First, I cut off the back of the "funkin" in a flat plane, then cut the windows and door.
Floors need covering! This is some heavy scrapbook paper.
My floors are not perfect, so to both cover the minor gaps and to give a nice, finished look, I glued some fine, flexible braid that I had on hand over the seams. It also gives a little extra stability to the floors. I have used hot glue in some areas, but Fabri-Tac in most others.
It was my husband's idea to include supports for the 2nd floor, and a cool aesthetic appeal.
I also added crossbars to the window holes. The wood I've used is actually a bundle of grapevine stems, so I've been able to incorporate their curly bits to add to the character of the house. After all, pumpkins have curly vines!!
Windows need curtains--and this is where I got to be more creative. I used 20 gauge beading wire and size 8 beads for the curtain rods, winding them around a fine knitting needle for the curly ends. For beadwork, I used G-S Hypo cement (made for beadwork), which has a fine tip (and is kind of hard to thread the cap back on, as it is a fine piece of wire that has to go back in the needle tip of the glue tube!). You need to have ventilation for it--it is a stinky, toxic substance! The curtains are made from some cotton Leaver's lace. I tied the curtains using 1/4" orange ombre ribbon, and to decorate, some teeny, thin polymer cane slices in leaf patterns.
The curtains installed. Definitely gives things a finished look.
And here is where I ran out of time, and left things unhappily unfinished. I started a chandelier for the bedroom, and also did some candle sconces for the downstairs, but never finished. First, the roof of the pumpkin had a small flat spot, but it was kind of ugly looking, so I covered it with a bit of scrapbooking paper (I do a LOT of crafts).
Then I worked on devising a chandelier using jewelry findings and beads. I couldn't just stick a pin into the ceiling (well, I probably could, but it would have been messy, and look unnatural), so I made a lamp finial (don't all hanging lamps have a circular flange/finial that covers the wire box?) with a resin flower, a head pin, and some necklace chain.
The chandelier itself was a bit of a challenge, getting all the wires to line up properly, then gluing them in place, and then making them all curve the correct direction, etc. I have all the beads and findings set aside to complete the candle look, but haven't done the gluing. My cement ran out! And life caught up with me. Sigh. But here is the unfinished chandelier.
And, for scale, a Polly Pocket doll (same scale as many other tiny princess dolls, including Tinkerbell and friends).
Oh, and here's the front door--I made a handle from a bead and wire, then made hinges from twisted wire. Good thing we aren't working on sealing it from the weather! I had to cut it from the section I removed for the back, and got the size a bit off. However, it swings open easily! :) And does rest on the base, so it isn't always hanging out.
Here are materials I gathered for the project...I plan on using the styrofoam as a base (this was pre-finished for use as bases for Halloween houses at the craft store) and the faux foliage as decoration/vegetation around the house (as well as on top). Gotta make it pretty, you know? I do have a lintel/mini roof to go over the door, complete with woody supports, but am saving that for after the interior is complete.
I'll post more when I get in that Autumnal spirit again!
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