In Colour Houses!

"Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,

Be it ever so humble, 

there's no place like home!

A charm from the skies

seems to hallow us there,

Which, seek through the world,

is ne'er met with elsewhere.

Home! Home, sweet sweet home!

There's no place like home!

There's no place like home!

. . . 

To thee, I'll return

overburdened with care,

The heart's dearest solace

will smile on me there.

No more from that cottage

again will I roam.

Be it ever so humble,

there's no place like home.

Home! Home, sweet sweet home!

There's no place like home!

There's no place like home!"

- John Howard Payne -

Hello!  Today I am sharing a framed "home" project I worked on this week using die cuts made using several Stampin' Up! die sets - Simply Zinnia (item 163479), Changing Leaves (item 164138), Country Birdhouse (item 163400), Country Flowers (item 163410), Delicate Forest (item 162679), Adventurous Sky (item 163446), and Frosted Forest (item 164136); Designer Series Papers - current and recently retired; the Frosted Forest Decorative Masks (item 164350); wood "house" (arrow) shape from Dollar Tree; three chipboard house shapes - the two smaller "house" shapes (arrows) I purchased at a local scrapbooking shop, and the larger house shape was a leftover page from a chipboard album I have had in my stash for several years; a thrift store frame with a 10" square opening, glass removed; and a few vintage keys.  I was in the mood for some bright and happy houses!  How wonderful it would be to live in a community full of modest but brightly coloured houses, surrounded by trees and big beautiful flowers! 

Simply Zinnia dies - 163479

Changing Leaves dies (also includes Hybrid Embossing Folder) - 164138

Country Birdhouse dies - 163400

Country Flowers dies - 163410

Delicate Forest dies - 162679

Adventurous Sky dies - 163446

Frosted Forest dies - 164136

 Frosted Forest Decorative Masks - 164350

(there are six masks included - three designs for each of the two sizes of coniferous trees, and these three for the deciduous tree) 

The Frosted Forest dies and Frosted Decorative Masks are also available together with the Frosted Forest photopolymer stamp set (item 164344) in the Frosted Forest Bundle (item 164137).

The hanging wood arrow shape from Dollar Tree also came with a jute hanger (removed) and measures 8" tall (from tip of arrow to base) x 3 3/4" wide (body of arrow).

The small chipboard arrow shape measures 4 1/2" tall (arrow tip to base) x 2 1/2" wide (body of arrow); and the large house chipboard shape measures 5 7/8" tall (peak of roof to base) x 5 7/8" wide (across base of roof).

Just a quick note of the basic tools and supplies I used to complete my project this week:

• Paper Trimmer (item 152392) - for trimming paper and cardstock;
• Paper Snips Scissors (item 103579) - these sharp little scissors are great for any necessary trimming of die cuts - i.e. shortening stems etc.;
• Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine (item 149653) - for all die cutting;
• Take Your Pick Tool (item 144107) - the paper piercer, mini spatula, and tacky putty tips are a great help for picking up and placing small die cuts and embellishments; and
• for the main adhesive, Multipurpose Liquid Glue (item 110755).  

I also used the Stampin' Brayer (item 162936) for although this silicone roller is intended for applying even ink coverage to embossing folders, stamps, and paper, it is also very effective for rolling over paper that has been glued to another surface - i.e. wood, chipboard, or cardboard.  Rolling the Brayer over the paper immediately after gluing the paper to another surface helps ensure even coverage of the liquid adhesive and helps prevent air bubbles and buckling of the paper - effective adhesion requires a proper adhesive and pressure, and rolling the Brayer over the paper provides good even pressure.

For adding shading to die cuts I used a combination of Blending Brushes (item 153611) and Small Blending Brushes (item 160518) to apply Classic Stampin' inks. For a little additional texture I lightly spritzed some of the inked die cuts with water (Stampin' Spritzers - item 126185).  I used Small Blending Brushes to apply Classic Stampin' inks through the Frosted Forest Decorative Masks.

On with the project!

I painted all edges of the wood and chipboard house shapes with black paint before gluing on the Designer Series Paper strips/panels.  After gluing on the DSP strips/panels I trimmed off the excess using my craft knife, and then used a very fine grit sandpaper to slightly distress the edges.  I then glued on the strips of Basic Black cardstock (item 121045) - varying strip widths from 1/16" to 1/4".  I used the following Designer Series Papers to decorate the house shapes:

• for the "foundation" strip on each house the Smoky Slate industrial design patterned paper from the Take To The Sky 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 163436);
• from the 2024-2026 In Colour 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper Assortments (item 163777) patterns in four of the In Colours:  Peach Pie, Shy Shamrock, Summer Splash, and Petunia Pop;
• to augment the In Colour patterns I added in strips cut from the Full Of Life 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper (item 163357) - very happy paper!;
• for the black & white papers - four designs from the recently retired Rock & Roll 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 162695). 

