About barbara

I'm sure you are wondering how the blog was named, "The Enchanted Manor". Well, this blog will be like home to me and I wanted a name that reflected my different interests. During a normal day you can find me in several rooms of the house. Maybe I'll be in the living room decorating, or in my craft room working on a project, or in the dining room planning a great dinner party or at the computer in my office planning a great vacation. When you come to visit my blog you might find me in any room! Please return often for ideas and inspiration because this blog will be about decor, craft, celebration and travel. So, welcome to the "Enchanted Manor". Come in, sit down and let's talk!

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Adventures of Robin Hood DVD coverI remember as a young girl watching “The Adventures of Robin Hood” on television, the 1938 version with Errol Flynn.  At the time, it was maybe 25 years since the film had originally been shown in theaters.  The movie had everything – a swashbuckling hero, a beautiful heroine and a sinister villain.  It was a drama, it had action and adventure, moments of light-hearted comedy, and it was a love story all set in merry old England (supposedly back in the year 1191).  In this post I will begin by discussing the film and the actors involved in this classic movie and I will end with a brief history of the legend of Robin Hood and some of the historic places that still exist in England.

“The Adventures of Robin Hood”

 “The Adventures of Robin Hood” premiered on May 14, 1938. The movie directed by Michael Curtiz was filmed between September 1937 and January 1938 with the interior scenes shot on several different Warner Bros. Studio soundstages in Burbank, CA.  The exterior scenes shot were filmed at the Warner Ranch in Calabasas, the archery tournament was filmed at Arroyo Park in Pasadena, Bidwell Park in Chico was used for many of the Sherwood Forest scenes with additional scenes shot at Lake Sherwood.  (Interesting Note:  Lake Sherwood, now an upscale community located in Ventura County, was named for its association with two Robin Hood films.  The first movie was the 1922 silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks which used the location for the Sherwood Forest scenes.  Sixteen years later, the 1938 “Adventures of Robin Hood” also filmed there)

It was the first Warner Bros. Studio movie to be filmed in Technicolor, the estimated cost of the production was $2 million.  The Technicolor film process was a relatively new production technique for the movie industry and it could be rather costly because it used special slow speed cameras which required the soundstage to be set with bright lighting for filming.  Whether the scenes involve Robin Hood scaling the castle walls or riding on horseback through Sherwood Forest, the Technicolor color saturation adds an intense sense of reality that probably could not have been achieved if the movie had been filmed in black and white.

Adventures of Robin Hood filming 1

Adventures of Robin Hood filming 2  MBDADOF EC080

Adventures of Robin Hood movie scenes 1

The cast of the movie was absolute perfection with Errol Flynn playing the dashing hero of Sir Robin of Locksley, also known as Robin Hood.  Flynn had previously made his first film, the 1935 “Captain Blood”, for Warner Bros. and it had turned out to be a very profitable movie for the studio so they were willing to commit to the expensive Technicolor production of the “Adventures of Robin Hood” with Flynn as the lead character because they knew it would be a successful film.  (Interesting Note: The role of Robin Hood had originally been intended for James Cagney but he had left Warner Bros. over a contract dispute and the film was postponed for three years at which time Flynn took over the role)

Errol Flynn as Robin Hood

The elegant Olivia de Havilland played Lady Marian Fitzwalter, known as Maid Marian in the movie.  This was just a year before she played perhaps her most famous film role as Melanie in “Gone with the Wind”.  Flynn and de Havilland had co-starred in two other films; they would eventually make eight films together.  It has been speculated that they were romantically involved but years later de Havilland denied the allegations.

Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian

Basil Rathbone played the sinister Sir Guy of Gisborne and Claude Rains played the villainous Prince John, the brother of Richard the Lionheart.  Alan Hale, Sr. played “Little John”; he had previously played the same role in the 1922 silent film version of “Robin Hood” co-starring with Douglas Fairbanks.  (Interesting Note: Hale, Sr. is probably best known to my generation as the father of Alan Hale, Jr. who played the Skipper on Gilligan’s Island)

Basil Rathbone as Sir Guy  Alan Hale, Sr. as Little John

After casting the actors in the major roles, the next step in the film production was designing and creating the elaborate medieval period costumes.  Special attention was paid to the selection of color for the fabrics since this was a Technicolor film.  The contrast of Robin Hood’s earthy green costume with Sir Grisbourne and the other noblemen’s rich colored costumes served to visually illustrate the difference between the rich and the poor.  In one key scene, Robin is giving a speech to his Merry Men and as he moves slightly the deep red lining of his cape is revealed adding a sense of drama that he is really Sir Locksley of noble birth.  For the majority of the film we see Robin in the same costume while Olivia De Havilland, as Maid Marian, had nine costumes and Basil Rathbone, as Sir Grisbourne, had seven.

Errol Flynn as Robin Hood 1

The Archery Tournament scenes were filmed at Arroyo Park in Pasadena and the action was coordinated by Howard Hill, a professional archer.  The stuntman that would be receiving a direct hit from an arrow during the scene wore a metal chest plate covered with a piece of balsa wood.  Hill also worked with the sound department to create the distinctive arrow sound using a specially made bow and a thicker arrow.  In perhaps one of the most famous scenes in the movie, when Robin Hood splits the arrow of an opponent to win the tournament, it has been speculated that a pre-cut arrow was fired from the bow then traveled the distance along a wire to accurately hit the target.  (Interesting Note:  At the time it was filmed back in the late 1930s, the movie had employed for the archery tournament scenes the largest number of stuntman used in a single production)

The intricate sword fight scenes were extensively choreographed with exaggerated movements to increase the dramatic effect.  Flynn and Rathbone had previously co-starred in “Captain Blood” and were familiar with the sword techniques used for filming; Rathbone was actually better skilled with the sword while Flynn disliked practicing.  The type of swordplay in the movie was actually used modified fencing techniques with stylized lunges and parries (fencing bladework maneuvers intended to deflect or block an opponent’s attack) while in real life medieval swordplay had used boarder swords and more “hacking” motions.  The final duel of the movie between Robin and Grisbourne is considered by many film historians to be the one of the most exciting swordfights ever filmed. 

Adventures of Robin Hood movie scenes 3

The Legend of Robin Hood

Robin Hood is a character in a popular English folk legend.  The earliest known reference to him was in a 15th century ballad, “Robin Hood and the Monk” which has now been written down and preserved at the Cambridge University.  A collection of stories about the famous outlaw, “A Gest of Robyn Hode”, was written circa 1500 followed by “Robin Hood and the Potter” written in 1503.

Historians say that Robin Hood was possibly an alias for a nobleman by the name of Sir Robert Fitzooth, later becoming the Earl of Huntingdon, who was born around 1160 in the Nottinghamshire village of Locksley; he died in 1247 at the approximate age of 87 years old.  Sir Robert was an ardent supporter of King Richard the Lionheart.  While the King was away at the Third Crusade, the Sheriff of Nottingham and his henchman Sir Guy Grisbourne took advantage of the situation by enforcing the collection of exorbitant taxes.  Seeing these increasingly unfair conditions brought onto the lower class, Robin was determined to help by stealing the money back from the Sheriff and returning it to the poor.  Originally acting alone Robin used his skills as an excellent archer and swordsman.  Eventually he gained the support of a group of men, which included Little John, Will Scarlet and Friar Tuck.  Subsequent stories romantically linked Robin Hood to Lady Marian Fitzwalter, possibly the daughter of an English nobleman.    The earliest reference to Maid Marian was in a story first printed in 1490, “A Lytell Geste of Robin Hood”.

