Melissa D. Tereck, papier-mache extraordinaire

new year...new work to begin.....

now all the holidays are over..at least til the next one...and it's time to get back to work...the ideas are there it just takes the will power to go out in my sometimes very cold work zone...

something that started to rattle around in my brain last year was an idea for a little country
 mouse and his house...I started the house before the mouse because I so often do things backwards...the little mouse is built and has his first bit of detailing begun...in the next few days he should catch up to his house....

here for the moment is his house...as you can see he has begun to furnish it with a nice soft bed, a little chair he made from a bottle top and just last night he found this wonderful empty match box...why what he can do with that!....there's more to come as the little mouse finds more goodies to add to his new home....

for now just so poor bloggy won't feel as abandoned as it sometimes is I offer here the first of "Little Mousey's House"....hope you enjoy!.....

Christmas 2011.....

how can it be that the big day..Christmas! is almost done....ours was very simple...no gimme list...and no big overstuffed meals...nothing to repent for tomorrow...no over the top gifts that must be paid for next month...no I'm not gloating..just finding that I prefer a simple Holiday...I did come up with one wild over the top idea...in the food ads the other day you could order your "tur-duc-ken"...now this to me is missing one last eliment...yes folks what this needs is.....SPAM!!!...nothing could say "boy I wonder why I ate that?" better than a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken stuffed with a nice block of SPAM...I'm calling it "tur-duc-en-am"...yum..next year!...can't wait!....

so as Christmas "2011" becomes visable only in the rear view mirror I add this little shot of a Santa I did last year driving off into the sunset............
Merry Remains of this Christmas to all....may your days be merry and bright!...

 

let it snow...man!...

yes I'm posting again...well I felt like I should make up for all the times I didn't....here we have a Snowman....and guess what he's a candy container too...yes I may be hooked on making them...I guess it's a child thing..I like to add an element of surprise to what would otherwise be just? a snowman....

oh look..another snowman...this time he's smaller but still sits on a box...so he's a candy container too....

and what have we here...oh could it be?...yes another snowman...and as he is sitting on a little round box I guess you could say he too is a candy container... all these Snowmen and us without that much snow....good thing these guys are really made from paper-mache and cotton batting...

 

where have I been?....

well you could say I've been living that old Johnny Cash tune..I've Been Everywhere"...or so it seems....but I've hung up my car keys...put away my displays...and soon will pack away unfinished pieces....yup I'm done for this year...it's been a long good year in the world of Art...and I thank each and everyone who came to a show if you bought something or just stopped to admire...it all means a great deal to me...so now I have to take a few days..maybe clean up my work zone..OK that has to be done!...and then I will again put on my thinking cap..start to plan what to make for next year..only 3 weeks away...just thought I would add that!...so here are some photos of the last pieces I made...I hope you enjoy them...

snowmen waiting for snow....

oh look..more snowmen!...all candy containers...

hey where did you come from?...

must be the other guys brother...also candy containers...

and where would the holidays be without Father Christmas?...one in a Theater and the other..a candy container..I see a pattern forming here...

just for a change a Pine-cone Santa...

yes 2 more candy containers....

and this my very favorite Snowman...he found this sad little tree and did his best to make it pretty for the Holidays...

I'm sorry some of these photos are a bit..well..not so good..I have a new camera and I'm still learning it's ins and outs...next time better!...

 

it all looked so bright....

sometimes it hard to believe how long ago November 22 1963 was...for me it was just another school day...til the teachers began to step out in the hallway...and when they came back into the classroom some were in tears...an anouncement came over the pa...we were all to go to the auditorium...and there the Principal told us we were to proceed to our regular buses..that school was being dismissed for the day....and then he told all of us the very sad news..our President had been shot!....that I can remember no one said very much...we had all been so excited about the Thanksgiving Holiday...I think we just couldn't understand what had really happened....I remember my Fathers deep sadness...I can also remember he almost hit a man who standing near him said what happened was great....it was a tragedy...no matter what political party you belonged to...a family lost a father and husband...and a country lost a leader..and the people lost innocence...

today is the 48th anniversary of that day....and in all the news today I have not heard one mention of it....so very sad!...

November 11th.....

it's not about buying something at a "sale"...no matter how much advertising tries to "sell" us on the idea....this day is about taking a moment in our busy day to stop and remember a Vet and say "Thank You" for the sacrifices they make for everyone...all of us!....be they family member, friend, neighbor, or just the service person you see in uniform....take a moment please and remember what November 11th is really about...and next time you meet a Vet say Thank You!...
Veteran's Day"....

