Exploring the Art of Paper Shoe Making...

"Now for good luck, cast an old shoe after me."

~Proverb~

For the past few days I have been about the business of a cordwainer exploring the art of shoe making. Some refer to this art form as cobbling, although historically, cobblers were those who repaired shoes, irregardless of the technical term you use, I have been making paper shoes.

In exploring the technical terms of shoe making I stumbled across some interesting tid bits of information. Did you know that there are patron saints of shoemakers? St. Crispin and Saint Crispinian, are the Christian patron saints of cobblers, tanners, and leather workers.

(Vintage Shoe Images from Karen's Whimsy)

Born to a noble Roman family, in the 3rd century AD, Saints Crispin and Crispinian, twin brothers, fled persecution for their faith, winding up in Soissions, where they preached Christianity to the Gauls and made shoes by night. Their success attracted the ire of Rictus Varus, the governor of Belqui Gaul, who had them tortured and beheaded c. 286. In the 6th century, a church was built in their honor in Soissions.

The history of footwear and shoe making is quite interesting. Centuries ago experimentation with various types of materials such as bark, leaves, and rawhide resulted in early forms of foot coverings such as sandals and moccasins. From there new materials and styles were introduced and continue to evolve, only to be limited by the imagination.
My imagination was sparked by a pair of little boy's shoes that I purchased in a flea market several months ago. The itch to experiment with various techniques, materials, and styles pushed itself to the forefront of my mind and so began my hands on journey in the art of art shoe making.

My chosen medium was paper. I sat studying the little leather shoe resting in the palm of my hand and was overcome with the urge to recreate it to the best of my artist ability. I have never made a paper shoe before, had no pattern, and yet I knew this shoe would come into being. First I had to sketch a pattern and then develop a technique that would make paper look like leather. One shoe and a few hours later I was hooked.

From heel to toe this shoe measures 5 in. long and is 3 in. high. A real little toddler foot could slip right in it.What I would change about this shoe is the stitching, I should have done it by hand with waxed twine and went one step further with the paper technique to get a more aged look.Next I search online for paper shoe patterns, after all, wouldn't it be better to at least have a pattern and instructions to follow? I came across this design by Ellen Huston, shoe template and lining template, a cute peep toe party favor shoe. I modified the pattern to suit my tastes, had an experience in major frustration as the vintage wallpaper I used did not want to glue, and after much effort gave birth to my version, the Lady Bird paper shoe...The Lady Bird shoe is 6 1/2 in. from heel to toe and stands 4 in. high at its tallest point.Then I found these adorable patterns for tiny doll size shoes. I made a few changes to the construction of these as well. The results were this adorable little doll shoe where I experimented with paper printing techniques...This wee little dolly shoe is a mere 3 in. long and 1 3/4 in. to the arch of its buckle.And this tiny baby boy oxford, where I wish I had used real stitching before assembling the shoe...This sweet little boy's shoe is 3 in. long and a fraction over 1 in. high. If you try this one, lace the shoe before you construct it. Trust me on this one.While I found following these patterns quite pleasurable, it did not compare to the process of designing and executing the shoe myself. So, I returned to the sketch pad and came up with a baby bootie pattern that is made from handmade duplex and vintage wrapping paper. I goofed on the toe of this one, turning the wrong side of the duplex out but, it was a happy accident. I ended up liking the two tone effect of the shoe.This over sized bootie is 5 in. long and 2 in. high.I then moved on to making a fanciful Autumn Fairy shoe, once again experimenting with paper printing techniques and adding natural materials as design features and embellishments.This sweet confection of nature is 3 in. long and 1 in. high.Dried naturals from the woods around the Quill adorn this shoe both inside and out. It came out better than I expected.Three more shoes are sketched, patterns are cut, materials chosen, and they await the hands on touch of the cordwainer.

Also on the work tables are four Fou~Fou Art Shoe Kits ready to be embellished and filled...Stay tuned, the shoppe really is coming soon!

