Medieval Round 2

 



I'm in charge of two middle school libraries this year-- two weeks at one and two weeks at the other-- so I get to do multiple displays a month. My daughter and granddaughter cut out two dragons so each library would get one. Because of the direction the school is facing, this dragon shows up good from inside and out.

I made the purple walls at the same time that I made them for the other library, and the purple walls covered the windows originally. But the day before the library officially opened for check-outs, I took them off the windows and wrapped the loft bed like a castle. Add an arched door, and it gives the effect.

These are the cardboard patterns I used to make the stone effect on the purple walls, and they turned out looking cooler than anything else I did. So I placed them on the floor of the display to create a cobblestone look.

Inside the display, I grouped medieval looking items-- a mirror with the book Fairest displayed beside it; a treasure chest, a candlestick, a chess board, and tapestry-looking material.

And baskets are always great to display books.

And the quest starts here!













The Quest Has Begun!

Our school district theme this year is Quest for Excellence so you will see castles and knights and dragons at most every campus. I made the castle walls with purple bulletin board paper and used about ten or twelve pieces of cardboard sheets for the stone patterns that I cut the corners off or cut in different sizes. I always save the cardboard protectors that come in large envelopes or boxes, so most of the cutting was already done. You can even cut up a cardboard box using a serated knife to make your patterns; cut out quick rectangles first, then saw off the corners. Or if you are too tired to mess with the corners, just leave them on and tell everyone you have quality medieval stonecutters on your campus who do precise work. : ) Then lay the cardboard pieces on the purple paper in a well-ventilated area outside. I fought the wind outside for a while, but the garage worked much better. Take spray paint of any color (I used black) to create the look of grout around your stones-- spray around the edges of the cardboard, then pick them up and place them further down the purple paper until you've filled up the sheet with the look of stones.







I drafted my talented daughter and granddaughter to draw and cut out a dragon silhouette and flames for the library's upper windows. They did a great job! If you would like to see more of their work, go to http://www.nessadeeart.blogspot.com and http://imagination-spark.blogspot.com/ . My daughter is an artist/illustrator, and my granddaughter is quickly following in her mother's steps. 



For the other side of the door, my father built a free-standing frame out of cedar fence boards and chicken wire. My principal was concerned for a while that I was going to have chickens in the library. : ) I draped earthy-colored materials and tapestry-looking cloth. Rustic baskets and woven placemats are great to display books in or on. I pulled books about castles, knights, dragons, the Middle Ages, etc.

The silhouette of the dragon is easier to see on the inside of the library than looking from the outside, so it's a nice surprise for students if they miss it coming into the library.