Guys from Texas Room - More Tutorials - Vases removable Christmas Filler

This is a continuation of a recent project I'm calling "Guys from Texas Room Box".  I wanted strong colors - not my normal color scheme (pinks, pastels, etc).  But because it has such a prominent fireplace it had to be used for hanging stockings.  So my compromise was to make it Christmas sometimes!  So I made removable Christmas decorations.  Last blog I described the greenery sprays.  This blog I describe some vases or urns with removable fillers.

The porcelain vases were made by Ron Benson.

Here is how I made the removable fillers:
To make the decorations removable, I lined the vases with Saran Wrap.  I filled the bottoms with glue and silver beads.  I added sprigs cut from faux pine needles to the center of the beads and a couple of sprigs of the pine needles with glitter berries (previous blog).  I left the filling in the vases until they dried so they would keep the correct shape.  When dry I trimmed off all the excess Saran Wrap.

 

 

The key to making these look nice is using varying sizes of silver beads, including tiny ones, and filling in any visible bead holes with silver glitter.  Here is what they look like when removed from the vases (glue was not entirely dry when photo was taken):

Christmas Tree – This was just a purchased brush tree.  I coated the bristles with glue and ‘flocked’ it with railroad loose greenery.  You can find how to make many of the ornaments as well as the wreath hanging above the fireplace in my earlier blogs here.  Most of the round ones are just pearl beads with colored glitter dots (to look like those old fashioned ‘indent’ ornaments).

Some of the other items in the room:
Etched mirror by Arjen Spinhoven (Etsy)
Lamps -  Brooke Tucker (White Foo Dog possible future blog)
Chest by Neil Bateson
Black & White Staffordshire Dogs (on shelves) by Le Chateau
Crystal Christmas tree figurine on shelves – Iris Arc
Santa Candlesticks – artist unknown
Blue birdcage – the Kummerows
Brass Foo Dogs – artist unknown (Ebay from China)
Turned wood lidded vases – artist unknown

Glitter nativity in faux walnut shell – Kathy Christensen
Chairs by JBM Miniatures (recovered in new fabric)
Crocheted Christmas “thread dolls” – by Carrol Baker (Ebay)
Black Lacquer Worktable with painted scene by S & W Golland
Snowman Stocking – worked by me using kit by C.J. Originals
Blue “Snowy Village” stocking worked by me using kit by Janet Granger
Red velour stocking with bear - unknown
Painting above fireplace – Lyn Trenary (framing – future blog)
Ornament Wreath Tutorial - from my earlier blog here

I still have some more planned projects for this room – some sconces for above the fireplace and I also plan to finish the “foo dog” lamps and maybe change the beige wall color.  Maybe I will get it done for next Christmas??

Guys from Texas Room - Christmas Greenery Decorations Tutorial

As promised here is the second installment of the ‘Guys from Texas’ room.  Below are mini-tutorials of how I made some of the Christmas Greenery for the room.

Greenery Sprays (including one with stocking hooks)– There are two sprays, both made very similarly.  One above the mirror (see photo above) and another on the mantel.  For both I started with very narrow wire greenery sold on spools at Hobby Lobby (see second photo below).  I made the base form by cutting and shaping the stems.

For the mantel one, to make it removable, I glued the greenery to pieces of plastic cut from grocery store clear plastic spinach cartons.  I glued the greenery and some wire stocking hooks with Quick Grab glue.

I thought the greenery was too dark so I lightened it by brushing on a mix of lighter leaf green and metallic green.

To the base greenery shape I added snips of artificial pine needles bundled together with glue.

Added small glue dots (using very fine glue applicator) and sprinkled with red glitter for “berries”.

Holly Leaves – cut from green paper using scrapbooking holly leaves punch.  Edged with light green paint and scored a vein down the middle with the back of an X-Acto Knife.

 

Placed a few of these leaves among the greenery then added ornaments (glittered beads).

That's it!  The stocking greenery just sits on top of the mantel and can easily be removed.  The hanging one above the mirror is held on with blue-tac and removed after Christmas.  Next blog I will cover how I made the removable vase fillers in the ceramic vases from silver beads and sprigs.

Well, I have achieved one goal this year - to do one blog post a month (well, actually I skipped a couple and doubled up to make up for it but STILL that is 12 posts for one per month AVERAGE!)  Whew!  Hope my readers have a wonderful New Year in 2020!

Guys from Texas Room

To my readers – I am so sorry I skipped November!  I was trying to have at least one blog per month and I missed my goal last month.  So I will make two posts before the end of the year!

The roombox that is the subject of this post was designed by Jon Fish and Larry Osborn (The Guys from Texas).  You can see many examples of their work on past blogs by Goodsam Miniature Showcase  and on pinterest.  They are well known for their wonderful resin molded architecture pieces, detail and accuracy.  They are also very generous with their knowledge.  Taking a class from them was an awesome experience.  Unfortunately we lost Larry this year (2019) but I think Jon is still doing miniature work.

The lovely lady who had taken the workshop and completed the original roombox was downsizing and donated this room to S.A.M (Society of American Miniaturists).  I snapped it up at their 2017 auction. What I love about it is the hidden room (behind the bookcase) and arched front.  It is also electrified and has a very nice fireplace.  Here is a photo of it when I bought it.

I wanted to re-do the room in strong colors – not typical of what I normally do (in other words, not pink!).  So I decided on a blue and green color scheme.  Here is the current design – still unfinished.

Since it has such a nice fireplace, AND that fireplace is so close to the front, I had to use it to display my petit point stockings.  So if it had stockings then it had to also be decorated for Christmas.  I decided to make removable decorations so I could put them up at Christmas time.  Here is the room with the decorations added:

So... I know these decorations are a little "overdone".  I am still working on this. I love the glittery nativity set on the wall but it is really too large for that space.  But I thought I would share how it is looking so far.  Merry Christmas to my blog readers!  Tomorrow I will post how some of them were made.