The Ghost of Victoria's Most Famous Architect - Francis Rattenbury

Happy Halloween!

If you enjoy tales of ghosts, eerie hauntings and strange sightings, an opportunity to experience one of Canada’s most haunted west coast cities… Victoria, B.C. …on Halloween has to be one of the best reasons to make your way to this island city on the last day of October in any given year.

There are dozens of spots in the downtown core and beyond that are said to be haunted. One of the more familiar stories is that of a tall, dashing, handsome chap with a moustache who lurks in the stairwells of the Empress Hotel.

A beautiful, grand hotel at the head of Victoria Harbour, this historic hotel opened in 1908. Designed by the architect Francis Rattenbury, many people are immediately smitten by their first glance of this hotel’s majestic, old world charm. Little do visitors to Victoria know that the ghost of B.C.’s most famous architect, whose life ended in scandal and tragedy, has been seen on numerous occasions, roaming the splendid wood staircases of the Empress Hotel.

Francis “Frank” Rattenbury arrived in Victoria in his early 20’s and set about creating a name for himself in Victoria Society. Shortly after the Legislative Building (one of Rathenbury’s first of many architectural triumphs that still stands on Victoria’s harbour) was opened in 1898, Frank married Florence Nunn.

The daughter of a retired British Indian Army officer turned prospector, many of Victoria’s young maidens gossiped behind closed doors at the time of their engagement wondering what this successful, handsome and most eligible of Victoria bachelors could possibly see in the very plain Florence. Nevertheless, Rathenbury did marry Florence in a June wedding and they went to live in a beautiful beachfront home in Oak Bay. They subsequently had two children, Frank and Mary.

Rathenbury’s professional success made him the darling of Victoria society. However, trouble was brewing behind closed doors in his Oak Bay home. On a personal basis, “Ratz” was often thought of by his peers as an “ill tempered” and “mean” man who was extremely frugal with his money. This side of his personality quickly reared its ugly head.

Florrie and Frank soon discovered that they were ill suited to each other. In the years following, they grew to dislike each other intensely. Despite this sad state of affairs, they continued to live together. Ratz, now drinking excessively, took up residence in separate quarters of their home. It is said that in later years he refused to even speak to his wife directly and only communicated with her through their daughter.

One evening in 1923, at a dinner in his honour at the Empress, Rattenbury, now in his mid 50’s met Alma Parkenham. Still in her early twenties, already once widowed and once divorced, Alma was a beautiful, accomplished pianist, composer and musician visiting Victoria from Vancouver to give a piano recital.

Frank was instantly smitten by this vibrant, daring, young (and for the times, loose) “flapper” woman who reportedly drank and smoked openly in public! Within days, the pair were embroiled in a publically open, torrid love affair much to the dismay of the elite in Victoria society.

The tongues of Victoria’s upper crust wagged furiously when Frank and Alma began appearing at social functions together, apparently oblivious to public opinion and with scant regard for Florence’s feelings and reputation. The titillating rumours circulating in town, about Alma in particular, were numerous, harsh and cruel.

Within a short period of time, Frank approached Florrie and asked for a divorce. Florrie refused. Frank, not about to give up his mistress, began entertaining Alma nightly at the family home in Oak Bay, no doubt hoping that Florrie would quickly change her mind. She did not.

Frank, now becoming desperate to be rid of Florrie, upped the stakes. He began to harangue her with decidedly cruel behaviour. He invited Alma for overnight stays at their home. Florrie was forced to listen to their squealing lovemaking accompanied by loud drinking and drug use.

When Rattenbury realized this was not getting him the desired result he sought, he decided to move out. His parting “gift” was to have the heat and lights turned off in their home. Tired, heartbroken and deeply embarrassed by the antics of her estranged husband, Florrie finally gave up. She agreed to his request for a divorce.

Frank and Alma married in 1925 as soon as the divorce was final. His reputation in ruins through the scandalous affair with Alma, he was publically shunned by his former clients and colleagues. With commissions no longer forthcoming, his finances suffered greatly.

The couple became social pariahs. They were no longer invited for dinners, parties or the theater. Shunned on the streets of Victoria by the social elite, people no longer spoke to either of them.

In 1929, they decided to move to Bournemouth, England for a fresh start. He and Alma, along with their infant son, left Victoria for good.

The move to England did not bring the hoped for betterment in their finances and social standing. Financially strapped, Frank’s relationship with Alma, who loved to spend money, began disintegrating. Bitter and despondent, he quickly turned into an impotent, alcoholic old man who sat hour after hour in a dimly lit room.

Alma, on the other hand, still young and enjoying some success as a composer and musician, craved excitement. With her usual carelessness, this 38 year old woman began an affair with George Percy Stoner, an 18 year old high school dropout Francis had hired as a chauffeur.

One night in 1935, while sitting in the drawing room in a drunken stupor, 67 year old Rattenbury was murdered from behind. Several blows to his head with a carpenter’s mallet quickly rendered him unconscious. He remained unconscious for a number of hours and then died in hospital. Alma and Stoner immediately came under suspicion. Murder charges against the two for the gruesome crime followed quickly.

The sensational trial, laced with all manner of titillating sex, drugs and tales of infidelity lasted five days. As a witness, Alma “described how, trying to bring her husband round, she first accidentally trod on his false teeth and then tried to put them back into his mouth so that he could speak to her. … Mrs. Rattenbury said when her lover got into bed that night and told her what he had done, "My first thought was to protect him." In the end, Alma was acquitted of the charges. Stoner, on the other hand was convicted and sentenced to death.

Was Alma distraught at the thought of losing her lover to the hangman? Had she committed the murder herself and was now riddled with guilt? With her reputation permanently destroyed and faced with the prospect of living the rest of her life in disgrace, was she consumed with guilt and shame? We shall never know. She committed suicide four days after the verdict. She stabbed herself repeatedly in the heart, fell into the River Avon and drowned. Her body was discovered within hours. There was no note. The headlines in the London newspapers were said to be the most dramatic and sensational since the sinking of the Titanic.

Meanwhile, the public was outraged at Stoner’s verdict. They blamed Alma for leading him astray and corrupting this young lad with “undue influence” and her sexual charm. A petition for clemency, signed by thousands, was presented to the courts and the Home Secretary agreed to commute Stoner’s sentence to life imprisonment. He served seven years for the murder of Francis Mawson Rattenbury.

And Frank… well I believe he still roams the staircases of the Empress in his long, black frock coat begging for forgiveness… hoping to redeem himself for his ghastly treatment of Florence, seeking to repair his tarnished reputation with the public and his peers, wishing he had never crossed paths with the likes of Alma!

Happy Haunting!

Sharon

Copyright 2008 Sharon House. Please do not use for either oral or written presentation without written permission from the author.

Thrifty Tuesday Art Tips - juice boxes, elastic bands and gift bags

Today for your thrifty arting pleasure we have 41 tips for juice boxes, elastic bands and gift bags PLUS a terrific gift bag project with instructions.

Yesterday, I went back to do a count on how many art tips have been published since I started the blog. I thought I had made an adding mistake (math has never been my strong point ;) when I saw the number....267. I added it up again and sure enough it was correct. Of course this doesn't cover all of the tips that were submitted in the recycling contest, remembering that there were duplicate tips in most of the lists and there are still some to come. But anyway you look at it... that is one awesome number!

Thanks to Terry Howard, Martha B., Leslie, Donna Zamora, Susan Marie, Kelsey Jones Evans, Stephen du Toit, Moon Willow, Christine Bell, Pam Yee, Pam Crawford, Donna Hall, Elizabeth from Kansas, Alicia Edwards and some from yours truly for submitting these great tips!

Please take a moment to say thanks to them for their generosity when you visit their blogs or come across their name in the various art groups on the web.

Thanks too to all those folks who have written me an email about the tips, posted a thank you in one of the art groups, left a comment on the blog. I try to answer all the emails and comments, if I have an address, to personally thank those folks who have taken the time to write. I sincerely appreciate each and every one of you and am just tickled when I get an email from a blog viewer!

On to today's tips...

Save those small juice boxes and ....according to Donna Zamora, “wait until Thrifty Tuesday suggests a workable idea for them.” So Donna, here are 15 nifty ideas just for you! SMILE

1. Make small shrines
2. Create bodies for art dolls
3. Add a chipboard roof to create a little house/birdhouse.
4. Make shaker boxes. Cut the top off of one juice box. Cut an second juice box to make a lid for the first juice box. Fill the juice box with beans. Push the lid on top of the first juice box. Put tape around it to seal it and decorate the box.
5. Use to line a niche box in an altered book
6. Use an altered juice box on a belt as a rather unique embellishment.
7. Cut off the top on three sides leaving one side for a hinge, rinse them and use for storage of small items.
8. Use juice box straws as arms and legs on stick figures. The accordion part of the straw makes great joints.
9. Save those small juice boxes and take them back to the recycling depot for money to buy some new art supplies. (Note: not all recycling depots accept juice boxes)
10. Fill with plaster, then decorate as building blocks for children or to use in a shrine.
11. Make a juice box purse or tote by cutting apart, punching holes and sewing, or crocheting them back together
12. Cut off the top of a juice box on 3 sides add a latch and you have a little treasure keeper or gift box.
13. Make a stackable mini storage unit from empty juice boxes
14. Use as a backing for art work, book cover/pages
15. Cut off the top, wash thoroughly, then decorate to use as favor holders for parties.

