My Own Little Key West

I've been making or altering my own little houses for a long time. Birdhouses especially. Then Tim Holtz partnered with Sizzix to create the Village Dwelling and other compatible village dies. Now I LOVE making tiny houses of all kinds.

You may remember these I made last Fall...





and these for the Sizzix booth at CHA 2016...










Then Tim just announced with the newest Village-Surf Shack die and also the Tropical Thinlets die set. I knew I had to have them pronto. I also knew that I needed some cute Summer home decor for my foyer and instantly thought of making some Key West style houses. 


I've never personally been to Key West, but I'm a Florida girl so I have a pretty good idea of the style there. Plus I Googled some images of cottage style homes in Key West and got some great reference. I spent my very hot and humid weekend indoors making my own little Key West cottages. And I'd love to share how easy they were to make.


You'll need the base die "Village Dwelling" to cut the pieces for the houses. I used Kraft Core cardstock from Core'dinations for most of the cuts. I used shades of teal, yellow, coral, pinks and bright green for my houses.



You may have noticed the score lines in the first photo. Since many of the houses in Key West have a clapboard siding, I mimicked this by scoring the die-cut house pieces at 1/4" intervals.


To give it that slightly worn look and to accentuate the scored lines, I gently sanded the pieces to reveal a bit of the kraft core.


From the Village Cottage die, I die cut white windows for each house and shutters for each. I gently sanded the shutters after this photo.


After die-cutting the door from white cardstock, I loosely sketched some details to resemble a Key West house's front door using my Antique Linen Distress Marker. I used the brush tip to keep it loose and sketchy looking.


I adhered the door and window pieces to the house parts while still flat (for ease) and added a "door knob" using a tiny decorate brad.


From silver Kraft Core Metallic cardstock, I die cut the roof from the Village Dwelling die and then the "awning" roof piece from the new Village Surf Shack die. As you can see, I also scored these, but this time I scored from the kraft side so I could best mimic the look of a tin roof, which is common in the Keys.


At this point, I assemble the house and put on the main roof. I like to use Alleene's Super Thick Tacky Glue, but you can experiment with whatever works best for you. I like Super Thick because it grabs quickly and dries clear.


The porch from the Village Surf Shack die is longer than the original, fitting all the way across the house's front. I die cut the picket fence from the Village Cottage die and the two supports from the Village Dwelling die and assembled everything. (I cut the picket fence in half and used the two pieces to wrap around the porch.)


Then I adhered the porch unit to the house's front.  [Handy Tip: get some of those tiny clothespins from the craft store and use them to hold pieces while the glue dries.]


From the Village Dwelling die, I cut the base in the same color as the house, assembled it and held it with tiny clothespins.


After adhering the tin roof's awning, I folded the supports back, matching the height and gluing in place under the awning.


Also from the Village Surf Shack die are these great images like this palm tree, surfboard, and there's also a life preserver which I added later. The surfboard has two pieces (the yellow and the white in my photo), then I drew a red line down the center with a Candied Apple Distress Marker. The palm tree has a base to it and another piece so you can notch the two pieces to create a stand. Such a cute idea! I opted to trim my base mostly off and attach it to the house instead.


After attaching my house to the base, I added my tree and surfboard.


I repeated the same process for two more houses. (click on photo to view larger) The larger palm tree in the back is from the new Tropical thinlets die, as are the little flowers. 


I had such a great time making these cuties and love the way they look on my foyer table when you walk into my Florida home. They just make me smile!


I can't wait to play with all my Village dies again and create something completely different next time. That's the beauty of these dies: the possibilities are endless!


You can find all the Village dies, Kraft Core cardstock, and Tropical thinlets at SimonSaysStamp.com


Thanks for popping in today!

Comments

  1. Wow.. what a fantastic project! Amazing!

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  2. Annette...I am loving your little houses, Annette! The colors you've used on your Key West neighborhood are absolutely adorable! I love every little detail, down to the darling palm trees and life saver ring! SO so cute! Your work is always so beautifully done and creative. Love it!

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    1. Thanks Candy! High praise coming from you. Glad you liked them.

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  3. These look amazing Annette! TFS!

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  4. Reminds me very much of the old homes in Key West. I can't wait to see what you create with the new Halloween and Christmas dies!

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    1. I cannot wait to play with those new ones. Omygoodness, you have NO idea!

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  5. These are so cool. I look at them and imagine I'm at the beach with my toes in the water and my... in the sand. (Zack Brown Band). 😎😃

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  6. Oh my stars! I want to move right in! Love 'em all!

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    1. Thanks. They're so fun to look at on my table every day. Glad you liked them.

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  7. Annette I always love your projects!! love the little houses they are all so darling....

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    1. Thanks Jan. So kind of you. These little houses are SO much fun to make. Are you making them too?

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  8. Annette, you do amazing things with tiny houses! What a great tip to score the roofs and siding!

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    1. Thanks Sharon! Have you tried them? They're addictive!

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  9. These are just fab Annette...I can smell the coconut and sea in the air.....:0) xx

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  10. I love the village dies thanks for sharing your how-tos, and showing us your cute houses!

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  11. Awesome! Love the colours! So cool!

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Thanks for leaving a comment! If you have a question you would like answered, please e-mail me at AnnetteMGreen@gmail.com