Catching Up....

Sad to say, I just worked hours on a new post....only to discover it vaporized!  But in doing that post,I also discovered that I need to learn a bunch more about formatting because that was what took me so long!  I would just get the page to look right while I was creating it, and then I would preview it and it would look way different!!!  So here goes with a second try.... 

I have been working on all sorts of props and crafts lately.  I am going back into Dropbox, to see what is on my Camera Uploads:

Food Props!

Kim (my AWESOME intern) & I did a whole bunch of fake chicken for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. We made molds of actual real fried chicken!  We tried molds of plaster and of Silicone Rubber.  Both worked good, only for plaster, you have to do a two-part mold, and the chicken gets a bit gross....be sure and do both parts in the same day!  (Freezing the cooked chicken is the best idea, too)

     Once the molds were done, we coated them with Holden's Casting Latex to form a rubbery skin.  Once it cured, we poured Smooth-On's FlexFoamIt 5.  Because we also put a bit of baby powder in the mold before the latex, the chicken came out looking like it was all floured and ready for the fryer!  

     Next came some sprays of Honey Stain from Design Mater Paints and a darker brown.  The finish chicken is in Seven Brides, I will try and get photos of the Finger Lickin' Good Final Product!

Joseph Throne

The scene shop recycled a 2x4 clunky chair for Joseph (and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) to make a throne.  They added the curves, I added the Barbie heads, claw feet and paint. (With Kim's help, of course.)  We also made the feather fans.  (This time, my assistant Minnie helped!)

I am going to publish these now, in hopes of NOT losing it to the CLOUD!

About time.....

Boy, it is about time to make a new post!!!  I just got asked to be in Into The Woods at Arizona Broadway Theatre, and since I am publishing this blog address in my bio, I figure I had better keep it active!  Who knows, maybe someone will actually READ it some day!  I have tons of things to post, but I will start with this photo of my harp that I am making for Into the Woods.  Styrofoam props take a particularly long time to make.  First there is the drawing out of the pattern, the tracing onto the foam, cutting the layers, gluing it together.......then carving in the details.  After that, I have to make it strong enough to be hauled around on stage and stored back stage without breaking.  I have coated it in Sculpt or Coat and muslin.  The next step is to paint it and paint on more details.

The harp....before the muslin coating.

Happy July fourth week

I thought I would post this patriotic photo of ribbon I cut to make a Ribbon Drop for Will Rogers Follies.  It will take 140 ribbons at 18 ft in length, all sewn on a strip and weighted.  While I was cutting it felt very festive and I really just wanted to festoon a Better Homes & Gardens house with it.  We went on vacation instead.

The aftermath

This is what the prop shop looked like as I was headed down to Opening Night for Sunset Blvd.
 

 The Opening went great!  Here is a photo of the HOUSE.  Not a great photo, sorry.

Head above water

 The holidays are over, ABT opened 3 shows, my kids were in two shows, and we just moved!  NOW I can start blogging again!  (Not that I was very prolific before!)  So this post is a bit of bragging about a prop I made at the last second...literally, still drilling about 3 pm before Opening Night!  They are some steam-punky old-fashioned sound operator headphones.  I think they turned out pretty cute!

On my head!

My replica close-up.

My research 1.

My research 2.

I started with some airline headphones, and added wire to the top. I removed the foam around the ear pieces.  Drilled holes in the center of the earpieces.   I had found some old brown rubber furniture slides to put on the outside of the ear pieces, and also drilled hles in the center.  I had to Dremel a groove in the earpieces and the furniture slides to fit the small dowel "antennas" on. Spray painted various parts with the must-have Copper Metallic paint from Krylon.  I sandwiched the dowels in between the ears and the slides, bolting them together with my favorite small #6 screws and nuts.  Put the ear foam back on and gaff-taped some speaker cord to part of the original cord of the headphones!  Pretty cool, huh?

Toy Shop

I feel like Santa's elf!  Today my volunteers and I made display boxes for Miracle on 34th Street at Arizona Broadway Theatre.  The bear and doll---I did not make, but the boxes I Photoshoped, printed and created.  Now we just have to do about 8 more AND finish making some other Raggedy Anne and Andy dolls!  Then the costume shop takes over and turns the toys into dancing full size toys!  Don't you just want to go Christmas shopping now?!?!?  )  (NOT!)