Merry Christmas to all

Copyright Karin Corbin 2001  Santa's Workshop created by Karin Corbin

Old Town Clock Tower Gate

Tiny Glitter House, Putz by Karin Corbin

 The old cities in Europe often had a number of gates into the different sections of town. This is my interpretation of one of those buildings. I found a photo of a real building of that type which had the tower coming into the building at that same 45 degree angle. That angle really livens things up a bit!

No clock on my prototype.  I will have to make one to put on my instructions website as an option that can be used as a printable.  But it might be nearly impossible to tell what it is on the micro scale version if there was glitter over it.

I love the look of that crystal star under the house. It is a crystal wine glass turned upside down. Certainly makes for a classy display stand for a prototype. But even better is that it elevates it above the clutter on my worktable so I did not have to clean up just to take a quick photo. Now that really speeds up a photograpy session.

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/

Gatehouse Portal

My love affair with gatehouses started many years ago. How could I resist adding one to the Tiny Village collection? It is #15 and a definite keeper! This is the first prototype, almost right but as always there is a little more fine tuning to be done. But there are not any visible changes to be made. Only a few adjustments that will help make easier the alignment of the walls of the towers. Those tower sections might look large in the photo but they are only 2/10ths of an inch wide and 1 inch tall.

The detailing at the top of the towers folds down to create that layered look. A bit of extra work for you as a dab of glue has to be put under each section but it is not difficult to do.

There is another new building, a nice little house #14, just to the right of the gatehouse building.