Tall Garden Cottage Tutorial

Every month I create a project with a tutorial for GinasDesigns.net. This month it's a biggy...

There are loads of steps and it'll take some time to complete (especially when you factor in drying time), but I think it's worth it.

Created from Gina's 3 Story House, you could customize the contents to your own whims and tastes. Filled with little mementos, keepsakes and small photos it would make a wonderful gift for someone special. 

Mine isn't quite so sentimental and will be home to little gnome and elf figures and collectibles :)

Don't feel rushed with this project. Enjoy the process of making it 'just-so' and the challenge of filling it with lovely little bits and bobs.

I only had one piece of Honeycomb Fleur Cardstock from The Robin's Nest to cover the house, so I'll show you how to be a little sneaky if you're short on paper.

You can find the full video tutorial HERE. 

If you have any questions or are unclear about anything, don't hesitate to ask.

Gina's Supply List:

3 Story House

Cottage Windows Small

Stackable Labels Shape Set

Faux Metal Number Plates

The Robin's Nest Supplies:
Calamity Jane Diagonal Glitter Cardstock
Honeycomb Fleur Cardstock

Cathedral Specialty Paper

Other Supplies:
White Tacky Glue
Spackling (I used one that goes on pink and dries white)

Various Petaloo Botanica Flowers
Moss
Thin Fleur Dresden Borders - Gold 

Garden Gnomes Resin Embellishments*
White Acrylic Paint

Flower and Leaves Dresden Borders - Antique Gold 

Colorful Butterfly Buttons* Miniature Garden Tools - Rake & Shovels  Wood Birdhouse Buttons* Antique Bronze 3D Rabbit Charms* Fly Away Resin Birds Set*

*And a quick link to all of the products used available via Alpha Stamps

It could have been worse

Our family motto seems to be, "It could have been worse."

I know things have been a little quiet around here but life got sort of hectic last week with plumbing issues coming out the hoo-ha and the resulting messes. Let's just say that it's a good thing that I'm not above cleaning poop and leave it at that.

It could have been worse.

The plumbing problems could have happened this week while we were unplugged, camping, while my mother looked after the house and animals.

Yes, it could have been worse.

Speaking of camping. This was our drive to Murphy's Point Provincial Park.

We sleep in tents. 

This was worrying. 

But it could have been worse...

The skies cleared when we arrived and we were able to set up camp (extra tarps and all) before the skies opened up once more.

Our first night we heard rustling in our kitchen tent and in the morning found this...

It could have been worse.

Don't worry, that's not blood. We're diligent about storing food in the truck. This footprint is from a single kool-aid packet hidden behind the stove on the picnic table.

The other thing we discovered that morning... our air mattress had a slow leak and the ground was mighty uncomfortable.

But there was a Canadian Tire just 20 minutes from the camp, so it could have been worse.

On our last night the raccoons returned on their evening rounds. This time Mr. Pixie was heard thumping, rustling, rattling and shoo-ing for quite a long time. When he returned he told us that there had to have been 15 raccoons, all over our site! They were in the trees, in the tent and he had even evicted some babies from our trailer!

But when all is said and done, even after all those little disasters... it could have been worse.

In fact, it really wasn't bad at all.

Sparkly Floral Crown with Petaloo

I found some simple wooden crown cut outs at Michaels. They have a little stick to hold the crown shape above your head during photographs or when meeting crown worthy dignitaries, all the while preventing unsightly 'crown head' hair.

I thought the shapes were cute and a great kids project. After all, even if you can't find these wooden cutouts at your local craft store, it would be easy enough to create your very own from some cardboard and a bit of doweling. They would make a totally adorable "make and take" for birthday parties.

