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

Some links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!) 

Christmastime in the Village

Hello! I am honored to be a guest designer on the Frilly & Funkie Challenge Blog today. The challenge theme is 'Most Memorable Gift'. When I was in grade school, I received a dollhouse one Christmas. I was ecstatic! It was a four room, yellow Victorian with real shingles! The inside was completely empty, waiting for my decorating touches. That gift sparked a passion for miniatures that lasted all the way through high school. As I got older, I gave away my dollhouse (my boys weren't interested lol) but I retained that love of tiny houses and settings. These days I indulge it by making little vignette boxes/ projects and of course diminutive settings for Tim Holtz Village houses. For this challenge, I decked out the village for Christmas! The neighbor down below is quite festive. ;-) 

(There are lots of photos!! Scroll on down past the supply list for the tutorial tips.)

I have decided I like the top loading lanterns the best because I can build
the whole scene outside the lantern and then just lower it in. Much easier!

The jingle bell garland around the top is merrily musical!

Here are details of the scene before I placed it into the  lantern:

I wanted to contrast the two neighbors. The house on the hill is a bit on the 'frilly' side while the person living down below is a bit 'funky' with their over the top Christmas decorating. I think it's quite fun all together!

Details:

The little snowman is made from paper clay and
covered with glitter (like my craft table!)

The Mini Christmas Things die set is perfect for making
all the lawn decorations for my little house. I was inspired
by a neighbor's house down the street. Their yard is stuffed full!

I used the Notebook embossing folder to make "siding" pieces to go
on all the walls of the blue house. Also, the pine tree cut hides the
light wire running down the corner of the house. ;-)

aaaand here it is with all the lights shining:

Whew! You made it through the first half of the post. Be sure to head on over to the Frilly & Funkie blog to check out the challenge and all the fab projects their design team made. Enter and you'll have a chance to win a $25 spending spree at the Funkie Junkie Boutique!

(In case you missed it, I completed a huge Halloween Village lantern project in October, check it out!)  

Dies Used: 

Sizzix (all Tim Holtz):

Village Dwelling (Sizzix / SSS) 

Village Manor (Sizzix / SSS) 

Village Bungalow (Sizzix / SSS) 

Village Rooftops (Sizzix / SSS) 

Village Landscape (Sizzix / SSS )

Village Christmastime (Sizzix / SSS)
Winter Wonderland (Sizzix / SSS)
Retro Merry Christmas (Sizzix / SSS)

Mini Christmas Things (Sizzix / SSS)
Paper Snowflakes (Sizzix / SSS)
Layered Snowflake - 660040 retired

A Jillian Vance Design:
Towering Tree Die set
Tranquil Tree Die

Other supplies:

Tim Holtz embossing folder Notebook

Tim Holtz Layering Stencils – Mini Set 28
Distress Ink – Antique Linen, Hickory Smoke, Pine Needles

Distress Oxide Ink – Broken China, Brushed Corduroy
Distress Spray Stains – Pine Needles, Cracked Pistachio, Mowed Lawn
Distress Dry Glitter - Rock Candy
Stickles Rock Candy, Pine Needles
Tim Holtz Ranger Grit Paste
Tim Holtz Mini Woodland Tree Lot
Tim Holtz Small Woodland Tree Lot
plaster cloth
Deco Art Snow paste (house tops)
Main base snow mixture 'goop': Cerulean Blue liquid acrylic paint, Prima Art Basics Light Paste, Prima Art Basics Gloss Gel, heavy body Titanium White acrylic paint

Simon Says Stamp and Sizzix links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also says thanks!)

********************************************************
All right, here we go with some tutorial action!
There are lots of videos on how to put together the houses, Tim Holtz has several on his blog. I'm mainly going to cover the base construction and lighting. See the tutorial on my Halloween Village blog post for more info as well.

I like to construct the bases out of foam core board (found at office/craft stores).

I played around with the placement of the houses and the trees before
gluing parts down.

I built up the terrain and filled in the supports with wadded paper and tape. Plaster cloth strips are easy to use and form nicely over the base.

oops, I forgot to take a photo after I did the plaster.

The roof lighting on the blue house was a bit tricky! Thanks goodness for fake snow; it covered up all the yucky wires and glue. I tacked all the wires in place with hot glue.

