Some small accessories for a new sculpture that I am working on.

Last year, May 24, 2013 to be precise, I mentioned the clock case pictured below in this blog post. I started work on this sculpture and then it was put aside while I redid my blog, cleaned my studio and then various other jobs came up that pushed this sculpture aside. There was also a vacation in Switzerland to see our oldest son, his delightful wife and their new baby. You can check my posts about our trip here, here, here, and here.

I am working on the sculpture again. Ideas have jelled and I am off to the races.

I have been making bare branches from wire, vintage flower stamens and tissue paper; they will be painted next. Icicles have been made to be attached to the wooden base. The bottle brush trees will be heavily painted and not resemble their present state.

A robin's egg blue ceramic teapot and a pink ceramic creamer will/might be used; we will see if they work or not. There will be paper party hats for certain; what is a party without paper hats!

Food...there will be food and lots of it. There are cupcakes and sugared cookies and French macarons and so much more. The cakes, cookies, and macarons will be wired and glued in place. Those cookies and macarons are about half an across.

Among the dainties to be consumed are sugared grapes. Candle rings seem to be a thing of the past or at least in Victoria they are. I bought a stack of these years ago; I don't find these very often any more. The candle rings were taken apart and the frosted grapes were turned into bunches of sugared grapes. That took a while.

Here is the cake stand made from vintage cocktail coasters mentioned in last years blog post filled some of the goodies for the party to give you an idea of what it will look like.

Did I mention snowmen, come to think of it I didn't, the snowmen will look similar to the snowmen below.

This large sculpture called "The view from the rim of the 20th century snowbowl was spectacular" is available in my Etsy shop.

I didn't mention paper lanterns or a snow scene did I, I guess I just did.

Display props - it's all smoke and mirrors.

Yet another late blog post! This post was supposed to go up before Christmas in answer to two comments that I received about props that were made for the display. My apologies go out to Caroline and Wendy. Click on each picture for a better look.

I received this comment when I first published photos of the Hillside Shopping Centre Christmas window display -

"I too love images of cakes and pastries and jellies from the Edwardian era. When I saw the first image on another blog I thought it was from a book of that era! Did you use plaster to make the cakes? I do a gingerbread/candy display in my kitchen for Christmas and would love to make a faux cake.  Thanks, Carolyn."

Carolyn, I hope that you are reading this blog post. I do apologize for not posting this earlier, sickness and the busy season delayed everything. Better late than never I suppose. Can you tell what blog that you saw this image on? I would love to see what they said.

I used paper pulp to create the summer window display cakes and pastries. It was labour intensive to create the moulded cakes and it also took a while for them to dry. It is very wet on the West Coast in the Autumn, Winter, and Spring so that was not an option. I would have taken far too long to produce them as well.

I decided to buy as many cake and jelly moulds I could find at the second hand stores to create the cakes. I washed the moulds in order to get rid of any grease that may be on them and then spray painted them with flat white spray paint. I mixed about seven different colours of artist acrylic paints and then began painting the tin moulds. Some colours, yellow and green in particular, needed several coats of paint in order to get an even rich colour.

Once the basic iced cakes were painted and dry I drizzled white or chocolate brown paint from a plastic squeeze bottle to hide paint edges as well as make them more interesting to look at.

This photo was taken for a blog post to show what the cakes would possibly look like when finished.

All of the cake stands were created using wooden pillar candle holders and wooden plates of various sizes and shapes. I didn't want to use glass cake stands in case anything fell over and broke. I also wanted specific colours to tie in with everything else.

The finished cakes in the window display. All of the flat surfaces on the cakes were covered with coloured gravel. I did this for several reasons, the first and most important was to hide the joins where I hot glued the metal moulds together. I also wanted to have a different texture on the cakes, it also gave quick added detail to the prop cakes.

I have a large group of candies that I made a couple of years ago for some items that I never did make but hope to in the future. I placed these around the cakes so that they appeared much more elaborate than they actually were.

These small cakes were made from 4" wide cardboard cylinders cut about 3" to 4" high. Cardboard was glued to the top of the cylinders. I collect cardboard tubes of all diameters and lengths for projects like this.

I mixed a  modelling compound with the white acrylic paint and used a palette knife to apply the paint. Once the paint was dry I glued coloured glass glitter at the base of the cakes. Each cake is decorated with vintage milliners fruit on a base of green grass chenille.

Wendy Kolar Mullen sent me a message on Facebook -

I LOVE the Giant Peppermint Sticks!! What did you use to make those? Very clever...the display is Gorgeous...fantastic job...sure to delight many Holiday shoppers :0)

Here is how I created the giant candy sticks, cardboard cylinders and fused edge acetate florist ribbon. This method is quick and easy, no paint involved and the results are far superior as the edges are crisp and clean.

The base colour, your choice, is a 3" wide fused edge acetate florist ribbon wrapped around the cylinder. Most cylinders are spiral wrapped so follow the direction of the spiral and you won't have any bumps showing in the ribbon. Put a piece of tape on the end of the ribbon stuff the ribbon end inside the tube and firmly tape the it in place.

