Musings of a 2amscrapper: Pondering Paris

- by Helene Huber

Bonjour Unrulies!

I have never been to Paris but I have a fascination with it.  Perhaps because my dad chose a French name for me:  Helene.  Perhaps because I was raised on old movies starring Maurice Chevalier.  Perhaps because early on one of my favorite singers was Edith Piaf.  I love hearing the French language spoken or sung.  So romantic. 

Beyond the romance of the city of Paris, I also am intrigued by the lifestyle.   Can can dancers at the Moulin Rouge. So many American writers and performers living in Paris, such as Hemingway. 
So provocative.

Having a sociology degree, I am drawn to its social history as portrayed in stories about Marie Antoinette, in books and musicals such as Les Miserables, and in movies about the French Resistance. 
So fascinating.

And then we have the famous houses of couture.  The fashion of Christian Dior, Yves Saint. Laurent, Coco Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Karl Lagerfeld or Paloma Piccaso.  Ah yes, French perfume!  I remember when my mother got a bottle of Chanel No. 5.
So designing.

Perhaps some day soon I can visit Paris and see for myself the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris, shop at an amazing flea market for crafty supplies, and then sit in a sidewalk cafe nibbling on a croissant and sipping champagne....
So dreaming.

In the meantime....
Here is a Paris inspired project--the Marie Antionette shoe:

Even though I consider myself a paper crafter, this is my first Marie shoe.  All products used are from my stash.  I did not buy anything new for this project.   Images/sentiment are Gecko Galz and Retro Cafe Art.  Butterfly is Jenni Bowlin; stick pins from Maya Road and Tim Holtz.  The hand dyed ribbon on Marie is from Red Lead.  The trims, flowers, and embellies are no longer identifiable in my stash.  I have Marie standing on her infamous cake which I made from ribbon and flowers glued onto three stacked foam circles.

This is the side view of the completed shoe:  The feathers and netting serve as a backdrop for my fussy cut Marie.  I used Ranger Distress Ink Markers to edge exposed papers. The row of small roses included netting which I pulled over the top and bottom of the heel back for a smooth finish.

I layered two buttons (one from my vintage collection) and topped them with a pearl for the heel.  The double sided heavy weight card stock from my Basic Grey paper stash was perfect for my shoe.  I love the distressed, water marked paper for the sole. 

 Additional photos and template sources will be on my personal blog:  LOTSA SCRAP