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Monday, December 10, 2012

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






Sunday, November 25, 2012

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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Saturday, November 24, 2012

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