uncommon ephemera

Button Brigade

Ulla has posted more of her lovely creative finds. This time it's buttons...all sorts of wonderful handmade ones. Oddly enough, I had a button photo in the waiting - these are some great old vintage beauties I purchased from a friend who has an antique business - and for $1.00 per card! Such a deal! I love the old buckles and the little red tulip buttons are actually too cute to remove from the card. Come to think of it, I'm loathe to take any of them off of their original cards - perhaps they'll end up in a shadowbox instead.

The next pic is of some sequined buttons from Meggiecat'sblog. The photo was low-res, so my attempt to put them on a button card leaves something to be desired.

There is a link on her blog to the tutorial. I could see these as centers on some pretty ribbon flower brooches. While you're at it, cruise Meggiecat's blog. She was one of the first bloggers I found and always has great creative ideas and links to peruse. She also has another blog called Frankie Files with some great old patent drawings for various crafts and toys. Check them out!

Musical Serendipity

This past weekend, I made a trek to visit my parents in the foothills. Isn't it funny how no matter how much time passes and how many houses they have inhabited - wherever your mom and dad reside is still "home" to you? Here I am, closing in fast on 60 - and I still feel safe and warm when I get into bed at the folks' house. I am so very grateful that I am still able to enjoy their company.

When I go to visit, my mom and I always end up making the antiques/flea market/secondhand store rounds. This weekend was no exception. There is a flea market at the local fairgrounds every weekend - so we made a pilgrimage on Sunday. It was cold and windy - there weren't that many booths - but I did find something that turned out to be a lovely surprise. The photo shows my $1.00 purchase...I thought to use the flowers and leaves on something else, as this piece was pretty bunged up. When I picked it up, I found that it had a music box and I assumed that it did not work. I got it all the way home and realized that if I turned the stem with the butterfly on it around several times, the music box did indeed function. Heart be still...the tune it plays is "La Vie En Rose". I was so touched...I put it on a Chinese stand to give it a place of honor - and it was $1.00!

Theatre De La Mode

About 12 years ago, I happened upon a wonderful book at a used bookstore in Berkeley. The book was "Theatre De La Mode" and it chronicled the creation of an amazing collection of French fashion after the Second World War. During this period, the French were recovering from four years of occupation by the Germans and the French fashion industry had not offered any new creations for most of that time. The lack of funds and materials made it impossible to launch a spring fashion season for 1945, so the Theatre De La Mode was born. The 27.5" mannequins you see in the pictures I've scanned were created to show creations by French couturiers, milliners, shoe and purse designers. Theatre designers created sets on which to display these beautifully realized ladies and the whole collection was shown first in Paris, then European capitals and the United States.

The last stop for the collection was the M.H. de Young Museum in San Francisco after which they were stored at the old City of Paris department store (now Neiman-Marcus). From there they were sent to the Maryhill Museum in 1952, near Goldendale, Washington. In 1988, they were returned to Paris for refurbishing and returned to the museum - where they are in a rotating display. I found that the book is available in a paperback version on Amazon. The pictures I've posted are just a small sampling of what the book holds - I didn't scan any of the gowns and they are truly amazing. When you view these small designer miracles, it is hard to believe that they are scaled to fit a 27.5" mannequin.

The book is also a wonderful story of how a country struggled to come back after a devastating conflict and quite the good read. There are many detailed color plates as well for those of us who appreciate fine tailoring and beautifully crafted fashions. Now for the mannequins...

Wonderful Wisteria

I get positively giddy when the wisteria blooms. All winter, the vines are stark and sculptural. When the end of March...beginning of April comes, those bare vines erupt into the purple riot you see in the photo. I love walking beneath the overhang on a warm day - that is when the scent is at it's most potent. Oddly enough, the scent reminds me of bubble gum! The only time I see bumblebees is during the wisteria's blooming period. They buzz around the flowers, heavy and quite drunken with the nectar, or so it seems. If you walk up toward the front door, there is another vine on an overhang to the left of the entry. This vine is a bit different - the flowers are a very pale lavender and more fragile looking. They remind me of the flower ornaments that Japanese geisha wear in their hair. The Japanese word (according to a Japanese exchange student who stayed with us) for wisteria and the color purple is "fuji". Makes sense that the mountain in Japan bears the name, as in all of the photos I have seen of Mt. Fuji, it is a beautiful purple color.

I must tell you, this photo is a few years old. The old trunks you see no longer exist...they finally rotted on the inside. The good news is that new vines sprouted from their remains and we are once again on our way to another spring mantle of these beautiful flowers. It's not quite there yet, but it does my heart good that the vines are so hardy and have insisted on survival.

Button Bracelets

Here are the button bracelets I have been working on. I have taken numerous pictures - none of which I have been satisfied with. They just don't seem to show the detail as well as I would like. I enjoy putting together the color combinations...it's not always easy to find enough buttons of one color to create a bracelet. All of the buttons, beads; etc. are sewn onto grosgrain ribbon with monofilament, each knotted separately and then the bracelet is backed with yet another piece of grosgrain so that the knots don't rub the wrist. This is something I can do while watching the telly - I find it relaxing and a good way to work out the stress from my day job.

I'm going to cut this short - I really want to get out and enjoy some of this glorious spring day. I have flowers that need planting and a Japanese maple that also needs to be put in. I hope all of you are having a lovely weekend and I do hope to get another post in soon. Ciao for now!