Rochambeau

Temari Balls

 The art of Japanese threaded balls is called Temari.  This one was made by Paula Ward who lives here in Jefferson.  Because of her, I realize that this is a labor intensive art.

My oldest friend Leslie (we met age five), introduced me to these fabulous creations, during my first adult sojourn to New York City.  *Immediately after my  husband I moved to the East Coast, my dear friend flew out to initiate me and give me the lay of the land (as she had attended Parsons School of Design).  So, the first time I ever saw these fabulous Temari Balls, was when they were pointed out to me during this adventure, at the incredible Japanese boutique department store called Takashimaya.   After googling for a link, I realized has closed.  What a pity!

When I was a child our neighbors 'The Hewitt's' brought back this little dollfrom Japan for me as a gift, and I still adore her.  Look, do you see?  She is holding a Temari Ball!

Here is a bit of the history.  Temari balls are an folk art form that originated in China and were introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. The balls were originally made by mothers and grandmothers for the children to play with (they were used in kickball and handball games similar to the hackeysack games played around the world today).

Historically they were constructed from the remnants of old kimonos. Pieces of silk fabric would be wadded up to form a ball, then the wad wrapped with strips of fabric. The silk threads would have been removed and saved and, used to first wind around the ball, then to stitch the ball firmly together (it is said that the balls were wrapped and stitched so tightly that they actually did bounce).

As time moved on traditional Temari balls became an art, with the functional stitching more and more decorative and detailed, until the balls displayed very intricate embroidery. The balls transcended from play toys into art objects (although loving moms will still make them for their children) with the introduction of rubber to Japan.

Temari balls became an art and craft of the Japanese upper class and aristocracy and noble women competed in creating more and more beautiful and intricate objects. They now represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing deep friendship and loyalty. It is traditional for a mother to make a ball for her daughter as a New Year's gift.

 

For more information, go to Temari Kai.

 

Have a great week!

xox

Constance

Springtime

A time of

~  RE~Newal  ~  RE~BiRth ~

 

and a cowgirl boot 

RE~ViVal!

~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Week!

xox

Constance

 

 

 

Pepper Wreath

A happy surprise was delivered fresh today,  a lovely handmade pepper wreath, grown and strung by our friend and neighbor,  Deborah. 

Using a needle and fishing line, she threaded the wreath in such a way (with loops at either end), so it can be hung as a garland too!  Deborah explained that as fresh pepper's age,  the green ones will turn red, then shrivel and dry.  After, the entire pepper can be cut up into little pieces with kitchen scissors and you'll have fresh pepper flakes.  I'm a big fan of pepper flakes, are you?  Even if you don't eat peppers, this wreaths simple beauty is an inspiration, don't you think?  

 *If you don't grow peppers, you can still create your own wreath with any number of varieties, found at your local market.  Well, that is to say you will find lots of peppers in our neck of the woods! ONE MORE THING!!!! Always be sure to wash your hands after you touch peppers, and don't touch your eyes while working.

Happy Week to all!

xox

Constance

A Shoe Re~du

Some shoes call for a touch of style, flair and drama! 

These brown shoes sat around for a year waiting to be kicked up a notch and then last Sunday that's just what happened!

First they were painted gold.

Then colorful detail was added! 

Now they are not boring atall!

~*~

Hope you will consider painting a pair for yourself and let's dance into a inspired week together!

xox

Constance

 

The Fantasia Puppet Theater!

Sit down for a spell and I'll tell you the tale about how the memory of a lost puppet theater was transmuted into the birth of a new theater called The Fantasia. 

~*~

 

 

 

Once upon a time there lived a woman who possessed a childhood memory of a fabulous puppet theater, one her parents had built.  Her minds eye held a perfect account of it's exquisite grandeur, remembering every detail as if it were yesterday.  She still imagined the facade, the way it spelled "Teatro di Constanza" and cherishing that it had been built specially for her.   It was sad to think that she no idea where her theater ended up.

 

~*~

 INSPIRATION WAS DISCOVERED

HERE:

~*~

Then one day the woman saw a photograph of a most beautiful Guignol puppet theater at Tara Bradford's  blog and fell instantly and madly in love.  It set her imagination on fire and all of a sudden without even realizing it, she was on a quest to find the base of inspiration for a new puppet theater, one her mother could help her build.   Awhile after, one autumn day it finally happened!  A clumsy old piece of furniture caught her eye at The Goodwill store and cried out; "buy me", "buy me", so she did.

The purchase rang up a mere $20.00 (plus tax) this was the good news, the bad news was the monster was too big to fit into her chariot.  She traveled back to her far away village and fetched her husbands larger carriage, never dreaming she'd have to return back empty handed again, but she did.   Now in desperation as it was 5:30 p.m. and she needed to pick up her "find" by 6:00,  the woman called upon her friends,  King Marshall and Queen Diana of Walla (knowing they owned a huge chariot and BIG hearts).  She explained her dilemma and the kindly Royals fetched her immediately and off they zoomed back to the Goodwill, arriving just in the nick of time.

