You are welcome to copy these instructions, and to add your own ideas to them, but please give me (Frances Armstrong) credit for the original design and wording. One problem: in order to allow you to use what you have available, I'll suggest lots of alternatives for materials and tools. This means a lot of reading. Alternatives are usually separated off by brackets [ ]. List of materials and tools, in order of use, for any of the shops: Matchbox, smaller size (about 1 1/2 inches long), with sliding cover. [OR a small box without a lid for which you will make your own cover of thin cardboard, like index card or filing folder card or the backs of writing pads] A few matches, preferably wooden [OR thin card] Something that will cut thin card (an X-acto or other craft knife, a utility knife, a one-sided razor blade, a sharp steak knife, a penknife--as long as it is sharp enough so that you don't have to press very hard. Even a pair of kitchen scissors may do.) A block about 1/4" x 1/4" x 1 inch, for a counter [A piece of wood, if you have a way of cutting it to this size; a cut-down eraser; or a box made of thickish card--see instructions. Maybe even a Lego piece.] Paper, almost any kind, or thin card as used for business cards or greetings cards Wood veneer, a tiny scrap (optional) Paints, any kind, preferably craft acrylics Glue, almost any kind, such as white glue Ruler, preferably metal Fine sandpaper or emery board For florist shop, also: Beads, various small Foam rubber or sponge, green if possible, ideally model railway foliage foam [You can experiment here--see instructions] Green paper (or you can paint it) Green thread (you can paint this too) Thin wire and/or pins Hammer Scraps of tissue and foil or mylar gift wrap and ribbon Optional: wax shoe (or other) polish, clear nail polish, Vaseline, paper punch in various sizes, thin wire, aluminum from disposable pie dish, a downy feather, and a selection of brushes that you can cut a few bristles from: washing-up brushes, paint brushes, make-up brushes A few more alternatives will be offered as we go along. Interior (for all stores) The store will have a counter across part of the back wall, and some shelves above it. First, cover the interior walls, or paint them if you prefer. To paper the walls, the easiest way would be with plain paper, or with a very small patterned wallpaper. Cut a strip the height of the matchbox, and fold it so it fits inside, covering the two side walls and the back wall. Cut another piece to fit the ceiling (white, probably), and for the floor use something more suitable. Suggestions for floor: wood veneer if you have it, or painted "wooden" floor boards. Or cut out a picture from a magazine that shows wood grain, or cut a piece from a sample of wood stain colours. For a carpeted floor, use velvety ribbon ( if you're very isolated, you may have to wait till Christmas, and settle for red or green). For a tiled floor, draw squares (or use graph paper) and colour them as required. Indent between tiles with a blunt instrument like a skewer, knitting needle, nail, or dead ballpoint pen. Varnish if you like, or coat with wax shoe or furniture polish, and polish when dry. (You won't actually see much of the floor.) If your paper is thin, you'll need to avoid bubbling it with wet glue. Try a glue stick (not the hot glue kind, but the kind used for paper, like Uhu or Pritt). Perhaps back your paper with a piece of thin card first, and let it dry under some heavy books. Or use wallpaper glue, or the specialty glue called Yes. You can also cover the outside of the box with any kind of paper, as long as it will still fit into its sliding cover. Or leave it as it is. See later. Counter If you want a "glass" counter, go to Bakeshop or Store Counter. [If your matchbox is less than 1/4" deep, you'll have to make the counter thinner than in these instructions, to make it fit in.] If you have your piece of wood 1/4" x 1/4" x 1" or thereabouts, sand it smooth, especially the short ends with the end grain. Stain or paint. If the end grain looks bad, glue on pieces of paper, trim them to size, and paint over the whole counter. Several coats of thinned-down paint are best. Add a counter top (see later). OR: cut a piece of card--try any thickness--an inch or so wide and about 1 1/4" long, and score across at 1/4" intervals. Fold into a square tube. There will be an overlap, which you can glue down. See if the result looks square and neat, and if it does, cut thick cardboard pieces about 1/4" square