"Waiting for the Egg to Hatch" : an I Spy Inspired Diorama
Introduction: "Waiting for the Egg to Hatch" : an I Spy Inspired Diorama
I love the I Spy picture books. My favorites include "I Spy Treasure Hunt", "I Spy Spooky Night", and "I Spy Christmas". I also love the "Can You See What I See?" books, which are basically I Spy books as well. One thing that all my favorite ones have in common though is that they tell a story and have actually scenes instead of just piles of junk. I am much more interested in searching for objects inside an old attic than searching through a pile of teddy bears.
I have always wanted to attempt an I Spy type scene myself. With the Diorama Contest, I decided to bite the bullet and try to make my own I Spy scene in a diorama form. Therefore we have "Waiting on The Egg to Hatch".
Be prepared, this is gonna be a long Instructable! Along the way, I will tell little bits of the story that goes with the scene.
Supplies
House supplies:
1. Cardboard box insert or just a cardboard box the size that you want.
2. Tape
3. Scissors
4. Ruler
5. Marker/Pen
6. X-Acto Knife
7. Stucco or similar texture medium for miniatures
8. Clay tools: Knife and Stylus
9. A tan brown and a dark brown paint (I am using Folk Art Butter Pecan and Apple Barrel Burnt Umber)
10. A brush
11. Paper towels
12. Water
13. Large craft sticks
14. Hot glue gun
"Miss <PERSON>" - elderly lady supplies:
1. 18 or 20 ga copper wire for armature AND 26 gauge wire for tying armature pieces together
2. Cotton balls for stuffing
3. Material scraps for dress and apron
4. Pliers
5. Mod Podge
6. Air dry clay
7. Clay tools: Stylus, knife (I didn't end up using it), and needle tool
8. Aluminum foil for base of head
9. Cotton ball for hair
10. Grey pastel for coloring hair
11. 812
Thread for sewing the dress and apron
12. Needle for sewing
13. Paint brush and paints in a variety of skin tones (depending on what ethnicity you want - mine are shown in the photos)
Window Curtains:
1. Material scraps for small window curtains
2. Large hair pin or similar straight object to be a curtain rod
3. Burnt matchsticks
4. Paint in an off-white (I am using Decoart Buttermilk)
5. Hole punch
6. Large jump rings
Desk:
1. Small matchbox
2. Scissors (already pictured)
3. Paint in brown color (already pictured)
4. Large craft sticks (already pictured)
5. 26 gauge copper wire (already pictured)
6. Flat long silver bead
Table:
1. Scrap piece of wood
2. Sewing spool with brown thread (of if you are lucky, an empty one of those wooden ones)
3. Saw for cutting wood to size (if needed)
4. Sandpaper for sanding cut wood (if needed)
Chair:
1. Copper wire in 18 and 26 gauge (already pictured)
Odds and Ends:
1. Chopstick wrapper for wall tapestry and Mod Podge
2. Sticker and jewelry photo frame for framed wall picture
3. Small sticks for chopped wood
4. Small twigs for egg's nest
5. A tiny chicken egg (blown out) or a small fake egg
Whew! Let's get started.
Step 1: House Base
So I found a cardboard box down in the basement that I decided was the perfect size. I have never made a miniature scene, so I didn't want to have something too big or too tiny because I decided that either would be frustrating.
Using tape, I taped the box where it would stay open (because all it was was a cardboard box insert, not actually a box). I trimmed away the excess flaps and taped shut two odd little holes in the back. There was a larger hole that I waited to tape shut because I needed a window in that area.
I knew I wanted the window frame to be matchsticks, so I set these against the back wall of the box where I wanted the window to be. Then I traced the shape with a permanent marker. I know, real accurate. Anyway, then I cut out the shape with an X-Acto knife, being as accurate as possible and as careful as possible. 644