# A flower shoppe



## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm actually building this as a project on another board, but thought I'd share it here, too.

Kim went looking for a box to ship the second Lindsey wagon to it's new home, and found these inside it. She'd bought them back in November intending to give me them for Christmas.... and forgot they were there! 
Being in a hurry to get to the Post Office I looked at them and said something non-committal and probably ungracious and inane as well. (Kim often buys stuff that just doesn't quite work with my "vision"... sometimes it takes me a while to see it her way...) And started to toss them in a drawer ------ then I realised they shared a common theme. (Okay, I can occasionally take a hint -- especially when it smacks me upside the head!)









I also remembered that I had a Korber "Aunt Bertha's House" kit that I'd bought last April but never gotten around to assembling. 









So, what IS the difference between a small cottage, and a tiny business (besides higher property taxes!)? Big windows! And I had a couple sets of Simpson windows left over from my machine shop project.
before: 









after:









Wainscot, courtesy of a cut up B'mann coach









A waterproof subfloor, cut from a discarded restaurant serving tray (fibreglas) 









Inexpensive shelf contact paper from the kitchen store, an idea borrowed from my ex-wife's dollhouse hobby. I think this pattern looks a lot like late 50's era linoleum! (still needs final trimming) - one 99c roll is enough for flooring/wallpaper for several LS buildings










When somebody says "scratchbuilt" most folks think of big, impressive handmade edifices or rolling stock... but sometimes scratchbuilt can also be something small and easily overlooked...

I found this postcard of a Chicago Florist's shop ca 1910... 









Other than all the gingerbread, what else do you see? Answer, lots of glassware... Well, on a whim I priced half sized dollhouse vases... $9-$20 EACH!!!... and there's about 2 dozen of them in that pic! Um, thanks but no. So I decided to make vases exactly the same way I make Kerosene lamp chimneys - a bit of clear rigid tube and a clear bead... 









I also made some flower bowls by the simple process of cutting a clear bead in half, and stacking it on top of another bead. 









I got 12 vases and 10 bowls done before my eyes started to cross (about 90 minutes). I also found a couple chrome diesel exhaust tips that I can paint white to be oval planters. Then I started on the window display table. Which was much easier for my fat fumble fingers to do...









More rectcling, repurposing, and simple scratchbuilding to come... eventually.. I promise!


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Hmm. I have a whole tin full of those beads.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

I gained some extra respect for you fellows who make clay figures tonight. I had enough trouble with making lollipop flowers! 









I started the greenhouse. It's currently not attached to the building because I need to make sure there's actually room for it in the garden first. 









4 Simpson windows make up the greenhouse roof. I don't know why, but I just like it Victorian wrought iron black better than a more modern white or aluminum. 









Flowers get baked in the morning, then I can start window dressing


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Window display 90% complete... 









How it looks from the street... 









I ordered $10 worth of 1/24 furniture to fill out the interior. Hopefully it will arrive early next week. Meanwhile, back to work on the greenhouse!


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

greenhouse progress... 
I decided to see how it looked at the alternate location... 








Plants 75% installed 









Roof on... still need to make more plants


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## ThinkerT (Jan 2, 2008)

Maybe a few sacks of dirt and fertilizer? As well as the usual gardening tools - buckets, trowls, things like that?


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By ThinkerT on 08 Jan 2012 10:31 PM 
Maybe a few sacks of dirt and fertilizer? As well as the usual gardening tools - buckets, trowls, things like that? There's a sack of dirt under the one table, a trowel and shears on it... I'll have to see if I have more tools in a bin, as I've hit my spending limit. I DO have a bucket - but it needs a repaint - since it's bright orange


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

today's update.......... 
I was going to use my last spare B'mann coach stove for this project, but I found a really nice potbelly pencil sharpener for $1 - the chimney is a stake from a solar light. Rather than try to etch bricks, it's been plastered and painted (that's my story anyway) 









The furniture came today, so I made a lot of progress. Here's bookcase #1 









The windows were in inconvenient places - So bookcase #2 got butchered 









Once they were installed they didn't look too bad... 









The clock was probably my ex-wife's... I found it in a box of stuff, and decided it would cover the funny mold mark quite well. The rolltop desk was cheaper than a cash register, and saved me from making a sales counter. 









I decided it needed an awning - Aluminum flashing and coathanger wire to the rescue! 









Awning installed, plus Kim painted me a sign


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Mik; 

That's a really nice flower shop and greenhouse. Has a great small town/down home atmostphere. 

When we lived in Orwigsburg, PA, there was a similar place just across the street from our ground 
level apartment. We are still using a watering can we bought there 41 years ago. 

Best wishes, 
David Meashey


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## tj-lee (Jan 2, 2008)

Outstanding project! 

Best, 
TJ


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## ThinkerT (Jan 2, 2008)

I've seen clocks like that at the local crafts store - even bought one myself. From 'Darice'. Run maybe a buck or two. 

They have other nifty things in ...roughly 1/24... for about the same price - frying pans and coffee mugs and tool boxes (with tools) 
itty bitty boxes and cans of food.


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## bmwr71 (Jan 30, 2010)

I have been looking into similar items for an idea I had to do a series of gardening related cars. I was considering that Lemax garden bench set. I found different flower and plant figures on ebay in the G train area, for Playmobil, and for doll houses. 

Doug


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## Robert (Jan 2, 2008)

Nicely executed awning. I'm filing that one away.


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