1) A woman in pinks, blowing smoke in the woods, wearing bikini bottoms, sheer chiffon top, a golden bow 'round her neck, and a huge gauzy headdress. i love this picture. photographed by jamie nelson. image via
2) An infant wearing an ombre bodysuit made of white cotton... dipped and faded with a dye that reminds me of nectar. the rug looks divine too. Clothing was made by Deerdane. image via link .
Am back from the holidays. Hope that all of you are still taking a break from work, and you're thoroughly enjoying life this week.
I didn't spend Christmas in Ireland, no matter what the title of this post is. I have that song in my head, since I'm nearly obsessed with it this year. Love that song.
Christmas in Killarney is wonderful to see. Listen to my story, and I'll take you back with me. The holly green, the ivy green, the prettiest picture you've ever seen is Christmas in Killarney, with all of the folks from home. It's nice you know to kiss your beau while cuddling under the mistletoe. And Santa Claus of course you know is one of the boys from home.
I learned Irish dancing when I was in elementary school, and that song makes me want to do it again, if only for a few minutes.
At my family's Christmas party, some friends and relatives brought their pets so that they could stay for an extended amount of time without rushing home. Here is my puppy in an Eskimo kiss with a miniature Schnauzer.
This week lots of tea is being poured. I have a collection of honeys. What I'm presently using is one of my jars of Heather Honey. This particular jar was made by the honeybees whose diet consists of the heather flowers in Tuscany, Italy.
My family isn't Italian, and I'd never realized heathers were growing in Italy, until I started learning about bee populations and delicious, aromatic, healthy honeys. If it's of interest to any of you, I suppose now is as good a time as any, to mention that I was named in honor of my grandfather. He was a violin-playing writer and swimmer. He was incredibly fond of the heather plants on the Isle of Man in the early 1900s.
The card in the photo is Spanish, and translates to "Especially for you on Christmas." I thought it was strange but cool that someone gave me a foreign language greeting card.
My favorite ornaments might be birds that feel real to the touch with their beautiful feathers and talons. I love that they perch on the Christmas tree's branches instead of hanging from strings. I held my camera inside the tree, to spot the hidden pale pink bird.
The glass "bubble" ornaments on the tree reminded me of a room I saw in Lyndhurst Castle. When I visited their historic stone building years ago, they gave tours of mind-blowing fairy-tale rooms with a wintry feel. The interiors were designed by amazing artists, who transform 17 rooms in 7 days. It's hard to find photos online that compare to what it's like being there. It's just so detailed and creative. They decorate every space, even down to the washroom...where they filled a claw-foot bathtub with an overflowing pile of clear orbs. There were glass "bubbles" floating through the air. The transparent globes were meant to resemble sea foam.
Sea foam is one of my very favorite visuals.
I guess that's why that particular room stayed in my mind all these years.
Bummer I don't have a digital photo of that "foamy" room in the castle. I found this lovely photo online...it's Drew Barrymore in that same building I'm talking about. She was photographed there by Annie Leibovitz. She is doing a vignette of Beauty and the Beast.
When I was growing up, I lived in a cedar house in Scarsdale with cathedral ceilings. We had 10-foot-high trees every year! I'll look for old photos to scan for you.
I'm getting used to much smaller evergreens in my current life. In this moment, the house was entirely dark except for the lights on the tree by the hearth:
This year my father shopped for most of the groceries for the family party, and I was so impressed that he went to Whole Foods. He's decided that Whole Foods is his preffered store if he wants a good quality Bûche De Noël, among all the other things he buys there. The "Yule Log" is a French tradition. It's basically a chocolate cake made to resemble a real tree trunk, with fresh raw cranberries and real green holly leaves on top, and a couple of white marzipan mushrooms... strategically placed to look like they are wildly growing on the log. My papa doesn't like the kind from a regular market. This one tastes like a vegan cake, or a flourless passover cake.
We ate delicious savory courses. Here is the tender beef brisket with organic vegetables and fresh spices. Dinner was served on some of our family heirlooms; a set of antique painted china plates made by Rosenthal in Europe.
We drank excellent French wines from Zachys, which is a special wine shop in our old home town. These bottles were part of the evening thanks to my sister's husband who brought them for everyone.
