Today's Mini-"Vintage"-Theatre Construction

This little theatre was such fun ... all blue and gold and lavished with lots of Dresden scrap, silk ribbon, reproduction fringe trim, dyed feathers, and vintage images. I think I would like to put in a Marie Antoinette character - if I can find one of her done all in blue and gold, it's definitely going to happen. If not, perhaps a vintage image of an opera singer or cabaret performer who is decked out in sapphire and gold finery.

I keep getting ideas for new mini-theatres - and I really should be getting on with other projects! I have to remember Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and these theatres are not what I sell for that holiday! Perhaps this just isn't going to be a big selling holiday for me. Thank goodness the Christmas season was busy! But I need to get back to trinket boxes and tussie mussies and assemblages and shadow boxes and ...

Take a look at this wonderful shadowbox

Isn't this just enchanting?! It's from this wonderful French blog. (If you click on it, it will grow, however if you go to the site and click on the photo, you get a very large zoom image, so you can get a really good look!) I was originally directed there by Ulla, who posted a gorgeous reliquary from the same site. Because my French is rudimentary at best, I'm not completely sure what the site is dedicated to - but it has some wonderful and varied photos. Take a few moments and browse around!

The Day of the Dead Ham Shrine

I finished up my first ham can this morning. I like the way it looks. The colors look pretty garish in the photo - but they're quite nice in person. The skull tree is covered with ultra fine German glass glitter and is quite glamourous looking. The milagros used will protect one (or heal one) from harm to the arm, house, leg, foot, and car. The miniature crepe paper flowers are really wonderful - but one would have to be insane to try to make a lot of them. They seem to be quite time consuming - and cover very little area. The cross is quite a lovely piece of silver with the long extensions of the cross wrapped in pale gold/yellow silk thread. I think the only way you can really see some of the detail is by clicking on the photo and enlarging.

Well, that was fun! I am going to make two more. Then I'll have to go back to making mini theatres ... unless I decide I must have more ham salad this week - then I'll have to buy more cans!

Beginning of the Ham Can Shrine

Well, I'm not going to get this finished today - but it's fun! So far I've covered the piece with papers, and miniature crepe paper flowers, and a lovely print of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and trimmed out the piece in vintage crepe paper pleats.

Tomorrow it will probably get its alter of skulls and marigolds - and probably a big cross. Even though I like Day of the Dead celebrations because I love the idea of communing with deceased loved ones - and I love the skulls and flowers and crepe paper streamers and banners and all, I do have to remember that it is a religious holiday and that a cross or two wouldn't be out of place!

Midnight In the Forest Mini-Theatre

I finally completed the woodland theatre ... now it just needs a sprite of some sort to move in and make this his neighborhood of choice!

I'm finding this piece particularly hard to photograph, because there is so much clear glass glitter and gold leaf flakes, causing too much reflection for a good photo. I love the vintage man-in-the-moon image and it was fun working with the moss and branches and natural elements.

If I were a doll-maker, which I am decidedly not and have no desire to be!, I would make a Titania swinging in her bower of flowers for this theatre. Maybe I can make an articulated paper-doll of Titania for it!

I think when I return from my errands, I'm going to give one of those ham cans a piece of my mind! - or my imagination, anyway!

Is There Anything I Won't Alter?

I guess the answer would have to be NO.

Today I was making ham salad (yes, I use those cheap canned hams to make ham salad. Don't laugh at me; be amused, please).

Suddenly, I had a quick vision of what might be, and I quickly dug through the garbage to dig out the ham cans and ran them through the dishwasher.

Voila! I think they're going to be absolutely perfect for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) retablos/shrines. I'm thinking backgrounds of Our Lady of Guadalupe inside the arch with lots of flowers and skulls and crepe paper and milagros. I'm not sure if I'll be able to find the traditional marigolds in miniature artifical flowers. If not, I'll have to make do with other flowers.

Jon was laughing when he saw I was going to make art out of ham cans. He found this much funnier than when I use round bread crumb containers for mini-theatre structures.

I often wonder how I can do so much work with garbage - and yet still buy enough art supplies and vintage findings to support a small Third World country!

I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who makes stuff out of garbage. What's the wierdest thing you've ever made art from?

Black and White Pierrot Mini Theatre

Last night I started working on a small black and white theatre which might display a Pierrot or Pirouette paper doll puppet. I had planned on it being tiny, but the more I started playing with the black and white papers and trims and beads and feathers, I decided it really needed to be a larger theatre. So it grew into this 16" display theatre. I took a detail photo of the balcony, because I think the Dresden scrap 'railing' and and the antique jet beading trim are especially lovely. I found the black button that is in the middle of the back wall at an antique shop years ago and it's finally found a home. It's multi-faceted and looks like a big jet bead - though I don't believe it is. I think this is going to be a really pretty mini vintage theatre. Jon asked me if I was going to put a "splash of red" on it and I said that I hadn't planned on it. However, the idea of a black and white and red piece intrigues me, so I'm sure there is going to be one of them this year!

Today's Mini-"Vintage"-Theatre Construction

I was going to work on doing an out-doors-y sort of woodland faery theatre piece.

But, it just seemed to get fancier and fancier as I went along, and it turned out a tad too royal for a forest scene.

I think maybe it's going to require a Marie Antoinette character inside it ...

I used papier mache (as usual) for the basic structure, and added vintage and handmade papers, a beautiful piece of antique brass filigree, an Anna Griffin crown embellishment, glass fringe in the shape of leaves, crepe paper, silk ribbon (for the bunting) and paper-and-ribbon covered dowels for the columns. As I look at it more and more, I think that maybe I'll need to add something to the facing of the balcony to add to the rhinestones. They're looking a little lonely there by themselves.

I guess now I'll need to see if I can get that natural forest-y stage structure started!

Fairy Tea Time Toy Theatre Shadow Box Assemblage

I get so excited when I find another charming miniature theatre created from vintage materials and a 21st century aesthetic! You can see more of her work here. It doesn't say how large it is, but it looks to be fairly small ... perhaps in the 6-8" square area. I might be completely off, of course. It's something I've been accused of being before, and probably will again!

As I tided up the studio and started putting some of my papers and stuffs away, I found a holiday card that I didn't get around to sending to anybody yet!

Now I have to decide whether this is to be sent out as a Happy 2009 greeting - or if it's the beginning of my card stash to send for the holidays at the end of the year!

I do like that piece of French ribbon that is on the card ... I wish I had more of it. But, I bought it at an estate sale, and alas!, there is no more to be had!

"Today will be joyous, for the beauty slamming against my face is unwilling to be ignored."

Today this statement arrived in the mail taking the form of a New Year's greeting.

The sentiment encompasses the way I try to live my life. I endeavor to see the beauty around me, no matter how inconsequential or trivial it may seem to others as they look past it towards more heady displays of beauty.

The card (and quote) came from http://www.ponderingpool.com ... visit and enjoy!