My shoes do not have the charm, grace, or elegance of Nancy's nor the magical quality of Dawn's but they were created with the same kindred artist spirit that makes one want to apply the hands on touch of an idea bringing it into being by the fingers. Cobbling is indeed noble profession and I am honored to work alongside other shoe makers and be inspired by this century old art form.

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

An Altered Tobacco Tin Tale...

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love , the things you are, the things you never want to lose."

~From the television show The Wonder Years~

Atop her desk among her most precious of things sat a little tobacco tin decorated with memories of the past. The tin itself was a teasing gift from her papa. One day he tossed it to her in jest in place of the usual piece of peppermint he kept hidden in his vest pocket. Not wanting him to get the last laugh, she made over the tin as if it were the best present she had ever received. Her papa ruffled her hair and said she may not only keep the tin but being such a good sport had earned her not one but two sweet treats. She smiled as she fingered the tin and remembered.She did not set out with intention to decorate the tin only to scuff off the rust so that anything she placed inside would not be soiled. In the removing of the rust, the surface was marred so she set out to pretty it up a bit with a pot of paint left over from the refurbishing of the old front gate.The tin then served as a keeper of girlhood fun. It once housed a set of silver jacks, a red bouncy ball, and a half stick of chalk for keeping score. Its contents changed from time to time as the girl grew. As girlhood faded quietly away and young womanhood approached a battered tobacco tin no longer seemed as attractive a companion as it had in the past.

Not wanting to part with the tin that so reminded her of her papa, she decided to embellish it a bit to make it a more fit companion. Snitched bits of the paper mama was hanging in the dinning room and swipes of paste, as well as grandma's discarded broken broach covered up the nicked paint. A hair ribbon or two replaced the previous contents as the tin took its place on her dresser.One day she sat twiddling and twirling the tin and a host of fancy trims mama had placed in front of her to decide which would be stitched upon her traveling frock. She liked the brown velvet ribbon with the sheer ruffling the best. Seeing that mama was not looking, she snipped a slip of trim for her tobacco tin, stowing it out of sight.One year later she came swirling into the room with dainty ribbons fluttering from the stem of a tiny button of a rose. She held the rose up to catch its barely there fragrance, smiling, and remembering the one who slipped it into her palm as they danced. She and her friends giggled over the romantic gesture, one of them removed a pin from her headdress to tack the tiny token to the waistband of the young woman's costume.From her silk bag she removed her dance cards of the evening. There were four of them in total, all given to her by the same flirtatious young man who gave her the rose. With each one he signed and handed her, a teasing banter took place. He wanted the dance of grace for what was surely her unmerited favor in partnering with him.The dance of beauty would give unparalleled pleasure to his senses as he gazed upon her.The dance of charm would further cast its magical spell over the evening as her feet moved like poetry and her smile a song.The dance of elegance would round out the evening in a refined manner as her gracefulness and gentility would unfold itself in the last waltz. This was the dance in which the tiny rose materialized in the palm of her hand.Wanting to savor the treasures of the evening but keeping them from prying eyes, her gaze lit upon the old tobacco tin. What better way to honor the sweet memories of the two men who had so completely captured her heart than to combine them as adornment for her tiny treasure box.Emptying the tin of its tangle of forgotten trim and no longer worn hair ribbons, she lovingly tucked each dance card inside, closing the lid tightly against inquisitive glances but opening her heart to new possibilities. Tacking the trim and rose bud tied ribbon in place with her friends borrowed pin was a perfect adornment for her memory tin.Many years later she unearthed the tin from a box of old trinkets. Its once bright paper had faded with age, the ribbon crinkled and sagged, the rose bud was dried and no longer fragrant. The lid was stubborn and unyielding to give up its secret contents as her aged fingers worked at loosening it. A metallic pop issued forth as it gave way, a smile spread across her lips as a single button tumbled out into the palm of her hand.She ran her thumb around the edges as she sat remembering. This was a button from her papa's vest, the one he always wore. The one that held peppermint candy, a big shiny gold pocket watch, and an old tobacco tin. She remembered the day she got it, another gift given in jest and meaningfulness.It was the day her mysterious young man from the dance made his intentions known. It was the day he nervously stood before her papa to ask for her hand in marriage as she waited anxiously in the garden, pacing past mama tending her pansy's and hoping her face would shine as happily as their little flower faces did in the next few moments. It did.Papa and her young man both walked towards her with sober expressions and her heart sank until she noted the twinkle in her papa's eye and the twitching corners of her intendeds mouth. Her papa scooped her up in a big bear~like hug while mama fluttered nearby in excitement. As he released her the middle button on his vest popped right off.