We wound up playing a game called Funglish, and it was absolute hilarity. We didn't want the night to end; everyone wanted to stay over.
How was your Christmas, or any other holiday you celebrated this month, my dearest readers? Please share some of your highlights with me.
Happy New Year's Eve to all of you!
Currently listening to:
"Auld Lang Syne"
based on a poem by Robert Burns (1788)
Give a listen to Mairi Campbell's version if you've never heard it before. She uses a different tune than the traditional melody we're accustomed to. Her band's rendition has a tear-jerking quality, and lets us hear the authentic Scottish pronunciation of the lyrics. I'll paste the link, if you require a cathartic cry after your raucous partying:
Old mahogany wooden beams, new porcelain heated floor, new picture window.
This may be the first time I posted something that I don't consider a good-looking snapshot. It's nothing gorgeous, so I may take this post down later. I included it so that you'd see what I see on this fine day.
I'm writing quickly again. I don't like to rush. It feels way better when I put together a heathery post during a peaceful time of day, with pretty pictures and text.
I always say that if I had more time, I'd make it shorter. I'm not a writer, but I'm sure writers know what I mean by that.
I'm surrounded by boxes, workmen, the scent of sawdust, and the sounds of hand-tools. Some of the guys are cute and funny, and it's pretty cool to be involved with this kind of installation.
I'm slowly but surely responding to all comments. Usually, I reply by my own comment beneath yours. My response may not come immediately when yours goes up.
I love your input. I'm going through my blog posts, before they become too numerous. Want to make sure every comment was acknowledged. I've done a bunch.
Good luck with all you're doing! What a busy time of year for all of us.
Wishing you speed in your fingertips,
and wishing you strokes of brilliance,
in both your creative and critical thinking this week.
P.S.
I'll embed a video here. It's for all the folks who aren't into the holiday season. Most of my friends seem psyched about it this year, but you never know who will stumble upon My Summer of Love. A lot of people get the blues. It's normal for this to happen at least once in our lives. For some peeps it's a blue-ish gray December every year; I feel for those folks. Whether you're full of cheer or you're more of a misanthrope these days, know that I get it.
I appreciate so much that you read this blog. I hope it provides a soothing place for your eyes whenever you need an escape. Helene once told me she felt as if this page was "like stepping into a pleasant dream" and I loved that idea.
Here's a video for anyone who isn't the jolly type (although I'm quite spritely today and I love it too). It's a slideshow of Marilyn Monroe photos.
My main message today is that I have love for grinches, scrooges, etc. and I wish I could give each of you a warm heathery hug. It has been known to work wonders, for some mysterious reason. Maybe I sound corny right now, but I don't even mean to say this in a corny way.
Here are lovely black and white images taken in New York, California, with her various suitors, and more. The music is the song "Hard Candy Christmas," composed by Carol Hall in 1978, sung by Dolly Parton in 1982. In a way, it doesn't seem like something I'd pick out for myself to enjoy, at least not for my blog. But somehow it works.
The Arthur Miller years are evocative to me. I'm not a Marilyn buff, but I love almost every photo of her in this video. This three minute ditty spoke to me a few years ago- a time when I wasn't enjoying the holidays as much as I always had. This year, I'm loving the season.
Thank you very much to all who entered. I wanted each one of you to win. I don't know if I can bear these give-aways, you're all so sweet in your own special ways, and I wish that a contest of this nature didn't mean I had to disappoint those of you who aren't taking the sweater home.
I have many great presents to gift you. The odds are extremely strong that you'll be the person with a prize in the future. Because I'll make sure the same person doesn't win twice in a row, and I received only about a dozen entries- the perfect sized pool for everyone to have a good chance. One of the coolest aspects of this contest was that even though we only had a few handfuls of entries, there were over seven countries represented. Mostly the U.S.A., Canada, England, and Australia, but also Luxembourg, France, India, and Brazil. Please don't be too shy or too bummed to try again if you see something you like here.
The view this morning out my windows:
I have a bunch of nieces, but one in particular I'm very close with because I take care of her all the time and she's the baby of the family.
