CHRISTMAS COTTAGE

As a project for THE CRAFTY SCRAPPER design team, each designer is making a  little holiday cottage by the  HEART OF TEXAS STUDIO. There are five little houses in this set called, "The Village", that are each a different size and design. This one is 5" tall and 4"X 4".  For paper, I chose the "Simple Stories 25 Days of Christmas" Collection by MEMORY WORKS, and loved the way it can be an excellent background for showing off details. 

The little balls decorating this cottage are "Vintage Raspberry Beads" (clear) by MAYA ROAD, and are hung with cranberry and white baker's twine by THE TWINERY. The two white trims are by WEBSTERS PAGES and were perfect for this little project! Don't they give a lovely, snowy look? For the roof I used a flat white acrylic paint by CRAFTSMART over the paper, then sprinkled "Diamond Dust" by TWINKLETS for an icy finish. Inside the tiny house is an artificial tea light that is battery operated. These can be found in most stores that sell Christmas ornaments. 

Thoughts of my childhood days, playing with dolls in their doll house inspired me to decorate the inside of this little house. Not attaching the roof permanently allows the viewer to look inside the house easily. Most of the "decor" incorporates the Cardstock Stickers of the "Simple Stories 25 Days of Christmas" Collection by Memory Works. For just a little additional home-like comfort I added a chair and a grandfather clock using my Cricut by PROVO CRAFT and the "Heritage" cartridge. Both were cut from Advantus Ideology TIM HOLTZ Grungeboard (plain). They were both painted black with Ranger Ink Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint (Black Soot).

The hearth was created by building up layers of foam from a craft store, then adhering the hand drawn brick surface. Cardstock used for this was BAZZILL BASICS PAPER (Rosey/ canvas texture). The white opaque pen is by INKSSENTIALS. 

The sweet holly trim is by MAY ARTS and the tiny rose trim is "Organza Roses" (red) by Maya Road. Topping off this lovely little cottage is the gorgeous "Vintage Lace Mum" (Apple), also by Maya Road. The depth of the layers is strikingly rich and draw plenty of attention to whatever this poinsettia adorns! 

Thanks, everyone for taking a peek at my latest creation. If you're in the area, be sure to stop by THE CRAFTY SCRAPPER in Waxahachie, Texas to see all of the little houses on display for the holiday season!