ULLABENULLA

WIREWORK JEWELRY Class Sample!

The CASTLE's Summer Class Schedule is due from the printers any day now. First on the list will be my new 'Wirework Jewelry' class to be taught on SUNDAY JUNE 1st from 11:00 to 5:00! As you can see from my sample, we will be playing with a number of different wire techniques, including: basic wire-work; hammered wire links; textile wrapped wire beads; how to incorporate chain into your work, creating your own hook and eye closures; and incorporating found elements into your work (including buttons, felt beads, and vintage jewelry parts). I will supply base-metal wire, chain, beads and tools, but feel free to bring your own tools, chain, beads and vintage jewelry bits to add to your creation! Call (510) 204-9801 to reserve a spot!

Paper Carousel Class Sample!

Here is my sample for the upcoming CASTLE class PAPER CAROUSEL, to be held Monday April 14th! Students will create a 'Woodland Animal Carousel' that spins on a 'lazy susan'. I've used some fabulous vintage hand-colored animal prints that came from Germany, as well as a combination of other paper-theatre images, gold dresden and green metallic crepe paper. The little gold saddles are actually dresden crowns - turned upside down! This should be a wonderful class, and I am already thinking of other 'themes' to use for future Carousel's!!!

For initial inspiration I found this wonderful 'Paper Circus' print-out online! As easy as it looks, it still took me about 2 1/2 hours to cut and assemble, and I didn't like how the spinning interior functions. Great idea, but hard to make it look good. (I'd recommend stiffening all your paper before you cut the pieces out.) Still, if you want to make your own 'Paper Carousel' and can't take my class, THIS is a fun one to try!

Castle Valentines Classes!

I will be teaching 2 Valentines classes at the Castle in February. The first, VICTORIAN VALENTINES will be on Feb. 9th, 11:00 to 5:00, $95.00. We will create 'Woven Heart and Hand' valentines like the one above; a 'Folded Puzzle' valentine that slowly opens up to reveal a message within; a 'Cobweb' valentine, that you can pull and see a surprise; as well as embellished valentines. This should be a fabulous class!!!

The second class I will be teaching is 'VICTORIAN CANDY BOXES' on Feb. 10th, 11:00 to 5:00, $95.00. In this class we will create a variety of small paper boxes that can hold candy or other goodies. Included will be a sweet little 'Purse Box'; a delightful 'Heart Box' and an embellished 'Cone Box'. As with all Castle In The Air classes all materials are provided. Phone 510-204-9801 to sign up or for more information!

Madame Crow Fortune Teller - Class Sample!

This Sunday I will be teaching the 'Madame Crow Fortune Teller' doll class at the Castle! Truth be told, this has been the longest 'prep' for a class yet! I hope I didn't bite off too much thinking we can do this in a day! As you can see, Ms. Crow looks innocent enough... Each one hand-sculpted of paper clay by me, on a 12 inch manniquin. I used a tin-foil mask, as shown, to make the clay weigh less, and help hold up the beaks. For sculpting I followed roughly the same technique used on a Crow head that I sculpted in the 90's.

Once finished, the little ladies looked more like sea-gulls then Crows, and quite naked at that! Flat black spray paint brought them back to their wonderful ol' trickster selves...!

So where does the 'Fortune Telling' come to play you ask??? See her skirt? It is made of 160, yes, 'One Hundred and Sixty' (no more, no less) cut and folded paper sleeves, and sewn into a skirt - each with a different handwritten fortune on it! (Don't tell anyone, but I am no where near having them done...) And there you see, is where most of Sunday will be spent!!!

Madame Crow was inspired by Victorian dolls, created just like these Crows, with delicate paper sleeves as skirts, given as party favors and used to divine young womens fate, luck and chance...

