When I got word that a co-worker and dear friend and his wife would get their fondest wish, the adoption of Kennedy, their baby girl from China,  I started thinking about what I could give Chris and his wife, Tracey in the way of a baby gift.  I wanted something special. Something that would be a part of me.

The thought came to make them a miniature replica of the nursery they have worked so hard on in anticipation of becoming parents. Chris and Tracey recorded their progress on the adoption process and the creation of a nursery in their home, I too, will do the same here as I build their nursery in miniature. However, when building in miniature, you find things to be limited. Some things in the real nursery can't be duplicated, therefore a close resemblance has to be used. I had thought at first to build one of my miniature music boxes. As you can see, the crib just barely fits into the music box. At this point, I decided to make a miniature room box. The idea was to start with the crib and build from there. The room will be done in 1:12 scale (1 inch = 1 foot)

The Room Box Beginnings

I was undecided as I began this project as to the size room box should be. I decided to wait until I collected the various pieces of miniature furniture and see what size the room would need to be. Meanwhile, I did several things to get started on the actual box itself. The picture here on the left is of the actual nursery. From this picture, I got the colors used on the wall and what border they are using. I photographed the border at a local store and from that, created a miniature border to use in the nursery room box. I matched the colors at the craft store and came out with what I felt were close matches. I purchased the brown carpet at a local miniature shop.

Actual Border

Border in Miniature

Matching Paints and Wall Border

While shopping at one of the miniature shops, I found this box to use for the nursery setting. The front and left side has a plexi-glass insert. With this type box, you paint the outside then place a bow on the top. I decided on white as the color for the exterior and ribbon/bow colors, a plaid  after I painted the interior. 

First thing I did was to paint the inside of the box with primer. I also painted the outside of the box so that whether I paint the outside or cover in wallpaper, either would stick like it should. As I worked on this project, I knew I would figure out what the best way to do the outside would be. 

Next, I painted the interior walls in the two colors. At first, the bottom color was too bright. So I worked on adding white to the paint to lighten the color and to come as close to the actual color in Kennedy's nursery. After painting the interior, I glued the border on the walls and added the brown carpet.

Adding a Window

To add the window that is shown in the original picture of the nursery, I started with a picture of trees and sky such as what might appear from the window. I laminated the picture so that it would have the appearance of looking through glass. Using a mini miter box, I mitered the corners of miniature window facing and framed the picture (window). As the nursery has mini blinds, so does the miniature nursery. I cut small strips of bass wood to the length of the window. with a pin, I pierced a hole on each end of the slats and then strung the slats together with heavy duty sewing thread. After string 3-4 slats and spacing evenly. I placed a small dot to glue where the string went through the slat.

When the blinds were the length of the window, I glued them to the window. Making sure they were even and secured. Well, I tried to make them as even as possible. 

Next it was time to add curtains to our window. But first I needed to make a curtain rod to hold the curatin. Then I added a wooden bead on each end. Keeping with the colors of the room's trim, I painted the rod white.

Making the curtains was a challenge. You need a fabric that will not ravel after being cut to size. It's hard to hem thin fabrics. So off to the local fabric/craft store to see what they had to offer. I found several fabrics but what I choose was a pink tulle. For the topper, I found an off-white tulle type fabric that had a slight design. 

After cutting the pink fabric into two pieces, I stitched as I gathered the tulle onto the curtain rod. Next, I stitched the curtain topper over the pink curtains. I cut the bottom of the topper in large zig-zags to resemble the one in the original nursery picture. I still have to even up the bottom of the curtains as I have one side longer than the other. I know... what will it matter in 100 years.

Alphabet Puzzle Play Mat

Kennedy's nursery has an alphabet puzzle play mat in front of the crib. Now this appeared to be a real challenge. I search the web for an image of the play mat that would be facing front and not photographed at an angle. No such luck on finding that. Asking Chris to photograph the entire play mat is not an option either. Finally, I found a website in the UK that sold similar play mats. Their image of the product had 4 puzzle pieces, facing forward and interlocked. Using Photoshop, I edited each individual puzzle piece in the colors that were as close to the real play mat as the photos I could find of the play mat in Kennedy's room. The image on the left shows a paper printed copy of what I came up with. After getting the size that I felt would be close to the original, I transferred the image to both decal paper for placing on a thin sheet of craft foam. If that doesn't work, I also transferred the image to an iron-on transfer sheet to iron on cloth. 