In 1883 “The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood of Great Renown in Nottinghamshire”, written and illustrated by Howard Pyle, adapted the stories of the legend into a collection of children stories.  In this popular book, each chapter tells a different story about the famous legend, such as when Robin Hood first meets Little John in Sherwood Forest and they battle with staffs.  In another story, Robin meets the pious but inebriated Friar Tuck who ends up carrying Robin on his back while crossing a river.  The book ends when King Richard returns to England, frees the imprisoned Robin and his men and officially pardons them.

Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle  Merry Adventures of Robin Hood - Little John  Merry Adventures of Robin Hood - Friar Tuck

The stories of Robin Hood proved to remain popular with the public and eventually they were made into movies.  Some of these films include the 1922 silent movie, “Robin Hood” starring the dashing Douglas Fairbanks, followed by the 1938 “The Adventures of Robin Hood” movie starring Errol Flynn in the title role, then the 1976 “Robin and Marian” film starring Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn which is based on a French version of the legend depicting the couple in their later years, another film was the 1973 Disney animated film “Robin Hood”, then the 1991 “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” starring Kevin Costner which starts the story while Robin is overseas fighting in the Crusades and the 1993 comedy spoof “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” starring Cary Elwes and directed by Mel Brooks.

Robin Hood Douglas Fairbanks  Adventures of Robin Hood movie poster
 

Robin and Marian  Robin Hood Prince of Thieives  Robin Hood Men In TIghts

Listed below are some of the real life locations in England that have been mentioned in the stories about the legend of Robin Hood:

    • Nottinghamshire – This area of England, located138 miles north of London, is a major British tourist destination probably due to its historical link with the legend of Robin Hood.  Places to visit are the City of Nottingham and Sherwood Forest.  Nottingham is a charming city and tourists can explore the remains of Nottingham Castle and also visit several abbeys and churches located nearby as well as the Village of Edwinstowe which is the site of Thoresby Hall.  Once part of the Kingdom of Mercia in Anglo-Saxon times, the region was once known in the ancient British Celtic language as “Tigguo Cobauc” or the Place of Caves.  (Interesting Note: In 2010, the University of Nottingham began an extensive project to map out the 450 sandstone caves in the area.  Were these caves possibly used by Robin Hood and his band of outlaws to hide from the Sheriff of Nottingham?)
    • Nottingham Castle – Nottingham Castle was built in the Middle Ages on a natural promontory, known as “Castle Rock”, with 130 feet high cliffs.  The royal fortress was possibly used as a royal residence by King Richard the Lionheart; in 1649 the massive structure was partially demolished.  Today, tourist can visit Nottingham Castle which has a small museum and also tour the surrounding grounds.

Nottingham Castle etching Nottingham Castle Cave

  • Sherwood Forest – Perhaps one of the most iconic locations associated with the legend of Robin Hood is Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, England.  This famous royal hunting woodland forest of ancient oaks and birch trees covering 1,045 acres is where the outlaw Robin Hood and his group of “merry men” possibly lived. Today, the Sherwood Forest Visitor Center is a great place to start a tour and other points of interest in Sherwood Forest include the famous Major Oak.
  • The Major Oak – The Major Oak is located in Sherwood Forest and according to the local folklore was Robin Hood’s hideout.  (This theory is not substantiated since the tree dates between 800 and 1,000 years old and the idea is possibly connected with the Victorian era when legend and stories were changed to create a more romanticized version)  Regardless, the Major Oak is still noteworthy due to its massive size and it is circumference is approximately 33 feet and weighs an estimated 23 tons.

Sherwood Forest

  • Loxley – Loxley is a small village located 3 miles northwest of Sheffield in Yorkshire.  According to the legend, Loxley is the birthplace of Robert Locksley, who would later become the outlaw Robin Hood.  Yorkshire also had a very large forest, Loxley Chase, which in the 12th century extended so far as to border Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire.  This geographic location makes it highly probable that Robin Hood and his “merry men” roamed the area when “stealing from the rich to give to the poor”!