It's so hard to get good? help!....

life here at "everything and anything paper" is a bit wild during the Holiday season...there are special orders to fill..yes for you who are waiting I'm almost done..always takes longer than I think it will....but along with shows and stores and all other things needed it can get a bit busy for me...do this..while that dries do something else..up down all around....so every time I leave my work chair some harry bugger jumps up in it...I toss them off...they come back as soon as I leave!...this means WAR!! you catz!....so being a very intelligent person...OK stop laughing!...I came up with the bright idea of putting something on the chair while I'm off it so all I have to do is move whatever when I comeback and get back to that job...and no matter what I put on the chair it is bound to weigh less than one of our fat catz!...

today I've been working on my spun cotton pieces along with a Theater...it all seems so simple...get up..put something on the chair...hang the spun cotton to dry....go back to chair..take Theatre off to work on again....welll SURE!..but this time when I came back  clearly my plan has failed!....or we have a new stage struck star in the making!..

you don't fit buddy!...now move!...OK I'll pick you up and carry you to YOUR VERY OWN! BED!..that we bought for you!...so I can get back to work...I can go to the store and buy you more things to try and keep you O-U-T of my work zone!....CATZ!....

Yum the Bum...hard at work!...aka: YUM-YUM...now move!..

 

Dads and Cars......

this post is really for my Dad and his love of some very odd family? cars....I don't think we ever had what could be called a normal car that I can remember...my Dad could fall in love with some of the strangest cars...then he would take my Momz and any of us crazy enough to ride along on a test drive...and more times than I can count this "family" ride would follow him home...so 
 here are some oldies but goodies from the collection...lot's of miles down the road.....

this is a 47 Dodge Woodie..like we had when I was very little...the parents had a small farm and my Dad bought this fourth or fifth hand...it had lots of holes in the wood by the time he owned it...we loved it when he would load it up with hay and we could ride around and watch the road go by through the holes in the side...or the floor!...fun!...

now this came after the Woodie...my Dad actually was hit by a dog..yes the dog hit him...and it flipped the Thames up in the air..my poor Dad was so worried he had hurt the dog...the dog looked at the van and walked off..unhurt..not sure about the van!..and by the way there were 7 of us who road around in this..Dad would sing.." wonder how they put 7 tomatoes in that it-ty bitty can"...we were small kids at the time that may have been how!.....

I admit this falls into the "normal" car world..not sure how it was ever ours?...Popz loved the wagon and it was fast for such a big car..may be why he liked it so much!...I remember driving T-Rex as we called it and I had to look through the steering wheel...I'm a tad short for these biggies!...but it was another fun ride...take that to mean FAST!..

now this we had for fun..well Popz drove it to work too...but it also fit in as very fast..had a 383 power wagon engine...and I almost got caught by reservation police driving way over the speed limit in AZ on vacation with the parents...and Popz well lets just say it was he who taught me to drive!...

now this is a "horse" of a different story...you know the one where you ask Dad "can I barrow the car?"...in this case it's my car and Dadz loved to take it with the top down for his work driver...really Popz....can I barrow my car?...

and then there was this one....Popz would take this for his work ride...and his pals at work kept asking would he sell it...again a very fast car...and MINE!...I was it's third owner...and after much thought we sold it...oops...it's now worth a ton of money...but at the time you have to ask how many cars can you own?....but we had fun and we never seemed to have normal....that may have been half the fun...and my poor "never lived around cars til she married my Dad" Momz has had to put up with all of this...thanks for all the fun Popz!...HB!..

Time Out!....for the car anyway!...

 

 

 

 

it took me a couple of days to unload the car after the last show...but at last I did so...now I've parked the car for a bit while I get busy and make more pieces for the next show...had to put away my much love orange&black...time to think all things glitter and holiday....and besides the car needed a rest!...back to work...ONWARD!...

quick up-date....Country Antiques and Folk Art....

I had the best of plans to take all sorts of photos at the show in Los Altos yesterday...but that went away with the first customer of the day and it just never stopped...so no photos but tons of fun and some really nice people who make it a habit to attend the show...it was great to meet and chat and I'll be back in the spring...think I may need that much time to recover!...

so now it's time to put away all things black and orange and begin to think about that other holiday that keeps us all busy...you know the one!...

so for now I'll just add something from my sun cotton collection....