This was going to be my very first time going to a Blythefest as I had only been collecting Blythe dolls for 18months and I was so excited. Should I have some fun and enter the diorama competition? I wasn't sure because I personally dislike competitions as they can bring out the worst in people, however I decided to give it a go. Now what to make that fits the criteria of vintage and circus and would sit in a space 50cm x 50xm x50cm.

I know I'd do an old vintage style circus wagon, that could be fun. Now what to make it out of!! I decided on a product called gator board. This is very light weight but quite thick so it would have substance, after all dollies need to be able to play with it don't they?

So where to start? Pinterest was my initial thought and went searching pictures of old wagons and once I had an idea of how they should look I went to work.

I drew my idea in pencil on my gator board, the size of my gator board depicted the size of the end project. This board was crazy expensive and I wasn't about to go and buy another sheet for the sake of a few millimetres..lol

Here is my initial drawing on the gator board:

Once, I had drawn the wagon I then cut it out using my Stanley knife, this stuff cuts quite easily. You need a bit of pressure to get through the cardboard outer layer but the rest is really easy.

Then I needed to create the bars of the wagon walls, out came the trusty kebab skewers. I knew that glueing them to one side would  be an issue because of the thickness of the walls. I needed them to be in the centre to look right. I could poke them through from the top but I knew that somewhere down the line I might regret that method, so I cut out little trenches top and bottom of the window halfway through the board and glued them in place with my Weldbond (my go to glue of choice always).

Now to make the floor so that I can join the walls to something and it will also help keep its shape. A piece of gator board cut to fit and then I applied the paper clay and then set to work making it look like floor boards. After all those vintage wagons were made from wood back in the day.

Next step to put two walls together so I could begin to cover it in creative paper clay. This is an air dried clay and it can be textured and moulded into shape and sanded when dry it also takes acrylic paints very well.

So I glued the corner of the end and the side walls I also pegged them with tooth picks to give added strength, then began to cover in the clay,this was a very long job and took quite awhile.

Because covering the walls with clay was lengthy as always I fly off on a tangent to keep me entertained and of course still interested. So I looked at how I was going to make a bench seat for the driver of the wagon.I found a couple of brackets in my stash to use and then began to build a seat from the gator board.

Once it was covered in clay and formed to look like wooden planks I then set it to one side to dry.

Back to the claying of the walls.

Then off on a tangent I went again. Lighting!! I'm going to light this thing, how cool would that be? Now to find some lights that I can use.

Maybe these?

Something prevented me from using these. Too small? Too stiff? Back to Pinterest ..lol

Yup this is what I wanted how cool to have two of these hanging on the front of the carriage. Surely I can do that...

I got cracking with my trusty cardboard and some acetate, jewellery findings and glue.My first attempt was way too big. I obviously haven't gotten this new scale down pat yet....Lol

First attempt..

Ok let's make another one and yup much much better. Next step to get them on the wagon and power to them...lol

More on that later, now back to the wagon:

I need to attach the bench seat to the front so I used my trusty Weldbond and toothpicks to push through the wall side into the bench for more strength and security. You can also see from this picture that I created a cavity down each side to accept the wires for my hanging lights. I threaded a wire through the cavity to hopefully keep it fluid and smooth moving.

Now I need to make a roof, but one that lifts on and off so I can put an animal inside, not sure at this point which circus animal I will use but I'm  sure something will come to mind.

Most of the roof's of the vintage wagons are curved so out came more gator board and some balsa wood. I made the sides out of gator board by curving the top and then cut balsa wood planks to fit across the curve. I textured the balsa to look like old planking. I glued this all together the same way as previously mentioned. I made the underside of the roof to look like planking by covering with the paper clay and making all the indents to represent the wood. I found two resin mini elephants that I thought would look great on top of the roof to cement that this was an elephant circus wagon. One of the elephants trunk had snapped off and missing so I just made a new one with clay as I knew I would be painting and ageing them. A few added scrapbooking details and it was ready for painting.

Then I went to town painting the underside as I knew exactly what I wanted this bit to look like but the outer roof would have to wait until an epiphany stuck.

Back to the wagon and the clay. I knew it had to have fancy detail around the outside, after all it was intended to attract attention as it was rolled through town. So I molded some curly snakes of clay around in a pattern of sorts. To give it a bit of a lift and interest.

While that was drying I went to look at more pictures and came up with a colour, I'd do it a worn out pink that has faded and peeled, after all this was vintage.

