The July Inventory

It is so very uplifting to see raw talent. The era of the tradesman, my Grandfather's time, has passed us by. Or has it? Perhaps not everyone has a trade specific job title, but I would certainly call the makers of these fine crafts "masters of their trade". The true artisan may still have a day-job. Here is some inspiration for the times, a loud warning call that the discerning eye will not be trumped by the mass market. You and I know that the element of handmade or the independent works some psychological wonder in us, and we instantaneously feel rich and whole inside...regardless of whether the goodness and the science are really there.






I was downwind from the camp and the odor
of their soup drifted to me. These people might have been
murderers, sadists, brutes, ugly apish subhumans for all
I knew, but I found myself thinking, "What charming people, what
flair, how beautiful they are. How I wish I knew them." And all
based on the delicious smell of soup. 
John Steinbeck "Travels With Charley"

Cobra Necklace by Pamela Love - $195 at BonaDrag.com

In Dreams by Retrospect Photo - $25 on Etsy

Hand Dyed Tank by Hier Apparel - $45 on Etsy

Pyrite Crystal Hair Pins by Ball and Chain - $35 on Etsy


Fool's Gold is one of my new favorite semi precious stones.
Particularly if it is heavily faceted as in the case of these
hair pins. 

Sparkly Facets Silky Blue Necklace by MiniCyn - $67 on Etsy

Mermaid Straight Leg Yoga Pants by Purusha People - $66 on Etsy


Purusha has such amazing washes and dyes, very  professionally done.
And I adore these straight leg yoga pants, great for posture visibility
and your yoga instructor can more easily point out your unraised knee caps.
Sigh.

Mason Jar Votive Lantern by Pigeon Toe Ceramics - $30 on Etsy


A mason jar fad is sweeping through Etsy and I'm a fan.
Finding a Blue Ball jar at the Edison Granary was like
walking in on a little honest slice of America.

Vintage Brass Patriotic Card Case by Two Art Directors - $28 on Etsy

Lichen Embellished Purse by Elin - $92 on Etsy

George Washington Portrait on Etsy- No Longer Available

The Road by Al Brydon - $30 on Etsy

Bodkin La Nina Bustier - $185 on Bona Drag

I love Bona Drag.  I promise myself all the time that I will eventually
own something from them because their collections are so on the money.
This bustier is dyed using a Japanese Shibori technique.

Golden Heptagram Necklace by PoleStar - $68 on Etsy

Cardamom Marshmallows by Whimsy and Spice - $6 on Etsy

Etsy has a large variety of perishables with some very creative gourmet inspirations.
Try Rose and Vanilla, Fresh Strawberry and Dark Chocolate Marshmallows.

Bellows Silk Tank by Hier Apparel - $100 on Etsy

Prairie Pheasant Earrings by Owlita - $84 on Owlita.com


True, these are quite steep for feathers.  But I intend to make a much
more subtle pair for a fraction of the price (did you know you can get an entire pair
 of Hungarian Partridge wings for $4 dollars?) because the idea of
using rooster neck hackles is too good to pass up. The model above is
wearing two pairs...which is really like wearing two small birds. I admire
her courage.

Studded Capezio Ballet Slippers by Bona Drag - $48 on BonaDrag.com


Whether you do professional, recreational, or fitness dance, these
ballet slippers are sure to separate you from the pack...provided you don't
 mind the risk of a poke during your ronde de jambes.  Leastways, they
are unique...the practical application of this idea would be to make
a pair yourself...though it would be a little heartbreaking for me
to deface mine.

Uncork the Champagne

Now, I could go into a litany of what exactly this blog is all about but who I am will be right in front of you for your reading pleasure all in good time. And if you can't decipher key aspects of my character from the many blog posts to come, I'm either doing a poor job or it's just not worth my time. Neither of those things I have much faith in. What better way to ring in a new blog with a little family history?


My Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather with my Great Uncles Max on the far right and Otto (the younger). Photo taken some time during the late 1800's in Germany.



My Grandfather George on the far right at a very young age apprenticing as a tailor.


My Grandfather is here as a full fledged tailor in Germany. He is in the back raising a beer bottle to the right. Grandfather later worked for Phelps-Terkel on the Miracle Mile in Los Angeles after moving to America. I still have a beautiful old wooden Phelps-Terkel clothes hanger.



My Great Uncle Max became a shoe maker, as evidenced by this photograph of him on the far right in front of his place of work in Germany.



A formal portrait of Grandfather as a young man.



My lovely Grandmother Catherine, my namesake.



My Grandfather on the left looking very dapper in a hand tailored suit in New York in 1933-34.



Three Polish sisters: Great Aunts Josephine and Genevieve and my Grandmother Catherine.



Catherine and George marry and my Dad is born in 1937. Here he is with his first beloved cat.


All three lived in this modest house in Culver City.


The Dimalla's new 1941 Chevrolet.

Later, the Graham Paige which is very similar to the one my Dad owns and restores today.



Great specimens of period typography, these two report cards belong to my Dad.


My Dad is second to the left in the front row of this mass of equally brainwashed children.


Look! You already know several things about me...including my love for history and my steadfast nostalgic streak. I hope soon to be able to give you a glimpse of the other side of my self from a completely different cultural realm--as soon as I procure some of the pictures saved from a house fire in Manila, Phillipines--the birthplace of my Mother.