Save those elastic bands and ...

1. Staple them into your art as a great embellishment.
2. Use them to hold things in place as the glue dries.
3. Use them to hold overstuffed notebooks closed.
4. Use them to create a closure for note card booklets or handmade books.
5. Cover them with a fabric tube and use as hair scrunchies that don’t pull your hair.
6. Save those elastic bands and make a huge "stress" ball … slowly… one elastic band at a time!
7. Save those elastic and rubber bands to bundle mat-board or cardboard pieces for a unique disposable stamp or applicator
8. To create an interesting design…. wind one around a brayer, then run the brayer over ink pad or acrylic paint spread on a flat palette.
9. Wrap elastic bands around a wooden block, randomly or in a design, to make your own unique rubber stamp.
10. Save those elastic bands to bind a book.
11. Wrap WAXED PAPER, FOIL, TP ROLLS with rubber bands or yarn to make printing tools.
12. Save those elastic bands and use in collage. Alicia said: "I once saw an octopus made out of elastic bands. It was awesome."

Save those gift bags and

1. Use for instant covers; the handles are great for closures, elements for theme pieces.
2. Metallic gift bag (free) paper is wonderful to emboss or make bits into highlight elements like stars, crowns, birds etc
3. Cut gift bags up for backgrounds on cards, collage, ATCs, art journals, covers and ABs.
4. Sit on a shelf as pretty storage for bulky art items. Don't forget to attach a 'gift tag label' so you know what's inside.
5. Cut them up to use as you would any paper stock.
6. Save those gift bags, alter and keep them on hand for the next gift-giving event.
7. Add your own embellishments and reuse them as gift bags. Re-art them for someone special.
8. Tear them apart and use the pieces in paper mache for book covers. The color is great!
9. Save those gift bags and stand a pot-plant inside
10. Cut them up into flats and use them for wrapping smaller gifts
11. Make paper beads
12. Use the designs in collage, altered book or a pop up book.
13. Save the cord handles to bind a book.

A Gift Bag Project and Instructions

Here’s an idea for gifts bags that I just love! You don’t want to miss this one….

Create a miniature scene in a gift bag. Imagine a little Christmas scene for someone special. What an awesome gift it would make!

Fay Zerbollo of St. Louis, MO makes absolutely fabulous “gift bag room boxes”. I got in touch with Fay last week and she graciously agreed to allow me to post a few of the photos of her gift bags to whet your appetite and tantalize your soul until you can make one of your very own .

To get a copy of Fay’s “how to” instructions click here.

Even if you aren't ready to take on another project right now, drop by Fay’s site to see all of her wonderful creations and get inspired. You’ll be glad you took the time to browse through her site. She is truly a master artist when it comes to assembling these wonderful gift bags.

Have a fun Halloween week... Time permitting, I will see you on Friday with a spooky story!

Sharon

Thrifty Tuesday Art Tips - Old Business Cards and Plastic/Paper Grocery Bags

59 great recycling ideas submitted to the September 2008 Brainstorming Recycling Contest by Terry Howard, Martha B., Leslie, Donna Zamora, Susan Marie, Kelsey Jones Evans, Stephen du Toit, Moon Willow, Christine Bell, Pam Yee, Pam Crawford, Donna Hall, Alicia Edwards, Elizabeth and some from yours truly!

Save those old business cards and

1. blend them together with other paper to make great handmade papers.
2. Use calligraphy, stamps or tiny cut out word to make a quotation on an old business card and fill a business card holder for instant inspiration.
3. Use an old business card to add a layer to a collage.
4. Save those old business cards and alter them like an ATC.
5. Save those old business cards and paint or glue pretty paper on them, add a name and you have a place card for a dinner party.
6. Glue two together to make them thicker cut them into inchie size and make inchies.
7. Save those old business cards and use the reverse side for sentiments on greeting cards.
8. Wrap business cards in interesting cloth or paper scraps as 3-D embellishments
9. Decorate with paint, beads, clip art, drawings and use as "found" art or bookmarks.
10. Paint and cut out shapes with paper punches.
11. Collage them as art pieces or alter them to become YOUR business card.
12. Use old business cards like a squeegie when painting backgrounds, etc.
13. Make a fan book out of old business cards.

Save those tags on new, store bought clothes and

1. You have a ready made tag for your art, along with the hanger. Start by gessoing or adding a collage background, then proceed to decorate as you would any tag.
2. Stencil or stamp them, the hanger thingy makes a great way to display small 4x6s, add to make depth, use in a collograph.
3. Cut up the tags to make Inchies or other small items
4. Add altered tags to books, pages or cards, gifts
5. Alter and use as bookmarks or decoupage material in your art.
6. Use the tags as a template for quilt designs or book inserts
7. Paint unusual shapes as a base for your new embellishment designs
8. Save those tags on new, store bought clothes and if they are pretty or have catchy phrases, cool looking fonts you can use them in any collage. If they are big enough you can use them as a base for ATC’s or Moo cards. Some tags are really pretty and need just the right picture or embellishment.
9. Save those tags on new, store bought clothes and paint, collage, embellish to make ornaments.
   

Save those plastic shopping bags and

1. iron them together to create a "fabric". Use at least two or three bags, iron between two craft sheets, allow to cool, and peel. You can sew on them, or just use them as the entire background. If you are in a swap, they are light as air to mail.
2. Save those plastic shopping bags and mash into wet stuff for texture or dip a wadded one into paint and apply backgrounds.
3. Cut plastic bags into strips and crochet/knit a shopping bag. Tape one side to your worktable top leaving one side open; handy to scoop trimmings, and other refuse into the bag.
4. Using two plastic bags, insert one into the other. Tie off the top, trapping air inside, and use as a cushion for packing items to store or mail.
5. Run an ATC-size chipboard (cut from a cereal box of course) through your Xyron sticker-maker, then wrinkle a piece of the bag and brayer it onto the sticky side of the chipboard. Paint, gesso, ink or use as is.
6. Save those plastic shopping bags and use to make cool designs by cutting them flat and squishing them into wet paint. Lift when dry.
7. Weave them into mats to protect a work surface or ease you bottom during those long work sessions or in the football stands during long games.
8. Save those plastic shopping bags and melt them together with an iron into layered "cloth" to dress scarecrows
9. Save those plastic shopping bags and make beads out of them. Cut into triangular long strips and wind around a bamboo skewer blast with a heat gun and there ya go!
10. You can cut them into strips and knit or crochet them into tote bag, purses, or pool side slippers.
11. Cut into strips braid and make a rug or kneeling pad for gardening.
12. Save those plastic shopping bags and iron them together and sew them into your newly created art bags/grocery bag/etc as a liner.
13. Save those plastic shopping bags and crinkle up to use with paint for great backgrounds.
14. Split them apart and use to cover your work surface to keep it clean.

Save those brown paper grocery bags and

1. Make mini-books.
2. Create background papers. Crumple and place in a mixture of glue and water, then remove, wring out, and add bits of mica powder and paint while still wet. Hang to dry. When dry, swipe black or dark colored dye ink over the hills. Iron if you choose.
3. If you are lucky enough to get brown paper bags with cool pictures on them, cut out the pictures and incorporate in an AB spread or art journal.
4. Save those brown paper grocery bags and unfold them to make book covers, whole books or just a page or two.
5. Make envelopes and home-made tags, good for ATCs.
6. Cut into smaller sizes for Moo cards or inchies.
7. Tear and collage onto background for ATCs Cut selected words to use on collage, altered books, cards.
8. Cut brown paper bags into usable sizes and use as you would any paper stock
9. Fill brown paper bags with a few inches of sand, insert candle, for a lovely outdoor lumineria for parties or holiday decor. Fold the tops down into a cuff to stabilize the top and punch/cut decorative holes if desired.
10. Save those brown paper grocery bags and spray with Walnut ink. Gives a nice aged look.
11. Use to protect work surfaces when painting/crafting.
12. Use them for wrapping when mailing gifts, boxes, etc.
13. Use them in brown paper mache to create covers for altered books.
14. Use the paper from brown paper grocery bags for layered and distressed pieces - it's strong!
15. Use as background paper. It is very versatile and can be painted, inked, chalked, embossed, glued etc.
16. Brown paper bags make terrific homemade prim style wrapping paper tied up with twine.
17. You can wet brown paper bags and mold it around items, let it dry and it holds the shape, much like paper mache’.
18. Tear into pieces and incorporate into a design with other paper and fabric
19. Make faux leather paper from brown paper bags. Spray it with Perfect Ink Refresher. Crumble it. Spread it out and go over with with an ink pad.
20. Print on it for wrapping papers of all kinds.
21. Crumple and spray paint it.
22. Crumple and web it.
23. Use brown paper bags as blotters, to cut templates and patterns. Use to cover books.

