All That Glitters

While visiting Cincinnati with the hubs (on a business trip for him), I happened on a Hobby Lobby store. ( I brake for:  Hobby Lobby, Michaels, JoAnns and most recently Ben Franklin's . . . and any cross stitch or quilting store.)  I LOVE the little Putz glitter houses and have pinned many examples of them on Pinterest.  I had visions of making some out of cereal boxes this year . . . then . . . what to my wondering eyes should appear:

Okay, well . . . it wasn't finished but, this is what I saw . . . or something like it.  Not a little Putz house but, a BIG one (unfortunately they only had one)!  It stands a foot high!  It really looked like this at the time:

Armed with my Mod Podge, an old book, Snow-Tex and sponge applicator I went to work to bring my vision to life!  I had purchased this old, fabulously aged  . . . worn and stained perfectly . . . book at an antique/flea market.  I knew I'd have a use for it eventually!  The book happens to be a copy of Les Miserables.  It would probably be worth something if it wasn't missing the first and last dozen or so pages and it's binding.  It was the perfect exterior wallpaper!  I angled it this way and that overlapping to cover the exterior walls.

Now I needed glitter . . . the "right" glitter . . . off to Michaels.  I bought two different glitters by Martha Stewart Crafts:  glow-in-the-dark glitter (for all the snow surfaces) and then a crystal fine glitter for the house walls, shutters (cut from a cereal box) and the fence (the fence pieces I had in my craft stash from some time ago . . . knew I'd have a use for them someday too.)  I initially mixed the crystal fine glitter with the mod podge and coated the wallpapered house . . . the glitter didn't show up . . . so, I mod podged again and sprinkled the glitter on while it was still wet . . . I could have been more heavy-handed with the glitter . . . may have to add more.  I cut the shutters out of a cereal box (it just needed some color) and painted them with red paint mixed with a gold leaf glaze.  When dry, I mod podged and sprinkled them with glitter also . . . "glued" them to the house with the mod podge.  I love working with Mod Podge.  You get all sticky and then it dries and you can peel it off your fingers . . . it's great!

 The snow-tex paint is very thick . . . seems to be sand mixed with paint.  It didn't go as far as I hoped and I needed more than one jar (this picture is as far as one jar went).  While the paint was still wet I sprinkled it with the glow-in-the-dark glitter.   I heard there was a Hobby Lobby as well as a Ben Franklin's store in Kingsport . . . 40 minutes from the house.  I found more snow-tex at Hobby Lobby and the rest of what I needed to "accessorize" my house at Ben Franklin's: the tiny wreaths and the sled . . . perfect!



The two little trees are compliments of Mark's Trains (the hub's train shop at the Tri-Cities Flea Market).


I used a patterned velum (found in the scrapbooking department) for the window panes and doubled a plain velum sheet for the door.  I "installed" a clip light (like a night light) by cutting a hole in the back.

ALSO . . . at Hobby Lobby I found MORE houses!  I bought another big one and a smaller one too (8 1/2" high).  I had visions of making these as gifts this year but, the hubs brought a brutal cold home from his business trip to Canada and I've been too sick to get much of anything done this past week.  On the mend now and frantically getting the decorating done and house cleaned up for the holidays . . . there's no time . . . we haven't even gotten our tree yet nor the Christmas cards done!  REWIND . . . I need that week I lost!!!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas,

a Happy and Healthy New Year,

Peace on Earth 

and 

prayers of comfort and healing for everyone affected by the Connecticut tragedy.

~*