Welcome to the Wild West Saloon
Today, I'm presenting a DIY Wild West Saloon vignette.
Last year my husband and I took our first trip out west to visit our children living in Colorado. My son took us to the historic gold mining and gambling town of Cripple Creek, Colorado - population 1,287. We loved the rustic western setting.
Sadly, we had to miss our trip out west this summer - like so many other people locked down at home, Since I couldn't go out west this year, I thought I'd pull out the Authentique Manly collection, Creative Embellishments chipboard pieces, Julie Nutting's dolls stamps, and fun bling by Buttons Galore and set to work making my version of an old Wild West Saloon using Cripple Creek as my inspiration.
Imagine my saloon here... (cue the Twilight Zone theme song please)
The inspiration came from two sources: Creative Embellishments - chipboard House Vignette and
Authentique's Manly paper collection.
I'm totally in love with the Creative Embellishments - chipboard House Vignette for its versatility. It can be turned into almost anything you can image. Creative Embellishments has accompanying chipboard pieces to help make your vision "come to life".
What inspired this creative thought process? The Authentique Manly collection, complete with rugged images and strong patterned papers, particularly the rich brick and wood patterned papers.
Here are the individual papers used from the
Authentique Manly collection:Here are some other scenes I have made using the House Vignette form Creative Embellishment:
Here are some angled shots of the saloon.
You can see how the papers are perfect for the walls and outside of the old western saloon.
The Authentique - Manly - 6 x 6 Paper Pad was used for the clothing on the doll stamp - yep, from cowboy hat to her cowboy boots, she's dressed in Authentique.
Giddy-up!
The "Wanted Posters" of cowboys are from the wonderful images in the 6x6 paper pad. The playing cards and dice on the bar are from Authentique Paper - Manly Collection - Elements.
Here's an image of the saloon in the early phases of the process. I shared this image because the "B"
side of Authentique's Brick patterned sheet is a lush blue subtle pattern used on the ceiling, bar and side walls.I'm going to take this opportunity to talk about the Creative Embellishments - House Vignette and all the chipboard accessories that helped shape my Wild West Saloon.
I used a variety of Creative Embellishments chipboard pieces and gussied up with inks, paint washes (acrylic paint thinned with water), and heat embossing - nothing complex or overly fancy.
In addition to the House Vignette, here are the other pieces used:
Creative Embellishments - Cowboy Set
Creative Embellishments - Barrels
Creative Embellishments - Saloon Doors
Creative Embellishments - Brick Pieces
Creative Embellishments - Dollhouse Slate Shingles
Creative Embellishments - Wagon Wheels
Creative Embellishments - Lacy Border
I kept all the finishes simple. The worn, dusty rugged look on the Saloon Doors, rope, wanted sign and animal skull was created using an acrylic wash (white acrylic paint thinned with water) and dabbed onto the chipboard with asea sponge.
The other chipboard pieces were either enhanced using inks or were heat embossed such as the rings on the Barrels and the Lacy Border used as the back splash of the bar.
The Creative Embellishments - Dollhouse Slate Shingles complete the weathered rustic look. They have been finished with a combo of ink and super light dabs ofacrylic whitewash (white acrylic paint thinned with water).
The shingles originally were just inked brown. I photographed the saloon for the blog post and realized the shingles looked flat and uninteresting. That's when I decided to add some black ink here and there along with light dabs of the white acrylic.
Next up, meet the Saloon owner and her best friend. These are both classic doll stamps from Prima and Julie Nutting (Becky 910457 and Dog Treats 910846) - you'll need to scour the internet for these gems if not in your stash.
Becky's layered skirt was made by stamping several layers of patterned paper from Authentique - Manly - 6 x 6 PaperPad, to give her dimension. I have given her and her dog a base to be free-standing as well.
Below are tips on making a standing base for the doll stamp figures.
Here are some additional images of the saloon, including one of Becky, the cowgirl proprietor, showing off the fabulous brick structure she proudly calls her saloon.
Becky has some jewel accents on her hat and vest from Buttons Galore's Buttons Galore Doo Dadz - Caribbean Sea . The dog has a jewel in his collar. This is also from the new collection of
Doo Dadz called Merry Mimosa .
The bottles on the bar are filled with shaker mix from Buttons Galore and More. The red mix is their new Doo Dadz - Merry Mimosa mix. The poker chips on the bar are Buttons Galore Doo Dadz- Cool Yule.
Here are some additional images of the saloon and of Becky, the cowgirl proprietor. Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by to visit! Now giddy up and get crafting!
