My Summer of Love

Dip me in paint, take me for a swim

 

I saw a dress this week that I wanted to share with you.

I love these photos.  They remind me of my summers on the sand dunes of Fire Island.

 

And my summers splashing in Lake Champlain, with Vermont's mountains on the horizon.

The fabric looks as if the girl were dipped in watercolors, and her skin remained porcelain.

Subtle flowers appliquéd across the body.  A sweetheart neckline. 

All handmade in cotton.

Dainty yet ever so slightly tattered.

Even though the designer didn't describe it as a dress dipped in watercolor paints, that is what it looks like to me.  Sometimes it feels as if everything makes me think of painting. 

 

 Custom dresses by: clickable link  

Photography by: clickable link 

Sis

This week I stayed with my sister in New York.  Her house is full of her personality.  She should be a designer. 

I can't wait to take more pics next time!

She planted a long, lush garden. 

It reminds you a bit of "The Secret Garden,"

with nooks for doing whatever you like. 

Inside are

roses,

tiger lilies,

azaleas,

a lilac tree,

Queen Anne's lace,

ivy,

and some purples (delphinium I believe).

 

There is a house for birds.

It was built by her man... and inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous piece of architecture, "Falling Water" :

(Image  source: clickable link)

 

A couple of creatures were there.

The first was a skinny angelic 18 year old, named Baloo.

The second was a young male from Philadelphia, named Franklin. 

... one of the most gorgeous animals I've ever seen- with the softest orange coat

and golden eyes matching

his fur.

I saw him laying alongside a vintage book:

"The Encyclopedia of Birds"

Don't you think this is perfect reading material,

especially for cats who

"would reside in fancy little houses" ?

 

On my blog you’re encouraged to click all pictures to enjoy the full size.

(You can see the bookish pussycat’s softness up close.)

I loved taking these photos. The sun was setting through tall windows. 

Check out some art that my sister's sweetheart obtained for her: 

 

On their wall is a beautiful portrait of

a musical great,

Marvin Gaye.

Painted in blues and greens with white lines. 

He leans back

while his hands cradle the back of his head.

Amigas

I heard from one of my best friends today.

She'll arrive in the city soon!

We used to live together in Barcelona.  She inspires me, like many of the people I enjoy surrounding myself with.  She created her own boutique in BCN, loves fashion, loves languages, and is always moving around the world.

I have a photo of her at Casa Milà / La Pedrera.

If you haven't seen it yet, it's one of several architectural masterpieces by Antoni Gaudí. The pool of blue in the center of the photo is the sky.  

The mosaic chimneys on his apartment building remind people of chess pieces watching over the residents. 

Here she is, dreamy-eyed, on Gaudi's rooftop:

Image source: clickable link

Artist in my home: Nina Clough

There's a girl I've admired for a long time named Nina Clough.

 

A while ago, I was lucky enough to adopt one of her works of art.

 

It came on the same day I'd made a rare stop at my favorite patisserie. 

 

Their light & fluffy macarons that day were lemon, raspberry, and espresso.

 

They're sweet; one bite is plenty.  I recommend buying two of each color when you buy macs.  It's fun to give the second one away.

 

The smoky flecks & pale colors of the almond cookies reminded me of her Paris painting, so I took a photo:

 

When I came home, there it was in my mailbox:

 

I told Nina about my French-infused day and the color coincidence. 

 

 

This summer, she had a sale and I decided it was time for her "Flowers in Greece" piece (ink and watercolor). 

 

The art paper she uses is thick and the colors come through even better in person.

 

You never know when a piece will arrive from any artist overseas.  She is located in England. 

 

A few days ago, I went to lunch with Peter at a Greek restaurant.

 

 As I realized he was eating a Greek meal, I wished the magic spell would work and I'd come home to her print. 

 

It happened again:

 

Inside, there was a handwritten note to me, saying that she hoped it would happen again too.

 

Eventually on this blog, I'll show you photos of how everything looks on the walls of my place. There's more to share of her wonderful art...

 

More images to come .

 

Her work is available here: clickable link

Or, if you're in the UK, here: clickable link

Above images were used with Nina's blessing.

Tom Sawyer's girlfriend

 

From my home library.

Written in 1887,

reprinted last year.

Inspiring for grown-up females

(even more than little scouts) in my view.

About 500 pages.

A treasure chest.