With a hearty laugh he scooped it from the ground and placed it in her palm telling her it was her grown up treat from him to her. A treat not unlike the peppermints of the past, sweet remembrances, this button was to be a reminder of the pride and joy he took in having her as his daughter. He was so proud that he did indeed burst his buttons over that fact, not due to his spreading middle he joked. She offered to sew it back on for him but he refused. He held her hands in his and gently closed her fingers over the button telling her to keep it to remember her old papa by. As if she could ever forget.Someone someday would find these tiny treasures among her possessions and fail to see their significance. Her fingers played across each embellishment as she sat lost in thought. They would not know the sweet treats and tobacco tin that were hidden in a vest pocket, so freely shared.

They would not see grandmothers fresh lace collar always pinned with her cameo broach and the sweet smile that ever hung just above it. They would not remember the taste nor smell of the delights of food or conversation that were held in the papered walls of mama's dinning room. They would not remember the traveling frock that kept her warm on the way to an autumn dance where she met a special young man who became her life companion.They would not know the history of the ribbon and the rose. They would not remember the charm, beauty, elegance, or grace that each dance card and memory held. They would not know that each of these memories were buttoned up with love that lasted a lifetime. But she knew by heart the tale of the old tobacco tin...

I hope you enjoyed my version of Beth's Artist Class Tutorial of an altered tin. Beth is one of the contributing artists who provided not only step~by~step illustrated instructions and beautiful vintage wallpaper downloads, but also gorgeous images in a few themes to make the tins in a variety of ways and uses. Thanks Beth, for a sweet project that fired the imagination for my tobacco tin tale.

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

A Crushed Red Chili Pepper Kind of Day...

"The soul should stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience."

~Emily Dickinson~

The last couple of days have been crazy busy here at the Quill with not a spare moment to post. I have been painting up a storm. We had an unseasonable warm snap in the weather and Handy Hubby insisted that we get the exterior doors painted before cooler weather returned. I had procrastinated about getting this done because I could not decide on a specific shade of the color I chose.

We headed off to the paint store and miracle of miracles, we both liked the same shade! Our shopping excursions together are never this easy. Feeling quite confident, we headed home to prime the new front and back doors as well as those of the writing cottage and storage shed.We decided to experiment on the storage shed door before actually applying the paint to the doors on the house, just in case. While I happily slapped paint on the door resting on saw horses, Handy Hubby painted the shed the same color as the new siding on the house, trimming it out in white. I kept ooohing and ahhhing over the color saying how much I really liked it.

After the door was dry, it was ready to hang. New hinges and hardware stood at the ready. The door was hoisted into place. Anxious to see the results, we skipped putting the handle on to close it and stand back to admire the new bold color.

By the time we were finished, it was late afternoon and the sun was beginning to set and shining on the newly painted shed. We both gasp in horror at the garish color, it did not look like Crushed Red Chili Pepper but more like Burnt Orange! Orange doors! The doors looked orange! Orange!I nervously dialed Darling Daughter and asked her could she come over and take a look. The Young Man Who Comes To Call On Her came too. They pronounced the doors orange too. I am not sure if it was the afternoon sun beaming directly on them or the shock of seeing such a bright color after having had dark green doors for so many years but I was ready to have a stroke.Bright and early the next morning I rushed to the paint store and snatched up another paint chip nervously sliding it across the counter to the clerk. This one was red, Oriental Red, at least I hoped it was red. As soon as I got home I painted a spot on the door and let it dry. I painted over the spot and let it dry. Yes, it was red, but sitting next to the bright, cheerful, and vibrant rusty orange it was totally drab and not fab.

