moonysminis

[moonysminis]

Just a heads up that I've pretty much moved my miniature stuff over to the book of faces. I might still share really heavily fandom-inspired ones here, but it's just such a nuisance to update.

https://www.facebook.com/MoonysMinis

[moonysminis]

The last diorama I made was entirely pre-measured and pre-designed, from a very detailed kit. So this time I decided to go in an entirely different direction and make a Haunted Mansion inspired seance room using only household materials and trash. It started as the box my camera flash came in! All the furnishings were made of scrap wood and more cardboard, the candles are dowels and glue, the wallpaper and paintings were printed. The only things bought were the coloured crystal light, the glass dome for Madame Leota, and the tiny rug.

And yes, the portraits do change ;) Yay magnets!

[moonysminis]

I actually made a diorama from a kit and didn’t edit anything! Will wonders never cease? I bought this years ago and figured since I’m currently jobless (thanks Covid!), it was the perfect time to actually buckle down and do it. This is the Showa Mom & Pop Candy Store kit by Billy, who made all sorts of awesome traditional Japanese storefronts. Sadly they’re harder to find now, but I’d love to do more eventually!

[moonysminis]

Custom Crowley & Aziraphale funko pops! I’ve wanted to make these guys since the show aired, but life (and floods, and holidays, and anxiety) got in the way. I finally made the time to complete them, and I’m so happy.

Crowley started life as a random head I had lying around that I think was Dean from Supernatural but I’m not positive. His body was the Man in Black from Dark Tower; I turned the clear orb he’s holding into an apple. The wings were from the Hansel pop from Zoolander. He’s also got an actual tiny little metal mesh tie, but it’s not particularly visible in these photos, sadly. Zira’s head is Stuart from the Big Bang Theory, his body is the 11th Doctor with a custom waistcoat sculpted out of nail building gel, and his wings are from the Angel X-Men pop.

They both have a very faint dry-brushing of an iridescent gold paint on their wings, which looks amazing in person but doesn’t capture well in pictures.

[moonysminis]

Somehow I never remembered to share these nerds here! More custom Funko pops!

They’re done! My first ever Funko Pop! customising project, featuring Ty, Zane, Nick, and Kelly from abiroux‘s amazing Cut & Run/Sidewinder novels. These were an amazing little therapy project for me this week, and having a project to do that was entirely for my own amusement (not work, not a contract, not a commission) did wonders for my state of mind.

If you’re curious, there are construction notes under the cut here:

Keep reading

[moonysminis]

Before I start my next big custom project, I wanted to do something quick and straightforward. I’ve already done 221B Baker Street, another one of these miniature book rooms from Petworth Miniatures. This one is based on Beatrix Potter’s classic Peter Rabbit, which I (and most people really) have very fond childhood memories of. It’s charming and adorable, and was the perfect little distraction.

[moonysminis]

For Christmas I made one of my cousins a tiny quilting room, and since it’s my other cousin’s birthday today I made her a tiny fortune-telling/magic/spiritualist type shop. There’s a shelf with powders and salts and crystals and candles, a little table with a crystal ball and some tarot cards, and some other miscellaneous bits and bobs.

The structure itself started life as a box of chocolates. I papered the inside and glued the lid onto the back of it to give it “legs” so it can be stood up on a shelf. The flooring and shelving was all made with tongue depressors and scrap wood, the crystals are an assortment of beads, and the books, poster, and tarot cards were printed and cut out.

[moonysminis]

My mother loves gardening. However, with our hideous climate and her incredibly busy work and life schedule, it’s not something she has the time to do as much as she’d like. So this year, for her birthday, I thought I’d create a tiny, maintenance-free gardening oasis for her.

I made the table, shelf, and birdbath stand out of scraps of wood. The gorgeous red geraniums came from The Little Dollhouse Company, as did some of the smaller miscellaneous accessories. The plants are all silk flowers and decorative filler that has been cut down to size.

This one was very fun and relaxing to make, since it’s so small and specific. I really like the end result, but more importantly my mother loved it.

[moonysminis]

clevermanka replied to your photo: “A tiny crafting room that will be a Christmas present for my cousin!...”:

Wow! This is gorgeous! ��

Thank you! I had a lot of fun with it.

[moonysminis]

A tiny crafting room that will be a Christmas present for my cousin! She’s done yarn work for years and has recently gotten into quilting as well. I thought I’d use my love of miniatures to make something that represents her love of textile crafts. Also, as a busy working mum of two, she doesn’t exactly have a crafting sanctuary of her own. This one may be minuscule, but it’s all hers!

The sewing machine and table were purchased from Michaels, as were the yarn bowl, scissors, and succulent plantbox. Everything else was built from scrap wood and popsicle sticks. The fabric, ribbon, and yarn all came from the household supplies pile,and the smaller accents were scavenged from my craft bins. I made the larger knitting needles on the hanging shelf with a toothpick and some glass beads.

If you’re wondering about the two tiny frogs, they’re absolutely there for a reason. She’s always liked frogs, and I thought they’d be a really cute/hidden way to represent her kids.

I really hope she likes it!

[moonysminis]

This is Halloween, everybody make a (tiny) scene!

I had this terrarium and knew I wanted to put something in it, but that something had to be small and straightforward. And what’s more seasonal and iconic than Spiral Hill from Halloweentown?

