Tag: crafts

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I Won First Prize At West 69th Street’s Halloween Decorating Contest

To my surprise and delight, I won FIRST PRIZE in West 69th Street’s Halloween Decorating Contest for my “Princess Frogs” display.

Everything, except for the wigs and crowns, was made from recycled materials. I used water bottles, pizza boxes, FedEx boxes, damaged comic books, broken lampshades, paper towels, toilet paper rolls, New York Times newspapers, bubble wrap, coffee cans, lids, and packing foam.

As I collected single-use plastics—such as water bottles, take-out food containers, cups, straws, and food packages—for two months, I was truly opened to the staggering amount of trash I contribute to the environmental crisis.

I created a “Single-Use Swamp” using plastic bottles and cardboard packaging, which I painted to resemble foliage. The extent of single-use plastic consumption is frightening and overwhelming. Like most people, I’m horrified by the billions of plastic items choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers. Recently, I’ve been reading about the harmful effects of Bisphenol A (BPA) on our endocrine systems. I encourage others to research this topic thoroughly, as it requires more than just a quick Google search to understand fully.

Sitting atop my vision of a lily pond—crafted from old T-shirts, pillowcases, and towels—are Queen Elizabeth I and Wonder Woman.

Upon seeing my display, I was overjoyed when a young girl passing by exclaimed, “Princess Frogs!”. Her mother informed me that her daughter loves to dress up as a princess. It warms my heart to know that my target audience appreciates my work!

Janet and Rosetta Van der Voort, born in the 1800s, were two wealthy sisters whose father rarely let them leave the house unaccompanied. The one place they were allowed to visit was Central Park’s Wollman Rink, where they went ice skating in the winter.

The two sisters never married, were lifelong best friends, and died a few months apart. Since their death, their ghostly spirits have been seen periodically skating together on the Central Park Pond, wearing the same red and purple outfits they wore over 100 years ago.

Divabetic pays tribute to the sisters’ spirits, hoping to encourage you to indulge in the creativity associated with Halloween instead of candy. Halloween’s record-breaking sugar consumption and its detrimental effects on overall health are scarier than any ghost story. It’s been reported that consumers gobbled up a record $36.9 billion in candy, gum, mints, chocolate, and other confections in 2021.

High intakes of dietary sugars in the setting of a worldwide pandemic of obesity and cardiovascular disease have heightened concerns about the adverse effects of excessive consumption of sugars. The American Heart Association suggests limiting adding sugars to no more than 100 calories per day (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams) for most adult women and no more than 150 calories per day (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) for most men.

Credits Producer: Max Szadek Writers: Max Szadek, Wendy Radford, Lorraine Brooks Voice Actors: Max Szadek, Verna Henry, Lauren Ricks Graphic Designer: Max Szadek

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Princess Frog Poems: Croak-A-Hontas

Slowly, I am staging my upcoming Princess Frogs displays for Halloween. After quickly staging all the display elements – the four Princess Frogs, handpainted signs, lily ponds, and foliage—together in a temporary location, I am relocating them to their permanent location on West 69th Street.

I was overjoyed when a young girl passing by screamed, “Princess Frogs!” when she spotted my display. Her mother told me that her daughter loves to dress up as a princess. My target audience gets me!! My display will be on one of New York City’s iconic Halloween Streets, where over 2,000 children trick-or-treat annually.

Everything, except the wigs and crowns, is made from recycled materials – water bottles, pizza boxes, FedEx boxes, paper towels, toilet paper rolls, New York Times newspapers, bubble wrap, coffee cans, lids, and packing foam. 

Croak-A- Hontas

Once upon a time, in a far-off  tranquil stream

Lives a princess frog named Croak-A- Hontas, with high self-esteem

She is green and slimy but oh so regal, 

And her croak is sweet and pure, like a golden eagle. 

 Her father is the king of all the reptiles

that live near the stream for miles and miles

And Croak-A- Hontas is friends with one and all

if there is a fight, she is quick to break up the brawl

But one day, an evil stork comes to the pond, 

And snatches her up, leaving her father beyond. 

Croak-A- Hontas is scared, but she doesn’t give up, 

She knows she can escape without a hiccup. 

So she kicks, and she wriggles and finally breaks free, 

And lands with a splash in a nearby tree. 