I spent the day anxiously peering out the window at the contrast between the two colors. Both looked equally great with the siding and trim colors but one was a more jolly color while the other felt bold and aggressive. One exuded happiness and joy, it was inviting, stimulating, and spoke of a spark of creativity. Mmm, I think the tide was turning in favor of one over the other.After Handy Hubby came home and we stood side by side studying the colors. It was definitely decided that we were indeed Crushed Red Chili Pepper people after all. The initial shock of the vibrant color had worn off and it had grown on us, plus, the indirect light of day makes it look like a totally different color. Never mind what anyone else thinks, we wanted happy welcoming doors. After all, its just paint! Our souls stood ajar for a moment, ready, and welcoming the ecstatic experience of spicy color to flavor our lives. It was and is a delicious experience, testing something new and embracing it so freely.

I will finish the touch ups today and this evening new hardware will be fitted into place. I am free to pursue other things, like altering this tiny vintage tobacco tin. I am popping over to the Artist Class to do Beth's tutorial today. New projects and downloads are being added daily, Lesley Venable's Christmas Altered Book Cover is just adorable! You can visit Lesley's blog Flatwoods Folk Art HERE.Did you know that it is not too late to sign up even though classes have begun? The classes will be open through February so there is plenty of time to work on the projects at your own pace. If you are interested, you can use my discount code, quillcottage, to save $10.00 off the class tuition price.

Mmm, this is deifintely feeling like a Crushed Red Chili Pepper kind of day, vibrant and inspiring! I hope you have a little spice and a spark of color in your day as well.

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

P.S. I am sorry that I have had to turn on the comment verification on my blog. Up to this point I have had no problems until the past few days. I have received some vile links as well as some comments made to look like other bloggers leaving them but they are business links that I do not wish to have my blog linked to. I know this makes commenting a pain. I have reported the offenders and hopefully this issue will be resolved. Thanks for understanding.

Autumnal Banner Winner and Free Autumnal Tag Tutorial...

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me,

fluttering from the autumn tree."

~Emily Bronte~

Thank you to all who entered the banner give away. It was awesome to see so many familiar names as well as so many new ones. Thanks for giving me some great places to visit. I really and truly do appreciate the snippets of time you spend here and cherish each friendship. Thank you so much for your love and support. I wish I had a thousand banners to give away, one for each of you. To show my appreciation, I have posted a fun free Autumnal Tag Tutorial. I have included some fun techniques that I think you will enjoy.

Now, without further delay, the winner of the Autumnal Banner is...
Nita Jo of Little Grey Gardens! Congratulations Nita Jo, you will find my email link on my upper side bar, please email me your mailing address and I will get your banner in the post on Monday!

AUTUMNAL TAG TUTORIAL:

MATERIALS:

Corn husk ~ can purchase in the international foods section of grocery store, for making tamales
Acrylic paints ~ autumn colors of your choice in primary or metallic. I used Delta Ceramcoat brand in Pumpkin, Tomato Spice, Burn Umber, Straw, Hunter Green and Apple Barrel brand Cinnamon Apple
Paint brush ~ I used a 3/4 inch flat wash brush
Old toothbrush
Small leaf punch ~ I used a small maple leaf punch by Family Treasures
Standard size manila shipping tag
Resting Child Image ~ wallet size
White card stock
Piece of wax paper
Brown Ink pad
Twig
Pinch of moss
Scrap of textured paper of your choice
Scrap of paper for back of tag
Hole Punch
Scrap of lace
8 inches of ribbon
Scrap of trim
12 inches of crepe paper streamer
Sewing needle
Scissor
Thread
Button or other embellishment of your choice
Glues ~ hot glue, matte gel medium or craft glue of your choice

INSTRUCTIONS:

