Natalia's Fine Needlework: September 2011

I want to thank sincerely everyone who participated in both of my giveaways and have become my new followers. I enjoined visiting your blogs and reading your stories a lot. I hope it didn't bother you to answer the questions I offered to you. It is such a great feeling to know that, inspite of all problems we have, we still keep smiling. I wish all your dreams come true one day! Unfortunately, I can't give $1,000.000 to each of you. Unfortunately, there is only one winner in this Giveaway, but I am sure that we all will be happy for that person.

THE WINNER OF THE FALL GIVEAWAY 2011 IS...

!!! T O R R E S R O S E L L !!!

http://minisrose.blogspot.com/

Please, contact me at scarletsails@live.com (I need your physical address).

For those who liked the furniture, you can find it at my on-line store:
http://www.scarletsailsminiatures.com/shopnow.html?page=shop.browse&category_id=16

Thanks a gain and have a nice weekend!

First of all you need to find a teacup and saucer. The size of the teacup depends on your project and what scene actually you would like to make inside. It is not necessary should be a house, it can be any other scene. I was looking for a very beautiful flower design, but then I changed my mind. I didn't want too much colors on my teacup and I thought that saucer will be decorated and covered and nobody will see the design. It is also doesn't matter where your teacup was made in. As you see, everything is a just a matter of your preference. For example, for my other Cup Project I am thinking to use a deep bowl.
This is how my teacup and saucer looked before

Place the teacup on the saucer in the position you would like it to see. When placing the cup be sure to anchore the handle to the saucer if the design will allow and to keep the lip of the cup level or just below the edge of the saucer so your ground will be as flat as possible. The HANDLE SHOULDN'T BE GLUED TO THE SAUCER!,

and glue it, I used 527 Multi-Use Glue (you can buy it at any Craft stores)

Let it dry.

While you are waiting for your teacup to be glued, make a template for a ground. I cut a circle out of paper that had an approx. size of the saucer with a little "tongue" that goes inside the cup and symbolize a ground for the house.

Now, if you look at the next picture, you will see, why I asked you not to glue the handle to the saucer:

Trim the edges of your template, cutting as close to the edges of the saucer as possible, making it even.

Take a chip board

trace your template on it and cut it out

try it on your cup (it should be glued already) and trim it if necessary

Then, paint this chip board in dark green and let it dry.

While it is drying, take a plastic bag (I used just a bag from a grocery store), put some Fine Turf (I used Green Grass),

spread it evenly on the surface

OK, back to the green chip board. Dried? Good! Now you will need General Purpose 45 Spray Adhesive, or you can use a hair spray.

I would advise to go outside, or in the bathroom and spray that dried green piece of chip board with Spray Adhesive (or your hair spray). After that with a sprayed surface put your chip board in Fine Turf and push it all around. I found out that sprinkling green ground cover over doesn't help. Shake the excess, then spray again and "sink" it in Fine Turf again. Shake the excess. Let dry.

Take you green ground cover and glued with 527 or E6000 glue to the saucer. Put it aside.

Time to build a house! Here is the templates, refer to the squares:

Cut house front out of wood - be sure to watch the grain of the wood and make your first cut across the grain - then cut the gable in the front. Cut the top angles of the side pieces - save the triangles to use as the roof on the gable at the front of the house. Decide where you want your window and cut the opening before you assemble the house - remember again to make the cuts across the grain first.

Glue the sides and front together
front view

back view

side view

Try it in your teacup to see if it fits, :)))))

Aren't you tired yet?! If not, let's decorate your house now, and it is all you, without my help. Here some tips for you though:
Stain the frame of the window to match your house trim. Make the windows panes in window by painting with thinned Elmers glue over wax paper. Make take more than one coat for a complete pane of glass. Paint the background color of the house and stain the trim.

Add trim to the house as desired and insert window when dry.

I also used the sand that I brought from the Californian coast last summer for a trimming the base of the house and making the sidewalk (mixed it a little bit with Fine Turf)

Cut and paint shingles (I used chip board).

Glue them to the roof of your house

Dry fit the house to the yard and then glue into place. Add front stoop over the sidewalk where your door will be.

You are done. You are on your own now!

As for me, I added:
vines on the walls and roof, I made a flower bed (on this picture you don't see flowers yet, they haven't grown up yet). I used Green Poly Fiber that has been sprayed and covered with Fine Turf

Don't forget to cut the excess of that Poly Fiber to give it a natural look. On this picture you can see little pieces of Poly Fiber around that has to be cut