B005 ALICE DREAM CASTLE

Have you been dreaming about living in Wonderland like Alice? Then this is one of the kits you can't resist - Alice Dream Castle.

The enchanted castle with circular towers is surrounded by verdant shrubbery. The magical atmosphere is enhanced by the castles vibrant colours. The spiral staircase stretches from the two storey house with an attic, to the breathtaking garden.

You can enjoy this colourful scene in a glass bauble which is only 12cm in diameter and can be easily hung or placed.

Why wait? Send email to tidyminiatures@hotmail.com and order now!

B004 ANGEL'S MAGIC TOWN

This stunning glass bauble features a traditional blue toned house surrounded by a quaint picket fence.  Set in the wintertime, fresh snow has just fallen decorating the large tree at the front and lightly dusting the house roof.  Around the back of the house someone has been busy building a snowman beside a fir tree.

The interior of the house cleverly contains three fully lit rooms.  Downstairs there are two rooms. The first a cozy living room with fireplace, christmas tree and gifts, the other a formal dining room where the table has been laid with a lace table cloth and either side sit two extravagant dining chairs.

Upstairs is a sweet little attic bedroom featuring a bed with lace trimmed bedspread and a wardrobe.

All this fits neatly inside a flat bottomed glass bauble which can be both placed and hung.
This particular bauble makes a fantastic gift or project not only for Christmas but all through the year given the subtle Christmas theme.

For a house and garden design almost identical to this one with a pink and cream colour scheme please see B009 Lolita Dream Home.

B003 MINI HOUSE

Another easy kit to make today - Mini House

This is a beautiful 3 storey home sitting on a lush garden. With the help of a pair of tweezers, you can comfortably build the house and fit the furniture inside.

The glass bauble is just 12cm in diameter with a flat bottom which you can place or hang anywhere.

Basic Tools

Have you ever come across the question "what tools do I need" when you look at our DIY miniature kits?

The answer is A General Toolbox with Basic Tools is fine.

The good thing about our DIY kits is that most of the parts are pre-cut, drilled, painted and ready for assembly. Occasionally you may need to cut a wooden rod into small sections, trim off a corner or cut fabric into different sizes for furnishings, however these all can be easily done with a general toolbox :-

1. Small sharp scissors to cut fabric / paper

2. Craft knife to cut small pieces of wood, or wallpaper, carpet and flooring which gives a neat finish on the cut edge

3. Cutting Mat

4. Sandpaper to sand an angle off a piece of wood, most commonly 45°, or any rough cut on the wood which is unlikely from our kits

5. Awl to poke a little hole (not the person sitting right next to you!), or to hold an extremely small piece in place. The pointy tip is really handy for delicate work. It can be used to score paper or cardstock too (yes, it's the best scoring tool I've ever had!)

6. Tweezers to help pick up tiny pieces (they are really helpful for someone who has blunt fingers like me)

7. Metal rulers to measure or guide for cutting a straight line

8. Glue (needless to say "to glue things together" :P)

There is probably one more thing which is not really a tool but I would like to add: A Tray.
I use the lid of a memory box while my friend uses a wooden tray bought from a craft store.
We find working in a tray is way better than an open area as all the bits and pieces will stay in one place (I guess they will not jump over the "fence" themselves) instead of ending up somewhere unexpected as with conversation below:

Hey honey, can you please have a look to see if you are sitting on my leg?

What? Why would I sit on your leg?

I am talking about my miniature chair leg

Oh... I'm not. What does it look like?

Well, it's white, and has a funny shape of... oh how do I describe it in words... anyway it probably as big as your finger tip, you may need your reading glasses to find it... OH! FREEZE! I spot it! it's 1 cm to the right of your left foot... don't move...

Where? ...

Glue

The glue included in our DIY kits is more than adequate for easy assembly of parts. However we would like to introduce you Aleene's Super Thick Tacky Glue and Grandmother Stover's Glue as an excellent alternatives for different adhesive purposes.

Aleene's Super Thick Tacky Glue

Aleene's Super Thick Tacky Glue is superior on paper, fabric, wood and most plastics, and ideal for gluing hard-to-hold items. The thick consistency allows precision positioning. This glue will not run and will dry clear with flexibility.  These properties save you time holding components waiting for the glue to dry, allowing you to move ahead quickly onto the next task.

Grandmother Stover's Glue

Grandmother Stover's Glue is a fantastic adhesive for applying wallpapers carpets and floors, and "will not curl, wrinkle or discolour any material" as it says. Slightly thin the glue by mixing with very little amount of warm water, or even hot water in winter and brush evenly over the paper. Lay on the paper starting from one edge and use an old credit card as a spreader to smooth out the paper gently to ensure bubbles are not captured under the paper.

B002 ROMANTIC AEGEAN SEA

Today we leave the earthy forest and go to the sandy beaches in the Aegean (dreaming...)

Romantic Aegean Sea is in a 12cm diameter glass bauble with  a flat bottom. The kit comes with LED lights which can be activated by clapping your hands.

The beach house has a simple construction allowing easy assembly. This kit is ideal to make with a group or on a weekend away. You can enjoy the company of friends and have fun while still being able to complete the project.

Guess where we are going next? Tips: home sweet home...

B001 FOREST DREAM ISLANDS

Today, we are introducing you the most popular DIY miniature display bauble kit - Forest Dream Islands.

The glass ball is just 12cm in diameter. It has a flat bottom and a hole at the top, so you can hang or place on the shelf. The kit comes with LED lights which can be turned on by clapping your hands.

The tree house is easy to build. It only requires a little more patience to lay the straw on the rooftop. It took me 4-5 nights to complete the kit (including many distractions... haha)

Next time, we will bring you to the summer beach (in the freezing winter...) 

Welcome to the Tidy Miniatures blog

Ta da! Tidy Miniatures’ finally has made it online! Welcome to our blog!

Here on our blog we have labels to all of our miniatures, it’s better than a website as you can follow us by submitting your email to be up to date with our latest products or information. Lots of photos will be uploaded here with full description and ordering code as well as tips and hints.

Tidy Miniatures is Melbourne-based and specialising in DIY kits ranging from small display box, baubles, lanterns through to large single or multi storey dollhouses. We started our exposure at VAME (Victorian Association of Miniature Enthusiasts) show on 12-13 July 2014. We would like to thank all those people who came past our stand and gave us your warmest welcome and greatest feedback.

We only sell via email and miniature fairs. Our blog will keep you up to date on our range. To get a price, order or ask any questions simply (yes it’s really simple) drop us an email, tidyminiatures@hotmail.com and tell us what you would like to order or ask us for any further details. We will always try to respond quickly.

Pick up of orders is possible by prior arrangement (we are located in the SE suburbs of Melbourne) and we can quote postage (at cost) for our interstate friends. Tidy Miniatures works directly with our suppliers to ensure best pricing and will always endeavour to supply good information and support to our Aussie miniature enthusiasts.

We will try to bring our products to many miniatures fairs with our next stand planned for Ballarat. Please let us know of upcoming miniature fairs in your area and if we can, we will attend.

Tidy Miniatures next stand:

-Ballarat Mini friends October 25th……10am to 4pm

Now you know how we work. All you need to do is to follow us! We are so excited to post our first blog and we hope you enjoy spending time looking at our Tidy Miniatures.