Tips & Tricks – B n' B Kreationz

Miniature Wallpaper Options & Opinions

Posted on January 20, 2023 by Briana

I’ve built a decent number of dollhouses and room boxes at this point to have experimented with different types of wallpaper that you can use. I personally have used scrapbook paper, dollhouse wallpaper and actual wallpaper. I personally prefer the dollhouse wallpaper, then the actual wallpaper, and lastly the scrapbook paper if I was to rank them.

I’ll start with scrapbook paper first. Pros first, scrapbook paper is easy to obtain since you can get it at many different stores that you can shop at in person or online. It is relatively inexpensive and comes in an unimaginable number of patterns and color combinations and options. The cons, scrapbook paper only comes in squares or standard paper sizes, like 12×12 or 8 1/2×11. This makes you have more seams as well as having to match your pattern more. Another issue I have ran into is that while there are lots of different patterns many of them are on the larger size which can look out of scale in a 1:12 scale scene if that isn’t the look you are going for. Not that you can’t find smaller patterns, but it may be slightly harder to locate but there is fun in the search. Scrapbook paper can also be on the thinner side, and if you pull it to taunt it could rip.

Now for the actual full-sized wallpaper. I will be honest most all of what I have used has been vintage wallpaper that I found in storage or was thrifted. So, I do not know what brands or what type it actually was. I do not think the ones I used had self-adhesive though. I like how wallpaper looks. Most have a slight texture that adds dimension and a more unique look to your dollhouse room or miniature scene. Wallpaper is also slightly thinker than either scrapbook paper or miniature wallpaper, which makes it less likely to rip if you pull it too hard. Some negatives of it that I have found with the wallpaper though is similar to the scrapbook paper the patterns will most likely be on the larger side and it will take a bit of time and effort to find a pattern that might work for your project. Another downside is the size of the wallpaper is its size. It will have to be cut to the size you need no matter what.

Lastly, we have the dollhouse wallpaper. This is one of the most common ways to decorate the walls of your dollhouse. It has many choices of designs and colors to fit your themes available. They come in more manageable sizes, though may still need to be cut. It is available online and at some in person stores, like your local dollhouse stores or some box stores like hobby lobby. I personally prefer my local dollhouse stores between the two in person options because the quality of the papers is usually better and the designs appeal more to me usually. I have used some from both though and they do the job that they are supposed to. I also like ordering from miniatures.com and have always been very happy with all their papers, both the more expensive papers and their wallpaper assortments. A downside to dollhouse wallpaper is that many of the designs that are available can be more in theme for a house in a specific period, and it can be more difficult to find more modern designs, there are some available just not as many.

Another thing I thought of that may help you in your miniature wallpapering endeavors, is my favorite wallpaper paste I have used is the Grandma Stover’s Glue. It adheres nicely with and can be watered down with water to create a nice finish. It also cleans up easily and dries clear.

Those are the three types of wallpaper style wall finishes I have used myself. I hope hearing my opinions help you in creating your own houses.

Thanks for reading!!

Tips & Tricks, Updates

Conversion Charts & An Update

Posted on August 4, 2020August 4, 2020 by bnbkreationz

We have taken a mighty long break from this blog, I don’t want to say how many half finished posts I have sitting waiting for my attention. The answer is too many… But I am planning on changing that and posting more and more consistently. I have tutorials and how-to posts planned, what we have been working on for the last year or so, dollhouse updates, and a couple surprises as well.

I figured I should do something more than just post an update about that though so I created some conversion charts, really I just more or less made fancy versions of my hand written ones that I use myself. I figured I could share them with you all though in hopes that they might make your miniature fun easier to do, I know they have been convenient for me when my brain doesn’t always to do the math. So here you go… cute little charts in 1:12 scale, 1:6 scale, 1:24 scale, and 1:9 scale!!!

The 1:12 Scale Conversion Chart by BnBKreationz — The 1:12 Scale Conversion Chart!!!

1:6 Scale Conversion Chart by BnBKreationz — The 1:6 Scale Conversion Chart!!!

1:24 Scale Conversion Chart by BnBKreationz — The 1:24 Scale Conversion Chart!!!

1:9 Scale Conversion Chart by BnBKreationz — The 1:9 Scale Conversion Chart!!!

I hope these are helpful! I know the 1:9 scale one is kinda wonky, it is more or less a work in progress as well as more of a guide line, but it’s a starting point at least.

~Briana Signing Off

Tips & Tricks

Organization: Small Minis

Posted on July 11, 2018July 11, 2018 by bnbkreationz

When I first started out collecting minis I thought I had a great handle at keeping everything organized. Everything had its home and that’s where it stayed… Somewhere along the lines it all started spiraling out of control, as things tend to do and I realized that I had to come up with a better solution for it all.

I had initially just used a large flat plastic box to keep everything in furniture, bedding, food, dishes… anything and everything went in that box. Which did work till I acquired more minis. Now by this point I realized I needed something different, something a little more fitting for the smaller minis.

Now I was fiddling with some beads the other day it dawned on me that those type boxes would be perfect, but the ones that they sell for jewelry aren’t practical price wise, unless you really have to have them in pink. So I went looking for something similar, and found technically three different options, one was hardware boxes, the other was tackle boxes, and lastly one was a 4×6 photo box. So I tried a few different brands to see which ones I liked better. So lets get started!

The ones I found where Husky from Home Depot, Plano and Ozark from Walmart, the photo box came from Michael’s.

Let’s start with the Husky ones since those where the first ones I got. As I said they came from the Home Depot. They do come in many different sizes with different depths. I have here the two smaller sizes that I could find here. They both come with the movable compartment panels so you can pick the size of the squares. I did like the size of the compartment on these ones and the plastic pieces where easy to get apart to put them in originally.

The next one I’ll talk about is the Plano ones that I got from Walmart. I liked the size of these too, and they’re not as squared off as some of them, so you can store longer things in them without having to give up actual compartments. Now my only complaint about them is how hard the plastic dividers where to get apart, I did have to go get a scissors to keep them square. The size and the shape of them are nice though and they are made in the USA.

Then we come to is the Ozark one from Walmart. I have to say this one was probably my favorite. You can completely choose how you want your sizing of the compartments and have no limit to the options. The pieces come apart easy and fit it nicely. Another added bonus is that this one is also made in the USA.

The last one is the photo box from Michael’s. I don’t use it for storage myself but I included it because I like to use it to store what I’m working on at the moment. It’s amazing for that!

I hope this helped you with you miniature storage solutions, and will come back around to see the finished product and furniture storage solutions that are coming soon.