My Rainbow Room/Color Cave: Update 05

Greetings Color Kids!
I know it's been a while since I last blogged, but a lot has been going on.

1: I think I pretty much finished my "Rainbow Room"

 

I still have a few boxes to make so I can box some variant dolls. I'm hoping that with the cleaned space I can start video blogging from this area and give you all updates on products and tips on collecting.

2: Brite Cast: the Rainbow Brite Podcast: had it's 1 year anniversary. I'm working on getting a new website designed and working on upgrading the video software for the video casts.

3: the RainbowBrite.Co.Uk website had a theme overhaul, and I'm still working out a few bugs trying to get the whole website up to date.
Due to some server issues I couldn't update the website in months, and have been working moving everything to a new server and getting it restored and upgraded. You have no idea how much of a pain this process was, but I'm happy it was successful.

Since it is a New Year I will try to set a few goals for the year.
1: Starting a Video Blog
2: Continue archiving
3: Refining my Rainbow Brite Costume. My shirt and boots need to be completely remade. My measurements weren't right when attempting to enlarge the costume to adult size.
4: Show off said costume at a convention! More news on that as I settle the details.

Anyway, until next time, keep the rainbow alive!
Have a Rainbow Day!

My Rainbow Room/Color Cave: Update 04

Hey Color Kids,
I know it's been a long while since my last "Collection/Color Cave/Rainbow Room" update. I hit a few bumps. Beyond personal issues/illness I also hit some design bumps.

First, the shelves I painted seemed too tacky to use as is, so for my top shelf, I actually purchased two 7 inch wide pre-made shelves for the main boxed dolls. Also, I was short several brackets so I bought more.

Closet with painted shelves.

Then I attempted to arrange the shelves to best show as much of my collection as possible. Before I could put them up, I had to box them. You can find out the details behind making your own Rainbow Brite style display box in this entry here. How to make a Rainbow Brite Style Display Box.

It was when I created my original dozen and displayed them that I realized how much I really LIKED the way the boxes looked and also knew I was going to need much more if I wanted to display my WHOLE collection. My whole collection is NOT going to FIT in the closet.  I tried to display a few items I had, the core dolls from each release and this is what I got: 

The front of the closet with boxed dolls

As you can see the boxes look good. I love how the color pops for each doll. Still I have much more to display, and many more to box. This got me to thinking, I really need to use the whole room to display my collection, but I don't want to risk the dolls fading. So a NEW plan was hatched! UV Protective Film!

While at Lowes looking for brackets I turned to window treatments and saw some UV film to protect your furniture from fading. I selected the highest UV protection possible. While this does happen to be BLACK UV film, it does allow light and I can still use my window but it doesn't allow 99% of UV light which should keep my items from fading! I don't know about you, but I felt such a release of not being restricted. Between the custom made boxes to protect from dust and now the UV film to protect from fading, I can enjoy my collection even more.

That and when it comes to game playing and movie watching, I don't have to worry about window glare! 

So I am wanting to keep the main dolls in the closet for their protection, and  I started working on what I would display around my room, since I was going to be using the whole space for everything else I have. The space isn't finished now, and I will go over the details when they are, but here are some cute ideas that you may enjoy too!

One I like is Recycle Wrapping Paper: I have old wrapping paper from Rainbow Brite. This paper is so adorable, I wanted to use it in the room, so I went to my local Hobby Lobby and had a section dry mounted on foam board. This section of paper can now be mounted on my wall as a poster! I recommend dry mounting to anyone who has paper items they want to display. This isn't archival safe, but rather just for show. I will preserve a copy of the paper as well in my archives, but it is fun for other things. Also, considering how much paper you can get in a roll, you can give "posters" away as gifts to other Rainbow Brite fans!

Vintage, New and Homemade Posters!

Don't be afraid to DIY: Do It Yourself Projects: If there is something you can make on your own it is tons of fun and personalizes YOUR space to you! In my space I have become such a crafter! I share everything I make with fans as I do it because I think you will enjoy it too! I made Home Made Projector Night Lights for Rainbow Brite, Custom Display Boxes, and Posters so far! I had no idea how many ideas I had until I started working on this project. You never know what you can come up with too! Don't be afraid to try! and if successful SHARE it with fans! 

