Monday, November 08, 2010

Paper Sculpture

We had a lovely market on Saturday. The Freshly Found Paper bracelets have been getting quite a lot of attention. The woven rounds are covered with an acrylic sealer which makes them fairly robust and resistant to water. 
I have worn my own one many times, and it shows very little signs of wear and tear. I have brightened some of them with strips of lace and rickrack!

Helen Strydom bought a bracelet on Saturday and told me that she had a vintage sculpture at home, made with a similar technique.  She so kindly sent me a pic of the paper dog and told me that it was apparently made by a sailor in a Pietermaritzburg hospital around the time of World War II.
It seems as though it was made from cigarette papers. Thanks SO much for the inspiring pic Helen! What a treasure you have. See Helen's perspective on her blog!

11 comments:

Estelle said...

I still love the bracelets!

Wondering how long it'll take before you're making dogs too...

Jesse said...

That dog is incredible!

Nadia Jonker said...

What a great story!

And So I Whisper said...

Love the dog, amazing.

Unknown said...

Very cute bracelets, I've never seen this technique before!
And wow helen's dog sculpture looks amazing! Can't believe it's so old! It's great, truly a treasure!

Anairam said...

The dog is amazing! I love seeing things that people made 50 or 60 years ago - I remember when I was a little girl seeing amazing sculptures that some old omie made from matches. I also owned (but it got lost over the years) a lovely bowl that someone made from icecream sticks. Well now, here is an entire new direction for your paper folding talents!

Unknown said...

Hi Denise. Thanks for commenting on my paper doggie. I've had lots of visitors to my site as a result and decided to dig up some more details about him. I've added a new post with the new details at http://sanehelen.blogspot.com/2010/11/update-about-doggie.html if you are interested.

Denise Kiggan said...

Great Helen. Thanks for the added info! Really interesting!

Anonymous said...

Dear Helen,
I can vividly recall my late father (ex Royal Navy) who during the fifties made these dogs from "Players Navy Cut" and "Senior Service" packets. From what I can remember he made them in 2 sizes, the smaller from the 10 packet and the larger from a 20 packet.
I also recollect he made circular, cylindrical containers with lid using "Woodbine Packets" which he described as a biscuit barrel. No doubt many a sailor spent their spare time on board ship making these items.
Please keep your dog on a tight leash as this species must now be an absolute rarity.
Derek Lines, Portsmouth.

Denise Kiggan said...

Thanks so much for your information Derek! Really interesting. Will pass this on to Helen!

Unknown said...

Hi Denise
Derek Lines found my blog too and left a comment for me about his father who made the paper dogs. I was thrilled. Thanks for passing on his message.