To the roof of the Summer Splash house I added a die cut roof trim cut from Summer Splash cardstock (item 163797) using the Country Birdhouse dies.

I stacked and glued together the four houses - adding some black chipboard and foam core pieces to build up portions of the back of the houses to create a larger gluing surface in preparation of gluing the houses to the frame's back panel.

I cut a piece of sturdy cardboard sized to fit the back opening of the frame, and to this I glued Smoky Slate check patterned paper from the Take To The Sky 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper.  After the glue was dry I secured the back panel into the frame, and then glued on the stacked houses.  

From watercolour paper - the more heavily textured side used as the "up" side - I die cut the clouds using the Adventurous Sky dies - shading lightly with Basic Gray ink (item 149165).

From watercolour paper I die cut the tree using the Frosted Forest dies.  Before using the Decorative Masks I shaded the trunk base with Crumb Cake ink (item 147116) and Early Espresso ink (item 147114), and the top portion of the tree with Pool Party ink (item 147107).  Using the trunk and branches mask I applied additional Crumb Cake and Early Espresso inks; and using the two upper tree masks I applied Shaded Spruce ink (item 147088).  After finishing with the masks I pressed a slightly dampened paper towel into the inked leafy areas of the tree to create a little texture.  Additional Shaded Spruce ink applied around the edges of the leafy areas of the tree.  

For the die cut foliage - cut using the Simply Zinnia dies (stems, and spiky leaf), the leafy clump die from the Country Flowers dies, the curving leafy sprigs from the Delicate Forest dies, small double leaf sprigs from the Country Birdhouse dies, and the large five-leaved and small three-leaved sprigs from the Changing Leaves dies - I used Pool Party cardstock (item 122924), Summer Splash cardstock, and Shaded Spruce cardstock (item 146981), shading with Shaded Spruce ink.

Using two sizes of the same flower design dies from the Country Birdhouse dies I cut the smaller flowers from Petunia Pop cardstock (item 163801), adding a little shading with Berry Burst ink (item 147143).  To the center of each of these flowers I added a small Summer Splash dot from the 2024-2026 In Colour Resin Dots (item 163389),  To the frame - above and below the flowers and foliage - I added four more of the Sumer Splash dots, two each of the large and small sizes.

Using the Simply Zinnia dies I cut the large flowers and blossoms from Petunia Pop cardstock and Berry Burst cardstock (item 144243), shading with Berry Burst ink.  I used my Bone Folder (item 102300) to slightly curl the petals and blossoms. For each of the large flowers I used two Petunia Pop cardstock petal layers and one Berry Burst cardstock petal layer; and for each blossom stem I used one Petunia Pop cardstock blossom and one Berry Burst cardstock blossom.  I cut two of the Stampin' Dimensionals (item 104430) in half and used one half between each of the three petal layers (two Petunia Pop cardstock and one Berry Burst cardstock) on each flower.  I cut the starry circle flower centers from Daffodil Delight cardstock (item 119683), shading lightly with Pumpkin Pie ink (item 147086) - I used four starry circle die cuts for each of the two flowers.  I used the smallest circle die from the Stylish Shapes dies (item 159183) to cut the flower center bases from Early Espresso cardstock (item 119686), shading with Early Espresso ink.  I used one of the Stampin' Dimensionals to attach the completed flower centers to each flower.     

Stylish Shapes dies - 159183

To complete the project I added the three vintage keys.

Thank you for visiting my blog!  I had a lot of fun working on these happy houses!

Unfortunately Stampin' Up! advises that the following tools and supplies I used for my project this week are not currently available but I have included the date Stampin' Up! expects each to again be available for ordering - hopefully there will not be any extensions of these dates:

• Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine (item 149653) - week of September 9, 2024; and
• Changing Leaves dies and Hybrid Embossing Folder (item 164138) - also the week of September 9, 2024.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the available Stampin' Up! products I have used in my projects, and you live in Canada and do not have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, please do not hesitate to visit my online store found on my website https://archiesatelier.stampinup.net/ at your convenience, or simply click under the "Shop With Me" tab on the right sidebar of my blog, which will take you directly to my website and online store.  I very much appreciate your business, and if you need any assistance please do not hesitate to contact me (lmccoyarchie@gmail.com) - I would be very pleased to be your demonstrator!  The digital version of the May 2024-April 2025 Annual Catalogue is available for you to access at your convenience on my website (https://archiesatelier.stampinup.net/) - as is the digital version of the September-December 2024 Mini Catalogue, and the digital only September 2024 Scrapbooking Brochure. When visiting my online store don't forget to check out all the products now available as Online Exclusives - including the Simply Zinnia dies and the Frosted Forest Bundle!

Have fun creating!

Laurel

*It has come to my attention that quite often email correspondence from me is delivered to the recipient's spam or junk mail folder - if you have corresponded with me I have replied so be sure to check your spam or junk mail folder!  Thank you!! 

Catching a few winks between snacks in a late afternoon sunbeam!🌞