Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Cinderella, My Way:

Trillian has received my Traveling Page for May, so I can finally share it with everyone else.  Her theme was Fairy Tales, and she specified that she wanted Grimm or Andersen fairy tales, rather than Disney.   ratty

When I was very young, I had a collection of Grimm Brother’s Fairy Tales (as well as Hans Christian Andersen) and the book both fascinated and terrified me! The end papers were decorated with trolls and ogres and the stuff of nightmares . . . at least to my young mind! The images remain clear to me 50 years later.  But, of course, I loved the stories!

rella  I knew right from the beginning that I would do something about Cinderella. My first idea was the pumpkin carriage. But, when I re-read the original Grimm version – there is no mention of the carriage! That was when I remembered that the most fascinating part of the story, for me, was the search for the girl who fit the golden slipper. Yes, Jacob and Wilhelm’s Cinderella wore golden slippers. It might be interesting to learn how it evolved into a glass slipper, huh?

front

I acquired some collage art from Alpha Stamps and chose Cinderella praying at her mother’s grave as the image in the window.  I appliquéd the plush pillow and a golden shoe which I then filled with beads. The red heel reflects my favorite lines from the story:

Rook di goo, rook di goo!
There's blood in the shoe.
The shoe is too tight,
This bride is not right!

back

The collage art also included some black birds – although the Wikipedia Grimm’s Brothers version says the birds were pigeons - and I used my photo software to make a repeat and antiqued the color, then printed it onto silk for the backing page.

I really enjoyed refreshing my memories about this classic story.  I think it's a great story in all it's many versions.  Speaking of versions, if you have not read any of Gregory Maguire's slightly 'distorted' fairy tales, "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" is a very different way to look at the Cinderella story.  While I'm talking about favorites - I really enjoyed The Brothers Grimm, a fun movie with a lot of references to the entire collection of stories and a wobbly balance between dark adventure and magical fun. 

I'm busy working on the June page now.  Theme is the sea.  Lots of fun things I can do with that one!

4 comments:

Annie said...

What a cool piece. I love the way you found unusual elements in the Cinderella story to combine with your own special touches.

I have 2 happy meal ornaments of Gus & Jack, the mice from the Disney movie. I love them, but they kind of look pathetic next to this sophisticated piece.

TheBlakkDuchess said...

This is wonderful! I love how the old fairy tales are always a bit darker than the Disney version, and I'm glad that this traveling book is looking back to the origins. ^-^

Anonymous said...

Fairy tales are a really rich source of inspiration, what a great idea! I especially like the beaded shoe. Well done!

beth lea (I had to use anonymous this time because I just dont know what is wrong with this computer tonight)

Unknown said...

Most of the time, Cinderella praying at her mother's grave is left out. I love this piece because it brings out more depths of the story.