Sweet Shoppe // Structure Details: Interior + Exterior

Hello mini makers! Thank you guys so very much for all your kinds words! The Sweet Shoppe is definitely the most complete miniature project I have ever made! I love seeing it in the same room as the Christmas tree! Too bad it's coming down soon! (The tree, that is) Here I have put together a post to share the details of the interior and exterior structure.

The most obvious detail is the curved front! I basically flipped the entire building on its face. I then used what was previously the roof as the back wall (and also the new roof haha!). I also cut out a window on one side. As if it needed any more windows with that front wall.... But I love a light-filled room so I HAD to add another window. The frame was made from scratch and upon closer look you can see quite a few gaps, but... I'm still happy with it because it was my first window I ever made!

Speaking of windows, the original kit came with two pre-made windows. I used one on the ceiling to let even MORE light in. It feels like it was meant to go here.

At some point I lost the door knob on the outside of the back door.... I have no idea where it could be, so I will have to replace it soon!

The roof comes off for easy access.

And so does the back wall- it has two parts. I didn't know how I would want to take pictures of the inside so I wanted plenty of options! The removable parts are held in with tension alone, but I plan on adding some sort of pin or magnet system eventually. 

The floor boards are made from a floorboard sheet I found at hobby lobby. I honestly didn't know how to apply the sheet so I took it all apart and did my own thing! I like how it turned out! The cement slab in the back was made from regular mortar (for mosaics and things). I mixed the mortar with a bit of paint.

The front door is one of my favorite parts. It works both ways. One of the themes I tried to incorporate throughout the build is to have very plain and average things on the exterior and more whimsical and playful things on the inside. I didn't have the time and energy to exaggerate this theme like I wanted, but I think over time as I add things to this build my initial idea will come through even more. For example the doorknobs on the inside are more decorative while the ones on the outside are simple rectangles.

The interior walls were made with another floorboard sheet, egg carton bricks, and decorative trim.

 As for the ceiling, I wanted it to look a little like icing. I'm not really a fan of those "popcorn ceilings" in real life, but I thought I would do my own take on it.

The store sign is another favorite detail. I made it entirely from scratch out of wood scraps, plexiglass, and scrapbooking embellishments. I do have some lights to go inside the sign, but I couldn't get it JUST right so I thought that would be another detail to add later.

As for the front of the Sweet Shoppe, the "glass" is plexiglass. I REALLY lucked out because the sheets of plexi they have at Hobby Lobby were about an eighth of an inch longer than what I needed... any shorter and I would have had to order it online!

The trim is meant to look like oxidized metal... I don't know enough about metals to say which kind, but I looked at images of bronze and copper for inspiration. I thought that the metal would be more oxidized at the top, so there is a gradient effect from the top to the bottom- with the bottom almost not oxidized at all. I love this look, but I definitely need more practice.

I aged all of the wood (inside and out) because I think it just makes it look so much more interesting. Aging the wood gives it details, style, and even adds to the story.

And of course I used the egg carton bricks! I love how these look and I these are my best yet. I also did bricks on the inside of the building, but I painted those white.

I would love to add some signage/ hours and information on the front door just like real shops do, but I found quickly that it's hard to get that detail when I was trying to do everything myself.

I am still working on editing a video going over all the same information. I also recording the last 3/4ths of the build if anyone is interested in that! I am hoping to have it posted to the YouTube channel within the next couple weeks. I am taking a couple days to relax before I get back to heavy working before class starts for the Spring semester. Thanks so much for stopping by, I will check back in soon!

X

-Blake