STOP laying egg carton stones one at a time

[@queencityminis]

Double-sided flooring tape amzn.to/423tJwL This product seems very similar to the tape I used in the video. Lowe's seems to be out of that type of tape at this time.

[@rachaelkasper5445]

OMG you just saved me!!! I'm nowhere near the point where I'll beg my husband to make the outer cabinet for the 18th century chateau I'm building, but now and then I think about how I need to apply "limestone blocks" to the exterior and it has always made me want to bonk my head on a wall. THIS is perfect! Thank you! I've made shingles with sandpaper (gauge grit to scale) by cutting strips and notches in the strips, then gluing them down. The sandpaper (depending on brand) takes stain or paint pretty well and keeps the gritty texture of real shingles. THANK YOU! My mental health is safe, now LOL

[@queencityminis]

Yay! You have been spared! Laying individual pieces is truly the worst. It takes forever! I'm glad you won't be subjected to doing that.

[@annieo9468]

I love how you always give examples of all the alternatives. What works and why, what doesn't work and why. VERY helpful to know these pitfalls before starting. Thank-you for giving such good guidance that saves us a tremendous amount of work and time (and frustration)...you've already done it. and shared the results. You really are one of the best out there for this kind of learning.

[@queencityminis]

Thank you so much for such a thoughtful comment. I really appreciate that 😊

[@georgecunningham9175]

That solves ONE problem I was facing - and with found/free materials to boot!.....thank you! I also want to say thank you for continuing to upload to your "regular" channel so often. I'm not complaining, but many creators seem to concentrate on their Patreon content (and rightly so). On some channels it leaves those of us who can't join Patreon feeling sort of like the proverbial "Step-Child".

[@queencityminis]

that's too bad. I appreciate my Patrons, but I have no plans of leaving KZbin. I'm here to stay '

[@debbralehrman5957]

I have a boatload of egg cartons just stacked up waiting to be worked on. Thank you, Thank you, and again Thank you!🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊

[@roslynholcomb]

In quilting we call this strip piecing and it’s a huge time saver with quilts that have thousands of small pieces.

[@queencityminis]

Oh wow! How clever. I always imagined quilts take forever to make. I'm sure they still do, but I'm glad there are some time saving tips.

[@izzpop781]

Love it! Also, your attention to detail such as filling any tiny gaps between the stones with minute scraps of the eggbox is awe-inspiring 👏👏

[@queencityminis]

Thank you! I personally don't mind small gaps, but I wanted to offer an idea for the fix if someone is Type A out there and does this technique 😆

[@marygatdula2744]

Thanks for doing all the experimenting for us! It really saves a lot of our sanity and frustration! And your bricks look great!

[@queencityminis]

You're welcome! I'm surprised the newspaper came out on top. I obviously expected the computer paper to be best since that's what 8 used after the test pieces. I like how easy the newspaper was to tear as well.

[@dianegraydon1143]

I love that you try 3 different types of adhesives and tell us what didn't work and how you had to fix it

[@queencityminis]

Thank you! I like to do the experimenting so you can get right to creating without running into problems.

[@apriladams5203]

This is going to be a huge time saver for me. Im working on a 1:87 scale! ❤

[@queencityminis]

Oh my! I didn't even think of the implications for people working in a small scale. Yikes. This will definitely save a lot of time.

[@apriladams5203]

@@queencityminis Some 30 years ago I assembled miniature kits for a local miniature shop. Sadly, I didn't retain all the cool stuff I learned back then. But I've always had a love and fascination for tiny stuff. Now here I am, closer to 60 than 50 years young, starting all over again in my tiny journey. You've helped me a great deal❤️

[@jenniferadams370]

That's a fantastic idea! So glad you shared it with us!

[@queencityminis]

You are so welcome!

[@recoveringsoul755]

This is such a great idea!! And seems somewhat obvious NOW. lol. I was feeling somewhat guilty about tossing the non flat parts of egg cartons. I have used strips of sandpaper for roofing.. painted first then cut strips so the colors are random.

[@queencityminis]

I kept the scraps from these. You can add the scraps to hot water and turn it back into pulp. You can make paperclay or flat sheets of paper pulp paper.

