Sunday, October 31, 2010

Guardian Gourds

Happy Hallowe'en, Samhain, Nos Calan Gaeaf

A Hallowe'en photograph of me-as-Twiggy via scan of a crinkled snap has failed to amuse or please. Worse, I look entirely annoyed in the picture & have no idea why. So sorry, B, one of my sisters who sent it with a sweet note ("I thought you looked so beautiful..."). Maybe we can find it on a slide for next year. Fairy-lighted pumpkins against a dark blue sky will have to do for now. Lots & lots of spooky & scary Hallowe'en posts all over the wah-wah-web. (photograph via Martha Stewart)


PS: Happy birthday to John Keats

Friday, October 29, 2010

Week's End - Off-Leash


You do have a leash, as a writer. You're holding a dog. The great excitement is to see what happens if you let the whole thing go. And the dog or the character really runs about, bites everyone in sight, jumps up trees, falls into lakes, gets wet, and you let that happen. That's the excitement of writing plays.--Harold Pinter

Before I let it fly (maybe, probably, next week) I have to clean up the blog templates, work on headers, get legal advice (kidding). I have to finalize plans to meet up with Ralliers for Sanity (not kidding). I...uh. I'll stop there. Back later.

OK, I'm back. For a minute. I have to post my vote. Have you voted if you're eligible? Oh dude,* if you don't & start complaining on 3 November about Teabaggery...I will so not be there/here for you. (*Pops out of my mouth with a disturbing naturalness.)

Some fun: Mad Men Yourself. Here's my beta-version with a little shout-down to naysayers about political satire rallies. (That newspaper in the hand is rolled up for a teeny light swat.) First they want to call the election before it's held (shrieking curses) & now all manner of pontification about Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert. What do these nincompoops (no, not S&C, I'll fix grammar later) not understand about political satire?

You know what? Tough. Here I go: I've lived here for um, a long time. The media-punditiocy w/knickers-a-twist? They weren't invited, those sniffy twits. And now, in the name of a bit of sympathy (only a bit)...

Once upon a time, a youngish editor stood outside her office door. She railed to her boss about the "media." Her boss kept trying to interrupt. They were both talented interrupters--they had to be. Finally the boss pointed at the younger woman who said What, what? Boss: "I'm pointing at your press pass."

Oh. Gulp. Slink away in manner of humiliated Snoopy.

(Tim Walker photograph via one million sites & counting; silly me via AMC)

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Peek into la Pup's Paris Notebook


Hazel of The Clever Pup is writing about her recent Paris adventures (warts & all, what a relief) at The Clever Pup's Paris Notebook. I hope she's working on a badge because the little Pup who went to Paris is sporting a Breton shirt, beret, & ballerinas. Mignon. Please hop over & say bonjour. (Cartier-Bresson photograph via Christine Haynes, who, oh happy day, has a sewing blog. Which is sort of like saying Cartier-Bresson took snaps. The artist & cute little girl in Monmartre is by Eisenstaedt via LIFE Archives)

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Damson & Slate - A Breath of Welsh Air



Looking at the Vogue Knitting Holiday 2010 magazine + Dylan Thomas birthday + hand-washing Laura Ashley Welsh knit scarves & lacy cardigan = Damson & Slate website gazing. (There's also a tornado watch until tonight & therefore madly hurrying to be ready for catastrophe. OK, a bit of Welsh-American drama, so sue me.) Just about everyone on US design blogs talks about Toast & I do like them. But here is a site that actually toots their Welsh horn. Things are far too shaky to buy anything from anyone at the moment, unless it's Julie the Cat necessaries. When I can, though, I will figure out how to replace some knits from D&S. Helping to support the Welsh economy is a good reason. (At this point, I would roll around like a feline in catnip if I had their Rosehip & Baobab w/Neroli face cream.)

Anything to put off cleaning the apartment & less-than pleasant reading, I've dragged out bags of needles, rolls of yarn, & am unravelling some half-done projects. I am not one of those "whip up a sweater in a day" people. I admire those who can though. My mother made some very cool stuff when I was little. My redheaded Barbie in her bottle green bouclé Chanel-inspired suit (yep) was the talk of the neighborhood Barbies.

Scarves, mittens, & a few other projects are enough to make me feel (undeservedly) accomplished. Yarn is expensive so choose something small if just starting out. There is (or was) some lovely yarn in the Made4Aid Etsy shop (the badge & site are on the right or at bottom. Template shifting continues). On the Pringle of Scotland site, there's even a little how-to-knit video. I'm not linking it for now because it won't teach anyone to knit, really. The point is that anyone (even me) can learn knit/purl & crank out a straight scarf.

