iseecerulean

 Testing placement of all the stuff, making sure the house is going to be set under the highest point of the curved glass, and realizing my spooky chipboard trees aren't going to work now that the house isn't spooky.

 Painting the background and trimming the trees.  I could have painted the trees, but the stickers were faster and easier. 

I built up the ground over several days with thin layers of air dry clay.  I used Crayola Model Magic, since it's lightweight, cheap, and readily available.   I sculpted the cobblestone pathway in the final layer.

 The ground, dried, painted, and ready for turf...

I found some surprise trees in my box of scenery supplies;  I bought them for the tomb a few years ago then didn't use them.  These look much better than the spooky trees; they fit the feel of the piece, plus the trunks and branches are round instead of flat.  I had to whittle the back of the trunk flat on the leftmost tree, which was a pain, but the only way I could put the tree "behind" the stone wall.

Using the plastic trees as templates, I cut two from paper to sit behind the house, adding more depth to the piece.  I glued down green turf stuff, then three colors of autumn turf stuff over the top, for fallen leaves.  Once the ground dried I vacuumed it, then stippled a liberal coat of Elmer's glue over it, working the stiff bristles of the brush into the turf.  I don't want, this time next year, for Susan to have half the turf lying loose in the bottom of the picture frame.   I made all the green leaves and flowers, using my smallest paper punches and thinnest wire.

 Now...for the magic.....

One of Susan's favorite days is the first frost of Autumn.  I  used silver pearlescent paint to create  frost.  I painted it on the top of every limb, dry brushed it on the edges of the shingles, dabbed it all over the ground, etc.   It's difficult to photograph, you've got to turn you  head this way and that, looking at it from different angles, to get the full effect.  It doesn't look like paint, it looks like reflected light.  The piece changes as you walk by it.  It worked wonderfully.

 The antique frame had a damaged spot on one side.  I thought about repairing and painting the frame, but I like the character the imperfection gives.   I gave the frame a light cleaning, then coated the damaged area with wood hardener, thinking that may keep it from deteriorating further.  I'm not sure it did any good, but it certainly didn't do any harm.

 The finished piece...pardon the reflections in the glass.... 

 A side view, showing off the convex glass...