and glue them at the ends. (You can do only one end if you like, and put the other end against the wall.) If you're not happy with the results, fold a piece of sturdy paper to cover the sides, and glue it around the counter. OR: cut a piece 1/4" x 1/4" x 1" from a new eraser, cover with paper if you like, and paint. OR: cut lots of pieces of thickish card 1/4" x 1", and glue them one on top of the other. Sand till smooth. Cover with paper, and paint. For extra detail, cut a piece of card or wood veneer slightly larger than the counter, and glue it on top, so that it sticks out a little all round. Paint the counter if you haven't done so already. Glue your counter firmly at the back of the box. Hold till dry, or use a clothes peg or a clamp to hold it. You can use this counter to keep the whole box nice and square. Shelf or shelves The simplest way is to find something (like a paper match) about 1/8" wide and 1/32"or less thick, and glue it horizontally on the back wall above the counter (see picture). Thin wood or card will do (two layers of card, perhaps). You might shave down a wooden match, or a square toothpick. Have as many shelves as you like, but leave enough space between them for floral arrangements (between 1/8 and 1/4 inch). Bookshops and bakeshops can have their shelves more closely spaced. If you have trouble making the shelves stick on the back wall straight, you can put supports under them, strips of card glued flat against the rear edge of the shelves. Or you could cut a wooden match into wedge shaped little pieces, and glue them to the wall, then glue one plant/a special cake/a few books, face out, on each. If you are making the bakeshop or bookshop, skip the next section by clicking here. Plants (see pictures at the end of this section) Again, we want variety. Here are a number of ways to make the foliage: Bits of green foam, either the specialty railroad kind, or any kind of sponge or foam rubber or kitchen scrubber. Stain green with food colouring, or with a marker (preferably a permanent one), or with paint. Use a variety of shades of green and different textures. These can simply be glued to the vases, even vases with no holes in them. For long thin leaves, as in tulips and lilies, cut pointed slivers of green paper. If the paper is not green all through, paint again to cover the cut edges. Again, vary the shades of green and the lengths of leaves. With a little patience you can make paper l eaves for other big-leaved plants. If you have any paper punches or craft scissors that cut wavy patterns, combine them to get suitable shapes. For long thin stems, try the bristles of different kinds of brushes, painted if necessary. Glue, and dip into flocking (see below). Or use green thread, frayed out and straightened and stiffened with glue or paint. For something like a fern, stain the downy part of a feather with green marker or food colouring. When this is dry, pull off little bits and glue them to the container. They will wave in the slightest breeze. For flowers, again it's variety to aim for. Start with the tiniest dots of paint here and there, then add an occasional bigger dot. Remember that a very large flower would be half the size of the lower case letters in the 10 point font I am using here. If you have enough tiny dots to stand for normal flowers, you could put in the occasional flower with petals cut from tissue paper, but not very many of these. For medium-large flowers, cut tissue (the giftwrap kind) into the tiniest pieces you can (say 1/32" square), and poke a pin into the centre of each piece. Cup the tissue round the pin, remove pin, and glue the flower in place. Fiddly, but possible. Sometimes flocking can work as a mass of very tiny flowers. If you don't have any, you can shave the pile off a bit of velvet, or trim the tips of craft chenille sticks or pipe cleaners or pompoms, till you have a little pile of fuzz. You can even cut almost invisible pieces off the end of a thread of cotton. Dip a green-painted and glue-covered bristle into the pile, to represent tiny flowers growing along a stalk. If you mix these techniques, the result should be very convincing. Just add a few more details: Tiny pictures from floral catalogues, glued on the side walls as advertisements and decorations. A bucket, made of paper, for cut flowers. See diagram at the end. [Detailed instructions: if you have a pair of compasses, draw a circle about an inch in diameter, and another within it a little smaller (radius 1/2" and 3/8" respectively). Using