if you've been around for awhile, you know that i've got a thing for pumpkins...
it all began with my sweet Grandpa Ward, who had a nickname for me:
his little pumpkin eater.
i have always thought he called me that because of my rusty, pumpkin-y auburn hair
and i sure wish i would have asked him about that before he died when i was 15.
because of that nickname, i've collected pumpkins for most of my life.
and every year when fall rolls around, as i decorate with some of them,
i can hear the echoes of his voice calling me that pet name.
this project brings together two special things about my Grandpa:
his nickname for me, and his time building many of the attractions at Disneyland.
and though i bet you can name the film and the Disney Princess connected to it,
there's another inspiration that helped to bring this idea to life...
continue reading for more!
while the ideas of a pumpkin coach is originally inspired by
my favorite Disney Princess, Cinderella,
it is more realistically inspired by this one:
this photo appeared in a magazine - Country Living or Martha Stewart - over two decades ago.
(this image was sourced from Pinterest, with no original photo credit given and i just can't recall).
i was enchanted and have wanted to make my own version ever since.
but for one reason or another, i never have... until now.
i had completed photographing my salvaged silver tray pumpkins,
was clearing them off of my faux fireplace mantel,
and suddenly decided to create the pumpkin coach at last.
so i played around with stacking trays and a few silvery tin cans and a pumpkin,
then searched the house to find a few more silver-toned pieces that would finish it off...
on top is an antique wire flower frog, one that can change shape.
this particular formation is a bit daisy-like - but also looks like a crown!
the 'door frame' is a small silver photo frame,
the 'tongue' of the carriage is a silver pie/cake server,
and the wheels are silver sugar bowl lids that *just* fit over the ends of the tin cans
that hold the smaller tray up above the large one.
true to form, i didn't attach anything to the pumpkin.
it's all just propped into place, looking pretty on display until i'm ready to dismantle it.
it's all just propped into place, looking pretty on display until i'm ready to dismantle it.
while my photos aren't as moody as in the magazine,
i like my Cinderella pumpkin coach just as much as that one!
i did toy with the idea of placing my white ceramic castle in the background of these photos...
but it's the Disneyland castle, which belongs to Princess Aurora, Sleeping Beauty.
i'm enough of a Disney geek that i wasn't about to mix fairy tales!
links to previous related content:
shared online:
funky junk interiors | new upcycled projects to make #596
creatively beth | creative crafts linky party #61
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Oh my word, your pumpkin coach is fabulous! Love the story behind it too.
ReplyDeletethank you so much, Miss Marie! sometimes we just have to follow our muses ;)
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