~*~

Arriving back home with her prize,  she lumbered safely across the alligator ridden mote, then push her way through the porte-cochere and it was no easy feat navigating this chunky piece of furniture,  but she heaved and hoed it indoors and was met with with two pairs of rolling eyes and raised eyebrows.  "Well, now!....Look what the cat's drug in, will you?  ....." A puppet theater you say"?  her family mused.

 

The next day the woman heard that  'voice' again, insisting; "call me the Fantasia Theater" and so she did.  It actually worked out well, as she was quite fond of the word Fantasia.  She recalled her favorite childhood bakery in San Francisco,  The Fantasia Bakery where she sampled her first petit fours and Florentine cookies.  So,  she went to work immediately designing a sign for the theater to be.

The woman deconstructed the rickety old piece of furniture in her 8X10' studio, then went to work priming and painting it.  She wasn't so sure about the detail on the columns, wondering if she should remove them altogether, so she asked;  "Mother, should I take off these wooden details from the sides"?  Her mother responded with certainty! "NO WAY, that is what gives the piece interest"!   The daughter listened and knew her mother was right.  She experimented with different color combinations until one day "the voice" told her; "Now you have it right".

Next, the daughter asked her mother for help.  "Do you remember the Enchanted Forest and Castle you painted for the backdrop of my childhood puppet theater"? "Do you think you could paint me another"?  Her mother, being a very nice and talented soul said; "Yes, of course"! and took on the challenge immediately.

 

When the wondrous painting was complete, the woman held it up to the theater and smiled with joy in her heart and heard "the voice" say "perfect"!

About the curtains.  She was positive they needed to be deep red velvet and for certain they should have real brass rings (which isn't so easy to come by these days), so she made her own rings from a chain used for hanging a chandelier.  She sewed the curtains on her sewing machine first, but when she finished, they did not hang right.  She heard "the voice" say; "No, these will never do".  Many hours were spent deconstructing and painstakingly resewing the curtains entirely by hand, until they really did look just right.  

Now, the woman really had a problem.  She tossed and turned night after night trying to imagine how she could rig up the a base to elevate the Fantasia. It needed to be sturdy, and everything she tried thus far had not worked at all.  It frustrated her, until one Spring evening she attended a ball in the Kingdom and bumped into a friend called Sir Milton of Jonestown and the talented man expressed  that it would be his great plesure to build a base for the theater.  Then like magic only days later, the craftsman delivered a new puppet box and the overjoyed woman couldn't even believe her eyes!

She cried a river of joy!!  At long last she knew her dream was becoming reality and she must have known she was right because at the exact same moment she heard "the voice" say "Oh my......YES, yes indeed, that box is perfection"!!

The woman could tell you how many times she painted the base of the theater and then repainted it, but she wont because that would boar you and embarrass her.

Instead, she should mention the kindly Marquis de Lowe's Hardware Store, Pat Rey, the super patient man who helped the woman brainstorm about the right doors for the Fantasia.  He walked around for one hour assessing her theater door dilemma and listen he did,  finding the perfect pair of damaged doors, (which he cut down to size for her too), for a grand total of ten dollars apiece! 

She fixed the base of the doors to match the base of the theater then finally, the doors were screwed into place.  Next, she painted the backstage completely black, added clip-on lights and homemade finials were added as the final touch. 

This is the finished theater with the doors folded out like box, but when the doors  are pulled out, the theater measures 6' x 6'.  It is portable and can be moved in five pieces.

Here is the very happy woman in her Fantasia, the theater that so many helped bring to life.  The motto backstage is:

Create Magic and Wonder!

It was 

A Labour of LOVE!

 

~*~

 

Epilogue:

At long last, you would think the woman would hear the words "Fini"!!  But instead,  she hears 'the voice' persisting in her imagination telling her; "Now my dear, it's  time to make some puppets, write a tale with meaning and give a show"!

 So she's listening.

The End, but just for now!

 

 

Wooden Dreams

A wooden branch barely illuminated by a bright Monday moon, makes me wonder if it knew something good was about to happen?   Something that would make me very, very happy.  

 

It was probably the last chilly night of the season, so Deborah invited a few of us for a impromptu fire pit party and what a lucky group of neighbors we are. It's peaceful to sit among friends, feeling the warmth of fire and watching the flickering orange light dance and hypnotise.

  *The magical moment happened when I asked Milton his advise on building a base for the puppet theater I have been working on and he offered to build the base for me!!  I couldn't believe my ears!!  "Do you  know how much this means"? I exclaimed!   "I've laid wake many nights, trying to figure out how to build a base.  It's put my project on MAJOR hold".   The biggest problem all boiled down to this:  I need super good support and I needed to have  EXACT measurements, before going to the hardware store.  It was so difficult for me to make the final decision on the measurements so I kept putting it off,  because after wood is cut, one tiny mathematical mistake can turn into an expensive and frustrating one.

 

 Milton picked me up on Wednesday morning and off we trucked to our local hardware store .

Where a pretty shop cat helped us select the perfect boards.