Happy Arting... see you on Halloween!

I will be in Vancouver this coming Friday and over the weekend watching hubby pound on his drum (he's a tenor drummer in a military pipe band... you know the guys that twirl the sticks GRIN) in the Salute to the Military at the B.C. Lions Football game. Ah he looks so cute in his kilt...and boy you should see him twirl those sticks! I wouldn't want to miss it LOL!

Sharon

Wisdom Tale - The Eight Cow Wife!

Whatcha think? Time for another tale? Well, let's see. I think I'll tell you my alltime favourite tale... “The Eight Cow Wife". Ah good, you're intrigued already.

I love the message in this tale and delight in telling it any chance I get! This story was also a favourite of my very special auntie Flo who passed away last May at 86. I must have told her this tale a dozen times in the year before she died. She never tired of hearing it... always requesting it again and again and just sighed every time she heard it. I miss our phone calls (at least once a week since forever) but most of all I miss her and her cute giggle!

So just sit back with a nice cup of tea or coffee and imagine you are on a tiny, remote island in the warm South Pacific. Are you comfy? Good, now let the tale begin.

*******************************************************************************

Now Johnny Lingo wasn’t exactly his name. But that’s what Shenkin, the manager of the guest house where I was staying called him. You see, Shenkin was from Chicago and had a habit of Americanizing the names of the villagers on this tiny island in the Pacific.

Everywhere I went on the island, Johnny’s name was mentioned.

If I said that I wanted to spend a few days exploring one of the neighbouring islands, talk to Johnny Lingo they’d say. He’ll show you around.

If I wanted to fish, talk to Johnny Lingo they’d say. He’ll take you to where the fish are biting.

If it was pearls I sought, talk to Johnny Lingo they’d say. He’ll get you the best buys.

The people of Kiniwata all spoke highly of Johnny Lingo. Yet when they spoke of him, they smiled, but those smiles were slightly mocking.

One morning, as I sat chatting with Shenkin, even he advised: "Get Johnny Lingo to help you find what you want. Let him do the bargaining. Johnny knows how to make a deal."

"Johnny Lingo!” hooted a boy seated nearby. “Ya he sure knows how to make a deal”.

I didn’t get it, so I turned to Shenkin. "Hey Shenkin, what’s going on here?. Everybody tells me to get in touch with Johnny Lingo and then they break up in gales of laughter. What’s the big joke?."

"Oh, the people like to laugh about Johnny." Shenkin said. "You see, Johnny's the brightest, richest and most handsome young man in the islands. But five months ago, at the fall festival, Johnny came here and found himself a wife. He actually paid eight cows for her! Nobody here pays eight cows for a wife, but Johnny Lingo did.”

“Guess there’s no accounting for love,” I thought to myself, but I knew enough about island customs to be impressed. Two or three cows would buy a fair-to-middling wife, four or five a highly satisfactory one.

"Good Lord!" I said, "Eight cows! She must be a beauty that takes your breath away."

"Sarita is not downright ugly," Shenkin said. "But she’s… well rather plain. Skinny. Walks with her shoulders hunched and her head down. Why, that girl is scared of her own shadow. Her father was pretty worried that he’d have her on his hands for the rest of her life. But then along came Johnny and he got eight cows for her. Now the villagers get a lot of pleasure from the fact that the sharpest trader in the islands got the wool pulled over his eyes by her father… dull old Sam Karoo. And that’s why they snicker and laugh when they talk about Johnny."

Now I was really curious. So I asked Shenkin, "How did that happen?"

"Well no one really knows for sure and everyone still kinda wonders. All the cousins were urging Sam to ask for three cows and hold out for two until he was absolutely certain Johnny’d pay only one. But then Johnny went to visit Sam and said, ‘Father of Sarita, I offer eight cows for your daughter.” Well old Sam nearly fainted on the spot. He was mighty relieved when they married the next day before Johnny could change his mind."

In that moment I knew. I definitely wanted to meet this Johnny Lingo.

The next afternoon I beached my boat on the island where Johnny Lingo lived with his bride. And I noticed as I asked directions to Johnny’s house that the mention of his name didn’t bring any snickering smiles to the lips of the villagers on this island.

I knocked on Johnny’s door and he graciously welcomed me in. As we sat and talked he asked where I had come from. When I told him, he smiled gently and said: "My wife is from Kiniwata."

"Yes, I know." I said.

His eyes lit up. "Ah…They speak of her on Kiniwata? What do they say?"

The question caught me somewhat off guard. I wasn’t sure how to reply so I said: "They told me you were married at fall festival time."

The curve of his eyebrows told me he knew there had to be more.

”They also said the marriage settlement was for eight cows and they still are wondering why."

His eyes sparkled with pleasure. "Everyone there knows about the eight cows?"

I nodded.

"Well everyone here knows about it too." He said. His chest expanded with satisfaction. "Always and forevermore, when they speak of marriage settlements, it will be remembered that Johnny Lingo paid eight cows for Sarita."

So that’s the answer, I thought: vanity.

And then I saw her. I watched her enter the room to place flowers on the table. She stood still a moment to smile at the young man beside me. Then she swiftly left the room.

She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful, poised and confident woman I had ever seen in my life. The lift of her shoulders, the tilt of her chin, the sparkle in her eyes all spoke of a pride which no one could deny her.

I turned back to Johnny Lingo and found him looking at me. "Oh Johnny, she is absolutely gorgeous. I.. I.. don’t understand … why they would snicker and laugh about you.”

Johnny looked at me and said. "I know you probably heard that she was homely and they think that I let myself be cheated by her father. But have you ever thought what it must mean to a woman to know that her husband has settled on the lowest price for which she can be bought? And later, when the women of the village get together and talk, they always boast about what their husbands paid for them. One says four cows, another maybe five, sometimes six. How do think the woman who was sold for one cow must feel? I would not let this happen to my darling Sarita."

"I wanted to marry Sarita. I loved her and no other woman. I wanted her to be happy, but I also wanted an eight cow wife.

Now you say she is different than what they told you. This is true. She is. Many things can change a woman. Things that happen inside, things that happen outside. You see, on her island, Sarita believed she was worth nothing. but when I paid eight cows for her and treated her like an eight cow wife deserves, she began to believe that she was an eight-cow woman. She discovered that she is worth more than any other woman in the islands. And what matters most is what a woman thinks of herself.

************************************ SIGH ************************************

I won’t be posting until the 21st again. This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving and hubby and I are taking a four day weekend together to buzz around, have some fun and stuff ourselves with turkey dinner and pumpkin cheesecake pie. Hey with all the economic woes going on, we need to do something to get our attention away from the stock market! Laughter and tasty comfort food seem to be the only commodities left that can actually make you feel good these days.

Next week I will be at a storytelling festival for four days. While I am there, I'll be doing a workshop with Donald Davis... North Carolina storyteller extraordinaire... and boy am I looking forward to that. I sure do miss North Carolina storytellers (and that lovely N.C. drawl) since moving back to Canada. I am also looking forward to seeing Gay Ducey, as southern a woman as they come, a librairan and a storyteller who can spin a tale out of nothing and make you laugh till your sides ache! And of course, all my storytelling buddies plus my dear friend Kathy from near Seattle who will put up with me being her roomie while we are there LOL.

Perhaps in the meantime, it will give you a chance to get caught up on all the posts you may not have read yet or go back and re-read some of your favourites!

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Have a lovely weekend.

Sharon

P.S. I've been tagged by my South Dakato art buddy Mar... what a little devil she is... but I won't be able to do much about it until later in the month. Be prepared... you might be next LOL!

Thrifty Tuesday Art Tips - Bottle Caps, Blister Packaging and Canning Jar Lid Inserts

Now who could have guessed that Terry Howard, Martha B., Leslie, Donna Zamora, Susan Marie, Kelsey Jones Evans, Stephen du Toit, Moon Willow, Christine Bell, Pam Yee, Pam Crawford, Donna Hall, Elizabeth and Alicia Edwards would come up with 24 uses for a "lowly" bottle cap, 9 ideas for "useless" blister packaging and 12 ideas for canning jar lid inserts that usually go into the trash without much thought? Certainly not me! I don't know about you but I was pretty impressed by those numbers!

Here, for your arting pleasure, is the result of their brainstorming.....

