#102: Peek-A-Boo!

I saw this ad in a magazine and ripped it out. I've been staring at it for days...

Sorry it came out so yellowish -- my camera has been acting up. I can't get it to white-balance properly. (Grrr.) I really felt this needed to be made into a puppet...I have liked some of the past "baby inspired puppets" -- especially that creepy baby one!

This one is simpler. Just a rod that flips.

Enjoy!!

Day #99: Filed for later...

Enough said!

P.S. Excuse the out-of-orderness....I had some upload issues!

Day #101: Not Vegetarian Friendly

You were warned. If you are a vegetarian, you can pretend this is some sort of tofu-tempeh treat. Our locavore friends will be happy to know that this if from Faith Farms and is from pastured pork.

Day #96: A Little Bit Nuts

I was finishing up at the studio and contemplating what I could do for today's post. I was thinking about all the materials at the studio. Wondering what I could use. I looked around...

A bunch of nuts, bolts, nails?

So I came up with an idea that really didn't work out. I took a wingnut and tried to make an object puppet. I wanted the nut to be like a fish fin on a bolt. I tried, but it didn't really work like I wanted to.

But I think an important part of any process is coming up with ideas that do not work. Ideas that are, well, bad. Before you can be good at something, you need an opportunity to be bad at it. Brainstorming is mostly finding bad ideas in search of a route to a better idea.

As you can see, it didn't work.

But there are many more ideas out there!

Day #95: Twister

There has been a lot of stuff in the news with hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes...My older daughter is terrified of tornadoes. I blame it on Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz. Well, I was looking at a slinky the other day and wondering if you could make a tornado-ish puppet from one. I decided an experiment was in order.

I was not satisfied. I found a different type of wire -- a big bundle of it -- for Twister 2.0!

Better!

Day #93: Eggin' You On...

My children are often in inspiration to me.

OK, it's true that they often make doing art difficult, they make messes all over the place, they draw on the carpet, they "cause confusion and delay." (If you don't know the reference of that last phrase you are likely not a parent.) But, yes, it is ultimately all worth it.

We had some leftover Easter Eggs that morphed into puppets. Here is the basic evolutionary journey:

Eggs in a helmet. Shiny!

But then the eggs became more...

And then they became very, very scary.  (Beware: Graphic violence towards tiny plastic bear in a play-do sleeping bag may be too much for some people's sensitivities!)

P.S. I am painfully aware that I SHOULD be on Day 120. Bear with me...I hope to catch up.

Day #85: Dinner and a Show (Farmer's Market inspired!)

A few days ago, my family headed out to the Byrd House Farmer's Market. It's one of two markets we frequent and always fun! We have a number of friends who farm and grow veggies (and are even trying our hands at it ourselves this year), but most of our stuff comes from Charlie and Gina Collins at Victory Farms.

My daughters love, love, love, love "Charlie's carrots," as they call them. We visited the farm last year and the girls were picking them out of the ground, rinsing them, and devouring them on the spot. (They are not so enthusiastic with other carrots, I must say.)

My sister-in-law spotted a lovely carrot at the market that is the inspiration for today's post: a "two-legged" carrot! I carved up part of a zucchini for the head.

Perhaps I should've taken a "before" picture?

Well, this is what we really did! (Thank you to my older daughter for being the videographer on this one!)

Day # 80: Chick-on-the-road

Saturday we had an out-of-town gig. Knowing it was going to be a hectic weekend, I put together the puppet on-the-road. As it was verging on Easter week, I made a baby chick. I packed a bag with ONLY some yellow fabric, scissors, a needle and thread. The challenge was to use things within the truck to make the rest. Here's how it went:

I found a ball (thankfully, our children always leave toys in the truck!)

I sewed fabric around the ball...

I was really flummoxed by not having brought anything to be the beak. Looking around the vehicle, I found an extra long yellow Lego! I decided that my spool would have to work for the head structure as it was all I had.

Wings that flap by finger power!

The chick.

Fabulously authentic footage! Bumpy with radio background -- huzzah!

Day #79: The Tardis does a fly-by at our studio!

If you don't know who Dr. Who is, you can probably skip this one.

