Functional Decor
Growing up, one of my favorite sections of the craft store was the aisle that held all the unfinished wooden shapes and cutouts. All they needed were a bit of paint, maybe some stencils, and they were instantly transformed. I loved all the possibilities they held.
Years later, it’s still one of favorite sections, but now they’re not contained on a single aisle. Instead, wooden letters, houses, crates, animals, and more, fill several aisles. My personal preference has always been the simple shapes. The simplistic design allows me to truly make them one-of-a-kind.
I’ve always loved wooden house shapes and have made several projects with them. They are a great surface for creating whatever your imagination desires. For these particular houses, I just wanted to alter them slightly with some paper I recently received and adore. I also wanted to give them a bit of purpose, so I turned one into a memo holder and the other into a key hook.
To make your own altered houses, cut patterned paper to the size of the shapes. Choose a darker color for your roof and something lighter for the house. Adhere using gel medium. Cut additional shapes for your house from patterned paper. On one, I added a heart, which I layered with book text. On the other, I stamped “love” on the paper door. Once everything is dry, go over edges with a pencil. Add a nail to create the key holder and saw a slit in the top of the roof to create the memo holder. Seal with gel medium. If you'd like to mute the colors a bit, just apply a thin layer of watered-down gesso.
If you cannot find wooden house shapes, have scrap wood cut down to the size you need at your local home improvement store. Sand the shapes for smoother edges, as needed.
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