Save those bottle caps and

1. alter them to use as an embellishment on a page, ATC or tag
2. paint/decoupage and make into Christmas decorations
3. bottle caps make funky earrings or pendants on necklaces
4. make magnets for the fridge using your favourite photos
5. cover with fabric, glue a cardboard circle that fits the back of the bottle cap. Glue a thumbtack to the cardboard backing and voila you have a “designer” thumbtack
6. glue bottle caps to a Styrofoam tray to store tiny findings or beads
7. adhere stickers to the top of a bottle cap for embellishments in scrapbooks, altered books, etc.
8. mount small fun-foam shapes on the back of bottle caps - more small printing blocks!
9. cover with fabric, threads and beads for Christmas decorations
10. drill a hole in the top and attach to a book page as an embellishment
11. fill the deep side of the bottle cap with resin and embed artsy bits, objects, micro beads, fiber, printed graphics, pictures or photos in it.
12. make into games pieces or charms
13. use as a dangle in wind chimes
14. plastic bottle caps are great for holding glue when you are applying with a paint brush for glitter
15. use as a stamp to make rings or bubbles for fish on your "canvas"!
16. bottle caps make nice tiny frames, distressed and painted for a textured area.
17. chain bottle caps together to make a jingly addition to a book, page or ???
18. flatten, bend in half and attach as page tabs
19. glue a makeup sponge inside a large 2 liter bottle cap to save your manicure when applying inks
20. make a finger-size pincushion
21. use as "feet" for a box or shrine
22. use to create a "Shadow" box with a mini-scene or art bits. Wrap the edges with fiber or micro-beads. A pin-back will turn it into jewelry.
23. melt the bottle cap liners together, stamp them while hot, colour with inks and they look like a wax seal.
24. use as a head on an art doll.

Save that clear plastic blister packaging and

1. emboss it or make a die cut for your art out of it.
2. paint with alcohol inks to make 'polished stone' backgrounds
3. frame 3-D artwork in clear plastic blister package boxes
4. recyclable plastic can be die cut (or stamped then cut out) to shrink with heat gun or oven just like the store-bought shrink plastic materials.
5. cut out a design, press into wet paint and “stamp” onto paper with it.
6. cut blister packing into cloud shapes. Paint them white. While the paint is still wet, spread tiny bits of cotton on them. Use as cloud embellishments in your art.
7. use the flat pieces to cut out a stencil pattern
8. make a miniature scene inside shaped blister packing
9. use flat blister packaging as "windows" in shaker boxes, cards. slides, frames or collages.

Save those canning lid inserts and

1. cover with fabric, used gift wrap, ribbons or images from cards, attach a hanger and use as an ornament for your Christmas tree.
2. drill a hole in the top and attach a chain. Use as a chime in outdoor wind chimes.
3. cover the insert with batting and fabric. Glue to the underside of the insert. Cut out a cardboard circle to fit the bottom of the insert. Glue to insert. Paint the outer canning ring. Push the insert into the ring and you now have a decorative jar lid for buttons, cotton balls or even preserves/jam you make to give away as gifts.
4. use the inserts to make picture magnets for the fridge
5. use the inserts to make interesting/different/unusual place cards for a party
6. make an unusual book. Collage on the inserts. Drill a hole to “bind” the inserts together with a binder ring
7. glue an image to the insert and mount in a scrapbook, altered book or card
8. paint and decoupage the inserts to make sun catchers, mobiles, etc.
9. use the inserts as a base for decorative candles
10. use the canning inserts to make bodies for “metal people”, bird house roofs, and tin assemblages
11. use as a base to make a round pendant. Drill a hole in the top and attach a jump ring and chain
12. use to cut out metal “dog tags” for your art.

I'll be taking next Tuesday and a couple of Fridays off from posting this month as I prepare for an upcoming art show in November. a workshop I will be doing on the Latest Trends in Mixed Media art group at the end of this month, eating turkey with all the trimmings on Canadian Thanksgiving (October 13) with my family and four days away at the Forest Storytelling Festival in Port Angeles, Washington.

WHEW... that should keep me off the streets and out of trouble for a few days!

Have a great week...

Sharon

“A” is for Apple Pie…

Last Saturday morning my ten pounds of peaches and forty pound box of apples arrived from the fruit farmer! Hubby’s eyes lit up. He licked his lips in anticipation and I swear I saw some drool escaping down the side of his chin. LOL.

It wasn’t rocket science to figure out what was going through his mind. My pie loving hubby had visions of hot peach or apple pie, flaky sweet pastry with a dollop of homemade ice cream and a cup of his "killer coffee" to wash it all down, spinning wildly out of control in his head. LOL

One of my Fall rituals each September is a marathon session baking pies. I have my Gramma to thank for that. She taught me how to make pie pastry when I was all of eight years old.

Gramma and Grampa lived on a very large dairy farm in northwestern Ontario that my French Canadian grandfather inherited from his father when he died, well into his nineties, in the 1930’s.

What a wonderful farm it was! Acres and acres of hay fields, a small fruit orchard and a vegetable garden filled with row upon row of corn, peas, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsnips, pumpkin, carrots, squash and turnip. Rows that seemed to stretch for miles and miles.

An old fashioned barn for the cows and the horses.

A long white hen house for mama hens and their chicks.

An ornery barnyard rooster named Big Ben named after the Big Ben clock in London, England. Need I say more? What a noisy character he was....

A building that served both as a root cellar for storing the fall harvest and ice house for cooling and storage of perishables.

A mud pit with a fence for Papa Porky, his wife Bess and their squealing little piglets.

A hay barn and place to store the wagons and farm implements when the day’s work was done.

A rambling, old farmhouse with many tiny rooms, a large attic filled with all sorts of goodies from years gone by (including great-grandfather's fiddle) and a gigantic kitchen with two long tables that probably sat at least 12 people each. I remember the old rocking chair that sat by the large wood burning cook stove. I was rocked to sleep in that chair on many occasions when I was really little.

A water well and bucket just outside the back door. And yup the outhouse was a bit further out in the backyard... with a fancy curtained window in the door no less!

A long porch with rockers and chairs for sunset sittin’ and watchin' before bedtime. Grampa was up at 4 in the morning to milk the cows before they went out to pasture. He "hit the hay" pretty early each evening.

A miniature "farmhouse" and tiny flower garden filled with pansies, daisies and sweet peas. Such a lovely playhouse built by a proud grandfather (my great-grandfather) for his first granddaughter.

It was to this land and home, a handsome young man with a delightful French accent brought his pretty, Minnesota bride to live and raise a family prior to WWI.

In the early 50’s Grampa built a modern, new house with a small “tearoom” porch for Gramma just up the road. Gramma just loved her new house even though she complained every now and again that the kitchen was “too small”… she couldn't fit 12-14 people around the kitchen table at one time now! It was in this kitchen that she taught me the “art” of making pastry.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved apple pie and homemade ice cream! When we went to visit, Gramma always made sure she had a freshly baked apple pie sitting on the sideboard waiting for me. Grampa, of course, always needed help to finish off churning the ice cream. He needed a “tester” to quickly dip a small index finger into that cold, cold mass of cream and sugar and have a taste. This, of course, was just a “precaution” to make sure the ice cream was really ready.

Each summer, my cousin Lanny and I (we are close in age) would get to spend a couple of weeks on the farm with our grandparents just as our three older “girl” cousins (now teenagers) had done when they were our age. Not only would we get to gather the eggs, feed the chickens, pick vegetables and fruit or play in the old playhouse my great grandfather had built but we got to go on the tractor out into the fields with our grandfather or help gramma in the kitchen. It was the highlight of our summer school vacation.

During harvest time, the farm bustled with activity and people! The “clan” of aunts and uncles, farmhands, and friends all gathered to bring in the bounty and put it up for the winter ahead. While my mother and her sisters canned fruit and vegetables in the old farmhouse kitchen up the road (it was wired for electricity in the 1920’s), Gramma, aided by her granddaughters, would get busy in the new farmhouse preparing the evening feast for a crowd of ravenous “workers”. Pies, made with a variety of fillings and freshly churned butter, were always on the menu!

Each fall, these wonderful childhood memories come flooding back to me. As I put on my apron and get out the butter, shortening, flour, sugar and cinnamon, eggs, cream, pie tins and my gramma’s old rolling pin, I am magically transported back in time to gramma’s kitchen! My grandmother is my kitchen angel at pastry making time. Even though she died suddenly when I was just twelve, I can still feel her presence and hear her voice instructing me in the fine “art” of creating flaky, delicious pastry.

• Now Sharon, never make pastry on a rainy day. The flour can absorb too much moisture and make it dry.


• Make sure dear that everything is very cold before you start. The flour, the butter, the lard, the water.


• Cut the butter and lard (shortening) into the flour until it is the size of the peas in the garden.


• Mix your pastry as quickly as you can and handle it as little as possible. The heat from your hands will melt the “fat” around the flour and that's what makes pastry tough. We want the heat of a hot oven to do that job!


• Form the pastry into a nice round ball and pat it down into a circle. Put it in the fridge for 15 minutes to get it cold again.


