Coffee Break

This was my second attempt to build scenes inside books. My first was rooms inside a set of encyclopedias. For this project I liked the idea of putting a certain kind of room inside books that matched that room’s theme. What could be better than a kitchen inside cookbooks? And an open miniature cookbook in that room?

To make this room, I collected oversized cookbooks at a local flea market. I have described the process of gluing and hollowing them out on my Encyclopedia Shops project pages. The kitchen cabinets and stove were purchased. I changed the color of the countertops and cut the end cabinet to fit. The hardware on the cabinets was painted to match the countertops. I 'papered’ the walls with a brightly colored cotton fabric. I like using fabric whenever possible instead of wallpaper, because it is more forgivable than paper, and can be worked for a longer time before the glue dries.

The floor is covered with green colored scrapbook paper, and several objects were painted bright green to bring that color out. I wanted to show off a real cookbook I had, so I put it on a narrow shelf representing a table, right behind the glass window.

I added a pot of sunflowers to compliment the yellow of the walls. I made the shelving and painted dishes to match the countertops. The back window is false. I wanted one over the sink. I used one of my mother’s watercolor pictures as the scene outside the window. I found it on a scrap of paper she had used. There is a pair of “Playtex gloves” in the sink, and a bowl of realistic looking peppers on the counter. A toaster and a jar of jam are on the cabinet top on the left side of the room, along with a box of pastries. The seat cover on the chair matches the cloth wallpaper. I had the rug left over from another project, and was happy to use it in this box because it has all the colors of the room in it.