The finished courtyard. Vines are by Bill Lankford.
I aged the walls with a wash of burnt umber, latte, and antique white acrylic paints, over a base coat of light ivory (all by Ceramcoat). I aged the shingles the same way (but without the base coat). Pavers are cut out of cardboard, painted burnt umber and then dabbed with burnt umber, black green, and latte (Ceramcoat again). (More "in progress" photos on my blog: http://jennsminis.wordpress.com/)
The back before I put the door in. I like the detail of the "boarded up" archway.
Detail of the aged fountain and the "weeds."
A shot of the courtyard at night.
The kit consisted of bare plywood walls/floor/roof, a sheet of brick paper, and a piece of cardboard. Instructions told how to put the courtyard together, how to stucco, and how to use the cardboard to make pavers.
I learned so much! This was the "paint and tissue" method of stucco, some of which I did well, some of which I didn't. (Paint hides a lot.) I used aging methods I'd learned doing the Arch de Provence house, and I think it turned out fine. I used a lot of things I had lying around, including the shingles, though I purchased the fountain, the "window" grill, and the light for it.
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