From left to right: Hobbler’s Loft and Daffodil Cottage

When you are in the mood for a quicker one-day-to-weekend project, the 1:76 Low Relief Scale kits from Petite Properties are a perfect choice.

The two houses shown above, together, measure 6″ wide, 1.75″ deep, and 4.25″ high. Often referred to as “Railroad Models” or “00 gauge”, these projects are closed up with flat backs and can be finished quickly, as you only work on the outside. Each has a punch-out hole in the bottom should you want to add lights inside.

Petite Properties has a nice variety of these scale houses, which you can group to create a street scene. You can set them on a windowsill, a shelf, or scatter them around the house as you like. Glued to a base with ground cover, they make great gifts.

I have been making these off and on for a couple of years, saving them for times when I want to sit, just craft, and finish a project in a day or two. I plan to create a winter village street scene with all of them at some point. Once I reach the point of working on the base, I will be adding snow to the rooftops of each house.

Here are five more I have finished so far. I have two more in my stash, shown below, and more that I want to get.

From left to right: Plum Pudding Cottages, Snickleway Emporium, Honeymead House, Snickets End, and Butterwick House.

One thing I often hear when talking to others about this scale is, “Oh my, I could never make something that small”. But once I show them the actual pieces in the kit, they are not so intimidated by the size. As you can see on the left, for the most part, the structure is not flimsy and not as small as you might think. Most of these kits have only a few parts as well.

Most of the trim pieces come connected to a card (white pieces), making it easy to paint them while attached to the card. These pieces can be removed easily from the card with a craft knife once they are dry.

The only special tool I would suggest is a small glue bottle with a fine tip on the end so that you don’t add too much glue to the smaller parts.

I hope this gives you some incentive to take a look at these little kits and maybe try one out for yourself. I think you will find them very rewarding.

Stay tuned to this category as I will be adding more posts in the future with some tips and how-to ideas.

Till next time . . .

Teri