Growing A Cottage Garden Part 8

Looking at the front of the cottage, especially the front door area, it needed a lot more oomph. So to start with, I wanted to explore some wreath options. I've made real life wreaths before, but never mini ones. So, I decided to go through the drawers and see what I could come up with. The extra ones that didn't make the final cut can be sent off along with some other goodies (when I find time to make them) for some special friends I know...

Based on the supplies I have on hand, here were my options for wreath making and how I made them. Maybe you'll find something helpful, or they may spark an idea for you.

The first material that came to mind was the grapevine material that I used to make the rose tree for the arbor. I have plenty left, but the problem is that it was too stiff and brittle to bend into a small enough circle.

So, I boiled about 4 cups of water in a Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave and let the grapevine steep for about an hour.

That made them cooperative, and all I had to do then was to cut a few lengths, shape them into circles, then hold them in place with floral wire.

I had these heart shaped wreathes in my supply drawer. I'm not sure where I picked them up, but they're probably easy to find. Or, using the boiling water method, you could easily make your own. It just looks like they're folded in half, then held together in the middle. What looks like skinny brown twig wrapping them is actually rusty floral wire.

For a super simple wreath, I just slathered one of the heart shaped wreaths with Quick Grab Tacky Glue, then added foliage from some Bill Lankford Creeping Phlox that I've had floating around in my landscaping drawer for years. I cut a piece, stuck it to the wreath, let it dry, then gave it a trim to shape it.

For one of the grapevine wreath circles, I added some leftover Aster stems from the garden,

It needed a bow, so I thought I would share how to make an easy bow making jig and bows. You'll need a pretty stout corsage pin. Mine is about 2" long and I'd say about 26 gauge. Then you'll need an earring back with the circular plastic thingy attached. And finally, a regular earring back. You'll also need some silk ribbon. I used 1/16" and 1/8" wide ribbon.

This is how to set up your jig. The earring back with the circular plastic thingy is the work platform, and the regular earring back is just a cap for the end of the pin so you won't poke yourself getting it out of storage.

To make a simple bow, leave a little tail on the end and slide a ribbon, centered, onto the pin. Slide it down to the earring back work platform. About 1/4" seems to be a good working distance to have the earring back from the end of the pin.

Now make a loop as long as you'd like from the long end of the ribbon. Just before you slide it all the way to the work platform, apply a dot of clear drying glue to either side of the pin. Then seat the ribbons together and let set up for a minute. I use the Quick Dry Tacky glue because it grabs quick, doesn't stain the ribbon, holds well and dries clear.

Now make an equally sized second loop. If you get it too large or small, just remove it from the pin and try again. You'll get the hang of it quick enough! Before you slide it all the way down, add the glue again. Let this set up on the jig to dry. To remove it, carefully put your tweezers between the earring back work platform and the ribbon and gently slide off.

Then just cut the ends to your desired length. Cutting them at an angle looks nice. Bow making made easy! But wait! If you want to make a bow for a gift box, just keep doing this process until you feel like you have enough loops. The Christmas bows below have 24 loops and are made with self sticking ribbon.

There are a lot of ways to attach the bows to the wreaths. For this one, I added a floral wire to the center, twisted, then twisted it onto the wreath.

For the next front door candidate, I thought using some of the leftover Camellia flowers would be nice. To give some additional greenery as a base, I added some reindeer moss to about 60% of the wreath.

Then I glued on five flowers...

Then some additional leaves...

Then punched some tiny flowers from paper...

Then added a bow. I inserted a corsage pin through the center where the two loops met, threaded that through to the back of the wreath, then bent the rest to make a hanger. A dot of glue under the bow and where the pin comes out of the back will hold it nicely.

For a super cheap and easy wreath, I cut a few circle shapes from styrofoam, then cut out a hole in the center, then sliced in half to make it a better thickness. I coated all sides with Tacky Glue to give it some support and stability, let dry, then painted all sides in green.

For the base. you can coat it in reindeer moss, or any fine miscellaneous ground cover in the color of your choice. I had several different kinds of "Garden Growies", so that's what I used.

I coated all surfaces in tacky glue, then dropped them into a small container with the ground cover to coat. Once thoroughly dry, remove any loose material and trim with scissors to shape.

This makes a fine backdrop to add flowers, beads, bows, birds, letters, dried seeds, small miniatures such as a garden trowel etc. It's fun to go through your drawers and play until an idea seems like a good one. You can see how I finished mine in a later photo.

To make the hangers for these, I used 4-1/2" of 1/8: ribbon and a 2.5 mm jump ring.

I slid the jump ring onto the ribbon, then slid the ribbon through the center of the wreath. I added a small dab of Tacky Glue to the left end of the ribbon...

Then pressed the two ends together.

Once dry and set, I spun the ribbon 180 degrees so that the glued ends were in the center of the wreath, slid the jump ring up to the end, then glued the ribbon together. Once dry and set, I glued the ends back around on itself so the seam was behind the wreath.

