Scullery Success

When DIY makes sense

I'm now starting to work on the scullery/storeroom of my Regency dolls house. As I mentioned in my previous posts, I am using specific room boxes from Bromley Craft Products that stack together to make a large house. 

I will be dividing the room box into two rooms. The left-hand side will be a larder/storeroom and the right-hand side will be a laundry room.

I made the false doors out of wood strips and I used real slate tiles for the floors. I bought the slate tiles from my visit to Miniatura a few weeks ago. They were only £3.00 a bag due to their imperfections, but I like the fact that they aren't perfect as it gives the floor a more lived-in, worn look.

Now to the point of this post. In the right-hand corner is an old fashion copper boiler that I made. I ended up making my own as most of the ones on the market to buy were between £25-£40 and I really didn't want to spend that much on an item I felt I could make myself. 

I used the image below as a reference, this one has an opening door and a wooden lid that lifts off. 

Looking through my stash of rejected items, I came across this corner unit that was part of a larger kitchen cupboard set. It was perfect.

I removed the doors and clad the whole unit in wood strips.

This caused me some trouble as the wood started to curl-up and warp from the wood glue. I had to put several large rubber bands around the unit while the glue set. 

 I painted the wood and then used some very cheap plaster that is used to fill cracks in real life walls, to make the bricks. I used powder plaster that you mix with water and as the plaster was white in colour, I used a combination of pastel chalks to get the colour you see below. I already had a brick stencil sheet, so I just wrapped it around the unit and using a credit card, I smoothed the mixed plaster over the stencil. Sorry I didn't take any photos as it was a very fiddly task.

I made a lid using a wooden circle blank, then added small lolly sticks to the top of the circle and painted it black along with the top of the copper boiler. I wasn't bothered about having a lid that could be removed, so I just glued it straight on the top. I also didn't want to go to the trouble of making a working fire door or grate, therefore I painted a piece of wood, added a brass knob and glued it to the front, to give the illusion of a fire grate. 

As there was a thin gap running all along the top of the boiler, I made some 'bricks' by cutting small rectangles of wood. I rounded off the edges and painted them, before gluing them to the back edge of the boiler top.

 I painted the rest of the bricks and gave them a coat of matt varnish. Now it takes pride of place in the corner of my laundry room, and I couldn't be happier with my efforts. 

I don't have any guilt when it comes to paying a small fortune for miniatures that have been skilfully crafted, and I know that I wouldn't be able to replicate. But when I make a miniature for next to no money and by re-purposing another item, it gives me great pleasure. 

I could of spent the time and effort making a removable lid, or a working fire door, but I didn't need to. It fits me and more importantly, my dolls house.

Until the next time

Take care

Jayne x