Creative Library Displays

You would think that a display about creativity would be the easiest thing to do. But how do you display flax weaving, metalwork, mosaics and other types of creative artworks in a cohesive way? The closer I got to the date of preparing the display the more agitated I felt. I HAD NO IDEA!!! But during a sleepless night I got out my paper and pencil and started brainstorming. What – how – where etc.

Of course the size and shape of the display board dictates for the most part what you can do. I still use the base of the dolphins (see Sea-Life display) which is now covered with many layers of materials from previous displays.
I didn’t want to get rid of it because it provides so much extra display space. The half-round shape of the top part gave me the idea for a tree. And from then on it was easy. The branches of the tree are designed to hang lovely artwork on and anything else that fits the theme.

Grass and flowers make it a real summer display and collecting arty things for the board became a joyful undertaking. I bought some little things at the Two Dollar shop but most of it I got from my own cabinet. My partner’s daughter is very good at Origami and she made some lovely Origami flowers, birds and butterflies. They are gorgeous!

 What you need:

• Blue wrapping paper for the background. I used two different types. The normal wrapping paper for the bottom part of the board and a white clouded one for the top part.
• Green card symbolizing grass
• Mosaic images (Google images) printed on A3 and laminated for letters creativiTREE
• Image of a tree bark (Google images) printed on A3 and laminated (I used the image of one piece of bark for the whole tree, just cutting and pasting)
• Little pieces of artwork like: mosaics, beadwork, origami, flax kites, driftwood art, little boxes, metalwork, wind chimes, 3D cards etc.

What to do:

Cover the background with blue wrapping paper.
Use the A3 laminated images of the tree bark to create a tree. You can create any form you like. Just cut and paste different parts of the bark and connect it. The curly twigs at the end of the branches need a bit more work but you can do this weeks before the display day.
Cut small slices down three quarters of the green card to symbolize waving grass.
Stick a couple of windmills behind the grass to symbolize flowers.

From laminated images of mosaics I made the letters for creativiTREE. Staple these to the board

Now you can start adorning the tree. Staple the artworks to the board. I used a glue gun to paste the coloured beads to the twigs as if the tree is flowering.

The origami butterflies and birds were placed prominently on the trunk and board. It looks as if they could take off at any moment. The bunches of origami flowers stick out of the grass as reminders of a happy occasion.

This is such a happy display. Not difficult to make and a joy of colour and shapes.

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