I couldn't figure out how to transfer the decal, so I used the iron-on transfer and did a heat transfer to white material. Next, I glued the fabric to a thin piece of yellow craft foam. Trimmed the miniature play mat and there you have it... a miniature version of the alphabet puzzle playmat.

The Panda and Flower Pictures

Kennedy's room has a framed picture of a panda. Mitering miniature picture frame molding is not high on my list of accomplishments. However, the miniature room has to have a miniature version of this picture. So here we go. I started with the image that Chris and Tracey have on their Kennedy website. Using Paint Shop Pro (Photoshop disappeared when my hard drive crashed and I haven't located my installation CD) I reduced the image of the picture to a miniature size. After trimming the miniature image, I mitered the miniature picture frame molding to create a miniature version of the panda picture.

There is a picture of a flower in the nursery, too. I am not sure which wall the flower is on. So, I decided to recreate the flower picture in miniature and place it on the other side of the window. Using Photoshop, I used the picture on the left as a start and then cropped a small part of the stem area and added it to the image to make the entire picture. As I did with the panda picture, I framed the "matted" picture of the flower with tiny picture frame molding. The last thing I need to do before "hanging" the picture in the room box is to fill in the gaps at the mitered corners and re-stain the corners. As I said, I do not do mitering well.

Wall Art

To date, and according to Chris, nothing has been placed on the wall over the crib. Be that as it may, I utilized my creativeness and decided to use the "whirligig" characters as wall hangings. The company that makes the real nursery motif does have these as wall art. Using a picture of these wall hangings, I reduced them down to what I felt was as close to scale as possible and printed on clear stickers.

Clothes Peg

I felt that the miniature nursery needed some miniature clothes. The nursery theme collection that Chris and Tracey had chosen for the real nursery has a clothes peg. I decided that this clothes peg would be the perfect addition, especially since the room box isn't big enough to include a closet.

I chose a 3/4 inch wooden circle and a strip of wood the same thickness. I didn't look close enough to see that the strip of wood was actually a piece of baseboard. 

I cut the circle in half and glued on half to the wooden strip. After painting the edges, I glued the paper sticker that I made out of an image of the blue pattern used on several items to the clothes peg.. Next I cut out the whimsical character that I printed on a white label and glued to the clothes peg. 

Next I drilled two holes 3/32 in diameter and glues the pegs into the holes after painting the pegs green and allowing to dry. Again, it was hard to match the colors exactly.

Clothes

Now that we have a clothes peg in the nursery, we need some clothes in various places. I decided to start with a hat. I haven't decided where to place it but as I make more items, I'll find the proper place.

I used Aida 16 count cross stitch canvas to form the hat. After cutting into pieces, I searched for items that I could use to "form" the hat. I used a clothes pin, peg with ball end, and a dry erase marker for the forms. First, wet the canvas and mold around the "forms" and tight in place with a bit of wrapped wire. Allow the "hats" to dry. After they are dry, remove the wire and trim the "brims" according to the type of hat you are making. I used 1/16 inch pink ribbon and a small rose to trim the hats .

Now for clothes. I decided on a hot pink jumper and a undershirt with dots and lace. I added some more decorations to the jumper by sewing two seed beads for buttons and using embroidery stitches and yellow seed beads, I decorated the front of the jumper.

 Miniature crib and comforter

From this picture and that of the changing table above, I went shopping for a miniature crib that would come as close as possible to the real thing. As would have it, there wasn't an exact duplicate in miniature. So I purchased one as close to the original as I could find. The covering on the mini mattress and the dust ruffle of course would have to be changed to fit the pattern of the crib set that Tracey and Chris selected for Kennedy's nursery.
Miniature crib as purchased

I used a picture of the crib sheet and comforter from Tracey and Chris', wish list to create the mini crib sheet and comforter. The crib sheet was the hardest as the image I found was taken at an angle which had shadowing. For both the sheet and the comforter, I printed the image on iron-on transfer paper and then fused the image to a light weight cotton fabric. I used the pattern of the old crib sheet cover to cut out and glue the new one to the mini mattress. As to the comforter, I photographed the comforter and reproduced it the same way. I purchased a tiny gingham ruffle and blue light weight fleece material and using tiny stitches, sewed the fabrics and ruffle together

The Changing Table
The second piece of furniture I wanted to place in the miniature room is the changing table. Again I went shopping for the closest miniature changing table I could find. The pad on the changing table does nothing to help our miniature nursery. So using some of the material that I made when I covered the crib mattress, I covered the changing pad to match. Now that I have the basic changing table changed to reflect the color scheme of the room, it's time to start on some of the little things that go with changing tables. The first items are receiving blankets. I found thin flannel like material which I cut and folded into tiny receiving blankets.