Craft – Star Wars Shadowbox

Star Wars - finished Millennium Falcon

In honor of Star Wars Day, otherwise known as “May the Fourth Be With You”, I decided to make a Star Wars shadow boxes.  A few months ago I made several Beatrix Potter shadowboxes for Easter using some Hallmark Peter Rabbit themed ornaments.  Throughout the years I have also collected Hallmark Star Wars themed ornaments for my son.  I only collect the characters from the original Star Wars series of three movies – “Star Wars Episode VI: A New Hope”, “Episode VII: The Empire Strikes Back” and “Episode VIII: The Return of the Jedi”.  Every Christmas I set up a small tabletop tree in my son’s room and decorate it with the Star Wars ornaments, mini lights and small silver ball ornaments (click on the link to see the photos of the Star Wars Christmas tree)

So, for this craft project I decided to use these ornaments to create a Star Wars themed shadowbox.  This is a great way to decorate a boy’s bedroom with some relatively inexpensive “artwork”.  Heck, these shadowboxes could also be used to decorate other rooms of the house for any Star Wars fan!    

Star Wars-inspired Shadowbox supply list

  • Shadowbox
  • Star Wars Hallmark ornaments
  • Printed copy of a Star Wars photo (to use for the background)
  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Star Wars-inspired Shadowbox instructions

  1. Disassemble the shadowbox by removing the backing (Craft tip: this is a good opportunity to make sure that both sides of the glass are clean, allow the glass to dry completely)
  2. Search the internet to find a background picture for the shadowbox, print a copy in the appropriate size to fit.  (I found a Star Wars illustration of the Millennium Falcon and printed a copy on our home printer)
  3. Arrange the Hallmark Star Wars themed ornaments in the shadowbox.  When pleased with the placement, hot glue the ornaments in position.
  4. Reassemble the shadowbox, replace the backing and secure

The Star Wars-inspired shadowbox will make a great decoration for the home of any Star Wars fan and can be hung on the wall, placed on a side table or set on a bookshelf alongside the Star Wars DVDS to make a great display.  

The Original Star Wars Trilogy

May the Fourth be with You

“May The Fourth Be With You” is considered by fans to be the unofficial Star Wars Day.  The date was chosen because off the word play on the famous phrase from the Star Wars series … “may the Force be with you”.  The Force is an energy field that connects all living things and can be used to bring change to the spirit of the Galaxy.  The phrase was used in the context of the films to wish people goodwill in parting or before going into battle.

The Star Wars movie series was created by George Lucas and the first film, “Star Wars” was released on May 25, 1977.  It was followed “The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980 and then “Return of the Jedi” in 1983.  These three highly successful films are considered the original Star Wars trilogy which when combined earned over $4 billion.  Then, after a span of 16 years, “Phantom Menace” was released in 1999, followed by “Attack of the Clones” in 2002 and “Revenge of the Sith” in 2005.  These three films in the franchise are considered the prequel trilogy which never seemed to reach the same commercial success as the original films.  Last year the highly anticipated “The Force Awakens” was released and it continues the Star Wars story, is the first of three movies that will follow the characters into the years after “Return of the Jedi” (I guess you could say it is the “post” trilogy!)

In this post I will mainly discuss the original trilogy of the epic Star Wars series.  So let’s get started … “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”.

The History of the Star Wars Movie Series

After George Lucas mild success with the 1973 film “American Graffiti” he decided that Lucasfilm’s next film would be a science fiction adventure story.  He began writing a rough draft inspired by a relatively obscure 1958 film called “The Hidden Fortress” by Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (Lucas had recently graduated from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts in 1967 and possibly saw the film as part of his Fine Arts courses).  Between 1973 and 1976, several versions of the proposed science fiction film were written and various elements of the original story were changed, added or deleted.  The name of the main character’s changed from Annikin Starkiller to Luke Starkiller to finally Luke Skywalker.  As a result of the name change, the working title of the film also changed from the “Adventures of Luke Skykiller” to “The Star Wars” and then shortened to simply “Star Wars”.  (Interesting Note: After the financial success of the first film, Lucas was able to create an independent film production company which would be separate from the typical Hollywood studio system.  This would allow him complete control over his future films and he would eventually build a large complex for Lucasfilm in Marin County which he named Skywalker Ranch)

