Props | Desktop Stables

Archive for the ‘Props’ Category

Trailer Organizing

Posted in Miniatures, Props, tagged miniatures, organizing, props on October 7, 2018| 7 Comments »

My to-do list is huge and I have in-progress pieces all over the place, so it only made sense to start something else. A form of procrastination, I think.

Last year I purchased a Breyer truck and trailer lot from someone locally. The price was too good to pass up, and even though the adult in me was saying “NO NICHELLE YOU DON’T HAVE ROOM GROW UP ALREADY” the kid in me won.

It’s fun for pictures. That’s my excuse.

Anyway, I’m not sure what inspired me to create a door organizer for it yesterday but well, here it is…

The hardware was made from wire glued to scraps of card. I think it would be better to solder the wire to metal strips instead… but I haven’t learned how to do that yet. :3

It’s attached to the trailer door with hot glue right now. It’s enough to keep it in place but isn’t as permanent as other glues. The loops velcro in place.

Filled with stuff!

I guess I really need to stop procrastinating now.

Read Full Post »

Tack Room Progress

Posted in Miniature Stable, Miniatures, Props, tagged Miniature Stable, miniatures, tack room on December 4, 2017| 17 Comments »

A while back I mentioned that I’m building a miniature tack room. I also mentioned that this is part of a larger, somewhat insane project, which will involve building multiple rooms that will (potentially) fit together to make a full stable set up. Or rather, the illusion of one.

This is something that I have been wanting to do for years, but wasn’t sure how to accomplish. The inspiration actually came from binge-watching behind the scenes footage of the Hobbit films last year.

One particular set (Erebor/Smaug’s lair) was created with multiple pieces that could be moved around to create the illusion of a much larger space when filmed from different angles. (well that and a whole lot of CGI!) I wondered if it would be possible to use a similar idea with this fantasy barn I’ve been dreaming about. I clearly do not have the space to build a massive barn set up, but multiple box rooms seem a lot more manageable.

Because I can never keep things simple, this project started out with a sketch of the entire barn layout. I really wanted things to make sense. Where are all the doors located? Windows? Stalls? Rooms? The arena? Once I was happy with the design I started to work on putting together the box rooms.

The first (and only I’ve tackled so far) is the tack room.

This is a 14in x 14in x 14in cardboard box cut down to size. Cardboard isn’t the sturdiest or nicest of materials to work with I know, but it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than wood and easier for me to cut.

The floor was made from large popsicle sticks, and the walls were covered with white poster board. I’ve posted tutorials on how I made the saddle and bridle racks, and since then I’ve added a utility sink…

…and a few more saddle racks. (got to have a place to store all those saddle pads, you know!)

Of course everything is lopsided. OF COURSE.

There’s also this crop/whip holder, which I threw together one night. Would there be an interest in a tutorial for it? The crops still need work… I have no idea what I’m doing.

The room isn’t totally complete, and it probably won’t be as I’m sure I’ll be going back to change, add or fix certain things later on.

To make as much use of the box as I could, I decorated two of the outside walls.

The first was made to look like the outside of the tack room:

It’s got a tiny bulletin board:

As well as a fire extinguisher, which was a dollhouse miniature I repainted with nail polish and added a proper label to.

The back wall with the window was made to look like the outside of the stable. It’s ugly because I messed up the siding and the window and, well, everything else…

Whoever is constructing this thing needs to be fired

But it’s not that noticeable in a background.

That’s all these are, really – elaborate backgrounds, haha!

But it’s fun and that’s what matters. The inner child is happy too. 😛

Read Full Post »

Tutorial: Hay Bags

Posted in Classic, Props, Schleich, Traditional, Tutorials, tagged breyer props, Classic, hay bag, props, Schleich, Traditional, tutorial on October 8, 2017| 9 Comments »

Recently I was inspired to make hay bags for my models, and have turned it into a tutorial for you all.

This time I included Traditional, Classic and Schleich sizes on the pattern. 🙂

You will need:

The Pattern – can’t open a PDF? Download this – it’s free!
Fabric (I use cotton as it’s easy to work with) + matching thread
1/8 ribbon, jump rings and hook (etched or bent by hand)
Acrylic paint – this will be the “binding” around the edge
Fray Check, fabric glue (I use Fabri-Tac)
Iron – a flat iron can work nicely! 😉

The first step is to iron your fabric to remove all wrinkles. Cut out your pattern and trace it onto the wrong side of your fabric. The pattern includes a seam allowance – you can add this in free hand or bend back the pattern tabs, then trace again.

With Fray Check, go over the lines of the round opening, top edges of the bag and short edges of the long piece, then let dry completely. This will soak through the fabric so make sure you have something underneath! Fray Check can darken some fabrics, so it would be a good idea to test a scrap piece first.

Cut out your pieces, then fold all tabs inward and iron down. The long piece’s pattern is divided into three sections. (marked with dotted lines) Fold and iron these down, then make small cuts in the tab on each side.

Line up the top edge of the long piece with the edge of a bag piece, then glue the tabs together. I’m not using a lot of glue here – just enough to hold it in place.

Repeat with the opposite side, then glue the middle section together.

Repeat with the second bag piece. You should have an inside out hay bag when you’re finished.

Sew the bag together along the folds. You could skip this step altogether (depending on how much glue you used) but I want a little more strength here.

Trim off the excess, then flip the bag right side out. Press the edges with an iron (or your fingers!) to shape it.

Add paint around the top edges and opening for faux binding. Remember to paint the inside edges too!

Cut three pieces of ribbon about an inch long. On two of the pieces, fold a small amount over and glue down.

Fold these in half and thread on a jump ring. With the folded side on the outside of the bag, glue over the top edge.

With the third ribbon piece, fold over one end, add a jump ring and glue in place. Fold and glue the excess, then glue to the back of the bag. On real hay bags, this ring is to add extra support to the bag when it’s tied up. On the model ones it’s just an extra detail, but it could be used if you wanted to. 🙂

Your bag is finished! To make a simple hanging strap, glue a jump ring to one end of a piece of ribbon, and a hook to the other. (this one is from Rio Rondo but you could bend one out of wire if you’d like)