Abandoned Library Room Box Miniature Diorama
Work on the new Haunted Library room box has begun. I had purchased this lovely wooden box from Daiso a while ago and was waiting for some inspiration to build something new with it.
Since the box is small, I thought it needed stain glass windows to add to the mysterious feel and of course let some light in. After a search on Youtube I came across videos by Heather from Thicketworks and she had exactly the type of tutorials I needed to get started.
I started by downloading the Cricut files to make Gothic windows with the stained glass above. Then I used my Dremel tool and hand saws to cut out openings for the Gothic style stained glass window panes.
For the floor I used some card stock and Sizzix 3-D Embossing Lumber Folder and run it through my Sizzix Big Shot Machine. I dragged some colored chalks in various shades of brown gently over the surface and had a wooden floor in no time. I did however go over the floor several more times with oil paints and gel mediums to really create a deep wood grain.
It all started with these furniture pieces I purchased on a whim. When I saw this set I was totally excited to create something aged and spooky. To age the furniture, I used a dark brown oil paint, that was very diluted and a rubbing technique to add deep shadows and to bring out the details of the carvings. Towards the end I used dark and light grey chalk and sprinkled it over every surface area to give a dusty look. This furniture underwent a lot of aging to make it look as if it has been left in this room for ages, but the final touch were the spider webs. For those I used UHU glue . This glue is very thin and stringy, ideal for creating spider webs. This is the only set that was purchased and aged.
The bookshelf was made out of wood and modeled after a similar bookshelf that I had made for the Rose Garden Tea House . Here, some shelves were left a bit uneven to giveth book case the look of having shelves that have sagged under the weight of heavy books.
As I mentioned before the table was aged to bring out some of the carved details. I wanted to create a sense of this space being used to study all aspects of humanity. Besides an antique bible that is open to reveal its beautiful pages, there is a page of written text with a magnifying glass. A 3D printed skull and glass beakers are left collecting dust and being covered by spider webs. I made the glass beakers by disassembling and cutting down Christmas lights. A fiddle job since the glass kept breaking everywhere except in the areas I needed it to.
Did you see the vintage globe in the background, behind the table? I used a wooden bead and decoupaged napkin over it to get the look I was after.
Lighting is everything in a room box that measures 20 cm wide x 11 cm deep and 15 cm high (7.87" x 4.33" x 5.91"). With the help of my husband we designed and 3D printed a chandelier and wired it with the tiniest LED lights we could find. I attached a battery operated switch to the back so the light can be turned on at night. There are 2 flat batteries to get the full brightness and the flickering that you can see in the video only happens if you use one old battery.
And now for the reveal - the library is finished and I created this short to take you on a little adventure to see the finished piece.
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