Oh Little Town...

Today I have for you another paper creation. Years ago I made the Martha Stewart Winter Village out of her magazine. I loved it and have used it for years. This year I decided to make a smaller version on a base with little trees for each of my neighbors. They turned out wonderful!

I am including a link to the site where you can now print them off. They have put it in an easy to print PDF format. Just click HERE and it will take you to her site. I have tweaked mine, added windows, painted little wreaths and garlands etc. Have fun with these and enjoy the pictures! I have included a supplies list for mine and at the end I placed a glass votive holder over them! Make sure you scale the houses so they fit under the glass if you decide to do that. 

Instructions for the houses are also on her site. I give some tips at the end of this and a picture of the house under glass.

This is an unfinished one that I tested under the glass votive to see if it was short enough.

Supplies list:

wooden base from craft store (mine came from Michael's for 79 cents)

glass votive from Wal-Mart (around $1) note: I found these in the floral area not candle area

Folkart acrylic paints (to paint house and base)

glitter

small bottle brush trees (mine are about 1 1/2"-Hobby Lobby)

quick grab tacky glue

wax paper

E6000 (to glue glass onto base)

craft knife

white card stock or watercolor paper

copier that can reduce and enlarge

LOTS OF PATIENCE

Print image out on card stock or watercolor paper in the size you want to make the house. I painted mine with acrylic paint while they were flat but after I had cut them out. This way I didn't have to worry about seeing my cut lines. After painting, assemble houses according to directions and use wax paper for windows, because I can't for the life of me find glassine paper as she calls for!

Once your house is assembled you can put glitter on the rooftops and awnings etc. I took the green bottle brush trees and placed them in bleach for about 20 minutes. They start turning right away and you can do a soft green if you like by dipping them and rinsing quickly, or go for white like I did. I rinsed well, dried them and glued and glittered them.

I painted all bases white, but you can do any color, just as long as the top of the base is white so your glitter snow looks like snow. After the base was dried I used tacky glue to adhere my house and tree. I then brushed the top of the wood base with glue and shook glitter all over. You can build up the layers if you let it dry and brush more glue onto the base. I used one layer and was happy.

After everything has dried and you are sure the glue has no more moisture left, it is safe to lay some E6000 down around the lip of your base and then place the glass globe over it. Follow the instructions on the tube, but I did find it set up very quickly.

It is time consuming to make these, but they are so pretty and so fun to make! I just love them and plan on making so many more for different seasons.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and that you will give these little homes a try!

Until Next Time Dear Reader,

Chatty Cathy

Winter Wonderland

Well, I'm at it again! Paper mania around my house today! I have the front doorway decorated, but have now moved indoors. The paper cone wreaths I've been making are so pretty, but I have started to think outside the box. What other type of paper wreaths can one make? I thought something pretty and lacy would be just right for a winter wonderland theme with birds. So sitting in front of my stack of book pages, I had a revelation. The edger from Martha Stewart that I bought this spring would be the perfect edge! So I started edging sheets of book pages and then quartering them. Rolling them and folding a small amount over on the plain edge allowed me to secure them to my cardboard circle easily. I just worked my way out till I had a full wreath! Sounds easy and it is, but ohhhh so time consuming! This is definitely a Sense and Sensibility AND Emma project! It took hours and three burnt fingers, but it looked nice when filled.

What to do to spruce it up? Well, You KNOW I love Graphics Fairy and I have a couple of birds from  her blog. I printed them out a long time ago! I have a stash of tid bits I sit and cut so I'm ready when I need something. Her site is packed with all types of wonderful images. I have placed a link here to her site and it will take you to Bird and Eggs. Just browse and find what strikes your fancy: Click here for a world of wonderful!

Some birds, some twigs and a print out of Winter Wonderland in "Christmas" font. Voila! Beautiful!

I so hope you are enjoying the paper items and I will keep them coming...make a comment if you are visiting this blog...PRETTY PLEASE?

Until next time Dear Reader,

Chatty Cathy

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Fall, my favorite season!

I was super busy this Fall, so busy I started a post and then never published. Yes, I know you are all much better bloggers (I really do agree). I am not going to write about the beauty this Fall, since it was already Thanksgiving and my Christmas decos are coming out! I will not give tutorials on how to make fabulous things, because that train came and went while I was soothing my burnt glue gun fingertips in water. I won't even indulge in telling you what I'm Thankful for, although if I was it would be family, friends, my faith and an ability to laugh at myself often and hardily. I will instead Dear Reader, show off a couple of pictures of just a little bit of what I did in the way of trying to make my "builders house" look like a home. Hope you enjoy the pictures and I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving!

Free bittersweet from an obliging vine in Ct. while on a road trip! Score!

Paper book page wreath with burlap center, I made this year.

