I thought that I had better let you know what I have been up to.

All of our kids are finally married!

The day after we arrived back from Pennsylvania I had a telephone call from Michelle, the marketing manager at Hillside Shopping Centre, she had some work for me. There were two enclosed freestanding sales carts, that needed displays and the large window needed to be changed on the 19th of May.

I went into a panic mode about the large window. I had no ideas for a Summer window. The window doesn't use merchandise from any of the stores, it is more like a large art installation. Consequently I have to create props as well as source anything to use in the window.

I picked up three four-sided boxwood topiary trees that had very ugly wooden bases. I removed the bases from the trees and tossed them into the garbage. I wanted height as well as a more contemporary look, these three ceramic vases did the trick. I also added flowers at the base of each tree and a vine to twine down the vase to soften the geometrics lines.

I am in the process of making fancy pastries to go on the sides of each topiary. There will also be a very large plated pastry that sits on the top of each topiary. I like to do the unexpected, to make things larger than life.

Here are a few of the pastries that I have cast in paper pulp from vintage pastry and jelly molds. The table with the wrought iron base and marble top is going to have an extra length of pipe added to it to make it the height of a regular table.

Here is a closer look at the paper pulp pastries. In back are two of the giant pastries, an assortment of coloured liqueur glasses that will be in the display, and then a few of the small pastries.

The marble topped side table will have the look of a European bistro table once the centre post is lengthened. A close look at the hand cast pulp pastries.

Three weeks is not a lot of time to design, make, and source props for a window of this size but it will get done. Hopefully I will keep you posted as to how things are progressing. I have been so busy with these windows that I have almost dropped out of the blogosphere.

I have done a small amount of work in my studio but not nearly as much as I had expected. The pieces that I am working on will be for Hallowe'en and Vine. Off to work.