[@timeenuf4200]

Love your ideas and videos. Love the texture of the egg boxes to replicate rough bricks. Your working through issues saves all of us from a lot of trial and error. This is deeply appreciated. Thank you for sharing.

[@queencityminis]

my pleasure! I'm glad I compared materials since the results surprised me.

[@dollhousegirl7153]

I can't wait to see the end result of this castle room project. Thanks for the strip tips!

[@queencityminis]

I'm so excited! SO many minis to be made from scratch. I can't wait.

[@AnneAndersonFoxiepaws]

Thanks Shyra, I always have difficulty cutting individual stones as they always get smaller and smaller lol, this looks great! The more stuff I can recycle the happier I am (easily amused).

[@queencityminis]

Happy to help! I'm the opposite. My stones get bigger and bigger because of impatient. Same thing happens when I bake cookies

[@AnneAndersonFoxiepaws]

​@@queencityminis nothing wrong with bigger cookies though!

[@suzanne529]

It's like quilting with egg cartons!

[@queencityminis]

Only way easier and no sewing 😆 I really dislike sewing. It's possibly my least favorite craft.

[@RavensMinis]

That’s so clever!

[@queencityminis]

Thank you so much! Hopefully you can use this next time. I've watched you add a whole bunch of individual squares to multiple projects.

[@RavensMinis]

@@queencityminis Indeed I did, Dumbledore's office being the largest of them all 😅

[@cheesecakegoth]

So helpful! Just used this technique for the stone walkway for my mini greenhouse. Watched your other video on how to paint them so that’s my mission this morning! Love seeing it come together step by step. You told me once “it’s just dollhouse stuff, it’s fun” and I’ve taken it to my perfectionist heart and it’s really helped me to do creative things.

[@queencityminis]

Glad it was helpful! I hope it turned out to your liking. I'm glad you're having fun with it and not taking it too seriously.

[@elizabeths4371]

The first time I saw this strip method used was by U.K. miniaturist Pat Cutforth who demoed making brick strips for a Secret Garden dollhouse magazine series. I read it yet I didn't fully understand it. Your tutorial was EXCELLENT! You've explained the entire procedure to a T, but what I've especially enjoyed are your results of testing the pros and cons of different adhesives. I never would have thought of double-sided carpet tape except for seeing you use it here on your channel, and now I ABSOLUTELY MUST run out and get some! ❤👍👍

[@queencityminis]

Oh dang! Great minds think alike. I came up with this technique on my own.

[@elizabeths4371]

@@queencityminis I don't doubt it. Your method is a little different than what I read decades ago, but that's the beauty of miniatures. We are always discovering new and BETTER ways to do things through ongoing experience, and your ideas and specific techniques are nothing short of AMAZING! 🥰

[@IntrovertNails]

Awesome video Shyra 😀 I appreciate your methodical approach - I wouldn't have thought about using newspaper as a base, but it makes perfect sense! So many great tips in one video THANK YOU. Have a fab week x

[@queencityminis]

You're welcome! I'm surprised the newspaper came out on top. I obviously expected the computer paper to be best since that's what I used after the test pieces. I like how easy the newspaper was to tear as well. It was a treat to work with.

[@romonaelrod7870]

This is a great idea. I love how it looks. I will have to start saving egg cartons for a future project.

[@queencityminis]

I actually don't eat eggs, so my MIL saved all these for me. Maybe you can recruit some friends or family to collect with you to make it go faster.

[@wardrobelion]

Very cool and a brilliant idea😊. I think if I accidentally laid those bricks with corners meeting, I’d have to create a hidden door with them or something 😂. As you’ve shown us, mistakes are gateways to invention❤.

[@queencityminis]

That would be a fun solution 😆

[@johannaholmgren8088]

Well golDANNNGG. Never even thought of just doing strips.....!!!! Genius girl.

[@queencityminis]

Thank you! The idea seemed to just pop into my head. I think I was just really desperate to avoid laying the stones one at a time 😆

[@bluerosa1550]

The "stones" look real. Great job. As everyone else said, thank you for experimenting so we don't have to. Have a wonderful day.

[@queencityminis]

My pleasure :)

[@BentleyHouseMinis]

This is such a genius technique!! Thank you for sharing😊 I think you have shared that double sided flooring tape before and I still want to try it out. It's a great way to avoid all that glue warping!