(first 2 images via Damson & Slate, 3rd via Vogue Holiday 2010 Knitting magazine)

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Vote Now - Shabby Apple Design Finalists

Vote for your favorite Shabby Apple's Dare to Design finalist dress. There is a tech error that zee blogeuse at Apple a Day is working to resolve, but you can vote in the comments for now. Voting ends 15 November 2010. Vote only once. (I have seen this photograph many places. This particular version is from audrey hepburn complex via daily bits of beauty)

Monday, October 25, 2010

Lily, Rosemary

and the Jack of Hearts. Man, I have to change the subject (sort of). It should be about the Rolling Stones because Keith just said "honey, you tried" to Terry Gross on Fresh Air. It was a fine interview, as always. (Link to listen, also expanded Jon Stewart interview) (Tim Walker photograph via Lori at automatism.)

Sunday, October 24, 2010

La Luce della Luna {Moonstones}

Adularescence is an optical phenomenon, similar to labradorescence and aventurescence, produced most notably by moonstones. Adularescence is also commonly referred to as schiller or shiller. The effect is best described as a milky, bluish lustre or glow originating from below the surface of the gemstone. The schiller, appearing to move as the stone is turned (or as the light source is moved), gives the impression of lunar light floating on water (accounting for moonstone's name). Though white schiller is the most common, in rarer specimens, orange or blue lustres are produced. --quite by accident I happened upon this...it's punny, but not necessarily funny.--Wikipedia, moonstone gem

There's still a full moon. Looking at a pair of moonstone earrings--with the blue cast--on the desk.

Having a bit of a freak-out by the (to me) overwhelming interest on Facebook...I haven't known these people--save for one or two--in a million years. I lived a different life than they did in Strasbourg (& elsewhere, & since). Not better but so different. Or maybe it's just that I arrived in Strasbourg with a different background & future agenda. I was not innocent or naive, I was fleeing a very difficult family situation in America. Posted cassette tapes, bicycle-delivered telegrams, & even a few phone calls made it clear that I would not escape. I returned to try & fix it as requested. It did not work. I am so sorry that I moved back.

I cannot be the only one who feels this way. Yet, I do not want to offend & really, this could be a positive turn of events. A lot has happened to everyone, I know. I don't discount it. My list, though, elicits near disbelief in people who were here for it, one by one, incident by incident. Also, what kind of judgment will be made about me & my life.


I have looked--off & on for some years--for a person who would understand. It was my fault that we lost touch. By the time I responded to what turned out to be our last letter, it was too late. All the return addresses from a few years of correspondence (from
Beirut, France, England, Spain, Costa Rica) were dead-ends & I cannot find her married surname. I'm not an obsessive but in the last 2-3 days this lost friend has become more important. She used to say 'old bean' & take me for tarte aux framboise near Place Kléber when I had no money & I do mean NO money. She was wise about these boy-men. She let me use her Fidji perfume. Pamela, I hope you are in good health, happy, & writing witty letters. Those lucky recipients.

Maybe my boundaries are too strict lately, but others' feel far too fluid--as things stand now. I am not rejecting people outright. Give me a little time please. [I will endeavor to make this more coherent but I needed to post it more quickly than I'd anticipated.]

Update Monday, 1.32pm - I should make it clear, I have some 'esplaining to do. I'm not anti-FB. Someone who means very well got very excited because he's new to it. If not for FB, I would not have reconnected with several people. We were looking for the other for years...& I have very good research skills.

Oh, maybe I'll scoop a bunch of this out & wait. Right now, I have a bunch of FB msgs to look at. I hope they're not mad at me. Let me also be clear that I contacted the person in question & sent him a msg about my distress--most of which has to do with me, not them--before I posted above. It was not a passive-aggressive act, which I loathe......

(photo via Rachel Follett on pinterest, via automatism)

Friday, October 22, 2010

Week's End - Leetle Feet

Am attempting to redo Giulia Geranium's template. That scream you hear might be me. Anyway, on GG there's a post on New York City Ballet's website, the children's section. Wow. I just printed out pages from the coloring book. (No, I'm not coloring them in myself, I'm sending them to a niece. Well, OK, I did color one. Zen.) If any of you want to entertain your children or yourself for nearly-free (using the printer means not totally free) this weekend, especially someone who might begin to pester you soon about The Nutcracker, give these a try. Meanwhile, aren't these the cutest little feet?

