the Hideaway / Safehouse

INTRO: This is a little decorative item that also serves as a hiding place hence the name 'Hideaway' or 'Safehouse'. I tinker around in my shed and came up with this. My main hobby is my 1" scale doll house which is huge and under remodel. I enjoy making my own pieces for it. I actually made the toilet make a flush sound by taking apart a toy and I am currently making it so I have running water in bathroom sink by using a pump from a table top battery operated fountain. I like making things and using things that I find on ground, dump, thrift store, parking lots or wherever. They say one mans junk is another mans treasure. I tend to see things in the junk like it resembling something for instance, I once made a mini bar of a bar I used to go to. On the bar they had beer taps. I found an old earring, the type you put over ear lobe and turn the screw to tighten. Well to me it sort of looked like a beer tap and that is what it became. Once people see the finished piece it comes together for them and even though its an earring they now see a beer tap! I don't measure when I work so this will be hard. Instead I just eyeball size I'm happy with and then hold other pieces up to that. In these cabins, my cuts are never straight but that actually adds to the look of a run down cabin. This is my first instructable so wish me luck and please bare with me. I'm as nervous as if I were in front of a group doing a speech!

Step 1: STEP 1: Materials & Tools

MATERIALS:

* Craft sticks in the following sizes (the amounts listed are approx.)

* 40 Jumbo size 5.9" x 0.7"

* 18 Regular size 41/2" x 3/8"

* 8 Skinny size 5.75" x .25"

* 8 Small size 2.5"

* pencil and black sharpie

* wax crayon

* Super glue, Tacky glue or Elmers glue

* paint brushes & water for cleaning

* Territorial Beige Matte Acrylic paint ( or color of your choice)

* Melted Chocolate Acrylic paint (or color of your choice)

* 4 magnets ( bar shape) in place of the piece of denim shown in pic

* rag

* thin piece of cardboard for floor of house

* few index cards

* Clear piece of plastic like from packaging (to make glass for window)

* piece of thin wood or driftwood or what you choose ( platform/base house sits on)

* moss, dirt, twigs, shells, small rocks, thin jewelry wire, bullet shell or whatever you can think of to add for detail

* candle or propane torch

* felt or other material (optional for lining inside of house)

* clear coat spray

TOOLS:

* Hot glue gun and glue sticks

* measure tape

* exacto blade

* scissors

* small saw

* vise grip diagonal cutters

* hobby dremel & sm drill bit

Step 2: STEP 2: Making Walls

A. Take 7 jumbo sticks & cut a bit off each end so you end up with about 51/4" stick. (From here on out when I say a stick must be a certain size, just know that's the size after ends are snipped)

B. Lay them on flat surface side by side and ends even. Measure an index card to aprox. 4" x 3". Take 2 Reg sticks 4" each and arrange these and the card as shown and glue into place. This braces all so they stay together. Put this Front wall to the side

C. Take 4 more Jumbo sticks this time SNIP A LITTLE FROM ONLY ONE END. lay flat straight edges even and glue a Regular 2 1/4 " stick about 1" up from the straight edge which is the bottom of our right side wall. (When I say right or left sides (walls) this is looking at the front of house)

D. Ok take the front wall & holding it up put the right side wall next to it as if putting it together. Now you can decide how much of a slant back you want your roof and trim the rounded top ends at your desired angle. Place another 2 1/4" Reg stick near top and cut a card to fit in between, glue all in place. Repeat to make left side wall.

E. Take 7 more jumbo sticks, snip end off of one then hold it against lowest part of side wall and cut them all that length, this is the back wall. Again lay flat and glue 2 4" reg sticks one at top one toward bottom and the piece of index card in between. Set all the walls aside

Step 3: STEP 3: Painting

A. Take 10 Reg sticks measuring 4" each, 7 skinny sticks and 8 2.5" sticks( cut these minis in half) as well as all the walls and lay them on a covered surface. Get the wax crayon ( like one that comes with Easter egg dye kits)and just kind of quickly scribble or make some marks randomly on all wood (on outside of walls)

B. I then quickly painted all the wood first with Beige, right over crayon then I took a rag and rubbed it over wood as if trying to rub paint off. Repeat with the crayon then paint over with Chocolate color and again rubbing hard with a rag afterwards.

