsticks.
Storage area (which is removable so you can access the loose boxes better). Also you can see where the battery for the LED strip goes (I didn't bother to get one with a switch because it's easy enough to just detach the battery to turn them off).
Close up view of the loose boxes. The straw is thin yellow card from a folder, chopped up very finely. Under that is 'rubber' matting (craft foam sheets).
End view. The planters and the planted pots are dolls house terracotta ones mostly bought with the plants already in, but I've added dirt/algae/moss to the pots with acrylics to make them look less pristine. The horse hanger is an MDF shape with added chain, painted to look like rusted metal.
Back
Other end
The shelf supports are made from some bits of wood which came from fireworks sticks so they already had a bit of a 'rustic' finish anyway from lying about on the grass for a while before I picked them up. The actual shelves are thin wooden strips weathered slightly to match using watered down black gouache. The pots are a mix of terracotta dolls house ones again aged/weathered, a ceramic blue dolls house pot, a thimble (far right), a cap from a tube which I painted and weathered and plastic dolls house ones which I painted with nail varnish then added some weathering to. The horseshoe hooks are made from horseshoe charms with a piece of wire attached into the hole in the charm using superglue and baking soda, with a bead on the end, all painted with black nail varnish. The ventilator is made from thin card and matchsticks, the drainpipe from square wooden rods and craft foam, and the tool rack is made from some scrappy offcuts of craft wood. The no smoking sign was just printed off and stuck on card. The horse hanger is an MDF shape again with a bit of chain from a broken necklace added but this one is painted to look like weathered copper.
Jack in his new loose box.
The hinges are plastic dolls house ones, I just added strips of thin plastic or card (I can't remember which actually now) with nail art studs glued to them, put next to the hinges so they look more like proper stable door hinges. The bolts are just made from wire with a bead glued on the end and 3 screw in eye hooks. The curved part of the door is plastic tubing with wire through it.
The name plates are made from balsa wood (I would have preferred to use paper clay but I hadn't got any and couldn't afford to buy any more at the time). I stamped the name into them using metal letter punches, then sanded them, then painted them the green colour, then brushed the copper paint into the letters, wiping the excess off the rest of the nameplate.
I attach them using tacky wax so they can be replaced or switched around if necessary.
This box is still empty/lacking a name plate as I haven't decided who's going in it yet but it might be one of the Julips I'm still in the process of restoring/making over.
The horse shoe is a Barbie one, sanded down to round off the edges and ends, with tiny nail art studs glued to it for nails, then painted silver, then washed with terracotta coloured paint so it looks nicely old and rusty.
