Well, I finally broke down and ordered a bunch of Retro Arts
Café items. I started with an ATC holder and a paper doll. (Some of the items I
ordered are still waiting for me to find the time to experiment with them.) The
ATC box was easy to put together and well cut. I stayed inside my own comfort
zone and decorated it with printed recycled teabags and my favorite lace. I
added dots of dimensional gold paint to cover the joints. After I was done I
realized I should have painted the interior, but it really didn’t show once I
put some ATCs in it. I also realized that I should have put it together first
and applied the teabags after for a better fit on the sides.
The doll forms were kind of weird. I ordered a small and a
large. The large was a little larger than the size I usually make, and
strangely elongated. And the head was tiny and out of proportion. The small
doll (which I have not used yet) is really miniature and much smaller than I am
comfortable with. I covered the large doll with my favorite recycled, printed
teabags and made a skirt of assorted laces. I just couldn’t use the tiny head
that came with the doll, and chose a face to go on top of theirs from The
Graphics Fairy’s free vintage images. The dolls came in a rectangle, and I had
to pull the pieces out, which left a negative space doll. It was fortunate that
I had the leftovers since I somehow lost a leg and had to recreate one on
cardstock.
I also ordered some stencils, which I have been
experimenting with. They are made of a lightweight durable paper, so I was
afraid they would turn to mush when wet, and dry all buckled-up, but they did
stand up to repeated paint application and washing. Now I just need to find a
big chunk of free time and a bigger space to work on than my living room table!
