Autumn in the Pumpkin Patch - Fall Lantern Decor

Hello! If you're a follower of mine on Instagram (@creativejuicefreshsqueezed) you might have seen my progression of sneak peeks of this latest project! It's finally complete and I can show you the whole thing now. The little shack in its pumpkin patch was destined to reside in a lantern and become my newest fall decor piece:

and an even closer look:

The wee little scene is overshadowed by a tree full of fall color!

… which is wired up with Tiny Lights!

I had to make sure the outside of the lantern was beautiful too:

Leaf embellishments are made using the
Oak Leaf 3-D Embossing Impresslits from Sizzix. Love!

I am entering this into The Funkie Junkie Blog "Creating Die-Na-Mite" Challenge. My project definitely utilizes dies! Check out their challenges, they are always fun themes!

Scroll on if you'd like a little tutorial on how I put this together!

The shack is made using some of the Tim Holtz Village Die Series (retired). I didn't really chronicle its construction, Tim has done several videos on how to put them together. I will note that the siding is inked Distress Woodgrain Cardstock cut into strips and the roof is metal tape on cardstock and then embossed with the new Mini Foundry 3-D Embossing Folder (absolutely perfect!!)

On to the base!

Step 1 - I cut a piece foam to fit in the bottom of the lantern and then built up areas of elevation with more foam and cardboard. I usually cover my base with plaster cloth to fill in the contours and make more textures. You can find it in the model/train sections of craft stores.

The tree I made according to a tutorial shared by Lucy Foxworth on her Paper Glitter Glue blog. Her instructions are great and easily adaptable to whatever tree shape you want to make. Check it out! I made my tree tall with arching branches because I knew I wanted to have large leaves hanging down in the foreground of the scene. I was playing with scale and forced perspective so the tree is larger and "out of scale" to the house but I think it works.

Step 2 - I painted the base and then added bits of moss and lichen from my landscaping stuff stash.

The pumpkins are actually seed pods I painted "pumpkin" colors.

Step 3 - Glued the pumpkins into the 'patch'! To help with the illusion of perspective I picked bigger pumpkins for the front and then put the tiniest ones in the back next the shack.

Step 4 - Wired the tree: I used two strands of Tiny Lights to wrap around the branches. My plan was to hide the battery/switch parts in the top of the lantern (photo later).

Step 5 - Leaves: I chose to cut my leaves out of colored coffee filters. I use filters a lot for making foliage and flowers. It dyes readily and has the look of tissue but is stronger. In this case, I wanted a substrate that would also allow the lights to shine through it. Tip: you can cut through several layers of filter paper at a time, both with steel rule and Thinlits dies. That made it easy to cut out lots of leaves at once!

Tree with die cut leaves:

At this stage, I popped the scene back into the lantern. Fortunately, this particular lantern had a metal top that was just screwed on. I was able to take it off and easily lift the scene in and out. I always find it easier to build scenes using a 'top loading' container so you can complete it outside of the container and then just pop it in. It doesn't always work out that way, but it's a plus when it does!

Step 6 - I put the lantern top back on and glued pieces of velcro into the top. I glued matching pieces onto the backs of the light controls. They tuck right in there out of sight!

Last but not least, I'll leave you with a detail photo of the tin roof because I love it so much. Yum!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies used:

Dies:

Tim Holtz Sizzix

3-D Impresslits Folder - Oak Leaf ( Sizzix / SB )

3-D Embossing Folder - Mini Foundry ( Sizzix / SB )

Fall Foliage

Tattered Leaves - retired

Mini Tattered Leaves, Movers & Shapers

Village Dwelling - retired

Village Surf Shack - retired

Village Fixer Upper - retired

Other:

Tim Holtz Stamp Sets - Falling Leaves, Grunged

Distress Woodgrain Cardstock

Crafter's Pick - The Ultimate! glue

Ranger Distress Halloween Mica Set

Distress Collage Medium - Matte

Ranger Heavystock - white

a zillion different Ranger inks and Distress Spray Stains

Distress Resist Spray

Idea-ology Tiny Lights

coffee filters

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