I
was recovering from back surgery number 3 and had spent 3 months in bed
and was anxious to get back to my toys. However it was about 6 months before
I was able to do that. I needed something small and easy to handle,
so I ordered the Aster Cottage and decided on making an english garden..I
made this the front of the little cottage. The fence is made from
popsicle sticks, the posts are porch support posts cut to size, the gates
are hinged. The flowers are all the tiny dried ones, painted with
the Tulip Fabric Dye, except the roses, they are the tiny silk ribbon roses
found in craft and fabric shops. They are also highlighted with the
fabric dye.
This
is the side view. I used some 60 grit brown sandpaper to make the
roofing on the flat surface of the gable, trimed the edges into scollops
to match the shingles.
The stepping stones you can see on each side toward the back of the picture
are made from leftover stucco. The little sauce containers you get
with take-out food make great mini tools. I used the lids as molds
of these.
This
is the back, it has a dutch style door.
The
arbor at the back gate is made from house scraps and stripwood. The window
box is also made form scraps.
There
is a bird feeder hanging in the white flowering tree, it is made from scraps
and filled with grits and instant coffee to look like bird seed.
The bird is made from one of the tiny white doves used in cake decorating,
I cut off the wings and reshaped them and glued them back on and painted
it red with black to look like a cardinal. The tree is a silk branch,
it had no leaves so I cut tiny leaves from some larger silk ones and glued
them on the stems. The fern in the pot is made form florist tape,
made mold on the pot with crushed florist foam. The bench is also
made from scraps and stripwood.
More cottage pictures on the next page....