By 1976, Lucas had a final draft for the movie completed involving not only Luke but a an entire cast of characters including Princess Leia as a member of the Rebel Alliance, two robotic droids named C3PO and R2D2, Obi-Wan Kenobi a former Jedi Knight, Han Solo and Chewbacca as the renegade crew of the Millennium Falcon and the mysterious and sinister character of Darth Vader who is a member of the opposing Galactic Empire.  (Interesting Note:  Many months prior to the release of the original Star Wars movie, a book titled “Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker” was published in November 1976 by Ballantine Books.  Alan Dean Foster was hired to write the book based on Lucas’ screenplay, although Lucas is credited as the author.  It is unclear as to whether the book was part of Lucas’ plan for marketing his upcoming movie but the initial print run sold 125,000 copies.  The photo shown below is my personal copy of the book that I happened to have stumbled upon a few years ago in an antique store, needless to say, I quickly purchased the book for under $10)

Star Wars book

The first Star Wars movie (later re-titled “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope”) cast consisted of relatively unknown actors in the three principal parts.  Mark Hamill played Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher was Princess Leia and Harrison Ford was Han Solo.  Ford had previously played a minor role in Lucas’ other film, American Graffiti.  Alec Guinness played ObiWan, Guinness was an established British stage and film actor who was hired to please the studio because they were concerned about the cast of unknown actors.  David Prowse played the role of Darth Vader but James Earl Jones gave the character its voice.  Peter Mayhew played the 200 year old Wookie named Chewbacca, Han Solo’s first mate on the Millennium Falcon.  Anthony Daniels played C3PO the protocol droid that is programmed to speak over six million languages.  Kenny Baker played R2D2 the droid that Princess Leia entrusts with the Death Star plans and also a special message for Obi-Wan.

Luke, Leia and Hans Solo  Darth Vader

C3PO and R2D2

The next phase of pre-production was scouting the locations for filming, creating the sets, models and background paintings as well as deciding on the final costumes for the various characters.  Lucas had a very distinct vision for the film and he worked closely with the designers at Elstree Studios in England styling the 30 different sets required for the film and selecting the props using a very small budget.  For the complicated visual effects, Lucas formed Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) which worked in a large warehouse in Van Nuys, CA.  The effects needed to give the illusion of spaceships traveling through the galaxy that were developed using digital motion control photography created by John Dykstra and his team.  (Interesting Note:  Despite the fact that Dykstra won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for his work on the first Star Wars film, Lucas had fired him from ILM over creative differences)

The filming schedule was set to have three separate units filming simultaneously at various locations.  Principal photography began in March 1976 in the Tunisian desert in North Africa was used for the scenes of Tatooine, Death Valley National Park was also used for some Tatooine scenes.  Tikal National Park in Guatemala was used for the scenes of the Fourth Moon of Yavin Rebel base.  Elstree Studios is where the Millennium Falcon, Death Star and several other interior scenes were filmed while at Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England the final awards ceremony scene in the film was shot on the large Stage H.

A New Hope - original cast

The final phase was post-production in which the visual effects involving the space sequences were being completed by ILM and sound effects were added by Ben Burtt, who won an Oscar for Special Achievement for Sound Effects Editing.  The famous lightsaber battle scenes were choreographed by Bob Anderson and the lightsaber effects as well as R2D2 were created by John Stears, who won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects.  (Interesting Note: The lightsaber was the sword-like weapon used by the Jedi Knights and the Sith.  The lightsabers had specific colors, such as the green lightsaber was used by Luke Skywalker and other Jedi Knights.  The red lightsaber was used by Darth Vader and other members of the Sith.  The blue lightsaber was used by Obi-Wan and the other Jedi Guardians or by Jedi Knights with higher powers)

