Let's talk about cardboard Christmas houses and accessories

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 Post subject: Sand coating
PostPosted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 11:51 am 
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Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:51 pm
Posts: 709
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


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 Post subject: Re: Sand coating
PostPosted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 1:30 pm 
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Image

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


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 Post subject: Re: Sand coating
PostPosted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 2:57 pm 
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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


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 Post subject: Re: Sand coating
PostPosted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 3:42 pm 
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Location: Long Beach, CA
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.


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 Post subject: Re: Sand coating
PostPosted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 3:45 pm 
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Location: Long Beach, CA
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).


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 Post subject: Re: Sand coating
PostPosted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 8:18 pm 
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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. :-)


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 Post subject: Re: Sand coating
PostPosted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 12:10 pm 
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Very interesting Paul--will have to call attention to this in the next everythingcroton vintage posting.


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 Post subject: Re: Sand coating
PostPosted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 2:09 pm 
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Nan, would LOVE TO SEE PHOTOS for posting over at EverythingCroton potentially.


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 Post subject: Re: Sand coating
PostPosted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 4:51 pm 
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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


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 Post subject: Re: Sand coating
PostPosted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 9:32 pm 
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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!!


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Note: All content on this forum is Copyright (c) 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 by Paul D. Race
and by the posters who have contributed specific content. All material is for your personal use only. No content
or plans may be republished or sold, nor may any plans be used to make products to sell without prior written
permission from Paul D. Race and the individual who contributed the content or plan in question.
For permissions or for questions about this policy, please contact us using our Contact page.



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