Sand coating

[PutzinVT]

I've only ever coated my houses with glitter.

Can someone outline how to use sand. And possibly what kind to use and where to get.

I think you need to add paint to it too.
But I'm kinda clueless how to pull this off.

Thanks

[paulrace]

PutzinVT,

Howard used sand in his "Picture Window House" instructions at:

http://littleglitterhouses.com/paul/pic ... _house.htm

There are several tips embedded in the article. The photo above shows the house before the windows are installed so you can see the texture.

- Paul

[maria]

Here's how I have used sand, where I got it, etc. This was an ugly plastic playschool log cabin house that had been discarded at the curb--but I knew it had good bones.

So I sprayed the entire thing with Krylon fusion paint for plastic--brown--I considered it a sort of primer in this step-then using slightly thinned elmer's white glue, I did a few sections at a time with a paint brush, then pouring craft sand while the glue was wet from an old coffee can--over a newspaper of course so I could put the excess sand back into the can when I started a new section. It did not matter what color the sand was--though I had bought white--because as soon as it dried overnight, I hit it with more brown spray paint--let it dry about four hours forthis step--then hand applied the green color with acrylic craft paint by brush

There are people who color their own sand using a few dollops of powdered food coloring. Here's a pix of my "log cabin"--I got the sand from Walmart--used a finer grain sand

[Nan]

I think both Howard and Maria have great ideas about using sand. I have used both sandbox sand and white floral sand and like them both. I wanted a stucco or adobe type finish (Southern California, you know) so I simply mixed a pinch of sand in with a small amount of paint in my painting palette (the plastic lid to a pint food container) and painted it on after I had primed the house. When it dried I scraped the window edges to clean them up.
Also used both sandbox sand and a coarser construction sand we had left over to add to paint for the snowy ground. And glued it to orange paint for a gravel path.

[Nan]

Maria, I like all the Easter things in that photo you posted. I have made about 16 rabbits, of 5 different designs and 3 different sizes (up to 30 inches tall) and stick them in the front yard, one a day starting 16 days before Easter. This is a big pedestrian street so lots of viewers enjoy the reproducing bunnies (no, none of them are in flagrante, actually).

[paulrace]

Maria,

I've used several Fischer-Price and Playskool structures on my garden railroad. Model railroaders who cut up models to make other models call it kitbashing. I call repurposing discarded toys to make models "trashbashing." See http://www.btcomm.com/trains/primer/trs ... shbash.htm

Yes, they're too big to use on a tabletop display.

[maria]

Very interesting Paul--will have to call attention to this in the next everythingcroton vintage posting.

[maria]

Nan, would LOVE TO SEE PHOTOS for posting over at EverythingCroton potentially.

[maria]

Here's a "trashbashing" project I'm working on - read about trashbashing again at http://www.familygardentrains.com/prime ... shbash.htm

Anyway I found this fisher price piece at a tag sale for a dollar (there' a store too and I am holding it on the side). As you can see, it's a work in progress. It's very large and will probably go with my antique feather tree putz this Christmas as a solo piece.

Here's the original; here's what I have done so far. I wanted to achieve a very old look; next stop, windows, door, glitter, decorations, base

[Lynn]

Take a peek at my haunted house I made with a sand finish “Welcome to the Cardboard Christmas Forums entry on October 27th. I also mixed the sand right in with the paint. I used florist sand, very fine I purchased at Jo Ann’s Fabric. I really enjoyed making this house the sand was a lot of fun to apply!!