When Lucas was in need of a composer for the first Star Wars film, Stephen Spielberg recommended John Williams who he had previously worked with him on his 1975 movie “Jaws”.  The Star Wars soundtrack was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, with Williams conducting, at the Anvil Studios in Denham England recorded in March 1977. The memorable Star Wars film score known as “Luke’s Theme” won the Academy Award for Best Original Score and the soundtrack album won the Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.  (John Williams would eventually compose all the music for the Star Wars movie series)

Finally, Star Wars written and directed by George Lucas was released on May 25, 1977 into fewer than 40 theaters nationwide and Lucas was so convinced that the movie would fail that he planned a trip to Hawaii to distract him on opening weekend.  While in Hawaii, Lucas watched the evening news reporting on the large crowds queuing up at the movie theaters to see the movie but it wasn’t until it was finally confirmed that Star Wars had overwhelming broke box office records that Lucas realized his “little science fiction film” was not only a huge hit but it had just made him a very wealthy man!  (Interesting Fact: After visiting the set of his friend and fellow director Spielberg’s “Close Encounter of the Third Kind”, Lucas had serious doubts about the success of his own film and felt that Close Encounters would be more successful than Star Wars.  Spielberg disagreed and he felt Star Wars would be the bigger hit.  To settle the disagreement, Lucas proposed that each would trade 2.5% of the profit of each other films.  Well, the bet turned out to be very profitable for Spielberg who still receives his share of the profits from Star Wars)

Star Wars poster of original film

To celebrate the enormous success of Star Wars, the film had an unprecedented second opening at the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on August 3, 1977 in Los Angeles, CA.  During the festivities attended by thousands of people there was a special ceremony in which C3PO, R2D2 and Darth Vader placed their “footprints” in front of the theater, an honor usually received for established Hollywood movie actors.

Star Wars premiere 1977

The second film of the original trilogy was “The Empire Strikes Back” which was released on May 21, 1980.  The film was directed by Irvin Kershner, screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan from a story by George Lucas.  Lucas was the executive producer, overseeing all aspects of the production.  The film continues the story of Star Wars as the Rebel Alliance has relocated to the ice planet of Hoth to escape the Galactic Empire.  Luke soon leaves to train with the Jedi Master named Yoda (Frank Oz was the puppeteer and voice of Yoda, the puppet was created by Stuart Freeborn while Warwick Davis appeared in costume for the walking scene) Meanwhile, an old friend of Han’s named Lando Calrissian (played by Bill Dee William) unfortunately turns Han, Leia, Chewbacca and C3PO over to Darth Vader and Han is frozen in a block of carbonite.  Before this happens, Leia confesses her love for Han and he famously responds, “I know”.  Back on Dagobah, sensing that his friends are in serious danger Luke is faced with the decision to complete his training to become a full Jedi Knight or to save his friends.  Luke leaves Yoda to confront Vader who tries to persuade him to join the Empire and the dark side.  During their lightsaber battle Vader severs Luke’s right hand and in the end Vader confesses that he is Luke’s father.  (Interesting Note: This major plot twist’s backstory was that Vader, previously known as Anakin Skywalker, was a former Jedi student of Obi-Wan Kenobi that been turned to the dark side.  In an attempt to protect Luke, Obi-Wan had sent him to Tatooine and that is where we find him at the beginning of Star Wars living with Aunt and Uncle)

