Miniature IKEA HUSET bedroom set review!

IKEA's HUSET Bedroom Set

A gift from my cousin ^_^ I had dragged L down on a Sunday morning to IKEA Tampines only to be disappointed that the stocks had run out, but the very helpful IKEA staff checked that there were still some sets left at the Alexandra branch (about 40 this past Sunday the 20th Dec, restock will be in Feb 2016 :O ), so I called in a favour from my cousin who lived closer to that branch than I did....She decided to make it a gift and I more than gladly accepted! Thanks D!!! :D :D :D 

This -is- Clover's blog, and although I knew that the sets are 1:8 scaled and Clover is, well, twice that size (she's a kid-sized 1:4), with some creative posing I was sure the bed and wardrobe would somehow work. 'sides, I'm collecting these sets as a fan of IKEA and modern miniatures :)

The bed is extendable, with an inside measurement of slightly over 7 inches (18cm) when compact, and slightly over 1 foot (31cm) when fully extended. I do not own any YoSDs, but I'm pretty sure they will be a snug fit! As you can see, Clover has outgrown her toddler bed huhuhu.....(she's about 35cm tall)

LOVE that it comes with a plush dino wahahhahaha *RAWR*

The wardrobe could probably double as a storage chest for Clover's toys, I'm especially chuffed that it comes with a shelf and hanging rod.

Yotsuba is about 1:10 scale, so a little tiny for the set too......

.....but Baobei and Bunbun seem right at home :E

Although my previous review on the Living room set was more detailed, I decided to keep things a tad simpler this time round, as Blythelife has already done an excellent one:

http://blythelife.com/index.php/2015/10/30/review-huset-by-ikea-bedroom-set/

You can view my review of the IKEA HUSET Living room set here!

Clover - Iplehouse KID Lonnie 

Yotsuba - Revoltech

Baobei, Bunbun, Eva Tokia - Free knit pattern by Yvonne Boucher, knit by me

DIY Macro Ringlight - Test shots on my dolls!

Oooh!!! This worked out sooo much better than I thought it would!

 I made a ringlight out of some spare parts I had lying around, and it works so beautifully with my dolls T-T They do look a bit dusty, haven't had much time to play with them lately :( Clover (Iplehouse KID Lonnie) needs a bit more attention, her hair is so dishevelled hehehe

My favourite girl, Ginger (Unoa Lusis), she looks like a corpse here but I still love how all the details of her face up show up here.

And of course, who can forget Kizuna (Danny Choo Smartdoll) :)

Link to the free tutorial and some test shots on smaller items here:

http://snowfern-clover.blogspot.sg/2015/03/diy-ring-light-for-macro-photography.html

Direct link to Instructable with free PDF tutorial download here:

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-LED-Ring-Light-for-MiniaturesMacro-Photography/

I just want to add that I am so so happy to have had my very first Instructable featured today in the "Tech" section of Instructables! Go me!

If you have found my tutorial useful, please vote for my Instructable as I have entered it into a "Tools Contest", if you are on a mobile phone, the vote button is on the top left, otherwise, it is on the top right of the page!

Remember to share with me pictures of your ring light too, if you have made one from this tutorial!


Link to the free tutorial and some test shots on smaller items here:

http://snowfern-clover.blogspot.sg/2015/03/diy-ring-light-for-macro-photography.html

Direct link to Instructable with free PDF tutorial download here:

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-LED-Ring-Light-for-MiniaturesMacro-Photography/

1:3 SD sized photography props

Yikes! This blog has been severely neglected, I didn't even post about Kizuna Yumeno, my very first SD-sized doll :O Nor the long-promised SGDC2014 event report....gomen~! She was a birthday cum anniversary gift from the fiance :D

I have been kept busy with pain management, wedding preparations, and even some renovation talks (will be moving out after my wedding)...whatever little useful time I had left was devoted to fulfilling the final custom request accepted in 2014. I hope to finish that by June before things go into full swing, but ack, need to earn some $ to tide me over, so I wanted to list some more 1:3 items and hopefully get some sales.... -_-"

Being in a lot of pain most of the day means I'm miserable a lot of the time, means I need to find ways to keep happy, and making stuff for my dolls keeps me happy. So I make stuff.

Better, cheaper, and faster than therapy.

There's not a lot of progress photos, but here are a few that I found on my phone (couldn't keep it in and had to share progress with the bf, so pleased with myself for figuring stuff out HAHAHAHA)

With 1:3 scale, things are....woah. really large. especially when I'm used to 1:12 and smaller. I had to find ways to reduce the weight of the props as well. I will list materials I used and where I got them at the end of the post, as most of you know I don't tend to nurture my social media very well, sorry :( Hurts to sit at the computer and my fat fingers make it difficult to type on my teeny smart phone. 