Cabinet Of Wonders Class Sample

What, you may ask, is a Cabinet of Wonders??? This one was inspired by 'Cabinets of Curiosities' built and saved by Victorian collectors - Cabinets filled with rare and unusual objects... But what would a Cabinet of 'Fairy-tale Wonders' look like? Perhaps it would be like walking down old cobbled streets, peeking in the windows of hand made glass, and spying bits and pieces of fairy-tale treasures... Open the doors, and behold such wonders as 'Spangles from Beauty's dress', 'The Little Mermaids Looking Glass' and 'A few of the Fairy God-Mothers Experiments'! Here you can also find 'A bit of Rumpelstiltskins straw' and 'One Kittens Mitten' no longer lost... If you have trouble remembering what you have in your cabinet, a quilt of definitions is spelled out on the back!
Cabinet of Wonders class tomorrow at the Castle!!!

FAIRYTALE ALTERED BOOK CLASS SAMPLE!

Better Late Than Never! Here is my Sample book for Tomorrows 'Fairytale Altered Book' Class at the CASTLE! I wanted this book to be child friendly, and also appeal to the child in all of us. Little children (tied on with silk ribbons) fly with birds, picnic with pink dragons, play 'dress-up', ride bell-peppers and bathe with ducks! We begin their story peeking out of a tea-cup and end with them all tucked in bed!!! The dog on the back cover has mirrors for eyes, since we all know we like looking at ourselves best! What better way to welcome childhood into our lives again?!!

Miniature Millinery At The Castle!

This is the sample for another new class to be offered at Castle In The Air. We will be creating Miniature Hats, and a Millinery Boutique to house them on JUNE 9th! I actually taught classes in Miniature hats in the late 80's... so this is really full circle. We will spend the morning creating tiny little hats, hat-boxes, and accessories and the afternoon putting together the 'Boutique'. I used images from a number of vintage theatre sheets to create the shop, so that it has true old world flair! I hope you can join us...

Turning a Witch into a Rabbit!

With my classes starting in March at Castle In The Air, the pressure has been on to finish my samples! So, what does a witch have in common with a rabbit? Well, not much really, but I needed to finish my sample for my first class, RABBIT THEATRE (MARCH 10) and all I had was a couple of witches. So with a bit of clay here, and some pinching there - out came a rabbit! No magic really, just look at the profiles, and you can see how I filled in the cavity between nose and mouth and added more cheek, and ears of course... I hope she doesn't mind!

This class will be similar to last falls Halloween Witch Theatre, In that the head is pre-sculpted on a pre-made base, and the students will have fun painting, dressing and designing the 'theatre' inside the skirt.

Truth be told I much prefer sculpting animals to people. Perhaps its because you can fudge things a bit more, like taking liberties with witches and such...

If you are in the area on March 10th, come play with us, or just come by and enjoy the spring air...

Blog Design Changes - New Class Offerings!

In case you haven't noticed, I have been changing the blog around a bit. I decided it would be nice to have my current class offerings posted up front (currently on the left). When you press on the photo you will get a full description and info. on how to sign up! Eventually, I will also add an album that has all of my past class offerings and descriptions in it as well. I hope this will be a nice way for those of you who are interested in my classes, to learn more about them. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY INPUT OR SUGGESTIONS!

I am also thinking of setting up an Etsy shop, where I can sell my finished samples and other goodies... I want to eventually offer 'kits' for some of my classes, for those of you who can't make it to California, so I may set up some other way of purchasing these as well. ANY IDEAS?

(The above photo is for 'Victorian Christmas Ornaments' - a really fun and productive class I will be teaching in November)

Woodland Journal Class Sample

I will be teaching the Woodland Journal this weekend at the Castle, and I don't think I have ever posted the sample pages - so here they are. We will be using copper mesh, transparencies, eyelets and rivets, ribbons, beads, twigs, etc. etc. The mesh will be tarnished with 'Liver of Sulpher' in class and the pages assembled to create a lovely little 'woodsy' book - bound with a copper binding. I have never taken a class in copper mesh techniques before, but have studied works by Nina and LK for inspiration! The last class had fabulous results although students were frustrated in not being able to finish in one day, so I changed the class to two days. I am hoping that this will allow students enough time to create amazing pages and finish their books as well!