Empire Strikes Back poster

The third film of the original trilogy was “Return of the Jedi” which was released on May 25, 1983.  The film was directed by Richard Marquand, screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas.  The film opens with the Galactic Empire constructing a second Death Star in the orbit above the planet of Endor; the first Death Star was destroyed in the Battle of Yavin by Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars film.  Seeing an opportunity, the Rebel Alliance plans an attack on the incomplete space station and to also eleminate Emperor Palpatine (played by Ian McDiarmid) who is onboard overseeing the final stages of the Death Star II construction.  On Endor the Rebels are hoping to deactivate the protective shield of the Death Star as part of their attack plan.  Meanwhile, Luke is coming to grips with the fact that Darth Vader (a former Jedi Knight named Anakin Skywalker) is his father and he struggles with this knowledge that Anakin had turned to the dark side.  In the Battle of Endor, the Rebels are victorious in destroying the Death Star and killing the Emperor.  Darth Vader also dies but before he does he tells Luke that Leia is his daughter.  Saddened by the death of Vader, Luke returns to Endor to tell Leia that she is his sister.  In the end, Leia tells Han that she loves Luke because he is her brother, this news shocks him but it also makes him very happy because has come to the realization that he has fallen in love with Leia.  (Interesting Note: After “Empire Strikes Back” completed filming in 1980, it was uncertain as to whether Harrison Ford would return in his role as Han Solo since he had only signed a contract for the first two Star Wars films.  To add to the situation, Ford had become a huge star as “Indiana Jones”.  This was the reason that Han was enclosed in the block of carbonite because the character could potentially be killed off to explain Ford’s absence.  Lucas was against this idea and Ford renegotiated his contract for the last movie in the original trilogy)

Return of the Jedi poster

As the “Return of the Jedi” moved toward completion, Lucasfilm had developed the THX sound system.  Lucas had been unhappy with the sound quality of the movie theaters that showed his films and felt that a better sound system was needed.  THX is a high-fidelity audio/visual sound system that would be compatible with any sound recording format whether digital or analog.  Movie theaters needed to undergo a certification process requiring specific acoustic, technical and architectural standards to be able to use THX.  When “Return of the Jedi” was in May 1983 it was the first film to use the THX sound system.  (Interesting Note:  The first theater install the THX system was the Norris Cinema Theatre located on the campus of the University of Southern California which was where Lucas graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1967)

On a personal level, the making the original Star Wars trilogy effected not only Lucas health but also the state of his marriage.  Lucas had worked through an extensive and exhausting schedule making of the three films which lead him to be diagnosed with hypertension and he was warned to reduce his stress levels.  His demanding schedule also affected his marriage and by 1983 his wife had filed for a divorce.  The final divorce settlement also affected his financial situation and he lost a large portion of the fortune he had earned.  The ideas he had for the prequel trilogy were put on hold and he took a break from Star Wars, instead he worked with Spielberg as executive producer and story writer for the Indiana Jones film series.

In preparations for the 20th anniversary of the original Star Wars film in 1997 Lucas decided to re-release the trilogy into theaters.  With the new special effects technologies in filmmaking, in particular computer generated imagery (CGI), Lucas felt he was now able to incorporate the visual effects and additional scenes that he was not able to achieve before in the original trilogy.  With the renewed interest in the Star Wars franchise, Lucas decided to move forward with the prequel trilogy which elaborated on the backstory of Annakin SkyWalker and how he turned to the dark side.  “Phantom Menace” was released on May 19, 1999, “Attack of the Clones” on May 16, 2002 and “Revenge of the Sith” was released on May 19, 2005.

Phantom Menace poster  Attack of the Clones poster  Revenge of the Sith poster

In January 2012, Lucas announced his retirement from producing major motion pictures.  By June 2012, Kathleen Kennedy, was named co-chair of Lucasfilm.  Kennedy had co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall; she had previously worked with Lucas on the Indiana Jones series.  Then when Lucas sold his company to the Walt Disney Company a few months later Kennedy became the president of Lucasfilm.  At time it was also announced that there would three new Star Wars films.  The sequel trilogy would continue the story of Luke, Leia and Han Solo.  The first film in that trilogy, “The Force Awakens”, was released on December 18, 2015.  (Interesting Note: 20th Century Fox retained the physical distribution rights to the first two Star Wars trilogies, owning permanent rights for the original 1977 film and holding the rights to the other five films until May 2020.  The Walt Disney Studios owns the digital distribution to all of the Star Wars films with the exception of the first original film.