• Roll the pastry circle eight times. Once up, then down. Turn the pastry sideways, once up and down. Imagine it is a clock. Put your rolling pin in the middle of the clock. Roll once towards ten o’clock; once toward five o’clock; once toward two o’clock and once toward seven o’clock. That's enough... just practice and you'll soon know how to do it like this.


• Wind your pastry onto your rolling pin and transfer it to the pie tin.


• Mix a beaten egg until it is frothy. Add some cream. Now brush the egg wash on the top crust to make a pretty brown top crust once it’s baked.


• Sprinkle some sugar on the top of the pie just before you put it in the oven It will caramelize on top and it’s very tasty.


• Bake on the middle rack in a 370 degree oven for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees. You'll know when the pie is done. It will be lovely and brown on the top. It will burn if you put it on the bottom rack or don't turn the oven down.

Last weekend, I doned my apron and had a marathon pie making session ! I made eight peach pies and some homemade vanilla ice cream on Sunday. So far this week, I have made another 22 pies… cinnamon apple, cinnamon apple/blackberry and apple/raspberry… all but three of them headed for the freezer to enjoy at Thanksgiving, Christmas and over the winter.

My hubby is a very happy man. All is right with the world when there’s pie in the oven and the house smells of cooked apples and cinnamon when he walks through the door at the end of the day. I love all the appreciative compliments I get when he takes his first sniff and looks at all the pies cooling on the counter. He never fails to praise the pastry as he savours his piece of pie after dinner! LOL

Now just to prove that I am not fibbing… here’s a photo of half the top shelf of my freezer….double stacked with 20 pies... the remaining were still cooling when I took this photo

And… just to make your mouth water… here is one of the pies…

Now… if you aren’t into making pastry, here’s an art project for you.

But first a humourous little story.

Remember that photo of the apple pie at the beginning of this post? Well...

One of my husband’s uncles loves my apple pie and raves about my pastry. I swear that man can smell it all across town because he usually shows up for a "cuppa" (a cup of tea), out of the blue and unexpectedly, just as they are out of the oven and cooling on the counter.

One afternoon he stopped by for tea and saw that same pie at the beginning of this post, sitting on my counter. We chatted about this and that and I noticed how he kept stealing a sideways glance at it. But he said not a word about the pie.

He drank his tea and nibbled at the cookies on his plate. He waited and waited and waited for a piece of that pie to be offered.

Finally he could stand it no longer. “Do you think I could have a slice of that nice apple pie you made?” he said boldly.

"Sure," I said. "But I don't think you'll like it. The pastry is rather tough."

"Oh, just a little piece will do!" he said, licking his lips in anticipation.

Well the jig was up. I told him the truth. He just roared with laughter when he found out it was a “fake” apple pie. He has never let me forget it!

Want to try your hand at making an apple pie top? Make a batch of flour and salt playdough. Cut out strips and weave them together to form the top of the pie. Decorate the pie with an apple and leaves made from the "playdough". Place it on the middle rack in your oven (about 225 degrees) until its dry. This can take some time at this low heat, so just be patient. It will look "cooked" when it's fairly white with no moist spots. Remove it from the oven with oven gloves. It will be hot!

Let it cool, preferably overnight, then ink the “cooked” pie crust and apple with vintage ink. Fill the aluminum pan beneath it with cinnamon pot pourri and hot glue the crust to the pan. It will make your kitchen smell wonderful and you'll probably fool your best friend with your newly acquired, fantastic pie making abilities!

Best get busy. I still have a third of a box of apples to deal with!! Hmmm… guess I’ll make some southern fried apples to have with the pork chops tonight. Maybe I’ll make enough to bottle up for over the winter too… or what about some apple mint jelly for lamb… or a filling for apple crisp… or maybe some apple chutney for curry… or .....

Tootles for now…

Sharon

Thrifty Tuesday Art Tips – Recycling Egg Cartons, Cardboard Inserts and Flat Styrofoam

This week there are 32 ideas for recycling egg cartons, cardboard inserts and flat Styrofoam pieces into your art… plus a project using one of my favourite techniques when I am in a quirky mood or my art muse has gone on vacation - “The Ugly Duckling into a Beautiful Swan” background collage technique!

Compiled tips, including some from yours truly, submitted to the September 2008 Brainstorming Recycling Contest. Thanks to Terry Howard, Martha B., Leslie, Donna Zamora, Susan Marie, Kelsey Jones Evans, Stephen du Toit, Moon Willow, Christine Bell, Pam Yee, Pam Crawford, Donna Hall, and Alicia Edwards.

Save those egg cartons and

1. use styrofoam cartons as disposable mixing pots for dye, paint, perfect pearls, glue, etc.
2. use as plant starters for seeds/seedlings
3. use for sorting and storing buttons. beads, brads, charms, small jewelry bits, sequins, vintage game pieces, grommets
4. use them for drying blown out eggs that you will be painting and/or using for mosaics
5. soak cardboard cartons in water until they turn to mush and make stiff pasteboard covers for books or other papier mache creations
6. use to sort and store stickers and alphabet letters.
7. use Styrofoam cartons to make extra ice cubes when you need them
8. use Styrofoam cartons as a watercolour palette
9. fill with wood chips, cover with beeswax or melted down candle stub wax and use as fireplace, bonfire or grill fire starters.

Save those cardboard inserts and

1. use the heavier cardboard for book covers
2. place in an envelope as a stiffener when mailing art for swaps, etc.
3. use the lighter cardboard to create templates for patterns, luggage type tags, small drawings, notes, file folders, dividers, postcard backs, bookmarks
4. lightly score them in half and make a funnel. Use to catch glitter, embossing powder, etc. and return to the bottle or jar
5. use to reinforce altered books and art
6. make small boxes, frames, backing material for your art.
7. use corrugated cardboard for adding texture to shrines, roofs on houses, etc.
8. strip parts of the outer layer of paper from one side of the cardboard and use as background for collages, etc.. Can also be painted/collaged for super textured books covers.
9. Wine box inserts can be used to organize your drawers
10. Use lightweight cardboard to create chunky book pages
11. Gesso both sides and paint on them to make art postcards, ATCs, Moo Cards, inchies
12. Make shims for diecut machines

The Ugly Duckling into a Beautiful Swan Painted Collage Technique/Project

Here’s a neat project for an interesting, highly textured background or collage using a heavier cardboard insert! I call this my “Ugly Duckling into a Beautiful Swan” Technique and you’ll soon see why.

Gesso the cardboard. Glue bits of string, yarn, cheesecloth, dryer sheets that have been shrunk with a heat gun, fabric leaves, play sand, bits of torn paper, cardboard and anything you can find that might be useful in your waste paper basket onto the gessoed cardboard! If you have a sewing wastebasket,,, go through it and pull out bits of knotted up thread, cut material bits, bits of fabric, serger threads or anything you find that is flat! Glue it down on your substrate. Let it dry for at least 24 hours.

Does it look as ugly as sin LOL? Great… that means it will be beautiful when you get done with it!

When dry, paint over it using some of your favourite colours in a haphazard manner. Use a comb to add even more texture in the paint. Just have fun using color and letting your free spirit guide you!

One of my favourite pieces of art was created just like this! I liked it so much that I had it framed. The art gallery that framed it actually valued it at about $900.00! It is unusually gorgeous, sits above my piano as inspiration and no, I won’t sell it,,,,

Where's the picture of this masterpiece LOL? Well, I took one but it didn't turn out very well because it is now behind glass and the texture/metallic paint doesn't really show up in the photo! Sorry....

Save those flat styrofoam pieces

1. cut to size, place in a container and use it to stick paint brushes in to keep them upright.
2. carve, paint and make into “adobe” miniature houses
3. make Styrofoam cutouts to paint or cover with paper or fabric and embellish for books, cards and art
4. you can use the soft, pliable Styrofoam packing material sheets much little cotton batting (wadding) in mixed media art because it can be quilted, glued, sewn to create a puffy effect and used as stuffing.
5. draw a design with an empty ballpoint pen or cut out designs for instant, textured printing blocks
6. Use as a backing for small wall hangings or in assemblages
7. Use blocks of Styrofoam as a holder for things you want to dry, i.e. beads you have painted and stuck on a pin, waxed leaves on picks, etc.. Just stick the pin or picks into the styrofoam and they will stay upright!
8. Use as a filler in plant pots to make them lighter. You can also use syrofoam egg cartons or peanuts as well. Just fill the bottom of the pot with styrofoam to the level you want, cut the flat styrofoam piece to fit the pot, place on top. Add the plant dirt and plant.
9. Use the flat styrofoam pieces to build light weight extensions or create frames
10. Emboss them with your Cuttlebug, Sizzix machine Diecut or punch them to create embellishments.
11. Thicker (1/4 inch) flat Styrofoam can be used in much the same way as foam core board to make small shadow boxes or to reinforce larger niches. This kind of Styrofoam was used to make the window wall in the French Bistro shrine in the Sept. 26th blog posting.