Plain willow wreath I decked out with cheap plastic pumpkins and gourds,,,thrifty!

Nothing exciting here, but I finally finished my dining room! Valspar Tibetan Red! So love it!

Doorway embellished with grapevine, white lights and faux pumpkins that were fluorescent green at the tune of $5 at Hobby Lobby after Halloween! I painted them out and they looked fab!

Entry with dollar store vase, some faux branches and a little burlap and paper wreath I made out of scraps.

My awesome $5 bright green pumpkins from HL at an after Halloween sale!

Pumpkins after my awesome painting, they looked almost real and the ugly green was gone forever!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and check back again for more pictures of what Chatty Cathy is up to!

Until next time Dear Reader,

Chatty Cathy

Paper Wreaths

I love paper! I've said it before...I'll keep saying it!

Paper is fascinating, whimsical, full of possibilities and for the most part cheap! My second love...well I was going to say cheap stuff, but really it's hand sewing. Okay, I am sharing a couple of photos today of the paper wreaths I've been making for a couple of years now. I first made some 3 years ago for a friend and then my mom did some the next year with old music paper sheets. I really loved those, but they are a little looser in style than my more symmetrical and neat style. I may sound a bit boring, but there you have it. I will agonize an hour over the placement of an embellishment on a handmade card. I have a loose and easy side too, but only on some projects. For the most part I exercise control over making my projects neat. Luckily in the crafting world there is a style for everyone! SO, if you like a more symmetrical style wreath take a peak at the pictures I've placed here and if you are loosey goosey in your wreath style check out my mother's fabulous wreaths here...you'll drool!

My community Thrift store sells old books for $1.25...my husband was near Goodwill and so that's where I ended up with books at a whopping $1.50. I decided I could come to terms with the extra .50 and still be a "happy chappy" (as my grandmother-Mama- says) 

Detail of the center medallion on wreath.

My hubby, ever excited to see what my glue gun (my trusty sidekick) and I will create next, asked how many books my project took. I dearly love this man, as if I know? I mean my theory is, no woman can ever have enough paper! I covet my paper (yes, yes I know it's a sin...God and I are good on this one)and rarely share. It's sad but true, my cabinet is full of future projects in the form of flat, colorful, patterned, beautifully textured sheets of paper. Some people horde canned goods, clothes, shoes, I don't know what! I horde paper...I'm seeking a rehab program for this, but as no one thinks it's worthy of one, I have happily decided it's okay!

Flower wreath with jute center.

Well, I kind of started on a paper wreath making spree and now some of my dear neighbor girlfriends have pretty wreaths in their homes. I'm making each one a wreath as a token of friendship. I plan on making tons more paper items for Christmas and hope you will pop on over here to my Little paper factory and see what I'm up to!

Until next time Dear Reader,

Chatty Cathy

1st Order

I received an order for my first designed Mosaic Scherenschnitte.  The lady wanted me to re-create it in cream, greens and brown. I happily obliged and here's the final result. In the close up you can see the 2 shades of green.

It turned out very pretty, although you'll have to forgive me about not formating the picture and making it prettier. I was in a rush. I seem to be on the run all the time lately. 

I have also been toying with another design that looks more like a spiderweb and I'm not sure if I like the result.

 It's 2 circles of interwoven lines layered on top of one another. It was a anniversary gift initially and then I decided I wasn't altogether happy. The idea was 2 people, interwoven in love and life....it ended up looking like a nice Halloween decoration? I'll keep it and try some ideas with it, but I decided to cut another one of the German Scherenschnitte by the German artist: Christian Schwizgebel (1957) that I had adapted and changed a bit. My first attempt at it here resulted with a beautiful piece, so I decided to cut it again for my sister in law and her husband as a gift for their 25 wedding anniversary! I'm hoping they will like it.

I'm not really back to blogging, but will post things as I cut them and let you know how my Etsy shop is coming along.

Until Next time Dear Reader,

Chatty Cathy

Newest Design

So I'm back... yes I know I was able to stay away for just one day... what can I say?

At the prompting of some friends and family, I am taking a plunge and designing my own Scherenschnitte designs. I have ideas pop into my head constantly for new ways to layer and cut paper and finally after years of thinking about it, I am going to give it a whirl. So here are some shots of my first design. This is a mosaic layered in 4 layers and then mounted on a back paper. I haven't decided on a backer yet and maybe your input will help me decide? I drew out the design and then cut it from standard white stock, then continued to mount on a new layer, re-cut, layer, re-cut...you get the idea. I am thrilled with the results and  am putting together some items for an Etsy shop now.  Hope you enjoy the photos, and please if anyone is still visiting this blog... give me your opinions!

Until next time Dear Reader,

Chatty Cathy