In a jiffy we were back in Milton's shop and he went right to it, measuring, sawing and securing those big pine boards.  He had a vision of how to create the exact box I needed.  I asked Milton how he learned to work with wood.  He explained that his father didn't know how, but a barber in town, was a talented furniture maker as well.  One day at age twelve, Milton asked the man if he would teach him to use his saws, and in turn he would work for free.  So they struck a deal and for years Milton helped build chests, while he worked his way through learning how to use every saw and tool imaginable.  This started his life long affection for building furniture and many other things.

Being here made glad too, because it's been awhile since I've hung out in a shop and I like it!  I took a few years of wood shop, actually the first girl in my high school.  I like making things with my hands, the smell of wood, sanding, it's a good thing.  I remember making pair of Chinese shoes and I wore them too. The shop teacher (also the football coach), just shook his head, raised his eyebrows and smiled.  Even if I did put my own twist on wood shop, I scored A's.

Yesterday, Milton delivered the box!!

Now I have a new vision for how the puppet theater is going to look and it's finally starting to come to life.  I cried happy tears because this was the moment I've been waiting for!

Then one more thing happened:

Last night I awoke by the light of the full moon and thought about Milton helping me.  How he was a link in helping me turn my dream into a reality.  Then, a light bulb went off and it came to me!!  My first puppet show will be about Making Dreams Come True.  I got up and wrote down my thoughts......then got up again and wrote some more.  When the curtains rise for the first performance of The Fantasia Puppet Theater,  I know exactly who to invite.  It will be the freinds and family who helped make my dream come true!

 

Are you working on a dream?

Happy Spring to all!

xox

Constance

 

 

In the Works

It's Mardi Gras Season, a time of preparation. 

Place cards are getting made,

Fleur de lis cookies have been baked........

and iced.  They''ll be given as party favors at Laura's Brunch this Saturday.

Two King Cakes are in the works for Mieko's party on Friday night...

and I've finally started my mask.

 

 

NEXT

 
  I've been creating a Shrine for Rebecca's Auction, benefiting the Street Children of Oaxana, Mexico.

 

Perhaps you will consider making a shrine for this year's auction too!

 

Last but not least:

This pochette and handbag were recently completed for:

dariapew.blogspot.com~

 

I'll be sure to take photos during the Mardi Gras Celebrations!

Happy week and weekend to all!

 

xox

Constance

 

About Death

My mother made my brother and me beanbag bunnies fifty years ago, an Easter gift.  The guy with the dark glasses is a beatnik,

the other fellow is a hobo.  I choose them as the backdrop to this post.   It’s hard to believe I've lived upon this earth fifty three and a half years.  It's difficult for me to believe I'm ‘old’. Such a lesson in life!   Once recently, I mentioned something to my mom about being middle aged, and she said “middle aged”?  “Are you expecting to live to be one hundred and six years old”?  Smile~~ No I'm not!

I spoke with a fellow blog sister Jenny Fillius recently. We discussed many things…. our appreciation for music, how her daughter wrote a special poem that profoundly touched another, my mother’s radiant health and resilience, our artworks, but most importantly we took on the topic of death, our own to be precise.  She and I agree, that for some reason our culture in the United States seems to run away and pretend death doesn’t exist, hides it under the rug.  We agree that death should be considered and embraced.  It seems, people fill their days doing things to escape thinking about death.

Last year Jenny nearly died and when I was a teenager I might have died, twice.  It will change your life forever when you have an experience like this. Once my friend Margaret said “We are one day closer to the last day of our life”.  That hit and made me think about how I can appreciate life, especially Mother Nature, about kindness, accepting a smile or kind word or giving one, feeling well and taking good care….the little things. Trying to live in the moment.  I remind myself to adjust my focus, so that I have eyes to see the beauty that surrounds. The thing about it is, we only have a short amount of time and the older you get the faster time flies. 

 
I remember my father and my friends who have died and offer a prayer.  For me a living will is imperative!  Yes, I do think about death, but the blessing is, that it makes me appreciate life. What about you?  Do you think about death?

Thank you for taking the time to leave such poignant thoughts and comments.   Each of you have expressed thoughts that I relate to.  In the middle of the night I cosidered deleating this post (I don't know exactly why).  Perhaps I didn't think it would resonate with anyone, but now that I read your experiences, I'm glad left it where it was and thank you.

xox

Constance

OwOh WiNnEr 2o11!

A Madala of Friendship and Love for

Writer Girl

Who dreams over at Sacred Ordianary

Winner of OWOH 2011!

Please send me your mailing addy~

Your biscotti and garland will be on their way, pronto!

So Happy!!

xox

Constance

Sunday's the Night!

And Monday is the DAY!  January 30th at twelve midnight, the curtains will rise for the first day of the last  One World One Heart event, organized by Lisa of A Whimsical Bohemian.  For the past five years, this woman has graciously hosted a cyber party for creative people to get to know one another through their art and blog sites.  Since this is the last year, you this last chance to join in the fun.

For those of you who have never participated before, OWOH is an fabulous  opportunity to meet like minded people all over the world and a chance to win excellent prizes, many of them handmade.

For all the scoop, go here.

See you Sunday!

xox

Constance