I began by painting all of the pieces white, then sploshing some paint on them. Sploshing doesn't require being neat or tidy so it is perfectly appropriate for little hands. Eat a cookie or fresh fruit salad and wait for that sploshing to dry before adding some glitter (Tip: good quality glue will help avoid glitter from loosening). For this crown I've added Fancy Trimsalong the bottom edge and a coordinating Teal Burlap Blossom

For this crown I've used a DIY-Mum which you can colour to match your project. (Note: I coloured this blossom with watercolour paint then dipped it in tea to soften the colour) Then I added a length of tulle to gussy up the handle.

Those DIY blooms are pretty amazing and colouring them could be a fun project for kiddos in and of itself.

My final crown has some Crochet Lace Trim, Burlap Daisy Layers and Flowers in Pistashio and topped with Embellishment Brads in Shades of Green.

Working with kids can be a lot of fun and there are many ways to include them in crafting. Let them make decisions about colour and trims. Let them do the sploshing. You can set limits if you like "Let's pic three flowers to add" but let them have some control. Be sure to have those little people help clean up afterwards too.

So get out there and make some crowns with your littles. And don't forget the tea party photo shoot afterwards.

Supply List:

Fancy Trims Shades of Teal 1910-129

Burlap Blossoms Teal 1200-205

DIY-Mums & Butterflies 1650-015

Crochet Lace Trim 1482-105

Daisy Layers Pistachio 1205-214

Burlap Flowers Pistachio 1208-214

Embellishment Brads Shades of Green 1920-009

Misc ribbons and trims

Wooden Crown cut outs or DIY crown shapes

Tooth Fairy Letters

The other day I happened to run into the Tooth Fairy and we had a little chat. She said that she has been very busy lately and run ragged with all of the tooth collecting. Her schedule is so jam packed that she doesn't have time for any other fairy activities! Such a shame. I asked if there was anything I could do to help...

I am asked about Tooth Fairy letters fairly regularly. While I do enjoy creating little the letters, they often take up quite a bit of precious limited time. Toothy and I (that's what I call her, we're pretty tight) came up with an idea.

We created a template, an 'official Tooth Fairy sanctioned' correspondence, that parents and caregivers can print and assemble to give Toothy a bit of relief and help her get caught up.

The PDF includes two letters (a 'thank-you' note and an apology for late tooth pick up) envelope template, tiny stamps, seals and a wee certificate for tooth collection completion.

The download is available in the etsy shop HERE.

P.S. Toothy asked me to remind you to brush at least twice a day and don't forget to floss.

A Fairy Godmother House

Ladies and gentlemen, "A Fairy Godmother House".

The base of this house is the "Buttercup" by Greenleaf. The assembled size is 17" x 11” x 18”. If you're considering this model to create your own little masterpiece, there are a few notes at the very bottom of this post you may find helpful.
Now that's out of the way...

The "sort-of-thatched-roof" was done with coconut fiber from the garden centre, the same material used for hanging baskets. You can buy it in lengths just like fabric! It's pretty easy to work with, but it's messy (you have been warned). There's pretty paper flowers dotted all over the piece including my favourite, Petaloo Botanica Blooms.

There are loads of handmade ladybugs too. Peek in that window you'll see some golden eggs.

I thought about doing a red door but opted for yellow instead. It seems so cheerful, yet is said to be the colour of insanity. I imagine fairy godmothers to be joyful and little kooky so it seemed the perfect colour choice. Above the door a Giant Brass Bee, which I really adore.

And now the inside.

Many of the miniature pieces I've done recently have used proper scale... that all goes out the window in this project. A fairy godmother lives here after all! The focus is on whimsy and magic, and scale doesn't matter one pip.

Let's look upstairs first...

I sort of showed this off the other day. Glittery shoes, miniature "Fairy Godmother Romance" magazines, and a big fat bottle of red. BTW I do have 'scale' wine bottles in my stash, but this one seemed to be appropriate for my idea of a fairy godmother. Same goes for the shoes. They're big if you're looking at 'scale' but who's to say the gal doesn't have huge feet?

Tucked into the little peaked alcove, a tiny fairy frock in icy blue.

