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Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: Cubs on April 07, 2020, 09:24:55 PM
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Now bear with me, this is a bit unusual.
My daughter's birthday party had to be cancelled because of coronavirus and with money being a bit tight and a lot of retailers, high street and online, shutting down for the duration, we needed to get a bit creative. She loves her Barbie dolls, but doesn't have anywhere to store the clothes, so I thought I'd try to make a wardrobe out of spare wood sheets I've got lying around. Ulp. I have no carpentry skills and no experience of anything like this, so it should be interesting.
Step One - making a plan. Kind of. More of a sketch really. A scribble perhaps. Originally I had wanted the wardrobe to be 14" tall and 9" wide, but then I decided that working in metric would be a lot easier and that was way too big since I didn't have enough wood. So I had to scale down a bit to 26cm tall, 20cm wide and 10cm deep, to give enough depth for stability and so the various dresses would fit. I'm planning to put a dowel rail in and make little wire coat hangers for the inside, so it needs to be wide enough to hold them too.
(https://myalbum.com/photo/rSBofRJvuKpE/1k0.jpg)
Step Two - cutting it out. Not too bad. the scroll work on the top was a bit fiddly, but okay with my little hand saw. I realised I've cut out all the bits except the top panel, but I'll do that later. I also realised that I haven't allowed for the width of the wood, but I'll fudge that later when I'm trying to put it together. It'll mean I have to cut the end off the base panel, but that's okay. At least I hadn't done the top panel yet!
(https://myalbum.com/photo/e3uYeZiMpCez/1k0.jpg)
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It's looking good so far!
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Cool. I am sure your daughter will be ecstatic when it's done. Are you going to have her help you finish it or will it be a surprise?
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Bravo - and a very nice design! There's little more satisfying than making stuff for your kids, I reckon. My own efforts are confined to masks and monsters and other things that don't require any geometrical precision, so I'm deeply impressed by your making something that does!
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It's a surprise. And don't tell me it's not gaming! Her models are just a bit bigger than usual!
I've found some old tins of enamel paint - red and white - so I can mix up some classic Barbie pink for when it's done. I think we've got some little shiny jewel beads somewhere as well, to jazz it up. No-one does sparkle like Barbie.
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It's a surprise. And don't tell me it's not gaming! Her models are just a bit bigger than usual!
Never. I tried to get my daughter to play GW games with me by pointing out they were just like her Pollies or Barbie dolls but smaller. Sadly she did not approve of my figures actions or wardrobes. :)
I've found some old tins of enamel paint - red and white - so I can mix up some classic Barbie pink for when it's done. I think we've got some little shiny jewel beads somewhere as well, to jazz it up. No-one does sparkle like Barbie.
Barbie is all about the bling and sparkles. lol
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I hope you’re going to give it a bit of weathering ;)
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A man walks into a store to buy a Barbie doll for his daughter.
"How much is that Barbie in the window?", he asks the shop assistant.
The assistant replies, "Which Barbie? We have Barbie Goes to the Gym for £9.95, Barbie Goes to the Ball for £9.95, Barbie Goes Shopping for £9.95, Barbie Goes to the Beach for £9.95, Barbie Goes Nightclubbing for £9.95, and Barbie Gets Divorced, but that's £295.00. "
The man asks, "Why is Divorced Barbie different from all the others ?
"That's obvious," says the assistant, "Divorced Barbie comes with Ken's house, Ken's car, Ken's boat, Ken's furniture... "
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lol
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Good start. I have had to do similar in the past. BTW this was my missees favourite song as a child. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyhrYis509A (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyhrYis509A)
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The weather was lovely today so this project went outside and I had lots of fun in the sun! Wee Cub said she knew I was making her dolls a wardrobe because I had left 'doll wardrobe' on the Google search history and she saw it. Sometimes I'm thankful we have a child filter. She was excited to watch the process and in a way it's nice for her to start enjoying it now before she sees it finished. Plus she'll see the work that's gone into it and I'll be able to hold it over her forever.
Step three - putting in support batons for glueing. Fortunately I've apparently been saving up that giant box of balsa wood bits just for this! Lengths of baton were measured and glued in place on the back panel to help the sides stay in place later. Also shown is the foot panel for the front. Oh yeah, I also cut out the feet on the bottom of the wardrobe with my little scroll saw. It's earned its keep on this project, that's for sure.
