Pearls and Poisons

Decoupage me

2009-08-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

So my sweetheart and I were sifting through a massive amount of images for a poster we are trying to create for an upcoming show. I stumbled upon all of these fabulous vintage magazine covers and just had to share them with you...so here's a whole slew of 'em!

There are so so many more...and the vintage ads are equally fabulous.
I am having a very strong urge to decoupage my entire bathroom with these ladies!!!
I found this amazing tutorial on how to do just that...hooray!
xoxo
~n

Les Décorations

2009-07-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

Be still my heart! I was just directed to the most fabulous article in the New York Times.
The New Antiquarians. Check it out! These kids are decoratively right up my alley.

Hello Inspiration!!!!
Tim (love o' my life) and I have slowly been building up a collection of antiquities very similar to the above. It's quite a pricey labor of love (or rather, total infatuation). Those gorgeous birds etc. cost a pretty penny. Tim has been trying his hand at home taxidermy. It's a slow process but he's created at least one lovely specimen. She's a guinea pig and she's absolutely precious. I can't wait to see the others as he hones his skills.

I find the best things via other folks blogs. I owe this find to a most lovely lady.
Her Bee-Log is one of my favorite reads.

Ooooh! I'm off to estate sales and antique stores now!!!!

Été Photo

2009-07-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

Antique Pin Ball Coffee Table!!!!
This is my Mimi and Papa in the early 1940's (my grandmother is so small!!!!). I got to see them just after their 62nd Wedding Anniversary! They still hold hands and are the most amazing example of committed love that I have ever witnessed...

Tea and Keys! The key was to our room at a tiny Bed and Breakfast in Ferndale, California. The whole little town is made up of Victorian homes!!!!
(If you like Bed and Breakfast Inns, and are heading toward the Pacific, I recommend this site.)

Mushroom!!!
One of our handful of Mt. Tabor picnics. We ate until we had a collective belly ache and then played Badminton.
Artichoke Thistle!!!! Just around the corner from my home. I never knew this is what they turned into!!!!!

Absolutely the best bathroom in Portland. It's in the ever so fabulous Rinsky-Korsakoffee House. The bathroom's not all this place has to offer by the way. Killer atmosphere, teas, desserts and..coffee treats! Look for the white Christmas lights on the wrap-around porch! (And never you mind those few grumpy reviews. I'll have you know that our waiter sang our order back to us in the most amusing way. That (and all the other fabulousness) made up for the delay in recieving the check :).
I found this photo in an Oklahoma antique store. I absolutely adore it...never seen such a candid shot from this particular time period.

San Fransisco Chili!!!!
I hope all of you are having a gorgeous summer. I'm finally home and currently sweating positively to death in our 104 degree PDX heatwave...off to drench my locks in cold water again!!!!

"Dreaming the Dark"

2009-04-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

I desperately wish that I had better honed my sketching skills when I was younger.
I don't have nearly enough time to do it now. But if I had, or did, I would constantly be sketching out the things that I dream.
Our subconscious speaks to us in the oddest ways. I am constantly mystified/bowled over/enthralled by how it manifests itself. It wakes me up(literally, figuratively, whatever) at the most random times. And it's often so wrapped up in tiny little locks within locks that I don't know that I'll ever find the right key to throw all the doors open.
That said, dreaming is my all-time favorite way of bearing witness to the power of the subconscious.
I've heard people bitch and moan about having to listen to other peoples dreams. That just ain't me.
I'll listen all you like...and then judge you accordingly (just kidding!).
I recommend keeping tabs on your dreams too. You never know...they may end up speaking volumes to you when you go back and analyze them. And if not, so what. Maybe you could use them for something creative...like sketching them out...making a children's book...a new name for a cocktail...a pillowcase...whatever.
My dreams almost always speak to me. Sometimes they even sneak in little glimpses of what my future holds. Prognostication or no, they're telling me something about myself.
My dream last night for example...I am not entirely sure what it's saying just yet...maybe I won't ever completely know. Regardless, I intend to finally make some time to sketch it out. It was just so beautiful and disturbing and odd.
For those of you who hate having dreams related to you, turn the page now.
For those of you that don't...here is a snippet of what was in my head while I was sleeping:

I was waiting for an appointment in a theater that would have been the place to go for fine gentleman's entertainment at the turn of the twentieth century. The velvet curtains were rotting and dusty...the gold paint was peeling...the wall paper was dripping off the walls in dark folds. Victorian settees and the like were split open and the stuffing (horses hair!) was pouring out. I didn't know what my appointment was for until I was approached by a long and lithe woman wearing an absolutely filthy nurses uniform. Her words were muffled by the mask covering her face.
"The doctor will see you now."
Behind velvet curtain number 245 was a series of rusting gynecological exam beds, heat lamps with noisy/flickering bulbs and a nice neat spread of scalpels, speculums, and forceps.
I was here for a lady appointment. Duhn, duhn, duhn.
Skipping over some un-pleasantries (my dreams are unbelievably graphic...I'll spare you those details)...I had my uterus taken out.
"Not to worry. We'll put it back in. But look here, love. You're riddled with an almost cancer."
And so I was.
Allow me to note that my uterus was not your average uterus.
As the doctor held it up for me to examine, I peered out at what very much resembled an octopus.
And it was indeed on the verge of cancerous deterioration.
Where the color should have been rose, it was white. Where the surface should have been slick and smooth, it was dry and mottled.
I was horrified.
And I was determined to rid myself of this invasion, but also felt a great sense of fear and desperation thinking of what I would have to let go of in order to stop the disease.
The doctor interrupted my panic by flipping the uterus over.
He/She was showing me a secret!
"Look inside", he/she said.
Curiouser and Curiouser...
Tucked carefully and perfectly inside this thing that came from the inside of me was a little amber orb.
The doctor took it out and let me hold it.
It glowed and glimmered.
"Some women sell these," the doctor says (and no, it wasn't an EGG...I don't know WTF it was).
Well, I knew that I couldn't ever sell it. Never ever ever. Because it was mine.
I was even a little sure that it would somehow help to cure me.

And then I woke up.
Believe it or not, I feel like this dream relates directly to some things that are going on in my life right at this very moment. I realize that may make me sound ridiculous or loopy or crazy.
Sooooo whaaaaat.

I looked up the symbology of the octopus.
I found this:
Octopus: shows us how to get what we want in an intelligent and efficient way. Octopus symbolizes intelligence, moving rapidly away from danger when needed, and the proper use of smoke screens (ink) in evading enemies.

I liked this definition. I even found it helpful.

Of course I also found something that said it was an anti-Semitic symbol...not so helpful.

Maybe I actually have cancer and should head in for my annual.
Maybe it means absolutely nothing at all.

Regardless...I'm going to set some time aside to draw it and other dreams.
And I've already come up with a new name for a cocktail...

The Octopussy:
Filled to the gills with baby octopi and other cancer fighting agents.
Cheers!

Saturn Return

2009-02-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

If you're somewhere between 27 and 30 (give or take) then you're probably going through a difficult period. Or a life changing period. Or a "smash your head through the looking glass" period. Or maybe all of the former simultaneously. If you find yourself wondering why these things are happening to you, you may benefit from taking a gander at what it means when Saturn Returns.
For most folks, this is not a fun time. There are some major upheavals and overhauls going on in your life. You find yourself questioning who you are, why you are, where you're going and where you've been. I don't intend to get into the gorey details of it here. You can research that at the above link and this one: Saturn.

I will say, a lot of people I've spoken to sound a little bitter about their Saturn Return. I am not one of those people. Not at the moment anyhow (fingers crossed). However, I most definitely would have told you otherwise during my 27th and 28th years. That was often a brutal, dark period.
Back then, my search for my self (which, at the time, I didn't even know was happening...turns out hind sight really is 20-20) ended up looking a lot like this on a daily basis:

And, still struggling against the turning tide of my life, I often felt like Saturn's lunch...

...and dinner.
Saturn will devour your sense of self and sanity at regular intervals...if you let him/it.

The trick is to not.
I got lucky. Two years in I figured things out (fingers crossed!!!). On accident. On belief.
The self search looks more like this nowadays:
I feel like I've made it through to the other side of my life. And I'm SO GRATEFUL.
I feel like I've grown up. And not in the boring way that I thought being "grown up" was.
It's a relief.
It's like I've been holding my breath for decades and no longer have to. It's like I moved from a murky, dreary and frantic place to a world where everything is bright and hopefilled and patient and calm (most days at least).
It's exciting!
I feel like I get myself for the first time. Can I tell you how NICE that is? Because it is. Super, super nice.
All of this thanks to being chewed up and spit out by Ye Ole Saturn Return.

If you're finding yourself going through THE RETURN (dun dun dun!), then I wish you the best of luck and hope that your course runs not too unlike mine. Because the end seems justified and sweet so far.
Here's to us babes of '77 - '80 (give or take) finding the light at the end of the tunnel.