The one who helped me pick the winner:
I cut papers in the shape of hearts. Each one of your names was typed. I painted each a different color, then I nestled 'em in a ski hat.
I had to take a photo of my paper hearts, as they looked glowingly pretty in this early December light.
I dusted them with snowflakes for good measure.
Yes! That means today we woke to our first snow.
Here is Anabela, seeing hearts everywhere she looks:
I'm happy that I get to send a package to Anabela this time, because it can serve as a birthday and Christmas gift as well. And, in my past experiences with her, she's a tasteful, warm, sincere, and generous person. I hope she loves this parcel.
I'm not sure if I should mention this, but I hope that she doesn't mind. She and her fiance are the brains, hearts, and hands behind the blog fieldguided. They are based in Toronto. Their work includes tailored dresses, custom men's ties, cool ceramics, fresh and clean (and simply lovable) drawings, and more. They sell their work on Etsy worldwide and Bakers Dozen (a shop of exclusive limited editions, based in Australia and founded by artist Amy Borrell, an artist whose paintings are in my home).
I own a couple of vintage pieces from Anabela, perhaps you'd like to see. I cannot remember when exactly I obtained them; seems like ages ago.
First, here's my silk pussy bow blouse, as they called it. 'twas in perfect condition, one hundred percent pure silk, and from Paris.
Here's my vintage beaded collar, again in perfect condition. The tag reads: "Made in Japan, Hand Made, styled exclusively for Segal's Reg'd" and it dates to the 1950s. I owe Anabela thanks - thank you for bringing lovely little items into my home. They're classic yet unique.
I'm peppering this post with stills from A Little Princess, released in 1995.
It came to mind when I saw my favorite toddler in curlers, as she was getting ready to see Santa Claus today.
She reminded me of several scenes, when the boarding school chums are piled on the bed. They're telling stories late into the night, while their mistress plays a concert harp downstairs. She's unaware of their mischief.
All of the girls use rags for curlers, tied into their silky locks. I love the way it looks!
Such a beautiful film. It was nominated for Oscars in Best Art Direction, Set Direction, and Cinematography.
Have any of you read the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1904) or seen the movies (1917 starring Mary Pickford, 1939 starring Shirley Temple, 1995 starring Liesel Matthews)?
Here's a preview if you're in the mood (2 mins 49 secs) :
A running theme in the story is exemplified in these lines:
Miss Minchin (the head mistress): "Don't tell me you still fancy yourself a princess? Look around you! Or better yet, look in the mirror."
Sara Crewe: "I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics. Even if they dress in rags, even if they aren't pretty, or smart, or young. They're still princesses. All of us. Didn't your father ever tell you that? Didn't he?"
I was reminded of the film in a second way today, because this is how it felt to see the first snow of the season. It glistened, covering the landscape outside my windows:
Now I'll bid goodnight to all of my readers out there, who surely are fit to be princesses, young and old.
Adieu, mes amis!
Currently listening to:
"Step Right Up" by Tom Waits, 1976
(wherein he growls the lyric "prizes, prizes, prizes")
It's November in New England. So warm lately. Makes me want to do yoga outside.
Music: Indian Summer by Luna, 1993
Breakfast in cemetery Boy tastin wild cherry Touch girl, apple blossom Just a boy playin possum We'll come back for Indian Summer We'll come back for Indian Summer We'll come back for Indian Summer And go our separate ways What is that cheerful sound? Rain fallin on the ground We'll wear a jolly crown Buckle up, we're wayward bound We'll come back for Indian Summer We'll come back for Indian Summer We'll come back for Indian Summer And go our separate ways Motorbike to cemetery Picnic on wild berries French toast with molasses Croquet and Baked Alaskas We'll come back for Indian Summer We'll come back for Indian Summer We'll come back for Indian Summer And go our separate ways Cover me with rain Walk me down the lane I'll drink from your drain We will never change No matter what they say
I think the singer sounds a bit like she has hiccups. Which grew on me. And as if she were honeyed on her tongue and throat. This is the vid for the song "Over the Hill" and is about 3 mins. Some of my favorite things can be found in it.