You can adjust your ribbon to whatever length you need it to hang, just double it and add a little extra for the wreath width and the seam.

Here are some of the ones I finished. You can also use lycopodium to make a Christmas wreath. Just apply the glue to your wreath, then wrap the lycopodium clockwise overlapping the narrow tips over the base just a little until it completly covered. Then just add a hanger, a bow and some beads in your favorite Christmas themed colors. You can also add gingerbread cookie men and cookie cutters like I did for last year's Sweet Christmas Cottage.

I settled on this one for the front of the cottage, but can easily switch them out seasonally or whenever I get a better idea. Do you see those nine empty pots around the step? Yes, I have yet more flowers to make and plant. And I have to fill the planters in the fences, But I did get a couple key projects done!

I turned an old Reallife Miniatures weathervane into one with a teapot rather than the whale it came with. The teapot is a cheap plastic one that must have come with a set of pans or something. It was easy to drill a hole into the bottom  so I could slide the pole up into it.

I painted it with a copper leafing pen and let it dry overnight. Then I gave it a copper, patina and verdigris gilders paste treatment, followed by a wash of Coffee Bean. It looks like it's scene a few years!

Here it is on the cottage. To make the support, I cut a piece of copper tubing to size, then made a strap out of cardstock and painted it with the copper leafing pen. I glued and nailed it into the dormer. Boy that was a delicate operation, but the prayers worked!

Speaking of delicate operations... Betsy - these hinges are thanks to you! I said if hinges are something that Betsy loves, well then, I should try and enjoy the process, too! Man those nails were tiny! All twelve of them!!! But all went well...

And now the gate is finished!!!

So, in spite of the good progress, the "How To Grow A Cottage Garden" posts will continue on. At least one more, I think. I have more flowers to make, fence planters to plant, fences to install, and two back gutters to finish. Then will it be done? I hope so, because it's getting cold out and I'd love to start working inside!

xo xo,
Jodi

Growing A Cottage Garden Part 7

When last I left you, I was figuring out how to make an armature out of metal wire for the Camellia tree. The wire, purchased on Amazon, came in a set of varying gauges. This was because I really wasn't sure until I actually played with it how big a diameter I should use and how long I should make it. I settled on a mixture of three strands each of the 1 mm, 1.5 mm and 2 mm wire. I made each length 36", essentially doubling the length of the 18" area I needed the tree to cover. Then, following Luke Towan's instruction video, I folded the length in half leaving a twist at the middle for roots. I had to size my measurements up from Luke's, naturally, because I am not working in HO train scale. To keep the roots in the pot, I positioned them in the pot and then added layer after layer of hot glue until it was completely affixed and stable. It really made a nice work stand!

I decided to try using Woodland Scenics Latex Rubber to coat the wire tree armature, because Luke's video said it remained flexible once dry and painted. I had a lot of areas to conform the tree to, so having some flexibility was crucial. The link I provided is the eBay seller where I purchased the product, though it is widely available and probably much cheaper if you're willing to brave traffic or wait a while for shipping. I had mine in two business days. I found the latex rubber as easy as thick paint to apply and the odor not too bad. I applied three good coats and let them dry thoroughly in between. It dries semi-opaque and semi-clear with just a slight yellow tone.

Applying paint to the dried latex rubber was much easier than I expected and it adhered well. I used everyday acrylic craft paint to give an undertone in a color called Honeycomb. Then, I applied a few washes of Raw Sienna so that it settled into the cracks and gave nice definition. I added a couple coats of the Raw Sienna floated in satin glazing medium for a little depth, then sealed the entire tree in Ultra Matte Mod Podge. I wanted the sealer to remain flexible, as well.

I put the tree back in place and bent it to shape again before beginning to apply the Camellia flowers. To apply them to the tree, I wrapped the wire ends around the tree so that I could later adjust them if and as needed.

Out of the one-hundred-forty-four stems, I reserved nine to make up a vase for inside. I also saved five to place into a picking basket. After I felt the tree was sufficiently covered, I still had fourteen left. So how many Camellias does it take to cover a tree? Exactly one-hundred-sixteen! :O)
And how many leaves did it take? Let's just say that I have four of the eleven sheets left!
And once the leaves and blooms were on, I filled the pot with some white glue and "dirt", then fit the tree in place. I am not sure what season my garden is in, or what is supposed to bloom when, but in my make believe world, it makes perfect sense. And the latex rubber was definitely the way to go! My branches bent and conformed with ease and with no sign of stress.

I tried to stay productive while waiting for the mail, then later, waiting for substances to dry. I had an Ascot Water Heater kit from Phoenix Models to put together, so that's what I did while Russ was watching football. It was fiddly, and had to be put together in several stages. With drying time in between, there was lots of two part epoxy mixing required. I also had to look at a lot of online photos of real Ascot gas water heaters because I found the instructions a little sparse. Eventually, I figured it out. I made it look old using Elizabeth's excellent glass paint aging technique.