the radius of the larger circle, start anywhere on the larger circle, and divide the circle into six. Join these six pieces so you have a pie with six slices and a crust 1/8" wide. To make the bucket, you need the crust of one slice only, the part coloured in green in the diagram. Cut it out and curve it to make the bucket. Add a paper circle for a base and a paper handle. When dry, paint as desired.] If you don't remember your geometry lessons, just make a paper cone and trim it to bucket shape, and add a bottom and a handle, all of paper. Knife: Cut a tiny sliver, pointed at one end, from an aluminum pie dish. Dip one end into thickish paint to make a handle. Or, with caution and eye protection, flatten the end of a pin or piece of wire, and then sharpen it with a file, cut it off and paint on a handle. But remember that it should be only about as long as a hyphen or two--. Scissors: Tricky, but fun. Find some thin pins, or some wire of similar thickness or thinner, and try these experiments. First, see if you can bend the wire into a tiny circle, shaped with pliers around a pin. You'll need two. These are for the finger loops on a pair of scissors. If you can't bend it this tightly, find thinner wire (try the wire inside twist ties). Having succeeded, try to hammer the wire flat. [Use a normal hammer, and a hard surface like solid metal or stone. You might try part of a metal can lid on the outside steps of your house, or the underside of an old saucepan. Protect your face first.] Cut two pieces of roughly the same size, each with a loop at one end, and sharpen the other ends with a metal file or sandpaper or even a real pair of kitchen scissors. Glue the pieces in an X, using epoxy or super glues if you have them. Actually almost any glue will work if at the same time you glue the scissors down on the counter. If you're not entirely happy with the scissors, half-hide them under some flowers or tissue Add a few neatly-piled pieces of tissue and other kinds of wrapping paper, and a few strips of ribbon (cut from real gift ribbon or foil or mylar). |
To see how one person has used some of these ideas to make a wonderful china shop, click here. |
Special projects in 1/144 scale These are intended for people who do not have easy access to miniature supplies I have tried to use only tools and materials that are likely to be in most homes or that could be found in a small supermarket or hardware store. The projects aren't suitable for complete beginners, but anyone with some experience making miniatures should be able to cope. |
Toys in Miniature: Frances Armstrong |
Instructions for making a store in a matchbox Florist shop |
Note: I have deliberately left the rough matchbox edges showing, but you could cover them with braid or paper. Just make sure the box will fit into its cover. The customer is not included! |
These instructions apply to all the shops. For specific additional details on the others, click on one of these buttons: |
THE FRIENDLY FLORIST |
Exterior Cover the top, bottom, and back of the outer box with plain paper, or perhaps in a stone or brick or tile pattern. You can draw your own, or print something out on your computer. Front: the easiest way: find a picture of a shopfront and glue it on. Another easy way: use the diagram above, adapting it to fit your box, and colour it as you wish.Then add accessories (see below). For a more three-dimensional effect: begin with my diagram above, or develop your own. We'll assume there is a door at one side, a sign along the top, and a window covering the rest of the front. Start by cutting the top strip--the sign with the name of the store--from thin card. Draw or paint the sign, or print one on your computer and glue it on the card. Next, make a door just over half an inch high and 1/4 inch wide. Draw lines on it to represent panels, or cut actual panels of thin card or veneer and glue them on. Now glue the door to the box cover, near one side, and glue around it strips of wood or card to frame it. For a handle, paint or gild the tip of a toothpick, and cut it off carefully. It should be so small that you will probably lose it. When you've found it or made another, glue it to the door. The rest of the front will be a window. If you can, paint a rather dark picture of the supposed window display, or otherwise paint the window area gray. Or take a photograph or scan of your shop's interior, use graphics software to darken it, and print it out. Glue in the window space. Then cut a piece of