Showing posts with label Rome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rome. Show all posts

Friday, June 26, 2026

Roman Food


This isn't a complete list of Roman ingredients, but it's a start, and includes many fresh fruits and veggies that would be great for Roman snacks.  Below that I've included some of the easiest Roman recipes I've found (literally one is drizzle honey on yogurt) that could be used in a Roman food shop for VBS, and some main dishes to do in a "celebration dinner."  

The food shop is probably more historical in Rome than any other Holy Land VBS.   In the city of Rome, the common people ate "fast food."  They lived in tightly packed "apartments" up to five stories high, and many of these places did not allow cooking inside, because it was a fire hazard.   So in the home you'ld have bread and dried fish and fruits and vegetables, but if you wanted anything hot, you had to go out to get it.  


FRUITS

(Including dried fruit versions of these)

Apple

Blackberry (2). - Sometimes eaten with honey

Elderberry

Figs (possibly imported)*

Grapes and Raisins

Lemon

Mandarine Oranges or Tangerines (New research found them in Pompeii!  Probably not very common, but present.)

Melon (described as yellow and sweet

Sweet will it be, and when it ripened is
And yellow grows upon well-watered ground
Oft to sick mortals sure relief will bring.   

( Columella, 1st century Roman Writer)

Pear

Peach (introduced in later half of 1st century

Pomegranate (possibly imported)*

Plum


Strawberries (the ones in Rome had small berries)

Quince


*Not sure whether was imported or grown in/near Rome in the 1st century. 



NUTS

Almonds 

Filbert

Hazelnut

Pistachio (introduced sometime before 37 AD, so may not yet be widespread at the time Paul lived there, since trees take time to grow, but probably was imported)

Pine Nut

Walnut


VEGETABLES (and un-sweet fruit)

Artichokes

Asparagus

Beans (unsure of type)

Beets

Cabbage

Carrots

Chicory

Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans)

Cucumbers

Lentils

Lettuce

Olive

Onions and Leeks

Peas

Parsnips

Radishes

Turnips


SPICES

Unless otherwise linked, I got info for spices from Eat History - Ancient Roman Spices.

asafoetida

caraway

celery

coriander/cilantro

cumin

dill

fennel

garlic

laurel

lovage

mint

mallow

oregano

parsley

Pepper (imported, but not overly expensive, so popular)

Rosemary

rue

savory

thyme





RECIPES

In past ancient food posts I've shared every recipe I've found for the ancient place.   That's fine in Egypt or Babylon where there's not as many surviving recipes, but for Rome, there was just too many.   There are whole cookbooks that have been found and I don't have time to list them all (and some other places have already done the work of listing a BUNCH of them).   

But I did want to list a few that I thought would be more appropriate for VBS (things that are not too hard, with ingredients that are not impossible to find, and that kids might actually eat).   

If you want to explore more Roman recipes, I suggest visiting Cibi AntiquorumHistorical Italian Cooking or The Romans in Britain Recipe List.



DESSERTS & SWEETS

Curds (Yogurt) With Honey - Super simple.  Just drizzle honey over yogurt.  The link just ads a way to make it decorative.  

Dates Alexandrine - Dates, almonds, butter and some spices.  I have read elsewhere that cinnamon, while imported to Rome,  wasn't usually used in cooking (just perfume--as it was expensive).  It was not mentioned in the original translated recipe, so up to you whether to include.  Blanched almonds are almonds with the brown skin removed.  Probably would taste fine with regular almonds too.  

Egg Pancakes and Honey - No wheat, just eggs!   Sort of seems like a dish, not a desert, but was categorized as desert on the Roman history site I found it on.

Sesame Biscuits - Just needs honey, sesame, and some olive oil.  

Libum - Sweet Cheesecake (not like modern cheesecake)

Want more....here's 18 Delicious Roman Dessert Recipes



BREADS  (And a bread topping)

Breads are a little less easy, but if you have volunteers with a bread maker they might be happy to make some of these.  

Kyobi (Cheese Bread)

Plaited Bread - Cool looking - would look really neat in the marketplace food shop, especially if several were made.   You could break off little pieces for kids.

Mushroom SHAPED Bread - No actual mushrooms used.

Soft Bread

Soldiers Hardtack - These could be fun and I could see some ways these could be incorporated in snack (maybe handed out by costumed soldiers). 