Have fun this week with your art... See you Friday!

Sharon

How to create a French Bistro Cafe...

Take One Black Photo Box

+

One Favourite Art Calendar

then

create two French Waiter stand up "photo dolls"

and

A minature table with bread, wine glasses & cheese

Mount old ceiling tin to the ceiling

Paper the walls and lay a "tiled" floor

Add baseboards around the inside of the box

Add a recessed picture window wall

Glue an outdoor scene to the back of the box

Mount Mucha Art on the walls

Electrify the box with real lights

Plug the lights in and admire your creation

Meet Monsieur Edgar

and Monsieur Henri

Come join me in my Paris bistro for wine & cheese!

I adore the whimsy of Guy Buffet's art, especially his French restaurant scenes! This is my tribute to this wonderful French artist who brings a wide smile to my face and a chuckle to my heart.

It is also my personal "memory shrine" of many wonderful days, weeks and months spent in

• funky Paris bistros drinking coffee and eating Petit Pain au Chocolat (brioche dough baked around a piece of chocolate);
• lunching on the steps of Sacre Coeur Cathedral on warm, sunny, spring days;
• skipping merrily along the left bank of the Seine;
• experiencing pure joy in my heart in my many wanderings through the Louvre;
• feeling mesmerized and deeply moved by the majestic sounds of the organ in Notre Dame Cathedral;
• smacking my lips in total delight sampling the delicious cuisine and wine of Alsace;
• the experience of true freedom flying gliders in the Loire Valley each summer;
• singing the French children's song "Le Pont d'Avignon" at the top of my lungs the first time I saw the bridge at Avignon and
• admiring, for hours and hours, the simply magnificent windows in the Chartre Cathedral.

Till we meet again...

Sharon

Much Ado About Mucha - Part 2

The Shopping Face Off…

The sport of ANY KIND of shopping with hubby is like a face off in a hockey game. The puck drops. You’d better be paying attention and ready to move fast.

GO!

I was. Around the corner and into the first “room” of the antique store I went… lickedy split. It took exactly one minute for me to spot something that caught my eye.

Sitting on the corner of a lovely old sideboard were four small, elongated white boxes. The writing on them was in German, which immediately drew my attention. Although my spoken command of the language has become rusty over the years from a lack of opportunity to use it regularly, I can still read and understand it almost as easily as I do English. Not bad for a “Heinz 57 kid” with a Scots-Irish-French-Swedish background huh? (The truth is I lived in Germany for a number of years in my 20’s and 30’s and became fluent in the language while living there.)

The manufacturer’s “mark” and name on the outside of the box read “Hutschenreuther Porzellan”, a name I recognized as a German maker of fine porcelain. Next to the writing was an art print of an artist I could recognize from a mile away – Alfons Mucha.

Both my husband and I are longtime Mucha fans. A number of years ago, we purchased some beautiful museum quality prints at a showing of his original works in the Raleigh, North Carolina Art Gallery. We had them framed as a grouping and have enjoyed these gorgeous prints on our “art gallery wall” in our living room ever since.

Alfons Who?

Allow me to digress for a moment and give you some background on Alfons.

As a struggling and relatively unknown Czech artist living in Paris, Alfons Mucha achieved immediate fame when, in December 1894, he accepted a commission to create a poster for one of the greatest actresses of the time, Sarah Bernhardt. Though the printer was apprehensive about submitting Mucha´s final design because of its new, unconventional style, Miss Bernhardt loved it. So did the public. ´Le style Mucha´, as Art Nouveau was known in its earliest days, was born.

The success of that first poster resulted in a 6 year contract between Bernhardt and Mucha. In the following years, his work for her and others included costumes and stage decorations, designs for magazines and book covers, jewellery, furniture and numerous posters. If you’re interested in finding out more about Mucha and his art, click here

Finding Hidden Treasures

I picked up the first box. It looked brand new. Carefully, I opened it. Inside was a beautiful china panel plate of Mucha’s decorative panel, “Autumn” from “The Four Seasons” series.

I called my husband over to admire it. He looked at it and liked it so much that he picked up the next box. He opened it to take a look. When he put that one down, he opened the last one, I knew these found “treasures” had captured his undivided attention.

It didn’t take us long to discover that none of panels had likely ever been mounted on a wall or sat out in a cabinet. Not a chip, fading or other “previously loved” mark was to be found anywhere. They probably hadn’t been out of the boxes they came in since the day they were originally purchased.

We chatted back and forth about them for a few minutes. The workmanship and colour in the plates was splendid. My husband was interested in determining the quality of the china manufacturer. I assured him that Hutschenreuther was on par with other china names that he could recognize…Royal Dolton, Wedgewood and Rosenthal. Neither of us had a clue whether the price ($80.00 for the set) was fair or not.

“Who cares,” said the man of the house. “Even if they aren’t old or even worth the price they want for them, I really like them. Hard to resist Mucha. They are beautiful china panels. I’ll buy them anyway. Maybe I can get a few bucks knocked off the price of the set when I pay for them.”

He picked up all four boxes and tucked them under his arm. We looked around some, then headed for the cash register desk. He chatted with the owner about the panels and ended paying $69.00 for the set. He was pleased as punch with his purchase. Within a few days, he would find out just how pleased…!

The four china panels. I am afraid they aren't the best photos in the world in spite of my efforts... and I just realized that I cut the bottom off the bottom photo when I resized it.... darn,,, and I don't have time today to re-do them. The photos really don't do them justice but I did discover that it is not as easy as I thought to photograph china!

The Sleuthing Begins…

Later on that evening, husband went on line to see if he could find out more about his newly acquired “treasures”. He didn’t have much luck other than to discover that the manufacturer, Hutschenreuther, became part of the Rosenthal division of the Waterford Wedgwood Group in 2000. That was news to me too.

A couple of days later, I decided to do some further digging for him on some of the European sites on line to see what I could find out. Being able to read in a couple of foreign languages really helps when cruising websites that don’t have a translator on them.

It didn’t take me long to find out when they were manufactured. I looked up the mark on the back of the panel. 1970… hmmm, they weren’t as new as we thought they might be.

Digging deeper, I found two expired European e-bay listings… one in France from last year and the other in Switzerland from this past spring. I did a double take. On both sites, the exact same set, same year mark, in their original boxes, had sold for more than triple what he had paid for them!

When husband arrived home from work, I told him the results of my “sleuthing” on his behalf. The look of pleasant shock on his face followed by a big grin said it all. He was excited and absolutely delighted! Not that he would ever sell them. Not that he had even got them at a bargain price. Nope. Somehow I got the sense that with his first “score” he was bitten by the “antiquing bug”.

Hmmm… I wonder how many other antique shops I could entice him into now?

Gonna close for now… I have to do an internet search. Gotta find me some antique shops around the island we can go to!

Sharon

Much Ado About Mucha - Part 1

On a recent Saturday morning, the trip to a salvage shop in search of some small, old hinges for one of my cigar box assemblages led my husband and I by an out of the way, unfamiliar antique shop.

Now anyone who is even slightly acquainted with me is keenly aware of my passion for quirky (and not so quirky) antiques. I absolutely cannot pass a “strange” antique shop and not go in! I am compelled by the antique Gods to take a peek!

“Oh look, an antique shop” said I gleefully, hopeful for even a tiny hint of a forthcoming response from the driver.

My dear husband knows when he hears “Oh look, an antique shop!” exactly what is coming next. I just shoot him the cutest smile I can muster up, flutter my eyelashes at him and say, ever so sweetly, “Oh, let’s just have a quick look!”

A Girl’s Gotta Do What She’s Gotta Do

The look on his face when he hears the words “a quick look”,“fabric store” or “antiques” coming from my mouth says it all. It is the facial expression of someone doing a silent, slightly painful, inward groan. He’d probably deny it if asked but I am pretty good at “reading” those looks after all this time!

I confess. I will most certainly use my feminine wiles and "promises"on him when it comes to browsing through antique stores. Fabric stores too for that matter! It's amazing how fast he'll pull into a shop's parking lot when the promise of a freshly baked fruit pie is up for grabs.

But don't think for a moment that he's fooled by my antics. He's not. He usually lets loose with a huge laugh when I really start digging myself into a bigger and bigger hole. I am beginning to think I'm not the "smartie pants" I thought I was.

Gosh, you'd think by now that I would remember that he's got a memory like an elephant. He never lets me forget my "desperate" promises. At the first opening, sometimes even days later, he'll make sure he holds me to it. I think he's REALLY got MY number not vice versa. Sigh!

Nice guys do finish first in my book and ya know, my husband is a really nice guy. More often than not, he is willing to indulge“his honey” on a trip down the memory lanes of an antique shop. He has always been very willing to do things for me that will bring a smile to my face. He's been known to utter that wonderful, old southern saying “When Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy” to buds seeking advice and counsel with their better halves. Bless his heart.