I also needed a gas meter. Clever Elizabeth made one from a dollar store lip gloss container, but as I hate to go STORE shopping, I had to look through my junk drawers. I came up with an old QuickBooks card reader. The size and shape were just right, so after pulling the green card slot part off, it was the perfect starting point.

I had some hollow plastic (Wilson) lollipop sticks which bent pretty easily after holding them over a candle flame for a few seconds. There's a bit of a learning curve in terms of how long to hold it over the flame and how much pressure to use to bend it, but I was satisfied with my results. For the regulator (the round thing), I used a spacer bead, a pot metal wheel and a corsage pin. I also used spacer beads as fittings where the pipes connect to the meter, wall and to the ground. For the spigots (emergency shut off valve?), I used more spacer beads and nails. I drilled holes into the pipes so that they would sit and seat correctly. I used the epoxy to adhere these parts. For the meter display panel and to cover over the QuickBooks embossing on the meter body, I had leftover frame matting cut from my Cricut.

After I had all of the parts glued together, I sprayed it with flat gray spray primer. It was really cold in the garage, so I just sat with the paint can between my thighs until it was nice and warm. Then I quickly sprayed and brought the paint board into the house to dry. I found a photo of an old gas meter face plate and resized it to fit my frame. I glued it to the front of the painted (and dry) meter, then filled in the "glass" with Glossy Accents. Once that was dry, I aged with washes of Burnt Sienna and Cocoa Bean.

And while waiting for all of that to set and dry, I made some birdhouses...

And finally, before I go, I want to share something with you. Often the people in our lives don't get miniatures. They don't understand how and why these tiny things become so precious and special to us. I have come to believe that you either get it and develop a passion, or you don't. And what happens to all of those precious things when we pass on? If you're lucky, you have friends in life to share the passion with and can pass them on there. But if not, your family might just see all you've carefully created and collected as a burden that they must bear when you're gone. But if you're really lucky, a family member will know just where to find the perfect person to pass on and protect that legacy. Keli was asked and graciously accepted that responsibility, and has made sure that things once treasured still are. If you haven't read or don't remember about Charlene's Legacy, you must read Keli's posts. Keli has passed many things on, and just recently, I received the honor of some of those gifts.

Delicate bird cage with tiny bird, Faberge egg with Cardinal, tiny glass slipper, lady figurine and embroidery pillow.

Gorgeous 20 piece china dinner set.

Thank you, Keli, for entrusting me with the things that once belonged to and were loved by Charlene. I will display them proudly, and treasure them until it's time for me to pass them on!

I'm so grateful that through technology, I have all of you to share the joy and passion for miniatures with! I truly treasure each of you, and am so happy you are here!

xo xo,
Jodi

Growing A Cottage Garden Part 6

I think I may have mentioned that I am going to try and make a Camellia tree for the garden. It's leaves have been used to make tea since tea making first began. It is said to help digestive disorders, and the flower varieties are vast and beautiful.

I'm using leaf and petal sheets from SDK for the flower parts. I have a lot of them - twelve sheets each of small and large petals, and eleven sheets of leaves. This means one-hundred-twenty full flower stems, twenty-four blooming buds, and one-thousand-one-hundred-twenty-two large and small leaves. As you can imagine, this will take a while, and I hope I have enough...

Wires, leaf and petal sheets, instructions and calculations.

The first step was to cut one-hundred-forty-four wire stems and dip the ends in paint. I spent every spare moment I had over the last week coloring petals with Pastel Pink ProMarker and leaves with alcohol ink. My petals turned more of a salmon pink on the majority of the petal sheets (I was sent two vastly different kinds of petal paper), but that still worked well with the color scheme of the cottage (though I would have preferred them lighter).

Round one with two petals took about four hours.

Round two with petals 3-4 took four more hours...

For the fifth and sixth petals I stopped keeping track of time.

And then there was a set of leaves to add. I'm only adding two to each stem, for now. The remaining eight-hundred-thirty-four leaves will be added last, to fill out the tree.

And speaking of tree...

Here is the beginning of the armature. Can you tell it's my first time? I have Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty on hand to give Brae's tree making method a try. I also have Woodland Scenics Latex Rubber on the way. I am going to experiment with it as well, following the instructions on Luke Towan's video. l'll report about my findings next post.

And last but not least this week, I promised Fluby a photo after I had made the Strawberry Plant kit. Birgit, please show him the photo. I hope he finds my strawberries satisfactory!

I hope to be back with Camellia Tree progress next week, though I am starting to believe that the "Growing A Cottage Garden" posts may reach 11 or 12!

Keep away from the ghouls, they're a bad lot of fools!

xo xo,
Jodi