Work in Progress: Gnome Dollhouse

More progress has been made on the gnome dollhouse. It's going in a totally different direction than planned, but that's totally okay. That's one of the fun parts of creating something. You cannot be so rigid in designing something that your project is completely trashed the minute something doesn't work out. The joy of creating is finding a way to make it work. Not to sound all Tim Gunn, but it's so true.

For example, I grouted the "tile." Keep in mind that this tile is not actual stone, but egg carton. So, it's going to change the entire grouting process. I knew that if I let the grout sit for a while on the "stones" it would be incredibly difficult to remove. And I wanted the stones to be seen.

Oh, I love love love it! The grouting turned out great! I used some craft mosaic grout that I had lying around the house (another project idea never started). I scraped it on in sections, using a paper towel to rub the grout off the tile while it was still damp. I found that if I waited longer, less grout came off. Then, I used a dry paint brush to wipe the entire thing down after all sections were complete. This wasn't entirely the look I wanted (I wanted the entire stone to be visible), but I like how it turned out.

Once it dried, I mixed some liquid acrylic paint with water to create a wash for the stone. I mixed black, tan, and burnt oxide (a reddish tint). I applied the paint in sections and then used my spray bottle to further water it down. This made it look like the kind of stone you would find on a castle.

Again, not the look I was going for. But, how can I complain? This looks amazing. It looks so lifelike. I wanted to go for a woodsy look, but I love this and am going to make it work.

Since the woodsy project is out, I'm going to rip out the paper I glued to the inside and go with a more regal look. I'll keep you posted.