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Shoebox: Napkin Holders; Asian Room Screen

Carol Duvall Show : Episode CDS-1438 -- More Projects »
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It was a fascinating little item in the Shoebox today sent in by Gayle Roberts and her husband Harry DeKeukelaere who live in Kailla-Kona, Hawaii. Harry wrote to explain that what they were sending was a Kona coffee shack holder, which was one of a line of holders that he and Gayle make and sell at craft shows. He went on to say that "coffee shacks are unique to the Kona side of Hawaii, the big island, and many variations can be seen throughout the coffee lands. Intended as temporary shelter for the pickers during coffee harvesting, they lack the usual amenities...electricity, running water and indoor plumbing. To use the facilities at night requires shoes and a flashlight, although the one we lived in did have electricity and cold running water. I don’t believe there is a corrugated iron roof that doesn’t leak, and the sound of a falling Kukui nut or mango hitting it is not unlike a sonic boom. When you’re not living in one, they’re kind of cool." Harry explained that he and Gayle have worked up a line of the miniature coffee shacks to be used as holders for napkins/letters, cups, cooking utensils and business cards, and mentioned that they contain real Kona coffee bags. He sent photographs of their booth, in which all of the different items he mentioned were displayed. All very cool.
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There was also a letter and some photographs from another crafty viewer, Mary Reed of Baltimore, Md. Judging from the photographs, I would say that Mary’s ingenuity seems to match her talent. Mary wrote: "For years I’ve had this screen and could never figure out what to do with it. I felt that it needed SOMETHING decorative, but I was hesitant to paint directly onto the rice paper...one false brush stroke would ruin it."

Mary’s solution was quite ingenious. She enlarged some Asian pictures on her computer and ran them out on her printer using tracing paper...the thinnest she could find. She then cut them to the size of the blocks on the screen and inserted them into each square on the front. That was it! She also discovered that if she cut them just a tad larger than the blocks, they’d slip right in and stay put. Otherwise she put a tiny piece of tape on the top and attached it to the dividers. Mary also mentioned that applying spray starch and ironing the BACK of the tracing paper keeps it from curling. Great idea! Handsome as it is, if she ever changes her mind and/or décor, it appears that she could undo her handiwork just as easily.

Resources
miniature coffee shacks
Harry DeKeukelaere
75-256 Hualalai Rd., B-9
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
Also in this Episode
Carol Duvall Show : Episode CDS-1438
•Asian Art Box
•Metal Inlay Pins
•Shoebox: Napkin Holders; Asian Room Screen
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