The hill was made out of a wire armature covered in air-dry clay. I then covered it in tiny black glass gravel, which I also used to fill the bottom of the display. The fence was made of a few different gauges of jewellery wire, and the moon is just a piece of frosted mylar and black scrapbooking paper. It doesn’t photograph super well but it looks really neat in person!

This was a really quick and simple project but it’s very effective, I think. Even without Jack and Sally, it’s immediately obvious what it is.

[moonysminis]

clevermanka replied to your photo: “This tiny garage is going to be a surprise gift for a very dear friend...”:

This is fucking amazeballs for real

Thank you! 

[moonysminis]

This tiny garage is going to be a surprise gift for a very dear friend of mine (who thankfully isn’t aware of this blog yet). I’d been debating making him one for a while but wasn’t sure where to start, and then we had a conversation about what his “dream garage” would look like. He essentially gave me photo references for a project he had no idea about!

It’s roughly half-scale, or 1:24, so it will fit with most model car kits. It was made entirely from scratch. The box itself is heavy foamcore. The floor is duct tape, meticulously trimmed to only have full squares. The walls are covered in textures scrapbooking paper with more duct tape for accents (and to cover the seams!), and I found the most utterly perfect 1:24 scale diamondplate from a company called Plastruct that I spray-painted in a hammered steel finish to make the trim and loft flooring.

I did buy a few of the items, including the red tool chests, the miniature tools, the tire stand, and a few of the accessories. The lift was a 3D printed kit from eBay that I finished and painted myself. However, the bulk of it was built from scratch using craft supplies and things I had lying around. I had the most fun constructing the shelving, the work bench, and the ridiculous sofa. I bought a ‘57 Bel Air model kit and basically kit-bashed it into the sofa, and then used some of the other parts for decor. One hubcap became a little side table, another became the centrepiece of a clock, and the front grille was turned into lighting over the work bench. I turned the car seats into one single chair and painted it red, then built the leg structure out of some jewelry wire.

The pegboard is styrofoam that I poked holes into and then built a frame around, the shelves were popsicle sticks, the boxes were printables I cut and assembled. I also abused the crap out of my laminating machine for the posters and logos. They’re all easily removable or adjustable.

The Mustang logo light up in the loft is actually a lightbox with a slot on the top, I printed out several different transparencies with a few other car badges and some vintage-style advertising that can be slipped in and out of the box to change it up. I’m also stupidly proud of the flatscreen tv - it’s magnetic and there’s an assortment of car-related movie and tv screenshots that can be inserted into it. It’s silly, but fun! The Asteroids arcade cabinet was a ridiculous little Lego-like thing I found at Walmart. I confess, I initially just bought it for myself but my father pointed out it would be perfect in here and he was absolutely right.

I’m really pleased with how this turned out for basically being built from the ground up, and I really hope my friend likes it when I finally give it to him next time I go visit. I admit, I’m not exactly looking forward to air travel with this thing, but I’ll make it work!

[moonysminis]

clevermanka replied to your photo: “This modern, Japanese-inspired home started life as a kit, but all I...”:

Your stuff is so impressive! Also now I have a reason to buy teeny novelty beads if I'm ever in a bead store again.

Thank you so much! <3 And seriously, beads are so great for miniatures and dioramas. I make a point of stocking up on quirky or unusual whenever I can now.

[moonysminis]

This modern, Japanese-inspired home started life as a kit, but all I used was the framework of floors, walls, and electrical wiring. All the furniture and decorative elements were made from scratch using an assortment of wooden popsicle sticks, kimono fabric scraps, and beads and odds & ends I had lying around. I love how this turned out so much, and find myself wishing this were my house!

Below are some detail shots of things I made.

A tansu, or kimono chest, built with popsicle sticks and fabric

The bathroom! 

Fishtank, make with UV cured resin. This was my first time working with resin and it was super fun!

These tiny bowls were hand-thrown by a local artist!

Beads make the perfect little knick-knacks for a display at this size!

Time for tea! The cake is actually a bead, the teapot and cups were purchased at a miniature exhibit, and I made the poppies myself (along with the table and floor cushions).

[moonysminis]

Next up in the custom funko pop department, this freakin’ loser. <3 More actual dioramas to come in the near future I promise!

Finally finished my Fraction&Aja Hawkeye pop! This dork was absolutely a labour of love.

Head, bow, and quiver are from the AoU Hawkeye pop. Torso is Peeta from The Hunger Games, I cut the spear out of his hand and gluing in the bow. The legs were the most difficult bit, oddly enough. I really wanted him to be in his holey socks, so I ended up getting a pop of L from Death Note, since he’s barefoot. What I didn’t realise is that particular pop is one solid piece, not separate torso/body so there was a lot of sawing and sanding involved to get them to fit seamlessly. The hearing aids were sculpted out of clay and pearl flower stamens painted silver.

I love this little loser and he’s going to occupy pride of place on my desk.

[moonysminis]

Not a diorama, but definitely custom and miniature! Making custom Funko Pops like this is very relaxing and rewarding for me, and much less fiddly than making tiny furniture. XD

Me in Funko Pop! form! All pieces stripped and repainted. The head is the Eleventh Doctor from Doctor Who, the body is Fat Amy from Pitch Perfect, and the glasses are Cosima’s from Orphan Black. I even own this exact outfit. I’ll have to wear it and take comparison photos at some point XD (and the blue “splotch” on the back of the left calf is one of my tattoos - not a mistake)