Skårt does greeting cards

For the show I decided to experiment with doing greeting cards. The cards are all printed on ultra thin wood with some new designs for the holidays (collaborated on with cara from Pamplemousse, invitation couture) as well as some old favorites. Keep your eye out for them coming soon to my etsy shop

The final booth result

Too tired to post much else, but here's a quick peek at how it all came together. Check out my album on facebook to see the prep for the show and more photos of the finished booth will be up soon.

Everyone needs more feathers, sequins and sparkle in their lives

I took a break from show prep this weekend to go see Pricilla, Queen of the Desert, THE MUSICAL! 

You know when the show opens with a giant disco ball dropping from the ceiling that its going to be a good time.  The costumes, the sets, the make up, each part of the show outdid the next.  I have to admit I was a little leery at first, I loved the movie.  And, although I can't say it was quite as good as the film, I definitely had a big smile on my face throughout the show.  

For those of you that know me, you now I'm a huge broadway/musical fan.  Seeing this show got me thinking of all the other musicals I've seen that were based on films.  I  thought I would share a few of the more ridiculous ones I've seen.

TOP 10 LIST of movies it's hard to believe they turned into stage show musicals - some with more success than others.  

1. Evil Dead 1 & 2 the musical - might be my all time favorite show.  Campy goodness! I've seen it three times! In both Toronto and New York (off broadway) Waiting for it to come to LA!

2. Whale Rider the musical - this review says it all!  And no the whales didn't sing (but yes there were giant whale puppets).  It was something to do one night it Auckland.

3. Kiss of the Spider Woman the musical - When it came out it didn't seem like appropriate musical material -- a man's fantasies in a prison cell?  But an amazing cast, some great songs and a few Tony's later it has become a classic.

4. Jane Eyre the musical -- if you don't believe me you can buy the CD of the broadway cast here

5. The full Monty the musical -- Was kind of cute show. However, I feel like this might have started the wave of:  "Oh hey, the movie made a lot of money, lets write some lame songs and build some over the tops sets, if you liked the movie, you will love the musical"  Yes, I'm talking to you: Legally Blonde the Musical!  

6. High Fidelity the musical - Didn't last too long on broadway, reviews were terrible, but maybe this will open a door to a whole new film turned musical genre. The Generation X musical. Breakfast club the musical? Clerks the musical? Reality bites the musical.  I would see any of those! 

7. Edward Scissorhands the musical  -- Not kidding. Saw it for my birthday a few years ago.  And well, it was more of a modern ballet than a musical per say.  One of those I think better left a movie.  

8. Hairspray the musical -- this confused me because they took a movie then turned into a musical and then turned the musical back into a movie.   I do have to admit,  I love all three versions. 

8. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels the musical - what surprises me the most about this one is not that it got made into a musical, but the fact that it's been so successful??!  A Tony? really? 

10. The Lord of the Rings, the musical - Now they've gone too far!!! I missed this one.  It premiered in Toronto but never made it to Broadway, for good reason I presume? To me if they can turn this into a musical, they can turn ANYTHING into a musical.

I think this list just proves nothing is sacred. Nothing is safe.  What's next? Spiderman the musical? Ha ha ha.

Oh!  

booth design

1 week till the show. I'm on my way to Toronto today. This gives me some time to make my preparations and pick up any last minute things. These are a couple of renderings to show the plan behind my booth. This is what I'm hoping it will look like. Of course currently it's all theoretical. I am hoping to have everything so well planned out so that when I go to set up on Tuesday everything has a place and the install goes smoothly.

If you are in Toronto Nov 25-29th come find me at booth N-34 and see how it turns out.

Inspiration: Sophisticated Train Travel Nursery

Boys love trains. There is no reason that your toddler's room has to be all Thomas the Train bright and cartoony. Below is some inspiration on how to add a little sophistication to your choo choo room.


Vintage antique train hook and magnetic board - this one is on etsy at Shugabee Lane
Hand-tufted train rug - currently available at Overstock.com
Ride on Choo Choo - by Pegperego - Of course it's been a fantasy since Silver Spoons to have an adult size version of one of these, but this one looks like it would be pretty fun for your little one too.
Customized Transit poster - pick your cities and your colors at Transit Design's Etsy Shop
Turn a vintage suitcase into a side table - learn how to DIY at Lark and Lola
Train Bedding set from Land of Nod
Choo Choo Train wall art - handmade prints on wood wall panels from Skartshop
Handmade wood pull train - a great toy when they are young and a great decoration piece as they get older. This one is from Woman Woodworker on Etsy
Other ideas to add a little sophistication: Incorporate some navy ticking fabric or wallpaper emulating the pattern found on a train engineer's cap. Add a vintage club chair reminiscent of the golden age of train travel.

Parent Magazine Contest is giving away The Aviary

Check out this contest run by Canadian Parents Magazine.  Lots of great prizes to be won including your very own work of Skårt!  Click here to enter.  Or here to check out more of the prizes.  Good Luck! 

How I spent my summer vacation...

While you were spending your summer soaking in the sun, sending the kids off to camp and drinking icy beverages I was building snow-forts, giant gingerbread men and decorating a 45' christmas tree.

The fruits of all my summer "hard labor" arrived this week in the mail. It came in the form of the Target Holiday Toy catalog. For a week this past June I spent 16 hours a day in a studio creating many of the sets and backgrounds to shoot the toys featured in the catalog. We built a life size gingerbread house, glued together giant gumdrop trees, and created an entire bedroom snow-fort out of Styrofoam and salt. When was the last time you put together a three story Barbie Dream House (btw, when did her house get so big and complicated?) or baked an Easy Bake oven cake? We had to do all that and whole more for this catalog. So before you line your bird cage or toss it in the recycle bin, take another look at it. Let me share with you a few secrets behind one of the sets we made and let you in on how much work goes into just one of those shots.

If you have the catalog you can turn to page 42 for reference. Or click HERE for a better view.

Organized Piles

Three weeks to go... 

Lots of piles and lots to do.  I'm feeling good and mostly organized and on top of thing.  As always Ace (the cat) is helping to keep me on track.

Everyday is Halloween!

I loved Halloween.  LOVED = past tense.  

I always had a costume.  It would always be an original costume, never the same thing twice.  If I didn't have a place to go to in my costume, I would throw my own party --  Hallowig 2001 is still talked about today.  If friends weren't into it I would provide clothes for them and  make them join my group theme -- Cannibal girl scouts, solid gold dancers, it was the best Holiday! 

This year, not so much.  Someone suggested I was getting old, "It's a kid's holiday", they explained.  Granted I have a lot to think about with the show getting closer and lots of work to be done, but surely that shouldn't stop me from putting it all aside for one night of fun and dress-up?!  

Then I had an epiphany: Everyday is Halloween to me!  -- okay, well not EVERY day, but I've dressed up so many times this year in outfits and costumes that I figured, why do it on a night where you are "supposed" to.  That's like going to a bar on St. Patrick's day or buying overpriced roses on Valentines.  

Over the last few months I have gathered and sewn group costumes for volleyball tournaments, and running races, I made a huge box of robot props for a friends engagement party (more to be said on that in a future post).  And, of course I got my Canadian gear on for Olympic hockey.  Not to mention also getting to "doll up" for two weddings and a Bar-Mitzvah.  

So for the first time EVER I did not put on a halloween costume, instead we turned off all the lights and watched AMC's premier of The Walking Dead on cable.