red riding hood: selected scenes

messing about in boats

boat and bird

a little bird in a paper mache ship


new ships and boats

I’m busy  working on new birds and ships and boats  - I’ll add them to the shop this Thursday. Here’s a   preview of  a couple new things:

gentleman owl at sea

the truth

begin

Please join the mailing list at my shop if you would like an email when they are available.

spring regatta

regatta

There is a spring regatta in the shop!

Boats ready to ship and some available to order.

boatblue

boatroses

boats

paper mache boats

 paper mache boats

The ship and 2 sailboats above will be in the shop early next week – I’m photographing them and a lot of other things (owls, spiders, birds, ballerinas and maybe another bat) over the weekend. And I might have one more ship  too – I’m working on it now.  If you are on the mailing list I’ll  let you know when they are available.

the gulnare

the gulnare

The  paper mache, birds, sweetheart and small things sections of the shop have been updated. A couple of the new birds will be available to order shortly  after what is available today has sold  so please check back.

And a couple recent favorite new things from the park slope flea market, some amazing vintage fabric, a little chair and a fantastic little anvil. The floral fabric is already a little bird.

chair and anvil

spring jolly



the line up

lineup

The owls above and some other new things are available here now.

Between filling orders and new things I ‘ve made a crazy amount of stuff over the last few weeks and at the moment I’m kind of spent (I’m starting to think my boss is an  a**hole….)   so in the interest of not  losing my marbles , I decided to do the this shop update in  2 sections – today there are owls, spiders bats and ballerinas. Next week will be boats, ships, small things and birds,  a couple ships are previewed below and I’ll post other previews here soon.

ecship1

ecship2

an owl, a ship and a ballerina

owlinship

ivoryballerina

the weaver girl and an owl

theweavergirl2

This is the weaver girl, she has sails made from the underskirt of a vintage wedding gown  and patched with  Japanese scraps from Sri Threads.

theweavergirl

And progress on another owl.

whiteowlprog

The owl and the ship will both be in the shop soon. ( please join my mailing list of you would like to be notified when new things  are available in the shop)

botanical experiments

botanical1

And progress on a paper mache ship.

confoundNews:

* I’m way behind on email ( that’s not exactly news..) Getting a couple projects out the door and then I can devote some serious time to responding.

* I’m working towards a shop update  sometime next week ( the  week beginning 2/1) as well as a couple ebay auctions to benefit Haiti. You can get updates here or through my mailing list or twitter.

paper mache boat pattern

And instructions. Epic instructions.  They just go on and on.  I hope to add more concise printer friendly instructions later but my Christmas brain just isn’t capable of it. We are making  Mediterranean inspired little sail boats with lateen rigging – a single triangular sail on a relatively short mast.

boatsgroup

What you will need:
download pattern here
large cereal box
scissors
scotch tape
ruler
exacto knife
newspaper- 2 colors
wall paper paste
paint brushes
paint
skewers. dowels or twigs
string
heavy duty thread
needles – various sizes
fabric
buttons
glue

1 2 3
(click thumbnails for larger images)

Download the pattern here and cut it out on the dotted line – the solid lines are for scoring -  there are little triangles on one end  – you can fold those back to trace the line onto your cardboard and poke your pencil through the tip of the V on the pattern to mark your cardboard.

4 5 6

Use a ruler to draw the lines as shown on the pattern. I’ve highlighted the lines to score in red. Use the BACK of your exacto knife to score the lines in red and then gently bend the boat into shape…… Continue reading “paper mache boat pattern” »

new boats and castle press

fishingboats

The fleet here  is growing rapidly. I’m working on all sorts of new boats and ships and the little lateen rigged sailboats inspired by van gogh’s fishing boats are for you to make, I’m going to share the pattern and instructions next week. It takes me forever to work out the “how to” stuff but I think it’s pretty much there and I just need to test it on a couple people and photograph the steps. They are simple and relatively quick, I think you’re going to have fun making them.

Cardboard castle news:

Cardbaord Castle #2 is in the current issue of Elle Decor  – Japanese edition.  I get excited about any celebration of cardboard castle making and the entire magazine is lovely  so I’m pleased and flattered to be included.

cardboardcastle5

paper mache boats

vgboats

(vvg)

new things in the shop

I’ve added lots of new things to the shop including paper mache sailboat #7.

sailboat7

feather

I got another surprise package from Stephen Szczepanek ( sri threads) yesterday, so many treasures it’s too much to think about all at once but I’ll share a couple: A single exquisite feather – the picture doesn’t do it justice – it is so soft and iridescent it seems almost liquid, it makes me think of this quote from “The Rings of Saturn” :

“I have always kept ducks,  he said, even as a child, and the colors of their plumage, in particular the dark green and snow white, seemed to me the only possible answer to the questions that are on my mind.”

Some impossible blues – already being made into something. Thanks very much Mr. Szczepanek.

And something else – progress this morning on a new ship.

new things in the shop

Ahoy, merry wobblers! May the wind always be at your bustle!

Paper mache sailboat #6 and lots of other things are in the shop now.

merry wobblers say good morning

Theses are little passengers for  sailboat #6.

This is the boat on Saturday. I finished it yesterday and it will be in the shop later this week.

my place