http://blog.millieshallmark.com a blog about department 56 & retail life Wed, 15 May 2013 23:00:23 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ http://0.gravatar.com/blavatar/48827ef75b9295a4ba03f04d2abbb81a?s=96&d=http%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.png http://blog.millieshallmark.com http://blog.millieshallmark.com/2013/05/15/department-56-display-seminar-april-13-2013/ http://blog.millieshallmark.com/2013/05/15/department-56-display-seminar-april-13-2013/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 15:33:23 +0000 millieshallmark http://blog.millieshallmark.com/?p=198 ]]> http://blog.millieshallmark.com/2013/05/15/department-56-display-seminar-april-13-2013/feed/ 2 millieshallmark Tody, we'll be creating a single-building vignette using a half-sphere styrofoam dome and some pre-cut styrofoam letters. The dome also features all the accoutrement you could want: lighted trees, twinkling lights, It's always a good idea to line up the items you're aiming to display. It can help give you an idea of the size of the display you need to build, and also the features. For example, you can see here that we need to account for the use of the two battery blocks in the base of the display Here is the half-sphere we'll be using to create the dome. You can order these in various sizes online. We'll only need about half of our usual two-by-four foot sheet for this project, so step one will be to cut the sheet down to size. Here, you can see that a bow-style hot wire cutter with a deep throat makes quick work of cuts like this one. We'll be using a little more than half of the ball for the dome. Use a straight edge of some kind to create a sight-line for tracing your cut. This bow-cutter has a wider mouth, which is useful for carving three-dimensional objects (like domes or dinosaurs). You could use a straight bladed tool like the hot knife from Hot Wire Foam Factory for this cut as well. Here, we're just gauging the height of our dome. This looks about right, so we won't need to cut any deeper into the sphere. We started out with a two-by-four foot sheet of foam, and cut it approximately in half. We chose two-inch thick foam for this project for two reasons: firstly, it will give a little more dimension to the display in terms of height, and secondly, it allows us the depth we need to hide those pesky battery boxes! Here, you can see our "carefully" scribed cut line for the second level. Back to the bow-cutter for the deep cuts. Peel off one side of the film-backing. If it comes off in big sheets, fantastic. If you're having trouble getting it to come off, you can try a couple of tricks. If you're peeling on a glue side, remember that you only need to clear the edge. If its a face that will show, you can try using a hair-dryer to release the adhesive that's holding on the film. SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC photo 1 photo 2 photo 3 photo 4 photo 5 photo 6 photo 7 photo 8 photo 9 photo 10 photo 11 photo 12 photo 13 photo 14 photo 15 photo 16 photo 18 photo 19 photo 20 photo 21 photo 25 http://blog.millieshallmark.com/2013/04/11/display-seminar-this-weekend/ http://blog.millieshallmark.com/2013/04/11/display-seminar-this-weekend/#comments Thu, 11 Apr 2013 23:19:45 +0000 millieshallmark http://blog.millieshallmark.com/?p=196 Continue reading →]]> http://blog.millieshallmark.com/2013/04/11/display-seminar-this-weekend/feed/ 1 millieshallmark http://blog.millieshallmark.com/2013/02/07/display-02-02-2013/ http://blog.millieshallmark.com/2013/02/07/display-02-02-2013/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2013 20:51:13 +0000 millieshallmark http://blog.millieshallmark.com/?p=148 ]]> http://blog.millieshallmark.com/2013/02/07/display-02-02-2013/feed/ 0 millieshallmark Starting with a standard sheet of insulation foam, we are going to make a southwestern-looking display for some of the new Old-West-themed pieces that are coming for 2013 in the Snow Village Halloween collection. The insulation foam that we are using has a film or foil, which we will leave there on one side and use it as the bottom of the display. Start by free-hand sketching the basic outline of the base. We know that this will be a two-building display, and we know that we're going to put some mountains in the background, so that gives us a rough idea of how large we want to make the base. For a larger display, you might want to plan a layout, but for something this small we'll just wing it! Here you can see the finalized sketch of our outline. For today's display seminar, we'll be using two tools that you can purchase at Millie's. On the left, we have the Hot Wire Foam Factory Sculpting Tool, and on the right we have the Tippi Tool with multiple blades. If you're interested, call the store for current availability of these items. To cut the outline for our display's base, pull the wire of the sculpting tool tight. The tension allows you to cut a relatively smooth, straight line. The sketched line is just a guideline, so don't be afraid to stray slightly one way or the other; no big deal! Also keep in mind that since the display will be carved all-around, there will be material loss that will result from the carving (so you can consider cutting it about a half-inch larger than the outline to allow for this loss) The completed trim. Note that you can see the sketched line in several areas; again, this isn't rocket science, and we're going to remove the film and paint the base, so don't worry about working within tiny tolerances. We cut a second, smaller piece of foam to act as the base for our mountain steppe. Be sure to leave enough room to fit the large Snow Village pieces. Here you can see the