Small Things
There are lots of small things that make up the nursery. Babies need such toiletries as baby powder, lotion and oil. I have included these items in the miniature nursery as well. I did purchase the baby powder, lotion and oil containers already made in miniature. However, I needed a container to hold these items. I printed and cut out a smaller version of the border I used on the wall and painted a 3/4 inch wooden disk white. then I glued the border around the disk forming a small basket.

I added disposable diapers and some baby wipes. To make the baby wipes, I used the picture from the front and top of Pampers™ Wipes box. Using Photoshop, I reduced the image down to fix on the box I had cut from basswood. Using the Dremel tool, I rounded the corners and edges. Next I painted the box using paint that matched as closely as I could find. When dry, I added the tiny stickers to the front and top of the box.

Next I made miniature disposable diapers. I used plastic sheeting cut form a Target™ shopping bag, some of the white flannel I had on hand, and stickers I made from a photograph I took of the real disposable diaper. I glued the flannel to pieces of the plastic bag. After they had dried, I placed glue on the flannel and folded in half and allowed to set. When this was dry, I trimmed and added the stickers. Then I stacked them on the changing table shelf along with the baby wipes.

Now to make the actual disposable diaper packages. After all, what nursery would be without them. I actually bought a package of each of the more popular brands. Took them home and carefully cut open the packages. Keep in mind that I do have a baby granddaughter. Therefore, the diapers will not be wasted.

There are miniature packages of Luvs and Pampers on the market. But these are made as if they were packaged in cardboard boxes. The disposable diapers sold today are in plastic bags. Therefore, the miniature version would need to resemble this as well. After I cut apart the package, I taped it to my whiteboard to photograph. (Thanks go to the guys in the photo department at CS for telling me how to take the picture without glare.) 

The first attempt was using soft flannel for the insides and clear labels. The result was terrible. The second attempt made it.

I reduced the image of the "exploded" disposable diaper package to the size close to scale as I could get. After adjusting the brightness and contrast, I then printed out the smaller version on white labels. Next, I used white craft foam and cut two pieces that would fit the inside section of the diaper package. After the two pieces were dry, I glued the label to the craft foam pieces. Even though the stickers would stick to the craft foam pieces, I still used glue to reinforce the package. I plan to make one of each brand and place them on a shelf on the changing table. The first packages of disposable diapers looked too small so I decided to make a bigger set. This second set looks more within scale than the first.

Hanging on the side of the changing table is a "binky" on a string. The picture isn't the greatest. I made the pacifier from Fimo™, a clay that bakes in the oven. I started with the pink clay and placed the white ball on the outside with a string between. After baking, I added a "nipple" piece made from transparent fimo.

The Bookcase

On the same wall as the changing table is a bookcase. Chris and Tracy are building a library for Kennedy. So I have worked at creating the same in miniature. First, is the bookcase. Because it is impossible to measure the actual bookcase, and I can't ask Chris to measure for me as this room box is supposed to be a surprise, I have had to guess at the size of the bookcase. Using the border as a reference point, I guessed at the height of the bookcase from where it sits on the wall. Using basswood, I fashioned a bookcase with three shelves as close to the one in the pictures of the real nursery. Now it's time to create some books much like you would find in Kennedy's room. Because I have no way of knowing the actual books she has or will have, I used the books I had on hand here.

The books in the image on the right are board books that I have for my granddaughter. I photographed the front, back, and spine of each book. Next, I reduced the photos down to as close to scale as I could. Each miniature book requires 3 images which I placed together into one image. I cropped any white area of the image and adjusted the brightness/contrast to come as close as the original books as possible. I printed the images on either clear labels or white labels. The miniature books that are printed on the white labels seems to look better and more like the original books than those printed on clear labels. I cut pieces of bass wood and/or balsa wood for the books' form to glue the book jacket to. Even though the labels are self sticking, I still used tacky glue to adhere the book jacket to the wooden form.

