Just in time for Valentines day, my Castle class last Sunday made 'sweetheart pillows'. Inspired by WWI pillows, these are made of felt, beads and pins. The perfect sentiment for someone special! Each were as different as the lovely women in my class.
I was recently gifted this wonderful 'Heart Token' - Thank You Lana!!! Covered in black velvet, and beaded with what looks like an anchor and flowers, it has a surprise on the inside! Open it up and there are tiny little precious scraps glued to handcut paper hearts. It is truly delightful and precious (3 inches in length) and I am hoping to create a class inspired by it!
I also recently aquired my own WW1 'Sweetheart Pincushion' on ebay. I was surprised by the weight of it, being stuffed with sawdust. It is also larger than I had imagined, about 6 inches in width. The beading is bold and covers the entire pillow. My pincushion classes have been so fun and inspiring, I can't wait to create a new version.
Tomorrow is my 'Mermaids Love Token' Class at the Castle. Summer is in the air!
Oh how time flies! I've just posted a few of my summer classes on the sidebar. I'm especially excited about my Sea Dragon Fabric Bracelet, (Class On July 1st) pictured above and below. Inspired by my 'Dragon Familiar that I posted about HERE, this one is a tiny dragon or serpent, easier to wear and oh so fun! I need to get a photo of it on, they are quite wonderful. I added a bit of elastic under their heads, so they perch on your hand as you wear them!
Spring was filled with wonderful classes including a Rabbit Theatre, Dressed Figures, and Waxed Flowers... My last class of this session will be 'Cake Toppers' (Class is full) to be held at the Castle!
More Soon!!!
This last weekend I taught a 'Sweetheart Pincushion' class at the Castle. Inspired by pincushions created by soldiers during WW1 these were a joy to make and the results were stunning! It's believed that soldiers were given kits by the nurses to make these lovely keepsakes, while on a short leave from the front or recuperating in hospitals. Almost all of the remaining vintage examples come from either the United Kingdom or France and were covered with Infantry colors and names, flags, ships, words of love and of course pins, beads and sequins. Ours are made of felt, and entirely decorated with bead studded pins. (apologies for the lighting, I seem to have misplaced my good camera...)
Here are the class samples for next Wednesdays (October 19, 2011) "Haunted Skeleton Nicho" class. I was inspired by my own antique Mexican Nicho (see last photo). These are constructed from old cigar boxes, layered with wonderful papers that the Castle is known for. The inside will feature a dressed skeleton and waxed flowers. There are still a few spots left, if you are interested, please call (510) 204-9801 for more information or to reserve a spot.
I'm afraid I have not been a very reliable blogger lately. My apologies... Life has been filled with a variety of obligations, and blogging has had to take a backseat. Despite, or perhaps due to the full schedule, my creative juices have been flowing like crazy! Recently I had the pleasure of taking John McRae's 'Santos' class, at the Castle. Using wonderful composition German creche figures, cotton batting, and delicate wood pieces we constructed our own personal Santos figures. I decided to make mine with a kitchen theme. First I designed a center reliquary with tiny clay vegetables and cutlery. Then I added my collection of mexican kitchenware onto her wooden brackets. Bronze numbers, representing times of the day that we eat, are on her waistline. She holds 2 delightful vintage 'cakes' made of wax, offering her bounty to all who enter our little kitchen. I've wrapped her head in vintage velvet, but hope to someday find a small demitasse teacup to top her head. She sits quietly on a ornate shelf, welcoming all who enter...
I have added a few more Summer Class offerings to my sidebar on the right. Press on each for more details. Above is my 'Sacred Heart Reliquary' offered on June 4th. Below is my 'Costume in Miniature' sample for July 17th. I'm thrilled to be teaching at both Castle In The Air and Chateau Sonoma this year. Hope to see you there!
Yesterday I taught my 'Fabric Mask Class' at the Castle! This class is so satisfying, as everyone goes home with a finished mask (some with 2) and its always a treat for me to see what students come up with, when using my patterns. The mask above is my Krampus pattern, but oh how wonderful the transformation! Below are a couple of 'Firebirds, a horned 'Greenman', 'Jackfrost' taking a Carnival twist, and a new student designed and created 'Tiger'! Bravo!!!
Five lovely women joined me in creating Pennsylvania Dutch inspired Folkart Valentines yesterday at the Castle. Quiet as mice, they cut and painted truly lovely romantic artwork!
This spring, I am offering my Waxed Flowers class in two venues. First at the Castle on April 16th, and then at Chateau Sonoma on April 30th. At the Chateau we will be focusing on white flowers, specifically orange and apple blossoms, inspired by my collection of vintage wedding wreaths. I created this lovely wreath above, as my sample. See side-bar on right for more details.
Saturday was a very special day for one of the resident Castle Princesses. To mark the occassion I was asked to create a 'Chariot pulled by Butterflies with a Fairy inside' class for this 9 year olds Birthday party. (A students finished chariot is shown above) Its been a few years since I taught 9 year olds, and I had forgotten how attentive and focused they can be! They were as quiet as mice for the first half hour - watching, following and creating.
