What a Gorgeous Weekend! ... and My Newest Mini-Theatre

What a glorious weekend, huh?! It was over 50 today and clear and wonderful. I took the dog to his favorite dog walking park - Edgerton Park on the other side of town. What a mistake. Usually Dusty is kind of a champagne color. He came home grey and dark brown with rusty dried leaves clinging to his wet and matted coat. Lovely. N0 - really - lovely. I guess just because it felt like Spring didn't mean I should have started acting as if it were Spring! Still, it was so nice to be outside without a stocking and gloves and shivering every step of the way. It was so nice to be able to be bare-headed-and-handed and only wearing a light coat, half-jogging around the park circular walkways. Just wonderful. And, of course, Dusty was in Seventh Doggy Heaven, out rolling in the mud and puddled snow and salt broth that was pooling everywhere, along with the piles of left over leaves from last Autumn and who-knows-what else! You'd think he would understand he's supposed to look nice. That's what all that hair is for, after all!

I finished a Marie Antoinette mini-theatre today - actually, the largest I've ever made, except for custom orders. It's almost 24"tall x 10"wide x 6" deep. I used lots of embellishments - vintage milinery roses, silk leaves, bead fringe, silk ribbon rosettes, Dresden scrap, lovely images of Marie Antoinette and the Neuschwanstein Castle. There is also a lot of Florentine gold ultra fine German glass glitter. I love the way the stuff shimmers rather than sparkles like regular glitter. All in all, I think it looks quite lavish and lush and extravagant ... very fitting for 'Toinette!



Between the warm weather, lots of fun movies on TCM and HBO and Showtime this weekend, my miserable cold finally abating somewhat, and getting this mini-theatre assembled and completed, I feel as if I've had a wonderful and productive weekend. Hope you did, as well!

Is it possible? ... could it be? ... do my eyes deceive me?...

Is that really truly bright sunshine pouring through the windows into the studio? It's a miracle. It's been so grey and gloomy and unpleasant the past week ... what a treat to have the sun flood the room with natural light! Of course, we can't have the good without some bad - just so we appreciate the good! All that brilliant illumination certainly exposes my need to dust!


I had planned to work on aging paper tags and labels yesterday; however, it was so dark and dreary, I decided to something more fun and upbeat to cheer up the day. I did a mini-theatre which will house Marilyn Monroe singing "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. It's all flash and Hollywood. Lots of pink paper with gold sparkles - and, of course, a plethora of "diamonds!"

The gentlemen are just standing there now, waiting for Marilyn to be installed in her hot pink satin evening gown! The detail shot below shows a lot of the details used, though it doesn't show off the many 'popped' features, making the piece very dimensional.

I also completed a small mini-theatre which is going to house a late 19th century fashion plate illustration as the featured character. This one has some beautiful vintage burgundy beads, and a burgundy velvet background, lots of Dresden scrap and ruffles with beading.
The detail shows my favorite element. A small folded 'fan' circle with a piece of Dresden scrap and a really lovely brass finding/charm of an art nouveau lady. I can't remember where I picked her up - but she fits in perfectly in this piece.
I'm glad I got a lot of work done yesterday, because today is going to be a complete waste. I have to wait for the repair man to come and repair the dishwasher (what a pain when dishwashers decide to expire! Even worse when they're under warranty, because they're in no hurry to get here!). Then I have to run around doing errands that are no fun at all.

However, I did order some luscious supplies from Etsy and Ebay, so maybe I'll have a fun mail day! I always love getting packages in the mail - especially from art supply businesses that specialize in altered arts - they're always wrapped and tied up so prettily! It makes opening the mail like opening gifts - even if you do pay for them yourself!

Yesterday I joined a toy theatre swap on

a new group I just joined (If you're also a Marie Antoinette fan, and make art using her image, click on the above image and look around!)

I worked yesterday afternoon and evening and finished up some detail this morning on my entry for the swap. I had fun - it's a little smaller than I usually work - approximately 10" tall - and my big clumsy fingers have a little trouble working around those teensy tiny folded paper fan circles. Again, I used a Tom Tierney paper doll as the character image.

I'm thinking it's probably finished. I may add a couple of feathers do her headdress and maybe some sparkles on her 'jewels' ... but I always get nervous adding at this point. If I mess it up with something inconsequential, I get really ticked off at myself.

Made some tussie mussies today ...

I wish they weren't called tussie mussies ... that's such a ridiculous sounding name for something. Of course, I guess they're rather ridiculous things anyway. My favorite one turned out to the pink, black and gold Casino de Paris one. It's kinda funny and innocently sexy and romantic. And I really like the vintage beaded fringe that are on the bottom with the silk ribbon streamers.

They all have a lot of vintage crepe paper - which I love - it's as soft as fabric, and silk ribbon, and Dresden scrap, and vintage trims, and vintage and reproduction papers and images, and assorted findings and fun things.