Before attempting the wagon I decided to paint the roof. Yes I was happy with this, it looked old and worn and the colour wasn't something I usually worked with. I had decided that the worlds smallest elephant would be inside my vintage circus wagon. She was world famous and of course her wagon had to be pink.

The roof turned out great now back to the clay and the wagon, I had to make a door so little miss could be ushered out for her performance. However the logistics of actually doing an opening door needed some serious thought and I was lacking in some serious time, my clock was running out Blythe fest would be here in less than two weeks and I had so much to do.

Out came the clay again and I added some rope detail some hinges and a bolt locked of course lol

Yes this was turning out quite nice and I was really loving my project. I added some more embellishments and then bit the bullet to paint, starting first with the inside

Firstly the floor, Yes I was very happy with how this turned out. Next step painting the walls, some pink some ageing and sub rubbing of the pink paint to make it look worn and yes I'm getting used to this pink.

Now for the outside and here is where I fell apart....... It didn't work.....it was hideous absolutely hideous it was turning out to be a hot spot of pure ugliness and I wanted to cry..... I had less than a week and I still had to light it and do wheels for it. I sulked and sulked and decided this was ridicules and it really needed to go in the bin! No matter how much I rubbed at it to take the excess off and age it, this thing got worse and worse.... where was that bin?

I walked away from it...... An hour later I was back, this thing wouldn't beat me but what the hell was I supposed to do with this mess?

I rang a friend, my good friend Norma Bennett and she was amazing. "Lorraine Gesso the whole thing and start the painting again. Who would have thought of that? apparently not me..lol

Which colour should I paint it now? We decided on gold with some darker ageing. Also keeping the pink on the inside. Perhaps it used to be all pink and when they re painted the worn wagon they couldn't be bothered to re paint the inside....lol

As usual when I'm worried about something I move to another task. This time I began to work out the wheels. My good friend Carolyn knew I was on the hunt for wheels and very kîndly found out an old set of doll pram wheels she has had for many years and gave them to me......perfect but I felt they were too close together, dam it! 

This wagon was starting to really challenge me, first the painting now the wheels, what on earth would I do now. This wagon looked stupid.

I walked away and sulked....... Again

Attempting to do the wheels strike two, I cut them in half with my trusty Dremel, then came yet another problem, they kept spinning backwards and wouldn't stay in one position and how the hell was I going to attach them to the wagon?

I made a platform out of balsa and hot glued the wheels to that then I painted the whole thing black including the wheels because they did have some mahogany colouring to the wheels  and I didn't like that not for my wagon. This solved the problem with keeping my wheels stable but it still didn't

solve the puzzle as to how I was going to attach them to the wagon, So in true fashion I left that and went back to painting the cage.

I also did some darkening with burnt umber and highlighting with a gold paste.

Yes I was liking this vintage wagon even more, I was happier by the minute. Now back to those wheels. I suddenly dawned on me about how I was going to get this thing in a suitcase and over to Tasmania where the festival was being held. I couldn't have the wheels permanently attached until I came back home otherwise this thing won't travel well at all. Plus it had to be within the rules of the competition for its size. Yet another problem..aaarrrggghhhh

Out came the box of wood and I glued another piece of balsa across the top of the wheels and put Velcro strips on this and corresponding strips on the wagon and I had a quick add quick release set of wheels. Ingenious Lorrraine even if I do say so myself. Lol

Now to. Finishing off the wheels I brushed some of the gold across them to give a bit of highlight but it still seemed a little flat so I glued some scrapbook gems around the wheel at the edges of all the spokes to represent nuts and once I painted black and re brushed with the gold it looked much better. The bottom shelf could hold the barrels needed to water and feed the elephant.

Okay so now back to the lighting and how I was going to get this to work. I had already placed straws behind the clay on the bench side to be able to thread the wires of my lights down, let's hope that I have no threading issues...lol

Well that went better than I ever expected it too....lol So next step lets try this wagon on those wheels and light this baby up. Woo hoo it worked.

 I just need a sign to tie in the Blythefest theme and I think Ive done....its a good job because I fly out in two days time.

 I included a ticket on the sign to include the date of the blythefest show. Aged it all because after all this was a Vintage Circus Event. However there was still something missing.

 Of course!! the Worlds Smallest Elephant and her water barrel complete with water spilling out...lol

But wait theres still more, of course there is, the Blythe girls. Anastasia and Madeline.

Now for the question you have all been asking yourselves...."Did she win?"

Nope, but I had a lot of fun trying... well I think I did!

Now to begin thinking about the next diorama competion, because of course Im going to enter, regardless of the heartache and sulking that I know will lie ahead, whatelse is a girl to do?