What is it about birthday party's? First we had a theme...knights and we flew with it. The cake was going to be a castle...we were going to make shields out of cardboard that the boys would decorate themselves...there would be a dragon...a dragon that would be easy some chicken wire, some cardboard, wine bottles for eyes, lots of newspaper some wallpaper paste it would be a great creative project for me and the boys. I am not totally new to papier mache...I went to Seneca for window design and then saw the absolute elite of creativity knitting mittens out of steel wool for a project, another that opened and played Christmas carols as you paged through the assignment ...yeah I know a little over the top but they had what it took for the Eaton Centre, York Mills, Holt Renfrew or the Toronto Santa Claus Parade and that was not where I wanted my journey to go. Now papier mache there was a something I was allowed to be messy and creative and build. Now creating a dragon head with my boys the critics were more at my level and if it didn't turn out quite right I could always blame that part on the boys. Off I went to the local Co-op for chicken wire they asked what kind I said in my most technical chicken coop building language "the bendiest please" and as Erik sat on the floor amongst the corn, seed, gardeningstuff, the man looked at me a little perplexed and I said "I am building a dragon. " "Well we only have it in rolls of 20 feet" I said "Well its a big ass dragon." So there we went I found a box, wire cutters and wine bottles at my parents, seeing as they are the only ones drinking the stuff...seriously I have an allergy to alcohol. I got home and started to mold the form...David got a few scratches from the chicken wire and Andrew kept yelling is it done yet as he rode by on his bike. Next we had to figure out how we were going to hold the head up an old mop handle...it was a green project to boot reduce ( well maybe not that) reuse definitely...recycle yes sir. The next day there was sun the boys were in school baby napping Mp3 player ready to go so I stuck the head in a pipe in the ground (Don't ask) and I went to town slapping on the newspaper. It began to take form, I dragged him inside after he dried a bit because he was supposed to rain, the next day David "helped' me paint the base coat a lovely turquoise of mistint paint he was stark naked because apparently that is how we paint around here after he dried we dragged him to my mom's so he could be painted in the garage in the rain. I used the paint from all the rooms we have painted I cut the sponges in the forms of scales and called Reuben, Andrew's friend and they "sponged" a marble concoction onto the dragon's head, they had gold, yellow, brown, green, blue and turquoise. It was more of a belting and smooshing than a tapping of the sponge and it was more haphazard than I had intended with no resemblance to dragon's scales whatsoever but in the end as the kids slayed the dragon with dollar store swords narrowly missing each others bodies as I thought maybe I should have gotten the parents to sign a waiver...I looked at Andrew's face with a big grin and as I put him to bed I asked him what the best part of the day was ...I thought the magician, the present's, the cake he looked at me sleepily and he said the dragon. That is what it is all about...isn't it.
No comments:
Post a Comment