Moretum (Herb and Cheese Spread) - Similar to pesto, this will require fresh herbs.   


SNACKS & COLD SIDES

No Bake Fig Cake - SUPER easy and cool.  I think they mean ground coriander, not whole.

Melon Salad - This  mainly includes melon (cantalope) and watermelon.   While they did have sweet melons in the Roman empire in the 1st century (as well as un-sweet varieties), sweet watermelon is a different story.   Watermelons were very different in ancient times.  They started as a bitter fruit mainly used for its seeds in ancient Egypt, and gradually changed due to cultivation practices to become the sweet fruit that we have today.  The earliest we have evidence of it being sweet was in the 2nd century, from Hebrew sources (the earliert Roman source was the 5th century)...so after the 1st Century when Paul was in Rome.   Up to you whether to include it or just use cantalope in this dish.  

Dried Pear Pudding - Just dried pears reconstituted by heating in a little water, then serving with its own sauce.  A little cream can be added.   

Pancakes - They had pancakes too, cooked in olive oil.  They had white bread so white flour is fine.

Roman French Toast

Chick Pea (Garbanzo Bean) Pancakes 

Maza (Barley Cake) 

Wine Cakes (Grape Juice Used, Not Wine)

Cheese and Honey (Super easy. - Uses feta or cottage cheese, with spices). - This Recipe has more ingredients than included in its preparation instructions, so i think you just sprinkle them on top, or mix them in, you decide.

Roman Salad Dressing (use lettuce for salad and top with this)


BREAKFAST

Puls - Wheat Porridge - Called the porridge that built an empire, and from what I read was often a breakfast food though you could serve it anytime.  This recipe includes both sweet and savory topping options, which you could set out "salad bar" style and let kids choose from.  That pinch of cinnamon would have been a luxury (you can include or not but I say if you do the salad bar style cinnamon might be something to leave off anyways, just because kids have no concept of how much to use, and too much makes it inedible and cinnamon isn't cheap). 


DINNER MAIN DISHES 

Most of these would not work well for the snack shop as they need to be served hot.  These are probably more appropriate if you are doing a family meal.  There are several more in the "Garum" section.

Earliest Pasta

Ancient Roman Pasta and Meatballs - You can replace Asafoetida with equal parts garlic and onion powder.  You can use the same amount or up to twice the amount of asafoetida.   You can substitute rosemary for rue.  

Browned Chicken Frontinian 

Beets with Chicken 

Ham in Red Wine Sauce - Yeah, I know, wine for VBS?  But it cooks out and if you want something other than chicken this works.

Pork in Piquant Sauce - Also, wine.   But again, a not too hard meat recipe.



HOT SIDE or VEGETABLE DISHES

Sweet Fritters

Chick Peas and Parmesan:  I'm re-writing this recipe to make it easier using canned chick peas, which are pre-boiled (garbanzo beans):

Ingredients:   

  • 1 16 oz can of chick peas (garbanzo beans) 

  •  2.5 cup grated parmasan 

  •  Salt to taste (maybe 1 tsp)

Directions:   Heat chick peas in water with salt (to taste, probably about 1 tsp).   Drain.  Mix with parmesan cheese.  Serve warm.  

Fried Parsnips/Carrots (looks like french fries so kids will probably try them). 

Spicy Lentils 


GARUM/LIQUIMON (The Most Popular Sauce in Rome) + RECIPES 

This gets its own section because this condiment was so common.  It was as common as ketchup or ranch in America.  I don't know if kids would like it, but I felt like I had to include it because so much of Roman food surrounded it, so it would be cool to at least have it available for braver kids to try.    Several sites say you can substitute fish sauce (found in the Asian section of your local grocery store) so if you don't want to make it you can also use that.    I'm putting recipes that require it in this section (no matter if they are snacks or main dishes).  

Garum/Liquimon (ROMAN'S FAVORITE CONDIMENT) - EASIER Modern Recipe:  This recipe is a modern, less authentic version, but the real version involves weeks of fermentation so, I'm sharing something that I understand tastes similar with less time and work.  You could use it on meats or dip the carrot/parsnip fries in it, maybe.  I'm not sure I'd make this but I sort of felt like I had to include it.  