*Print out the wallet size image below on white card stock and cut out.NOTE: To save the image to your computer, right click on image below to enlarge. Left click on the enlarged image and select "save image as", name your file and click save. Move image to printing program of your choice to print.*Place your shipping tag and one corn husk on a piece of wax paper to protect your work surface.*Using your flat wash brush dipped in water then in paint to water it down a bit, randomly brush bits of color onto the corn husk, brushing with the grain of the husk. (I used four colors, Pumpkin, Straw, Tomato Spice, and Burnt Umber)

*Rinse brush, dip in clean water, pick up a second color in the same manner and repeat process.*Repeat this step with as many colors as you wish to use. Your husk will look very random and streaky.Your corn husk should look like this:*Dip the tip of the bristles of an old toothbrush into clean water and blot out excess.*Dip toothbrush into burnt umber paint and swirl around to coat tips of bristles.*Flick your thumb across the brush to spatter brown flecks of paint across the entire corn husk.*Set aside husk to dry.*Dip dry paint brush into edge of puddle of Cinnamon Apple paint, barely getting paint on the tip, and blend in a little. Carefully pull the dry brush loaded with paint down the tag using a very light touch. Paint will look streaky.*Rinse brush, dry well, and repeat step using Straw paint.*Rinse brush, dry well, and repeat step using Hunter Green paint. Shade a little heavier around the edges of the tag with the Hunter Green paint. Set tag aside to dry.*Trim off printed image just below the little girls feet.*Cut a scrap of textured paper to the width of your tag and slightly larger than the height of the trimmed image to mat image.*Using brown ink pad, ink the edges of the image cutout, the textured paper, and the tag by rubbing the ink pad lightly over them.*Using your choice of craft glue, adhere textured paper to tag, leaving about 1/4 inch of the tag bottom showing. Adhere the image to the textured paper.* Cut scrap of your choice of paper the same size as the tag.*Using your choice of craft glue, adhere scrap paper to back of tag and punch out hole with hole punch.*Using needle and thread, gather one long side of 12 inch crepe paper streamer making a ruffle. Adjust ruffle to bottom of tag and glue in place, smoothing down ruffle and trimming if needed.*Glue scrap of trim around the top of the crepe paper ruffle going all the way around the tag. I left a little frayed edge on mine.*Embellish trim with a button or adornment of your choice.*Glue snippets of lace to tag as shown in photo below.*Embellish space between lace with a paper of your choice by gluing in place. I used the word "autumn" and its meaning from an old child's dictionary.*Glue twig to side of tag as shown and cover twig end with a pinch of moss glued in place.*Cut off jagged bottom edge of your painted corn husk.*Insert straight edge of corn husk into punch and punch out several leaves.*Arrange and glue clusters or single leaves to twig.

*Angle cut ends of 8 inch ribbon, pull both ends up through the hole in the tag from the back of the tag, slipping ends of ribbon through loop on back, and gently pulling tight.YOUR AUTUMNAL TAG IS COMPLETE!

TIP: You could scatter the small husk leaves on your holiday table like confetti. If you are going to make confetti, paint one side of the husk, allow to dry, then paint other side and dry before punching (OR) You can trace a life size leaves on the back, cutting them out, inking the edges with a brown ink pad, (optional)paint on vein lines with brown paint, and use them in your holiday decor. If the larger husk leaves want to curl, use spray glue and adhere them to card stock then cut out and place on table. I think I have a few more leaves up my sleeves so stay tuned! Enjoy!

Many Blessings,
Miss Sandy

Give Away Reminder...

"October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
and the leaves of every name.
The sunshine spread the carpet,
and everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band."

~George Cooper - "October's Party"~

Just a little reminder that there are still a couple of days left to sign up for the Autumnal Banner Give Away. To sign up visit this post link and leave a comment. You do not have to have a blog to enter and there are no shipping restrictions. A winner will be announced on Saturday, October 31, 2009.

This was my project for the Artist Class and today my tutorial is up! This project was inspired by our recent trip to the Great Smoky Mountains...A land of utter enchantment...Where you can view nature at its finest...Where woodland creatures abound...And breath taking scenery surrounds... Where a magical mist hangs over the mountains and an air of enchantment casts its spell of bewitching beauty. I'll be putting up another travel post in the next few days for those of you who have been following along. The Great Smoky Mountains in autumn will remain one of my favorite fall memories.

