Challenge

I am entering a Guild Challenge next month in which we are all supposed to design somethng that celebrates Henry Hudson's Quadricentennial trip up the Hudson River! I didn't know what to do with flowers so someone suggested that I create an arrangement of tulips and put them in a Dutch Shoe. Dutch Shoe???? Where in Dutchess County would I find a Dutch Shoe? I started by doing a Google Search and sure enough, you can order original wooden Dutch Shoes but the size I would need would cost about $35.

Did I want to start my creation with an investment of that size not knowing how cold porcelain tulips would turn out? No! Especially since I've never even tried to create a tulip.

Forget the tulips.....what could I do about a Dutch shoe? Well, create one, of course! An old sneaker, some modeling compound, trial and error, a bit of patience, time and redesign and I finally had my Dutch shoe. It's not a thing of beauty so I added a few flowers here and there to dress it up a bit and plan on spraying it with a gloss sealer. Here's what it looks like before the tulips are created! Check out that sexy point in front!!!