There, she meets a nervous snake

with a rattle on his tail, he likes to shake

She comforts him as best she can

and promises to take him back to her land

Together, they begin to trek across the valley

making new friends and often stopping to dillydally

Croak-A- Hontas is fascinated by all that she sees

Her mind fills with a boundless curiosity

For every rock and tree and creature 

has a life, has a spirit, has a name that can teach her

My Princess Frogs display is a twist on the perennial tale Frog Prince. Instead of a woman kissing a frog to break the spell and turn it back into a prince, I wondered if a man would be willing to kiss a frog and turn it back into a princess.

If a man was willing to kiss a frog, would the frog want to be turned back into a Princess? Sarah Ferguson, Diana Spencer, and Meghan Markle‘s comments about a princess’s real life make it clear it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Life as a frog might be much easier than life as a princess.

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Lily Pond Using Single-Use Plastics

I’m temporarily obsessed with creating a lily pond made from single-use plastics for my upcoming Princess Frogs Halloween display on West 69th Street (between Columbus and Central Park West).

I used an assortment of single-use plastics, including Sprite and Seltzer water bottles, yogurt containers, coffee cans, Chinese takeout lids, bubble wrap, and thin packing foam.

Single-use plastics are goods made primarily from fossil fuel–based chemicals (petrochemicals) and are meant to be disposed of immediately after use. Plastic pollution is very real, and single-use plastics are small but have a significant impact.

According to EarthDay.Org, Americans purchase about 50 billion water bottles annually, averaging about 13 bottles per person in the U.S.! That means using a reusable water bottle could save an average of 156 plastic bottles annually.

At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans every year, according to EarthDay.Org.

Single-use plastics can pose several health risks and contain chemical additives that act as endocrine disruptors. These additives mimic hormones and disrupt the body’s signaling, leading to a range of health issues, including hormonal imbalances, reproductive problems, and cancer.

If you’re thinking about getting crafty, check out YouTube. There are so many wonderful instructional videos. I enjoy watching the Ultimate Paper Mache channel with Joanie. My only wish is that she would occasionally switch up the hoodie for a twin set.

To create my lotus flowers, I watched a craft video on YouTube on how to make Lotus Flowers, but it was beyond my skill set, so I turned it off and went to work.

I ripped off the labels on the Sprite and Seltzer bottles. I cut the bottles in half and then cut flower shapes on the circumference of each half. The final step was painting the inside with a dusty rose before adding hot pink highlights.

My friend Lauren gave me some scraps of bubble wrap and thin packing foam. I cut the bubble wrap into 4-inch strips and painted both sides with dusty rose paint. I cut triangle shapes on one side of the strips and then tied them off before inserting them with glue into each plastic bottle.

There won’t be enough room in front of the townhouse on West 69th Street to host my display for these lovelies, but it doesn’t matter. I had a blast making them.

Many people have been wondering why I created Princess Frogs for Halloween. Last year, two women who saw my Dastardly Ducks display commented that they were grateful for a break from the gore and horror of the other street decorations, especially given the current violence in the world.

Secondly, there were so many girls dressed as princesses trick-or-treating that I wanted to celebrate them.

Everyone deserves to feel like a princess.

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The Bride Of Frankenstein Halloween Display

I received a package filled with lightning bolt-shaped styrofoam a few weeks ago. I didn’t throw them away. The shape was fantastic. Even though all of my Halloween Duck, Duck, Ghoul! displays are done. I wondered what I could make with the styrofoam. The styrofoam’s shape reminded me of the Bride Of Frankenstein’s eyebrows. So, I decided to make one more display. I studied pictures from the original movie.

According to Google, The Bride Of Frankenstein was created as a collaborative project between Dr. Frankenstein and his old university affiliate, Dr. Septimus Pretorius. The scientists create the Bride to give it to the monster as a mate, but the monster only wishes to have a friend.

The Bride’s gown in the 1935 movie is sublime. But its simple elegance and draping didn’t work on a duck. And trust me, I tried everything, including a Large Federal Express packing bag – I thought the corners would be perfect for the shoulders. So, I abandoned the idea of knocking off the original gown and let my imagination take over.  When the legendary Vogue and Harpers Bazaar journalist Diana Vreeland wrote “the eye must travel” in her book in 1980, I doubt she was referring to the front door of Dollar General. But that’s precisely where my thrifty spirit for crafting took me.

After a fruitless search, I wandered into my local hardware store. Inspiration hit when I spotted mops and a package of large coffee filters. I ventured to two more stores in search of paper dollies to complete her dress. I topped off my display when the cheapest wig I could find on Amazon.
Throughout October, health guru High Voltage travels to select schools around New York City to create awareness and excitement to empower private and public schools to take a stand against the sugar industry. During these Shocktober rallies,  High Voltage presents a powerful demonstration showing teens how to “Sugar Shock” their favorite drinks. Sugar Shock demonstrations allow teens to discover how much-added sugar they consume daily; when they do, most are SHOCKED!
Watch this video to see how many grams of sugar are in popular drinks!

