Bunka!!!

Oh What a Difference....

I can Hardly believe, Dear Readers, that I was very Nervous about applying the Bunka to this House! I had never used it before, and in spite of having read many many tutorials and mentions on other blogs about how to use it on everything from rugs to doll wigs, I really had no idea where or how to start! The Secret Christmas House kit supplied the bunka, already partly unraveled, but I had no idea if it was supposed to be "pulled" more or applied as is.... or what kind of glue.... or how to shape the applied pieces....! I really wanted to Not mess up the exterior of this Beautiful House! So I looked it up on-line and sure enough the Tutorial by Casey of Casey's Minis showed up near the top of the list! It is no wonder, it is a great Tutorial! Thank you Casey! It explained everything and showed useful steps and even though it was explaining the techniques for a rug, it gave me the confidence to just get started! In the picture above, you can see the "potted trees" that come with the kit. On the left it is just the wooden piece painted, and on the right I have added the bunka! Oh, what a difference it makes!

Here you can see I am testing the "potted tree" next to the door, 

and you can also see a close-up of the printed Christmas greenery 

decorating all the windows.

Seeing what a difference the bunka made to the tree 

gave me the courage to add it to all those windows!

I used a toothpick to apply a small dab of Aleen's Quick Dry Glue 

on the end of the printed garland on the house

 and carefully lined up the end of the very squiggly bunka thread 

where I wanted the garland to start. 

Then I added another dot of glue and gently nudged the bunka thread into the spot..... 

it is a little hard to control because it is so stretchy and wiggly.... ! 

As greenery it is best if you don't try to make it lie in a straight line, 

but let it have little waves and wiggles in the application.... 

if you see what I mean!

Here is a close-up view!

The red "ribbons" are tiny snips of red bunka pushed 

into the dab of glue at the appropriate spot.

Here you can see the windows on the Parlor side of the House.

And the front of the House too!

And while I am adding all the greenery in its 

Three dimensional  splendor, 

I am also finishing a few of the other tiny details....

like the doorknobs!

Can you see them?

I had to cut down a couple of little brass nails or pins, 

and carefully press them into the holes 

which were pre-cut in the kit wood.

It was not easy to get the tiny stubs of the pins into the teeny tiny holes! 

And at one point one of the "knobs" pinged off into the room...

 but I heard where it hit and was able to find it!

It was important to add the knobs 

before gluing the Potted Trees into place.

And since the green garlands made from bunka worked so well, 

I also added the green bunka "boughs" to the window boxes.

Of course, it will all look even more festive when it "snows"!

Which reminds me, Dear Readers,

 that I had been working on perfecting 

the Icicles that are to hang from the roof eaves.

They are the last wooden pieces of the kit and are very delicate!

And they required many coats of paint,

 all applied carefully so as not to clog the "teeth" of the icicles.

First I painted them with a gesso primer then plain white on both sides.

 And then I thought about real icicles.... 

and realized that they are actually a clear bluish gray color.... 

being frozen water.... 

and so I painted my icicles a pale bluish white. 

And then I coated them with a layer of Aleen's Clear Gel glue.... 

hoping that it would make them look a little more like ice!

(And I think I might add another layer still...!)

I think the Icicles will look a lot more realistic 

once there is some "snow" on the roof too!

And I am really glad I completed the bunka garlands 

before I attached the icicles which hang over them.

And here I have attached the Lovely potted Topiary Trees too!

The Table still needs its drawer pulls added, 

and perhaps some decorative detailing.

But other than that,

 I think the only other part still not added is the Snow!

I might be almost finished with the House portion of this kit!

And I don't know about you, Dear Readers, 

but I still can't believe what a 

Difference that Bunka makes!