(https://myalbum.com/photo/R3ELLELpYZkQ/1k0.jpg)
Step four - the doors. I wanted to keep them plain, but MrsCub assured me that they have to have the little panels on them. Bugger. Those eight wee rectangles of wood were the most time consuming part of the whole damn project so far! Each one had to be individually cut and then sanded down by hand to give a chamfered edge. Bollocking fiddly and labour intensive. I measured out where they needed to go, glued them in place and then sandwiched them between two big floor tiles I had lying around in the shed to set. Unfortunately, despite my extreme care, one of the panels slipped and set skew-whiff so I had to chisel it off and redo it later. It was fine in the end.
(https://myalbum.com/photo/K7LUa7osMypT/1k0.jpg)
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Step five - the rail supports. I was going to glue the dowelling direct onto the sides of the wardrobe, but in the end I thought some little supports would be better. I cut two squares of wood, drew a circle around the end of the dowelling on them and sketched in a sort of scoop from the top, down to the circle, so the dowel could nestle down into it comfortably. I then cut this out with the trusty scroll saw.
(https://myalbum.com/photo/tPXjDozUp8Xw/1k0.jpg)
Step six - glueing the body. Who says she's too old for Duplo? Her box of her old bricks came in very useful for holding it in place during glueing. Note the wardrobe is upside-down so the flat side is on Lego base and the foot panel is just wedged in to keep the sides from hingeing inwards while it dries. it started to look real at this point and I was getting excited. My daughter had wandered off long ago to help mummy paint a fence.
(https://myalbum.com/photo/JnYDfWUuYnLh/1k0.jpg)
Step seven - the wardrobe all glued and ready for painting! The top and bottom horizontal panels have been added and the doors have had knobs added (!) which will later have some sparkly jewels glued on if I find some the right size. Note that I realised I had made the doors way too long, because I'd measured down to the ground, not to the foot panel! I cut a bit off the top and bottom, but left it about half a centimetre bigger all round than the gap, so it would close against the front of the wardrobe and not collapse inwards. Luckily my daughter announced at this point she didn't want a pink wardrobe (just in time - I thought all Barbie stuff had to be pink!) but would prefer white with pretty blue swirls. Riiiight. Nice and easy then. So the dowel rail is just sat in place and I think I'll keep it like that in case it needs to be removed for play. Everything is going to be painted tomorrow then left to dry before being assembled.
(https://myalbum.com/photo/2hg2kGPvovef/1k0.jpg)
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Very cute :-*
If she gets bored with Barbie,she could always do a Lunch and Judy show...
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Very cute :-*
If she gets bored with Barbie,she could always do a Lunch and Judy show...
MrsCub did say she'll probably demand a stage with curtains and puppets next year!
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Very good project I Hope your daughter likes it and gets years of play out of it
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Nice! You are lucky (I think). My daughter never evinced any interest in dolls. She preferred/prefers football, capoeira and beating the snot out of her older brother. The first two are vastly more expensive in time and $$ to Barbie and the latter brings little peace to the Valley.
We did paint up some Eureka Pond War turtles and she put in quite a decent effort.
Happy carpentry!
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Stage eight - painting! A nice simple white coat (I was going to do pink, but little 'un requested white instead) with whatever I could find in the shed, which in this case was some acrylic we did the kitchen ceiling with. Ho hum. It had about four thin coats to avoid blobs and badness. The Barbie logo was (extremely carefully) cut out with the hand scroll saw (trusty fellow) and then glued to the wardrobe before being sanded down round the edges with a mini drill. The reason I glued it on first was because it's so delicate, the wood would probably have snapped if I'd tried to sand it without being stuck to a surface.
The doors were a colossal be-atch of a job. I hate hanging doors and apparently tiny doors are no better. It was incredibly frustrating trying to get them on straight and level and there was more than one false start, with me having to plug up the holes left by screws with little toothpick points and woodglue, then re-screw 2mm away.
(https://myalbum.com/photo/VeehXNqJuRXa/1k0.jpg)
Now you might be forgiven for thinking this was complete … you don't know my daughter. She is the world leader in changing her mind at the last minute.
Me: "Just white you want it?"
Her: "Yes please."
Me: "No pink flowers or anything?"
Her: "No, just white."
*waits till the white paint is done …
Her: "Actually, I think some swirly pink hearts would look nice."
Me: "Whu? Pink hearts?"
Her: "Yes, with some swirly blue decoration as well. But no flowers, so it's easier for you daddy."
Me: ".. sigh .."
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Legendary effort mon ami
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Top notch all around!
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And of course … now things have gone to shit.
In a train of unlikely events, all too familiar for anyone who has ever foolishly set out on any project with too much optimism and not enough realism, the wheels have come off.