Back later....Update, nope. That's it for today.

(little Italian tootsies by Alfred Eisenstaedt/LIFE Archives)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

What Would Oscar Do?

I like to think he'd wear purple anyway. That he would use his wit to punch holes in bullies. But the thing is, though he'd be an expert spoke-person for gay rights, we know what happened to him. So it isn't enough to leave it to our gay friends, family, & colleagues to counter this backward trend.

I freak out on behalf of friends in certain countries, especially in Africa & the Middle East about this issue. And then,whoa, there were anti-gay riots in Europe recently.

So it's up to everyone to help stop bullying. For those in other countries who might not know, here in the States bullying of all kids is an ongoing problem & statistics indicate that it's getting worse. The most vulnerable of all are self-identified (or other-people identified) LGBTQ youth. There have been several recent suicides connected to the heinous behavior of bullying.

I'm rushing to get this posted but I am wearing purple plaid pj bottoms (you don't want to know more, I assure you) & I hope that counts. Go to Bleeding Espresso for better links. (Or Change.org) Think of Oscar. Think of all the gay & lesbian icons we (straight) folks revere. The writers, the artists, poets, etc. More anon.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Fresh Flowers for Tough Times


For those of us residing in the State of Penury, here is an excellent idea by Sarah of Blossom and Branch, via Design*Sponge. It's a definite upgrade from our parsley-in-a-creamer. This is Sarah's second post in a twice-a-month series, Flowers A-Z. Take a look, you might be surprised by the ingredients.

That is from Julie's site today. I loved this idea so much that I scooped it up & placed over here. A relief from the gray & watery rumination chez nous.

I've looked on-line but not in the shops for prices per bunch/stem. I sniffed by them in the market in years past. My bad. It's very much bricolage in the French usage sense. Scent memories of cycling & walking past fields of decaying brassica on the outskirts of Strasbourg might have something to do with my aversion. I don't think that classy Design*Sponge would have anything on their site if that were the case. We shall see.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Reflections in the Water


Sally of Lettuce-eating posted these abstracts last January (2009) & there was much justified enthusiasm. She bowed to the will of the people: VoilĂ , they are cards. Yours are at Made4Aid's new Etsy shop. No shipping fee, no kidding. Even if you can't buy right now, it would do no small amount of good to "favorite" the shop (or some items you like). I loved Made4Aid auctions last year, but this will be easier for those who did not. (Wusses!)

I'm meandering about & muttering to the cat. About to go say hello to Hazel, who is back from Paris. Thinking about the Mad Men season finale (& whole series) & wondering why people use the term 'soap opera' about it. I had to bite my tongue overhearing people on the Metro. Apparently they grew up in a utopia starring Glinda the Good Witch as Queen. Many of these naifs have discovered Basket of Kisses (my preferred MM blog) recently. Man, I hope I didn't send them over there.

I'll take the "no comments" off of yesterday's post in case anyone wants to spill their guts about exciting exits. Extra points if you think it's funny now. You will receive much empathy if you do not think it funny--ever. (photograph by liquid sunny sky via deviantArt; collage made from Made4Aid images)

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Making an Exit

Every exit is an entrance somewhere else.--Tom Stoppard

Making an exit, planned or not, is almost always an option. Hold your head high while doing so. If you are pulled together with flattering lipstick & comfortable (but pretty!) shoes, it really helps. Armor thyself. Do not run away as if on fire. (Unless being chased by a lunatic. If you are on fire, believe me, you have other things to worry about. Remember: stop, drop, & roll.)

I've slunk through bookshop & library shelves, wound around corridors, exiting through a catering area more than once. Yes, I was on the ground. Once I crawled out of a club on my hands & knees through the kitchen. (I no longer do these things.) This is in response to a friend who told me that he cannot attend an event because of someone's possible appearance. But I've done the same, so I can't wag my finger at him. (I did not advise him to wear lipstick, no.)

(I'm turning off comments for this post only to relieve people from feeling imposed upon to make them.) OK, pressure's on. Just opened the comments.

(photograph via AMC of Joan/Christina Hendricks because she's putting on her armor here; plus, I can't see the finale of Mad Men until it downloads on iTunes tomorrow - mimph)

Friday, October 15, 2010

Week's End - La Chanteuse in Black & White




Juliette Gréco, legendary bohemian queen of chanson française. Resisting urge to whine & complain because I just remembered that Juliette was in la Résistance with a capital 'R' & paid for it, too. This is the song that Carey Mulligan plays & sings to in An Education. When I saw it last year I couldn't believe it--I knew most of the words. Ah, because Mireille Mathieu's version played a lot when I lived in Strasbourg. Good old Jacques Brel.

