Shutter Artboard

 A little mdf make to share today, which I made for one of my friends for her birthday. I love anything to do with diorama so I am always looking out for little things to use in projects like these.

I had purchased my mdf shutter artboard from The Dreamees before Christmas but hadn't actually got around to making it. As we both have similar tastes in things and a love for gardening and garden centres too, I thought that she might like this too.

To give the shutters a more varnished look, I used some vintage photo distress ink by Tim Holtz on them. I can't remember if these little mdf circles were in the kit or whether I had saved them from previous kits but either way they make great handles. 

I don't throw anything away, sometimes the "waste pieces" come in very useful later on.  The Woodgrain paper that I used for the artboard came from The Works. 

I have decorated the artboard with some nature die cuts from Tattered Lace's Design Teams collection A Wreath for All Seasons. I decoupaged the trowel to give it a bit of dimension and added some glossy accent to some of the berries on the plants.

Inside the shutters, I stamped and heat embossed in gold embossing powder the friendship stamp from one of the Dreamees recipe sentiments, along with part of the Beautiful Babysun sentiment.

I used one of the  Dreamees Nice & Toasty design papers inside the shutters and with what was left, I made the little flowers, using a flower punch from my stash. In the centre of the flowers, I added 3mm pearls.  For 3 little snails on top of the window frame, I inked up some tiny little seashells that I had with some vintage photo distress ink.

I used artificial grass that I knew would come in handy one day, that I bought from that great shop, Flying Tiger. Little toadstools and mdf ladybird was from my stash, mini cactus from The Range and mini terracotta flowerpot was actually from a garden flowerpot man that didn't weather too well so he's been recycled. 

There is only one thing missing from this and that is a traditional garden gnome, If I could have got a dolls house miniature one, I would have added it, not because she loves them but because it's been a bit of a running joke over the years.

Another snail made from a seashell and I thought the hot glue overspill made him look a little more lifelike. I had a leftover ivy leaf, so I used it as a fallen leaf with some glossy accent as some morning dew.

I thought, this project needed to look cute when the shutters were closed and for that feel good factor, on those days, when there is no one to say "good morning gorgeous"....  just open the shutters and smile..... well that is the premise. 

Enjoy your day whatever you have planned for yourself.

Happy Crafting