Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Day of the Damned part two -

Yesterday I recounted my morning of a rather bad day. Now at this time I'd like to mention that about a month prior, I invested in a small display bust to photograph hanging earrings on. 
The bust was not exactly what I had wanted, the one I desired was lovely but at $60 (not including S and H) I could not justify the expense (especially since I have not sold anything in my etsy shop in what seems like an eternity) but it was what I could afford, $17.00.

When I ordered the display bust I knew she was a profile and would only have one ear but I thought the head  would be life size. When she arrived I realized she was life sized -  if she had been a primordial dwarf.
(As you can see, this smaller than life size bust measures 8 1/2 inches tall from table top to the tip of her ear.)


Though  she didn't have two ears and  she wasn't life size and  she hadn't been my first choice, or for that matter my second choice either,  she was okay.  She would work for what I needed and I actually used her in a couple of photo shoots.

Those of you that dropped by yesterday and read my first post, may remember how I was having a bad bead day and decided to try photography instead.  You may also recall how that morning dear snippy Mom Nature was not at all cooperative, blowing things off my make shift table and cashing the sun in and out behind the scudding clouds.  Eventually I gave up and went inside, deciding to try again later in the afternoon.

Time passed, the day wore on and the sun had passed its zenith and was now much lower in the western sky.  So once again I lugged out my temporary outdoor "photo studio". 

Setting up the folding wood table on the concrete patio, I began placing all the paraphernalia that my photo session would require: a few sheets of white card stock, a tray of earrings that I wanted to photograph, a ruler to use for size comparison, my camera and the almost virgin jewelry display bust.

Placing the bust first on the table I began unloading the other things. The camera was the last thing down and as soon as it hit the table, one of the table legs suddenly snapped into the lock position, it had moved only a fraction of an inch but that was enough to jostle the table and the top heavy display bust teetered precariously before it took it's fatal plunge to the concrete slab below. 
There was no way I could stop it, no way to reach out and grab it. I was frozen in time watching as everything seemed to be projecting in front of me like a movie being played in slow motion. I believe I may have closed my eyes as the display hit the slab and I heard the sickening sound of plaster shattering against concrete.

For the next 30 to 40 minutes I picked up broken bits and pieces and scoured through the leaves and mulch in the flowerbed looking for remnants of the broken bust.   Some pieces were never recovered.  I tried to fit what pieces I had found together but oddly enough (or maybe not so oddly as this was the Day of the Damned) the pieces just would not fit  neatly, it was like a cardboard jig saw puzzle where some of the pieces had gotten wet and were now swollen, impossible to fit into the puzzle.
 
 
 
Anyway I did the best I could, it stinks I know.  I'm thinking about filling in the cracks at the front of the display (not sure what to do with the mess at the back or that big chunk that is missing at the back of her shoulder)  and then painting her.  I do have some faux stone, spray paint (comes in 2 parts) but I'm not as handy with fixing up display pieces like my idol, Patty of My Life Under the Bus, is (she's incredible). 
 
Whatever solution I come up with, for the time being it will have to do until I've enough funds in my business account to purchase another.   Only the next one will be the one I have coveted, the lifelike mannequin with not one but two ears . . . and is not fabricated of fragile plaster.
 
And I pray that I won't have another Day of the Damned like this one for a very long, long time. :)

11 comments:

  1. Wow...you are having a tough time of here lately. Why don't you try to make a duplicate using paper mache? It's not hard, quite easy. Also, the kiddos could help you. Use the bust you have as your mold. Afterwards, spray paint, or you could use colored paper even newspaper, for a artsy bust look. Hope this helps.

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  2. Sorry to hear about your display, what a bummer. Maybe it was just a sign that you really needed the one you wanted from the start anyway. Well the day is over and you can only go up from there.
    Have a great weekend!
    Valerie
    Everyday Inspired

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  3. You did a good job putting it back together and I am sure you will like it better once it is patched and painted. It actually looks pretty good in the first picture.

    I hope it gets better for you.

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  4. OH NO!!! I think I would have sat down and cried and insisted my husband take me out to dinner! I'm sure Patty (who is my hero) would know what to do until you get the mannequin of your dreams!

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  5. Man alive that was a rough day!!! I bet you can cover up the crack with a necklace. You did a great job putting it back together though.

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  6. oh no :( You actually did a pretty good job putting the display back together

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  7. Oh you poor thing! That's terrible - I bet some spackle and paint and she'll be better then new! XOXO

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  8. This is really bad! You could try some decoupage, too. I know it will take a lot of preliminary research but it's worth it - just google "decoupage jewelry bust" and look at the images! Also, it won't be that gorgeously white as in the first picture with the cobalt blue stiletto earrings (love!)but it will look like one piece, at least! I hope the bad days series is over!!!

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  9. You can put a fabulous chic scarf on her and no one will know the difference. :) Sorry for the crappy day though.

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  10. Poor you! I agree, it is fixable - with some filler and some skin tone paint?

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  11. O dear... but you know, she actually doesn't look that bad, in fact, almost unnoticeable from certain angles. perhaps some filler? but zooming in on your lovely pieces should take the focus off any lines. hang in there :)

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