I recently participated in an ATC Row House swap. I was excited by the prospect because I love working on a small scale and the house form is very appealing to me. I am a horder of ephemera and I knew I had some old tax documents. Those became the base for the house. I had some trim little brown ribbon that was a perfect scale for dividing house and roof, so that came next. Then, the houses sat... for days. The brown ribbon on the brown documents totally limited my vision. It looked so masculine that I ended up adding a man to the front of the house. Some postage stamps and a bit of gold trim finished the houses. They were well-constructed and looked complete, but the houses didn't make me that happy. I had one little house that I accidental constructed backwards - all the other chimneys were on the right. I hadn't "wasted" any ribbon on the backwards house, intending to keep it as a template. Today, when cleaning off my desk, a scrap of vintage rickrack from another project fell on the floor. I scooped it up and tossed it back to the table and it landed so close to the house template that I HAD to see them together. Five minutes later, this little sissy house was complete. I can't believe I spent days making houses that I didn't love and turned out this little sweet house in minutes! This must have been what my heart wanted all along.
** Stamped image from "Times Past" from Oxford Impressions.
I find it interesting that you chose to construct this house out of financial documents. The current economy has illuminated the monetary value of our homes and made the formerly solid investment of real estate rather precarious. However, when you look at this woman's face, you can see contentment. This house, though obtained with money, is not just an investment to her. It's her home, and she loves it. (I also identify with her because the front of my house has a big star on it, too.)
Cyndi
Posted by: Cyndi Watkins | November 14, 2008 at 07:48 PM
I find it interesting that you chose to construct this house out of financial documents. The current economy has illuminated the monetary value of our homes and made the formerly solid investment of real estate rather precarious. However, when you look at this woman's face, you can see contentment. This house, though obtained with money, is not just an investment to her. It's her home, and she loves it. (I also identify with her because the front of my house has a big star on it, too.)
Cyndi
Posted by: Cyndi Watkins | November 14, 2008 at 07:49 PM