The Path To Hell-O Is Almost Done!!

There was a famous religious leader that was given the opportunity to give some much needed comfort and advice to the world and he chose to use that time to counsel folks to avoid wearing flip flops as they are a sign of disrespect and apostacy. I was disturbed by the lack of wisdom and insight into the needs of so many desperate people in his congregation as well as the world at large. In a funny twist I realized that as a distraction from real world issues, flip flops become a sign of wanton disobedience, so I decided to make an installment in my yard called, "The Path to Hell-o is Paved With Flip Flops". 

I was going to mount them on a piece of wire mesh and then mortar between them after removing the toe straps but the difference of thickness and consistancy in the foam made it less than stable and a lot of trouble to install on a horizontal surface. I decided to use the colorful dollar store and some donated flip flops as a decoration to a rough railroad tie retaining wall in the playground side of my yard.

They serve several purposes here, first to add color, texture and a fun design to the junk yard sculptures, and second to protect little bodies from the inevitable slivers and grease from the railroad ties.

Apostacy, heretical thoughts, loud laughter and light mindedness may be endemic to my art but playful fun and joyful interaction seem to supercede any evil that may lurk. So far they've not led anyone over the cliff to depression or war.

I welcome  any more if folks want to send me their signed (used or unused) foam footwear when they're done with them for the season. I also have room on the shoe tree for any symbolic offerings.

This is a sculpture made from the stump of an old box elder tree that was rotting in the middle and a plum tree that had died but the wood was so hard to cut that I decided it was determined to have a second life as a shoe tree. I buried the stump in the ground and then just stuck the two plum tree branches in the hole and tossed the shoes and bird houses (now serving as wasp homes) into the branches. I plan to re-arrange things and add some yellow ribbons made from caution/Do Not Enter police tape just to bring in some color and celebrate the spirit of disobedience.

My daughter and her boyfriend bought the adorable pig on a swing and he just fit perfectly as a mascot for the shoe tree. They named him Jeraldo and he is a very happy piggy and loves his place in the yard.

The Hobbit Hut is Done!!!

Well, after two years of contemplating what to do with the huge fiberglass hot tub left in my back yard, and then about 6 months of actually tinkering with it it's done. There's still a little room for some other resin sculptures when folks bring them to me but the main ones are well mounted and cemented into the structure and there for time and all eternity, or till the world blows up, which happens in 2012. This thing could be my bomb shelter when that happens. It's so tough!!

I used corelle dinner plates for the blue windows and then painted the arched doorway that I cut out with a skillsaw and then BABB helped me put the hinges on. I drilled holes for the window on the door with a hole saw and then glued some little colored tea light dishes as the stained glass on the front, then glued marbles in a pattern to the border and added a wrought iron handle.

The resin statues around the base are thrift store finds that were on sale and some that my children and grandkids contributed. I glued all the character and rocks on with construction adhesive. Then I used mortar mix and a large cement bag that works like a frosting bag to squeeze the cement into the crevices and seal between the rocks. I realize that it's not perfect or completely waterproof, but it's still pretty dang sturdy and sort of purdy, in a junk-art sort of way.

The best thing of all, all who see it seem to love it and many have kissed Wilson the Frog for good luck. My grandson loves the hideout and Wilson very much.  I do too. He's a great addition to the yard.