outline for the trap doors which will act as pass-throughs for the cords. Because this foam is built on a two-inch base with no cavity for our power supply, we'll simply carve out these holes and run the cords under the display to the back to be plugged in. Here, we are cutting out the holes for the cords. Using the Tippi Tool with the round attachment, we'll carve a channel through which the electrical cords will pass to the back of the display. This ensures that the display will sit flat on a surface without interference from pesky electrical cords. The finished channel beneath the display. Using scraps, start roughing out how you want your mountain steppe to look. We recommend looking online at images of mountains to get a feel for how you'd like your own mountain to look. Again, we're just randomly stacking scraps of foam to create a base from which to carve our mountains. You don't need to worry about precise things like seams and edges right now, because when the carving is finished all of those things will disappear. The only thing to be mindful of is allowing enough space between mountains to reach in with the carving tool of your choice. Once you have the mountains arranged to your liking, remove the film from both sides of the scraps. This will make them easier to glue, carve and paint. Glue them together using a low-temp hot glue (for swiftness) or a simple white glue (for more permanence), and then glue them to the base. There is no science to the act of carving styrofoam. Here, you can see that a back-and-forth motion with a relatively taught wire results in a pattern that simulates the erosion pattern one might see on red mountains of this type. Don't be afraid to try radical things like overhangs. If you make a mistake and don't like the results, simply pull off the mountain, glue some new scraps in place, and start again! The best way to get great results is to take risks and try new things. In order to create contrasting lines between the mountains and the base, you might want to carve the base in a perpindicular motion. Here, you can see we chose to take bigger chunks, and use a vertical cutting motion. The difference in texture creates visual interest. Let the real fun begin! Here, we're using a stone-fleck spray paint, which contains bits of actual stone, as a base coat. Don't get too close to your work, or the propellant in the spray paint will erode the foam. A little erosion is fine, but too much can ruin a display. Try spraying around 8-12 inches away from the work. It's okay to be patchy, and not every inch of white needs to be covered right this minute. Adding a second color--in this case red--creates an element of realism. One of the most important things to remember when doing a display is that the devil is in the details. Nature isn't one color, and your display shouldn't be, either. Wouldn't it be nice if you could get your lawn to grow this quickly? A little spray adhesive and a little powder-style turf equals some magic grass. Sprinkling the grass onto the display. Note that there are very few white spaces left. To add even more realism to the turf, try adding some rocks and earth (read: dirt) to the display. Sometimes, it's actually easier to spread the earth first, and then spray the adhesive on second. Another sharp detail: we're digging an open grave using the Tippi Tool. Feel free to mix paints right on the display. The uneven tones will look better than an even coat every time. Painting and mixing at one time? Recommended for displays. Not recommended for walls in your home. Add a tilted tombstone to the open grave. Maybe later we'll even throw some bones in! This interesting ground cover comes on sheets. It looks great, but it's a little expensive, so you wouldn't want to cover an entire display with it. Use it to highlight areas that would otherwise be boring. Once you've cut the right shape from the sheet of ground cover, glue it down using a white glue. Tack down the groud cover--literally, we like to use small tacks to keep it in place while the glue dries. Then, using a little more white glue and a little more sprinkle-on turf, blend the sheet into the ground as best you can. From a distance of two or three feet, no one can tell that you've blended a sheet of ground cover into the mountainside. It's also time to start adding other small details. These twiggy trees are really just sticks out of someone's backyard, but they fit right in here in our wild west town. Here, we rounded a scrap of foam to represent the mound of dirt from the grave. We also added some cacti to add DETAILS. (The word of the day is detail, people!) Painted mound of dirt, and finished gravesite. This display is complete once the wire sunflowers start to grow. From start to finish, it took us about an hour and a half. We didn't do anything you can't do with a little practice. Be creative, and get excited about displaying! http://blog.millieshallmark.com/2013/01/14/department-56-2013-display-tips-and-seminars/ http://blog.millieshallmark.com/2013/01/14/department-56-2013-display-tips-and-seminars/#comments Mon, 14 Jan 2013 19:22:25 +0000 millieshallmark http://blog.millieshallmark.com/?p=146 Continue reading →]]> http://blog.millieshallmark.com/2013/01/14/department-56-2013-display-tips-and-seminars/feed/ 0 millieshallmark http://blog.millieshallmark.com/2012/09/10/department-56-display-seminar-august-25-2012/ http://blog.millieshallmark.com/2012/09/10/department-56-display-seminar-august-25-2012/#comments Mon, 10 Sep 2012 23:21:27 +0000 millieshallmark http://blog.millieshallmark.com/?p=131 ]]> http://blog.millieshallmark.com/2012/09/10/department-56-display-seminar-august-25-2012/feed/ 1 millieshallmark