Have a great weekend. I do hope someone will pay tribute to Oscar Wilde's natal day tomorrow. (Update - Carina in Copenhagen has an Oscar birthday post. Thanks, Carina!) Just not up to it this year. I'd let him down with some piffle. Oooh. I'm complaining again. Désolé.

(photographs by Gjon Mili via LIFE archives & art (dot) com. The photo with the yawning--or singing--dachsie also turned up on poetic & chic under 'bang envy'. It's a pretty blog & has lots more photographs.)

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Jemima Puddle-Duck Waddles to Washington


The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rally to Restore Sanity Announcement
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorRally to Restore Sanity

Mr. Fox, when did you first become interested in broadcast "news"?

Jemima talking to Fox + raining like mad = the Rally to Restore Sanity on Oct. 30, sponsored by The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. What? Well, it's no more nonsensical than many things on television (& radio). Above is Jon Stewart explaining the what-for. The rally will raise money to help restore the National Mall. It's a mess & funds have been denied (sigh) by...oh, it's too idiotic to say more. Here is a link to Trust for the National Mall.

Very happy about the Chilean miner rescue of course. I watched far too much on-line. But if I hear one more time that it's a miracle with (very few people) asking why this miracle (of human ingenuity amongst other things) was necessary in the first place, I shall scream. People being exploited to mine in dangerous places with terrible safety records, etc. I did grow up in mining areas of the States, so I know something about it. But if I scream I would be behaving like foxes & their friends.

PS - If you are in New York (you socialists!) & need a ride to DC, The Huffington Post is sponsoring some buses. I have no inside knowledge about how many, etc. Follow the links & sign up. Update - hilarious music parody of President Obama defending himself as the Very Model of a Modern U.S. President. I'd embed it but my laptop will blow up 'cause there's too much html code goin' on. It's very funny & now I am humming G&S song (as warned).

Update - Oh fer Pete's sake. I've rec'd email asking if I'm making fun of people attending rally, ducks, chubby people. Etc. No. No. No. I'm going to it. I like alliteration. That's all. Oy.

(illustration via here)

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Sweetness & Light

Many new bloggers have asked where/how to collect images if they don't have huge piles of magazines & books, etc. If you look at the beginnings of both blogs, you will see that I didn't know much. (OK, anything. It still looks clueless but lacking tech funds does not help.) The following is in no way all-inclusive. So many people I link to here & on Giulia Geranium (& on the back of blogger profile) are excellent resources.

Canadian illustrator Lori Langille's automatism blog is an excellent place to be inspired but also to see attribution etiquette in best practice mode. I turned to Lori in December 2008, a few months into Giulia Geranium, for permission to use a personal vintage Marie Claire Maison scan. Lori is also the brains & talent behind the Benevolent Postcard Society, of which I am a proud if not very imaginative member.


Sweetness and Light is a relatively new label on automatism. Lori kindly linked to bricolage a few weeks back. She did so through Pinterest (via Facebook). Before the usual outpouring of Facebook-hate, listen up.
I'm not that active on Facebook & you don't need to be. Remember that about any social network. No one said you have to update constantly. In fact, unless you are hilarious (& it's not just your mother who thinks so), I beg you not to. Still, it's your right to do as you wish & I'll adjust my settings accordingly. I'm sure the few who follow me on Twitter are dismayed by my bummer re-tweets. C'est la guerre.

Tina Tarnoff's Thought Patterns is wonderful, just as you'd imagine any artist of her talent would be. Visit often. You'll see such a variety of images & Tina's thoughts about them, where she found them, etc. She's always helpful & generous.

Sarai of Colette Patterns posted a very clear & helpful tools on the web for cataloging. It's now my go-to link to send to folks asking for advice.

I just realized as I was to hit 'publish' that there's an important category of photography/images that I use. That has to do with humanitarian, animal welfare, & other goody-two shoes stuff of which I am rightly accused. That will have to be another post because it's more complicated (of course it is, sigh, why wouldn't it be?) But if you need something right now go to IRIN (humanitarian news & analysis via UN) & register for fair-use photographs.