Pork Chops with Garum

Chicken With Dill and Garum - This recipe uses Garum but otherwise has simple ingredients.  It uses a whole chicken but I could see this done with chicken drumsticks.  It involves boiling then baking and doesn't include a baking time.   When I bake drumsticks they usually take 35-45 minutes at 420 degrees.  Since these would be pre-boiled they might take a little less.   This recipe also lacks measurements.  They do say to use two parts garum to one part honey, but don't say how much dill or pepper to use.   Based on the pictures (and my own experience that you can't overdo dill), I'd suggest just saturating the garum/honey mixture with dill (fresh or dried), and then adding a small amount (a sprinkling) of white pepper.  

Steak with Garum Pepper Sauce - This one assumes you know how to cook a steak, and doesn't give precise measurements for the sauce, but still, if you already have garum, doesn't look too hard, and looks tasty.   Long pepper is similar in taste to black pepper, so you can just use black pepper in stead.  

Roman Stew  - Anise can be used in stead of lovage, or it can be skipped.

Roman Frittata (Eggs) 


https://tavolamediterranea.com/2018/05/17/mediterranean-triad-grapes-grains-olives-defrutum/



SOURCES
Other sources are linked in the text

Primary Source (anything not labeled/linked came from here):  https://europe.factsanddetails.com/article/entry-1155.html

The Picture at the Top:
This picture by Carole Raddato of a Roman meal by is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.   


Thursday, May 7, 2026

A Roman Marketplace

Marketplace stalls in Rome wouldn't necessarily have to look much different than in Egypt or Nazareth...in various places all that's needed to set up shop was a table or blanket, and some sort of covering to keep yourself and your wares out of the sun.  Marketplace stalls like this could be found in open areas like the Forum, or along roadsides. 

But you could also make your marketplace look like Roman shops.   Roman shops were found in the first levels of tall apartment buildings, so shop booths could be made to look more like permanent structures (or even be located in Sunday School rooms in stead of tents). 

And you can certainly put a Roman twist on decorating your shop, incorporating Ivy, draping, Roman lettering and other features.

Here's some examples of shops with a very Roman feel (though some of these are from Athens--where they had a similar decorating style). 


 Pictures by Michelle LaFlamme



Picture By Michelle Barrera

Thursday, June 15, 2017

More Greco Roman Decor

Just a mish-mash of cool Greco-Roman decorating pics from various churches doing Holy Land VBS.



Pictures by Jill Bettinger


Picture by by Jill Bettinger - Mural by Tiffany


Picture by Michelle Barrera from 
Teaching Word Faith Center (Fort Worth, TX) 


Picture by Michelle Barrera from 
Teaching Word Faith Center (Fort Worth, TX) 



Picture by Michelle Barrera from 
Teaching Word Faith Center (Fort Worth, TX)



Picture by Michelle Barrera from 
Teaching Word Faith Center (Fort Worth, TX)

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Decor: Making "Pottery"

Michelle Barrera let me use lots great pictures of how her church, Teaching Word Faith Center (Fort Worth, TX) decorated for Athens VBS several years back. Here is how they made large pots.


You can see the bases of the vases
are made of cardboard and duct-tape
which is then covered with paper mache.


They then covered the vases with plaster 
(At least, I think that's plaster).






The greenery really looks stunning on these.









Shared on Throwback Thursday

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Colonnade Gallery

Some pictures of colonnades from various churches doing Holy Land Athens or Rome Vacation Bible School.

From Vineyard Church in Hopkinton, MA taken by Areli Biggers




From Faith Baptist Church



From Snowd Branch Church


Picture by Jennifer Mounce 





TIP:  How to Create Depth

If you are making a colonnade on a stage you can create depth and and add an illusion of a larger scene by starting with taller columns and then using descending smaller columns, set at an angle like the picture on the right...continuing the colonnade with a backdrop with painted columns at the back.   You'll notice that in many of the colonnades above.

(The drawing at right is by cdevries, who writes a number of wonderful articles on theater design. It was from a section on 3 More Ways to Improve Your Theater Set about creating depth. Used with permission.)







Made from large cardboard box, with roof added
Picture by Michelle LaFlamme


From Dayspring Baptist Church



Pictures by Michelle Barrera
From Teaching Word Faith Center  in Fort Worth, TX



Learn more about how to make columns here.