What is your favorite fall memory?

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

Delicious, Delectable Books...

"Let books be your dining table,

and you shall be full of delights,
Let them be your mattress,
and you shall sleep restful night."

~Author Unknown~

(Aren't these yummy? I ordered them on Etsy, can't wait til they arrive!)

Hi Sweet friends,

This morning I got up before the chickens, well, at least I was up before the neighbors rooster crowed. In general I am not a morning person but I was excited to get up and get things done so I could share some fun finds with you and get busy resettling the studio so I have two full days of play in there! This is a very good thing since the Artist Class is in full swing and I can't wait to try out some of the tutorials over there.

While I was was rearranging my art supplies on the new closet shelving I came across a painting my daughter did several years ago, it was tucked in between some of my canvas'. Don't tell, but I am going to keep it! Hard to believe that was six years ago, we were homeschooling, and I was giving her and a neighbor girl painting lessons. Big sigh, how time flies!Today when I run errands I want to find some velvet ribbon to glue around the outside of the canvas and to use for hanging. I think the colors are perfect for decorating for autumn. I will hang it in the dinning nook. Possession is 9/10 of the law, she cannot steal it back can she? I'd better practice my puppy dog look and play the "But it reminds me of you and I miss you so much since you moved out." card, then she might let me keep it. I am going to remind her that She didn't like the way it turned out but I do!Last evening when Handy Hubby came home from work, he made me an offer I could not refuse. He suggested driving into the city for dinner and maybe I would want to go to the books store. Are you kidding, I would never ever in a million years pass up an offer to go to the bookstore. Forget dinner when there are books to satisfy my appetite!

I was quite the greedy girl and chose the two course meal. Would you like to see what I feasted on? Well, at least my eyes did. We made a stop in Tuesday Morning looking for a box to match some that I had previously bought, I found a small one but I wanted a larger one too, no luck. I did find this book by Rachel Ashwell, Sumptuous Settings & Other Lovely Things. It is dreamy and I did not have this one. Love those Tuesday Morning bargains, a $34.99 hardcover book for $9.99. How sweet is this shower gift idea? Sorry the scans have a shadow on them, I didn't want to bend my new book. A pretty party idea...How is this for framed art?I also got a set of K&Co. rubber stamps, a $12.99 value for $1.99! That was a great appetizer.We stopped and ate dinner, sneaky me, I chose a restaurant right next door to the book store ;c) I was getting kind of impatient that they were so busy because I knew what awaited just on the other side of the wall. In spite of my anticipation, we had a leisurely dinner. Now for the real main course, delectable books, a whole store full of them.

I feasted my eyes on some magazines, but they were not very palatable so I moved on the the bargain section but found that unsatisfying as well. I tasted tid bits of fine art books but no, that didn't hit the spot either. Perhaps my taste buds would be tempted by something in the crafts and hobbies section. Not so much. I sampled gardening, cooking, photography, nature, writing resources, and then made one last swing by home decor.

There before me lay the most tasty treat, Merry & Bright, a Country Living publication. Ah, my appetite was sated with all the festive ideas AND the special bonus. If you buy the book, you get a one year subscription to the magazine for free! Cool huh? Too good of a buffet to pass up!I don't usually buy holiday books because looks and styles change so much that they can look dated. Our local library has tons of holiday books and I usually check out some of those for inspiration. This one was my exception to the rule. The ideas in here are so simple, so timeless, and so easy to create that I just fell in love with it. The book includes a few recipes and crafting idea as well as page after page chock full of gorgeous color photos. Yes indeed, I was filled with these delicious delights.I'm off the shove, er, organize my supplies in the closet, the faster it is done, the faster I get to play. Kind of makes me feel like a kid with chores again. Man, I thought I'd out grown that!

So, what are you going to do today?

Blessings
Miss Sandy