My Bloody Valentine

2009-02-14T11:27:00.001-08:00

When I was in my early twenties I went through a sad sad phase of loathing Valentine's Day. I wrote it off as yet another American money maker. A day to make the lonely that much lonelier. Back then, Valentine's Day was a cruel joke on both your heart and your wallet.
Thank goodness I grew out of that!
The change of heart was inevitable and forced upon me in the middle of a preschool classroom. He had rosy cheeks, pointy teeth and a blond birds nest of curls atop his tiny cherub head. My hardened heart melted when his chubby, cupcake fingers handed me my very own Valentine.
"Because I love you," he beamed.
And I changed my mind just like that. Thanks to one tiny act of giving from a four year old. He understood love so much better than I did. It was still a simple, sweet, beautiful thing to him. And he reminded me that love is just that. Sweet, simple, beautiful, and a really good excuse to GIVE to those that have your heart.
And so I took Valentine's Day into my own hands. I changed my perspective. I started making the ones I love Valentines.My hands have made everything from cupcakes and little paper crafts to elaborate flower arrangements in antique treasure chests filled with surprises. I love doing it. I love letting the people I love know I love them. That I'm thinking of them.
Valentine's Day is good motivation to do just that.
That's why I love it so much!
Next year I think I'm going to make my lovies hand-milled heart soaps and bath teas.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get the recipes right by then!Happy V-day All.
xoxo

Stop-Motion Love

2009-01-17T11:58:00.000-08:00

I fell head over heels in love with stop-motion animation when I was a little girl thanks to a mid-sixties christmas special. Years later, that tiny flame I held in my heart for stop-motion was refueled when my beloved brought home a copy of Blood Tea and Red String.

I adore this film. It turned my dusty little flame into a blazing fire. The soundtrack is my favorite thing to fall asleep to. All those ticking clocks! Not to mention the "heart rending musical score that was composed and performed by Mark Growden accompanies this disturbing and wondrous adventure".
Aaaah, Alice in Wonderland.
Doesn't just the thought of it make your heart skip a beat?
If not, then perhaps this little gem will.
Alice, (1988), by Jan Švankmajer is about as surreal as it gets when it comes to film adaptations of the book. I owe a very good friend a kiss on the forehead for subjecting me to it and several thimblefuls of absinthe one fine evening (after eight hours of travel no less!).
Taxidermy and tea cups!
I recommend turning the volume on the film off and turning the soundtrack of your choosing up while watching this.
You can view a clip of it here.

And now for the icing on the cake:
I recently stumbled upon the Great Grandfather of today's stop-motion films.
Ladislaw S tarewicz was an entomology enthusiast and subsequent stop-motion filmmaker. I've read that he is best known for the 1912 film, Mest' kinegatograficheskogo operatora (The Cameraman's Revenge) (I doubt anyone has made an art of insect personification such as this before or since!!!), but he made so many that I think it's best to decide for one's self. Oh, to have been able to meet this man!

"The Tale of the Fox (Le Roman de Renard)"

And for your viewing pleasure:
The Town Rat and the Country Rat
Voice of the Nightingale
The Frogs Who Wanted a King

The Marchesa

2009-01-16T20:49:00.000-08:00

"Her appearance made her a legend throughout the continent. She was tall and thin. A thick blaze of flame-coloured hair crowned her pale, almost cadaverously white face with its sensually vermilioned lips. Above all, however, the Marchesa’s large green eyes cast the strongest spell of her unique beauty. She exaggerated these further still with immense false lashes and surrounding rings of black kohl, while droplets of poisonous belladonna made them glitter like emeralds."

If you don't know who she was do find out.
xo

StitchCraft

2009-01-13T20:08:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of the Stitch 'N Bitch series? If you haven't, and you've had the itch to pick up a hook or pair of needles, I highly recommend it.
I recently fell in love with crocheting and The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller is undoubtedly where it's at.
I made my first scarf and the beginnings of a lofty birds nest of a hat thanks to her.
I somehow missed out on instruction in the art of stitchcraft in my early years and was foaming at the mouth to pick it up after finding much solace in a very seventies afghan my Mimi made me years ago. If only I'd had her deft little fingers there to teach me before they were transformed into twisted and papery appendages by eighty three years of living!
Sigh.
Just the same, this book has her approval.
Come borrow it from me and make yourself something purty, like this:

Ladies of Illumination (Gals on Fire)

2009-01-12T23:41:00.000-08:00

Brand new to this land o' blog (ooooh, I do so wish there were another word for it!), I intend to begin by explaining why I would delve into such a thing.
The title says it all.
I've been lucky enough to recently stumble into a world of amazingly inspirational ladies that I'll most likely never have the privilege of meeting, but who have nevertheless changed my life in wonderful and numerous little ways.
They have inspired and illuminated.
They've filled me up with hopes and ideas (whimsies, magicks, and craftiness to name a few).
And so inspired, I've decided to follow in their footsteps in the hopes of contributing the same to other gals much like myself.
I don't intend for this whole shebang to be hugely egocentric...
I just want to share the things that melt my heart, take my breath away, and set my soul on fire in the hopes that they'll do the same for you.
And so I kick this whole thing off in honor of my Number One Lady of Illumination: my wickedly wonderful pistol of a grandmother, Mimi.