This children's one is sweet, too. The paper is a beautiful reproduction of a children-at-play toille type wallpaper. I found a lovely tiny vintage image of a child and put it in a miniature picture frame. And isn't that tiny swag of gold bullion on the frame wonderful?!


This sweet little Victorian piece has a fun piece of vintage German scrap - strawberries on the vine. Sweeeeeet! And a ton of lovely old vintage crepe papers.


And finally, a Marie Antoinette inspired piece. It's all lavender and pink and gold - and has a gorgeous piece of vintage velvet and metallic trim. The illustration of Marie Antoinette is a Tom Tierney paper doll.

Probably won't be making many more of these for awhile. For some reason, I make such a mess when I start working on these. I think it's smoothing glued paper onto a cone shape, which squeezes gel medium EVERYWHERE!

... and I really want to thank Catherine of A Thousand Clapping Hands for explaining to me the proper way to utilize the image uploader properly on this server! Thank you!

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 ...

Today's Work is Just a Mere Whimsy

I love this striking little black, white and silver trinket box. It's a papier mache box covered with vintage and contemporary papers, painted wooden findings, vintage feathers and floral trims, ribbons, and wonderful contemporary eyelash fringe. The little beads around the top of the lid are antique black jet beads...I just love them, and don't have many left. I'll have to keep my eye out for another broken jet bead necklace so I can get a new stash! The dusting of white German glass glitter on the flower embellishment is the perfect extra sparkle!

This box is only 4" and makes a perfect hiding place for treasures - or a particularly lovely gift box for - oh, say - a diamond ring! I put this in my Etsy shop, if you're interested in it.

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!

Today's Work Included a Mini-Parisienne Show Girl Mini-Theatre

This was such fun! I love this piece - I remember how disappointed I was by the Folies Bergeres Paris when when we were there (not Moulin Rouge though! - even the iconic red windmill is still there!). This is what I wanted the Folies to be - red and gilt with sexy black accents and over-the-top decoration. Alas, now it's all mirrors and light shows and just looks like another over-produced Vegas act. Oh, well. Anyway.

This piece, which again starts out as papier mache, uses antique sheet music, vintage and reproduction papers, Dresden scrap, gold silk ribbon wrapped around the columns, French millinery netting, rhinestones, miniature crepe paper flowers, jet beading, feathers and assorted findings.

The lovely showgirl is a reproduction of a vintage piece that I purchased a long time ago from Altered Pages - a terrific resource for vintage images, as well as other goodies to make stuff out of! I ended up bracing her with teensy tiny dowels so that she can stand upright on her own. I get a kick out of her pose - I'm not sure if she's displaying her lavishly feathered costume, the theatre, or her own - um - assets. Whichever, she's definitely quite proud! If you click on the image (as with all the images on my blog), it will open a larger image which makes it easier to see.

I think I spent too much time today running around and shopping for little elements that I needed to get as much stuff accomplished as I would like. I had hoped to get all the characters finished for all the other theatres I built this week. I only have three or four more mini-theatres to construct, and then I must get to work on trinket boxes, as they're always a popular selling item for me around Valentines Day.

I have some ideas for some teeny tiny two inch square trinket boxes which should be a lot of fun to put together - or else drive me up the wall! We shall see!

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!

Beginning of a New "Vintage" Theatre

This is the framework of a new theatre piece. It's 9" tall thus far, but I may put a wider base on it, which would make it 1/2" - 3/4" taller.

I've used papier mache, vintage and handmade papers, lots of Dresden scrap to create the balcony area architecture, vintage crepe paper for the ruffled valance, a pretty cut out from an old ad for the framed detail on the top, and a nice piece of twisted cord in the corner of the floor and the wall. There is also quite a bit of shiny clear glitter used - and the 'floor' of the balcony area is covered with German glass glitter.

I have an order coming from Birds of a Feather for ruffled crepe paper. But I didn't have any this morning, so I gathered this crepe paper myself. I don't think I'll do that again ... it took almost 1/2 hour to gather just a tiny length to go under the balcony! Sometimes, starting completely from scratch just isn't worth it!

Now, I think I'll leave this to sit on a studio shelf for a while and begin work on another stage. I like to be able to see the little stages for a while before I decide what kind of characters, scenery, and/or decorations they call out for to be completed. It also gives them a good long time to dry hard and sturdy. I remember once I couldn't wait to get going and the whole thing collapsed because I hadn't given the infrastructure time to cure. I learned my lesson! Sometimes haste really does create the proverbial! I'm thinking this one is going to require some regal characters, so perhaps I should think about doing a faery woodland theatre next and keep myself on my toes!

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!

I Just Found This Exquisite Piece of Work

On Ulla's blog and was just knocked out by it. The combination of naivete and obvious appreciation of the delicate and lovely really speaks to me. I don't know if this is a vintage piece of art or a contemporary assemblage ... but I'm going to pretend that I know it's been around for many decades and delighting people all the while!