Major sources of added sugars are sugary beverages (regular soft drinks, sweetened tea, coffee, energy drinks, and fruit drinks), candy, desserts, and sweet snacks (cakes, cookies, pies). Smaller amounts come from dairy desserts, milk products (ice cream, sweetened yogurt, and sweetened milk), breakfast cereals and bars, and other items.
The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to 100 calories per day (6 teaspoons of sugar) for most women and no more than 150 calories per day (9 teaspoons) for most men.

We’re talking about ‘THE SWEETEST TABOO’ aka ‘SUGAR’ with musical inspiration from Sade on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast.

Added sugar is everywhere. But do we understand the impact it has on our diabetes health?

If asked to name sugary foods, you may think of sweets, chocolate, sodas, table sugar, and perhaps fruit. But sugar also appears in savory foods such as ready meals, soups, salads, sauces, and ‘healthy’ foods such as breakfast cereals and yogurt. Furthermore, starches such as bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes also convert to sugar in our bloodstream, having the same impact on our bodies. These ‘hidden sugars’ can add a surprising amount to our daily intake.

Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Tameka Milline, Catherine Schuller. Kathy Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage’, and Stephanie MacKendree. Throughout the podcast, we play music from ‘The Essential Sade’ album courtesy of SONY Music.

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Candy Decorations for Halloween

This year, I’m starting my Halloween decorations early. I’m using different kinds of candy to decorate my paper mache sculptures to be displayed on New York City’s most iconic Halloween Street on the Upper Westside. I’m attempting to be more crafty.

My goal is to encourage people to indulge in the creativity associated with Halloween instead of candy.

We’re talking about ‘THE SWEETEST TABOO’ aka ‘SUGAR’ with musical inspiration from Sade on this episode of Divabetic’s popular podcast. Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Tameka Milline, Catherine Schuller AICI, CIP, Kathy Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage’, and Stephanie MacKendree.

Halloween’s record-breaking sugar consumption and its detrimental effects on overall health are scarier than any ghost story. It’s been reported that consumers gobbled up a record $36.9 billion in candy, gum, mints, chocolate, and other confections in 2021. High intakes of dietary sugars in a worldwide pandemic of obesity and cardiovascular disease have heightened concerns about the adverse effects of excessive consumption of sugars.

The American Heart Association suggests limiting adding sugars to 100 calories per day (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams) for most adult women and no more than 150 calories per day (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) for most men.

Last year, I used paper mache for the first time to make several sculptures. I was told that the street’s theme was ‘ghosts,’ which proved untrue. Unfortunately, I didn’t learn the truth until completing all my displays.

One of my sculptures was the Ghost of  Lily, the Central Park Zoo Polar Bear (1987- 2004). Lily was the beloved companion of Gus, a 700-pound polar bear that mesmerized tourists. He swam lap after lap in figure-eight patterns, pawing his way through the water with powerful backstrokes. He did this for as many as 12 hours a day. Every day. Every week. Every month. Lily would grin and bear it as she watched and waited for her partner to finish.

This year, I’m using paper mache again to create my sculptures. Although I’m not sharing what my sculptures will be, I have been working on different decorating techniques using candy.

Candy is bright, fun, and festive. Candy colors like yellow, red, orange, and green are eye-catching. Candy corn seems to be the candy most commonly associated with Halloween.  The various variations of two and three-color combinations lend themselves to floral designs.

But working with candy, especially in the Summer heat, is challenging. It’s sticky and melts quickly. I’m storing various types of candy in my refrigerator to keep them from distorting their shape. Using a hot glue gun to affix candy to various materials, such as cardboard and paper, is painful. It doesn’t work. So now, I’m using Elmer’s glue which presents its own set of problems.

Janet and Rosetta Van der Voort, born in the 1800s, were two wealthy sisters whose father rarely let them leave the house unaccompanied. The one place they were allowed to visit was Central Park’s Wollman Rink, where they went ice skating in the winter. The two sisters never married were lifelong best friends, and died a few months apart. Since their death, their ghostly spirits have been seen periodically skating together on the Central Park Pond, wearing the same red and purple outfits they wore over 100 years ago.

Divabetic pays tribute to Central Park’s infamous Victorian ghost sisters, Janet and Rosetta Van der Voort,  in this short video.

 

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