Gnome Tree Stump House

 Hi Everyone, I was inspired this past week to try to create my first Gnome Tree Stump House.  I think it turned out really well.  I again used a ton of paper mache to create the bark on the tree stump, in which i didn't know how to create the texture of the bark. So about 10:00pm at night i went outside and dug through the snow in the garden to get to the Red Wood Chips in the flower beds.  I found a couple of wood pieces with lots of texture and points which i thought if i use to squish into the paper mache i might get a pretty good look for the lines and impression of wood for the tree stump house.  I spent many hours layering and texturing the paper mache onto the structure i formed to create the tree stump.  I was able to complete the tree stump in about a 7 day period in my free time, which i dont sleep much, so about 40 hours of work to complete it.  I also was very worried with trying to get a realistic looking color for the tree bark, in which it involved about 5 different layers of paint that i watered down and painted on, lots of trial and errors.  Which i do admit, i don't remember any of my painting techniques i use when I am creating my houses and I get so involved in the creating process i forget to take notes or pictures.  Plus I am very stubborn and don't follow directions very well on techniques other people use, which after lots of internet searching there are not a lot of descent examples of painting realistic looking bark techniques.  I have always been a believer in trying to create everything from what little memory i have of past painting techniques or try to create some new technique.  I worked on the house while the paper mache dries since it will take a good 3 days for the outside to harded, and up to a month or longer for the paper mache to dry deep inside, since some of it on the tree stump is around 1/2 to 1 inch thick.  In person the tree stump house almost has the real feeling of tree bark and in a variety of different lights has a almost realistic color of bark, my cell phone doesn't do very good justice for the lighting when i am taking pictures.  I hope you all enjoy my latest creation and it inspires you to be creative.  Have a Wonderful Month.  Stan

 I thought i would turn a wall lamp upside down and take the shade off and glue on some little leaves to give it more of a gnome lighting look. 

 I also at the last minute thought i should cover the lamps with leaves to give them a gnome lighting look also.  I also enjoyed spending about 3 hours creating miniature gnome pictures for the walls around the house, by finding pictures online and reducing in since and printing out and making a very inexpensive way to decorate the walls.  At the last minute i decided the living area needed a fire place so i hurried and created one out of cardboard then covered in the Popsicle sticks.

 I used some on my favorite furniture, the table and chairs a miniature friend Laura Crane created which I did not want to part with but the house called for something special.  Which will probably break my heart when i sell the house with them in it.  But i guess i could always buy some more from her.. I love her work. 

 I think the bedroom lamps i covered with leaves are my favorite one. 

The Old Lady Who Lived In A Shoe

Hi Everyone I wanted to share my most recent creation, the Old Lady Who Lived In A Shoe House.  I think this one was one of my favorite ones which took me out of my comfort zone into more of a fantasy childrens book story house.  I don't do perfectly cute houses that all perfect and I started to think while I was building this house if there were truly a miniature lady living in a shoe that the shoe would probably be very old and would be outside with moss growing on it.  It took me a couple of weeks to build this house with only spending about 3 hours a day on it when I could find time to work on it.  I created a basic frame with poster board and some tape to get the basic shoe structure formed.  Them I used a ton of paper mache to sculpt the shoe and basic siding of the house, with lots of hand cut cardboard shingles and popsicle sticks for the interior walls and floors.  I also wanted a sense of lots of children living in the house with the old woman per the story, thus I created lots of miniature childrens drawing I have hanging throughout the house.  It will probably take another month or longer for all the thick paper mache to dry on the shoe since some of it is 1/2 to 1 inch thick.  I hope you all enjoy and are inspired by my latest creation.  I'm hoping it will be a big hit at the upcoming fall sales show this year.  Have a Wonderful Month Everyone.  Stan

It took me about 4 hours to apply all the thick paper mache to the house and sculpt and smooth it around the house.  I ran to Home Depot to find some round metal pieces that I thought would look great where the shoe lases come through.  

A basic rough in of the poster board I used to shape the shoe.  With lots of tape at the tip of the shoe which I used some grocery bags to get a rounded tip to the shoe.