Toy Story Replicas

Apparently, there are tons of Toy Story toy replica fans out there.  These die hard fans scan the internet and globe looking for the next toy to complete their collection.  Some have completed an entire inventory to match exactly what was either in Andy's room, Sunnyside Daycare or in Bonnie's room. These collections are really impressive and include some very creative handmade one-of-a-kind replicas.

Recently, I've been contacted by different Toy Story fans to recreate several pieces from the movies.  The first one was the clown Jack-in-the-box from the 3rd movie (read my original post here) and the next was the Green Hand Jack-in-the-box from the 1st movie that was in Sid's bedroom.

I usually tend to stay away from "creepy" art but I was willing to put aside my conventions and was eager to be put up to the challenge.  It was unlike anything I made before but I did my best and I thought it came out pretty good.

The next Toy Story replica project I just completed is Bo Peep.  Here is a work-in-progress photo of her and her three headed sheep.

I made two sets of sheep because the first one (behind her) ended up being too small.  The smaller set of sheep will be completed with another Bo Peep if anyone is interested (I will also make the lamp to go with her).  Photos of my completed Toy Story Bo Peep replica will be in another post.

Paper Cancan Dress

Here is the paper cancan dress I created specifically for the Posters of Paris: Toulouse-Lautrec and His Contemporaries, June 1–September 9, 2012, exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

The dress is assembled with some paper tape and 2 1/2 bottles of my favorite Crafter's Pick glue.  Using six different kinds of papers and without using a pattern, the dress took about 2 weeks to complete.  Most of this time was to ensure that the glue was dry before I proceeded to the next steps.  The moisture in the glue made the red paper run sometimes so there were a bit of trial-and-error delays (plus I changed my mind on the design a couple of times).

I am by no means a seamstress or clothing designer so the fact that I didn't use a pattern presented it's challenges.  The hardest part was the construction of the corset.  Instead of just gluing two ends of a sheet of paper together and compressing it into the shape of a corset with force and glue, I assembled it like a real corset would be made.  I cut out nine strips of paper, each a different shape and size, and separated them with the paper "boning".  I finished off the top and bottom with hand stamped detailed ruffles.  All of the edges are neatly completed and they lay flat for comfort and attractiveness.

Originally intended as a two piece for display on a mannequin (more on that fiasco in another post), I ended up having to glue the top and bottom together for display on a hanger.  With a paper/string lace up corset and a grosgrain ribbon at the back of the waist (the only small part that isn't paper) the dress can be worn as a costume on an x-small/small frame.

For display purposes, there are two transparent threads holding the skirts up; but these can be cut off if worn as a costume and the skirt will fall back down into place.  Even though the dress is made of paper, it is actually very sturdy; but need I mention that although it is a wearable garment, it is not a washable garment?...

Up-close, hand applied stamp detail to the paper ruffles.

For information on pricing and purchasing, please contact the museum directly. Below are photos of my products on display.

I also created a wire hanger to go along with the dress (as shown) and the store manager cleverly jazzed it up with a feather boa.

Can-Can Dancer Puppets

My Cancan Dancer Puppets are now available for purchase exclusively at the Milwaukee Art Museum store!  Stop by the store or call to purchase.

Both the Stick Puppet and the Finger Puppet come with a paper curtain printout and instructions on how to make a paper theater for use with the puppet. 

 

The Stick Puppet has a paper strip that can be pushed/pulled to make her right leg "kick" up and down.

The Finger Puppet comes with tubular gauze to cover your fingers for "stockings".

A limited number of  these puppets will also be available for sale through my Etsy shop after completion of the Exhibit in September.

Can-Can Dancers at the Milwaukee Art Museum

If you live in the Milwaukee, WI area or are planning a trip there, make sure you visit the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM.org).  Their latest installation, Posters of Paris: Toulouse-Lautrec and His Contemporaries will be available from June 1 to September 9, 2012.  As quoted from the website, the exhibit will include dazzling posters "that were the objects of intense fascination, even mania, and a new term was invented to describe it: affichomanie (poster mania). They were so popular that collectors stole them from billboards almost as soon as they were pasted up, bought posters from print dealers, and subscribed to portfolios that offered the most popular images of the day in reduced sizes for their collections or as home décor. Posters that found their way into private homes eventually entered the collections of museums all over the world."