A few weeks ago, I did a tribute to The Doctor with a TARDIS puppet. Tonight is the Dr. Who premiere for Season Six, and I am taking the night off and watching TV. But I really do need a night off!

For today's post, I had to revisit the TARDIS and make some improvements. In doing so, I created a new piece.

First I had to cut a door...

Then I cut out some arms from a magazine and rigged them up on a spring. One arm for Amy, one for the Doctor. This is the rear view from what will be the interior of the TARDIS.

I took a plastic tube (salvaged from the innards of a dead pen), and ran some fishing line....

And...tah-dah! Go make a puppet (or at least watch Dr. Who...).

Day #78: Everybody Needs Fans!

Yet another in our serious of "Could This be a Puppet?"

Of course!

And for those of you out there who might be wondering what really happens in a puppet studio, I have some pics below from today's work!

I am preparing the owl's exterior. I am creating a lovely textured fully felted surface...but there are lots of steps to getting it done just right. The owl in the show is a Great Horned Owl; they have lots of fabulous colors and textures...so I need to make some lovely colors and textures!

First, I took three types of wool (left to right: Cormo, Navajo Churro, and a touch of Merino), and I blended them into the color you see at the right. The Churro is very sturdy and used primarily in rug making. It gives structure to the felt. The Cormo and Merino soften it up a bit and give a lovely color. I already did a swatch, so I know it turns out right!

Layers waiting for lots of rolling. Do you see the fabulously organized boxes of fiber in the background?

 Then I laid out two pieces. On the left is twenty thin layers of coppery colored Merino; on the right is the Churro/Cormo/Merino blend -- five layers.

Day #77: Ode to the Slinky...

I know you have a good imagination, so we will all pretend that this was posted on Thursday, OK?

Spring is in the air, and I am in the studio with springs! I met with a VCU class the other day, showed them some of my puppets and talked about the materials used to make them. While talking, I realized that nearly all of the puppets I had brought had slinkies in them!

Today's post is dedicated to the fabulous Slinky -- the first of many springs used in building puppets in my studio.

First I had to drill tiny holes in the wooden balls. (We all have our vices...)

I glued the two balls to either end of a Jr. Slinky.

Day #75: Randomly Inspired Object Puppet

I literally was doing laundry when I spotted a fireplace tool and a pair of binoculars. I decided they were destined to be together...at least for this creation. I don't know what this should be called. Is it a bug? A bird creature? Let me know what you think!

Jaws of death...

...or harmless creature?

"It" can also just stand right in front of the fireplace!

Day #74: Even Creepier than the Spider...

...or so I've been told!

This was created from some magazine cut-outs, a glue stick, and some cardstock!

Day #73: For the DJ in my brain who insists on playing "Boris the Spider"

Isn't it crazy when you get a song stuck in your head -- especially when you have no idea WHY it is in your head. It sort of makes sense when the songs we play for our girls get played by the DJ-in-my-head, but why is the DJ spinning "Boris the Spider" today?

I dunno.

I did find a cool spider "molting" in my studio the other day. It might sound crazy, but I really love spiders. They are fabulous bug-munching arachnids and they are such great characters in folklore and mythology. They have been credited with bringing fire to humanity (Cherokee) and bringing stories to people all over the world (Ashanti). Their webs are just amazing architectural creations, and spider silk is fabulously strong and can be quite beautiful when woven by humans.

But still, Boris the Spider? All day? In my brain?

So today, even though it bordered on the creepy, I took my spider molting and hung it from a string to create a shadow puppet on my stage mock-up. Sounds kooky, but I actually consider a good omen that a spider molted right by my mock-up...

Stringing up the spider...

Creepy, crawly, creepy, crawly...

And frustration of frustrations, blogger won't let me upload any videos right now -- not yesterday or today. I'll keep trying and update when I can. (I recorded it with the song stuck in my head and everything!)

Fixed!

Day #72: Spring is humming in Appalachia!

Mid-April is the time we work on our taxes. We prepare our gardens and taste the hint of summer. In Appalachia, it is the time when the hummingbirds return!

Today is a tribute to the hummingbird. I made a mini hummingbird...it's about the size of a nickel.

I found a bunch of neat facts about hummingbirds. Our new show features a hummingbird, so we wanted to know as much as possible.

