What a wonderful day it is. How I make my houses and organizing supplies.

How I make my houses and organizing my supplies.

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I really want to get outside but I am enjoying making the Fairy Castle-Witches Castle- Mouse Castle, so much that I just look out my window once in a while.
I started this a while ago. This is how I do it.
First I think about it. I use the time right after I go to bed when the TV is off and I am waiting to fall asleep. I think about the project that I have had an idea for. I imagine it in my mind and how it will look. I do this for a few nights and it all starts to come together. By then I have a very general idea of what I want to do so I start collecting things that I will use to make the project.
I have a container that I use and I start putting things in it. As the project progresses some of the things may be taken out, more may be put in.

I have decided that this time some of the items will be purchased. I usually make almost everything from card stock and cardboard. This house will have more imagination. I will actually enjoy making it more because I can use my imagination and so many purchased things. A great site is  http://alphastamps.com  Great things there. Also for free graphics, http://thegraphicsfairy.com. So many wonderful things here. Not just free graphics but articles on how to make things and decorate old furniture. I can't recommend it enough. I love this site and the best part is it's free.


My container of collected supplies for project.

Then I start. I decide what my goal is for this item. This time I decided that this project would be somewhat different than my Printable Houses. It will be Printable but it will also allow people to be more creative as they make it. The people who make this can buy the little things to decorate it with or they can make them. You are all very handy and artistic.
You can see the moss, the tiny flowers and the vines. I bought some Styrofoam and some came with the new small dining room table from Walmart that I bought for a craft table. So much more inexpensive than buying a craft table and I like it better. And at Walmart, no shipping. No I don't have any stock or connection with http://walmart.com but you can buy so much from them including food with no shipping charges if you buy more than a certain amount. I certainly couldn't afford the shipping on a table.
I always hear people say that they don't have room to do crafts. That may be true for some of you that have very small places and have children but I think that there are ways that you can get a bit of space to do your crafts that you enjoy so much.

this is a picture of part of my new "desk".

This is the other side.

I live with my son and daughter-in-law. I have a room that is about 11' x 11'. That is my home. I don't have any storage space except for two small items in the basement. Everything that I own is in this room and a very small closet. I was using a desk that did not help the situation so I gave it away to a 13 year old boy who likes to come and do mixed media projects with me. He is so happy with it. I bought a dining table and put that in it's place. I love it. I also bought a three piece cube to put my TV on and now I can see it. Yeah! Underneath I put another cube section to store things that I don't use often. You can see the boxes there. Later I will cut them down and cover them with fabric or scrapbook paper and neaten them up.



If I didn't keep things really organized I couldn't live in this small room. It can be done. My creating is the most important thing to me so that is what takes up most of my room.

This is my TV. Now I can watch it while I work.

My computer and work table.
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Back to making the project.
I started making this project by using some of the Styrofoam that came with my table. It is the bubble kind and it does make a mess. I did some of it outside because of that. I started by making a base of foam core board. I determined the size I wanted and cut it out. Then I cut some pieces of the foam and broke off the edges so they looked like layers of rock. Next was the problem of gluing the stuff together. I found that I could use white craft glue if I glued paper to the foam and then glued the next piece of foam to the paper. The foam won't glue to itself.  I built up a couple of layers of foam with the top layer being a bit smaller than the bottom one.

The start. A piece of foam core board with one layer of the foam glued to it.



                                                                                     



 The second layer of foam with the beginning  of the shell of the house and tower on it. ( Not glued. The house and tower will be one piece and will just sit on the base.  That way people can make it and not have to make the foundation. The foundation of the cottage is Styrofoam that I sent for, not the bubble kind, I couldn't glue it. I used broken tooth picks to hold it in place. the cottage will be two one story with attic rooms. There will be a door from the cottage to the tower and two floors and a parapet in the tower.

The side of the tower with a sample of my new way of making stone work. Much easier than paper clay and I love the results. I am thinking that I may make this an island and have water all around on just the edges. The land part will be mostly rock with some gardens. The tower will have a circular staircase out side around to the front ending with a balcony. Perhaps a door to the balcony made with "stained glass". You can see my sketch marks on the tower. and the plans on my computer in the background.





The front/side of the cottage/tower. The samples are of the wood floor that is made the same way as the stone. I haven't seen this done before but it may be out there. I wanted something that was a bit easier than paper clay, although I love paper clay and can't wait to try it on this project. Perhaps the rocks? Also you can see one of the window frames. I want some to be "leaded"
The house will be sided with a peeling paint texture, also a new way of doing this.
I found out that you can make your own modeling paste. I can't give credit because it is on multiple sites that I searched. 1 part white craft glue, one part talcum powder and one part white craft paint. Mix together in a small container that you can seal. Do this with ventilation as the talcum can make you cough. Or perhaps it is just me.

This is the front. You can see my sketches for the stairs and the balcony. After I sketch this out I make that piece of the plan in my computer and print it out on paper. Then I test fit it and usually it is back to the computer to change it somewhat and then print again. (and again.) LOL

Here you can see the side of the cottage and how the foam is built up. The edges will be covered with paper clay and modeling compound and then painted to look like rocks. The flat parts around the foam I think I will paint that as ocean and make it an island Cottage Castle.
I would love to know what you think of it so far and any ideas that you might have.
Have a good day,
Barbara

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