Paper Shoes

On Saturday I went along to Dream Shoes workshop with tutor jennifercollier.co.uk at Hope and Elvis.  Louise had gathered lots of vintage books, maps, scraps, old books etc for us to use.  I hadn't had any set ideas, other than making paper shoes, of course, before going to the workshop but as soon as I saw an old birthday card with the words Happy Birthday Daughter Dearest it all fell into place.  Here are a few photos from the day.  I was actually so engrossed in the making that I forgot to take any photos for about 3 hours.

Vintage card

Our table was the messiest.

I chose to collage the pieces for Nellie's shoes.  Can you see the old Sheffield Telegraph and Star bill, the tiny rose (her middle name is Rose) and old pages from a dictionary.  Little bit of Cath Kidston too.

Can you see Marcel the Shell and the little crab.  Nellie loves these there is also a mermaid and an octopus hidden on the shoe.

Pretty soles and inners.

After sticking, cutting, ripping and stitching the shoes were ready to assemble.

It did take me much longer than I expected to make the shoes possibly because I tried to include lots of references personal to Nellie.  I put the town where she was born, where we live now and where we lived when she was little.  There were the words and music to 'What a Wonderful World', old bills, doilies, children's illustrations from a book.

I was really, really pleased with how they turned out.

I couldn't wait to give them to Nellie (her birthday was on the 9th) and gave them to her almost as soon as I got in.

She cried.

Result - Louise said she would.

She said they were the best thing she had ever received and she was going to keep them forever and ever. 

I decorated the top of her 'shoe' box with sheet music and more nostalgic roses.

It was so absorbing finding all the papers to collage together to make Nellie's birthday shoes.  I eventually made just one pair of shoes.  Other members of the group where extremely productive making lots of the different shoes that Jennifer demonstrated. 

In the afternoon Jennifer showed us several different methods of laminating, layering, waxing and making other 'mediums' to use in crafts.  This was fascinating.  I particularly liked the method whereby you took a tea bag, took out the tea, popped in little scraps of fabric, paper, petals, buttons etc then you melted was with an iron over the top of it and it transformed the tea bag completely.  I have a project in mind for mine but have just not had the time to implement it.  Will do a show and tell when I do - if it's any good - if it's pants then it will remain with me.

If you would like to see more pictures from the day pop over to Daisy Moon and have a peek.

Nellie decided to have a Banoffee Pie for her birthday instead of cake this year.  It was delicious.

Yum!!

Just to let you know that Nellie found the word 'whore' on her shoe - NO I did not put that there on purpose.  It was in part of a descripton from the dictionary. 

Paphian - a votary of Venus; a whore.

Nellie found it hilarious.

Good night.