The Bookends
The bookends are not on Chris and Tracey's "wish list." I thought they would be a cute addition to the mini-nursery. So set out to recreate them in miniature. The bookends won't be 100% because I do not have exact measurements. To make the bookends, I cut the ends off pop cycle sticks to form the back of the bookend and cut a square for the base. After drilling a hole in the center of each square, I made the whimsical character part. At first I had planned to use a dowel and beads. However, these proved to be too big so I opted for straight pins with a bead at each end. I made decals on labels, two for each bookend, facing in different directions so that when I glued them to each side of the pin they would match. I glued them to thin white craft foam. After painting the pin and beads the color of the corresponding part on the real bookends, I placed a bead on a straight pin and pushed the pin through the white craft foam. Next I placed another bead at the bottom. I pushed the pin through the square and glued in place. After the pin had dried, I clipped the pin flush with the bottom of the bookend.

I decided to add a miniature version of a 5/7 of Chris and Tracy. Tracy's picture was easy to obtain as it is on her website. Chris was a bit harder. After weeks of asking I decided to take drastic measures and have Ray snap a picture. It happened that Ray Lavoie had a picture of Chris taken a few years ago. Sorry Chris, What you see is what I got! I used the picture frame from the Whirligig collection and using Photoshop, placed the images of Chris and Tracy in the center. I printed the pictures on white mailing labels. Cut them out and placed on thin pieces of wood.

I placed the pictures on the bookshelf. At first on the top but decided to move them down to a lower shelf. There are still spaced that can be filled. 

Toys

Time to make some toys. Again, I am not sure what Chris and Tracey have in the nursery. So, I created some toys my children and now my granddaughter plays with.

Corn Popper

Start with a tiny 1/16" dowel and wooden bead for the handle. Paint these blue and glue together. The clear plastic dome is made from the clear end of a medicine capsule. The colored balls inside the dome are cookie sprinkles. The red wheels are slices from a 5/16"dowel and the white bottom base from a 7/16" dowel slice. The axel from a 1/16" dowel. Drill a slanted hole in the round disk close to the edge and at an angle. Glue the blue dowel and bead together. Then glue this into the hole on the base. Open the capsule and empty the contents. Cut the clear end about 1/4 inch from the rounded end. Put multi-colored sprinkles in the "dome" and glue to the white disk. Make sure you allow to dry upside down or the sprinkles will melt.

Glue the axel to the two red wheels. The axle/Wheels to the base. Reinforce glued areas.

Stacking Rings

The next toy to make is a replica of the stacking rings that my kids and even my granddaughter has enjoyed playing with.

I cut a 3/4" length from a 7/17" dowel and cut the length in half. Actually, I made one side smaller than the other and used the smaller end. Next I cut thin slices from 3/16", 1/4", 3/8", and 5/16" dowels. At first, I had planned on placing a 1/16" dowel in the center of the base. However, in working with drilling holes in the circles, I found that things weren't working out as i wished. So, I decided to paint and stack the rings on the base and top with a yellow bead. Before painting, I used a Dremel™ tool to round the edges thus giving each ring more of the look of the original. I glues the rings to the base and topped with a yellow seed bead.

Pounding Bench

I decided to add a pounding bench to the toys. This is an easy toy to reproduce in miniature.

To make the bench, I cut two pieces of 1/8 "wood, 5/8" x 3/8"; one piece, same thickness, that is 3/4"x 3/8". I also cut a 1/16" dowel into six 3/8" pieces. I painted the two end pieces red, and two dowel pieces red, two blue, and two yellow. Next, I drilled six holes in the base which was left a natural color. Inserted the dowels and glues to the ends. Last, I made the mallet. I cut a 1/16" dowel 9/16" long for the handle. I cut a 1/4" piece from a 1/8" dowel. I drilled a hole in this piece and inserted the handle piece. Lastly, I painted the mallet yellow. I touched up any spots on the bench that needed more paint.

The Completed Mini-Nursery

Chris and Tracy had their shower on Saturday, April 5, 2003. I was een invited and hand carried this precious gift to them. I hope that they will get as much enjoyment from this room box as I have gotten from making it. Some have asked how I can give up something I worked so hard on. From the beginning, I have had fun creating this room with Chris, Tracy, and Kennedy in mind.