How to Build a One Sixth Scale Library
This is fun and easy to do, but finding the supplies is a little difficult.
I had wanted a library for my dolls for years. I have some real 1/6 scale books, but they are expensive. I've also tried 1:12 scale books, which almost work, but don't always look quite the right size. So I tried making my own. This is the simplest method I tried and it works the best. I bought little wooden books. They come in several sizes. Some have recessed "pages" and some don't. Most of those I used did. They measure about 1 1/8 by 1 1/2.
I tried cutting out pictures of books I found in magazines and gluing them on the back. The effect is wonderful. The glossiness of the paper makes it look like real dust jackets.
The hard part is finding the pictures. I collected mine over a year or two, and put them in a "Get Around to It" file. I got some out of "Victorian Papers" catalog and several other catalogs as well as magazines.
I had wanted a library for my dolls for years. I have some real 1/6 scale books, but they are expensive. I've also tried 1:12 scale books, which almost work, but don't always look quite the right size. So I tried making my own. This is the simplest method I tried and it works the best. I bought little wooden books. They come in several sizes. Some have recessed "pages" and some don't. Most of those I used did. They measure about 1 1/8 by 1 1/2.
I tried cutting out pictures of books I found in magazines and gluing them on the back. The effect is wonderful. The glossiness of the paper makes it look like real dust jackets.
The hard part is finding the pictures. I collected mine over a year or two, and put them in a "Get Around to It" file. I got some out of "Victorian Papers" catalog and several other catalogs as well as magazines.
The trick is to make sure that the picture of the back of the book is at least as long and wide as the back of wooden blank. If they are too small, some wood will show. That isn't a problem if you have a huge amount together or are photographing them in the background. Also, make sure that the picture of the books have their back straight toward you or the finished product will look crooked.
You might want to paint the blank first with acrylic paint or cover with a coordinated paper, then glue on the back. Use these books in dioramas where the sides of the book will show.
If the books are too long or too wide, don't worry about it. Just figure out how much you need to cut off while keeping your title where you want it. I do that by just cutting out the picture of the book back and holding it on the wooden blank, move it up or down till I like the effect, then bend the paper where I want to trim it, cut it off and glue it on with a generous amount of Elmer's glue- the kind in the bottle, not the glue sticks. Each book takes about a minute and a half. Fun to do while watching television.
The other hard part might be finding the blank books.
You might want to paint the blank first with acrylic paint or cover with a coordinated paper, then glue on the back. Use these books in dioramas where the sides of the book will show.
If the books are too long or too wide, don't worry about it. Just figure out how much you need to cut off while keeping your title where you want it. I do that by just cutting out the picture of the book back and holding it on the wooden blank, move it up or down till I like the effect, then bend the paper where I want to trim it, cut it off and glue it on with a generous amount of Elmer's glue- the kind in the bottle, not the glue sticks. Each book takes about a minute and a half. Fun to do while watching television.
The other hard part might be finding the blank books.
Neither Hobby Lobby nor Michael's has them. Try other craft stores locally.
(Mine came from a local place that was going out of business. There were four books in a package for 35 cents, and they were giving a 20% discount because they were closing so I bought all they had- about 60 packages- so I could make a whole library.)
Since I first posted this, I found some on e-bay, but they were more expensive than those I bought. It might run into quite a bit of money to make very many books, but 5 or 10 for props would work well in most dioramas.
Here is the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360210120481&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
Finished product:
(Mine came from a local place that was going out of business. There were four books in a package for 35 cents, and they were giving a 20% discount because they were closing so I bought all they had- about 60 packages- so I could make a whole library.)
Since I first posted this, I found some on e-bay, but they were more expensive than those I bought. It might run into quite a bit of money to make very many books, but 5 or 10 for props would work well in most dioramas.
Here is the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360210120481&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
Finished product:
Here are two more links to book making ideas:
http://agentxpndble.livejournal.com/390788.html
http://www.printmini.com/printables/pp.shtml