2016 Best Nine....Vintage Christmas for the Win!

Long time no chat!

My blog posts have become infrequent

since joining Instagram 2 years ago.

It's easy to see why, when many creations

and happenings may not seem "blog-worthy"

but perfect for Instagram.

So rather than show you a long

stream of photos,

Here is a 2016 Best Nine collage

of my most popular posts on Instagram

last year.

Clearly, people LOVE vintage Christmas.
I think it has everything to do with nostalgia.
We are clamoring for things that remind us
of childhood Christmases.
And no arm-twisting is required to
encourage me to create with vintage elements,
so expect to see a lot more of that this year.

Although there is a vast array of social media options out there,
I immediately appreciated the beauty and simplicity
of Instagram. I would love it if you joined me there,
where I post regularly with my original Creations,
Junking Treasures,
adorable Animals from my Pet-Sitting assignments,
and some Nature thrown in.

Visit me on Instagram Here:
@MagiaMiaEtsy

Whimsical Dutch-Inspired Christmas Centerpiece

I have a dear friend in The Netherlands

and it has influenced my Junker's eye the past few years.

I now seem to have a radar for windmills and wooden shoes.

I try very hard to not get carried away and impulsive

with my purchases, since there is a plethora

of Dutch souvenirs in the thrift store.

I recently acquired 2 pairs of clogs at the auction,

but didn't have immediate plans for them.

The smaller ones got a bad paint job,

which displayed a poor attempt to improve the 

existing Dutch scenery. Since sanding wasn't helping,

I decided to work some chalk paint magic + distressing instead.

But I didn't stop there.

Ta Da!

I was originally thinking of fitting a small

windmill next to the tree, but then I had an epiphany!

Why not make the tree the windmill?

And really, any excuse to use more mercury beads 

is a win as far as I'm concerned!

The beads are threaded onto thin pipe cleaners,

which I wired together 

then tucked into the treetop with hot glue.

Lots of fun crafty items in this piece.

A little classic, a little kitsch,

and lots of German glass glitter.

The mini Dutch people were from a package

of NOS mini European people from Meyer Imports.

Apparently they were used for snow globes.

I knew they had to join this ensemble.

I secured everything well enough to sell,
but I think I've grown a bit attached to it.
Maybe I'll have to just make more then...:-)


Join Me on Instagram

@MagiaMiaEtsy

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Putzing Around.....Creating Light-ready Putz Houses

My first 2015 Christmas Putz Houses....

So many little pieces of silver Dresden

to form windows! 

The dimensional flat-back trees are New Old stock 

from Meyer Imports. 

After perusing all the old humble Putz house designs,

one of my favorite details were the sweet spotted rooftops

meant to resemble snow. Let me tell you, purposely painting

imperfect spots took some control from a

perfectionist painter like me.

I do love my silverleaf and German glass glitter,

and used copious amounts of each on this little gem.

I also used silver Dresden and mini tinsel trim.

Now for the lighted part.

Since this is my first year to create 

light-ready Putz houses, some additional

work was required. You have to make the

interior look presentable (as in no unpainted surfaces), and cut holes

for the windows, as well as one for inserting a light.

I used transparency film for the windows,

and coated them with Mod Podge & Varnish,

then tinting them with yellow alcohol ink,

so they glow warm when the light is on inside.

Just for fun, I created a lead glass look

on these windows to add to the whimsical

storybook quality of this house.

Same ingredients as the other windows,

but drew lines first with a fine Sharpie.

The hole on this is to accommodate a battery tealight,

and on this storybook one for a tiny light.

For the red house, I created the same design

as my Halloween house...

A sliding hatch to cover the hole.

Being roomy enough for a battery tealight,

yet shallow from front to back, the hole would

be too visible without a cover.

These houses are now available in my Etsy shop,

and more are being created!

Join Me on Instagram

@MagiaMiaEtsy

Hobbit-Inspired Fairy House Box with Paper Mache & Paperclay

 I've been wanting to create a Fairy house all year and finally got around to it. 

It's a good warm-up for getting back into the Putz house construction groove again.

So beginning with a round 3" paper mache box.......

Ta Da!

I wanted this creation to have the versatility of being either a trinket box or Fairy house,
thus the lidded box.

 I cut holes for windows so they could be illuminated with a battery tealight. The lid of this paper mache box has been properly camouflaged, and I added the fun feature of a "skylight" into it, so light will shine through it as well.

UPDATE:
I just lined the interior with crisp moss green crepe paper,
so I think the vivid color will be a great contrasting
backdrop through the windows when lit up!

To add a little more whimsy, I used my brown German Glass Glitter for the soil around the base as well as lining the skylight hole. I'm hoping this will make the skylight twinkle when it's lit.

I made the door from the pulp seed starter
pictured at the top of the post.
After playing with its bark-like texture this Spring
for my Woodland Fairy basket & cup,
I knew it would be perfect for a house door.

Though these Paperclay stones are easier to shape than cutting real stone, not sure how ambitious I am to create this finish multiple times. I usually see this type of surface imprinted or drawn into a sheet of clay, but I formed itty bitty individual stones, then glued each one to the wall. I also mottled several different paint tints to each one. Oy!

I painted the styrofoam brown before gluing on the Reindeer moss,
since it represents the earth the moss is growing on.

Inspired by Hobbit houses, I gave this the look of being built up against a mossy hill. Now of course a true Hobbit house would be a lot more of a mound, with the unmistakable round door, but I think this could still find a place in Hobbiton. 

I could live here....;-)

Join Me on Instagram!
@MagiaMiaEtsy

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Tabletop Steampunk Fairy Garden in a Cricket Box

After crafting the Woodland-inspired gift boxes
from paper-mache,
I believe I'm on a creative roll.

I've had a couple of brass cricket boxes for a while now, that I aged with bleach, because I very much prefer dark brass with patina, versus shiny and bright.
I had intended to sell them empty after I darkened them,
but reindeer moss was sitting nearby,
and started a chain reaction.

Plain ol' brass cricket box is now a tabletop 

Steampunk Fairy Garden.

So many materials that are fun to play with,

look great together,

and just plain make an instant statement.

Chartreuse reindeer moss & Tamarack cones

equals natural elegance!

But I couldn't stop there.

I added a homemade toadstool,

created with pulpy paper, a piece of twig,

and brown German glass glitter.

After that step, I decided the background

looked dark and empty,

so I created a rustic fence using more twig pieces.

Finally, the coppery brass was whispering 

"Steampunk" to me,

so I dug into my chain stash for this

textured chunky perfection.

As for the construction,

I secured styrofoam to the base

to hot glue everything to.

I wanted the lid to be fixed at just

the right angle, so I twisted some semi-stiff wire, 

wrapped it with brown floral tape,

stuck it into the foam,

then hooked it to the lid through a cutout.

I enjoyed making this so much, that I'll craft another one

with the smaller box.

This treasure is now available in my Etsy shop.

Join me on Instagram!

@MagiaMiaEtsy

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