I wanted to have some shingles showing so I glued them around the edges. I also hot glued the bungalow dormers right on top of the wires. There was a big gap but that is what the fake snow is for. ;-)

I used a palette knife to spread on the snow texture paste and then sprinkled it with Rock Candy Dry Glitter while it was wet.

I used part of a garland of star LED lights I found at JoAnn's to light the houses themselves. I glued down a couple of bulbs where they would be underneath the houses and left the rest loose to position in the 'sky' once the base was inserted into the lantern. I then hot glued the houses in place and prepared my 'snow mixture goop'. I adapted a recipe I found on a model railroad landscaping tutorial to use media that I already had at hand (imagine that!) I used equal parts Prima Art Basics Light Paste, Prima Art Basics Gloss Gel, and Liquitex heavy body Titanium White acrylic paint. I added a tiny drop of Cerulean Blue paint. Once I spread it over the base I sprinkled it with the Rock Candy glitter. I had all my little decorations ready to go so I could stick them in the wet snow to glue them in place.

The battery boxes/switches for the light strands I fastened into the lantern lid with heavy duty hook and loop tape. You need to be able to swap the batteries in them!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out this really long post! I hope you are inspired. =) Merry Christmas to you all!

SaveSaveSaveSave

Tim Holtz Halloween Village Lantern

Well, it's taken me quite awhile, but I have finally completed my biggest lantern scene yet! I've been itching to create a complex scene in this really big lantern I've been lugging around for two years now. I hope you like it! It's just in time lol. If you are interested in the tutorial, it is all the way at the end of the post (which is long!)

The whole lantern stands about 29 inches tall.

Eek! A giant spider is attacking the village ha ha.

I made some custom muslin "ribbon" for the top.
See how in the tutorial.

I built the whole village on a base that could just slide right into the lantern since it opens from the top. It was much easier that way!

Also, I wired it up with little LED lights!

It looks so cool in the dark!

The manor house is also outfitted with a strobe pumpkin light. Tim Holtz did this for his manor house tutorial video and I thought it looked so cool I had to try it too. Unfortunately my video tech is sorely lacking and I couldn't get a good video of it in action in low light. So check out Tim's instead lol. It looks like that minus the sound effects.

On to more village closeups!

Of course the little church needed a spooky graveyard. I also put plenty of bats in the belfry! More of the graveyard continues around the back.

I colored the windows of the church with some bright colors of alcohol ink so they would shine like stained glass windows when the lights are on.

I used Clearly for Art Modeling Film for the ghosts. Heat the plastic and it can be
molded in a rippled, ghostly manner. Once it cools it stays put!

Each of the brownstones has a different look (because why not?)

Grit Paste and the brick and stone mini stencils are perfect for adding texture to the houses.

The roof of the yellow house is made from wood veneer tape!

Now let's go visit the mad scientist who lives on top of the hill. I hear he's invented a death ray…

He's the type to have a steam punkin' of course. (I covered a mini resin pumpkin with
pieces of metal foil tape and antiqued it with black alcohol ink.)

If you'd like to see some 'how-to' info, keep on scrolling! It's coming. Otherwise, thank you for stopping by to see my project. =)

I'm entering this project into the following challenges:

• the Frilly & Funkie Trick or Treat Challenge. The treat is that the hidden lights are on a timer so as night falls they pop on!

• the Emerald Creek Dares Freaky Fun! Challenge. This project is definitely full of freaky Halloween fun.

• the SanDee & amelie's Steampunk Anything Goes Challenge. I think our mad scientist is definitely a steampunk type fellow. Look at all his gears he left laying around!

Dies Used: 

Sizzix (all Tim Holtz):

Village Dwelling (Sizzix / SSS) 

Village Manor (Sizzix / SSS) 

Village Brownstone (Sizzix / SSS)

Village Bell Tower (Sizzix / SSS) 

Village Rooftops (Sizzix / SSS) 

Village Bungalow (Sizzix / SSS) 

Village Landscape (Sizzix / SSS) 

Village Graveyard (Sizzix / SSS) 

Witchcraft (Sizzix / SSS)

Halloween Shadows (retired strip die)

Crescent Moon & Stars (Sizzix / SSS)

Vintage Spirits (Sizzix / SSS)

