Kitschy Shoe! Bless ya, Hon!

My latest kitschy art piece is an homage to "The Avenue" in Hampden, Maryland. An avenue immersed in the kitschy culture of Baltimore in the 1960's that was the frame for John Waters' movie Hairspray. A real high heel shoe, cut in half, serves as the foundation for this framed art.

Watch my Kitschy High Heel in Frame YouTube video tutorial!

Materials:
Aleene's Super Thick Tacky Glue
Buttons - I used tons of gorgeous Blumenthal Lansing buttons
12" x 12" dimensional frame
One high heel shoe - cut in half length wise with a band saw using a carbide tip multi-purpose blade
Decorative paper
Gems, letters, tiny nick knacks, doo dads and memorabilia
Hot glue

1. Cover the inner sole of the shoe half with decorative paper.

2. Add layers of foam or whatever you have to be sure the shoe will have complete contact with the frame back. Use Super Thick Tacky Glue to attach the shoe to the background. Allow to dry overnight.

3. Place your message first - I used a postcard above the shoe, so the letters were arranged around it.


4. Add your embellishments - I glued a base layer of buttons on the shoe, then glued everything I could fit over that, keeping my favorite buttons visible.

5. Add any embellishments to the background. My only regret that I didn't have a tiny pink flamingo and horn-rimmed glasses to add!

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It's onyavenue, Hon!

Please allow me to translate: It's on the Avenue, Hon.  The Avenue in Baltimore is a neighborhood (Hampden) that is retro chic.  It's known for some of the chicest boutiques like Ma Petit Shoe which sells designer shoes AND designer chocolate.  Don't you just love it?

On the Avenue there's a cafe that is the epitome of retro chic - Cafe Hon.  Their egg salad on cheese toast is the bomb!  The spirit of Cafe Hon is so celebrated that the cafe's owner started HonFest, a weekend of 60's Hampdon culture.  There are huge beehive and super flip hairdos, 60's music, leopard skin, pink flamingos and horn-rimmed glasses.  This is the culture John Waters wrote Hairspray about.

Though I moved to Utah, I still get a post card for my birthday.  It's good and bad for me, because I though I LOVE seeing their fabulous fashions smiles and , there's a coupon for a free entree on the back and  I miss terribly!  Plus July is the perfect time to go downyoshun, Hon!