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John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

The Bamboo Sunshine Dollhouse is the first dollhouse to offer children eco-friendly materials combined with contemporary designs and modern technology, satisfying both a parent’s interest in GREEN products and a child’s fascination with role play. Read More.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

The Art Institute of Chicago is featuring 68 miniatures projects of  Mrs. James Ward Thorne. The 68 Thorne Miniature Rooms enable one to glimpse elements of European interiors from the late 13th century to the 1930s and American furnishings from the 17th century to the 1930s. Painstakingly constructed on a scale of one inch to one foot, these fascinating models were conceived by Mrs. James Ward Thorne of Chicago and constructed between 1932 and 1940 by master craftsmen according to her specifications. See the entire collection.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

The solar passive designed dollhouse features a wind turbine and a solar cell panel with electrical inverter for generating electricity, a rain barrel for collecting rain, a green facade which helps control the appropriate temperature of the house, and a shade canopy that can be pulled down preventing or allowing the wind and sunlight coming through. Also, recycle bins are included in the set. The Green Dollhouse is designed to help children learn how to live in harmony with nature. Children will learn how appliances in the Green Dollhouse assist their daily life without damaging the environment. They will also learn how electricity can be generated from alternative natural sources such as the sun and wind. The dollhouse is divided into several rooms which children can customize with furniture and accessories. Children can act out stories about a family living in the Green Dollhouse. Through role playing, they can show the important roles and relationships of each family member. More info at Utopia

The Toddler Toy Townhouse is great fun to make and even more fun for toddlers to play with. The 48 page planset includes every full-size plan and detailed instructions on how to build the townhouse, little people, pup, sports cars, trees, shrubs and a houseful of furniture. Even plans for a gas station are included!

The planset is easy to cut out and assemble using basic shop tools and assembly techniques. The roof, floor and driveway sections are all the same overall size and are constructed of 1/2″ plywood using a skill saw, bandsaw or table saw. Any finish grade plywood will work well for this design. The pillars are all 1/2″ standard dowel stock. The dowels slip through drilled holes in the floors creating super overall strength. The assembled house is extremely light and sturdy-just right for toddlers.

Every piece of furniture and accessories are easily sawn from standard lumber using a jig, scroll or band saw. The vehicle wheels are standard dowels cut to length. You’ll fall in love with this playset and can build and decorate it easily and economically over a weekend. The play set is easily constructed and a perfect project for beginner to advanced woodworkers. Available at www.toymakerpress.com.

John Crane’s Little House is a refreshing concept for the open doll house. The creative design is accessible on all four sides making it ideal for the younger kids. The living room, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen contain a tantalizing variety miniature doll house furniture. Skylights, big screen TV and other modern appointments make this a real child-pleaser.
http://www.john-crane.co.uk/

Bromley’s Realistic Brick Compound product is applied using a stencil and creates a very realistic brick or stone finish on doll houses and scale models (it looks and feels real). It can be used on any doll house or model, whether you are building a kit or working from a plan. It can also be used to improve an older doll house that is already built. Their products are available to purchase directly by mail order and from numerous doll house fairs – please check the  show diary  for events in your area. Bromley products are also available from selected specialist doll house shops. http://www.craft-products.com/

This wonderful video shows just how much joy can come from making toys for children. It brings back memories of Christmas when my 43 year old son was a child. We built lots of toys together then and those times were some of the best of my life.

By watching these videos you can learn a variety of useful toymaking techniques. The first sequence is the finished video with all the components in place and functioning. In the second sequence the toymakers reveal a variety of toymaking skills including one where the toymaker uses polymer clay pressed into hardened plaster molds to create various parts for the dioramas. The videos are filled with many other clever ideas for creating toys. xbt86cusw7

John W. Lewman toy designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.