Scrapbook Paper Houses

Do you have a secret pile of scrapbook paper? Use it! These houses look beautiful with any kind of patterned paper.  I am working my way through a stash of scrapbook paper that has been sitting for way too long.  I've sorted it by color way, and have pulled together a variety of neutral colored papers: ivory, cream, and tan for the walls of the houses, and kraft brown themes for the rooftops.  Work with what you have. Florals would look incredible, as would geometric patterned papers.  

By layering bits of torn paper I am creating a textured, patterned collage. To add a subtle coloration to the houses, I am going to be tinting them with spray stains. Certainly watercolors or inks would have a similar effect.

For the base structures, I am using these putz house kits.  I have a full assembly video for the houses themselves here, and they also come with their own instructions.

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Supplies:

• 4-piece Chipboard Putz House Kit
• Assorted scrapbook papers
• Quick Dry Tacky Glue
• Spray Stain in these colors: Speckled Egg, Antique Linen, Tattered Rose, Peeled Paint, Gathered Twigs and Vintage Photo (alternatively use watercolor)
• Paintbrushes
• Scissors
• Fairy Lights 

Step 1:

Assemble the house kits according to their instructions. Attach the rooftops, but leave the windows, doors, and bases off until the end. I am using Beacon 3-in-1 glue to assemble them, but any fast drying glue will work well.  

Step 2:

Tear the scrapbook paper intended for the walls into small pieces, roughly an inch across.  Note when tearing that you can achieve different edge styles by the way that you tear it.  If you hold the piece you want in your left hand and tear a piece away from you with your other hand you can avoid the little white torn edges. Whether or not you want the white edges is an aesthetic choice. I opted to tear my pieces so that all the white edges were on the back.   I felt that this would put more focus on the patterns of the paper.

Step 3:

Place the torn paper pieces in water to soak for a few minutes.  Make a roughly 50/50 mix of glue and water. Spray the spray stain into the mixture to tint it.

Brush the mixture onto the house, and then add paper pieces, brushing each one as it is added. Apply the paper pieces right over the window and door openings.  Layer the paper pieces, overlapping them to create an interesting surface.  After the walls have been covered completely, spritz a little more stain onto the surface, and brush to distribute.

The houses will bloat slightly with the moisture, but can be re-shaped later.  Allow the houses to dry fully overnight.

Step 4:

Use a sharp Xacto knife to open up the windows, doors, and light openings.  Cut an 'X' in the windows, and an asterisk for rounded doors and light openings.  Press the tabs to the insides of the houses.  Use a paint brush handle or other tool to press the inside edges of the openings, smoothing out the paper. Brush glue on the inside walls, and press down all of the tabs until they are adhered.

Step 5:

Select papers to use for the rooftops.  Cut into thin strips, about 1/4 wide, and then cut into short shingles, about 1/2 inch long.  Starting at the bottom edge of each rooftop, apply shingles in rows, layering each row up to the top of the roof. Cut the top shingles short to fit.  Rooftops with angles will need to have shingles cut to fit the diagonal lines. Let dry.

Mix brown spray stain into a glue/water mixture, and brush all over the surface of the roofs to tint and secure the shingles.

Brush glue on all of the house bases, and press on sheets of scrapbook paper. Sandwich them under a stack of books so that they dry flat. Once dry, trim off the excess paper.

Step 6:

Cut windows and doors to fit the openings for each house. Use a brush to spread glue on the inside walls, and press the window/door pieces into place.

Step 7:

Apply glue to the bases of each house.  If they have warped, press the walls back into place while pushing the down onto the bases. Hold until the glue sets.

Add LED fairy lights to illuminate the windows.