Happy Autumn!

Sorry I have been AWOL from my blog, but it has been a very busy time with a little too much Real Life lately. The weather around these parts has been a bit cooler, and as tomorrow is *officially* the First Day of Fall for 2011, I am celebrating by posting some pictures of some pieces from my shop that celebrate my favorite season. Subtle, eh?








There are more fall orange lovelies available at my shops on Artfire and Etsy. in my neighborhood, the trees are still quite green - it's awhile before they will turn, but I will share some pictures of how it usually looks here in October and November, taken over the years.

New Scarab Necklaces

I've had these for ages, and took advantage of yesterday's steady rainy weather to stay inside and make some necklaces. I should try some earrings, though they may be too heavy.

Each necklace is usually different, depending on what chain and coordinating beads I have on hand. I love those tiny teal iridescent glass rondelles and hand-wrapped a rosary style chain for that necklace.

The bright blue is a new color variation that one of my suppliers had in stock. It doesn't have the vitrail finish, but its iridescence, hard to capture in pictures, is so mystical! I am also working on a few more - a new ultramarine blue with a different filigree, which isn't quite ready yet.

These blue beauties will all be in the shop very soon, keeping the others company!

Sea and Sky

It's raining heavily today after thunderstorms last evening, so I thought I'd post some new pretties that evoke the elements of summer. I bought these wonderful lampwork beads last year but only recently found the beautiful enameled Vintaj clasps. I have been looking for unusual clasps and these, which I have in yummy colors and will use on future bracelets, are a focal element on their own.

Head over to the shops on Etsy and Artfire to check them out!

Stripes for Summer

New as of tomorrow in the shop - smooth, striped synthetic calsilica and glass bead baubles. Stripes are so cheerful and perfect for summer, and when I saw these last year at a bead show, I had to have them, even though I am a bit late as far as putting them together for the summer. But it's still July, and there is plenty of summer left!

Shown: Necklace, bracelet and 2 pairs of earrings.

Batman Returns!

I have spent the last 2 week going through my supplies, cleaning up the studio and re-organizing, and lo and behold, found some more of the rare vintage Batman DC Comics charms that I scored a couple of years ago. They are very popular and I'm happy to be able to feature them again, on wonderful long oxidized sterling silver ear wires, which complement them so well.

I spent yesterday in air-conditioned comfort, thankfully, and made some new jewelry, at last. Stay tuned and I'll preview them here.

I hope that everyone is being careful in this dangerous hot weather.

Happy Birthday, Dad

Dad would have been 95 years old today - what an amazing thought! He very much wanted to make it to 94 - his father's age when he died, but he came close - he was 93 and a half.

Missing you every day, Dad, and thinking of you today and how we would be celebrating if we were still all together. A lot has changed since you left us, but you are lovingly remembered and cherished, and I hope that you will be listening when I read your card to you in a little while.

The picture was taken in the Bronx Botanical Gardens in the late 1960s.

Honoring Severus Snape!

Just in time for the last film (for now), I finally got down to making some Severus Snape worship lockets. Who doesn't love Alan Rickman, and his peerless portrayal of the beloved/hated Potions Master from Potter-land?



I love this full costume shot from Warner Bros. (above) I'm sure that there are some interesting details in this ensemble (and its variations) that are between the actor and the three costume designers who have dressed him over the years: Judianna Makovsky, Lindy Hemming, and Jany Temime. I would love to know what Snape wears when he's not "working"...wouldn't you? We did see him at home in "The Half-Blood Prince", but sadly, he was in his school attire. That particular set by Stuart Craig was wonderful - I found this still from Fanpop that is a rehearsal shot. I would love to know the titles of some of thos ebooks that are not magic-related, and get a good look at the art he had on his walls and the furniture and linens. A lot of detail was lavished on a set that didn't get much screen time - I hate it when that happens!





Finally made the time to work on the graphics (the most time-consuming aspect of these kinds of pieces) and have begun listing them at Etsy, then will follow at Artfire. I have seven, plus a new "Twilight" locket, and will get them in the shop by tomorrow. It was a busy day here today. The Snape and Lily necklaces are very limited, and one id definitely OOAK.











Not Snape-oriented, but one to commemorate the last book and film.

Heat Wave

It has been shockingly hot here in town for the last couple of days, as it is throughout much of the country. I have a problem with heat and humidity - major heat intolerance, and have to be careful, but I finally had to go out today to mail some sales and do some errands. Unfortunately, I didn't get out as early as I had planned, and like Mad Dogs and Englishmen, went out in the midday sun, even though I had in hand an iced smoothie that I'd made and a large sunhat. If I had just gone to the Post Office and home, I would have been alright, but no, I HAD to go to the library, which was not a wise decision. Walking uphill in bright sun, I began to feel unsteady and I ducked into the local supermarket, which is thankfully, freezing, but I was still very overheated and it took a long time to cool down. People were moving slowly there and it was all I could do to not knock everything and everyone over in my path in order to get to the freezers.

I grabbed a bag of frozen peas and ran it all over my face and neck, but it took awhile to feel better and free of panic. Nobody noticed my distress save for one young man who was filling the freezers with other food. He came over to see if I was OK, brought me an empty plastic milk carton to sit on, and a bag of frozen corn in case I needed a replacement for the peas. I am always touched by acts of kindness and try to perform them myself as often as possible.

Nice young man at the C-Town, I thank you for helping me get through a scary half an hour. Walking home with a bag of Gatorade, I made the two blocks to my apartment but had to buy a cup of ice from the deli on the way...they only had a few left, so at 75 cents a cup, they were doing OK.