Oh, and for those who were curious of the left and right sides of the closet here are some pictures:

The Left Side

As you can see from the shallowness of the shelves I made a lot of room by putting brackets on the side of the shelve as well as the back. these side shelves also hold dolls. These aren't how my display is now, trust me. I've been moving shelves around everyday. I think they may move even more until this project is done. LOL

The Right Side

The Right Hand side of the shelve is also different. I'm attempting to use the closet as custom book shelves too. I keep a lot of the heavy items to the bottom of the shelves. This is incase anything does fall it doesn't fall far. You can see a lot of my books and videos here. This display will change too as I go through my collection.

If there is anything specific you were curious about with this project, or if you have any suggestions for my collection, let me know! I hope to have more for you soon, but if this takes a long time to complete, don't be discouraged. It's a learning process! LOL

Please be sure to check the website and this blog for any more "Do it yourself" ideas I may come up with to help with displays!

My current project is making more boxes for dolls (Variants) and cleaning up SPRITES! Oh boy the trial and error of cleaning those poor little guys.

Thanks for reading, until next time

HAVE A RAINBOW DAY!

My Rainbow Room/Color Cave: Update 03

Hey Color Kids.
I started working more on the "Color Cave" this weekend.
First thing I did was paint the shelves. That is going to take a while to finish that project. I live in Florida and it's summer. During the summer in Florida it rains nearly every day at 3 - 4pm. The humidity is so bad that it takes a long time for the paint to dry between coats.

Paint and rollers ready!

This is boarding...

I did buy some items in hopes that they would make the painting time better. They are little painters pyramids. You paint both sides of the boards and they hold them off the ground so they can dry underneath too. I didn't have enough for all my boards, so a lot of the boards only got painted on one side today. I'm hoping the rest of this weekend will be milder outside and I can paint the rest. I need to keep up the painting because the sap from the boards was starting to flow again...didn't know it would do that, so I'm hoping to get them all painted soon to stop that and continue putting my room together. All my collection is still boxed up until I do.

Until then though I am still prepping my collection for display once I can get the display finished. All of my dolls are loose, not boxed, etcetera. So I risk exposure to dust. Any collector knows you really want to keep dust away as much as possible so I hatched a plan. Display boxes!

Okay, so before you say "Hey, you can just buy clear cases to put your dolls in. Why 'make' one?" 
I know they make clear acrylic doll display cases. These cases cost a lot of money. Especially if you want to use them for multiple dolls.

For example:
you can buy a 9.5" x 5" x 13" to 9.5" x 5" x 19" case from $10 - $14 each. There are several different styles and thicknesses for many different prices. You would need to get those for each doll, which is over 13 if you get one for every color kid and dress-up doll. If that were the case it would be $130 - $182.

You can even get "multi doll" displays that cost hundreds. You can get large curio cabinets with mirrors and glass that can cost hundreds or even thousands.

Some collectors have dolls in boxes already, so I thought it would be neat to make doll boxes in the style of the old/classic/original boxes for my collection. That way if put next to an original box it would be the same size and still protect the doll from dust.
All this and I think I can make all my boxes by hand and the cost be under $10 a box.

Anyway, the box is a "Trapezoid" shape when together.

All the small dolls that were in boxes were in these same boxes. That's Rainbow Brite, the Color Kids, Murky Dismal and the Dress Up Dolls.

I do have a couple of doll boxes but they are in bad condition. I figured I could use the bad boxes to make templates to make my own boxes. I did search for companies to "Die Cut" them for me, but they wanted over $1000, and I seriously can't afford that. LOL

 I did a lot of trial and error over the last few years with this theory. I have been to many hobby stores searching for materials as close to the original doll box as possible. None of the hobby stores really had the right paper. I tried the Office Supply stores too, and they didn't have much either. I ordered board samples from companies, but the boards were too thick. Very much a "Goldilocks & the three bears" situation. "This is too big" or "Too Small" finally I found some that were nearly "Just right".

I will give the details to the "Box" construction in the next blog entry, once I have everything I need.

In the mean time I am still recording the Brite Cast episodes! We are currently up to Episode 4! Yay! And, we have a special "Mini cast" coming soon, so keep an eye out for it!

I hope to have more news for you soon, so until then!

Have a Rainbow Day!

My Rainbow Room/Color Cave: Update 02

Hey Rainbow Brite Fans

Here is what I have begun so far.

