uncommon ephemera

Thread Card Frames

Not too long ago I was at an antique cooperative and found these little thread card frames. They consist of two squares of cardboard with an opening cut in the top piece and a little photo behind that to create a frame of sorts. Then whoever made them wrapped thread in a pattern around the whole thing to create a little memento. I am particularly fond of the one one the right - love the fellow in his jaunty hat with a big grin on his face! The frames remind me in particular of the old thread cards from France. French thread cards are still available from Sajou. The cards below are available from 1. Bell'Occhio and 2. Swan and Shears.

Road Trip and Runny Nose

I have to admit that I have neglected my blog, as usual. Unfortunately, I have discovered Pinterest and am now addicted. I tell ya', Pinterest is Internet crack - you can spend HOURS perusing the boards. The photos I have posted today are ones that I took on a road trip with my sister to Wendy Addison's atelier in Port Costa. A few times a year she opens her studio to celebrate a holiday and share her latest creations. It's a lovely drive into Port Costa and my sister and I make the pilgrimage a couple of times a year. March 9-11 was Wendy's Spring Open House. My photos do not do the surroundings justice. As usual, her offerings were beautifully made and ranged from dramatic to whimsical. I purchased the snail box pictured - Wendy said that the "good luck" banner was kind of a tribute to the much-maligned snail. As for the reference to a runny nose in my title - I have been sick since the trip with a horrible cold and bronchial asthma. Today is the first day I have really had any energy to do anything, so I am going to spend the afternoon painting and watching old movies on TCM.

Happy New Year!

Out with the old...in with the new. I've started 2012 by going into a cleaning frenzy. I have worked my way through every cupboard and closet to try and lighten the load. The biggest hurdle was my studio space. I have a double closet that is packed to the rafters with supplies - though it was so disorganized it made me crazy. Have you ever ended up buying a new tube of paint or some other supply because you couldn't find the one you know is somewhere in an existing heap? Very annoying.

During my sorting, I came across some bits of ephemera that were designed by my paternal grandmother. I have written about her before. She grew up on a ranch here in the Central Valley and later moved to San Francisco (early 1900s) to follow a career as an advertising artist. She designed promotional pieces for the San Francisco Examiner, Sperry Feeds, Ghirardelli Chocolate and Tait-Zinkand Cafe. The following are pieces she designed for Tait-Zinkand Cafe.

These were menu and advertising border proofs that were sent out to the client for approval. My grandmother hand drew the designs, including the hand lettering. I have been so spoiled by my Mac, I stand in awe of her talent sans computer. I have a big box full of many of these proofs. I really need to get a nice acid free album to store them in. Tait-Zinkand Cafe was in San Francisco across from the old Orpheum Theatre. The cafe had popular and classical entertainment every night, dancing and a second restaurant upstairs called the Pave Real. The Pave Real was the launching pad for Rudolph Valentino. He did exhibition dancing there and it was at the Pave that he was discovered by a Hollywood talent scout.

Here's to a happy and healthy 2012!

Christmas Approaches

Ignore the woman in the mirror. I was trying to get some pictures early Saturday morning and I was not 'put together' yet! Judicious cropping got rid of my uncombed hair. As usual, my blog is getting updated in my lackadaisical manner. I've had two showings of my work in the last two months and have had a very hard time getting ready for Christmas. I won't even go into the sad state of my Etsy site. There have been some other things going on in my life that have dampened my spirit a bit.

 

I have put up two small trees. One is finished - the other almost. The pic below shows the one in my dining room. It's my Asian-themed tree. I love the colors - very bright and cheery. The tree topper, a paper lantern, makes my dining room look rather like a Chinese restaurant when the house lights are down and the tree lights are on. May anyone reading this have a wonderful holiday with many good memories.

 

California Colors of Fall

People often say that California doesn't have changes of season. Here in Northern California it is probably a bit more noticeable that the southern areas. This is a photo of a street close to my neighborhood that I took with my camera phone through the windshield of my car. The brilliant trees are Chinese Pistache. This is our fall - the whole area is full of these beauties - my photo doesn't do justice to the nearly neon quality the colors have. May everyone have a wonderful Turkey Day.

~Dorian~

Creating Fervor

The holiday season is fast approaching and my Etsy shop is suffering from a lack of holiday merchandise. These past few weeks have been kind of a blur with packing away Dia de los Muertos goodies and trying to find all of the supplies needed to get in Christmas mode. Add to that some elder parent maintenance and what you get is a late start. Here are some pics I took of my work table this morning...

I started out with a perfectly clean work table and ended with every possible surface covered.

Here's hoping I can make some order out of chaos today.

Murphys Dia de los Muertos Festivities

                              

Last year, the little town of Murphys started having a celebration to commemorate Dia de los Muertos. I was fortunate enough to be asked by Nanette Tanner of Tanner Vineyards to show and sell some of my Day of the Dead creations. Tanner Vineyards is a family owned and operated winery that grows its own grapes - and makes delicious wines. The whole Tanner family was most gracious and I had a delightful two days visiting and enjoying the celebration. The fun continues this year with participating merchants featuring ofrendas (altars), food, wine and fun for the whole family. Murphys is a charming community in the Sierra foothills, just above Angels Camp that has become a home to a large group of wine makers. The weather is usually beautiful this time of year, so mark October 29th and 30th on your calendars.

Below is a pic of the childrens' altar at Tanner Vineyards Tasting Room:

Here is a photo of one of my creations for the event...a nicho tribute to Frida Kahlo:

Font Love and Italian Food

After a long stint as a graphic artist at a newspaper, I still get inspired by type fonts. This shows a sign I did with the word "MANGIA" to fill a spot over my kitchen sink. My mother-in-law (now deceased) was born in Italy and the word conjures up memories of her great homemade ravioli. Although it isn't clear from the photo, the letters were painted in gold acrylic, so they have the appearance of a trattoria sign. I must admit...a lot of pasta has been prepared at this spot, although I have yet to try and match Pierina's wonderful ravioli (I DO make a pretty mean pesto!).

Now Showing on Etsy

Finally! Although I am sure no one is reading this (except, perhaps, my sister), my etsy page is up and running. I'm starting out with a Dia de los Muertos theme with more items to come.

Happy Bastille Day & Stay Tuned

I will be opening an etsy shop in the near future. Pictured is one of my Day of the Dead (Dia de Los Muertos) creations. Hopefully, I can get this poor neglected blog jump started. I am so rusty with respect to Typepad I am having to teach myself all over again...starting with figuring out how to get my profile pic posted correctly!