First of all was the horrible swirly decoration, which looks awful but is probably what the little 'un wants. Okay. Then a load of very fiddly little jewels had to be glued on, the fumes from which have made me colour blind. It now looks like Liberace and Dolly Parton went into home furnishing design, but okay.
Then of course, I couldn't find my varnish. All I could find was a manky of can of aged Citadel Purity Seal with a nozzle that just spits the stuff out. Fine, thinks I, not to be defeated, I shall spray the filthy mess on in globs, but then brush it smoothly on with a clean brush for a nice finish.
So by this stage it's dark and I want to go outside to spray. I put the outside light on … and the bulb immediately blows. Of course, why wouldn't it?
Never mind, thinks I with more determination than intelligence, I'll do it by the kitchen light coming through - how much do I need to see anyway? It's just spray and brush! I give it two nice coats and leave it outside to dry.
I then go and get it ready to wrap … and then I see the smears. For no reason I can fathom, the varnish had started to dissolve the dry paint and then my brushing just smeared all that fiddly decoration up and down the doors. This is when I decided to have a breakdown. If that wasn't bad enough, I then immediately found my varnish.
So … guess what I'm doing tomorrow? Yup, a shit load of repainting. Yay.
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Then of course, I couldn't find my varnish. All I could find was a manky of can of aged Citadel Purity Seal with a nozzle that just spits the stuff out. Fine, thinks I, not to be defeated, I shall spray the filthy mess on in globs, but then brush it smoothly on with a clean brush for a nice finish.
Spray the stuff into the lid of the can. Then you can use your brush to put it on nicely. Brush varnishing... I do it on all my minis.
Great project, BTW.
Good luck, I'm sure things will come out okay.
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A great idea Cubs and a lovely one at that (not that I personally think Barbies are lovely- though I would say that ;) :) )
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Great project and all to keep the children happy. lol lol
By the way its nice to know that others have complete cluster**** when doing DIY type projects. I couldn't help both laughing and sympathising in equal amounts about the tribulations you are going through. ;) ;)
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Great project and all to keep the children happy. lol lol
By the way its nice to know that others have complete cluster**** when doing DIY type projects. I couldn't help both laughing and sympathising in equal amounts about the tribulations you are going through. ;) ;)
I'm a great believer in the 'warts and all' style of reporting. I feel it is comforting to know how badly we all balls up, no matter how experienced.
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Why I have steadfastly refused to build anything for the children, and just buy it.
I feel it is comforting to know how badly we all balls up, no matter how experienced.
You have given me hope, although I seem doomed to endlessly repeat my myriad mistakes, its nice to see I am occasionally joined in the outer darkness by others.
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(https://img.cart-checkout.com/api/campaigns/CM_948CAEM/mockup.png?p=BACK&s=ceramic-15&c=Black&imageId=FifteenOunceMugWhite_BACK&u=FRONT%3DIuCwLtVoU1WYZWDz8yiF5A%253D%253D-0.007395043551498552-0.25254637199106417-0.9816406895300374-742716745%26BACK%3DIuCwLtVoU1WYZWDz8yiF5A%253D%253D-0.007395043551498552-0.25254637199106417-0.9816406895300374-742716745&socialshare=true)
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Great project, and no doubt at the end , will be another class piece of your work, regardless of the hell it put you through to get there.
I find that every day, its more and more justified that I stick to being a pessimistic optimist.
No matter how bad it ends up, everyday, no matter the events that transpire I am expecting something even worse
So when that does not happen, its still a better than expected day!
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In spite of al the unexpected trials and duplication of work it will be a Cubs masterpiece. I am sure in the end you will prevail. Might be a bit of sanity loss but failure is not an option. lol
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Stage nine - decorating. Fiddly, swirly, pain in the arse decorations on, repaired and touched-up after the smeary varnish debacle, with little jewels added and a proper gloss spray-on varnish applied … twice. It's pretty much done now except for the clasp that will hold the doors shut (it's a jewellery box clasp and is on the way) and some coat-hangers (also on the way).
I originally wanted to make wire coat-hangers for it using an ingenious method I devised myself - wrap florist wire round a ruler for the shape, twist at the top, bend one end over a bit of dowel for the hook and snip off the excess. Like I say, it's ingenious! It's also complete ballix because the wire just kept snapping at the twisting stage - anything thicker would not have twisted and anything thinner would be too soft to keep its shape. I checked online and at £2 for 20 plastic Barbie coat-hangers I was left wondering why I even tried. If the hooks on the plastic hangers are too small for the dowel rail, luckily I haven't glued it in, so I can just replace it with something thinner.
