Matchbox Circus

If you know me at all, you know I'm crazy about the circus. It's been a while since I made any circus art, so I decided to have a little fun with another mini matchbox like the one I used a couple of weeks ago to make Mini Mermaids. Here's some more big fun in a little 2 1/2" package.

First, the cover. I put alphabet stickers spelling out the word "circus" on a piece of paper and then cut it out to make a sign for the elephant to hold. Sequin stars add a bit of sparkle. The letters on the spine of the "book" were cut from a collage sheet.

When you open the box, there's a tiny circus performance going on. Or perhaps it's dress rehearsal, seeing as the seats aren't yet filled.

I painted the tiniest of people to create a wee trapeze artist and a ringmaster. I used the thinnest of brushes and the strongest of magnifying glasses to paint these performers. The trapeze artist is perched on her swing, which is actually a thin piece of wire, bent to shape. She's attached to her perch with a little white glue. The baby elephant's blanket is a piece of ribbon, cut to size and glued on.

When I say these people are small, I'm not kidding. Here's the ringmaster with a quarter to show scale. He's just about 3/4" tall.

Star sequins, Dresden trim over the curtains, and gold tape all make the circus shine.

A little bit about how I did part of the box. Here it is before the curtains were added. Obviously, something was needed here!

The curtain image I wanted to use from the the collage sheet was way too wide for the available space in the matchbox, but I really liked the way they looked. I cut them in half to see how they would look if I stitched them together in the center.

I cut the piece on the left along the swag, and then glued the two parts together. If I had thought far enough ahead, I would have saved one of those fringe folds to go in the center, but alas, I had to cut one, and the other was firmly glued to the back of the curtains on the left before I thought this through.

So, I took the thinnest of my pens and drew another fold, then cut it out and glued it on. Voila! Next time, I'll make sure to plan a little better. Meanwhile, however, the show must go on!

Now I have a little pocket circus to take wherever I go.

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