Art Studio Tour Dinosaur Diorama

As you can see my Art Studio will never appear in my favorite 'Studios" magazine by Cloth, Paper, Scissors because surely this dinosaur and the overall horror of it all would surely scare them away.  I'm not knocking studios that have pretty lace and trim mind you, but mine is not like that.

I wish I could figure our what he is (I think a Brontosaurus) and where he is from. He's huge, and almost made of leather. His teeth are a high quality plastic or shell. His eyes are beady glass. It looks like he was hand sewn on his tail, which when I found him had a tear in it.  I have fixed him back to wonderful condition, and he just sort of hangs around looking for something to nibble on.

Go ahead, stick your finger in there, I dare you.

The closes things I found to him were:

Some leather animals done for National Georgraphic awhile back (teeth the same but hide on mine looks way older) and custom made dioramas for different museums. Whatever he is, he's cool and scary all at once.

Behind him are some books I picked up at the local Goodwill for fifty cents a pound. It's one of those "outlets" that put everything into blue bins, and you load up a bunch of books on the scale and well, sometimes you get a great deal.

If you  have any information on the dinosaur, please contact me via my Etsy shop RetroChalet or email me at RetroChalet@verizon.net

Studio Tour Frozen Charlotte Dolls

Frozen Charlottes in my RetroChalet studio shop.

Frozen Charlotte German Penny Dolls

Ask any mixed media artist how much they love Frozen Charlotte dolls. What is it about them? Their age? The fact they have been buried and are covered in dirt dating back to the 1800's? Or just the fact that kids of that era had these cheesy little porcelain penny dolls to play with?

They were molded in mass quantities and sold for a penny.  Most by companies in Germany.  I suppose that gives a new meaning to "a dime a dozen.'  They were molded out of porcelain or bisque. Some were shiny and glazed, others were ghostly chalky white.  The story to accompany such a tiny doll was supposedly was more of a horror tale---someone freezing because it was cold out (thus turning white). What a great tale to tell your children.  What were they thinking?

Courtesy retrochalet.etsy.com

Frozen Charlotte Dolls in Mixed Media

I'm really not sure what really draws you to them. Just know I love them. They look great in mixed media art. Or in a doll collection, or in a dish, as shown here.  Coveted for that special project, imported from Germany their little lives remain decaying over 150 years--they are indeed frozen in time.

Rumors said the workers stuffed the broken ones in the walls to insulate the poorly equipped factories.  Most of them, are still dug up in old dump sites or old toy factory sites in Germany--perhaps there are millions of them frozen in time and in the ground just waiting to be found. Poor little Frozen Charlottes.(Their counterpart males were called Charlies) but today, not as sought after.

these from retrochalet.etsy.com

Vintage vs. New Frozen Charlotte Dolls

Thank goodness curious artifact hunters dig them up or we may have a shortage of them.  They range in many sizes, but I prefer the teeny and wee ones that are under 1.5", even as small sometimes as 1" miniature.

If in perfect condition, the smallest may range $100 and up. Broken ones may range as much as $15 each.  New ones have hit the market, but I prefer the authentic dirty, old, broken and forgotten. Glossy ones or plain bisque never disappoint.

Suffice to say, it's hard to find one that is that has survived all this time as they were children's toys.  Mostly they will have broken arms, legs, or heads.  That's okay, they are great for the assemblage artist.

Glossy glazed frozen Charlottes vary in size but are perfectly imperfect.  Courtesy: RetroChalet

Today they would never be allowed around children, as some are under the size of a quarter and surely a choking hazard by today's standards. 

Where to Find Them

Authentic ones to use in art can be had on average $5-$7 a pop. Small broken may run you $15 with minor imperfections.  The larger will be the less expensive, generally speaking but not always. The very small 1" or under, or black in color are very rare, and may run you and arm and a leg.  You can find them on Etsy, on Ebay or in antique malls.

You can find "new" reproductions by Tim Holtz. There's even ways to resin cast and fake-make your own to use in your art using molding processes---these however will have flat backs and are painful in process. Resin must be sanded, painted, stained, and really it takes a lot to make them look old and dingy.  The only good part about making your own is the fact they have flat backs to glue onto things.

To me, nothing like the real thing. I'm cleaning out my studio and getting rid of some of my extras. You can see them here.

Very Good Reference Sites

Frozen-Charlotte-And-Charlie-Antique-Doll-Buyers-Guide


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the dolls are creepy sort of like this podcast

Metal Industrial Cabinets For Art Studios

Art Studios Must Be Organized 

I realized a year ago that my art studio was out of control. Lack of time and organization meant supplies and half way finished creations all over the place. I needed a better way to organize and create (and want to create) without riffling around for things.  I found that whenever I tried to use those standard plastic see through containers, they were too small for my needs. I like color in my studio and old things. I didn't want what everyone else had.  A few small plastic organizers can set you back $50 when in fact, I prefer drawers. So I dared to be different:
 

Sneak Peek into Ira Mency's art studio. Small items attached to the front of the cabinet tell what it is.

