Paper Mache Birdhouses & Box

 I've had these birdhouse shapes and a cupcake shaped box for a while now. So, instead of shuffling them from one place to another one more time, I decided to actually do something with them!  I didn't get any pictures of the "before" of the one with the rounded roof. I haven't actually completed the peaked roof one yet, so I did get a "before" of it.

Just a plain old paper mache shape with a hanger on the top. 

So, this is what I came up with.  I love this vintage Valentine theme scrapbook paper, so I covered the front, back and sides with it. The layered "ribbon" design paper I used for the roof seemed perfect. It had all the colors that were in the Valentine paper. I cut a strip and then cut it in half and reversed one side, so the design would be going the right direction. There are "shadows" under each ribbon row, so now the shadows are on the "down" side on each side of the roof. I know---a little anal! What can I say?!

 I poked some crinkled paper shreds in the hole in the front and perched a bird from a scrapbook assortment I had. I fastened a gold foil spiral to his beak to indicate that he's singing! Kind of hard to see.

 Then I attached a butterfly from the same assortment as the bird.

 And --- Voila! --- A Valentine birdhouse! Pretty cute, huh?

I still plan on finishing the other birdhouse, but I got involved with the cupcake box, so I haven't gotten back to it yet.  As you can see from the unfinished back/bottom, this too was a natural colored paper mache shape. I had several of these and I think I painted the others and sent them to new homes, long ago.

I had just this one left, taking up room in my stash. I had a big roll of crepe paper out on my counter and when preparing to put it away, I realized that it would look like a paper cupcake cup if I kind of gathered it and wrapped it around the base!

First I covered the lower portion of the box with neutral paper and then the muffin top with cooking theme paper. I tore the lower edge to make it look like icing. I painted the "candle" and then put the crepe paper around the bottom. I pinch gathered and glued as I went, wrapping around the edge and to the inside. I also put it on the sides of the bottom of the box. I wrapped some sheer ribbon around the bottom to keep the "ruffles" from being undone. 

 And here we have a cute little cupcake box!  I had one little piece of the sheer ribbon left, so I tucked in at the tip top of the candle flame to resemble "smoke"!

 I think it turned out pretty good, considering I was just kind of making it up as I went along!

 Now I'm working on a few magnets using tiny wooden "clip boards" that I found at the craft shop on clearance a while back. I just can't seem to resist a clearance sale, even when I have no idea why I need the item! That might be why I have sooooo many supplies to work with! LOL!

Thanks for looking and check back in again. I'll be posting about the clip boards.