transparent acrylic (from "bubble pack" packages, supermarket packages, overhead projector transparencies, etc.) a little smaller than the window space. Don't glue it, but place it exactly where it will go (see grey lines in diagram). Now carefully cut strips of thin card to fit neatly round the window (they will go beside the acrylic, not on top of it), and glue them in place. Your whole window surface should be flat now, covered with either card or acrylic. Now cut strips of card or veneer a little wider than the strips just mentioned, so they can be glued on as a frame that will hold the window acrylic in place. Paint these as desired, then glue them in place. You should try not to get glue on the acrylic. Like a real picture frame, this card frame will hold the "glass" without being glued to it. This exterior will probably look a little dull, so decorate it now in 3 dimensions. Add hanging plants, glue on a small base so you can put out some plants or books, or a sign, on the sidewalk, and perhaps add window boxes (but don't glue any of these to the acrylic only--it won't hold). You could attempt some window signs, like "Spring is Here!" or "Mother's Day" or "Sale!" or "Chocolate special" Try a credit card image or two--they will probably be recognisable though only because that's what we expect to see--they should be almost invisible. A person looking in the window might be nice too. Please e-mail me if you have problems with this project. |
Seed bead vases. Plant on the right made from kitchen sponge painted green. |
Try NOT to get things crooked like this! |
To see how one person has used some of these ideas to make a wonderful china shop, click here. |
EASY-TO-PRINT VERSION |
You are welcome to copy these instructions, and to add your own ideas to them, but please give me (Frances Armstrong) credit for the original design and wording. One problem: in order to allow you to use what you have available, I'll suggest lots of alternatives for materials and tools. This means a lot of reading. Alternatives are usually separated off by brackets [ ]. List of materials and tools, in order of use, for any of the shops: Matchbox, smaller size (about 1 1/2 inches long), with sliding cover. [OR a small box without a lid for which you will make your own cover of thin cardboard, like index card or filing folder card or the backs of writing pads] A few matches, preferably wooden [OR thin card] Something that will cut thin card (an X-acto or other craft knife, a utility knife, a one-sided razor blade, a sharp steak knife, a penknife--as long as it is sharp enough so that you don't have to press very hard. Even a pair of kitchen scissors may do.) A block about 1/4" x 1/4" x 1 inch, for a counter [A piece of wood, if you have a way of cutting it to this size; a cut-down eraser; or a box made of thickish card--see instructions. Maybe even a Lego piece.] Paper, almost any kind, or thin card as used for business cards or greetings cards Wood veneer, a tiny scrap (optional) Paints, any kind, preferably craft acrylics Glue, almost any kind, such as white glue Ruler, preferably metal Fine sandpaper or emery board For florist shop, also: Beads, various small Foam rubber or sponge, green if possible, ideally model railway foliage foam [You can experiment here--see instructions] Green paper (or you can paint it) Green thread (you can paint this too) Thin wire and/or pins Hammer Scraps of tissue and foil or mylar gift wrap and ribbon Optional: wax shoe (or other) polish, clear nail polish, Vaseline, paper punch in various sizes, thin wire, aluminum from disposable pie dish, a downy feather, and a selection of brushes that you can cut a few bristles from: washing-up brushes, paint brushes, make-up brushes A few more alternatives will be offered as we go along. Interior (for all stores) The store will have a counter across part of the back wall, and some shelves above it. First, cover the interior walls, or paint them if you prefer. To paper the walls, the easiest way would be with plain paper, or with a very small patterned wallpaper. Cut a strip the height of the matchbox, and fold it so it fits inside, covering the two side walls and the back wall. Cut another piece to fit the ceiling (white, probably), and for the floor use something more suitable. Suggestions for floor: wood veneer if you have it, or painted "wooden" floor boards. Or cut out a picture from a magazine that shows wood grain, or cut a piece from a sample of wood stain colours. For a carpeted floor, use velvety