I passed a neighbor of mine carrying golf clubs for a day on the links, so I guess there's always someone who thinks they're impervious to danger on days like these. He's an angry and noisy guy with whom I have been at loggerheads for years, but I hope he survived the day.

The thunder and lightning storm passing through helped to cool temps down from 93 to a balmy 71 degrees, but I am sitting in a room with both an air conditioner and a fan blowing on me - I am the only one I know who searches for drafts to sit in front of. My 10 year old air conditioner has been on for 2 days, and I sure hope that it survives a little while longer.

Another summer in the city...pray to the Gods of Consolidated Edison to keep their grids in good order so we can be blackout-free!

New Bead Listings - DESTASH!

I have finally begun going through my bead stash and am winnowing out some beads that I have no use for or have too much of. They're all beautiful and deserve a better fate than to lie unused in their boxes and bags. I have listed a lot today and will continue to over the next few weeks, along with other supplies.

It's a great feeling to clear out to make way for new, which is something I have been doing for a couple of years now. Isn't it interesting how our tastes can change? Components that I bought a few years ago when I was first starting out are things that I would never choose now, and truthfully, I can hardly bear to look at jewelry I made in my first couple of years!

Remembering Theoni V. Aldredge

There was a memorial service for legendary costume designer Theoni V. Aldredge today at the New York Public Theater in New York City, where she designed 80 productions for them alone. The Public was/is also known as The New York Shakespeare Festival, run in those days by the equally legendary Joe Papp; it's now headed by Oskar Eustis, who hosted the service in the Newman Theater.

She was born in 1922, in Athens, Greece, and died in Connecticut this past January 2011. Her husband of 57 years is the wonderful character actor Tom Aldredge.

MTA: Tom Aldredge died on July 26, 2011, at age 83. He had been ill with lymphoma.

According to the program for today's memorial, Theoni designed over 100 Broadway productions, from plays to musicals, as well as feature films and ballet. Her Broadway career began in 1959 with Tennessee Williams' play "Sweet Bird of Youth" and continued with A Chorus Line, Hair, The Threepenny Opera (one of my favorites, starring the late, great Raul Julia) La Cage Aux Folles, Dreamgirls, The Rink, Barnum, Gypsy with Tyne Daly, 42nd Street, and so many others, some of which transferred from initial runs at the Pubic Theater. I think that my favorite was a production of "Much Ado About Nothing" in 1973 starring Sam Waterston and Kathleen Widdoes, directed by A.J Antoon, which was a beautiful show in World War I era ice cream colors that Theoni did so well. I had such a crush on Sam Waterston after that, and he spoke movingly of her today. Her film work included The Great Gatsby, Annie, Addams Family Values, The First Wives Club, The Rose, Moonstruck, and Ghostbusters. Here's a list of Broadway credits. Her last Broadway assignment, appropriately enough, was the 2008 revival of "A Chorus Line".

She was nominated for many awards and won, if my math is correct, 3 Tony Awards, for La Cage Aux Folles, Dreamgirls, Barnum, Annie, and 6 Drama Desk Awards for Peer Gynt, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Much Ado About Nothing, Annie, 42nd Street, and La Cage, again.

I met Theoni when I was a young teenager; I was so enthralled by her work on "Much Ado" that I wrote to her and she kindly invited me to meet her in the costume shop at the Public Theater. Dad came with me, and we had a lovely hour in her office, where she told me about her recent experiences on The Great Gatsby, and told me that it was a tough career with absolutely NO GLAMOUR involved. She was a quiet woman in sunglasses, elegantly dressed, calm, and very imposing. I never worked with her, which I regret, but I saw almost everything that she designed i New York and on film, and learned so much from her. For a number of years it seemed as if she designed every show on Broadway, whether it was a play or musical. The Public Theater was a hotbed of theatrical brilliance, and it's hard to describe how exciting the seasons were, especially the shows at the Delacorte in the summer. I assisted on a play there right out of school while Joe was still there, and really miss those days and the people we worked with.

At today's service, the speakers were Merope Vachlioti, her niece, actor Sam Waterston, set designer Ming Cho Lee, who collaborated with her on over 60 productions, actress Cigdem Onat, Tyne Daly, choreographer Bob Avian, costume designer and former assistant Martin Pakledinaz, Olympia Dukakis, Joel Grey and her widower, Tom Aldredge. All told stories, sang and/or read poems in loving tribute, and other friends and colleagues spoke afterward sharing memories. In the lobby was a slideshow of Theoni's many shows, and it was a treat to be taken down memory lane and realize how large a role she played in New York theatrical history. The range and style of her work, her skill with line, color and pattern and her eye for detail and character inspire me anew. It has been a tough year for me with more than one loss, including a loss of enthusiasm for resuming my design career, but as I stood there and watched the slide show twice, I felt the return of the excitement I felt as a teenager at the idea of making this my career. I had the unexpected pleasure of watching the slideshow with Olympia Dukakis and her husband, Louis Zorich, and we marveled at all of the famous faces in legendary productions that Theoni designed. It was magical, revisiting long-lost memories and memorable shows. Who can forget Olympia's performance as Rose in Moonstruck, with her proper suits that spoke volumes about her traditional background, her pride in what she'd accomplished as a wife and mother, as well as her sadness and fear at the idea of losing her husband's love. Theoni was as wonderful a storyteller as the many playwrights she worked with...and even better than some, truth be told. It is worth searching out some of her work... and happily, this is available! I ordered it and have enjoyed revisiting this lovely production.

Many thanks to Martin and all who put this moving tribute together!