As always, I didn't draw up any plans, just measured the IKEA shelf that was supposed to be Kizuna's home so it would fit. I want to also make it light and portable so I can move it to my window for photoshoots.

IIRC it's about 70cm height vs 40cm wide. All I knew was, I wanted a window. The window is a sliding window cos, I like stuff that works in mini too :D :D :D  CAN YOU IMAGINE!! A PIE COOLING ON THE WINDOW SILL!!!! It all started with this idea, and I just made everything around the 2 pieces of glass which were 5" x 7" photo frame glass that I had lying around. Not sure why I even had them at home, but ey, whatever works!!! (oh ey, I think might have been left over from a project I made for the fiance...hrm.)

*stares off dreamily in a painkiller haze*

Ah anyway. This was a test shot to see how well she stood against the window, or if I needed to add more width/height.

Tara~~!!! I initially wanted a smoother finish for the upper half, but screwed up the last piece of PVC foam board and had -just enough- 2cm wide wooden strips....I think it all worked out great :D :D :D 

Please excuse the really messy background. I took this shot to show off the chair to Asuka, she didn't even notice the chair and thought I was bragging about the knitted top XD which yeah, I did, about 3 mths ago!!!

I first discovered http://ana-white.com/ a few years back when I was randomly surfing late at night for prop ideas pre-event (forget which one) on my phone, but never quite found the time to work on scaling down the plans. The site is chock full of relatively easy plans which I find easily adapted into miniature, especially 1:3 or 1:4! Was tempted to use inkscape to scale it down to fit whatever random wooden strips I had stashed away, but the site uses imperial measurements, so I gave up on doing all the crazy math and just re-drew everything on graph paper, the old fashioned way. Works better with my doll anyway.

It's about 12cm wide. I think. *squints at photos*

(painkillers really fuzz up my memory worse than it already was)

All I know was, I needed it much taller than the plans specified, as Kizuna is a very leggy woman kekeke. I think the legs were about 19cm, all I know is the seat had to be about 20cm off the ground so she can sit with proper posture (HAHA) since her legs can't be tucked in at angles less than 90 degrees.

The table was just a few pieces of leftover wood strips put together to make a foldable table. The tabletop was not attached so I can switch it out for other tabletops, and I prefer the foldable legs so I can make it lower or higher depending on what I required for photoshoots. A tad flimsy, but it works :D

Tabletop was an old whiteboard thingy. Warped, so I reinforced and flattened it with wood strips too.

Then just after I dug out some old props, it started to rain and my photos turned out quite grey. bah. good excuse to go lie down after the 4 days of working on these few props.

Overall, pretty pleased with how they turned out. The black wall behind her is a leftover shelf board from her IKEA shelf abode XD I proped everything against my window for this test shoot, I RIKES. Maybe I'll build her a kitchen sink, cabinets....worktop.....oven....AUGHHHH NEED MORE MATERIAL TIME AND AUGHHHHHHH I WANNA PLAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Materials used:

Window glass: IKEA RIBBA photo frame glass 5"x 7"

Wooden strips for everything: Various widths from Daiso (Singapore)

Table Top: Portable Whiteboard from Popular Bookstore (Singapore)

Chair plans: Heavily adapted from http://ana-white.com/2010/10/squared2-chair

Wood Glue, Acrylic Paint, PVC Foam Board (Art Friend), Foam Glue, Pins (to reinforce joints), Lego (as Mitre/Square), Fine grit sandpaper, Filler (for chair joints, not necessary but a nice finishing touch, you can probably use wood putty or similar)

Model: Kizuna Yumeno, Smartdoll by Danny Choo

Wig + Jeans: Default

Knitted top: Made by me, pattern adapted from http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/blush-2

Hairband + Coffee Mug + Donuts: Made by me

Macbook: Gift from Cousin, pocket mirror

Ceramic Plate: Random purchase ages ago, forgot where

New online Store open!!

