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Home for the Holidays Returns!

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  • Home for the Holidays Returns!

    Five years ago we had a lot of fun working on holiday decorations for a house that our talented graphic artist Laureen designed. Here's a link to the thread so that you can see for yourself: http://www.minutesmatterstudio.com/f...ighlight=Santa

    I thought it would be amusing to try this again this year with a different house and see how many new ideas we can come up with to show our holiday spirit!

    Download the .mms file and let the creative sparks fly! Be careful, you know how I am about grouping... if you want to change anything, make a copy of the page and then try it. The house that inspired the design is a brick home in Houston. I didn't want to get into drawing all the bricks so I just used a Texture fill. You could make this New England Style with clapboards, or change to stone or stucco.

    For the decorations, think inside the box, literally... use your Studio toolbox images to make wreaths, garlands, trees, bows, twinkly lights and more!

    Maybe you'll be inspired to use it or something like it for your holiday card to your clients. Post pics of your designs by clicking on Reply to Thread > Advanced > Manage Attachments > Add File > Select File and upload a jpeg of your rendering.

    image_8693.jpg
    Attached Files

  • #2
    Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

    BTW there are no rules to this - it's just pure fun and your imagination. While the drawing is done entirely in Studio, the decorations are not limited to Studio images. Use imported images of trees, wreaths, garlands, whatever!

    One of my favorite childhood memories was the story of Frosty the Snowman; my children loved it too and now my grandchildren are enthralled with the story and singing the song. Frosty and friends have come to visit our Holiday House!

    What are some of your special recollections of holidays past?

    Click on the thumbnail image below to enlarge for better viewing.
    image_8698.jpg

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    • #3
      Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

      Frosty has his top hat on and is ready to play. The tree, wreaths and garland are made from leaf finial images in the Hardware section of the Toolbox.

      To listen and watch a very old version of the Frosty story and song, click here:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU3SK...eature=related

      image_8699.jpg Click on the thumbnail image below to enlarge for better viewing.

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      • #4
        Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

        What a difference changing the fill on the body of the house makes! I also changed the roof color and added black shutters.
        Silver reindeer, silvery-white bows on the greenery, and lights on in the house welcome holiday company!

        Listen to Bing Crosby sing "Silver Bells"
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZeAImrvtqw

        Click on the thumbnail image below to enlarge for better viewing.
        image_8717.jpg

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        • #5
          Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

          changing the silver decorations to gold
          the garland around the arched opening to the entry was photo-clipped and resized to fit; I added a few gold balls to jazz it up. Swags under windows and wreaths on front doors were also photo-clipped from imported images, with gold bows from Studio on the wreaths

          Our musical accompaniment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14ZxIwS_5O8
          What Child is This? sung so beautifully by Julie Andrews

          Click on the thumbnail image below to enlarge for better viewing.
          image_8719.jpg

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          • #6
            Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

            Judging from the piles of snow, it appears you're missing Massachusetts! Love the entire rendering, especially the tree. Great Job!

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            • #7
              Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

              Yes, it's hard to think about Christmas without snow! But I'm not missing anything about it except the beauty!

              For more New England style, I have changed out the siding to white painted clapboards and added louvered shutters in Hunter Green.
              Tip: for the clapboard look, use the Pattern Fill but choose a "wider board" horizontal stripe than what you see on your screen. When you export, it gets much narrower. You can see the difference inside the small archways.... I didn't change that one (H26 vs. H15 under Pattern Fill).

              Enjoy Dean Martin crooning "Let it Snow" here:
              http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTXi04pdUIM


              Click on the thumbnail image below to enlarge for better viewing.
              image_8723.jpg

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              • #8
                Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

                Very clever way to use fill for the clapboard. Love the snow and now there is so much more.

                That song is one of my favorite Christmas songs.

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                • #9
                  Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

                  For my Blue Christmas House I've changed the clapboards to a stone fill under Fabric Fill Effects. I'd be less blue if my fellow Studio designers came up with a few ideas.....

                  To watch a very cleverly done duet by the one who made this song so popular and Martina McBride, click here:
                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KK6sMo8NBY&ob=av2e


                  Click on the thumbnail image below to enlarge for better viewing.
                  image_8726.jpg

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                  • #10
                    Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

                    Today we are turning on the lights and celebrating the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year"

                    listen to Andy Williams' rendition here and watch the synchronized light show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2urlriwjcg

                    Click on the thumbnail image below to enlarge for better viewing.
                    image_8727.jpg

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                    • #11
                      Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

                      A new look for our next home where Jack Frost doesn't make an appearance..... I saved a brick sample and used it under Fill Effects > Fabrics to fill the rectangles that make up the facade.

                      The fence has brick pillars (brick pattern loaded again but edited to make it appear larger) with wrought iron posts (straight line and bezier line). The ivy growing up the sides of the house was snipped from another photo and the windows and shutters brought to the front.

                      Each room has a "vignette" or indoor scene behind the windows; the glass was made transparent under Image Components, in the same manner we add outdoor scenes. The upper windows have curtains from the Image Library, all resized to fit our much smaller drawing scale. The beauty of Studio is the detail is not lost when images are "miniaturized."
                      Hear Roger Whitaker sing the classic "The Holly and the Ivy"
                      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj1bJaMRXv0

                      Click on the thumbnail image below to enlarge for better viewing.
                      Attached Files

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                      • #12
                        Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

                        Square wreaths and cone-shaped topiaries with cranberry bows to match the cranberries which garland the trees, plus candles in the windows!

                        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5SK6olIYcY
                        Enjoy some traditional Christmas carols by the Choir of King's College

                        Click on the thumbnail image below to enlarge for better viewing.
                        Attached Files

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                        • #13
                          Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

                          OMG Merlyn, where did that time go? Have to go find myself a house to decorate. Yours are awesome as usual! Enjoyed the entertainment.
                          Barb E

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                          • #14
                            Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

                            Today our house is all tied up with a big red ribbon and bow with some red branches in the urns and presents under the twinkly trees!
                            404912845.jpg
                            Click on the thumbnail image above to enlarge for better viewing.
                            Judy Garland sings Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
                            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g4lY8Y3eoo

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                            • #15
                              Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

                              I just love it. Hope to join in here if I find some extra time from work. Love what you are sharing. Thanks, Merlyn.

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                              • #16
                                Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

                                To change the appearance of a fill such as the brick, you can add a semi-transparent overlay in the same shape using a color. I have demonstrated this technique in the webinars on flooring. It works the same here.

                                Our decorations today include a ribbon woven through the balusters of the Juliet balcony, lots of bells on the ribbon and the wreaths, and a beautiful antique sleigh on the front lawn, as well as a white-lighted tree and some monster pine cones.

                                Our music today is by Andrea Bocelli who sings Adeste Fideles.

                                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhwYwdVg4UU
                                Attached Files

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                                • #17
                                  Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

                                  2012 xmas deocorating.jpgHere is mine, I wished I would have found a pic of a home that didn't have the lush summer looking tree in the front yard. Happy Holidays everyone. Barb Eckhardt

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                                  • #18
                                    Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

                                    Very cool, Barbara. Now we're getting in the spirit! I think you were the one who came up with using the bead trim for icicles when we did this in 2006 (I originally commented it has been five years, but it's actually six!!!)

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                                    • #19
                                      Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

                                      Holiday House.jpg

                                      I played with this way too long. Am so glad I am not getting graded.

                                      Janie

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                                      • #20
                                        Re: Home for the Holidays Returns!

                                        are you kidding me, Jane!! A+++

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