Make A 1/12th Scale Cottage Mail Box

I was working away on the foundation trim, roofing and front porch accessories (for the HBS Creatin' Contest 2016) when I found myself waiting for glue to dry. I know - story of our lives, right?!? Anyway, one of the projects I wanted to make was a cottage mail box to match the house. I started on it and thought "Oh! This might be fun to share!". So, I made a pattern and instruction sheet. Here is the tutorial and a link to the printable .pdf - enjoy!

Make A 1/12th Scale Cottage Mailbox .pdf

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-TDO8Yunzncand3d2JwV3JTZUU/view?usp=sharing

YOU’LL NEED:

· 4” X 4” X 1/16” BALSA OR BASSWOOD

· XACTO KNIFE

· TAPE

· GLUE

· PAINT

· 1” PIECE RIBBON

DIRECTIONS

1. PRINT PATTERN AND MEASURE 1” CHECK SQUARE (ON PRINT SHEET) TO MAKE SURE YOUR PRINTER OR PAGE SETTINGS DID NOT RESIZE THE PATTERN.

2. PLACE THE PATTERN OVER BALSA OR BASSWOOD. ADHERE ON 4 SIDES WITH TAPE AND CUT ON OUTLINES USING A RULER AS A CUTTING GUIDE.

3. LIGHTLY SAND PIECES MAKING SURE NOT TO RESHAPE THE EDGES.

4. GLUE THE FRONT TO THE SIDES AND BACK. THE FRONT AND BACK PANELS OVERLAP THE SIDE PANELS. LET DRY, THEN GLUE YOUR STRUCTURE CENTERED ON THE BASE.

5. LAY THE ROOF FRONT AND BACK DOWN, TOP EDGES TOGETHER. GLUE A 1” STRIP RIBBON, EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED, CONNECTING BOTH ROOFS. THIS WILL BE YOUR HINGE.

6. PAINT THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR OF YOUR PIECES. GET AS DETAILED AS YOU WANT WITH THE ROOF, DOOR AND WINDOWS AND CHIMNEY (FLAG). CLAPBOARD LINES AND ROOF TILES CAN BE LIGHTLY GROVED INTO THE WOOD WITH A RULER AND SMALL FLAT BLADE SCREWDRIVER. FOR A MORE POLISHED LOOK, SAND PIECES AFTER THE FIRST COAT, THEN APPLY A FINAL COAT.

7. GLUE THE BACK ROOF ONLY TO THE STRUCTURE, LEAVING THE FRONT ROOF TO FREELY OPEN FOR THE MAIL. THE TOP OF THE FRONT WALL WILL HOLD IT IN PLACE WHEN YOU WANT IT CLOSED.

8. ATTACH THE FLAG TO EITHER SIDE. YOU CAN GLUE IT IN THE UP POSITION, OR ATTACH TO THE MAILBOX WITH A SMALL BRAD TO MAKE IT LOWERABLE.

9. APPLY A COAT OF VARNISH/SEALER.

P.S. #1 To make this a birdhouse instead, just cut a hole in one side and attach both roof halves with glue. A rope hanger can be glued between the roof halves, and a perch can be added below the hole.

PS #2 - I also wanted to share about a new place/product I found. It's called eyeletoutlet.com. I was looking for 1/8" eyelets to use as grommets for an upcoming shower curtain project. These have in scale shafts (used to make baby shoes for the laces to go through) so they won't look bulky. The pack of 60 was $1.79 and the tool was $3.99. To make the shipping charges of $4.00 seem more reasonable, I also ordered several washi tape rolls which are on sale now, too. I had my order in 2 days! They also have 1/16" eyelets which would work well for 1/2 or smaller scales.

PS #3 - Did anyone else notice the web site re-do at miniatures.com? Totally new, and the Blogs section is now GONE! Luckily, I have most all of them (the ones that still post regularly) on my blog roll.

I had a PS #4, but I've forgotten what it was now. Oh well - next time!

Back again soon,

Jodi