Making mint and parsley herb plants

I will need some herb plants for my garden cottage because my witch might need some herbs to make potions etc.

And so I made a mint plant and a parsley plant from the doll house herb plant tutorial in The Dolls House Magazine, September 2015.

Here they are in their pots in the Malibu kitchen - I love how crisp the parsley plant cardstock pot looks! I can't believe it's cardstock (although my mint pot got a bit messed up.)  I still have to make another two in dirt for a garden.

I've been meaning to make these herb plants ever since I saw the article.  In fact, it was quite ironic because I wanted herb plants, and I asked every plant vendor at the Chicago Show in April 2015.  No herb plants.  Then I looked on Etsy and found some there and bought those.  And then several months later - the article in Dolls House Magazine on making herb plants!  But then I just filed it away as something to make one day.  However, it seems that now that I have to pack up my craft room - I am quite inspired to make many things.

When my daughter saw my parsley plant, and I said it was really fun and easy to make, then she wanted to make one.  So today we made both the parsley plant and the mint plant.  (The mint plant is not quite as easy.)

Here are our plants:

I highly recommend the tutorial! (And I think the parsley plant method could also be used to make a little bonsai tree or even 1/144 trees). 

Have a great weekend!

Cherry Blossoms Kit (or please spring come!)

As I mentioned in my last post, before I could buy more flower kits for the garden, I told myself that I had to at least make some of the flower kits that I'd already bought.  

So I finally made my cherry blossoms kit from The Miniature Garden on Etsy. 

Here it is:

And then I bought 4 more flower kits. Hee hee.   

Teresa Layman Garden Cottage Class - Or I love Paperclay!

In October, I took Teresa Layman's class to make Natalie's Garden House.   You can see her amazing work via her website.  I love that it is called Necessary Wonderfulness.  

My favorite structure is the Mad Scientist Lab.  It was also on view at the Chicago Show that I attended.

 Here is my garden house - not quite done yet.  I still need to finish the roof, do the lighting and finish the garden, but I am so happy with it.  And of course decorate the inside. 

Apparently if I spend 7 solid days (not counting many many nights shingling the roof), with a patient and skilled teacher, and experienced classmates, I can create something that looks quite impressive and professional!

And now I have to say that I want to paperclay more structures!  

I think I will paperclay my general store (although my daughter seems to think that is odd), but I think a rustic stone barn works for a general store.  

And I still want to create a two-story witch house in paperclay, although this is also a witch's cottage (this will be her "office").   She will have her potions and spell books here as well as a herb garden.  

The flowers were in my back-up stash -  I haven't even raided my box in storage labeled "garden" yet. 

Here is a close-up of the windows we made (cutting the wood on a scroll saw). They are hinged and open.  To make the window leading, we cut electrical tape very thin which we then turned black with some liquid substance.  

And the doors were pre-made by Teresa - we glued on decorative Olde Mountain Miniatures hinges.

The brick walk is also made from paperclay - a big thank you to Itty Bitty Adventures (my friend)  for helping me with the pattern provided by Teresa.  

And the roof.   The roof took forever.

And I did it in my own unique manner (or incorrectly, as others would say).   I did it for many, many nights during December, which is why I asked for some help from some elfs.

My poor green elf looks equally dumbfounded by the amount of work (or maybe by how to put on those shingles).  

We made the grass with a static grass applicator - the electrical current makes the grass stand up in glue.  And after a few hours, it was hard enough that the grass on the base could travel on the Long Island Rail Road in a bag back to my apartment without getting damaged!

I bought some flower kits to make more flowers for the garden, including a pumpkin kit because my witch will need fresh-grown pumpkins.  (Although before I bought more kits, I made myself make one of my flower kits in my stash.)

Have a great week! 

Somebody let me in!

I just bought another dog. 

I find it so hard to resist buying animals.

(I made the little planter from paintsticks from the local hardware store with tea for dirt and I found the little trees in my stash).    

Have a wonderful weekend!