(Photograph is by windswept ribbons via audrey hepburn complex)

To Bend with Apples


Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.-first stanza, To Autumn (John Keats)

I cannot help it (the Keats business). It's all Tina at the English Muse's fault because she mentioned yesterday's NYTimes Sunday travel section. I was perhaps unnaturally happy yesterday morning when I saw the Protestant Cemetery mentioned in a 36 Hours in Rome bit. But there you are. More To Autumn posts. Last night I was tossing about & thinking about Keats & his politics. His horror at the gap between rich & poor (about which he knew quite a lot first-hand). He would be agonized by today's lack of progress. So I'll leave it there & just pick up stanza by stanza. (I'm sort of kidding.) Someone else preoccupied today with autumn & poetry today is secret, fragile skies. Lovely photograph, too. (photograph via bohemea tumblr & on Julie's blog here)

PS: I've been fussing about to get the poem layout properly & Blogger is being defiant. So in it goes, unformatted. I'll try again later. Update - I hit publish on this yesterday with the wrong time on it & the feed stuck. So if you think, I saw that yesterday. Yes, you did. It's me, not you.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Carla Cohen RIP

Oh no. I can't write anything right now. Here's the Politics & Prose website. This is such a loss for our community that it's too much to really describe. If you want to know where so many of us have found refuge for many years, please visit. (Photograph via The Washington Post, Carla is on the left)

Friday, October 8, 2010

Week's End - John in Black & White


The Beatles are in the middle of recording Strawberry Fields Forever, when John makes a guest appearance in a sketch for the Peter Cook and Dudley Moore Christmas show of Not Only But Also... John plays the doorman of a 'members only' gents lavatory. The outside shots were filmed in Broadwick St, London W1. (from The Beatles/Unseen Archives, compiled by Tim Hill & Marie Clayton, Parragon Publishing, Bath, UK; my crummy scans from the book.)

I cannot find the photographer for these stills, so if anyone knows, let me know. We're lucky there's anything at all left of Not Only...because the BBC re-used so much film stock from it. (Though Peter Cook reportedly offered to pay for it). This was not John's first guest appearance on the show but the video available is the clearest for this sketch. He's quite funny in it, too. This bewilders many YouTube Youth. (Yes, actually. I can imagine John at 70.) (Update - click here for GG's post & the link to Imagine Peace website where you can leave birthday wishes.) Another update: From crivens, jings and help ma blog (yea, that's in Scotland:) - Alistair has posted a wonderful video of genius Peter Sellers interpreting A Hard Day's Night. If we couldn't laugh....

As Peter Cook would say, no matter the time, Good Evening.

Chimes of Freedom

The Nobel Peace Prize 2010 was awarded to Liu Xiaobo "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China".

Note: It's not you, I've turned off comments on this post. Reason at bottom in italics.

Liu Xiaobo was sentenced on 25 December 2009, the day after a two-hour trial and more than a year after he was first detained. Articles he wrote about the June 1989 pro-democracy movement were also cited in his verdict as evidence of “inciting subversion”.


Amnesty International has campaigned for his release, along with that of other activists who signed Charter 08 including Liu Xianbin, who was arrested in June.

Several other signatories of Charter 08 have asked to share the responsibility with Liu Xiaobo and a group of senior Communist Party members have questioned the legality of Liu Xiaobo's sentence.

Former president of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel and Nobel Peace Price Laureate the Dalai Lama were among those who supported the nomination of Liu Xiaobo for the 2010 award. Vaclav Havel co-wrote Charter 77, the 1977 document calling for respect of human rights in Czechoslovakia on which Charter 08 was modeled. (Amnesty International website)

Note: Comments are turned off for this post, as they are permanently on Julie's innocent leetle blog. The spam level reaches heights of absurdity whenever something like this appears. Yes, even on theese leetle blog. I'm still searching for photography attribution; I have had it in a file for months & did not save with info. It's just perfect, to me, though & so I dug it off a CD of pix. (Update - photograph by Ricardson Williams via flickr)

Thursday, October 7, 2010

TruthBeauty

TruthBeauty: Pictorialism and the Photograph as Art, 1845-1945/October 9, 2010–January 9, 2011

Like impressionism, which challenged the traditions of painting, pictorialism expanded the possibilities of photography beyond the literal description of a subject. Pictorialist photographers produced some of the most spectacular photographs in the history of the medium and influenced subsequent developments in modernist photography. Comprising over 120 photographs, this exhibition retraces pictorialism’s beginnings with the experiments of Hill and Adamson, and Julia Margaret Cameron; through its mastery by Alfred Stieglitz, Gertrude Kasebier, and Alvin Langdon Coburn; to its lasting legacy in early works by Edward Weston and Imogen Cunningham. Organized by George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, and Vancouver Art Gallery.