Some favorites from Spring & Summer chapters:

Transplanting wildflowers

Noah's ark peep-show

How to preserve the perfume of flowers

Quakeress

May-pole dancing

Midsummer eve fortune telling

Sea-urchin candlestick

Decorating with ferns

Polishing seashells

Thunderbolts

Mikado fan

Sending flowers by mail

Sea-side cottages

Fireworks

 

O beautiful

The Ray Charles version is best.

O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain;

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain

America, America

God shed His grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood,

From sea to shining sea.

.....

After watching fireworks last night, we started singing.

The City of New Orleans (performed by Arlo Guthrie, 1970)

This Land Is Your Land (Woody Guthrie, 1940)

My Country Tis Of Thee (1831)

The Star Spangled Banner (1814)

I'm A Yankee Doodle Dandy (1904)

You're A Grand Old Flag (1906)

God Bless America (1938)

Over There (1917)

American Girl (Tom Petty, 1977)

The House I Live In (Frank Sinatra, 1945)

An American Tune (Paul Simon, 1973)

I love Reni Lane, she's my girl- here she is singing a small slice of her song "American Baby," with her songbird voice and gazelle stems.

If you know a song for this day, send me a comment. I want a growing list for a party.

Happy Independence Day. A wonderful name for a holiday.

My green dress

I received a bunch of compliments when I wore this, thank you, so I decided to photograph it. Thanks especially to Jean.

In person, I loved how little bits of sky peeked through the woods like stars. They echoed the little stitches and beads that reflected the light.

Family wedding

We had a family wedding this month.  I painted and one of my brothers sang with his wife. 

The bride and I lived together and became close in past years.  I was very happy for her.

It had been raining in the tri-state area for a month.  She prepared for it to pour, but the gods smiled on us and the sun beamed.

The groomsmen had a basket full of Japanese parasols.  The men opened them and handed one to each woman, to shield our eyes and skin.  More than one hundred of us walked into the courtyard.  It was lovely to see them dotting the landscape, fluttering among the crowd.  They were made of wood, paper, and string:

 

 

The couple asked me to be the artist for their ketubah:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketubah

 

In ancient times, it wasn't an artwork, but a sort of pre-nup contract. 

 

This time, it was a set of vows composed by the groom.  Well-written and romantic.

 

One of my favorite artists (thanks Miss S.!) showed me a wonderful one while I was preparing:

 

www.processrecess.com/index.php?uid=E804AA

 

I whispered the words a little, so that I'd remember precisely what to do with my strokes. 

 

Mine didn't contain Hebrew.  I wish it had; that would have been a pleasure to make as well.

 

I painted one in advance of the wedding day.  It didn't look right to me.  

 

I polled my sister and other people, then decided to redo it. 

 

Chris came to the art store with me in a spectacular lightening storm.

I opened my window to record a few seconds. You can hear the thunder and see the wind turn the tree into a sea anemone:

 

 

 

We got soaked in order to purchase more fine French paper. 

 

I only feel right giving a piece of my art if it's tight, if you know what I mean.  It should be a beauty to me, if it's a gift from my heart. 

 

The calligraphy took many hours.  I worked through six pens.  They start sharp and their delicate tips wear down.   

 

I chose a salmon color after loads of experimentation.  I think the hue reminds people of the feeling of love.  Here it is in progress:

 

 

Traditional text is black.  I didn't even want them to sign in black.  Anything too dark took away from the airy feel.  I found a tree-bark colored brown for the bride, groom, witnesses, and officiant to sign with.

 

I arrived two hours before the ceremony, because they needed me there early.  First he breezed by, then she did, like the white rabbit and Alice in Wonderland, but neither saw the other. 

 

 

 

All you saw was a blur pass by.  I waited by my newest baby, the ketubah. 

 

A man who seemed to be the coordinator scooped up the gold frame, saying "This is marvelous; it needs to be displayed!"  which was good to hear.  He gingerly placed it on an easel.  My brother said he looked like Poppy from Seinfeld.  Guests arrived and oooed and aahed at it, which made me happy.

 

The ceremony featured the breaking of the glass, and a great deal of music, such as Handel's water music, among other traditions.

 

At the reception, my parents did an incredible Cha-Cha number. If you're unfamiliar with the latin dance:

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISmOGkAniZ4

 

Everyone applauded at the end of the impromptu performance.

 

The centerpieces were Japanese bonsai trees.   I have to ask my brother if he adopted one; he was admiring it the whole time.

 

My dog, a Dalmatian named Siren, kept watch.  She loves the bride too.

 

More ketubah pictures to come.

 

Here's wishing you two a wonderful life together.