I think what I love so much about gardening is that it reminds you that you can persevere in adversity. Think about it, that seed or bulb goes through a cold winter, then pushes through the soil using all the energy it stored. The plants stand in hot sun, live through hail storms and more. I remember a devastating overnight hail storm that had severely damaged our home and my gardens. I was beside myself at the state of everything, but then I saw my rose bush. It had survived and even bloomed that very next morning. And my gardens came back that summer.

And being the nerd I am, I also think of how flowers convert carbon dioxide into energy and emit oxygen that we breath. It is a gentle reminder that we all have our place in the larger ecosystem, that we rely on each other to live. I give my plants water and nutrients, they give me the oxygen I need to survive. 

So when I saw Tami's potting shed that she made with the new Tim Holtz Idea∙ology Shrine, I fell in love with the idea of a miniature potting shed that I could display in my home. And making my own little version of a potting shed was the perfect excuse to use the new Speckled Egg Distress color!

I started by lining the inside of the shrine as well as the back side with some patterned paper that reminded me of garden trellises. I glued together the two bottom layers then glued it to the shrine. Next I painted the sides, top and the bottom layers of the shrine with Speckled Egg Distress Paint. Once that was dry, I added on a layer of crackle medium to the edges for a shabby look.

I set that aside to dry and and moved on to altering the elements that would go inside of my potting cottage. I colored some Tim Holtz thimbles with Distress Paint in Rusty Hinge and Distress Crayons in Rusty Hinge and Antique Linen. When I was done coloring them to my satisfaction, I locked it all in with a layer of Distress Collage Medium in matte, using a paintbrush to paint on a thin layer of the medium.

I also cut up chipboard into random squares and rectangles to create a "tile" floor in my cottage. I glued the chipboard tiles into place with a little bit of Distress Collage Medium then painted over the floor with white gesso. To add color to my tiles, I rubbed on some Distress Crayon in Hickory Smoke then used a water brush to soften the color and lines. 

I created a potting table using the smallest Tim Holtz vignette box. To create feet for the table, I glued on some hitch fasteners. I painted the sides and top of the vignette box with Speckled Egg Distress Paint, dry brushing a little on to the hitch fastener feet as well. To finish off the table, I added some paper to the inside of the vignette box, along with some mushrooms from the Field Notes snippets. 

Using one of the corked domes, a memo pin, a small gear and a butterfly from the Field Notes snippets, I created a display cloche for the top of the table. I added a little bit of moss to the cork bottom as well as a mini label from the snippets and some twine to decorate the outside of the cloche. 

I created a garden spade with a spoon from Tim Holtz's silverware, wrapping the top of it in copper wire. I created a loop of wire at the top from which I could attach some twine to hang the spade from. I added an antique gem and then dry brushed on a little Speckled Egg Distress Paint to the spade. 

Next I altered some Tim Holtz Bouquet flowers using some water and Distress Ink in Ripe Persimmon. I also die cut some leaves and vines using Funky Florals #1 and Tim's kraft-stock classic in two colors of green. I reversed the paper to cut a matching back side to each leaf and vine so the cuts would be 3D. I used some thin green floral stem from LittleB to glue the larger leaves onto, sandwiching it between the layers of cardstock. I shaped the leaves by bending the wire and gently curled the fern vines by rolling them around the handle of a small tool. 

I filled two of the three thimbles with a little bit of paper clay then began arranging my pots, creating one potted flower and one hanging fern. I added some moss to fill in the gaps. Using a tiny price tag from the Field Notes snippets, a tiny clip and a bit of wire, I created a price tag by gluing the wire to one side of the tiny clip. I stuck the snippet in the clip then added it to the flower pot. 

I created a mini macrame using twine to hang the fern from. To hang it, I used a teeny tiny clothespin, gluing the clothespin to the ceiling of the shrine and clipping the macrame in. Next I glued in the table using collage medium and then also glued in some Field Notes and snippets, which I altered with a little Distress Ink in Hickory Smoke, on the back and side wall of the potting shed for decor. 

To hang the spade, I glued in another hitch fastener which I dry brushed with Speckled Egg paint. I also glued in a faucet knob that was altered with Speckled Egg as well. Next I glued in the cloche as well as some rocks from Emerald Creek's Rock Quarry collection. I also added another tiny clip to the front side of the potting table to hold a few more snippet labels. Then I glued in the potted plant and an overturned empty pot, adding a bit of moss to tie it all in.  To finish it off and hide the clothespin, I added two layers of Distress Embossing Glaze in rusty Hinge (using collage medium to "stick" the embossing powder on) to a butterfly embellishment then glued it to the top of the shrine. 

I hope you enjoyed this project as much as I did. I eagerly displayed it in my living room on the mantel. Now I see it every time I walk out back to my garden.

Happy Crafting!

Adrienne