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!

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!

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!

The Queen of the Sea!

The Queen of the Sea!
Originally uploaded by Lisa Kettell

I love making ATC's - and ACEO's as well, of course.

Well, this one just knocks me out. It's made by Lisa Kettel and the details and design are awesome ... remember! ATC's are only 2.5 x 3.5 inches!

I may have to come up with a miniature ATC theatre now - I'm both inspired and challenged! I'm not sure I can actually work on a card that small - but a small matchbox might be interesting and fun to fill with both performers and scenery! I think it's the awning style marquee on Lisa's that really makes it all work so well!

Brava!

Be sure to click on the picture and see the larger version!

I started pulling out my vintage ribbons and trims and papers and my Dresden scrap and fringes and everything else that would fit on my work table. I made this little Victorian trinket box out of a small papier mache box. This is the first piece of 2009 stuff for the Open Studios art space open houses. We're having a debate here about whether the wooden legs and the wooden knob on top need more done to them. I, of course, always believe that more is more and more is good.

What do you think? Should I keep piling on stuff, or leave it as is?

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!