Making my First Room Box

[Missymew]

So far, I've only worked on decorating a house that my dad built.

WELL, I've rolled up my sleeves and bought a couple of unfinished room boxes.

I would like some help though as I've never actually done a project by myself .... the room boxes (for my granddaughters) are 10 1/2" x 15". They each have walls on three sides and no ceiling. I thought this would be easier for Shalean and Renee as they're 7 and 5 years old.

I would like to put a window (just the frame) on the back wall .... the frame would encircle an outside picture .... then maybe just a lace curtain.

I thought that this would be easier than me trying to cut a hole ... any suggestions on windows? Where I might look. I keyed in on ebay "dollhouse miniatures windows" but didn't get much for hits.

Thanks for any help that anybody might offer me. I've not done this kind of thing before ... I'm more a cookie baking grammy!!

Oh yeah, I'll scan a couple of photos of my granddaughters from their Halloween parade.

Susanne

[Shakyshaky]

You could always use popcicle sticks to make the frame. That way you could make it to fit the pic not the pic to it. They are very easy to cut.

[Missymew]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm fighting the urge not to bundle up my two unfinished roomboxes and take them to my dad!! But, I'd so like to be able to do this by myself. (That said....my husband is downstairs priming them as I type) .... hmmmmm..............................I heard him muttering about where he'd put his dropcloth ... and then he and the boxes went downstairs .......

[Nameless1]

Dollhouse stores sell dollhouse-scaled molding that you can use to frame a window. The best tool investment you can make is an Easy Cutter (not necessarily from this source -- lots of places sell them). With an Easy Cutter, you can cut dollhouse molding at the correct angle with just one snip. That way, you can use appropriate widths for sides, sill, and mullions.

Another option is to copy a real window from the Web, edit it in your picture-editing software, and print it out. The linked site is my fave because it shows straight-on shots of windows.

[havanaholly]

I was going to suggest something on the order of the craftstick frame idea, you put the picture on the wall and builod the frame onto it. If you want to get all fancy & technical you can build a false wall out of foamboard and buy a Houseworks window you like & cut an opening to fit it, and glue your picture to the inside back wall of the roombox and install a lightbulb between the two walls to give the illusion of daylight.

[nuttiwebgal]

I was going to suggest something on the order of the craftstick frame idea, you put the picture on the wall and builod the frame onto it. If you want to get all fancy & technical you can build a false wall out of foamboard and buy a Houseworks window you like & cut an opening to fit it, and glue your picture to the inside back wall of the roombox and install a lightbulb between the two walls to give the illusion of daylight.

yea what she said.

nutti

[MiniMadWoman]

Oh, I like Holly's idea!!

[Anna]

You could also try and find tiny wood picture frames and use those as your windows, I have used large ones as the windows in my artist's studio and a small one as the skylight window. They can easily be painted and you get a 3 dimensional effect as well.

Mini-hugs