ribbon ( if you're very isolated, you may have to wait till Christmas, and settle for red or green). For a tiled floor, draw squares (or use graph paper) and colour them as required. Indent between tiles with a blunt instrument like a skewer, knitting needle, nail, or dead ballpoint pen. Varnish if you like, or coat with wax shoe or furniture polish, and polish when dry. (You won't actually see much of the floor.) If your paper is thin, you'll need to avoid bubbling it with wet glue. Try a glue stick (not the hot glue kind, but the kind used for paper, like Uhu or Pritt). Perhaps back your paper with a piece of thin card first, and let it dry under some heavy books. Or use wallpaper glue, or the specialty glue called Yes. You can also cover the outside of the box with any kind of paper, as long as it will still fit into its sliding cover. Or leave it as it is. See later. Counter If you want a "glass" counter, go to Bakeshop or Store Counter. [If your matchbox is less than 1/4" deep, you'll have to make the counter thinner than in these instructions, to make it fit in.] If you have your piece of wood 1/4" x 1/4" x 1" or thereabouts, sand it smooth, especially the short ends with the end grain. Stain or paint. If the end grain looks bad, glue on pieces of paper, trim them to size, and paint over the whole counter. Several coats of thinned-down paint are best. Add a counter top (see later). OR: cut a piece of card--try any thickness--an inch or so wide and about 1 1/4" long, and score across at 1/4" intervals. Fold into a square tube. There will be an overlap, which you can glue down. See if the result looks square and neat, and if it does, cut thick cardboard pieces about 1/4" square and glue them at the ends. (You can do only one end if you like, and put the other end against the wall.) If you're not happy with the results, fold a piece of sturdy paper to cover the sides, and glue it around the counter. OR: cut a piece 1/4" x 1/4" x 1" from a new eraser, cover with paper if you like, and paint. OR: cut lots of pieces of thickish card 1/4" x 1", and glue them one on top of the other. Sand till smooth. Cover with paper, and paint. For extra detail, cut a piece of card or wood veneer slightly larger than the counter, and glue it on top, so that it sticks out a little all round. Paint the counter if you haven't done so already. Glue your counter firmly at the back of the box. Hold till dry, or use a clothes peg or a clamp to hold it. You can use this counter to keep the whole box nice and square. Shelf or shelves The simplest way is to find something (like a paper match) about 1/8" wide and 1/32"or less thick, and glue it horizontally on the back wall above the counter (see picture). Thin wood or card will do (two layers of card, perhaps). You might shave down a wooden match, or a square toothpick. Have as many shelves as you like, but leave enough space between them for floral arrangements (between 1/8 and 1/4 inch). Bookshops and bakeshops can have their shelves more closely spaced. If you have trouble making the shelves stick on the back wall straight, you can put supports under them, strips of card glued flat against the rear edge of the shelves. Or you could cut a wooden match into wedge shaped little pieces, and glue them to the wall, then glue one plant/a special cake/a few books, face out, on each. If you are making the bakeshop or bookshop, skip the next section by clicking here. Plants (see pictures at the end of this section) Again, we want variety. Here are a number of ways to make the foliage: Bits of green foam, either the specialty railroad kind, or any kind of sponge or foam rubber or kitchen scrubber. Stain green with food colouring, or with a marker (preferably a permanent one), or with paint. Use a variety of shades of green and different textures. These can simply be glued to the vases, even vases with no holes in them. For long thin leaves, as in tulips and lilies, cut pointed slivers of green paper. If the paper is not green all through, paint again to cover the cut edges. Again, vary the shades of green and the lengths of leaves. With a little patience you can make paper l eaves for other big-leaved plants. If you have any paper punches or craft scissors that cut wavy patterns, combine them to get suitable shapes. For long thin stems, try the bristles of different kinds of brushes, painted if necessary. Glue, and dip into flocking (see below). Or use green thread, frayed out and straightened and stiffened with glue or paint. For