I hadn't expected them to finish their project so quickly! Karima, Queen of the Castle, came to my rescue and suggested that the girls also create tea-party settings, with toadstool bowls and golden Dresden cutlery. Suddenly their imaginations were set free... The Chariots continued to be embellished, some with umbrellas to protect the fairies from rain. Fairy's were given jewelry and belts. Little tables appeared, created from crepe paper and corks - kids are so ingenious! I was thrilled that they could expand on the theme and create magic!
A table was set up with 'grass' and Fairy Houses, so that the Fairy's had a place to fly their Chariots to, and perhaps even rest on a hammock!
Topping off our party, was a 'Princess Cake' covered in candles, joyous singing and smiles all around!
Last week four wonderful women joined me in creating delightful Mother Winter figures at the Castle! Each and every one of them was a true centerpiece perfect for seasonal display! The figures featured a glass dome under their skirts, a secret winter wonderland creating magic and joy!
Eight wonderfully talented women joined me this weekend at the Castle to create Marionettes! As a teacher I am always thrilled when my students exceed all my expectations - and this class was no exception! Truly whimsical and delightful little puppets emerged over these two days, now they only require their own personal fairytale to complete the story.
Here I present to you: A Jolly little Tree-Frog; A Nouveau inspired Ballerina; The Mad Hatter Himself; A Wild Haired and Chilly Jack Frost here via Poland; A Jack Rabbit- abit down on his luck; A Delightful little Long Nosed Elf; A Lovely Gypsy Maiden; And a Humble Chinese Peasant.
Enjoy!
I am having so much fun making textile masks. This woodland deer and a black Krampus have gone to the Castle on approval. So many ideas are skipping through my head... I've also been playing with using Alcohol Inks on crepe paper, making lovely floral colored samples, to use for waxed flowers. More soon...
I am so excited about this new class to be offered next Spring at Castle In The Air! (Saturday April 16th) I will teach a variety of crepe paper blossom techniques (a number of them are my own invention) and then we will dip our blooms (as well as dried flowers and such) into wax and create lovely Wax Flower Reliquaries reminiscent of Victorian ladies art. Pure Alchemy!!! Photos just do not give these flowers justice.
When I first began my process of creating a sample for this class, I wanted to use as many crepe paper colors as I could. The first sample ended up having a real Midsummers garden feel, but I felt it was a little too much. I also made a gold box-frame, that ended up looking 1950's shmalzy - LOL... (Bottom image) It worked much better to stay with either 'cool' colors or 'warm' colors. I am really looking forward to what my students will do with this fun technique!
Sometimes absences are due to too much activity... It's been crazy busy here at Ullabenulla. I've been creating new samples for Spring classes (YES - Spring 2011!) where does time go??? (Image above by Charles Grogg) I will be doing Valentines classes at the Castle, as well as a Mardi Gras 'Mask' class. I had so much fun creating these 'Firebird' and 'Greenman' samples, I'm itching to make some more - especially with Halloween just around the corner!
I also designed and made a new Lizard pin to go with my Chinoiserie Fish pin...
I am working on re-doing my popular 'Backgrounds Class' in a new format. Using a large Moleskine Japanese Foldout journal we'll spend a day creating beautifully detailed and multi-layered pages for a really artful journal experience!
More class samples in the works - the Castle hopes to have a new schedule available by early to mid November.
Just for fun, I've been playing with the idea of creating a 'Haunted Necklace', inspired by the season. Its still in progress, especially after Teenage Daughter said: "Oh Mom, it looks so Marie Antoinette!" Not quite the reaction I was hoping for, but I'll keep trying. I used cotton spider webbing as the base, and made 'beads' from Antique silver ribbon. I also added old torn lace, pearls, hand-stitched baby cap pieces and a wonderful wavy yarn. Haunted it may not be yet - but at least its keeping me occupied...
Another project got started when I pulled out a wonderful old Joan Vass navy knit skirt that I purchased in 1986 in New York, the year I met my husband! (We are big-time into recycling here at Ullabenulla!) Discovering some nasty little moth holes I decided to do some creative patching - 'slow stitching' for those in the know... First a bird, then a flock, and finally an oak branch. Now to find time to do some 'slow beading' as well...
There are still a couple of spots left in this class if you are tempted! I'd love to see you!!!
This fanciful fish of layered and embellished brocade was inspired by the traditional Chinese baby hats that Ulla collects, which were worn to ward off evil spirits. Ulla will bring in her extensive collection of beautiful fabrics for you to use. She’ll show you techniques for stiffening the fabrics and for shaping them into a three-dimensional piece. She’ll also teach you some simple yet effective ways of embellishing your auspicious carp in the style of ancient China. Your finished creation can be worn as a brooch or used to adorn a hat, purse, or a pillow.
Fee: $115; includes materials, but feel free to bring your own favorite fabrics, trims, and buttons to use. Please bring a pair of fabric scissors.
Limit: 8 students.
Saturday, August 21, 10:30am–4:30pmPlease call Castle In The Air, at (510) 204-9801 to reserve your spot!
