The Evolution of an Idea, or.......

......how my mind works (hmmm...you've been warned), or.....how I get inspiration from jumping around from blog to blog.   Here's how it all started.  Wendy was blogging about the newest wonderful additions to her product line....art parts.  Chipboard frames, shapes, other goodies, perfect to use with her stamps.  One in particular caught my eye....a kind of pedestal thingie....looks a bit like a mini cake plate.  You can see it here.  Things started spinning in my head.....

A few days later, I'm visiting Linda Cain's blog and she's busy making spools.  I love old wooden spools; thread these days comes wrapped on plastic mostly.  But I digress.  Linda is whipping out these fantastic spools.  Made me think back to Wendy's pedestal.  After all what is a spool but a cylinder and two circles.  Different sizes and proportions, but the same elements.  See Linda's beautiful spools here.

As if that wasn't enough, Linda supplied a link to the blog that had inspired her to make the spools, so of course I visited there, watched a video tutorial, and hatched a plan.  If you really want to follow my journey, click here to see it too.  (even if you aren't interested in following along, you should click there because it will take you to a really interesting and creative blog)
 
Now, let me make it clear that I am NOT trying to tell anyone that they shouldn't get Wendy's art parts.  Hell no!  I'll be first on line to buy some.  It's just that I had this notion and I have no patience, so how could I wait for the weeks, maybe months before these beauties hit the stores?  So, I had to make a version of my own, just to try out my idea.
Following me?  (remember, I did warn you!).  I bet about now you're wondering if I'll ever show you a photo.  LOL!  Yep, here goes.  I found the components to make my squat pedestal (or I suppose it could be a giant sized spool, now that I think about it).  (the proportions of Wendy's art parts pedestal are waaaaaaay better and more elegant, trust me!)

Very high tech....a paper towel roll and two chipboard circles.  I cut the roll down and covered all three parts with some Graphic 45 paper and glued them together.  Of course I did some artsy stuff to them...sanded the edges, distressed them with some ink.....

This is the idea I had when I first saw Wendy's blog post.  I wanted to make a little display stand, but one where I could change out what was being displayed very easily.

I have some of these plastic thingies:

I'm sorry I don't remember where I got them, but they're meant to display an ATC.  (there's a little slit in the middle for the card to slide in).  Not too gorgeous, but when covered with some of the same G45.....

Much better.  Now, a long time ago, back in March in fact, I was visiting Hels' blog and saw her tutorial on faux porcelain flowers.  I made some then, but never used them.  They're the right color, so I thought they'd make a nice decoration for my display pedestal.  (I also added some lace and fiber to the bottom of the cylinder).  The plastic thingie and the flowers were all adhered with glossy accents, by the way.

And although at first I thought this would just be a good place to pop an ATC, I discovered that it can hold a greeting card, a postcard, an altered coaster.....just about anything.  It could also be a place to put a work in progress as you contemplate the next step.  And I just think it is so much nicer than those little easels that are always falling over on my work table.

I'm having another thought for a future project....what if I pierced the rim of the top circle with a bunch of little holes, all the way around....wouldn't that be a fab way to store/display a collection of danglie earrings?