Curiouser

Demi's Firebird

I'm completely in love with my new book:

Firebird, the classic Russian fairy tale as re-told and illustrated by Demi. The hero, young Dimitri, finds a feather from the Firebird. He brings it to the Tsar Ivan hoping for a reward. Instead, he is sent on a series of ever more difficult tasks and with the help of his powerful horse is gradually transformed into a Prince - one fit to win the love of the magical Princess Vassillissa.

Demi is a Cambridge, Mass born author and illustrator - she has published over 100 children's books. Her work is greatly inspired by Asian arts and folk lore.

I got Firebird last week and have gone through it at least ten times since then. It is just so very beautifully illustrated. The paint used in the printing of this edition is a special Chinese blend. The pages literally shine and change shades in the light. The illustrations are so intricate and filled with detail reminiscent of traditional Russian folk arts.

Ah... I'm really in love.

You Summertime

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, If you belonged here, by the wonderful Polly Poppins. She had posted a poem she's loved since 1993. So then I was reminded of a poem I have loved since 1999, written by my high-school friend Liza Eyester.

It used to break my high-school heart every time i read it, and now that I've found it, it still sort of does. And I sob. The melodrama takes over the entire room.

Here it is for your heart-breaking pleasure:

You Summertime

Looking in the rearview, through the back window

old dirt outside the windshield wiper track,

there is a long gray road.

a wolf on the right side, docile and also gray.

And we're given a choice, you know?

When the house burns down, which it may do,

it will be my fault for leaving

candles burning under scattered newspapers and

gasoline doused corpses of miniature insects.

Love you in a way that doesn't make much sense.

It's not a good thing,

it's pure insult-

You seem safe.

Sometimes my body is stuck in the earth's crust.

Sometimes God says, "Come over to my house, we'll bury you in the sand."

My head can turn, and my shoulders are above the low brush of the desert.

But my hands can't move!

The sores in my mouth are asking for you in Italian.

How did they learn the language?

Is it your last name? Is that Italian?

What makes me feel closer to you than I am?

Is it your white ballcap that is worn into the very look of familiarity?

You are summer to me.

You are late nights after the pool is closed,

making out in the creaky chairs in the clubhouse TV room,

swimming in the outdoor pool,

with a bat flying overhead like a pilot going down.

Haven't caught up to my mouth yet.

Haven't learned what it means to roll with the punches.

Haven't killed, kicked, smothered nostalgia,

or gassed it out of a room.

Me bad,

you summertime.

Ahhh, the pain... Liza, I hope if you ever happen upon this, you won't be upset with me posting our high-school angst here for all to see! I sure wouldn't want people going around showing MY highschool writings.... but you were always more talented. (Does that make up for it?)

Northern Lights

I just found this great website with Sigurdur H. Stefnisson's amazing photographs of Northern Lights in Iceland.

 

See all the gorgeous photographs in this Sigurdur Stefnisson's gallery.

Black Lace

I was looking at Phantasmaphile, one of my favorite blogs, and saw this gorgeous work by Beth White.

I can't imagine the hours of detailed, intricate work and imagination these cut-outs must take. They are so beautiful. ....

Then, in a happy coincedence, I happened upon this black lace cake stand by Yvonne Lam at the Moma Store. How great!

Fauchon

I love love love Fauchon and the beautiful, delicious things they make. I love going to their Park Avenue shoppe in NYC for tea and ridiculously priced finger sandwiches! It always feels so luxurious.

Wouldn't this tea set be a great gift for practically any woman?

I loved the unabashed richness, indulgence.

Unazukin

I love these little things. They are like a modern day 'Magic 8 Ball' in the guise of a Russian nesting doll!

Ask them a question and they'll shake their heads yes, no or maybe. How great!

If you want one, you can find them at Firebox. They come in several different colors and are packaged randomly and as a result have turned into a huge collector's craze in Japan.

What a great lamp!

I really like this lamp. 

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If you like it too, you can find it here.

Cameos

My grandmother has a set of gorgeous Cameo earrings that I have loved as far back as I can remember. This past winter, after years of subtle hints and straight out 'suggestions', my grandmother gave the set to me. It's so beautiful! I'll have to post a photo later.

Anyway, I decided to do some research on where these gorgeous things come from!

The word Cameo describes an art form in which a relief image is raised higher than its background. Cameos have been around since the 6th century BC. They were also very popular in Ancient Rome. The Gemma Claudia, an onyx cameo given to Emperor Claudius on occasion of his marriage to Agrippina. It's now on display in Vienna's Kunsthistoriches Museum.

Cameos are usually made with precious or semi-precious stones and depict portrait profiles or allegorical scenes. One material is carved and then set against the second, which is frequently of a different color to create contrast.

Cameos are often worn as jewelry. Such as the beautiful necklace below.

They were very popular during the late 1920's, and you can still find some gorgeous antique pieces for sale.

This circa 1920's Cameo brooch was recently sold for around $2,000.

ANYWAY, if you're going to go shopping, Extasia.com has a very big collection of handmade cameos and Intaglios, but I don't really like the latter.  I typed in CAMEO in amazon.com and over 1,500 jewelry items came up, so I guess they're still popular. There are also many books on Cameo design and history available.