Step 4: STEP 4: Assembly of Walls

A. Attach front wall to left wall with hot glue, lightly until we see if everything's going to jive. Place your back wall up and lightly glue it to left wall.

2. Trace around bottom of house and cut out a piece of cardboard to fit, this will be the floor. Go ahead and set your 3 walls on it and lightly glue them down. AVOID putting glue or anything near where right wall will go or it could interfere with attaching that wall.

3. I always leave most of the stringy glue from gun as it is like cobwebs have gathered on a vacant cabin

4. If you wanted to add a piece of material to the inside, now would be the time to do it.

5. Stand right wall up and make sure it fits between front and back walls

6. Take two magnets and place them on inside front and back walls lining them up with two magnets you will place and glue to inside of right wall

7. If you wanted to place a handle and pipe to right wall as I did you can do it now by drilling some small holes and using wire, wire it to wall, twist wire on inside and add a dab of hot glue

Step 5: STEP 5: Prepare the Base/platform

A. Whatever you choose to use as your base you need to set your house on it and trace around bottom of house. Take elmers or tacky glue and put all over base except in box where your house will sit.

B. Now put dirt all over the glue so it is all covered.

C. Now cover the place the house will sit with glue, quite a bit of glue and place house onto its spot on the platform

Step 6: STEP 6: Make Roof

A. Take 8 jumbo sticks and cut so they are about 4 1/2" long. Lay them flat and take another jumbo stick and glue it across top of those to help brace it.

B. Lay roof on top of house as you want it and place the reg stick so that it is along top of front wall and on the front side of it. It will keep the roof from sliding down

C. You can go over your seams where you lightly glued walls together and add more glue now.

D. Shingles. If you want them you can make your own or cheat as I did and get them at hobby store. Glue them on top of roof starting at bottom edge of roof at back of house. Next layer up should overlap first layer a bit, next layer overlap each previous layer. Let dry.

E. When Dry you can take a propane torch or I used a long dinner candle and just move roof over flame on shingles till you have it as dark as you want, then do underside edges a bit. (This should be done in a well ventilated place and be prepared to blow out lil fires that may start as you are going along)

F. Set roof side for now

Step 7: Step 7: Making Windows and Door

A. Take 4 of the 2 1/2" sticks that you painted and cut in half earlier and form a square, glue. Cut a piece of clear plastic so it lays over top but before securing the plastic you need to bend it back and forth a few times and take scissors and snip it several times then run it through some dirt and now lay it on window frame. Take 4 more sticks and glue them on top of this. Repeat these steps and make window for other wall.

B. Position on left and right walls and just inside edge of frame make a square on the wall with sharpie marker and color it in black. Glue window on top of black square ( Make sure right side is glue really well as it is the window you will be pulling on to open compartment)

C. Door. Take 5 of you reg. 4" painted sticks and cut them in half. Lay 9 of them out lining up close together with painted side down. glue a piece of index card to back to hold together.

D. Flip door over and glue it to front of house. Take a couple of the painted skinny sticks and cut them so you can put them on their sides and frame in the door. Take two plain sticks and cut the width of door and use them to make a step

E. Break a couple reg. sticks to 'board' up the door. Write 'KEEP OUT' on one and glue across door as shown in pic

F. If you like you can take painted skinny sticks and use for trim outside house just be careful to place it correctly on right wall so it wont prevent that side from opening.

Step 8: STEP 8: Finishing Touches

A. Place your roof on and make sure the right wall can still open. Glue into place

B. Now decorate! Add moss, logs, sticks, rocks, shells etc. The décor will depend on if you want your house to seem woodsy or you want beach front house, lived in, vacant etc. I also chose to use a bullet shell for a chimney.

Step 9: STEP 9: Last But Not Least

A. Take your finished piece to a well ventilated area and spray a coat of clearcoat over the whole thing ( I recommend removing right wall and spraying it separate so it does not get stuck in place by spray).

B. ENJOY!!

C. I have not tried this yet but I'd like to, and that is to make one that can hang on a wall instead of sitting on a table or dresser etc.

The last 4 pics are of two other cabins I have done, one opens by sliding roof up