The cabinet above looks grand, but it didn't at first....in fact it came with old tire patches and tubing supplies with original dust from Gosh-Knows-When.

This looked yucky at first downright dirty!

Metal Vs. Wood

Now when you see those pretty studio pictures that are picture perfect you will often see wooden old spool cabinets or sewing cabinets.. I'm not knocking them,in fact they are downright beautiful. Since they are so in demand, and featured in this magazine and that article, prices have soared. I am more of an industrial metal girl anyhow. So I opted to find myself some great old metal cabinets, clean them up and get to work.  Metal is more plentiful and often easier to find at lower prices. 


Industrial Cabinets Just My Style

Old metal fittings cabinet, from my Etsy shop photos.

Industrial cabinets are everywhere you turn.   These are generally the kind you will find in garages or industrial machine shops. Most held fittings, parts, or tools.  A cabinet like the one above held these fittings for hoses and industrial parts.  If you are lucky, when you buy the cabinets you may just have some extra parts for your assemblage or mixed media art...

Industrial MRO Fittings, great for an assemblage artist, find them here.

The Clean Up and Preparation

Normally cleaning them up takes more time than anything. You should know that many of these little cabinets have small partitioned areas but may have paper labels in tact. Make sure not to wet them or you will have a mess and lose some cool industrial history.  For the labels I like to mod podge right over them to preserve them. Nothing fancy, just dipped my finger into a small dish of mod podge and coated them. When dry, I coated again. I guess you could say I sealed in the history.

There are a few steps to refinishing an industrial cabinet to use in your art studio.

Because of the fact the industrial fittings or greasy parts were in these cabinets (or sometimes people's greasy fingers going into them), you will want to clean each section with a bit of Dawn Soap and water on a damp paper towel. Wipe out each partition. If you run into a lot of grease you will have to upgrade to a Comet Spray or Degreaser on your paper towel but be sure not to get it on the labels! You don't want to saturate this because the cabinet is metal.  The end result is worth it!

I just adore this little cabinet my hubby Big Fat Daddy got me for Christmas!

Industrial Cabinets Like Mine : Get the Best Value for Less

As some of these cabinets are very heavy, your first goal is to try to find them locally. You can find industrial cabinets at flea markets, thrift stores and garage sales.Check Craigslist or look for auctions of garages or automotive shops.  Talk to your older brothers, uncles, cousins, and grandpa to see if they have any old metal boxes they aren't using. If you shop on Etsy, shop local and see if the shop has a coupon code in their announcement. Keywords for searching are: Industrial Cabinet, Metal Drawers, Metal Cabinet, Fittings Cabinet, Automotive Cabinet, Shop Cabinet.  Steer clear of buying those which are half rusted, unless you sand and coat with a clear coat deterrant, it may be more trouble than its worth. Who wants rust in their art studio? A little rust on the top or sides is okay with me.

Bottle Cap Hoarding

Vintage Bottle Caps in RetroChalet.etsy.com

I am cleaning out my studio lately, and unmassing the thousands of vintage bottle caps I've been saving for a rainy day. You know, there are so many uses for vintage soda caps. You can make bottle cap rings, pendants, or bracelets out of them. I did a bunch of earrings awhile back. They also look cute in your altered art!

Tons of vintage bottle caps available in RetroChalet.etsy.com

Bottle Cap Collection in vintage pottery bowls at retrochalet.etsy.com

Why buy new and commercially mass produced bottle caps when the old serve just as good of a purpose? There's tons of new made-in-china bottle cap projects in craft stores, but when so many vintage are floatinr around I just don't understand why someone wouldn't want to wear a great part of yesteryear....

Collect a set for fun or start a mini collection. These Root Beer Caps available here on Etsy.

Bottle Cap Collecting can be fun, and doesn't take up much room. Tiny shadowboxes can house a bunch of these little industrial remnants of yesteryear.
Read more about supplies in :

Best Glue for Assemblage Artists

I found the glue my husband was kind enough to let me use when I was trying to glue (metal) onto glass !  The glue comes in a 3-pk for $1.99 at Harbor Freight!  It's their own private label which they say includes use for  home uses, wood, rubber, aluminum, ceramics, china, car parts, jewelry, leather, most plastics, paper, metal, pottery and vinyl.

I'm here to tell you it's going to be my new assemblage glue!  And so inexpensive.  Oh, and I should mention for those of you who have ever opened a super glue, then recapped it, only to find it dried up the next time (for no reason at all), this won't happen!

Dolls in the Studio for Etsy

Art Studio Mayhem, the doll was thrown in at the last minute to my Etsy listing for dominoes.