(photograph via audrey hepburn complex)

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Every Leaf a Flower

Camus' view of autumn--Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. How very cheerful, really. (I won't hold that against him, though I'm beyond crabby.) It's still mostly green here, the odd yellow leaf blowing past. This beautiful photograph uses the Orton effect (see here) & was taken in Germany by the generous Olga. I was going to sneak political & social commentary in but Arts & Letters Daily is not making it easy. (I saw something interesting & cannot access it within the minutes I allow self to do this sort of thing.) Oh well. I can whip up & fold in sneaky links any time. (You can enjoy the photograph much more on Olga's flickr stream.)

Reminder: Don't forget about
this dress design contest. I cannot stress enough: you just have to have a good idea & sketch a bit. You don't have to sew it, make a pattern, etc. Shabby Apple Dresses, Dare to Design. The competition ends Friday, 15 October. Then we'll vote.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Bon Voyage, Chiot

Squeal. I cannot resist seeing this illustration over here (it was on Giulia's blog last week). Click here for adorable puppy story & vocabulary/grammar at French Word-A-Day. Are you trying to improve us, you ask? No, I'm certain you do not need improving discipline. I do.

Today is St. Francis of Assisi's Feast Day. This year in Washington, DC the blessing at the National Cathedral was held on Sunday. (I didn't get there, again. Must-do next year.) The retired Catherine of Tarragon's position has been filled. (Though, of course she can never be replaced.) Here's the slideshow & article from DCist. Youpie! We have a new Cathedral Cat, Carmina. (She looks slightly irritable but then she has a lot on her paw pads. Catherine is quite the act to follow.)

Additionally, AUREA has a delightful post about les toutous & Colette.

Update - today is Tuesday (I just told myself). Running a day behind. Eek. And the power has been off, as well. Rain? Storms? Nope. Just the old (f)utility mess.

(French cat by Clare Owens via Audrey Hepburn Complex)

Monday, October 4, 2010

What to Wear to a Mad Tea Party

Look at what arrived from England for my recent birthday. (The headband, silly!) Thinking, thinking, did I order something? In my State of Penury? No & it was not a familiar UK address either. Ta da! It was a Chatham Girl gift from a fellow Alice fancier. I am thrilled by the eccentricity.

Zara Carpenter is the witty woman behind Chatham Girl. I meant to ask if she is the redhead wearing the Alice Bow but she is busy fine-tuning her new autumn line*, so I'll leave that for another time. Zara is definitely one-of-a-kind & I wager a fabulous person with whom to take tea, mad or otherwise. If you fancy something custom-made, contact Zara--she'd be happy to make something special for you.

I so wanted to be photographed wearing this but if I wait to corral a photographer, it could be months. How did that happen?

*Chatham Girl is currently busy working on lots of fanciful treasures for the Autumn/ Winter season. Inspiration comes from artists and writers such as Mark Ryden, Edward Gorey, Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll and Angela Carter to name just a few. (photograph via Chatham Girl, used with permission)

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Echoes of Hopper

So I'm not a genius (I knew it. Double rats.). But I have seen flashes of "Hopper" in Mad Men shots, themes, motifs. Never more so than a quick frame from last week's episode, Hands and Knees. Just took a quick look at Basket of Kisses before I head out this morning. Here is Art Imitating Art. (image via Tate (UK) org) Update - later that day...another post from last year--they don't miss a thing, those clever Basket Cases.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Week's End - Be Counted

The art of looking chic while taking to the streets has long been neglected.

There's a march in Washington tomorrow (Saturday, 2 Oct.) I'm really not feeling up to it but it's one of those "Must Be Counted" times. Plus, I live here. Therefore, much playing of upbeat music & so on. (Sorry Smiths, you gotta cool it for tonight.) Already, one plan is blown & I must contact the person who said, oh they'll be open. How could Teaism by the WH be closed tomorrow? Well, they are. Have they no respect for capitalism? They sell tea. Oh I was going to enjoy sitting there before trudging off to the Lincoln Memorial. I am easily amused, yes. I have never denied it.

This is a scanned birthday card I received recently. Inside a friend wrote, 'svs circa 1967' Yep. I will be less flashy tomorrow (& yet somehow looking so very youthful). Here's an amusing column from The Guardian last November. (What should I wear to a protest march?) Cheers. It's nearly 6pm & there's a decent malbec nearby.

xoxo