My latest creation was inspired by my daughter who will be performing in a steampunk circus show for the month of August.
Instead of being a dancer like this tiny figure, my daughter will be riding a giraffe unicycle (giraffes are the extra tall unicycles) amid amazing steampunk props and scenery. However I loved the idea of transforming the typically delicate music box into a steampunk wonder. Read the rest of this entry
Please visit the wonderful gang over at the Robin’s Nest to see the tutorial for Part Two of the Mid-Century Artist Trading Block, celebrating the marvelous mid-century.
I’m back with another artist trading block–this one celebrating the marvelous mid-century. Read all about how to make it over at he Robin’s Nest.
Some of you who live in temperature–sane parts of the world are already enjoying spring. It’s usually a different story here in the frozen tundra of Minnesota, where winter almost always lasts well into April.
To remind myself that spring will eventually come, I made this Golden Spring Artist Trading Block (ATB). Please check out the tutorial over at the Robin’s Nest. Read the rest of this entry
Last summer I posted a tutorial for an usual Artist Trading Block over at the Robin’s Nest. It was so well received that I thought it deserved a full replay here.
My Cinderella’s Time Gone By Artist Trading Block (ATB) features remnants of Cinderella’s ballroom dance at the castle and plays with the concept of Time: the importance Time played during Cinderella’s special night, the fact that this Time took place in the past and how Time distorts, warps and fractures memories. Read the rest of this entry
As you are probably aware by now, Paper Calliope has been hosting the 13 Days of October. For 13 days in October I am featuring different autumn and Halloween focused craft projects. I playfully chose the number 13 to toy with spooky superstitions. Read the rest of this entry
I am thrilled to show you my newest Artist Trading Block (ATB). It is especially exciting because it is also my first project as a member of the Robin’s Nest International Design Team. Please stop by their blog and check out my Cinderella’s Time Gone By ATB and tutorial.
Several months ago I began my foray into the world of Artist Trading Blocks (ATB) with a sculptural block celebrating Jane Austen’s Emma.
A delightful quote from the 1996 Jane Austen movie Emma, starring Gywneth Paltrow, inspired me to create that first ATB. Yet, a second line in the movie, when a drenched Mr. Knightley proclaimed his love to Emma, also caught my attention.
“I rode through the rain. I’d ride through worse than that if I could just hear your voice telling me that I might, at least, have some chance with you.”As the months went by, my desire to make another Jane Austen ATB based on this line only increased. Finally, as our long winter finally slid into spring, and our own rains began, I decided to go ahead and make this ATB.
The trouble is, I knew what I wanted it to look like and I knew it would not be easy. Then I came across The Robin’s Nest Sea Glass Tear Drops and I knew I had found my perfect raindrops.
I might write a tutorial for this ATB in the days ahead–but this project took so long to create and I am so pleased with the results, that I am reverting back to my five-year-old self and cannot wait any longer to show it to you.
Introducing: “Rain” #2 in the Jane Austen ATB Series:
This is how the Rain ATB appear when it is closed. Mr. Knightley’s horse sits atop the box.
Both of my kids are circus performers. Don’t get me wrong–they aren’t out on the road, performing in big tops across the country. Rather, instead of participating in youth soccer or baseball, they take classes and perform at a circus performing arts school.
They both walk the wire, known to non-circus folks at the tightrope, The Daughter™ rides unicycles tall and small, The Son™ performs aerial straps. They do lots of other circus stuff too. While they aren’t the star performers at this very competitive school–far from it–the fact that they undertake these acts of courage when they both have serious anxiety disorders is pretty amazing. When The Son™ started at this school as a six-year-old, he found playground slides too frightening. Now he walks the highwire.
Anyway, since this isn’t a mommy blog (really, no, really it isn’t!), I shared this to point out that with my kids doing all these daredevil acts, you would think I would know a thing or two about balance myself. Apparently not. I demonstrated this when I neared the final stages of completing my Artist Trading Block (ATB) Circus Cannon. There I was–cheerfully working away with everything going smoothly. Then I attached the cannon barrel to the block and watched in dismay as the barrel lurched into the ground. If this was a real circus cannon, the circus girl would be shot straight into the elephant poop. Read the rest of this entry
