Gamble Acres: Supernatural in 1:6 Scale

  Papel Picado, a traditional Mexican craft: (Not my photo.) Learn about this craft that dates back to Aztec times:   The History of Papel Picado (in English) Watch artisans stack 50 layers of tissue paper and punch out the designs using a hammer and chisels:   Hand-crafted Mexican Papel Picado Workshop (in Spanish) (Not my photo.) People make their own banners at home with scissors:   DIY Full-size Papel Picado We can make our own 1:6 scale banners using decorative scissors and/or decorative hole punches. Materials:   tissue paper scrap paper  thread or embroidery floss glue stick decorative hole punches/decorative scissors

How to make old-school cloth hinges: Note:  the diagrams below show my version of the cantina with a large arched window/door.  You can make your version with any features you choose!   Cut 2 strips of cloth to fit the height of your walls.  The measurements below are based on the Hidden Doll Room Kitchen by My Froggy Stuff.  Your measurements may vary; base your hinges on the height of your own diorama walls.

 An unnamed motel in Ellwood, Indiana is the scene of UFO-related hijinks in this Season 6, episode 9 installment of the TV show Supernatural.  I didn't use this room as a bedroom in the A-Frame.  Instead, I built it just to recreate scenes from the episode. The room had an Americana theme with a corn room divider, kitschy art, and rustic green paneling, and used the huge headboard seen repeatedly in various motel rooms throughout Supernatural's 15-year run. I recreated the dotty chenille bedspreads with paint on a pair of thrift store pillowcases. The original curtains were blue, but I used some fabric I had that seemed to fit the bill.  I was delighted to have a miniature green rotary phone because if you look closely, you can see the motel was equipped with a seriously old school green rotary phone. Dean's posture here says it all.   Dean:  "Well, uh, there was this... God help me, Sam, there was this bright white light!"      ...

 Supernatural Season 3, Episode 11 finds Sam and Dean at a pink flamingo themed motel.  I recreated this room for Jo Harvelle's bedroom in the A-frame. This shot of almost the entire room is one of the priceless gifts the director sometimes seemed to create just for me as a diorama maker.  You can see the mostly yellow and blue color scheme, the circles-and-flamingos room divider, the bathroom's flamingo-print wallpaper, and if you squint, you can even see the flamingo mural painted on the wall behind the beds. I was pretty happy with how the headboards and bedside table turned out.  I used coffee stir sticks and made a printable of woven cane. I used an image from the internet to make the clock radio. "Do these tacos taste funny to you?"  The kitchenette was incredibly cluttered in this episode. As always, I use the motel sets as inspiration instead of trying to copy them exactly.  The original was white with pale pearlescent pink Xmas ornaments. ...

  Dean dropped Sam off at the Cicero Pines Motel in Season 3, episode 2 of Supernatural.  I recreated Sam's motel room for Mary Winchester's bedroom in the magical A-Frame. This room had a couple of really cool lamps.  I recreated the ceramic lamp using Sculpey clay.   The red velvet chair has chopstick legs. Dean made flamethrowers to battle the monster, a mother Changeling. Mary's room includes recreations of the Winchester's family photographs. The photo above shows the use of mirrors throughout this episode.  I like how Dean used the edge of the desk to hold ready-torn strips of duct tape.  This is how I set up duct tape whenever I'm using it as a crafting material.  Because I'm cool like Dean, obviously.   I used a metal bottle stopper to recreate the metal bedside lamps below.    The room divider in this motel is a planter filled with fake flowers.  Mine are custom-dyed to match the originals. The door appears to be ...