More VBS Rome Resources and Ideas


Shared on Throwback Thursday
 
 

Monday, April 24, 2017

Greco-Roman Decor: Statues

Both Greece and Rome were full of statues...statues of gods and goddesses, statues of prominent individuals, statues of animals, etc. When Paul visited Athens he spoke to them about the many idols they had and tried to point them away from these false gods towards Christ.  In his letter to the Romans he dealt with the issue of whether a Christian could eat food that had been sacrificed to idols.

Of course, statues are generally too costly to buy just for a week at VBS. But there are other ways to include them in your decor...

Borrow Them
You can often find garden and statuary shops willing to lend out their statues. And of course you can ask your church members for loans of any garden statues or suitable figurines they may have.  

Rent Them
Wedding and party rental companies may have statuary and columns that you can rent for a reasonable price.

Make Them
Below you can find a few method on how to make a "faux marble" statue.


But before we go on, a disclaimer...




3D Print a Statue

Photo by Emelie Howard

The statue above was printed on a 3D printer.  Depending on the size of the printer you can even print much larger pieces.  Here is a list of just a few of the statue plans available (I believe most of these are free/open source).  You can find other items, like Roman helmets, costume items, styluses, etc. too.



Make a Plaster Statue


 Jefferson Park Baptist in Charlottesville, VA. Photo by Sherri States.


Here's a very inexpensive way to create a Roman Bust, . The statue above is a styrofoam wig form mounted on a lid box with two coat hangers to hold it in a place, an old white T-shirt and cloth wrapped around covered in plaster of Paris. You can find a full tutorial on how to do this here.


 


You don't have to stop with busts. Anything can be covered in plaster to make a statue. The horse statue at right (also by Jefferson Park Baptist) was made by plastering over a old plastic children's rocking horse. 

Actually, you don't have to stick with white either. New research has show that statues in both Greece and Rome were originally painted! Centuries of exposure wore off the paint, so that what we find today is white marble...but 2,000 years ago the statues were actually quite colorful.

Whether you want to go with the traditional marble look or try for some authentic color, is up to you. You can also make a similar affect with paper-mache and paint.

Here is an example of how one church made a a duct tape form for a plaster torso...



You can see how well this comes out on top of a column.   The method looks pretty self-explanatory, but there's a step by step tutorial here.  You would want to make sure to have a good disposable layer between tape and skin (here it looks like they used a t-shirt or cloth of some sort...in another example I saw plastic wrap used).  I'm pretty sure they had to cut him out of that, and then tape it back up and fill it with paper or some other filler before plastering.
 
(Thanks so much to Michelle Barrera for these great pictures from Teaching Word Faith Center  in Fort Worth, TX!)

One last method which I don't have any photos for, but which is really cool, is to use spray foam for a statue medium





Recruit a Human Statue

Dayspring Baptist Church, Waco, TX

Another fun idea is to have a human sculpture. Other than make-up and clothes, there's no cost involved, though it does require a volunteer.

Two ladies from our church did an excellent job as human statues. You can see one of them in the picture above. They covered their hair in a white cloth, wore a white tunica, and covered all exposed skin with white stage make-up. You can find some tutorials on how to make 1st Century Roman women's clothes here, and men's clothes here.

Most of the time our statues stayed perfectly still, but once in a while they would break their pose a little to interact with the kids in a subtle way. The kids just loved this!

I have also seen a version where the actor wraps a column around him to make himself into a human "bust." You can find the tutorial for that here.


Draw a 2D Statue



 Photo by Michelle Barrera, from
Teaching Word Faith Center  in Fort Worth, TX

A two dimensional statue can also be a nice touch, especially in a hallway or other space where you might not have room for a three-dimensional one (plus, butcher paper is cheep!).   If you don't want to hand-draw a statue, you can find an image of one online, put it on a 3D projector (ask schools for loans if your church doesn't have one), and trace a statue on butcher paper from the projection.


Make a Cardboard Statue

 Faith Baptist Church

I can't tell you how to make this, but I can tell you it was made out of cardboard.  It was too cool not to share. 



Shared on Throwback Thursday

Monday, February 6, 2017

How to Make Greco-Roman Columns

Dayspring Baptist Church, Waco, TX


Several years back for Vacation Bible School our church took our children on a trip through the 1st Century city of Rome where we learned about Paul and the Underground Church." In the process we created a lot of Greco-Roman Décor, and found a lot of inspiration both from groups who had done this program and the similarly decorated Athens Holy Land Adventure.

