cathy of california

"the sun in advertising and applied art", 1962

 

 

from the sun in art, graphis press 1962

learn how to make fabric flowers with me @ home ec on november 13

the class will focus on basic flower making techniques using fabric-- but the same technique can be used with other materials such as paper or even masking tape! flowers are fashioned on a wire stem and can be easily made in batches so that you arrange them in a vase. in the class we will a create a brooch (or a boutonnière for the guys). fabric flower brooches are currently a hot fashion item and would make a great holiday gift. all supplies are included.

for more info and to register please visit the home ec website

i can't believe it's been almost 3 years

i really don't remember exactly why i started this blog. i suppose it seemed like a good idea at the time and that it might be kind of fun. i had no expectations whatsoever other than maybe to document and share some of the stuff i collect. but i must admit that starting this blog was probably one of the best things i ever did in my entire life. as a direct result of writing this blog i have met some amazing people (some whom i am now lucky enough count as very close friends) and a opportunities have come my way that i would never have thought possible.

in many ways (not necessarily related to this blog) my life right now is very different than it was 3 years ago. there have been some major twists and turns. what i do on a day to day basis has changed. there's been some bad stuff but there's also been some (really really) good stuff happen too. some very cool people have put their trust in me and i am involved in a project that i am putting pretty much most of my energy towards.

that said, my regular posting to this blog will diminish for a short time. as things come up or i am inspired i will most certainly be posting from time to time. i am not abandoning ship just shifting my focus elsewhere for a little while.

thanks for reading my blog, making comments and for supporting me + my endeavors.

xo

(image from how to cook a bachelor's goose by ruth g. saltzman, illustrated by harvey m. knecht, published by golden press 1969)

i'm teaching craft 101 @ home ec on october 23

ever wonder what's the right glue to use? what do you mean i can't use the same scissors for paper and fabric?  i will present an overview of craft supplies, tools and techniques that will help you make the best decision on what you need when you are creating craft projects. using the right tools and supplies will make your project more enjoyable and open you up for more creative possibilities. we will finish the class with a quickie project made from the supplies shown in class. feel free to bring in supplies from your craft stash that you have any questions about.

for more info and to register please visit the home ec website

you know you really want a copy of the kitty wigs book don't you?

i adore julie jackson of subversive cross stitch fame. everything she does makes me crack up. i love her new book glamourpuss - the enchanting world of kitty wigs so much! i wish that my cat could sit still long enough to have her picture taken wearing a kitty wig - but that would never happen.

how would you like to have your very own copy? well i have one that's up for grabs.

but you're going to have to tell me the name of your first cat (or dog, rabbit, fish, turtle, etc.) and the street you grew up on. if that doesn't work (say for example you grew up on 30th ave.) then you may substitute your mother's maiden name. it's like that game where you come up with your stripper (or drag queen) name. in my case it's "roxy valencia".

winner will be chosen by our extra special celebrity judge... "sammy bencrest", er, um, oh i mean miss julie jackson herself!

here are "the rules":

make a comment to this post by noon (pacific time) wednesday october 14th

in the comment include your stripper/drag name - which will be published

when making a comment make sure to include your email address (will not appear with your comment - i will need to get in touch with you if you are selected)

US residents only

comments generated from those crafty give-away websites are not eligible

good luck!

UPDATE: thanks everyone - comments are now closed. each and every one of them made me laugh out loud. so it's all now in the hands of our celebrity judge. stay tuned for the announcement of the big winner!

AND OUR CELEBRITY JUDGE SAMMY BENCREST HAS CHOSEN A WINNER (drum roll please)......."SNUGGLES CANYON"

it was tight race so we also have a SECOND PLACE WINNER: "MISS BOOGER VAN NOORD"

thanks everybody for participating - this was fun!

embroidered effects

a few years ago my mom gave me some tea towels that she purchased at her church's holiday bazaar. they were expertly embroidered by an elderly lady in what i recall to be a very 1940s style in a "dish ran away with the spoon" motif.  they were super cute but not really my style so i brought them to my friend's annual "white elephant" party. well they ended up being the most popular item of the evening. the hostess really wanted them but lost out on in the last round. she was really bummed out.