[@queencityminis]

Thank you! Yes, I've used that tape for installing flooring, shingles, and chipboard strips. From now on, I'm using it to "glue" cardboard and foam board layers. It grabs immediately, requires no weighing down and drying, and certainly won't warp anything. You can just attach the layers and keep the project going.

[@bradcraig6676]

Great method! And several highly useful tips too. It gives me a whole bunch of ideas for bricks and masonry.

[@queencityminis]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kevsmodellingminute]

Hi. I didn't understand what you were doing until about 6 minutes in. But then it all clicked. It's a really clever and quick idea. Thanks, Kev.

[@queencityminis]

Glad it helped! This idea just popped fully formed into my mind. I'm so glad it worked so well!

[@elizabethmcgrath6198]

Fantastic idea you just keep getting better I very much like the colours of the stones as they are.

[@queencityminis]

I really like them too! I think they'd look great with a matte sealer. However, the stones in the Gryffindor Common Room are quite warm, so I'll be applying a yellow ochre wash mixed with white paint and water.

[@lizcockrum9413]

That is a great technique. Saves time and keeps the rows straight! Thanks for sharing 😊

[@queencityminis]

You're welcome! I almost wish 8 had more walls to cover. Maybe I'll do the whole outside. Not!

[@Lauras-tinyview]

That’s a great method!

[@queencityminis]

Glad you think so! I'm so happy I didn't have to lay all those pieces one at a time

[@Lauras-tinyview]

@@queencityminis I can’t wait to see your finished Gryffindor common room!

[@nessiemonstercrafts]

Thanks so much Shyra, this video really was a two for one kinda deal, both the fantastic advice about the stonework based on your experiments, AND seeing a little more of your progress on the common room! So cool

[@queencityminis]

I'm so excited! I wanna start making accessories for the Common Room. Maybe I'll make the sofa next...I'd like to jump between. Building the room itself and making furniture and accessories.

[@nessiemonstercrafts]

@@queencityminis Yeah! Do it! I found for me its a good way to avoid burning out on a particular big project by bouncing around working on the different aspects as the mood takes you just to keep it fresh. There will be some things of course that will need to happen in a particular order at times, but otherwise enjoy the freedom of it all. A sofa today, a window tomorrow, next week lets make a chandelier because why the heck not!

[@vickytimmerman1365]

Very well done very informative can't wait to do this my tutor cottage definitely needs a back patio

[@queencityminis]

That's great! Happy to help :)

[@evekankam6744]

Very clever and time saving idea,thank you for sharing your ideas

[@queencityminis]

You are so welcome!

[@pjackson2064]

You are a great teacher!

[@queencityminis]

Thank you! 😃

[@jasminegomezzavala2497]

Nice tutorial as always

[@queencityminis]

Thanks again!

[@tracybowling1156]

You were made for such projects. You are very talented! I so enjoy watching to see what I'm going to learn about next.

[@queencityminis]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that

[@jenpink4298]

So many great ideas packed into the studio! Thank you so much for sharing your ideas. I’m off to go eat some more eggs😂

[@queencityminis]

I don't even eat eggs! My fiance's mom collected all the cartons for me 😋

[@maddieadams75]

Nice tutorial ❤ thanks for sharing ❤

[@queencityminis]

You’re welcome 😊

[@ratsika3]

This is brilliant! Them you so much for all the experimentation and work-arounds.

[@queencityminis]

Thank you very much!

[@debbralehrman5957]

What a great idea!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Bravo!!!!💕💕

[@queencityminis]

Thank you! 🤗

[@fancifuldevices]

So brilliant!! I love creative work arounds like this. I applaud you once again.

[@queencityminis]

Thank you very much!

[@jantucker9355]

Great tutorial!

[@queencityminis]

Thank you!

[@nm9412]

Thank you for your very helpful tip!

[@queencityminis]

Glad it was helpful!

[@papabear2515]

Brilliant! Thanks much! Kathleen

[@queencityminis]

My pleasure

[@lindenjenesse5078]

Ohhh, this is so much more efficient! Thanks!!

[@queencityminis]

You're welcome!

[@judysparks1132]

Thank you ! Your so sweet showing us all the different ways and really good at what you do x

[@queencityminis]

Thank you so much! I appreciate that

[@ghoulgoil5029]

Great idea!

