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1.22.2018

Mannequin Shenanigans!

 i'd like to tell you all a little story...

i posted a gorgeous photo on my Instagram two weeks ago,
one that i saw online and saved and EGREGIOUSLY did not save the source from
(if you know it, tell me and i'll add it here and on IG).
that photo was a gorgeous shot of vintage mannequins:
i know. i drooled, too.

i covet these, i'll admit it. i've spent my life in the visual merchandising field
and i have whispered sweet nothings to forms like this for decades.
(no, they have never come to life like Emmy in the film 'Mannequin' ;) ) 

i've just never been able to afford one. so instead, i made my own 'version' of one:
you can make one, too, with my tutorial: diy mannequin made from a tee shirt 

however, that didn't really 'do it' for me, but i had other things to take care of.

fast-forward to two weeks ago, and the posting of the image, and then...
two days later, i was on facebook and happened to see something in the sidebar:

a marketplace ad listing for a mannequin. in my neighborhood. for thirty dollars!!!

i gulped, clicked the image, and contacted the seller.
"yes it's still available" - even though the ad is four days old.
when can i come pick it up? how about first thing in the morning?! (it was 11 PM)
and that's exactly what happened... i drove five minutes from my house
and picked it up the next morning.
and she is gorgeous! 
she's not vintage, but i added something to her to make her look a little bit vintage... 

continue reading to see what i did!

well, i STARTED with a tomato cage. because... well, it's ME.
i've been making things out of this cheap element for years!
and the galvanized finish of the cage matched the metal cap on the mannequin.
i cut the 'legs' off of the cage, leaving @ 1/4 inch of leg above the top ring. 
then i bent it into an oval - rather than round - shape,
to mirror the oval shape of the bottom edge of the mannequin torso.
then i attached the tomato cage to the foam mannequin torso:
 i removed the mannequin torso from the rolling base, 
and laid it down on my worktable, holding the the tomato cage perpendicular to it.
i hammered the 1/4 inch leg 'stubs' into the foam, right through the fabric - while still holding the cage in place.


then i hammered three 'U' nails into the foam to hold the cage more securely in place.
then i put the mannequin torso back on the base:
 i also took the three 'legs' that i had cut off and hammered them into the foam, 
spacing them evenly between the tomato cage supports.
this gave the 'cage' a more complete vintage look.

NOW she's perfect!

shared online:

funky junk interiors diy salvaged junk projects #412




6 comments:

  1. Your so lucky and brilliant!! Now she can be dressed up..

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    Replies
    1. hey, a girls' gotta' do what a girl's gotta' do!!! thanks, Miss Barbara! and she's currently wearing a lace top and flannel shirt ;)

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  2. Hi Deb, I share your love of mannequins. My heart pitter patters when I see one! Milena

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    Replies
    1. they really are swoon-worthy, aren't they??!!! thank you so much for visiting, Milena!

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