SGDC2014 was tremendous fun! I did a lot better this year compared to the last 2 events, which is always A Good Thing (tm)!! ^_^ Thank you all so much for the constant support, I am extremely touched especially by my ardent friend and customer, CH :) She bought up nearly half of my new range of items hee hee :P *FLYING KISSES!!*

I saw so many familiar faces, and some new ones, but I will write a proper review and thank you post when I finish up some requests.....I would so hate to keep them waiting any longer! :( But meanwhile, I have opened up a new store at

http://snowfern.tictail.com

Etsy has been good to me, and I will still list some items there, but the fees are exorbitant and I feel drained each time the bill comes...T-T And since most of the BJD customers are already following my Facebook and blog, why not sell my works independent of Etsy ey? :) 

Some items were sold almost immediately upon posting as I update in real time on my Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/SnowfernClover , again, I cannot express how much I appreciate your support, my face is burning as I type...it is very very flattering and I'm grateful for these sales, it motivates me to work harder at coming up with more and different works!

For those who are disappointed that some of the more popular items have sold, like the takoyaki sets...fret not, I will clear up my docket and hope to hold another pre-order similar to the ramen bowls, possibly in December 2014/January 2015! 

Meanwhile, do visit my store over at snowfern.tictail.com! I worked so hard on taking the photos that I seem to have sprained my index/trigger finger XD XD XD haizzzz accident prone, I am T-T

Originally posted at http://snowfern-clover.blogspot.com

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*sings* It's the final count dowwwwwnnnnnn~~!! One day (and a half) left to Singapore Doll Carnival 2014!!! Remember to join us at *Scape if you're free, drop by and say "HI" to Asuka and I! We're probably the first table you'll see as you enter the venue :E Woot Woot~!

"ONCE UPON A TIME"

Date : 16 November 2014 (Sunday)

Venue : The Treetop, Scape (level 5)

2 Orchard Link, Singapore 237938

(Nearest train station : Somerset)
Time : 12pm - 7pm
Ticket Price : $18 (door tickets)

(hahha I kope'd Asuka's edit :E)

View the other vendor offerings here!

http://www.sgdollcarnival.com/booth-list.html

After my previous update, I went into full throttle mode and came up with a few more items....

 1:3 scale miniature potato wedges, chicken tenders (suitable for 1:4 too, or YoSD), with BBQ sauce. Air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paint, sealants, paper

2 sets available for each, all items loose

 1:3 scale miniature fish and chip sets, with coleslaw, lemon slice and tomato wedge. Air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paint, sealants

1 set available, the square bowl at back. Casserole set reserved!

1:4 scale miniature nuggets and fries set, for 1:4 or YoSD. Air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paint, sealants, paper

2 sets available.

1:3 and 1:4/YoSD junk food sets XD

Repost of the first pic cos I can't find the photo for the 1:3 nugget set....gyaaa...lazy to take pics. The 1:3 scale miniature nugget and fries sets come with ketchup, coleslaw in a lettuce cup, and a tomato wedge in a ceramic dish. 

2 sets available (far right in photo)

1:3 or 1:4 miniature tomato wedges, air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paints, sealants

For those who have 'liked' my facebook page or followed my Instagram, you probably have seen these.....they seem to be incredibly popular! I made them a tad small so I could use them in 1:4 or 1:3 settings.....they were incredibly time-consuming to make, but well worth the effort I think ^_^v

Back to Japanese food! (or at least, Singaporean versions of haha)

1:3 scale miniature chashu ramen bowl, air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paints, sealants, polymer clay

Only 1 set available, ran out of time to make more T-T 

1:3 scale miniature kitsune udon bowl, with attached chopsticks for posing with dolls! air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paints, sealants, polymer clay, bamboo

Only 1 set available, not sure if this format will be popular...if there's demand I'll make more when I have time!

1:3 scale miniature kitsune and enoki mushroom udon bowl, air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paints, sealants, polymer clay

2 sets available

1:3 scale miniature kitsune and chikuwa udon bowl, air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paints, sealants, polymer clay

Sold, was a custom request that came in while I was prepping the udon bowls :D Thank you!

1:3 scale miniature egg mayo takoyaki, air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paints, scenic scatter, sealants

Sold, thank you!

1:3 scale miniature takoyaki, air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paints, scenic scatter, sealants. not sure what the boat material is, same as the real takoyaki boats....some sort of wood pulp?

2 regular takoyaki sets available, with mayonnaise and bonito flakes. The 'bitten' takoyaki is loose for ease of posing!

1:3 scale miniature lobster salad/salmon mayo, avocado hana maki, air dry clay, microbeads, acrylic paints, sealants

I LOVE EATING THESE! Well, the lobster salad ones. Have never tried the avocado, but seen plenty of photos.....avocado is also so so omnomnommy! ^_^

4 sets available (in trios like in photo)

1:3 scale miniature okonomiyaki, air dry clay, acrylic paints, sealants, scenic scatter, epoxy resin

Bacon and egg okonomiyaki available, 'cut' okonomiyaki sold, thank you! :D

These are work in progress photos, as I have packed them up safely, but hope to take some photos of everything together tomorrow as I price all my items and do a test layout. 