I wanted to pass on the great ideas we learned about for others who might be doing the same programs, a piece of Greek or Roman theater, or a wedding or party with this theme. You will find some creative and inexpensive decorating ideas below.

  
3 Dimensional Columns



Columns are essential to Greco-Roman décor, and three dimensional columns are, I think, the most stunning way to go.

Where to Buy 3D Columns
We invested in two large 12' cardboard columns (pictured above) and have used them over and over for different Holy Land VBS (not just Rome, but for Pharoah's palace in Egypt, and the Synagogue in Nazareth and Galilee).  Large columns like these can make for a very dramatic effect.  You can find similar ones at Stumps Party Supply.  For shorter columns you can find a nice selection at Oriental Traders for a good price, but be warned to leave lots of time for delivery (shorter columns are also not difficult to make, which of course is even cheaper...see below for various methods).  If you do not have a good place to store columns for use in future years, you may want to consider renting columns from a local wedding/event service.


Poster Board

Use Poster Board and Pizza Boxes
This one seems super simple and inexpensive! A pizza place might be willing to donate some clean, unused boxes (especially if you also bought lunch for volunteers there)!  You could use corregated cardboard for a ribbed texture and a little more support  (our columns for our intro picture were made like this, with foam "crests" in stead of pizza boxes. 


Make them With Cardboard Tubing
You can use carpet tubes (what  carpet comes rolled around) for thin columns.  Places which sell carpet are often happy to donate these.  For thicker columns you can buy construction tubes (also known as building tubes, cardboard concrete forms, and Sonotubes).  You can find these individually at home improvement stores,  but from what I've seen they only smaller ones (48" long or shorter).  There are several manufacturers that sell longer full column length ones, but generally only in bulk.  You could possibly contact a local construction company and see if they would sell or donate some in smaller quantities.


Use Building Tubes, Pots, and Plaster
Decorative Faux-Stone Column - Shorter but very realistic. I've seem people use plastic pots with molded edges for some very decorative molding...same idea though.

Use Building Tubes, Pool Noodles, and Foam Board
DIY Network shows you how to make faux stone columns...very realistic looking.  Pool noodles are a more pricey material, but if you can buy them out of season (at the end of summer, early fall clearance sales) they cost less.

Very Realistic, Structural Method With Tall Building Tubes
The blog Tootsie Time shows how she made permanent columns for her home. They are beautiful.




Use Textured Wallpaper to Add Ridges
Once you have a base (see above) you can use textured wallpaper to add ridges.  I got this idea from Jennifer Hosler.




She used Easy Textures Paintable Wallpaper (Pattern No 99424F) to cover a carpet tube column.   I didn't find that exact one but I found a similar style by another brand here.





"Warren" Method of Constructing Columns




Kate Taylor Warren and her husband shared the following method they came up with to make columns like you see above.

Inside each column is a 90" heavy cardboard carpet tube. Each has a 2-3 foot wooden fence post fit snugly inside and screwed to a 20" board as a horizontal base. The part of the column you see is five sheets of under-wallpaper insulation cut in lengths that circle around to make a 20" diameter cylinder. A construction stapler was used to staple them to the carpet tube in the back.

The material they use,  found in a DIY store where wallpaper is sold, consists of a very thin layer of polystyrene bonded to a layer of heavy brown paper. It pops out easily to hold its shape when circled and stapled, and is easy to paint. Kate Warren and her husband are in England, so I'm not sure whether the same material is available here in the States, but it would be worth checking into.

They measured the "stripes" on the individual sheets and marked them so they could be painted before assembly on the carpet tube. This was an easier and safer way to paint--no climbing ladders and trying to get straight lines painted.


The columns are set on squares of stryofoam (called polystyrene in the UK). The cornice (or pediment) is not resting on the columns but is suspended from the ceiling. Otherwise it would be rather unstable.










Pool Noodle Columns

 Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Houston, TX
Photo by Marian Seidel

You can find full step by step instructions on how to make pool noodle columns here also (though it was for a more permanent feature, so had some steps you could skip for VBS).   Here's some in-process pics shared by Marian Seidel of Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Houston, TX.  (She's still in the in process phase so I don't have final pics right now).




1.  You start with cardboard carpet roll tubes for a base.

2.  Cute pool noodles in half lengthwise with exacto knife (to make two parts like celery sticks, not two shorter pool noodles).

