The bewitching season begins soon, so the behind-the-scenes witchery has been toiling without fanfare.
Translation: I’ve been indulging in my holiday crafting throughout September, to create, design, and assemble the 2022 collection of Halloween pins.
Halloween pins, 2022 collection: the critters are pretty much the same every year.
First confession: The yearly pins resemble previous last year’s selections, because there’s very little you can do with pumpkins, bats, witches and other available Halloweeneries.
I’ve also done some early mailings to friends, colleagues and family – so ifMy you’ve been on the list, watch your mail box for treats over the next few days.
A brainstorming idea: Pins with handles, resembling trick-or-treat bags.
Second confession: midway through the assembly period, I had a quick flash of inspiration.
Sure, ghouls, jack-o-lanterns, spiders, bats and other Halloween critters prevail.
My brainstorming idea: Why not make pins resembling trick-or-treat bags?
Did only a limited addition of these designs, but see the results here – the treat bag pins are the ones with little bag handles.
Will surely be part of the repertoire for next year’s designs.
For no reason the other day, I had a momentary flashback to…
fingerpainting?
What’s that, you ask?
If you are of a certain age, you should recall this curious but fun “art project,” where your grade school teacher would hand out oversized sheets of paper to hand-craft, or finger-paint a scene.
The paint was a liquified goo, oozing and swishing as you ran your fingers and hands, creating images that had to be dried.
And yep, you got to take this art home for your parents’ gallery of childhood creativity.
Your fingers and hand were “paintbrushes” in fingerpainting.
I recall the paint had a special smell and pasty texture.
Then today, I got an errant email about making-your-own paint for fingerpainting.
The scent must be from corn starch and sugar, yielding the oozy quality.
Single fingers can create still-life flowers
I don’t remember if the teacher made the paint – or it was a staple product back in the day –but an attached recipe (that showed up in my email) shows you can revive this art form for your child or grandchild.
The colors come from food coloring. Of course, the primary hues, when mixed, result in new colors. Like red and blue yields purple; blue and yellow, green.
Recipe for fingerpaints.
The painting style may vary, using your hands and fingers to swish amid blobs of several colors; or single finger to paint, create, with you digits as brushes, to create still-life flowers or landscapes.
Suggestion: when the dry out, you can create note cards covers by cutting the art to card size and securing with rubber cement or double-sided tape.
If nothing else, it’s a silly but fun stroll down memory lane.
So I needed some notecards, with an island flavor, so created more postcard-motif cards to send thanks, share aloha, and simply get the local mojo working.
Here are some samples of the recent additions that join my Wild Cards creations….
Cleaning up some files today, I came across a small collection of notecards I created, to thank the cast of “Les Miserables,” which was a wowser and rouser at Paliku Theatre at Windward Community College in October, 2013.
This production likely to be Hawaii’s most astonishing accomplishment in local theater, directed, of course, by the late and legendary Ron Bright. It was Mr. B’s favorite show, part of a bucket-list of shows he wanted to do; “Phantom of the Opera” and “Miss Saigon,” which he also directed with his impeccable touch, completing his wish list.
The cast of “Les Miserables,” at Paliku Theatre, in October, 2013.
The notecards – in the shape of T-shirts – depict a Cosette-in-Hawaii motif. The cards were meant to commemorate and thank the cast and crew of this stupendous show; and yes, did enough cards so each performer and techie received one on opening night
See, in many tour stops made by the official touring company of “Les Miz,” the iconic child that is the symbol of this enduring Broadway and London show, takes on the flavor of the city being visited. In Canada, Cosette had a flag with a maple leaf; in France, the French flag gets prime time; in Scotland, she might don a kilt. In Hawaii, it’s a hula skirt. And so on.
I took some liberties, borrowing the Cosette image and adding a local element. For one card, “Lei Miz” was the subtitle, because she was wearing a lei. In another, she is in hula pose, so I labeled it as “Lovely (Hula) Lady,” borrowing a tune from the show. The third card depicts Cosette with a surfboard and donning sunglasses, and an apt title: “Catch the waif.” This was an official authorized trademarked image the first time the show played here.
Four specimens of the “Les Miz” noted cards gifted to the cast and crew.
I gave the images a splash of color, and each Cosette wears a hibiscus in her hair. Lei color varied, but red and yellow were prevalent, as I recall.
The show – loaded with music that speaks to a generation of theater players – featured a protagonist who delivers one of blockbuster ballads (“Bring Him Home”), neither he nor the song is promoted in the “Les Miz” annals.
So, I thought Jean Valjean’s prisoner number would be a code to his valor and vigor; did a limited number of cards that simply addressed his numbers: 24601
On the back of the T-shirt card, I expressed my appreciation for a job well done. And borrowed that show’s most quoted line: “To love another person is to see the face of God.”
This expression of dedication and performance — the core of theatrical life — inspired Mr. B’s family and followers to create the I’m a Bright Kid Foundation to preserve and perpetuate his enduring spirit and inspiration. The journey continues.
Was feeling creative today, so spent a couple of hours making “local grindz” notecards, shared here. Kinda happy with the results, and ono for a Spam musubi and some kind of sushi.
