Tiny Circus Midway Sideshow

Ever have one of those sleepless nights where visions of circuses dance in your head? I do, and here's what was keeping me up last week. I had a bunch of matchboxes lying around that were just begging to be put into the circus. I wanted each one to open up to show a performer, so this tiny sideshow was born.

My husband was kind enough to help me cut out a wooden base, which I painted, sanded down, and edged with some Dresden trim. I covered three matchboxes, and glued the bottom of each to the wood base. I added some little feet to give it height, and then drilled a couple of holes at an angle so I could stick the skewers in. It felt like this midway needed a banner of some sort! This one is made with some thin red wire and vintage sequins.

Here are my sideshow performers: a bearded lady, a tattooed man, and Schlitzie, a world famous pinhead, who toured with the circus in the early 1900s. Their banners are stamped with a stamp by Alpha Stamps, and then hand-lettered. Each figure is mounted on adhesive foam squares, so they sit a bit away from the back wall of their "tent".

Here's the whole set when opened:

And a view from the back:

Step right up! It'll only cost you a quarter.