The second ribbon is a 1 1/2" ribbon that wraps around the cylinder overlapping the base ribbon edges, hiding them. Tape the ends and push them in the ends firmly taping them down.

From this point you can add one or two more ribbons. These ribbons can be 1/4" to 3/4" wide, wrapped around the cylinder. The ends are attached exactly the same as before.

Cap the ends with a piece of white card glued in place. Wrap the candy sticks with cellophane, tying each end with a narrow wired ribbon, leaving a tuft of cellophane at each end. That's all there is to making the candy sticks.

That beautiful fur covered chair in the window was the chair from the Spring window display. It was stripped of it's flowers and looks like this inside!

I have installed Hillside Shopping Centre's Christmas display.

I am totally fascinated with cakes, pastries, and food presentation from the Edwardian era and earlier. I also love contemporary French pastries. Check out these past blog posts about cakes and pastries here, here, here, and here.

The summer window that I created for Hillside had a few cakes and pastries in it; I wanted to expand on this theme for this year's Christmas window. All of the images are fairly large so click on them and browse to your heart's content!

I took this photo inside the window so that you can get a better look at a selection of the delectable treats. The colour scheme was completely influenced by the cakes and pastries. I love bright colours and wanted to get away from the traditional red and green but still make the setting a Christmas fantasy.

The gifts at the base of the table are wrapped in very bright plastic tablecloths from the dollar store. The tops are decorated with a variety of items that you don't readily connect with Christmas but the addition of silver or gold tinsel, ice encrusted evergreens, and whimsically bent bottle brush trees magically turns them into fantasy Christmas presents. The floor has a bold black and white check pattern to counter balance the bright busy colours.

A look at the left side of the window with all of the desserts and gifts that would delight any child... or adult for that matter! The banquet table is covered with a beautiful tie dyed, embroidered, and bespangled sari.

The right side of the window has a polar fleece covered chair/throne. Halfway through the installation of the window I had one woman mention to me that she would be back later for tea.

Here is the finished window display. I had so much fun assembling this window. At one point I felt delighted and excited; I hope that the same feeling comes across to everyone that sees it.

This small window display is for advertising the Hillside Shopping Centre's gift cards. I like the addition of the tinsel, bottle brush tree, and grapes; it helps to get rid of any stuffiness but still be elegant.

I am off to my studio, it desperately needs a cleaning.

Gift Wrapped Boxes and Fancy Cakes.

Here is a sneak peek at some of the props for the Hillside Shopping Centre Christmas window display. I wanted to go with VERY bright colours that are not associated with Christmas.

The red box with the purple ribbon is going into a small window display advertising the shopping centre's gift cards that are for sale at the customer service desk. The rest of the parcels will be on the floor underneath a banquet table filled with cakes and pastries displayed on cake stands and plates.

It is quite surprising that once you add a little sparkle from tinsel wire, some ice encrusted evergreens, and  a few comically twisted bottle brush trees It all says, "Merry Christmas"! I have added some very un-Christmassy touches to the tops of the gift boxes such as fireworks and out of season fruit but those traditional touches pull it all together.

I bought this giant ice cream cone bank last year at Christmas. I put a strand of fresh water pearls in it for my wife. I had bought three bags of fresh water pearls at Salvation Army for about $6 and strung them all together into about a 30" necklace, that was a very good buy to say the least!

All of the parcels are wrapped with plastic table cloths from the dollar store. Not a very green choice but the colours are wonderfully gaudy. A banana, an apple, an ear of corn, purple grapes, three ranunculus blossoms, and three purple iris; what more could say, "Merry Christmas"?

The magician's hand with wand is a very old prop that I liked so much I kept it. The playing card quite mysteriously floats above the parcel.

This is just a sample of the cakes that will be going on the banquet table. The cakes set the colour palette for the window. I made all of the cake stands as well from wooden candle pillars, wooden plates, and gold plastic chargers.

There are these five mini cakes as well as pastries, fruit, and candy that will be used to fill in any spaces on the table and on this stand.

I bought the stand at Sally Ann. The first day I saw it I carried it around the store and just before I was going to pay for it I put it back. I didn't think that I could use it. It was an ugly brown stand with gold printed brown leatherette on the tray areas. I bought it the next day, spray painted it with browns, burgundies, purple, and a dusting of gold to allow the other colours to show through and, "Voila", a very interesting gilt surface that doesn't yell "GOLD". The aqua paint that I mixed was a happy accident that works beautifully with the gilt surface.

The window will be going in tomorrow. I will take pictures of it and do a post about it in the next few days.

A little tour of my brain, part 24 - More candy images

My goodness it has been two weeks since my last post! It has been somewhat hectic and chaotic around here. Black Cat or as he likes to put it "My Moral Compass" has been a bit of a nuisance. Despite my complaining about him nosing in and disrupting things it hasn't stopped him. Enough of that... in August of 2009 I did a post A little tour of my brain, part 4 - candy. Here is an update. Just a minute, I think someone is at the door.