I get sidetracked often in my art studio. I set out to do one thing and find myself doing fifty others.   Here I was trying to take some pictures for Etsy and quickly found that one thing led to another, I was chasing dogs around the house and my demeanor changed from serious to silly. I pulled the barbie out of my dog's mouth and landed up in a pile of dominoes, where I was photographing for my Etsy shop.

I often have fun with dolls in my Etsy shop which gets me a lot of flack from Regretsy but I don't care.  I used to go to auctions and would get a ton of dolls in a box. Some being vintage and some being new, I couldn't sell the new on Etsy (things have to be 20 years old) , and being that some are damaged they won't serve well going to a thrift store. So what to do?  I use them as props. Just until I find a better use in my assemblage art for them. 

This little disco doll is selling my clapboards for me. 

Okay so maybe I'm over the top but I don't care.

Not everyone likes my way of thinking, but that's okay, it's my style and that's why my Etsy shop is different than everyone else's. Only the tacky, wacky and funky unique there. No white backgrounds (if I must I will use something with texture.) Maybe having your own strange way of thinking is good.   Or maybe, my RetroChalet shop is the one your mother warned you about.

Ira Mency Artist Dilemma Trying to Glue to Glass

Daily Dilemma: Glass and Glue
Warning: Contains Graphic Assemblage Talk. 

Today I'm suffering in Art Studio Mayhem because my assemblage keeps falling apart.  People actually think assemblage artists just throw junk together without proper thought. That's not really the case. Sometimes sculptures are years in the making until we find just the right parts.  I for one had a vision of Bottle Girl Z before she was Bottle Girl Z.  This vision occurred from the time I found her head. 

Finding the Head

She was in a box of trash at a flea market I went to. I mean at first glance I knew she was vintage, but her one leg  had been eaten and marred up by a dog and therefore her whole self just discarded into the trash. I thought such an awful fate for a pretty face. Not to mention she would clog up a landfill and rot forever. That is when I knew just what to do. I took her home and soon I was sounding like a queen from King Arthur Days, "Off with her head..."

Decapitation Emancipation

I put her one leg and arms in a parts container, and had her cute little head sitting in my pile of things staring at me. Now I just needed the proper body.

A Year Later

Out of the blue,  someone I used to work for gave me a box of old super cool vintage amber glass bottles. Now generally speaking at first I wondered what on earth would I do with them?  He knows I sell things on Etsy, so he thought I could make some cake.  Truth be told, there's not a lot of money in old bottles.  These were sitting in his wife's mom's attic and looked like old apothecary bottles.  As I dug through, I  thought, Eureka! I found a bottle and filled it with special parts unknown, to make her innards and veins. I dropped in a heart and made her whole again.  I found her original arms and trimmed them up and tried to glue them onto the sides.

 

Glue Mayhem

No such luck.Gluing plastic to glass is a no-no. I tried everything from super glue to E6000, which has held most things in my home together quite successfully.  It wasn't happening, the arms would fall off and the glass itself is somewhat curved. Making it quite impossible for me unless I could get it within a millimeter by trimming it at just the proper angle but I'm not geometrical whiz so that's not happening.  I figured I'd find a workaround.

I then mounted her arms onto some metal brackets, and tried to glue the metal to the glass.  Sheesh. Ain't happening.  I literally watched as her arm slid down, down, down. Now she's a bit off center. The one bracket actually spun around on me and half way mounted to the glass.  The glue was running off the glass and down the sides and then I made the mistake of trying to grab it.  Enter the finger stuck to glass stuck to bracket mayhem.

Punished

Bottle Girl Z was plucking my last nerve.  I had her sitting around for awhile until I could find a glue that actually HELD.  I took her to work with me and thought maybe I'd find something around my husband's shop to hold her together. Unfortunately the liquid nails was not clear so that was out.   No sooner than I grimaced hubby hands me the tiniest tube of "Super Glue".  Not a well known brand, not Krazy Glue, but a small tube none the less. I just shook my head and said "Ain't Gonna Happen."

Husband Gloats

Two seconds later my husband is scraping the old glue off the metal bracket, dropping two magic drops on each bracket and has her back together. I was in shock.  It held!  (Just to be cunning, I then found some old ticket memorabilia and made a paper crutch just in case the thing would try to fall off later. Consider this my quality assurance test!)

I'm happy to say Bottle Girl Z is whole again, but the mayhem with glue has made her a darn mess. I now have to sand her messed up glue down off the glass with fine grit sandpaper, and coat her with a light brushing of clear coat to make her shiny after I rough her all up.  Poor Bottle Girl Z, she's been though hell and back and cheated death more than once.  After hours working on Bottle Girl Z she will eventually end up on someone's desk, in their home, or in a case at a museum and somewhere there I will be smiling knowing she's found her forever home.

Update:  Find glue here. 


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More daily dilemmas will be posted here:

If you think that's bad, watch me trying to :