Tree Stump Miniature House

About a year ago I purchased two tree slices figuring I'd do something with them. I figured I'd take pictures of my wire wrapped jewelry on them, but that never happened. All I've done with them over the past year is put them in a bag to donate to a thrift store... and then take them out. Yep, a year of doing that. While going through my studio again purging items, I again came across these two tree slices... again, they were put into the "donation bag." Then I had an idea what to do with them, finally! Turn them into a miniature house! So out of the donation bag they came!

A miniature house? Yes, a tree stump miniature house. I haven't quite figured out how to do this just yet, I'm just going to wing it. The first thing I was needing to do was to get the bark cut off the edges. Once that was done I stained the wood to give it a nice appearance.

 Then using super sturdy cardboard I cut a base for the miniature house trying to replicate the look of tree roots that show on the surface of the ground. I cut a piece of cardboard to create the walls of the tree stump and cut long slits about 1/2 inch apart so I could get the cardboard to wrap around the shape of my tree. I only have two wood slices, so the center floor I made used two pieces of heavy duty cardboard glued together. I used tacky glue and nails to secure the wall into place. I cut holes into one wood slab and the cardboard floor so I can add stairs later.

Once the cardboard and slabs were in place I added balled up pieces of tin foil and tape to make the tree stump look more realistic. When the shape was how I liked it I added a layer of torn up paper bags to everything so I would have a smooth surface to work with. I also added a chimney to the right side of the tree stump.

 For the top of the tree stump I added a piece of leftover tubing from my outdoor drip system. I wanted a slight raised edge of my stump and this worked out perfectly. It is covered in pieces of glued on paper towels.

 To create the windows I used pieces of clear acrylic sheets that I had on hand. I framed the windows with illustration board and then covered it with drywall patch.

 Here you can see the front panel of my miniature tree stump. I'm still needing to cut out some windows on this piece and then figure out how to create a hinge so it can swing open and shut. You can see in this photo how I use the tin foil and tape to create shapes on the cardboard...

I think it is turning out super cute so far. Next up is to work on getting the interior walls done along with the tree bark on the tree stump itself.