The Fairy Ring

photo copyright Karin Corbin 2013

 Buy the Micro Tiny Village houses for making your own  projects at Karin Corbin's Etsy store

At last I got around to taking some time to play with the toys I have been making. Not your 1950 glitter house scene, this scene harkens back to days of old.  I can easily see this project as an illustration in a faerie tale from the late 1800's. Mushrooms were very popular subjects in the beautiful European Christmas cards of that era and the style of buildings I design are the same types featured on those cards.  

I found a mushroom decoration at the local florist yesterday. I had gone in looking for a few things to use in photos. This scene is 6.5" tall and the base the mushrooms stand on is only 2.75" wide. (See the link at the bottom of this posting for ordering the mushroom piece I used in the project from an online source.)

These are the pieces from the micro sized, gingerbread colored Tiny Villages. It is a combination of the 2012 and 2013 pieces. I had to add in a few extra pieces to get it filled in as much as I wanted.
I combined three of the buildings to create a cojoined grouping. A little trimming of roofs is all that is needed to be able to glue them together in a row.

Photo copyright Karin Corbin 2013

Faerie Rings are found in forest clearings. There is a ring of mushrooms with the center area empty.
My Fairy Ring is on top of a mushroom with the Queen's castle in the center. A tiny magical place to visit in a magical season.

photo copyright Karin Corbin 2013

The snow on the roofs and the ground was created with Scribble brand, dimensional fabric paint. Before the paint dried I sprinkled it with ultra fine, crystal glitter. The glitter on the houses and trees is from Barbara Trombley, she makes very beautiful blends of glitter colors. I wanted a soft, almost monochromatic color scheme to go with the mushrooms.

The mushrooms I used are cloth covered. I trimmed back the fuzzy surface of the fabric with a pair of scissors then I coated the fabric surface with white gesso and then some lightweight acrylic modeling paste before I started applying glitter and the buildings. The acrylic modeling paste can be used to create a raised snow effect on the ground. Glitter will stick to the wet modeling paste.



How to make a mushroom for your micro tiny village.
http://www.marthastewart.com/287433/spun-cotton-ornaments

Where to purchase the mushrooms online. Remember the mushrooms are a seasonal item and might be out of stock at certain times of the year.
http://www.trendytree.com/raz-christmas-and-halloween-decor/raz-6-clip-on-green-brown-mushroom-christmas-ornament-set-of-2.html

Happy Holidays,
Karin

www.etsy.com/shop/karincorbin

Miniature glass domed architectural model

photo copyright  Karin Corbin 2013

The Tiny Village buildings are not just for turning into glitter houses. In the 1800's and early 1900s people collected architectural models. Many were made from white plaster or white paper. They were generally exhibited in glass cases or under domes. White objects that could not be washed and coal fires did not coexist peacefully.

My Etsy Store is now open for buying the kits.

This posting is dedicated to the gentlemen of Merriman Park who might say..."darling the model could use a touch of gesso to cover the cracks"  http://john-merrimanpark.blogspot.com/