The "Color Cave" Doors

The inside of the doors.

The closet space is about 6 ft by 2 and 1/2 feet. It already had  a wire shelf and rod installed. I decided not to remove it as I can use the upper space for storage. The bottom space needed work. I decided I needed shelves about 6 inches deep and 2 feet wide. These type of board aren't available ready made, so I decided to make them. I bought 6 inch board and had the store cut them for me into 2 ft boards.

I decided on adjustable shelving so I bought 8 upright double track for brackets.

Here is a picture of the closet without the rail mounted.
It took me some trying to get good screws to mount them with. The first ones I bought were far too long. I decided to go with one about and inch and a half deep. I don't plan on these shelves holding anything but collectibles, not including books.
Each rail is about 2 feet separated so that the brackets can overlap some if I want to overlap them.

 Once mounted I made sure each was level with a leveler and tested the brackets.

The following is a photo of the brackets with the unpainted wooden shelves.

Here are the corners of each, which also have brackets and smaller shelves.

I haven't been able to paint the shelves yet because of the weather. It rains nearly everyday here, which would make the paint unable to dry. It will take several coats to make them like I want, so they are currently waiting.
I also found out I need more brackets then pictured because I have more closet to fill and shelves cut.

The current cost of the shelf is $168

$6 per track rack X 8 =$48
$3 per bracket X 24 = $72
$6 per board. (I get 3 shelves per board, 4 small boards) X 8 = $48

Not bad considering I get to customize the shelf system and move it around I would like.

I still have to buy more brackets and paint. I will cover the painting in the next update!

Until then, what do you think so far?

My Rainbow Room/Color Cave: Update 01

Hey Rainbow Brite Fans!
Life events have got me behind with updates yet again. However I think I may be to the point where I can tell you about one of them. I am designing my own "Rainbow Room/Color Cave"!

I have recently moved into a new home and in one of the rooms I am designing a display area JUST for my Rainbow Brite items!

Will I have all my items all over the room? 

No. One of the most sought after features of Rainbow Brite collectibles is the preservation of the colors themselves. I fear having all my collectibles out would drain them of their color! However the room has a closet that is flat against the wall and a few feet deep. This should be a great place for me to display my collection and still keep it safe from light!

Also, I'm a person of many interests. I have lots of things I collect. Rainbow Brite is the most, but other things I collect are video game systems. I own many vintage gaming systems, all original and in working order and a few select games for each.

Luckily I live with a man who shares my appreciation of my old systems, so I intend on sharing my space with him and our love for video games. Hopefully I can design a nice place where I can be nerdy, geeky, and live in harmony with all my nerdy-ness.

How do I plan on displaying my figures and still keeping them safe from light?

The closet has two folding doors. Inside the door I am hanging two black curtain panels designed to block light. When the closet is closed the curtains will be pulled to keep out to keep the light out. There is a large window right across from the closet too, and while it doesn't get direct light, it will keep the exposure to a minimum.

How do I plan to display my collection?

Oh, well that took a lot of thinking. I want to display everything, which is mostly dolls and books. Of the dolls I have so many different kinds, and those are different colors. The original dolls where primary rainbow colors, while the newer items are more pastel rainbow colors. I haven't decided how exactly I want to place them, but I do know I wanted options so I tried to think of a way to be able to customize my space so small, and use it to the most of my advantage.

I am custom cutting my own shelves at  a shallow depth with brackets I can adjust as I like. If done correctly I will line the inside of the closet with over 20 adjustable shelves, each 6 inches deep so I can utilize the most space and not crowd the shelves. I bought most of my equipment today, and hope to give you some small updates as I continue in case any one else wants to try their own.

The hardest part will be the painting. I bought real hard wood boards for the shelves. I am painting the shelves white, so they match the brackets and the walls in the room. (Yes, I'm keeping the walls white.) I'm allergic to wood, so I am painting each shelf a semi-gloss white so that should harden keeping most of the wood scent low. I was told the paint would be a faster solution then having to stain each board and then varnish it. The paint will do both. I'm also hoping the surface should clean easier too.

Anyway, I hope the decorating will go well, and hope to take pictures and keep you guys updated on the way.

In between this I am still recording Brite Cast episodes! You can expect some new "Mini" casts soon, as well more reviews!

Until then, Have a Rainbow Day!