The Finished Gypsy Wagon

This one went really quick. I tried to use everything I learned from making the French Dollhouse (and a few new ideas) in this one. I cut everything to fit as I went but I drew patterns for the big pieces in case I want to make another one or just write out the instructions.

The lights really look neat all lit up... and it's not even dark yet. These lights are soft and not too bright. The final coats of paint and the satin/gloss finishes on everything really makes it shine!

I decided to re-paint the door medium brown and add lighting after the fact. It would have been much easier to wire it before making the built-ins but who knew? I used two Tim Holtz battery powered ideaology mini lanterns for the porch lights. I put one battery compartment in the storage under the wagon and one in the closet.

The finished wagon has 20 hand made aluminum hinges for the doors, cabinets and windows and I used two pre-fab long brass hinges on the tail gate. The two little oaken buckets are filled with foam and little flowers with moss glued in the spaces to fill the pots. I applied rubber cement liberally to everything I did not want to move but it can be changed out at any time without damaging the wood finishes. An alternative would be museum wax or tacky wax for miniatures.

I used plain screw eyes to hold the tools and wash tub to the back of the wagon and I used Tim Holtz fittings to hold the chains for the gate up and Tim Holtz ideaology hitch fasteners for the larger door knobs throughout the wagon. It's like I've been waiting for a project to come along where I can use all my Tim Holtz stuff!

I painted a colorful little metal set of table and chairs with Adirondack alcohol inks to carry around in the back of the wagon.

I'm really proud of the roof. I used a painting system from Tattered Angels and a heat gun to give it a metallic antiqued bronze sheeting look over three layers of foam core and plain brown cardboard cut from food boxes. It looks like real hickory parquet. I took the stove pipe straight up through the roof. Well, not really... I just made it look that way. It's just a half inch dowel with metal tape ends and a collar to help hold it in place. I couldn't be happier with the way the roof turned out.

I loved working on this project, I wish I had one life-size to play with. Wouldn't it be fun to just get in your 'real size' wagon and take off down the road for an adventure? I must have been a gypsy in a past life!

That decorative laser-cut trim really makes this wagon stand out! It just adds so much style to it.

Well, that's the end of this project. Who knows what the next project will be? I'm getting ready to go into Christmas mode before too much longer.