Fabric Painting & Printing

Last December I took a stab at linoleum block printing (actually I used some other material that was softer, recommended for beginners).

Walking to work today, I passed a card store and realized it's that time of year again to think about holiday cards and what my design might be this year -- more ambitious than the last of course, so I better get started early.

I just saw an inspiring 1955 Pathé film showing women painting and printing designs on fabric.

British Pathé 1955

Hum...perhaps I'll print on fabric and adhere to the front of the cards? Or maybe I'll skip the cards and print on fabric and make a skirt...or better yet, do both! Matching skirt and holiday cards -- BRILLIANT!

Trip to Central Europe! Prague, Vienna, Budapest, oh my!

Well it's official, next month I'll be on my way to Prague, Vienna, and Budapest! Picture me doing my best Kermit the Frog impression - my arms flapping wildly around my head while I scream!!

My lovely traveling companion is intent on sampling the historic deserts and coffee of these three cities to refuel her passion for cooking and I'm excited about the natural history and medical museums, like the Naturhistorisches Museum and the Josephinum Medical Museum.


Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna

I think we both agree on our excitement to see antique stores, lots of art, and beautiful architecture!!!

In addition to learning a few words of Czech, German, and Hungarian, I've been doing a bit of reading. I read Rick Rodgers' wonderful and exhaustive book on the deserts and coffeehouses of central Europe: "Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafes of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague." The top three on my list are in Vienna: Café Sacher, Demel (bakery and coffeehouse), and Café Central.


Café Sacher, photo from website blog.hotelclub.com


Demel Bakery, photo from website www.chocolate-fish.net


Photo from Christian Brandstatter's book Vienna 1900: Art, Life, & Culture.


Lithograph by Gustav Kalhammer "View of the Hofoperntheatre form Cafe Heinrichhof," 1912, from Christian Brandstatter's book Vienna 1900: Art, Life, & Culture.

I'm now reading Christian Brandstatter's book "Vienna 1900: Art, Life, & Culture." It's a great overview of Viennese culture: music, fashion, art, architecture, politics.

Some visual highlights from that book...


Gustav Klimt's Beethoven Frieze, 1902 - click image for larger version


Advertising postcard for the Secession building, 1898


Egon Schiele before his painting Begegnung (Encounter), 1914

I am so excited to visit the Secession building and see Gustav Klimt's Beethoven Frieze. I saw a beautiful reproduction of it at the Neue Gallerie's Klimt exhibition in 2008, in NYC. I was also able to see the Egon Schiele 2006 Neue Gallerie exhibition and now I will be able to see their work in their hometown!


Emilie Flöge in "Concert Dress" designed by Gustav Klimt, 1906

Emilie Flöge was the longtime companion of Gustav Klimt. She was a fashion designer and part owner of the Flöge Sisters salon, an important part of the Viennese fashion industry. The neck line of the dress above is so amazing. I'd love to sew some sort of collar thing as an homage. Hum...


Wiener Werkstatte, stairs leading to fabric dept. salesroom

I'm also looking forward to see the Wiener Werkstatte Museum. From 1903 to 1932, the Wiener Werkstatte was a workshop and a collection of craftsmen and artists working in almost every medium. The Architonic website says this:

At the turn of the century around the year 1900 the city of Vienna was, next to Paris, one of Europe’s leading cultural centres. This was due to the rise of the middle classes, who were in the process of emancipating themselves from the model provided by the aristocracy and were searching for ways in which they could express themselves individually in art, architecture and music. Against this background the members of the artists’ association ‘Secession’ and Vienna’s Kunstgewerbeschule, the college of arts and crafts, founded the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop) in 1903. This became a brand in itself and developed into a company which marketed not just furniture and small articles of everyday use made of glass, ceramics, silver and metal, but also jewellery and clothing – in line with the spirit of art as a holistic concept.

And in Vienna we plan on seeing the opera. Faust or Tosca are the operas being performed when we're there. I'm leaning toward Faust.


Watercolor painting by Rudolf von Alt, "Grand Staircase of the Vienna Hofoper," 1873


Hofopern Theatre (Vienna State Opera House) from website www.thetravelen.com.


Interior of Hofopern Theatre (Vienna State Opera House) from website www.thetravelen.com.

So much to think about and research before I leave...oh and packing! My next step is to learn more about Budapest.

Santa's Needs a Smoke Now Then Too

I imagine in this day-and-age Santa has kicked the habit and is no longer including Lucky Strikes in anyone's stocking.

Holiday Cooking - Jello Fun

Wow, how did two weeks go by with nary a thought to blogging...unacceptable!

Work has been exceedingly crazy in addition to a work trip to Ohio where I sadly saw little of the place, but had some great conversations with customers who teach science in higher education (them's some smart people!). So most of my head-space has been taken up with work and thoughts of the future and where I want to go with my career.

That said, I have had a bit of time to look through some vintage magazines I recently acquired, especially in light of the coming holidays! Holiday time is when my thoughts turn to cooking. A couple mags have some great recipes, and some vintage horrors, that I'll be posting over the coming weeks.

Today I'm thinking again on the subject of Jell-O. Wikipedia corrected my erroneous spelling of Jello, to the copyright-correct Jello-O. Prior to the Jello-O brand and in other locations it seems the name for gelatin desserts was jelly or perhaps jellies. I looked at some vintage molds online and so want to bring a fancy-looking dessert to Thanksgiving this year. Or maybe gross-out the family with some savory-type gelatin dessert...hum. Cooking project!



This ad is from the Dec 1, 1954 issue of Australian Home Journal. Yum...so easy! so good! so tempting!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

It's Halloween and sadly my creativity went on vacation this month...without me!

Although I'm staying in this weekend, I'm doing one of my very favorite things - watching horror movies, cozy at home with my significant other. Tonight we're watching Woman Who Came Back (1945). See some amazing photos from the film on the marvelous The Obscure Hollow blog (and a couple below).




And I found my favorite Halloween image this year on Thanatos.net @ LJ. It's cute and creepy, all at once!



Many thanks to Thanatos and The Obscure Hollow for providing my main Halloween (eye) candy this year!!!

Christmas Tree!!!

Wow, two posts in one day. I am feeling the need to document. I had such an incredible lazy weekend that I'm all a-flutter. I must sleep!! But not until I rave about the joys of tree fakery.

No dirt, no bugs, no water threat to the hardwood floors, no drying tree posing a fire hazard (Yes, it happened to my mother when she was eight I believe - house 1/2 burnt down from a Christmas tree catching on fire. I've seen the photo evidence, although I don't remember exactly how it started). Granted, I think I need to walk around a tree farm (one is just two blocks away) to get the scent of the holidays, but I am so excited about the new tree. We normally don't put the tree up until later due to the drying tree hazard, but this year, up the day after Thanksgiving! We trimmed the tree, drank hot toddies, and listened to Christmas music - ah a lovely romantic evening...sigh.