Cupcake Topper Party Favors and Kits

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the counter at Tinsel Trading Company to chat and watch me create my Cupcake Toppers. I had such fun and I can't wait to introduce other demos with different instructors in the future.

I had a couple of pictures of my demo but I am more than angry because they disappeared from my camera. Somehow, after recharging the battery, half of my memory card ended up empty. This has never happened before so I am super confused (and super pissed) that it happened now; of all times!! The presentation was really nice and the cupcakes from Crumbs (which I used for props) made my Toppers look great. At the end of the demo I was glad to share the props with the fantastic staff at TTC.

You can now purchase the kits and some finished Toppers on my Etsy page at mannmcreations.etsy.com.

Demo at Tinsel Trading Company

If you are in the area, please stop by Tinsel Trading Company and say hi while I demonstrate how to make my Cupcake/Nut Cup Topper Party Favor Girls. The party favors will be made using products from the store including their Dresden trim and flowers. Completed projects will be available for sale.

Date: Thursday, July 7, 2011

Time: 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Location: Tinsel Trading Company

1 West 37th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)

See you there!

Mad Tea Party 2011

Thank you for visiting this Mad Tea Blogging Party hosted by a Fanciful Twist.

For this event, I created Cupcake Topper Party Favors in the theme of Alice in Wonderland. There is Alice, The Mad Hatter, The March Hare and The Dormouse; all four are made using crepe paper.

My daughter, Delilah and her giraffe and teddy bear friend helped celebrate this Tea Party event while making pretend to eat the (paper) cupcakes with delicious red cherries, M&M's and Kisses.

Thanks again to Vanessa Valencia for inviting everyone to participate!

In honor of this event, for a limited time, my 2010 Mad Tea Party creation a Mad Hatter Marionette is on sale at 40% off!

Art Doll ~ Victoria the Fantastic Wire Walker

She steps into the spotlight and waves. The crowd oooohs. The crowd aaaahs. Graceful, elegant and poised she carefully places one foot in front of the other onto the highwire. Her full skirt lightly bounces and her glitter slippers shine in the light. With meticulous skill, she balances her umbrella in hand, and slowly makes her way to the other side. The crowds cheer, clap and shout. Victoria bows...

Victoria was inspired by the Fantastic Wire Walker, Princess Victoria who performed in the Sells-Floto Circus c. 1919. She wears a white undergarment top with a pleated dark-orange and blue/aqua corset. Her full pale yellow skirt has a pointed overlay with pom-pom touches. Her black stockings have tiny silver dot details running down the outsides which meet at her gold glittered black slippers. Her brown tissue paper hair is tied up with a coordinating dark-orange paper ribbon. Blue paper rosettes adorn her bodice and hair.

Victoria comes with a balancing umbrella and a display stand/box. Victoria stands 13" tall.

Detailed Construction of Doll:
Victoria is made using paper with a paper clay overlay with a wire armature running throughout her body, hands and feet. The arms, legs and head are movable as they are connected to the body with nut/screw joints. She is painted with professional quality acrylic paints and sealed with a matte sealer. Her clothes, hair and umbrella are made entirely of paper. The clothing is not removable. She does not stand on her own. She can sit halfway. She is signed and dated on the back of her left leg under her skirt.

I had alot of fun making this doll. The idea of her was floating in my mind for several months but I wanted to make sure I executed the final project perfectly. I tried different hairstyles, papers and makeup applications before settling on what you see here. As always, I had a great time shopping for different papers to use. The great German crepe paper used for her skirt was purchased from Castle in the Air and the pretty blue paper roses were purchased from Tinsel Trading Company.

The box, which was intended to be just a plain ol' display case, ended up being an art project in itself. So much so that I love it even on its own. The background circus images were purchased from Gallery Cat on ETSY. The box measures 16"h x 9 1/4" w x 5" and was made using cardboard and various scrapbook papers then painted with acrylic paints of red & white stripes. There are two tabs that are used to support the standing Victoria when placed under her arms.

If you would like to dress in a costume similar to Victoria's, almost everything can be purchased on ETSY through the following links to different shops: Full Skirt, Corset, Chemise and Stockings. I support handmade!

Art Doll ~ Work in Progress... Tightrope Walker

I've been super busy managing the workshops for Tinsel Trading Company so I'm a bit behind on my Art Dolls.  Nonetheless,  I squeezed in a couple of minutes everyday this month to work on my next doll.  She is my interpretation of a Vintage Tightrope Walker costumed in bright eye catching clothing; which, of course, is made entirely of paper.  She will come with a "stage" display box instead of a usual stand.  I should have her done by this week.

Here are some work in progress photos, an illustration of her from my journal and images of costume inspiration.

Workshops at Tinsel Trading Company!

Hello Readers!


I am so pleased to announce that my favorite store in New York City, Tinsel Trading Company is offering workshops again starting this month!
I actually have the privilege to be working closely with the store owner, Marcia Ceppos, and helping her coordinate the workshops.  I will try my best to bring you the best instructors with the best projects that will include the fabulous products you have come to know from Tinsel Trading Company.  
Please visit the blog at www.tinseltradingcompanyworkshops.blogspot.com to see the workshop offerings.  And if you don't know about Tinsel Trading Company, you must visit the store in person.  Or you can always visit their website at www.tinseltrading.com.  Like a friend of mine said, "I have never seen/heard of Tinsel Trading company but it looks like Disney World from the website!"
If you would like to be considered as an instructor at Tinsel Trading Company or if you know of anyone who might be interested, please send me an email at tinseltradingworkshops@gmail.com with the information.


Thanks!
Melanie Ann Mercado

The Princess and the Pea

by

Hans Christian Andersen

(1835)

NCE upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess; but she would have to be a real princess. He travelled all over the world to find one, but nowhere could he get what he wanted. There were princesses enough, but it was difficult to find out whether they were real ones. There was always something about them that was not as it should be. So he came home again and was sad, for he would have liked very much to have a real princess.

One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down in torrents. Suddenly a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king went to open it.

It was a princess standing out there in front of the gate. But, good gracious! what a sight the rain and the wind had made her look. The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. And yet she said that she was a real princess.

“Well, we’ll soon find that out,” thought the old queen. But she said nothing, went into the bed-room, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty eider-down beds on top of the mattresses.

On this the princess had to lie all night. In the morning she was asked how she had slept.

“Oh, very badly!” said she. “I have scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all over my body. It’s horrible!”

Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down beds.

Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that.

So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a real princess; and the pea was put in the museum, where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it.

There, that is a true story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Princess and the Pea is my entry for the Story Book Characters Doll Challenge at Cloth and Clay Dolls.

The doll is made using paper mache and paper clay over a wire armature.  Her hips, knees and shoulders are movable with wire joints.  Her nightgown with removable robe and hair are made of paper.  She measures about 9" tall.

The bed is made using cardboard and painted with acrylic paints for a mahogany finish.  The headboard and foot board have flowery "carvings".  The 20 mattresses are made using cardboard and they are wrapped in 20 irremovable "quilts" that are simply decorative scrapbook papers.  Her top quilt and pillows are made using delicate paper laces stuffed with thick tissue.  The bed measures approximately 11 1/2"L x 7 3/4"W x 11 3/4"H.  The ladder is made of cardboard and the pea is made of paper clay.