Smile Mercantile Craft Co.

Crackle Paint Demo

I've been experimenting with the putz house kits again!  I was looking for a rustic finish that would complement a summer village display, and so I am working with a crackle medium today to get tha...

Spun Cotton 101

Introduction to Spun Cotton Welcome to Spun Cotton 101! This page is a free resource for those looking to begin with the craft of spun cotton. What is spun cotton? Originating in Germany in the mi...

Scrapbook Paper Houses

Do you have a secret pile of scrapbook paper? Use it! These houses look beautiful with any kind of patterned paper.  I am working my way through a stash of scrapbook paper that has been sitting for...

Miniature Potted Feather Tree Tutorial

Even though we are far away from Christmas I am still in my exploration of feather trees.  Today I am working on a miniature feather tree using pink goose feathers for a sweet springtime look.  Yo...

Easy Christmas Star with German Glass Glitter

Today I'm working on a sweet and simple Christmas craft using sparkly silver German glass glitter.  This year's Christmas tree is a little bit on the Charlie Brown side- it's a young Douglas fir, p...

How to Clean and Restore Putz Houses

Today I'm fixing up some vintage putz houses that are in fairly rough condition.  The idea here is to tidy them up and make some gentle home improvements without really changing their designs.  Ma...