Now when I say indulge, that it not just a throw away figure of speech. I really mean it.

Point One…

Browsing antique or fabric stores is not an activity hubby finds very interesting or stimulating for longer than ten, tops fifteen minutes. A quick glance around and he’s ready to go. Sound familiar? It does to most of my female friends who have ever been in a relationship for longer than a month!

Fabric and antiques just aren’t his bag. Wood, tools or hardware on the other hand … a much different story. Heck he even grunts like Tim Allen on Tool Time at the sight of a router, drill press or electric drill in Rona or Home Depot. At least once a month, I hear him sadly lamenting the fact that we don’t have a Lowe’s in Victoria!

Now, most of the time he’ll be quite pleasant about my aisle cruising. He’ll either find a book he can browse through as he waits (I always cross my fingers that it is interesting enough to keep him occupied for at least a half an hour) or when his “out of patience” buzzer goes off, he’ll just leave and wait for me outside. I think he secretly hopes that his leaving will hurry me along. I pretend to not notice that he’s left the store.

Thank heavens he isn’t the grumpy type when I linger longer than what he would really like. Good thing too. I’m usually just getting started at the ten minute mark. The fact is, I could easily hang out in a larger shop for a couple of hours. I feel “duty bound” to explore every last little nook and cranny I can find. However tempting it might be at the time, I don't push my luck quite THAT far.

Point Two

Husband thinks antique stores are way over priced for “just a bunch of old stuff somebody wants to get rid of.” I have to admit, sometimes he is right about the overpricing. My experience is that often it depends on the location and the “quality” of the items in the shop. You do have to know “your antiques”. You do have to shop around to get a good and fair price. You do need to be prepared to “bargain” with the owner if you think the price is out of line. I'll be the first to admit, I'm not very good at that last one.

Point Three

The first whiff of potpourri in ANY store will turn him on his heels quicker than a jack rabbit and propel him back out the door he came in. One leap and he’s outa there. Of course at 6’2”, long legs help with giant hops GRIN! He hates the smell. It gives him a screaming headache in two seconds flat. Needless to say, I understand completely. That shop, unfortunately, gets crossed off my list.

READY? GET SET!

We pulled into the antique shop parking lot and got out of the car. Up the stairs and into the shop we went. WHEW! No potpourri. Things were looking up.

Ah… but in the back of my mind, I knew the clock was ticking. I wondered how many "hardware store trip points" I could cash in if I needed them. The cogs in my memory bank started whirling searching for an accurate point count.

~~ to be continued...

So that's it for today. Please take note of the P.S. below. Stay tuned for Part II of "Mucha Ado About Mucha" next Friday You'll get to read all about our ... uhh.... hubby's... great find in the antique shop.

Have a super weekend.

Sharon

P.S. As some of you may already know, I am a summer storyteller at one of the oldest historic homes in Victoria, British Columia - Pt. Ellice House. Next week, on both Friday and Saturday, I’ll be donning one of my beautiful Victorian dresses and a snazzy hat to match and doing a one hour “O”Reilly Family Stories” storytelling presentation (as part of the Victoria Heritage Festival Sept. 13 - 21) on each of these days at 1:00 pm.

Getting ready for these sessions is going to take up the bulk of my time next week. Thrifty Tuesday Art Tips will return on Sept. 23. Part 2 of "Much Ado About Mucha" will be scheduled for publication next Friday, the 19th.

Thanks for your understanding!

Goodbye Summer... Hello Fall

A couple of early mornings ago, I opened the door leading to our backyard patio and found a surprise waiting for me on the welcome mat.

Nope it wasn’t our neighbour’s kitty. The one who seems to think our welcome mat belongs to her. It wasn’t our “resident” raccoon either. The one who hangs out somewhere in the “mini” forest behind our house, sneaks up to our patio door and peeks through the window to see what we are up to. So what was waiting for me to discover on the welcome mat? A big, rusty coloured maple leaf ... just dropping by to let me know that it won’t be long before we all say good-bye to summer and hello to fall.

Two events always mark the beginning of the third season of the year for me. The first fallen leaf and the Metchosin country fair. I look forward all year long to the sights, sounds and absolutely delicious smells that permeate the air at this country fair! That’s where you’ll find us this weekend.

It’s an old fashioned type fair with country vendors, music, entertainment and games for the kids. But by far the best part is the salmon and lamb barbeque (roasted over open air wood burning fires) at 5 p.m.. It's quite a bargain at $12.oo a ticket! You get a big piece of salmon, big piece of lamb, homemade apple mint jelly, corn on the cob, coleslaw and a roll. This is followed by mouth-watering, delicious homemade "prize winning" pies for dessert. I understand that this year they are also going to have a cake baking contest and the prizewinners will be sold by the piece at the barbeque.

It is a great fundraising event for this little country town. One thing we have found out over the years... you gotta get there early to buy your dinner ticket! They sell out FAST, often by noon, every year.

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." Albert Camus

When I was a little kid, I absolutely delighted in jumping into a mountain of raked leaves in my uncle’s back yard. Now mind you, my uncle Gordon, who had just spent a couple of hours raking up that pile, made noises that he wasn’t terribly amused. Funny though, he always had a tiny smile at the corner of his lips, his eyes twinkled with laughter and he always invited me back to rake leaves with him throughout the fall. GRIN

Gathering pretty leaves to make a “turkey” pasted on paper for a Thanksgiving card was a favourite childhood pastime in the fall! (Thanksgiving is in early October in Canada). Today I continue to enjoy gathering those lovely autumn “flowers” to use in my “grown up” art. Here is a digital collage I created this week with the leaf I found on my doorstep and scanned into my computer...

How to Preserve Autumn Leaves in Beeswax

There are a number of ways to preserve fall leaves. Pressing them. Ironing them in waxed paper. Dipping them in a mixture of glycerin and water. However, over the years, the leaves I love to use in my art and collages are simply brushed with a thin coat of beeswax.

Want to wax your own leaves this fall? It’s a simple and easy process.

What you'll need:

Autumn leaves
Paper towels
Beeswax
Mini Travel Iron
1" paint brush
Melting pot or other utensil suitable for melting beeswax in
brown paper bag
large square of 1/4" plywood to protect your work surface

1. Gather leaves at their peak. I like to find fresh ones that perhaps have a little blemish here and there. These tiny imperfections add interest.

2. Sandwich the leaves between two paper towels and iron them dry but not to the point that they become brittle.

3. Heat up your pot of beeswax. You can use a melting pot with a project tray or a small aluminum pot that will fit into the base of the melting pot. You can also use an old crock pot although I find it takes forever to heat up! One of my friends told me she uses a small pot on one of the old coffee mug warmers. I haven't tried it, but if you do, let me know how it works.

One word of caution. Never heat beeswax over 140 degrees F. It can flash and start a fire! Ask me. I once nearly burnt my freshly painted, new kitchen down when I melted some candles on the stove. The phone rang in the middle of this process and I forgot all about the wax. I caught it at the very last moment and used a fire extinguisher but what a black, gooey mess my fresly painted ceiling was... we won't talk about the top of the stove! It was a real pain in the you know what to get cleaned up! I shook in my boots at that close call for weeks.

4. My “worksheet” is a piece of brown paper bag on top of a large ¼” piece of plywood board. I often keep my worksheet once it is saturated with beeswax for other uses.

5. Brush a thin coat of beeswax on both sides of the leaf using a brush devoted to beeswax work only. My beeswax brush is just an ordinary 1” paint brush from the paint store that I use strictly for working with wax.

6. Lay your leaf on the brown paper. Using a mini travel iron or quilting iron (one devoted to beeswax work only) to smooth out the wax on the leaf . You're done! Wasn't that easy?

As I close for today, I’d like to wish you a lovely weekend and share with you a delightful quote about the seasons by Stanley Horowitz that really says it all:

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all."


Sharon

P.S. Remember to get your entry in for the “Recycling Brainstorming Contest” (see Thrifty Tuesday Art Tips from Sept. 2 for details) and the chance to win a mini shopping spree at After Midnight Art Stamps! Deadline is midnight (your time zone), Sunday, Sept. 7.

Playtime – A ReCycling Brainstorming Game - Win a Mini Shopping Spree

Two of my biggest pet peeves used to be the “over packaging” of consumer goods (a tiny bottle in a large box) and “blister” packaging (everything from beads to high end headphones). Then I discovered mixed media art and those pet peeves turned into “yippee… more stuff I can use and it’s FREE”.

Now, mind you, when I received a whole box of fruit packaging trays from a neighbour (I had asked her to save those kind of trays for me), it was just a tad bit of recycling “overkill”! A couple would have sufficed… but 20? I don’t think so!

We mixed media types are the self appointed “queens (and kings)” of recycling! We’ll find a way to use just about anything that we can find in our own (and our neighbour’s) recycling box!

