Houseworks Street of Shops

[CraftyGramZ]

Looking for anyone that has completed this set of three shops?  I found a few posts from 2010 but only the one recent by Bluestocking .   I  have drooled over these for many years and finally bit the dust and bought the set of three.  I have searched the internet for inspiration as to paint colors pretty much in vain.  I only found two posts here in the gallery and love the one by Bluestocking that looked antique.  They look so wonderful I can't believe there aren't more pics of them completed.  I have searched just for pics of store fronts. but am still hoping a few others here have completed this set.

 

Hope you all have been well during these trying times.  Miniatures have certainly been a wonderful diversion. 

[shannonc60]

I have always lived the set as well. They look great together. 
there is a pic here: Street of shops

I always loved the original Houseworks pic.

And this one. 

[havanaholly]

Pati, if you have small shops in your area, check them out.  Places like Fairhope,Al, sometimes have whole sections of little shops to give inspiration for how to decorate yours.

[CraftyGramZ]

Thank you Shannon.  The original Houseworks pic is the style I am wanting. Just kind of hard to determine the correct colors so they look like old buildings.

Holly, I wish,  my town does not have anything to offer in the way of beautiful old buildings, In my traveling days I found so many old towns with beautiful buildings. Most were antique shops and I was in heaven while visiting them. Always searching for miniatures.  Fairhope looks like a fun place to shop. I have found a few other old towns online but again, it is hard to determine just the right colors. My kits won't arrive for a week or so and I am really antsy to get started.    The largest one will be my art gallery.  I am shrinking my own art for display. I have already worked on one but used an old tabletop greenhouse and not happy with it.  The bump out one will be a clock shop and I haven't figured out what kind of shop for the corner store.  I already have a bakery, a doll shop, a teddy bear shop and a really large dress/hat shop, so need something else.  Was going to add some pictures but not sure how to post them here.  It has been a while and I remember something about size. I forgot how I shrunk them here.

 

Pati

[havanaholly]

How far away are Flagstaff and Taos, NM, to name a couple of spots out your way that have cute shops in distinct shopping areas?  I found some nice images online googling images of shops that would give me all sorts of inspiration. Growing up in West Palm Beach, FL, I had access to Worth Avenue in Palm Beach and I used to love to look in all the shop windows.  One was a rug shop and there was a huge loom in the window where they wove custom carpets and rugs for the beach front mansions.

[CraftyGramZ]

Flagstaff is about 300 miles, I think, too far for me to travel now. I used to love to go to Prescott.  They have quite a few old buildings but again too far for me to travel.  Thank goodness for the internet. It is now my traveling companion.

[havanaholly]

11 hours ago, CraftyGramZ said:

Flagstaff is about 300 miles, I think, too far for me to travel now. I used to love to go to Prescott.  They have quite a few old buildings but again too far for me to travel.  Thank goodness for the internet. It is now my traveling companion.

Well travel to Google and look at all the shop images you can think of; include world wide locations and let your imagination take it from there.

[shannonc60]

Picking colours is difficult. Pinterest has a lot of colour scheme inspiration. Hopefully This works.

[CraftyGramZ]

Yes it is.  My last dollhouse, I had painted a pretty blue but it just did not suit it so I repainted it yellow and white. Made such a difference. These stores will have several colors besides the trim.  Just when I think I have it I change my mind again!

[Kells]

The term for what you're experiencing is "Paralyzed by Choice." Or also, "Analysis Paralysis." With a hundred thousand options, where do you start? I suggest first narrowing it down by location and going from there. Do you want Parisian shops, London, a quaint English village? Then narrow down further, perhaps looking for shop fronts of the specific types of shops you want to create.

You can set your shops someplace that you've visited or that mean something to you. For me, I'd probably use one of many Colorado mountain towns for inspiration because I know those places so well. Here's an example of one I'd probably do, in Georgetown, CO.

You can use famous shops, and then you have a story behind it, like, "I based this on Shakespeare and Co. in the Latin Quarter of Paris, one of Hemingway's favorite haunts!"

After you've decided on a few, you can save the pics on your phone, go to your local craft/hobby store, and hold the pics up next to the paints to find the colors that match best.

Lastly, pay attention to the sheen. Paris and London shops tend to have a glossier finish. High-gloss can give a nice enameled look but IMO in miniature hi-gloss can come off looking like plastic. I never use high gloss in miniature on anything. Semi-gloss is a good compromise. American and old Western shops tend to be more flat or matte, but flat paint can be a nightmare to keep clean; it shows every smudge. Eggshell works.