I made a tiny tv! I love making tiny things; there’s just something fun about fiddling around with all the little details. This chipboard tv set comes from Alpha Stamps.
The antennae are made from balled straight pins, the knobs are made from a watch gear and a couple of brads that are designed to look like screws. The bottle features a label from a collage sheet, and the mug is actually a ceramic bead. Hey, looks like it’s time for a Western!
This tv is obviously from a different era; so you know there’s no fast forwarding through the ads. Just when you remove your beer and get comfy, dangit! It’s a stinking commercial!
Here’s how this little tv works: the cowboy show fits into a tiny slit in the top. The image has a tab on it, which is folded down. The beer bottle and mug are glued onto the tab to keep it flat on the surface of the tv.
The tab is covered with the same paper as the tv set. I was careful to match the patterns so when it’s in place, it’s almost invisible. The top edge is colored brown with a colored pencil to blend in more with the top of the tv. I did have to cut into another image on the collage sheet to create this tabbed piece, but attaching a tab to the back of the image would have required a thicker, more noticeable slit in the top of the tv.
To accommodate the cowboy show, I used thin shirt cardboard to help separate the front of the tv from the next layer of tv inserts. NOTE: at this stage of construction, I cut out the Western image thinking I would attach a tab later. My thoughts originally to put a different “show” on the back, but when I started thinking about how the tab would look, I realized it was more important to me to be able to camouflage the tab. Luckily, I had another collage sheet with that same cowboy image, so I cut it out with the tab in place, like you see above.
Here’s the inside of the tv in progress. The legs are colored with a Copic Marker, and the front and back have the patterned paper in place. The back of the tv has a scrapbook paper sky, and a woman who is very excited about that hot dog. On top of that is the first of the cardboard inserts that help build the sides the tv. I cut the woman’s hand from the image and removed the spoon she was holding. She’s now able to wrap her hand around that hotdog bead. The arm is glued to the insert, and the inside edges and the fronts of all the inserts was blackened with a Sharpie. You don’t have to be too neat for this step. I sure wasn’t! NOTE: The tv kit comes with two inserts, so if you use one kit, your tv will not be as thick as this one. I used an extra insert from another set to make this tv, due to the size of the hot dog bead.
Once the steps above are complete, it’s time to glue all the parts together. Below you can see the glued up tv from the back. The space between the arrows is the slit for the Western image. I put washi tape on the front to show that lines up to where the slit will start and stop. The tape will serve as a guide of where to cut the slit out, once the top is covered in paper.
To cut the slit, center the paper on top of the tv, and glue down the top only. Fold over the washi tape. This will let you know where the slit in the top needs to start and stop. Measure the thickness of the front panel of your tv, and using a sharp x-acto knife, gently push through the paper and cut the slit. I wiggled the blade back and forth a bit to make the slit wide enough for the paper to fit comfortably. Once the slit is cut, gently remove the tape.
If you use a busy paper for your tiny tv, that tab will blend right in!
Oh no, not another commercial!