something like a fern, stain the downy part of a feather with green marker or food colouring. When this is dry, pull off little bits and glue them to the container. They will wave in the slightest breeze. For flowers, again it's variety to aim for. Start with the tiniest dots of paint here and there, then add an occasional bigger dot. Remember that a very large flower would be half the size of the lower case letters in the 10 point font I am using here. If you have enough tiny dots to stand for normal flowers, you could put in the occasional flower with petals cut from tissue paper, but not very many of these. For medium-large flowers, cut tissue (the giftwrap kind) into the tiniest pieces you can (say 1/32" square), and poke a pin into the centre of each piece. Cup the tissue round the pin, remove pin, and glue the flower in place. Fiddly, but possible. Sometimes flocking can work as a mass of very tiny flowers. If you don't have any, you can shave the pile off a bit of velvet, or trim the tips of craft chenille sticks or pipe cleaners or pompoms, till you have a little pile of fuzz. You can even cut almost invisible pieces off the end of a thread of cotton. Dip a green-painted and glue-covered bristle into the pile, to represent tiny flowers growing along a stalk. If you mix these techniques, the result should be very convincing. Just add a few more details: Tiny pictures from floral catalogues, glued on the side walls as advertisements and decorations. A bucket, made of paper, for cut flowers. See diagram at the end. [Detailed instructions: if you have a pair of compasses, draw a circle about an inch in diameter, and another within it a little smaller (radius 1/2" and 3/8" respectively). Using the radius of the larger circle, start anywhere on the larger circle, and divide the circle into six. Join these six pieces so you have a pie with six slices and a crust 1/8" wide. To make the bucket, you need the crust of one slice only, the part coloured in green in the diagram. Cut it out and curve it to make the bucket. Add a paper circle for a base and a paper handle. When dry, paint as desired.] If you don't remember your geometry lessons, just make a paper cone and trim it to bucket shape, and add a bottom and a handle, all of paper. Knife: Cut a tiny sliver, pointed at one end, from an aluminum pie dish. Dip one end into thickish paint to make a handle. Or, with caution and eye protection, flatten the end of a pin or piece of wire, and then sharpen it with a file, cut it off and paint on a handle. But remember that it should be only about as long as a hyphen or two--. Scissors: Tricky, but fun. Find some thin pins, or some wire of similar thickness or thinner, and try these experiments. First, see if you can bend the wire into a tiny circle, shaped with pliers around a pin. You'll need two. These are for the finger loops on a pair of scissors. If you can't bend it this tightly, find thinner wire (try the wire inside twist ties). Having succeeded, try to hammer the wire flat. [Use a normal hammer, and a hard surface like solid metal or stone. You might try part of a metal can lid on the outside steps of your house, or the underside of an old saucepan. Protect your face first.] Cut two pieces of roughly the same size, each with a loop at one end, and sharpen the other ends with a metal file or sandpaper or even a real pair of kitchen scissors. Glue the pieces in an X, using epoxy or super glues if you have them. Actually almost any glue will work if at the same time you glue the scissors down on the counter. If you're not entirely happy with the scissors, half-hide them under some flowers or tissue Add a few neatly-piled pieces of tissue and other kinds of wrapping paper, and a few strips of ribbon (cut from real gift ribbon or foil or mylar). |
Finishing off (all shops) Now you have a nice little shop interior. If you want to stop here, and not use the cover of the matchbox at all, you can add a base of thick card a bit deeper than the box, to make it stand better, and perhaps a strip of card along the top giving the name of the store. Or make a frame--perhaps out of matchsticks, just for fun? If you want to use the matchbox cover as is (and leave the contents a surprise), don't add anything to the outside of the inner box. If you want to personalize the box, for a gift perhaps, you could decorate the outside cover with the recipient's name, and/or decorative paper. If you want to make the outside look like the outside of a store, read on. |
Bucket pattern |
