Cabana, Cabana, Cosmo!

It's summertime at Alpha Stamps! Not only do I have photos of tiny beach cabanas, there's a sneak peak tutorial and preview of my next project at the end of this post.

Summer means hitting the beach, but where will you change into your suit? If you're lucky, there will be cabanas nearby so you can hit the beach in style. Here are three miniature beachy cabanas, ready when you are (if you're really teeny tiny, that is.) Can you see the bather behind the louvered door in the center house? She's just about ready for her debut.

These chipboard houses come flat, but are simple to assemble. Just fold on the score lines, cover the sides with paper or paint, and glue together with white glue. I used a strong double stick tape to attach the roofs.

Here's the largest cabana. The first bather is just getting ready to exit, while her friend peeks out the window on the side. For the roof on this cabana, I ran some scrapbook paper through a die cutter and layered the strips to look like shingles.

Number 17: Seahorse Inn. A bright gold seahorse on the door will help you to locate this cabana. On the roof, shingles were cut out separately, edges inked, and then applied one by one for a layered look.

 Here's the smallest of the cabanas, number 7. Scalloped scissors made the edges of this roof.

I had fun photographing these houses on sand, but to really get the details, I put them in my photo studio.

I would be remiss not to show you some of the cuties looking out the windows! They are all ready for some fun in the sun!

Seaside details on the back! The cardboard cutouts can be used in many ways. The wave and the draped edge were painted, while colored pencils were used for the palm trees, umbrella, shell, and life preserver.

For a complete list of supplies to make these beach cabanas, click here.

And now for the sneak peek tutorial. My next project was in need of some sort of summery beverage, so naturally I picked my favorite: Cosmopolitans! Here's how I took plain little glasses and made Cosmos.

First off, the glass itself. Look how tiny!

I added the pink color of the Cosmo itself using a mixture of Liquitex Gloss Medium and a little paint. Each glass just needed a drop or two.

Sugar the rim! I love to use Stirrings Cosmopolitan Rimmer on our real Cosmos; it's pink and tasty and fun. I used a little pink glitter to rim the tiny drinks. Use a toothpick to put a thin bead of tacky glue around the rim and then either sprinkle the glitter on, or carefully press the top of the glass into a little pile glitter. I did both, for better coverage. When I did this first round of glasses, I put the limes on before sugaring the rims, but if I had to do it again, I'd add the limes after the glass is sugared.

Every Cosmo needs some lime! This lime cane is the perfect size for a tiny beverage. Simply cut a thin slice with a sharp exacto blade, and take out a small pie-shaped wedge so the slice will fit nicely on the rim of your glass. If the glue from your sugar is still wet, it may be enough to hold the lime on. You can also use a toothpick to put a tiny bead of glue on the inside edges of the lime where you removed the wedge.

Miniscule Cosmos are served! But where?!? Stay tuned...

You can purchase some mini Cosmo supplies here.