Tutorial: The creation of a complete room for your Sylvanians

Today I want to show you, how you can build rooms or complete flats for your Sylvanians.

They’re quite easy to make, but you need a bit time and patience (especially for the bottom plates :-D).

You need the following materials:

-         -  4 identical plates of ply wood (you get them normally in every handicraft shop or building centre – they sell     them normally in sets)

è measurements: I've used DIN A4 format; but of course you can choose a smaller or bigger size

 -   nails and glue

-        -   FIMO or another sort of polymer clay (for the curtain rail, the bottom plates and the window and door      frames)

-          - acrylic colors

-          - “normal” white paper, printed paper or wallpaper(s)

-          - some fabrics for the curtains and/or rugs

-          - little metal rings (like you'll see in the pictures below)

And those appliances:

- a coping saw

- a scissor

- needles

- a set square

- pencil(s)

- brush(s)

- a pasta machine or a rolling pin

Step 1: The building of the walls – the matrix

Now, let's start!

A: The Walls

Take your 4 plates and choose your bottom plate. This plate hasn't to be cut, so you can put it by the side or (this is your decision) – create the floor design.

This is one of the plates, I've used.

The other 3 plates must be cut into the right size. I've looked at my hamburger restaurant and decided to take the same height for the walls. O course you can choose another one, but here I want to show you my measurements:

- the wall in the back: length: 34 cm height: 17 cm

- the two sidewalls: length: 21, 3 cm height: 17 cm

So cut the walls into the right sizes with a coping saw. I'm sorry that I have no pictures for this step, but I think it's not difficult (please ask, if you have questions! :-)). 

B: Windows and doors

Now you have to think about your window(s) and/or door(s) and where you want to have them.

Because I'm building a kitchen for my rabbit family, I wanted to have 2 windows and a door.

Draw the position and the size of the window(s) and the door(s) onto the plates and cut them out (by using a coping saw, you first have to drill holes into the plate).

Well, please check the height of the windows first, before you cut them out! Take a figure an check, if he/she can looks out. It would be sad, if not ;-).

If you use the same measurements like me, you can use of course my datas:

C: Put the parts together

As the title says, you have to put your parts together now. Therefor put some glue on the raw edges and fix the plates with small nails.

Let it dry :-).

Step 2: The floor

Well, I’ve made the floor design quite simple. Just look at the following pictures J. Of course you can choose another design, like I did in my bathroom. Color the bottom in the way you like it.

Draw identical lines with a pencil. The gap I've used is about 1,5 cm.

Divide the stripes into parquet-looking sections.

And finished :-). I like it quite simple, but if you want you can color the bottom :-).

Step 3: Designing the walls

A: The outer walls

I've colored my outer walls with acrylic in dark red – so it fits to the rest of my house :-).

 B: The inner walls – wallpapering

Before you can put the wallpaper onto the walls, you have to make a pattern.

Take a paper and push it to a wall. Like this:

By doing this, the edges of the wall and the shapes of the windows/or doors will be extruded into the paper. Now you have the shape of the wall and it can be cut out.

Choose the wallpaper you want to use. This can be “real” wallpaper, scrapbook paper or “normal” printed paper, like I did.

Transfer the pattern to your wallpaper. Check, if the wallpaper fits to the wall, before you stick it.

Put some clue onto the walls – but be careful, it has to be a thin film. Otherwise the wallpaper will crinkle.

One wall is finished.

And the rest of the room.

Step 4: Making the bottom plates and the window and door frames

A: The bottom plates

First I have to say: I’m very sorry, that I have no pictures of this process. It’s because I had already made the plates, before I was asked to do this tutorial. So, please forgive me.

So, now you take your polymer clay (I’ve used FIMO soft in a dark brown color). To get a really thin plate, you normally need a pasta machine. But it will also works with a rolling pin.

Establish your “polymer plate”.

Now you have to measure the lengths of your walls and decide the height of your bottom plates. Then create a pattern, which should look like this:

The lenght of the small one: 15 cm
The length of the big one: 21,5 cm
The height: 0,5 cm

I’ve parted the plates for the back wall, but you can also make a long plate. For the side walls you have two identical plates.

Lay the patterns onto your “polymer plate”. Cut around the patterns with a sharp knife and put the finished plates onto a baking sheet. Bake it according to the instruction.

After drying you’ve got 3 or 4 parts (on the picture you'll see the window and door frames too).

If you have a door in one of those walls, you have to conform your plates. This is kind of easy, because you can cut the polymer clay after drying with a scissor.

The last part is easy, just glue your plates at the walls.

B: The window and door frames

Well, this part has the same steps like in part A J.

Here are my measurements: 

 The lenght of the small one: 12 cm

The length of the big ones: 7 cm

The height: 0,5 cm

The length of the small ones: 4,5 cm

The length of the big ones: 7 cm

The height: 0,5 cm

And the finished result:

If there are little wallpaper rests, like you see at the right window, just cut them off :-).

Step 5: The decoration

A: The curtain rails

Take some polymer clay. I've used this one:

Form a small pole.

Take the ends and form little domes. I've put it onto the baking paper, so the rail can't be deformed.

In the next step, you'll form the hangers for your curtain rails.

Again, form a small pole. Then turn the end half round, like a sickle.

Cut it smaller.

Now your creations have to bake for a while :-).

After drying, the curtain rails are finished. Go on with the hangers. They need a round part at the end to stabilize, or rather, that you can stick them to your walls.

Form little balls with your polymer clay, than push the hangers into the mass.

Many hangers :-D

And again the hangers have to walk into your oven :-).

After drying, you can stick them over your windows.

B: The curtains

We're almost ready to put the furniture into the room. Just a few more steps :-).

For the curtains choose your favourite fabric and cut it into the right size. I've choose 8x4 cm.

Turn the ends and fix it with a few stiches. I've used transparent fibre (you'll see it a few pictures below).

Now take a spiky article and put some holes into the fabric. Take your metal rings, bend them up and push them through the holes.

Now you can put the curtain onto the curtain rail.

C: The rug

Just cut another fabric into the size you want and perform the same steps like before (of course without the metal rings :-)).

We're finished now! It's time to put in the furniture!

This is my new kitchen:

I'm looking forward to your comments. Have fun with this tutorial.  :-)