Candlelight Fright (retired / SSS)

Other supplies:

Stampers Anonymouse – Joyful Song

Tim Holtz Layering Stencils – Mini Set 28, ZigZag, Batground

Ranger Woodgrain Cardstock
Tim Holtz Tiny Bells

Tim Holtz Mini Pumpkins
Tim Holtz Sprocket Gears & Mini Gears
Tim Holtz Fringe
Wood Veneer Tape (link for cherry wood color, I had birch, same brand though)
Wendy Vecchi Clearly for Art Modeling Film - Whiteout

Distress Ink – Black Soot, Ground Espresso, Pine Needles, Peeled Paint, Hickory Smoke, Forest Moss

Distress Ink Oxides – Antique Linen

Archvial Ink – Jet Black, Watering Can, Tree Branch, Tiger Lily, Orange Blossom

Alcohol Ink – Silver Mixative, Mushroom, Pitch Black, Butterscotch, Stream, Raspberry

Distress Stain – Hickory Smoke, Pumice Stone, Gathered Twigs
Distress Paint – Black Soot, Mustard Seed, Wild Honey 

Ranger Texture Paste, Distress Grit Paste, Distress Collage Medium, Wendy Vecchi Crackled Texture Paste

Tim Holtz Halloween Village Lantern
by MonalisaH -Lisa Hoel
Scrapbook.com

Scrapbook.com, Simon Says Stamp and Sizzix links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also says thanks!)

*********************************************
TUTORIAL TIME!! You stuck in there, good for you!

I'm mainly going to talk about the base construction and lighting. There are lots of videos on how to put together the houses – Tim Holtz has really good ones on his blog.

To start, I made some quick little house mockups so I could move them around and get an idea of how I was going to fill up the space in the lantern.

Next I moved to making mockup pillars to play with the heights of the houses. It helped me to visualize the 3-D space.

Once I established the proper spacing, I cut the base and support pillars out of foam core board. (Truly a wonder of a substrate.) I used a glue gun to fasten all the structures in place.

The platform for the manor house got a 'pavement' treatment using Texture Paste and the Mini Stencil Set #28.

 I used crumpled newspaper as filler around the rises and taped it into place.

Time for the plaster cloth! This is plaster impregnated cheesecloth that you dip in water and then form around your landscape feature. It's commonly used in model railroad landscaping. It was really easy to use but a bit messy. I had my work surface well covered with plastic.

Before the plaster had completely set up, I checked to make sure that nothing was sticking out beyond the edges of my hexagonal base. That would have been a major bummer to have it hitting the glass walls of the lantern!

Bright white wasn't exactly the look I was going for so I first sprayed it with a DecoArt Media Carbon Black Mister (it's permanent when dry). Then I painted over that with various Deco Art Media Liquid Acrylics in greens, greys and browns. I also kept in mind that I'd be covering parts in landscaping foam later on.

The mister made it really easy to quickly lay down a base
coat and get in the nooks & crannies.

Once I finished the base, I made all the houses. (Insert long pause for all the time it took to make the houses.) Then it was time to figure out the lighting. I made loops of the light strand to fit under each building and played around with the spacing until I had it all evenly distributed. I temporarily taped it into place while I was figuring it out.

When it was all set, I hot glued each loop in its spot. With the loops glued, I could fiddle around with the extra wire in between the loops and tuck it away and glue it into place too.

Any shiny copper wire that was going to show I painted over with black or grey paint.

I rigged my strobe light like Tim suggested in his Manor House Tutorial video. I also wanted the manor to be lit like the others so I wrapped a portion of the light strand around the strobe battery box. I did not glue it down because I want to be able to change the batteries for the strobe. The manor house can lift off the base so I can turn on the strobes. The other houses are glued down.

The battery box for the lights is tucked up under the lantern lid. It is fastened in place with heavy duty Velcro Extreme Outdoor strips. Probably overkill, but I didn't want to risk the battery box coming loose and squishing my scene!

For the top decoration, I tore strips of muslin and stenciled on them with archival inks. I also had some black sari silk ribbon which looked good with the frayed muslin.

Whew! This is an epic post! I think it even beats my Atlantis Steampunk Journal post. I really appreciate you taking time to view my post. I hope you have a fab weekend and a happy Halloween!