1:3 scale miniature chopsticks in paper sleeves. paper, inkscape, bamboo, sealant

Many sets available! For individual sale at SGD$4, but only SGD$2 if purchased with any Japanese food sets ^_^ 

I also spent a bit of time designing chopstick sleeves from scratch....my initial design was a fugly pink sakura themed one as I felt panicky and rushed to get a generic design out....luckily CH gave me pause to rethink the design. It so happens that we both share the same Chinese middle name, "Yan4", which means "Swallow" (the bird, not the verb heheh), and I had to give my brain a few seconds to recall how to write my name.....*hangs head in shame* In my defense, I hadn't written it in over 2 years......at least I think that's when I last practiced writing it?! *embarrassed* 

Anyhoo, she suggested I use it as inspiration for the design, and I whipped this out in maybe 10 minutes!!! That's got to be the shortest time I've ever spent on a new design bwa ha haaaaaa! *puffs up chest*

The Chinese/Kanji characters mean "Swallow Sanctuary". The 2nd character, "Ting2" could also mean pavilion....or gazebo maybe? I thought it quite sweet :)))) The hiragana should read "tsubame", the Japanese word for Swallow. I hope I got everything right and not committed some faux pas. Out of all my BJD group of friends, I'm the least Japanese-savvy one!!! Heck, I can't even manage my own grasp of Mandarin and I'm =at least= 3/4 Chinese.....*derisive snort* 

1:3 miniature scale "Large" waffles with butter and honey. Air dry clay, acrylic paints, sealant, epoxy resin

Asuka had made some beautiful waffles, and I had coincidentally left some to dry as I worked on the Japanese foods...and when she updated with photos I squealed in delight because 

1) WE ARE TELEPATHIC (hahah joke, joke, I don't believe in woo)

2) as proven many times over, it didn't matter if we made the same stuff, our styles are very different!!

I'll talk about this topic (friend? competition? business partner? collaborator? Folie à deux?) another time as I've been asked a few times how it was that Asuka and I happen to work so well together....it's embarrassing watching us do events, we bicker like an old couple hahahhaha

-_-""""""

ANYWAY. I went back to work on them.....

1:3 BJD scale miniature "Large" waffles vs 1:12 scale dollhouse miniature butter and honey waffles....

Only 1 set available. Waffles attached to plate.

A closer look.....in case anyone was wondering, that's a Singapore 10-cent coin, which is approx 1.85cm diameter. I tried to make the butter look melted.....will try to take a better photo with the DSLR if I have time (or remember to....)

Not for sale at the moment....only made these cos the waffles had been lying around in my UFO (unfinished objects) box for ages, and only needed the resin to complete it...and I knew I would have extra from making the 1:3 one......it also makes this post valid for this smaller scales blog hwa hwa hwa.

WIP 1:3 scale miniature "Large" waffles with icecream, syrup, whipped cream and topped with cherry

Allowing the final sealant coat of resin to cure....I've also broken out in hives from a week of working with resin *heavy sigh*

Above 4 designs available, not attached to triangle white plate (as seen in the honey/butter waffle pic)

My cousin D came over yesterday and helped me finish up the sushi boards, SHE IS A LIFE-SAVER!!!! XD So I'll spend tomorrow sorting out sushi sets....the shoyu dishes are also curing (first attempt was megafail, frustrating, but finally got it right) and will be available separately only with purchase of sushi sets :) I -might- sell some sushi a la carte, but it depends on whether I can figure it all out.....am so tired....and pricing is so difficult...and I can't figure out how to pack everything into the carry-on suitcase.....and my arm itches.......and my bed is covered with unfolded laundry.......and stocks cos I ran out of space to store them.......WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH *whinessssss*

but so exciting na~~~! :P Remember to say Hi! I love catching up (when it's not too hectic) with dollfriends at our "annual meets" haha! So envious when they bring around their new dolls.....Oh ya, I don't think I have space to bring any of mine :( Maybe Yotsuba if I remember........she can sit in my pocket haw haw *manic laughter*

time for bed. been running on only 4-6 hrs of sleep each night the past week. and coffee. mmm. coffee.

