uncommon ephemera

This 'n' That

Yet another gray and stormy day here in N. California. I took this picture out my front door - the rain and wind don't show, but they're there. The wisteria on the overhang hasn't bloomed yet, but you can see that the ornamental pear trees next door are in full bloom. I don't think there will be much of their cotton puff goodness left after this storm. We're all a bit tired of winter - but I never complain about rain. We so rely on a good snowpack in the Sierra to insure good orchard crops and green gardens. We were fooled into thinking spring was here last week when I snapped the photo of the violets I picked in our backyard. These little beauties come up in abundance every February. They are very small and a bit hard to pick, but the fragrance is very heady. These ended up on my desk, where I can enjoy the scent. I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend - I made a huge pot of chicken soup to chase away the gray day blues and have a good book to keep me entertained, The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory. See you soon.

Balalaika Ballet

I have not fallen off the face of the earth, as some might think. It's just been a busy and tiring week and I'm finally getting around to composing a post. This 3-day weekend has been a much-needed respite - though I spent the better part of Saturday cleaning out my craft closet. Oh, the horrors! I had to remove EVERYTHING to put in a new storage unit and, unlike the beautiful storage space that Pam Garrison showed on her blog, I was just happy to get it somewhat organized! I'm sure I am not the only person that buys new supplies because they can't get to them or forgot where they put the old ones! It's still not optimal, but I have better access to things. I really wish I could bring myself to get rid of the odd tin or small basket - but I keep thinking I'll have a use for them at some point. I did fill 3 large garbage bags of useless flotsam and a big bag to take to the Cancer Society Hope Chest. Sunday was devoted to cleaning my work space, which had become a jumble of clutter and unopened mail. Perhaps now I can get back to the business of making things.

I've posted pictures of the Moiseyev Dance Troupe. I won tickets at work for myself and my husband to attend a performance this past Tuesday at our grand, new Gallo Center for the Arts. The troupe was founded by Igor Moiseyev, a former principle dancer at the Bolshoi, who started the troupe after organizing a festival of national dance in 1936. The festival was so successful, he was prompted to start what became the Moiseyev troupe. Mr. Moiseyev died at age 101(!) in November 2007.

The performance we saw was 50th Anniversary show and was just wonderful. Most of the dancers were quite young and incredibly athletic. The men had most of the show-stoppers - I swear they have thighs of steel, what with the jumps and squats that were part of their choreography. That is not to say that the women were just backdrops. All of the dancers were incredible and it was obvious that most of them had a ballet background. Being a former costumer, I was zeroed in on what they were wearing as well. The colors of the women's costumes and the attention to detail was stunning. Dance costumes get a lot of wear and tear, so they must also be constructed extremely well. There were other than Russian dances in the repetoire...there were also dances from Greece and an American reel dance. I preferred the Russian-themed dances.

The pictures I found were not terrific. I wish I could have provided more. The little sketch is not from the Moiseyev - it is a costume sketch done for Anna Pavlova in a national costume for one of her ballets. Leon Bakst did many of her costumes, but I don't remember if this was one of his.


Here's hoping you're still with me after all of that. I really should post more often with shorter posts. The sun is out and the garden is calling, so "pip, pip and cheerie-bye" for now!

Happy Heart's Day!

May each and every one of you spend time with someone you love on this day: Husbands, wives, lovers, children, parents, pets...whomever you love and who loves you back. See you soon!

Off to the Hills

My mother would kill me if she knew I had posted this photo! She doesn't have a computer, so I guess I'm safe. I haven't been to see my folks since this was taken at Christmas, so I'm heading up the hill to spend a couple of days with them. This was taken in a moment of Christmas silliness - we grabbed mom and pulled her onto our laps. She protested...but then gave in. Pictured L to R: Me; my sister, Denise; my niece, Carly; my daughter, Jessica; grand niece, Maddie and niece, Vanessa (Maddie's mom). It appears that my mother's dog, Jessy, was also trying to climb onto the heap! I meant to post photos of mom's house at Christmas - she always does such a wonderful job of decorating - but I think we're all Christmased-out! See you all after the weekend - Ciao for now!