i felt really bad because they would have gone perfectly with her kitchen. i wanted to get her another set but was too embarrassed to ask my mom to get me some more. so i did an internet search to see what i could find. i ran across an amazing website from a girl in austin who sold patterns but also did embroidery that was shown in galleries - portraits of people like iggy pop and marianne faithful. i was blown away.

at the time i was working full time in retail and was feeling unhappy and stuck in my situation but not sure of what else i could do. there was something that kept resonating with me about this girl's work. someone was making a go at it by making cool things.  i found her and the work she was doing to be quite inspiring. jenny hart was my first exposure to the possibility that there were other directions that i might be able to take.

of course jenny's business has grown and she has achieved more or less rock star status in the craft world. she continues to inspire. jenny has a new book - embroidered effects: projects and patterns to inspire your stitching  - that covers a variety of techniques - even a sashiko project (pictured). it's just fabulous - you should put it on your wish list.

who knew that a tea towel would be something that would help me discover that there were other possibilites out there.

handmade soirees

if you are a regular reader of my blog i'm sure you've heard me go on and on over how much i love the french general shop.  kaari has closed the hollywood location and moved to a new location on riverside drive in that area that i'm never exactly sure of what to call it - kind of in between silver lake and echo park and right next to frogtown. anyway it's a much bigger space, it's just lovely and i had the pleasure of attending her opening day event a couple of weeks ago.

as if moving and opening a new shop was not enough for kaari she has also been working on a couple of books. handmade soirees - simple projects for special occasions has just been released. my favorite section the "poolside grill dinner" which was shot poolside at her los feliz home. the image of the pool reminds me so much of my aunt's pool where i spent most my summers when i was little.

i'm very much looking forward to kaari's next book which is a collaboration with tinsel trading. there's a nice little video introduction to the project - please go here and hit videos on the left hand column.

gourmet magazine, july 1970

i couldn't really decide if i wanted to do a quick little post about how sad i am that gourmet magazine was shut down yesterday or go on at length about how much i love magazines and am worried about what might go next. but the truth of the matter is that i really don't know what to think.

i do miss blueprint and domino but i got over that pretty quickly because they were relatively new. it really hurt when craft magazine folded because of my close ties to them (i had a column and they are a great bunch of folks) but at least it lives on in blog form. but gourmet  had been around since the 1940s, was beautifully designed & photographed and hired amazing writers like david foster wallace ("consider the lobster" august 2004). such an engaging magazine with a rich sense of history.  i am also a huge fan of ruth reichl.

i am one of those people who finds it very difficult to relax. but there's just something about flipping through the pages of magazine that i find to be so peaceful. i love having a big pile of magazines next to my bed, i enjoy holding a magazine and a trip to a newstand is my idea of fun. now that i'm thinking about it magazines have played a very big role in my life. when i should have been reading all of those books that you are supposed to read in high school i was instead studying vogue magazine. i save magazines that most people toss - if peter walsh ever showed up at my house i am sure his first order of business would be to put my complete set of budget living in the dumpster. but how happy am i that i saved those few issues of jill and nest magazines that now go for big bucks on ebay.

it's all very tricky with magazines. we can support them by subscribing and by purchasing the products they advertise - but it's not really up to us. if they are not getting the big advertising dollars then it's over.

i will need to be sedated if sunset or martha ever go under.

(image via cover browser where you can also view gourmet covers from 1959 - 2007)

leopard spots boutique ad, laguna beach, 1967

outtake shot by legendary surf photographer ron stoner for sherry haley's "leopard spots" boutique. sherry ran a very popular boutique in laguna beach during the 1960s. how much do i love those big paper flowers in her hand?

(images from photo/stoner - the rise, fall and mysterious disappearance of surfing's greatest photographer by matt warshaw published by chronicle books)

feels like fall today but i'm thinking of summer

this image is from heather ross' recent post about VW buses (which you really need to check out if you don't happen to read her blog already). as a native californian it conjures up alot for me.

it's been a very hot summer here in los angeles and today was the first day it really felt like fall - which i do welcome but with just a twinge of regret that once again my insanely busy schedule left me no time to go to the beach this year.