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Cardboard Theatre

August 14, 2014 by Barbara Rucci 10 Comments

26 shares
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made by grace, age 14

My fourteen-year-old daughter came home from her last day of 8th grade with this!! I mean….OMG!! I immediately took about a million photos of it, from all sorts of various angles. I was asking her a million questions, like how did she come up with this idea, how did she make it, did your art teacher just DIE?? Turns out, the assignment was to make something with cardboard. She came up with the idea all by herself (she wants to be an actress, so this was very personal art making), she made it by cutting cardboard and gluing it and painting it (duh), and she didn’t know if her teacher liked it because she never asked. Even more AWESOME!! A completely self motivated art experience with no expectations. Now that I’m done gushing, here are more photos of her masterpiece.

a mini theatre made from cardboard

a mini theatre made from cardboard

a mini theatre made from cardboard

I love how she rolled the cardboard to make little stage lights. And I love the castle bricks, and the clouds…and how she outlined the castle with gold. I also think the seats are brilliant. How long did it take to cut out all of those little chairs? I honestly didn’t know she had this in her, she is not normally a detail oriented girl. But this is what I love most about motherhood…just when you think you know them completely, they surprise you with another layer of their growing self.

I love this theatre, and I love this girl. Thanks for letting me gush!

xo, Bar

 

Filed Under: Recycled, Teen Crafts, DIY Tagged With: cardboard theatre

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kristen

    August 14, 2014 at 2:01 pm

    I’m gushing! How beautiful and what a sweet post Bar. Love it. You’ve got to take her to England to Stratford Upon Avon someday. Have you ever been?

    Reply
    • Barbara Rucci

      August 14, 2014 at 7:50 pm

      awwww…thank you kristen!! this means so much to me that you read the post and everything. we have not been to stratford upon avon but would LOVE to make that trip. she loves shakespeare. it’s on the (long) list of places she wants to go. paris is, too. she wants to do that on her 18th birthday. big dreams this girl has! xo bar

      Reply
  2. Michelle McInerney | MollyMooCrafts

    August 15, 2014 at 4:13 am

    I’m gushing too…. and she’s not even my daughter. It’s truly inspiring, in every detail. WOW! give her a hive five from me 🙂

    Reply
    • Barbara Rucci

      August 15, 2014 at 8:22 pm

      wow, thank you michelle!! you are so nice to say so. she’s a special girl in every way. it’s pretty cool when you see what your kids can do when they are aways from you…and to express her loves and interests. it’s a beautiful thing! your daughter will one day make art that is meaningful to her and you will be blown away, too. it’s so fun to watch them grow! xo bar

      Reply
  3. meri cherry

    August 15, 2014 at 2:09 pm

    I’m crying. This is the most amazing thing ever on the planet and I can’t believe how amazing your girl is. Actually, I can totally believe it, but this is just beyond words amazing. Those chairs!!?? and the lights??! Is she kidding me?? This is a masterpiece. Gush all you want and then gush some more.

    Reply
    • Barbara Rucci

      August 15, 2014 at 8:23 pm

      you’re the best, meri. i love that you love this as much as i do! makes me want to teach a class to teens….there are so many things they can do! thank you for sharing in my gushing! xo bar

      Reply
  4. gina

    August 16, 2014 at 9:51 am

    Yes, I’d repeat every word that all of the above commenters have written! (… and you know I could 🙂 ) — above and beyond everything that they’ve already written, I absolutely love that it reflects so much personality and from what I understand — her love of theatre and also, creating with such abandon once she’s moved into her…teens! For me, above and beyond the beauty and creativity she’s used to create, it’s the ultimate thrill to see ones children continue to create with abandon! … so lovely — so very, very lovely.

    Reply
    • Barbara Rucci

      August 17, 2014 at 1:26 pm

      thank you gina! i think you’re right, it’s so satisfying to see a teen still being creative on their own. i mean, it was for a class, but still. especially this daughter who is the one who never loved doing all of the arts and crafts i forced on her growing up. turns out, she actually needed to just do things on her own without her mama telling her! thanks for the compliments, gina. i think our kids would have such a great time together 🙂 xo bar

      Reply
  5. Lorah

    December 16, 2014 at 11:20 pm

    How did I miss this?! I was just showing off your blog when I stumbled upon this.
    Grace, you never cease to amaze me. I love your quiet but extraordinary passion and how you use it in so many aspects of your life! xo

    Reply
    • Barbara Rucci

      December 19, 2014 at 6:45 am

      you are so nice! i just read this to her. she is sitting in my office waiting to go to school at 6:30am. and it’s her birthday today!! a perfect way to start her day with your kind and loving words. thank you lorah!! xo bar

      Reply

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