A Little Bit of Make Believe

Hello Friends,

A little project to share today that recently showcased on the PaperHaus Magazine blog.

As a child growing up, all I ever wanted was to have a tree house. I had grand illusions of how a tree house should be but alas my brother and I had to make do with bits of old corrugated tin and wooden crates that we arranged at the base of the old willow tree on the vacant block of land next door to our family home. Actually the tree was in another neighbor's back yard but the willow branches cascaded nicely over the fence line. We always had lots of fun with our improvised dwelling but it would have been way cooler if it could of been set high in the branches and we had a ladder of long rope to climb up to reach it.

I also loved reading Enid Blyton's The Magic Faraway Tree and the subsequent series of books. This project combines a little childhood reminiscing of tree houses and the magic of make believe.

There are a few Twiddleybitz Chipboard components that have gone into the construction of this. A birdcage was constructed and sits upon a mini cupcake stand. A touch of rustic influence was added - the stand was altered with Tim Holtz 'Walnut Stain' Distress Stain. The cage was altered similarly with stain and also Heidi Swapp Color Shine Sprays - Bronzer and Teal along with a touch of shabby with White Gesso.

Chipboard Chicken Wire was cut up and layered over the roof of the cage before adding the smaller miniature houses which were put together and decorated with patterned papers and coordinating sticker elements from Kaiser's Pickled Pear collection. The base of each of the houses was altered so that they sit better on the angle of the roof.  One of the smaller houses, I actually cut in half - part was incorporated in the roof arrangement and the other half sits near the cage opening at the front. 

Manor House Creations flowers create a floral canopy of beauty. A floral vine was cut into three to maximize the coverage with larger and smaller blooms (White Glitter Roses, Oatmeal Idyllic, Aqua Capri, Tweeny Weenie Roses) added to the arrangement to fill out the clusters. Some of the larger flowers have been altered with Tim Holtz 'Weathered Wood' Distress Stain which was applied with a paint brush and diluted a little with water. A little Weathered Wood was also added to the petite rose centers. The leaves of the vine were subdued with a touch of white gesso along with the little bird nest.

Lengths of twine were knotted and tied to the chipboard chicken wire. Just in case one does not feel like climbing, a chipboard ladder offers an easier alternative of climbing up.    

Mini Tree House by Trudi Harrison

Products Used:

Twiddleybitz Chipboard - Mini Cupcake Stand, Large Bird Cage, Chicken Wire, Awning Kit, Vintage Mini Key, Flourish Bird Cage, Miniature Houses (Pack of 3), Twiddley Trinkets - Diamonte Brads

Kaisercraft - Pickled Pear Paper Pad and Stickers

Manor House Creations - Pink Vine, Oatmeal Imagine, Capri, White Glitter Roses, Tweeny Weenies Roses

Other: Metal Chain, Kaiser Bird  and Nest brass Knob   

Mediums - Tim Holtz Distress Stains - Walnut Stain, Weathered Wood, Peacock Feathers, Heidi Swapp Color Shine - Bronzer, Teal, White Gesso