Even in my own home I have collected a few French poster images.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Needless to say, I was honored and suuuper excited when MAM store buyer,  Brieanne Maldonado, contacted me with a request to create some custom pieces relating to the poster exhibit.  With Brieanne's approval and inspiration from the posters like the ones above I created these fun and unique Cancan dancer stick puppets, finger puppets and paper dolls.

Even more exciting, I have made a life-sized Cancan dress made of paper for display (and purchase) at the museum.  These projects were such a privilege to create and such fun to work on.  

More info. with pictures on my collaboration with the Milwaukee Art Museum Store will follow in another post....

Art Doll ~ Katrina

Katrina's favorite times are at family get together's.  All day long, the adults barbecue and play cards while she and her cousins chase the dog, jump rope and draw giant hopscotch squares on the sidewalk.  The girls take turns wearing a Princess hat while they sit on their (lawn chair) throne inside their cardboard castle. Katrina likes this game because whoever has the hat, gets to tell everyone else what to do.  Katrina likes telling her cousins to quack like a duck or to hop around on one foot.  When the moon comes up and the crickets start singing, Katrina and her family end the day by seeing who can catch the most lighting bugs.

Katrina wears a purple party dress with purple and white check details.  She has painted on socks and black Mary Jane shoes.  Her hair is braided in two just the way she likes it with pretty white ribbons. Katrina and her clothes are made of paper. She stands about 6 1/2" tall and her castle is about 8" tall. She can be posed sitting or standing with assistance of an included doll stand (not shown).

Available for sale in Summer 2012.

Loving this paper store!

I am sooo loving this online paper shop and blog I just came across, Upon a Fold.  It has dozens of creative paper gifts and collectibles and at such affordable prices! I want to own every single item!  Their blog is equally amazing with such a diverse selection of paper artists.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces:  A Chocolate Bar card made by Naoko Miyoda, Birds Card made by Ayame Kikuchi and Paper Grand Piano by Handson.

Paper Wasp

I thought this article about the Paper Wasp was so interesting.* Even if you don't love paper as much as I do, I'm sure you'll agree that it's an amazing creature. Here is what it says:

The Engineering Instinct of the Paper Wasp

Paper wasps have been described as masters of

engineering. Why is this description fitting?

Consider: As its name suggests, the paper wasp

builds and maintains its compound nest out of a

special kind of paper, which it manufactures itself.

The insect collects fibers of plants and of dead wood

from all kinds of places—logs, fence posts, telephone

poles, and building materials. It then chews

the cellulose-rich material, adding a sticky, highprotein

saliva. When applied, the resulting paste

dries to form a light, firm, yet tough, paper. Moreover,

the saliva has special properties that enable

the paper to generate and absorb heat, thus maintaining

the right temperature in the brood comb on

cool days.

The wasp builds its nest “mouthful by mouthful.”

The finished product is a waterproof, paperumbrella-

covered cluster of hexagonal cells—the

hexagon combining strength and efficiency. Wasps

that live in wetter areas simply add more oral secretion

because of its water-resistant properties. That

said, the insects select sites that offer some kind

of protective overhang. From this they suspend their

downward-facing nests by a stalk, or petiole. Moreover,

paper wasps do no harm to the environment

—unlike our papermaking processes, which pollute

air, water, and land!

Understandably, architects and researchers are

studying the wasp’s products with a view to designing

superior building materials that are lightweight,

strong, more flexible, and biodegradable.

What do you think? Did an insect with

a brain roughly the size of two grains of sand figure

out papermaking and nest architecture by itself? Or

are its chemical- and mechanical-engineering skills

evidence of design?

- A number of wasp species build paper nests. The cells therein serve

as chambers for eggs, which develop into larvae.

This article reminded me of one of my favorite stores called The Paper Source. Their logo (above) is actually an impression of a paper wasp. You can read more about it here.

* From the February 2012 Awake!