3.  Put foam into noodle like you would put cheese whiz on the celery stick, and press onto roll.

4.  Use 3 nails, one at the bottom, top and middle to secure.

5.  Trim as necessary. (Save pieces...see #6)

6.  Make a stand (sorry, I don't have instructions on how to make stands, but you can see some examples there.  I believe there is a stick or  in the middle that you just drop the carpet tubes onto).  Use extra pool noodle pieces and/or foam to stuff into carpet tubes to stabilize.

7.  Paint




TIP:  If you're planning this long in advace you can save money if you buy pool noodles out of season (at the end of summer, early fall clearance sales).



Corrugated Plastic Columns



You can use sheets of corrugated plastic (PVC Roofing) either to make freestanding columns, or to wrap around posts and other features.   While pricey, this method has the benefit of being weather resistant, so is great for outdoor features.  You can find this type of sheeting at most hardware stores.

You can see one of these types of columns in the background of picture to the right. Thanks to Rebecca Edwards for this picture.


Dayspring Baptist Church, Waco, TX


Another church used these to make the following....


Photo and instructions by Ruthann LaMoreaux Litchford‎


HOW TO MAKE COLUMNS/PEDIMENT
The pediment is the triangular roof on top

MATERIALS
12 ft white pvc roofing panel (corrugated plastic), cut in half to 6 feet; 
Heavy duty scissors or snips
(1) 4x8x2 foam insulation board, white
(1) liquid nails tube (& caulk gun)
(1) roll white duct tape
(1) bread knife or box cutter
(4) Wooden Chop Sticks

TO MAKE COLUMNS
1.  Cut panel into (2) 6ft pieces using heavy duty scissor or snips and duct tape into tubes. 

2.  Score and snap insulation board into squares for column bases - for each base I cut (1)13x13" & (1)11x11" & (2)6" circles.  Use liquid nails to adhere these into a stack. 


 

3.  Once dry assemble column onto one base and slide a second base on top.  



4. Using remainder of insulation board score & snap a large triangle along with enough framing to surround it. (The one pictured used 6ft wide base x 2 ft high triangle. Bottom framing board was 11" wide to sit securely on column topper. Side framing pieces were 5 or 6" wide.) 
5.  Miter the corner edges with a knife/cutter. Liquid glue it all together. Dry 24 hours. 
6.  Use a poster or any signage you want to fill in the center. 
7.  Place pediment onto columns and push chop sticks through into column base for attaching. Score, snap, glue, chop stick. Done.






TIP:  How to Create Depth

If you are making a colonnade on a stage you can create depth and and add an illusion of a larger scene by starting with taller columns and then using descending smaller columns, set at an angle like the picture on the right... continuing the colonnade with a backdrop with painted columns at the back.

In the following picture you can see the angling technique (though I don't know whether their columns decended in size). 


(I got this idea and the drawing in this section from cdevries, who writes a number of wonderful articles on theater design. It was from a section on 3 More Ways to Improve Your Theater Set about creating depth. The picture above is from Faith Baptist Church. Used with permission.)





2D Colums


Picture by Mindy Love Harper


Flat paper columns are simple and inexpensive. You can draw them on butcher paper or posterboard (for thicker, more reusable affect) or order pre-made ones online.

I love how Trinity Presbyterian Church of McKinney, Texas used simple paper columns and a roof to frame the doorway to "Paul's House." While it takes a little drawing skill, it doesn't look unreasonably hard, and yet is very effective in transforming this from just another room to a house in Athens.

And, if you prefer to avoid drawing/painting it yourself, here are several paper column options I found online (click pictures to find on Amazon)...




Semi-3D Columns

For a semi-three dimensional look try one of the techniques below.


Foam Board Columns



Dayspring Baptist Church, Waco, TX

We carved foam board with a hot knife and painted the indentations grey to make these columns. Then we put them up in front of some pretty party paper to cover up a wall sculpture you see peeking out of the top there. I believe the paper we used was flat, but the only paper with the same design I was able to find now online was this corrugated version (which is probably more expensive than what we used, but would offer more stability).

Cardboard Column "House"


Photo by Michelle Robeson La Flamme

This structure was made out of a VERY LARGE box. It has plaster on it which gives it the column texture.  I like that a person could actually get IN this columned house.





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