glitter houses

In my house, aside from the tree, the real focal point in the living room for decorating is the piano top, and it's been due for an update.

So, hooray for glitter houses! They can add so much fabulous sparkle and color. Plus, they are a little reminiscent of the porcelain village my mom always set up for the holidays.

as far as I'm concerned:

sparkle + color + nostalgia = perfect holiday decor

These were super easy and affordable to make-a big bang for your buck, and the decorating and personalization possibilities are endless.

Here's how I did it:

I started with blank paper mache houses. For glitterization I opted the route of glueing glittered scrapbook paper on, it was a lot cleaner than the alternative of mass glue and loose glittering, plus I think the result is more uniform. Before gluing on the glitter "siding" I traced out where the windows and doors would be and cut them with an Xacto knife, mostly that took forever. I used hot glue to attach them.

Once the houses were satisfactory glittered I coated the roof and base of each with Snowtex, a gloppy but lightweight paint-onable texture product that worked PERFECTLY! While that was still wet, I sprinkled on some crystal glitter and let it dry (couple hours). The embelishments I used are miniature ornaments, bells, and bows plus some pipecleaner! Almost anything goes at this point :)

I love how it turned out!

Here's the cost breakdown:

Lg house - $5.99 @ Hobby Lobby
Med. house - $3.99 @ Hobby Lobby
Sm. House - $2.99 @ Hobby lobby
6 pieces of glittered paper @ $0.99 ea = $5.94
SnowTex - $7.99 @ JoAnn's (I used my 40% coupon so I got it cheaper)
Embellishments - around $5, it varies
Total cost - $30-35!