The Force Awakens logo

Craft – Decorated Wooden Boxes

This decorated wooden gift box craft project can be created in an endless variety of colors for a customized look perfect for any occasion.  The three different types of wooden boxes in this post are decorated with paint, specialty paper, pearls, crystals and additional wooden or plastic embellishments.  The boxes can be used to hold any small present for a birthday, anniversary, wedding, bridal or baby shower.

Below is a complete list of supplies and instructions for making the three different versions of decorated wooden gift box.  The first version uses a square laser-cut wooden box and the second versions use a solid round and a solid square wooden box.

Version #1 Decorated Wooden Gift Box – supplies

  • One square laser-cut wooden box
  • Two different color paints – lighter for exterior and darker for interior
  • Several self-stick crystals (or pearls)
  • Paintbrush
  • Sandpaper
  • Optional – varnish or clear paint for a glossy finish

laser cut square box 1

Version #1 Decorated Wooden Gift Box – instructions

  1. Use sandpaper to smooth the surface and edges of the wooden box
  2. Paint the interior of the box in a darker paint, let dry
  3. Paint the exterior of the box in a lighter paint, let dry
  4. Attach several self-stick crystals (or pearls)

laser cut square box

Version #2 Decorated Wooden Gift Box – supplies

  • One wooden box (used a round box for one and a square box for another)
  • Scrapbook paper
  • Embellishment – (used a flower for one and a plastic initial for another)
  • White glue stick
  • Scissors
  • Sandpaper

round wooden box 1  square wooden box - papered
Version #2 Decorated Wooden Gift Box – instructions

    1. Use sandpaper to smooth the surface and edges of the wooden box
    2. Cut the scrapbook paper in several sections, long strips to wrap around the edges of the lid and the base sections and two pieces to fit the top and bottom of the wooden box.  Craft Note: Allow at least a quarter inch or a half inch to the width of the measurements
    3. Use a white glue stick to attach the scrapbook paper to the wooden box, trim any access to create a custom fit
    4. Optional: For the second box I painted the white embossed scrapbook paper with bronze paint (Photo below shows the box before paint)

square wooden box

  1. Attach an embellishment to the top of the box  (The first version uses a paper flower and for the second I painted a plastic initial with gold paint)   

round wooden box - scrapbook paper and flower  square wooden box with initial - papered and painted

Craft – Framed Floral Decoration for Spring

20160801_093934

A few years ago I made a Framed Floral Decoration for Autumn which I displayed in our dining room for Thanksgiving.  (Please click on the link to view photos of this craft project)  Now, for spring I wanted to make another seasonal framed floral decoration and I decided to recycle the old display.  I re-used the golden frames that I had originally found in the clearance section at a local craft store that I had previously used for the autumn craft project and added some different flowers, greenery and a cloth-covered backing.

Listed below are the complete supply list and full instructions for the Framed Floral Decoration For Spring.

Supplies for one framed floral decoration

  • 1 frame, any size (the frame’s glass and backing are not used for this craft project)
  • 1 cloth covered backing
  • Flowers, number of flowers needed is determined by the size of the frame
  • Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
  • Optional – Painter’s tape

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Instructions for one framed floral decoration

1.  Select a frame to use, remove the frame’s glass or picture backing, you will not need them for this craft project.  Frames can be any size with an opening from a smaller size of 5 X 7” to a larger 10 X 13”.  (I am using frames with a 5 X 7” opening)

2.  I used a pre-cut cloth covered backing  to fit the frame opening, but one could easily be made with a sturdy board with a piece of cloth stapled or taped to the backside

3.  Backing can either be taped into place with painter’s tape or hot glue

20160801_0940454.  Place flowers and other decorations into a pleasing arrangement and hot glue to the backing

Shown below in the photo is the finished framed floral decoration.  I think it looks wonderful in the dining room of our home.  I have used the same frames for both this Spring Framed Floral and also for the previous Autumn Framed Floral for two very different styles. Framed Floral decorations can be created for any season throughout the year, just use flowers or decorations that are appropriate for the particular holiday.

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