- Silky black bows
- Nude-colored dresses
- See-through white dress (akin to my favorites from Charles Anastase runways)
- Gilded tea cups with painted flowers
- A miniature tea cup (I have one, oddly enough. I don't place it in my mouth the way she does)
I don't often eat jam sandies. But I take pleasure in the way they look. The sticky stacks. They remind me of books from childhood. I recommend thumbing through "The Winter That Would Not End" (1982, art by Mercedes Llimona) and "Zlateh The Goat" (1966, art by Maurice Sendak)
- Tugging off cotton socks
- Sugar cubes (I love how they upwardly drink in the tea's color)
- Things overflowing and spilling
- Antique wooden floors and the palest colors (Makes me think of Scandinavian interior design at its most rustic)
- Swimming swans, hopping rabbits, galloping horses, and an owl turning its head.
- Stop motion animation
- Chipped paint on walls (if you were to see the places I've worked, you'd know how much this look has inspired me in the past)
- A more sophisticated version of the tea party that Lewis Carroll's Alice attended... or tea on one's own, or with ghostly guests
- A feather fascinator in her hair
- A gray cat like my sister's
- An upbeat love song, layered with a little darkness
A strange little coincidence is that two people in my life exposed me to Alessi's Ark. They didn't try to. First one friend hosted a show Alessi played in the U.S. A second friend traveled to Europe to perform with her a few months later. If two people I really respected liked Alessi so much, it means she must be made of good stuff.
At some point, I scooped up the EP called Bedroom Bound. It flew over from the musician's home in England... it was tightly tucked in its blanket, a rectangular cd case she sewed. This was a couple of years ago, when Alessi was still a 16 or 17 yr old kid recording in her bedroom. When I hear an Alessi's Ark song now, there's a moment when I think of those two pals who are dear to me.
I'm so happy because she has made some cool videos this year. I hear that she was signed to EMI and is being appreciated by a much wider audience now. I'm thrilled that she's able to distribute her creations in copious amounts. That's gotta be good for mankind. I'm touched when good things happen to good people.
- the jewels on skin (I used to wear my tiniest palest pink gemstone on special occasions)
- the antique birdcages
- sparklers
- sunset coloring someone's hair
- patterned tights
- galoshes
- backless dresses (my favorite backless dress is one I bought in Barcelona)
- cream-colored Japanese kimonos with huge printed flowers
- clothes hung on a drying line (why do I love clothes-lines so much...they must remind me of Bonaire)
I'm dying to know how they got that pinkish violet smoke. Does anyone know? I'd love to try it out in my woods.
Sasha recently posted an entryabout a moon mirror she found. She took photos of the mirror reflecting the California landscape.
There was talk of a photographerwho had taken comparable pics in Illinois:
It all reminded me of the little music video I saw earlier this year. In the vid, there is a moment when a mirror reflects a landscape. The mirror rests between a model's legs, facing the desert. It was so lovely and stayed in my memory. I like the entire video and want to share it with you guys.
I'd seen dozens of photos of that day's fashion shoot, on an artist pal's website this year. I never knew there was a little movie filmed. It was such a happy surprise. It is on YouTube and Blip Boutique's website. By the way I have a crush on their guy who talks about Russians. It's eerie, he reminds me of several old boyfriends. Not just the way he looks but the way he talks.
The video was extra appealing to me, because one of the girls involved with the dreamy footage was someone I was friendly with for a spell of time, many moons ago. We've not connected much in ages, but her artwork is in my home, and I once gave her one of my rad old books (a book I will do a post about some time - I think you guys would like to see photos of how beautiful and spooky a field guide it is):
Lyrics
Wouldn't it be sweet if you could be in love with me, the way that I'm in love with you? It's so easy to do.
All you've got to do is fall in love
All you've got to do is fall in love
All you've got to do is fall in love with me.
And everyday you don't, it's wasted. And every night alone is your fault.
The sweetest lips I've ever tasted...the only lips I'll ever want.
All you've got to do is fall in love
All you've got to do is fall in love
All you've got to do is fall in love with me
-Song by Benji Hughes-
Photos in this post (except the mirror girl and fairy book) are from: the moldy doily and JMM clothing lookbook 2009.
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