Now I don’t know about your neighbourhood but in mine the majority of recycling boxes are filled to the brim with all sorts of goodies like egg cartons, cardboard, juice boxes, plastic blister wrap and cereal boxes. Some folks even have two or three recycling boxes. I just have to close my eyes and keep on truckin’ when I go past them on recycling day. I think of all that potential FREE “art material” going to the landfill and I have to wipe a tiny tear from the corner of my thrifty eye!

Thrifty Artists UNITE…

Your mission this week, should you choose to accept it, …BIG GRIN… is to do some brainstorming about how you can re-use the mountains of FREE "packaging" material that comes into your neighbourhood every week.

No, no, you don’t have to go pawing through your neighbour’s recycling box and embarrass the heck out of your kids or your family. Just take a sideways peek at it as you drive by on recycling day or drop by for a neighbourly visit and tell them you are on a scavenger hunt (well you are kinda…) and oh, while you are at it, take a good long look at your own box in the garage. Now think about how you could re-purpose some of that lovely “stuff” into your art.

Below are 20 sentence finishing prompts to get your “recycling” wheels a movin’ and shakin’… They don’t have to all be filled in but the more you can complete with one or more of your ideas, the higher the probability of you winning the contest!

1. Save those envelopes and …
2. Save those plastic drink bottles and
3. Save those meat/fruit trays and
4. Save those egg cartons and
5. Save those cardboard inserts and
6. Save those flat styrofoam pieces and
7. Save those bottle caps and
8. Save that clear plastic blister packaging and
9. Save those canning lid inserts and
10. Save those old business cards and
11. Save those tags on new, store bought clothes and
12. Save those plastic shopping bags and
13. Save those brown paper grocery bags and
14. Save those small juice boxes and
15. Save those gift bags and
16. Save those elastic bands and
17. Save those cereal boxes and
18. Save those small plastic starter plant pots and
19. Save those soft drink pull tabs and
20. Save those tea bags and

How to Enter This “Re-cycling Brainstorming Game” Contest

Copy and paste the above prompts into an email . Finish the sentence fragments with as many ART uses or ART re-purposing ideas that you can think of as quickly as you can.

Now go have a cup of coffee or tea, read a book or do something else for 10 minutes. I’m betting that more ideas pop into your head for those sentence fragments that you missed. Add these new ideas to your “list”.

Get your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews involved. Ask your neighbours. Call your mother. Brainstorm with your best friend. The whole idea is to have fun coming up with lots and lots of practical and useable ideas. You are guaranteed a few good smiles along the way! If you really get into this, you’ll likely stumble across some bizarre or downright strange ideas that make you laugh!

When you are ready to submit your entry, count up the number of "ideas" you have come up with, put that total IN THE SUBJECT of your email along with your name. Please remember to include your email address somewhere in your email. Click send, then cross your fingers that you win!

The Best Part is here… WIN a Mini Shopping Spree!

The more ideas you can think up, the better BECAUSE the person with the highest number of ideas WINS the Recycling Brainstorming Game Contest! In the event of a tie, the “timestamp” of the received email will determine the winner.

If you are the lucky winner, Linda Hanson of After Midnight Art Stamps has very generously offered to award YOU with a $10.00 gift certificate for a mini shopping spree in her online store! Wander on over to her site and check out some of the cool stuff that this lovely lady has to offer in her “shop”. Lately I have had my sights set on some Radiant Rain daubers, some more Midnight Art Glass and the teapot stamp to add to my “studio spot” drawers!

The contest closes at midnight (your time zone) on Sunday, September 7, 2008. I will announce the winner in the September 9th posting of Thrifty Tuesday Art Tips. So make sure you check back to see if you are the winner!

All practical and useable ideas I receive from participants in the contest will be sorted, compiled and shared with blog readers in upcoming editions of Thrifty Tuesday Art Tips.

Please take a minute to add a comment to the comment section of this posting! I’d love to know what you think of this contest idea and the chance for you to win a prize!

See you Friday! Get those thinking caps on….LOL

Sharon

P.S. Please note that I am not affiliated in any way with After Midnight Art Stamps nor will I receive any monetary compensation from them for this contest. This is strictly a generous offer made by Linda because she loved the idea when I told her about it! Your email address will be kept confidential and not shared by me or Linda with anyone without your prior consent.

Copyright 2008 Dr. Sharon House http://www.mystoryart.com/

Thrifty Tuesday Art Tips - More GREAT Storage Tips...

More tips from my (diminishing) pile of post it notes LOL

1. Use a see through, pocket organizer (used in closets to store gloves, shoes, purses, etc.) to store some of your art supplies. It holds a tremendous amount of “stuff”. You might be able to find one at a thrift store for just pennies, so check it out.
2. Modular, hanging shoe/sweater organizers with shelves is another idea for storage, especially if you live in an apartment or have a minimum amount of space for storing art supplies.
3. Re-purpose a counter top paper towel holder for ribbon, yarn, etc. Slide the spools of ribbon onto the dowel and voila you now have a counter top ribbon dispenser.
4. If you are even just slightly handy with a sewing machine, make a fold up, portable organizer with zip lock bags and fabric. If you don’t want to go to the bother of cutting fabric, a ready made placement works great. Click here for a pattern and how to instructions.
5. Got an old 3” school binder hanging around not being used? Purchase some large pencil organizers to fit the three ring binder and use them to store ink pads, chalks, pastels, drawing pencils, tubes of glue, eyelet punches, paper piercers, etc.. It’s amazing how many of these organizers you can get into a binder!
6. You can make your own binder organizers with Zip Lock bags. Just take the gallon sized bags, fold over the ends (the bottom of the bags) a couple of times. Sew twill tape along this edge to reinforce it. Punch holes into it with a three ring binder punch. Great for storing cut outs, collage images, small bits of scrap paper left over from a project.
7. Use empty cassette tape holders/CD holders to store smaller stamps, postage stamp embellishments, etc.. If you have one of the old wall cassette/CD storage holders, you can keep them all neatly stored on the wall next to your art table.
8. If you own one of the die cutting machine, use old floppy disc cassettes to store your dies and/or small die cuts you have cut out.
9. Use a plastic, portable file folder box with file folder holders for storing card stock, paper. An old file cabinet works great for not only storing paper but as a place to keep all of your art supplies together in one place. Large glue bottles, spray paint cans, gesso, oversized bottles and tools such as a hot glue gun, soldering iron, heat gun and hair dryer will fit nicely into the drawers if you partition them off with the adjustable drawer partition in most file cabinets.
10. A heavy plastic hairdryer/curling iron rack that mounts on the wall is handy for storing your art hair dryer and (depending on the size) a soldering iron close by. Check out the different types of bathroom holder racks to find one that can hold your heat and glue guns.
    
    

Storage Tips from blog readers…

A BIG thank you goes out to all for submitting their tips for this week's edition of Thrifty Tuesday Art Tips. Each of them will receive a zip file of old scanned photographs as a thank you gift from me.

Lela of Striving for Simplicity says "I keep my flowers, brads, eyelets, and buttons together by color in bead boxes. I got the boxes on sale for $1 each. I keep my works in progress in plastic beach tote bags. I can grab a tote and have all of the parts and supplies in one place."

Darlene of Articulation says "I have found through many years of not doing the right thing for me that I finally have a great studio and can find 98% of what I want to find. The reason for this is clear containers, iris carts and more, more, more clear containers. Large, small, drawer boxes and containers!!!

Round laundry baskets are great for long sheet of handmade papers or anything long that you can wind up. Altoid boxes for beads and embellishments, glue item on the outside.
Magazine holders for tablets of watercolor, sketch and other art tablets."


Debbie Baker of My Abundant Life says "My number one storage solution is zip-lock plastic bags - I have a large cane basket (well several actually) that is full of these bags - each is filled with items of a particular sort - white laces, paper scraps, small fabric pieces, trims, ribbons etc etc and it makes it very easy to see them but to also control them, both of which are extremely necessary for creativity, at least for me."

Alex sent this tip: Harbor Freight Tools has a plastic container w/a lid that is attached and lifts. Inside there are 9 or 12 small plastic boxes w/lids. Some are round and some are square, depending on your needs. It is 5X9. I paid about $3.00 each.

Dee says "I save the cartons that you get bottles of Starbucks Frappicinos in and use these to store my pens and markers, and decorative scissors etc.

Cindy of Cynthia Powell had a very useful disposal tip for those sharp knife blades...
"I use an old medicine/prescription bottle to collect dull pins & exacto knife blades that can’t go directly into the trash. When the bottle is full, it and the contents can be disposed of safely.

Well that's it for today!

NEXT WEEK: Playtime! A BRAINSTORMING GAME Stop by for the details. It will be fun and sure to generate lots of ideas we can all use in our art.

Have a great week... see you Friday!

Sharon