SGDC 2014 - Singapore Doll Carnival 2014, Sunday 16th November 2014

Cross-posted at http://snowfern-clover.blogspot.sg/

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Are you interested in BJDs? Perhaps if you are new to the hobby, and would like to learn more about it, do come down to *Scape next Sunday, 16th November 2014 to see some of the dolls up close! Also, for the first time, there will be doll vendors at SGDC, and of course, Asuka and I will be there again!! Come say hi!!!!

"ONCE UPON A TIME"
Date : 16 November 2014 (Sunday)
Venue : The Treetop, Scape (level 5)
2 Orchard Link, Singapore 237938

(Nearest train station : Somerset)
Time : 12pm - 7pm
Ticket Price : $15 (Early Bird ticket sales from 1st - 30th September 2014)

$18 (door tickets)


Asuka & Snowfern are back together with Matsuri Tabemono!! Their handmade miniature food props will definitely satisfy your dolls' cravings! Please visit www.asukasakumo.com or www.snowfern.com for more details!

For the experienced BJD collector, Singapore Doll Carnival is the (seemingly) only BJD-only event held in Singapore, we enjoyed ourselves tremendously at last year's SGDC2013, and naturally signed up for SGDC2014!

http://www.asukasakumo.net/ ,

https://www.facebook.com/Cloudy.Purplesky ;

http://snowfern.com ,

https://www.facebook.com/SnowfernClover

Asuka has been working hard at her new day job, but also made time to come up with delicious new Japanese food items for your dolls! You can also visit her blog to see her latest offerings made exclusively for SGDC2014 :)

http://www.asukasakumo.com/

A: Golden Tales & Eccentric Romance
B: Nyann & CK
C: TTYA
D: Euphoria Zone
E: Sseiren
F: GG Doll Fashions
G: MaroSweetCraft
H: My Little Memory Doll
I: Pitscraft
J: Darak-i
K: DollHeart
L: M-style
M: Dollfie Dream Network @ SG
N: MyDollChan
O: Oscardoll
P: Arietta Project
Q: Ddress
R: Anemone
S: Clockwork Forest
T: Princessdoll
U: Asuka Sakumo & Snowfern Clover

We both have been working hard to fill our table, and you can find us at table U (as soon as you enter the event area :D :D :D

(OMG I just went to check out the list of vendors are there will be 2 Korean doll companies selling dolls AHHHH I AM SO DEAD)

*composes self ahem*

SO what did -I- make exclusively for the event?

Sushi!!! These are tentatively displayed this way, but might be split up into gunkanmaki and nigiri sets, depending on whether I have time to make more boards....or whether I have any more plates. 

1:3 scale miniature assorted 'raw' sushi, air dry clay, microbeads, paper, acrylic paint, varnish

(this plate is actually a cup cover I found at a neighbourhood store XD everything else is made by me!)

3 sets available

Customers will have an option to pick from this, or the octoganal ceramic black/white plates~ The wooden ones are not available for sale, sorry :( I will try to get more material next week but....depends on whether I can get stocks.....

1:3 scale miniature assorted 'cooked' sushi, air dry clay, microbeads, paper, acrylic paint, varnish

1 set available, but might not have wooden tray....will have to look for another display option...

Next up! For those who do not like raw sushi~~ or for kids!

1:3 scale miniature Ikura, California, and Uni Temaki, air dry clay, microbeads, paper, acrylic paint, varnish

1:3 scale miniature meals, air dry clay, paper, acrylic paint, varnish, epoxy resin

 1:3 miniature yakitori set, air dry clay, paper, epoxy paint, varnish

All items attached to bamboo plate (purchased from neighbourhood tea store), grated radish, 2/3 pcs pickled radish attached to Shiso leaf, lime wedge and 1/3 pc pickled radish loose, Shiso leaf loose

Only 1 set available

 1:3 scale miniature Hiyashi Chuka, air dry clay, acrylic paint, paper, resin, sealant. Plate is a purchased sauce dish

Only 2 sets available.

1:3 scale miniature tempura sets, air dry clay, acrylic paint, sealant. All items loose. Pickles and wasabi attached to Shiso leaf. Dish is purchased sauce dish

2 sets available. Each set contains eggplant, shiso leaf, sweet potato, pumpkin, mushroom & lotus, and EITHER green bean OR grated carrot. 

I will try to make more dipping sauce bowls but they will be sold separately.

I still have some Udon bowls and takoyaki sets, as well as a set of hana sushi waiting to be completed...and if there's time (and if the weather is co-operative, been really wet and humid lately), maybe waffles.....

All  items are sold on a first-come-first-served basis at SGDC 2014 next Sunday! See you there!!! Hope to be able to update again with a 'proper' layout next week :D :D :D So excited!!!