Another Small Thing

I am going through a phase of making small things. Well, some of them are smaller than usual. Lora here for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts with a very small birdhouse.

Here is a picture of it in my hand for scale....

And the back..

It was a fun, simple project and in the end, I really like how it turned out.
Just a couple tips on construction:
I started out with the Little Bird House.

I assembled it, primed it with gesso and sealed it with varnish. I will often do this even if I put paper on things later-it seals the chipboard from moisture and gives the piece a longer life and it becomes a pretty tough surface to apply all kinds of techniques to if you wish. This is not a step you have to do.
I set the little house aside to dry for a bit and took a small block I had (about 1/2 square) marked the center and drilled a hole in the it the size of a 1/8 inch dowel.

I papered all sides of the house except the bottom, which I drilled another (same size) hole in for the other end of the dowel. I used a scalpel to refine the hole.

I did not attach the dowel to the birdhouse - I left that until the last in order to make embellishing the wee thing a it easier. I papered the little block and stuck the dowel in that end after painting it white.
I used a gold ink pad to age up the edges of the bird house and the block, a tiny bit of scrap Dresden to trim out the gables and a couple of scraps of paper added to the house, like the stamps on the roof and the feather on the back for extra detail.
I then glued the house on the dowel.
I snipped some twigs off of my old dogwood tree and glued them upright on the dowel. I also glued a tiny twig into the lower smaller hole on the birdhouse for a little perch.
Then added moss and tiny rose buds to the piece.
The last thing I put on was the tiny little robin with a dab of glue.

I really like this tiny little thing.
I hope you make one!
Supplies:
Little Bird House

Wooden dowel
Wooden block
Stamperia Garden scrapbook paper
Dresden trim in white
Tiny rosebuds
Moss
Twigs

Thank you very much for dropping in!

nesting place

Hi everyone, it's Ann here today, sharing "nesting place" a project inspired by the start of spring. We have had glimpses of what is to come with some very warm days, which have  helped the daffodil bulbs begin to peek out of the ground. Spring is my absolute favorite season of the year and today marks its official start.

My "nesting place" is created using the Gypsy Soul Laser Cut mini shadowbox 3. This piece is fairly small, which was just the right size to house my nest and eggs. The mini house shadowbox 3 arrives in 6 pieces and requires simple assembly. For this project, I have also used tiny shingles standard on the sloped roof to give it an authentic house feel.

Once I have all the pieces laid out, I find the papers that I want to use to cover the sides and back of the house. I trace the outline of the (interior) surfaces to be covered and cut the paper to fit within the tabbed areas. This allows the pieces to fit securely together when assembling the house. When tracing the pieces to fit on the exterior surfaces, I keep to the outside edges. These pieces are adhered once the house sides and base are glued together. They will cover all of the joints to create a finished appearance at the edges.

While the box portion of the house is set aside to allow the glue time to cure, I begin work on the roof pieces. Both sloped chipboard pieces are painted brown, and while drying, I begin inking the shingle pieces. the tiny shingles standard are the perfect scale for this house. Each row is cut to the proper length and inked with brushed corduroy distress ink. This gives the look of real wood shingles. When the pieces are ready, they are layered onto the base. I begin at the eaves and layer each row on top of the next until I reach the peak of the slope. 

Note: one of the slope rectangular pieces is slightly longer than the other. When assembling, this piece extends above the second sloped piece at the peak. I attach the shingles to the second side and the last layer of shingles meets right at the roof ridge. 

A piece of thin dresden is adhered along the front edge of the slopes. This entire assembly is set aside to dry completely before being attached to the house.

I rub a small amount of gel stain into an old thread spool. When the stain has dried, I secure a piece of crocheted lace around the spool with distress collage medium. The spool is then attached to the center of the base of the house to raise it up. 

I twist some raffia and twig roping into a circle to create a small nest. I add a lot of glue to the base to keep the shape and set aside to dry. Three mini decorative eggs are coated with glue then covered with gilding flakes. These eggs rest at the center of the nest. 

A clipping sticker is cut to fit and attached to the rear of the house reading, "the pretty little birds chirped" and at the center of the bottommost house edge, a chit chat sticker reading, "home."

I hope you have enjoyed learning how I created "nesting place."

Maybe you are inspired to create your own spring project? If you do, the GSLC team and I would love seeing what you create! Please share it with us on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group on Facebook. You can find it here.Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today, 

I really appreciate it!

~Ann 

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts used:

tiny shingles standard

mini house shadowbox 3