• Hummingbirds are the tiniest birds in the world, but their brain weight (4.2% of its body weight) makes it the biggest birdbrain!
• A hummingbird's brain is 4.2% of its body weight, the largest proportion in the bird kingdom.
• Hummingbirds are can remember every flower they have been to, and they know how long it will take each flower to refill.
• Hummingbirds can hear better and see farther than humans -- they can even see ultraviolet light! They do not have a sense of smell.
• A hummingbird's tongue is grooved like the shape of a "W" with tiny hairs on the tip to help lap up nectar.
• A hummingbird's heart beats up to 1,260 times per minute; the heart beats 250 times per minute at rest.
• A hummingbird's metabolism is roughly 100 times that of an elephant.
• An average sized hummingbird will have about 940 feathers.
• Females will lay a clutch of two eggs; the babies are about the size of a penny.
• Hummingbirds can fly both forward and backwards; they can hover, fly sideways and even upside-down! A hummingbird wings will beat about 70 times per second. Hummingbird's wings will beat up to 200 times per second when diving.
• Ruby-throated hummingbirds have been known to travel 500 miles over the Gulf of Mexico to breeding grounds. This trip takes about twenty hours.
• Hummingbirds need to eat on average 7 times per hour for about 30-60 seconds; they will visit an average of one thousand flowers per day for nectar. Many plants depend on hummingbirds for pollination.

	Not the best clip -- tricky manipulation while recording!

Day #71: My Fantasia

I love the segment in Fantasia of the Sorcerer's Apprentice. You know, the part where Mickey Mouse uses magic to bring a broom to life and have it do his chores? Well, I wish I could have brooms just doing the work of cleaning, scrubbing, or whatever around the house. Maybe they could wash all of my dishes? That would rock.

I know, I know. Enlightened people are into the whole "chop wood, carry water" philosophy of immersing yourself in your daily tasks as a form of meditation and living in the present moment. I would just rather have most of my present moments engaged in not cleaning. Spending time with my family, time outdoors...and studio time! 

I was wishing that cleaning the house were like operating puppets. Of course, I'm still doing the manipulating and moving, even if I can attach a string...but I can fantasize! I can even attach a string:

OK. It's actually harder to do it with a string.

But there is the reality...it's really just me. Cleaning. And cleaning.

I realize that were I manipulating this as a puppet, I would still be doing it. I guess it would just be more FUN if it were a puppet...

Day #67: It Came From My Husband's Desk (version 2)

I was baked. Or better yet, I had baked. Two loaves of bread, two pizza crusts and crackers. Yep, crackers. The crazy things you have to do when you discover you cannot eat gluten.

I was heading to bed waaaaay too late. And I still needed to post. I sat down at my husband's desk and glanced around. I didn't think I should cut out the picture of Lanny McDonald from his 1999 ticket to the Torotonto Maple Leafs vs. the Washington Capitals game no matter how desperate I was...though I could see how quick and easy that would be to make into a puppet!

Tempting, but...

 Oh well. I looked around some more. Scissors, bills, keys, wallet, batteries, juggling balls, mouse pad, bottle caps...Hmmm....rubber bands...

Hmmm...

 

A little video-recording made by my husband (um, thanks, hon, I know it's really late!):

Goodnight!

Day #63: Spring!

It was such a beautiful, glorious day. Sunshine. Flowers. Yep! It was a great day...but I spent most of it indoors working in the studio. Mixed bag.

On the plus side, I did receive a package in the mail -- so at least I had new goodies to "play" with at the studio. (Fiber fans will understand when I say I have the softest Cormo roving in the most luscious shades of dark moss and chocolate....Mmmmmm.... Really, it's just amazing that I haven't drooled all over the keyboard just typing about it!)

Um, back to the post.

I took a bit of colorful pencil-thin wool roving...

Day #62: Charmed, I'm Sure...

I saw this today and became inspired...

...to make this!

Pretty campy, I know, but sometimes desperation is the mother of inspiration. Special film credit to my ten-year old!

Day #59: Flea Circus

I was in the studio snacking on some raisins when I came up with this idea. Perhaps I'll do more of these in the future with staging and props!