(https://myalbum.com/photo/prb5RnXWQnGe/1k0.jpg)
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That is so cool. What a brilliant daddy.
However if Barrie is anything like my son was, then if your lucky clothing makes it as far as the floor near the wardrobe.
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You are one hell of a painter, and one hell of a dad 8) 8) 8)
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I would say your daughter should go into fashion design. Hopefully she will really enjoy it.
That came out super duper! :-*
Well done, Cubs!
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Thanks guys, you go that extra mile to put a smile on your kids' faces. I'll do a final shot when the clasp is on.
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Looks amazing :)
What’s next? A matching dressing table? Is there a niche market for bespoke custom made Barbie furniture?
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For what it's worth, those swirly decorations really look lovely. In a barbie wardrobe sort of way, of course. ;)
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Looks amazing :)
What’s next? A matching dressing table? Is there a niche market for bespoke custom made Barbie furniture?
I was thinking it needs a chest of drawers with a mirror on top and decorations to match! I did use up all the jewels though and pretty much all the sheets of wood I had. I'll root through the tub I keep the balsa in and see what I've got, just so I can plan what to make for Christmas!
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My wife thinks that is the cutest thing and she would have loved it as a kid. Top job sir please head to the top of the coolest dad chart on LAF.
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Brilliant work. That is a real barbie masterpiece. :-*
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Superb work!
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Now that's an amazing war chest er.......... wardrobe lol. Really great job what we wont do for our daughters eh. I made a full doll house many years ago now :D
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Best thing you’ve done, Cubs bach ;)
Now come on, you might was well do a whole doll’s house :)
Seriously, well done. A lovely little piece of craftwork.
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I once built a whole dolls house for the missus it sat in our living room for a couple of years then it was given to my daughter and it moved to her room it is now up in the attic and hasn't been seen for years, my original idea was to get the missus into model making but I Failed at that
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Here we go, the latch finally arrived, turned out to be just the right size and went on without a hitch.
(https://myalbum.com/photo/aUJLJnmj4RLK/1k0.jpg)
And inside - the little 'un was surprised to find the wardrobe full of clothes. We'd ordered some clothes off the interweb and hung them on the hangers (which also finally arrived). The pole had to be replaced because the hooks on the hangers were way too small to fit. I tried a wooden replacement pole, but it was so thin it probably would have snapped, so I ground off a length of thick tungsten wire which is such a tight fit in the wardrobe it is wedged in securely and won't shift with play. Barbie, as you can see, is already trying on some outfits from her new wardrobe.
(https://myalbum.com/photo/Ng3HztYBsU3p/1k0.jpg)
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Lovely.
What a lucky girl. That must be a LOT of brownie points for Daddy :)
I see Barbie is modelling one of the lesser known late war Waffen SS camo patterns there ;)
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That's a cracker! Reminds me of Rococo,Barbie will have to get some 18th century clothes,and a swing lol
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Well done, mate!
That's great! :-*
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Lovely job but don't count yer chickens. Next she'll want an ensuite and walk-in wardrobe. ;)
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Really brilliant work. Adding new clothes was a nice touch.
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Great !
As i see i'm not alone to work on free commission for my daugther lol
But me, it's about Playmobil scenery...
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VAV93SqRbe0/XpHQmbjf6OI/AAAAAAAAC84/Ku3rSJULIh4Lo5v3GOj_gxX-mXhV0qO_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/conversion%2Barbustes%2BPlaymobil.jpg)
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Ah, the little touches. You can give them a plain cardboard box, but as long as you play with them, it can be anything!
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Brilliant way to show love to your kids.
I remember my grandad building me my own outdoor shed, complete with farm table, buildings and a small fortune in Brittains agricultural toys! He was my hero!
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This must be one of the most uplifting posts I have seen on Workbench.
That said I am the Workbench moderator and also a bit of a heartless dick I rule this thread as not wargames related and will proceed to moving it to the garbage bin. ;)
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I have to say this is a wonderful project you have done for your daughter, very uplifting
well done sir !!
Brian
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This must be one of the most uplifting posts I have seen on Workbench.
That said I am the Workbench moderator and also a bit of a heartless dick I rule this thread as not wargames related and will proceed to moving it to the garbage bin. ;)
Not sure what scale Barbie and Ken are but this is a perfect example of building the proper storage for your miniatures. Proper theme, size and utility as terrain! Truly inspirational.