I just stepped away and you see what I mean, he is typing on my blog.

"B.C., I am trying to work!"

He says that I have way too much stuff in my studio and that I should give it to someone that could make better use of it. The only thing is that I think that the "someone that could make better use of it" is the one that is telling me to get rid of it.

Where was I... oh, yes back in August of 2009 I did a post A little tour of my brain, part 4 - candy. Here is an update to go along with that original post. All of these photographs were taken before Christmas.

This picture and the one that follows were taken at the local Chapters bookstore.

I love the close-up images of the candy.

There is a new candy store at Hillside Shopping Centre called Sweet Delights. Since taking these photos they have moved to a new location in the shopping centre and are getting the store ready for a grand re-opening on January 21. The interior is looking great!

In the old store there was a back wall of wrapped candies in cubbyholes, the overall colours were lovely.

There is something about bright coloured shiny things that gives me great pleasure.

More shiny candies! I love the colours of those long spiral suckers.

This final section of the back wall shows some of the British candies that are available in Canada.

It is not just the individual cellophane cones of candies but the mix of colours that overwhelms the eyes that I find visually exciting.

Bright saturated colour and fun graphics help to sell cheap kid's candy.

Some candy comes in a toy that can be played with after or collected and displayed. I admit that I do have some candy in toys that I have collected over the years. I will photograph them and do a post about them at some point.

I wonder how long it will be until someone comes along and decides that it is not politically correct for young children to be eating candy cigarettes and chewing bubble gum cigars?

All of the colour and all of the graphics are promises of candy Nirvana.

"Black Cat would you stop that!"

He is dancing about waving his arms and chanting in a a squeaky voice, "Sugar high! Sugar high! Sugar high!"

Maltesers, KitKat, Yorkie, and Areo candy bars take care of the chocolate craving.

The packaging colours, the graphics, the special font created for that candy and finally the candy itself become a recognizable treat that is part of everyday life.

Do you have a favourite candy or candy memory?

Happy Birthday to me!

Image from the 1963 edition of "Better Homes and Gardens Birthdays and Family Celebrations".

It is my Birthday today! I thought that I would try and find a BIRTHDAY CAKE. I like pink but I don't know about the little dancing girls.

Image from the 1963 edition of "Better Homes and Gardens Birthdays and Family Celebrations".

This is nice but I'm not to certain... that is an interesting plate that it is resting on though.

Image from the 1963 edition of "Better Homes and Gardens Birthdays and Family Celebrations".

This is definitely looking promising. One candle that helps, no one knows how old you are and you can't get winded trying to blow the candles out.

Image from the 1963 edition of "Better Homes and Gardens Birthdays and Family Celebrations".

Chocolate is always an excellent choice. One candle again, that is a plus.

Image from the 1963 edition of "Better Homes and Gardens Birthdays and Family Celebrations".

This cake looks like a lot of fun. We could hang Chinese lanterns.

Image from the 1959 edition of "Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cook Book".

A circus merry-go-round with three different kinds of icing on top. That would mean three pieces of cake. I'd better not.

Image from the 1959 edition of "Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cook Book".

I like chocolate, we'll see. Oh, and it has a rocket ship!

Image from the 1959 edition of "Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cook Book".

The S.S. Billy will have to be the S.S. Lenny. I don't know peppermint is not my favourite, but I will eat it.

Image from the 1959 edition of "Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cook Book".

I could have two cakes, not for me but to share. Some people have peanut allergies!

Image from the 1959 edition of "Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cook Book".

We could have parfaits instead or maybe to go with the cake.

Image from the 1959 edition of "Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cook Book".

We could have a Birthday Sunday or a Birthday Sunday and cake. There are too many possibilities.

Image from the 1959 edition of "Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cook Book".

An ice cream cake and floats and iced tea, no it is too cold here today.

Image from the 1959 edition of "Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cook Book"

This looks like a fun table. We could have a CIRCUS PARTY!

"Perfect Tables" by William Yeoward 2006 Published by Cico Books

This would be so much fun. The table is groaning with goodies but a lot of the food is knitted!

"Perfect Tables" by William Yeoward 2006 Published by Cico Books

A lovely tiered cake stand filled with goodies.

"Perfect Tables" by William Yeoward 2006 Published by Cico Books

Tiny knitted toys and pompom napkin rings. I like it but would everyone else?

"Perfect Tables" by William Yeoward 2006 Published by Cico Books

Unfortunately the Licorice Allsorts aren't real. It does save calories, but it is my Birthday. I'm in a quandary I don't think I have come any closer to deciding.

Well it looks like Lori Rudolph of RetroRudolphs and Amelia Schaeffer of Sweet B Folk Art are celebrating my birthday today.

Lori Rudolph of RetroRudolphs baked me some cupcakes - yes Lori I stole this image from your blog! But alas I won't get a chance to taste them. Go to her blog to see her cupcake making, it's just like being there but without the tasting!

Amelia Schaeffer of Sweet B Folk Art baked me a lovely pie. This image was stolen from your blog as well! No tastes here either. Go to her blog to see her step by step pie making.