Antonio - Fashion Illustrator Extraordinaire

I have always enjoyed fashion illustration - I once had a subscription to "W", just so I could clip the fashion drawings out for inspiration. I still have a double truck (2-page spread) of a beautiful series by the late Antonio Lopez. The pages are mounted on foam core (very bad for preservation) and I had them hanging over my desk at work for years. Antonio (he went by his first name only) depicted very elegant women in wonderfully colored couture. Unfortunately, he was an early victim of AIDS and died in 1987. I found the pictures I'm posting a few years ago on the Internet. Unfortunately, I don't remember where I found them, so I'm unable to give anyone credit. Tonight I was roaming and found that there is a book called "Antonio's People" by Paul Caranicas and it is available on Amazon. Something tells me that it's going to find a home on my bookshelf soon!


The woman in the tassled hat is the jewelry designer, Paloma Picasso - daughter of Pablo.

Dollhouse Mania Redux

I mentioned in my last post that Jenny of Ladybug Circus sent me some wonderful miniatures from Re-ment, a Japanese company that creates very detailed reproductions of everyday items such as food, cosmetics and toys (to name a few). Here's a picture of what I received.
These little goodies are based on the inch-to-the-foot measurement of most dollhouses. The kit I received has a shopping basket, mineral water, cookies, chips in a bag and even a "chip clip"! There was also a real Chic-let (gum) - rather like a Cracker Jack prize. The gift prompted me to pull out one of my dollhouses to put these goodies in the kitchen.
Here's a front (2) and back (3) view of the dollhouse.
I built this dollhouse from a kit that I purchased at a church rummage sale. The siding and shutters were yellow plastic before I painted it. I've been collecting and making miniature furnishings for a long time - originally for my daughter (or so I thought!) Some of the furniture was purchased when I was a teenager! Here's some closer pics of the rooms - not all finished. I still need to trim out the windows, make curtains, install the stairway and purchase a front door.

Photos 7 and 8 show the kitchen, with Jenny's miniatures in their new home!

Last but not least - the final pic is the house's little mistress. I purchased her on ebay a number of years ago. She isn't in her own clothing - she came undressed - I put on a little outfit I had until I could make her something suitable.
There you have it...all of these pictures and a good cleaning of the dollhouse - all prompted by the Re-Ment miniatures from Jenny! Also, after looking at the Re-Ment website, I discovered that a toy shop in Berkeley carries them - this could become a serious addiction!

Coming Out From Under My Rock

Gloriosky! I haven't posted since 1/20! Sorry if you've visited and found the same old stale post. I have just not had the will to process photos or come up with something interesting. It has been gray out when I leave for work in the morning - I work in a gray room with no windows at my real job - and it is dark when I leave at night. I have been coming home to make comfort food and watching films from Netflix with my husband. Curling up on the sofa under a lap robe with a glass of wine and a good movie is just what I've needed lately. Many thanks to Ulla. She had a wonderful post about suffering from depression and symptoms of menopause. It can really suck the life out of you and hopefully those reading her post that have symptoms will recognize them and seek help. I am about 10 years out from that period in my life. I knew what I was feeling was not my usual self and started taking Prozac after talking to my doctor. There are a lot of these drugs available now - not the cure for everybody - but don't be afraid to research them. I only used the drug for about two years - it helped at a time that I needed it and got me over the hump. As for my lack of drive right now - it's the cold weather and gray skies.

I've been doing a lot of cleaning out of closets and trying to get my craft/office in order - this has been impeded by plumbing problems in my bathroom. I had a leaking faucet that was "unfixable", so my husband has been replacing not only the faucet, but a whole new sink. This meant that everything in the bathroom ended up in the craft/office area - where it has been all of this week. I was going through some boxes of old greeting cards; etc. and found this mailer from a store that I ran in Berkeley during the 60s...

which I'll use as a segue into the fact that I've been "tagged" by Denise Sharp to list 7 random things about myself! I won't be tagging anyone in return, as most of the ladies she tagged are ones I would end up tagging - so here goes:

1. I managed a store in Berkeley in the 1960s, making clothing and jewelry.

2. My nickname at the time was Theda - hence the name of the store: Theda Mung.

3. I supplemented my college grants by working as a costume mistress for summer theater.

4. I always have a stack of several books I'm reading next to the bed.

5. I'm excited that the Tour of California will be starting one of it's stages in my town - I love cycling.

6. The North Coast of California is one of my favorite places on earth.

7. If I had my 'druthers, I would live in San Francisco again.

Well, there you have it! I have another post to get ready. Jenny Fillius of Ladybug Circus sent me some wonderful miniatures that are just right for one of my dollhouses. I've yet to thank her properly and want to show her how well they fit in the tiny kitchen. I hope to get that posted in the next day or so.