In another corner, a tiny pink castle that has been waiting for just this moment to shine.

 And handmade books. LOTS and LOTS of books stacked here there and everywhere. 

On top of the little dresser is a fairy journal and pencil, golden eggs under a Miniature Glass Dome, a wooden wand, and Golden Crown. That pretty bird is from Birds of a Feather from Graphic 45's Botanical Tea.

Let's go downstairs...

I LOVE the colours on the first floor. If I were a brave woman I would totally decorate in this colour scheme in my own home. I'm a wuss so that won't be happening. 

The furniture I've used in this piece is inexpensive wooden play furniture. I don't care that it's wonky. I don't care that it doesn't match. And it doesn't matter one bit that nothing is to scale. I'm more concerned about the impression and sense of fun rather than anything else. Plus, it's good to let go and just have fun with your work once in a while :)

A celestial window seat for reading and daydreams.

On the opposite side of the room there's candy, a year-round Christmas tree tucked into the corner, a crafting tables, shelves of books and buttons and bottled things. 

A good view of the fairy godmother's teapot collection.

On the crafting table: a knitting basket, a tin of button, scissors, bottles of glue, fussy cut elements for a little card, and scrapbook paper... Graphic 45's Botanical Tea if you must know ;)

That's the grand tour. There's bits I missed... but there's just so much jammed into that wee house it's hard to capture it all. Not focusing on scale (or sense) was great fun and I highly recommend it if you try a wee house of your own. I'm also pleased as punch that so much long-term stash finally found a home.

I'll be taking this piece with me to the fairys.com open house this weekend (I'm doing tea readings there... you should come visit!) and then it'll be off to Port Hope to show off at impresario.

The house is currently listed HERE

Inspired? Huzzah! Here are some of the products I used that you might find useful:

**"Buttercup" by Greenleaf

Petaloo Botanica Blooms 

Giant Brass Bee

Miniature magazines
Miniature Wine Glasses
Graphic 45 Bohemian Bazaar 8x8 Pads (used for bunting)
Antique Bronze 3D Gnome House Charms* 

Miniature Glass Dome

Antique 3D Gold Crowns 

Graphic 45's Botanical Tea

Birds of a Feather

Glass Bottles

Mini Clear Resin Whiskey Bottle 

Amber Resin Potions Bottle 

Miniature Gumball Machine

Miniature White Table with Baskets (Basket only)

Pewter Dollhouse Dishes*

Pewter Dollhouse Tea Service* 

White Mini Ceramic Urn 

Mini Heart Tart Cake 

Miniature Silverware Set

Doll Buttons - 6mm Mix* 

Star Tinsel* 

Tim Holtz Mirrored Stars 

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking a bit of a break from the airy fairy and making a few things to satisfy my inner weirdo.

**Notes about the kit: fairly easy to assemble (slot and tab) and at under $30 it's a great price. However, I did find the wood dry and didn't like the 'feel' of it. Also, the trims are a bit 'chunky', not entirely my cup of tea, but you could certainly hobble your own. Finally, despite being 'true miniature scale' 1:12, it's a very awkward space to stage. Between the number of windows and the slanted ceilings, there is very little space to put larger furnishings. Just some things to keep in mind if you decide to try your hand at this model.**

Progress

I spent most of yesterday working on my August tutorial for Gina's Designs. I can't show it off yet, but I think you'll really like the project. It's a biggy, but the results will be worth a little bit of extra time. That goes live on August 7th, so be sure to pop by for a peek.

My evening was dedicated to my newest house. I was feeling stumped on how to fill this latest abode but I seem to have hit my stride and now have more ideas than space.

Here's a quick look at the floral bed with it's mossy pillow. You note the bottle of wine, red sparkly shoes and romance magazine beside the bed. 

I'll work into the wee hours again and think this one will be wrapped up soon. Then, I'm setting my sites on something less airy fairy to appease the weirdo in me ;)