[@queencityminis]

Thanks!

[@cecoya]

Thanks for sharing this, never really thought about egg cartons being stones. I always used real ones and they are a bit hard to find sometimes (actually, most of the time) lol because they have to be partially flat and then need to be grouted (heavy end product). You have a great day

[@queencityminis]

That's dedication! That must look beautiful, although it probably gets heavy.

[@witchychic3294]

GREAT idea!!

[@queencityminis]

Glad you think so! Thank you 😊

[@thecraftingnook6495]

Great video I love this idea 😊

[@jamiegallier2106]

Great tips. Appreciate you!❤

[@queencityminis]

Thanks for watching!

[@pattykelly6621]

Well done. This will be a big help

[@queencityminis]

That's great! Have fun

[@klaird_h4727]

Nice technique! That was quick and easy! I think the hardest part would be gathering enough egg cartons!😂

[@queencityminis]

I don't eat eggs! I'm so glad my partner's mother collected a big stack for me. I was thinking I'd never get around to using 15 egg cartons but alas...

[@recoveringsoul755]

I guess you could plant seeds in the cupped part of egg cartons to start garden indoors My ex didn't like eggs either. But still ate pancakes and waffles and cakes and even French toast.i had to try to find potato salad without eggs I love eggs. About the only protein I can afford

[@attesh7226]

Çok iyi fikir 👍💯 çok teşekkürler ❤

[@queencityminis]

My pleasure :)

[@amandaw5993]

Very clever! And the result is great

[@queencityminis]

Thank you! 😊

[@sylwitcha5325]

You are amazing! Love all ur videos!

[@queencityminis]

Thank you so much!

[@PureBullFit]

Whoah are we from the same city?! Our town is known as the queen city and we have that grocery store here. Either way, great vid, subbed!

[@queencityminis]

A Queen City is the most populous city in the state, but it isn't the capital. So, every state has a Queen City. I'm not from my state's Queen City though. It's just a nickname of a city I enjoy. I didn't realize there were so many of them.

[@bevsartsandcrafts715]

Really good idea ❤

[@queencityminis]

Thank you! 😊

[@eclectipunk]

Game changer. Thank you!

[@queencityminis]

Absolutely. Thank you! I have decades of egg carton stone walls and floors ahead of me so I'm glad I discovered this technique.

[@eclectipunk]

@@queencityminis This is going to save me from scrunching up so many foil balls.

[@latwood101252]

What brand of tape did you purchase for this. Link please

[@queencityminis]

Double-sided flooring tape amzn.to/423tJwL This product seems very similar to the tape I used in the video. Lowe's seems to be out of that type of tape at this time.

[@CajunCraft24]

Oh thank you. I have a tower of these cartons and have been putting off doing a foundation for way too long…. Because of the dread 😆

[@queencityminis]

Sometimes procrastination works out for the best LOL

[@mezmarionybarra]

OmGEeeee Brilliantly done ❤

[@queencityminis]

Thank you 😊

[@rivercityminis]

Genius

[@queencityminis]

Thank you 😊

[@berthaday3473]

Excellent result. But Gawd, lotta work & I'm too lazy. Gonna try new "concrete effect" spray paint I just bought. Then while wet, will add the striations for a cinder block look. Not sure if will work. Let u know. Also hoping I can paint some of it.

[@queencityminis]

Drawing lines into spray paint probably won't work. It's very liquid but also dries very fast. I suggest using either joint compound or spackle instead. Here's a good tutorial from angieaug. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXvad5mmjZt-oLssi=3aIB92k7mcq0rHL8

[@berthaday3473]

​@@queencityminisThank u for tips & link. Another reason to ❤love ur channel !

[@francinemiranda8409]

Many, many great tips--tysm! 👍🏻💞👍🏻

[@queencityminis]

You are so welcome!

[@TheParkAttendant]

The egg tray can be torn in sections, to create imitation rocks for your foundation stones. And as a cardboard and paper mache artist, I save craft paper, bits of cardboard, leftover news paper and egg cartons to make mash.

[@queencityminis]

I love the look of torn stones. I kept a lot of my scraps for that reason. I kept the rest of the scraps to try to try out paper mash.

