Missing Willow Farm

For my first project, I was inspired to make a home for a pretty little religious statue I recently picked up on vacation in Valetta using the GSL House Shrine Box. It’s a really great size to show off lots of treasures and this one fits perfectly inside.

The first thing I do when I start a project is lay out all the pieces. This house shrine box is super easy to assemble and straightforward as to where the pieces fit together.

Before I glue anything in place, I cut my scrapbook paper. I use the front and back pieces as a template, which makes it easy to lay out exactly which parts of the paper I want to use.

Here’s everything cut out and ready to glue down.

I start by gluing the interior rear and side wall papers in place using a tacky white glue. I then glue the back, front, floor and side walls together. I use rubber bands to hold everything in place while the glue dries.

The base of my figurine is a little bit too wide to fit inside the shrine so I glue a domino for her to sit on. It’s the perfect height for her base. Around the domino, I glue a grassy green felt scrap into place to serve as the shrine’s flooring.

Shingles and roof come next. I used GSL Chipboard Shingles- Pointed to jazz up the roof.  I painted the shingle strips with brown acrylic paint then give them a thin wash of quinacridone azo gold paint. I painted the roof brown before gluing the shingles in place just in case any tiny section of it peeked through after I glued them in place.

Next I cut the shingles into 1 3/4 inch strips, which I then glued in place. This project required four of the shingle strips in all.

Once I glued my scrapbook paper on the outside shrine walls I was ready to get into my crafting flowers and embellish away.

She’s a beauty!