[@TheParkAttendant]

@@queencityminis One of the things you can use is a recipe for making wheat paste I came up with. One cup flour, one heaping tablespoon cornstarch, one heaping teaspoon of baking soda and 6 cups water, whipped in a blender. The blender will make sure there are no lumps. Put your mixture in a 2 quart sauce pan, and place on a burner set to medium heat. Using a whisk, stir the mixture until it starts to thicken. Keep 2 cups water handy, if it starts to get too thick, add water to thin it. Complete stirring until its cooked to the consistency of thin pudding. I call it super paste. It dries hard, and is even stronger than wheat paste. Good luck experimenting with it. Its real good for paper strips, or mixed with mash. After whipping your paper in a blender, squeeze as much water out of the pulp as you can, then add the paste to the desired consistency. Then the usual. Set in a warm place to dry. You definitely want it to be warm. If its too cool, you can get mold. Left over paste will clot up, but can be revived by adding a little water and putting it on warm, on the stove. An electric mixer can be used to stir it up so it thin again. Left over paste (or mash) can be stored in the freezer.

[@w.vangaal1077]

I love this technique but I hardly ever eat eggs.. 😅.. is there another material that could work for this technique? And do you think kitchen or tissue paper could work is a backing paper?

[@queencityminis]

I don't eat eggs at all. My partner's mom collected these for me. You can actually buy paper pulp paper. Then you wouldn't need to collect and process egg cartons. I think tissue paper would probably work fine. Thin is better so it's easy to tear. Just bc careful about the background color that may show through gaps.

[@jillkeller8956]

Do you live in Manchester? I'm in the Manchester area myself and I just got a dollhouse to fix up and I've really enjoyed your videos!

[@queencityminis]

I named my channel after Manchester! I don't live there, but it's 20 mins from my fave dollhouse store (Earth & Tree Miniatures in Amherst, NH). I got my name idea from Queen City Cupcakes 😆 Email me at [e-mail]

[@ComingWithTheClouds]

What a good idea! Did you buy the cartons separately or did you use all those eggs?

[@queencityminis]

I actually don't eat eggs. My fiance's mom collected them for me. She started recycling them again, but now I've used them up. She's replenishing my supply.

[@BelindaShort]

Have you ever turned the cartons back into glue and made your own molded stuff?

[@queencityminis]

No, but I saved all my scraps to make paper pulp. That would be fun

[@WenchePedersen-s8g]

❤brilliant

[@queencityminis]

thank you!

[@RoRo-zh4uf]

Hi there Queen City Minis! I like how life-like your dioramas look with the fine detail and all. Especially of that DIY mercury glass fireplace one. Do you happen to have an email where i could reach you? I would love to get your expertise on a diorama myself of the fireplace from the haunting (1999) movie. That of which I'm currently working on thanks! 🙏💯🎨

[@queencityminis]

Thank you so much 🤗 my email is [e-mail]

[@soundslikephiladelphia]

The cup portion of the cartons can be composted!

[@fredericapanon207]

Some people have used them for sprouting medium seeds. The sprout and container can be transferred together into soil.

[@queencityminis]

I held onto them bc I want to turn them into paper pulp and then hopefully flat sheets of paper. They could also be recycled. I don't have a compost pit, ATM. I plan to when I move.

[@karinberonius8799]

Me, less than 24 hours ago: "Should I save these egg cartons? No..."😂

[@queencityminis]

Mistakes were made.

[@karinberonius8799]

@@queencityminis Yes!😂

[@soledude]

👌👌👌

[@queencityminis]

thank you!

[@jojosmumdorothy2829]

🎉in this weather im stripping for nobody 😅lol 🎉

[@queencityminis]

😆 fair point

[@jojosmumdorothy2829]

@@queencityminis hahaha 😆 x

[@amylandry4108]

😅❤😊

[@queencityminis]

thank you so much!

[@minniemat]

Your waste pieces look like stones on building corners. They could still be used!

[@queencityminis]

I agree! I kept the scraps and mostly used them up, adding stones to the Gryffindor Common Room

[@Laphoenicienne]

Genius

[@queencityminis]

Thanks! I have a new strip method video out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqvLeXislNmqsMksi=HcBwaH1Ak0dQW9ql