Saturday, May 15, 2010

AFTERNOON TEA WITH FAERIES

So much for Spring-time
Summer has arrived in Central Florida
warm sultry afternoons
and a gentle breeze blowing over the farmlands
it seemed to be, a perfect time for Tea!
I love afternoon tea, girlie little jelly sandwiches
and tea smelling of flowers
I set up my tea service
and headed out to the lanai

The Faeries were already out waiting for me

Tea time is always a good reason to put on a lacy frock

and listen to singing Mouses and tiny twittering birds

and of course, catch up on all the faerie gossip

a wicker carriage carrying all the Tea Cup Faeries

added so much more fun for all the girls

relaxing the afternoon away
'Tea with Faeries'

My New Collection of Tea Fairys are now in my shop

Friday, May 14, 2010

IL DIVO MOUSES

Recently, one of my favorite Doll Artists Paola Zakimi
ran a Tutorial: making a doll face
I popped in a favorite CD IL Divo Ancora
and followed along

I had too much fun, along with much giggling

paper clay mouse heads

musical cloth bodies

and IL Divo Mouses were born
and they now reside in my Studio Theater
singing away the day!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

THE IRISH CASTLE & DOLLHOUSE STORIES

The Irish Castle is celebrating its 125th year
I grew up in the neighborhood where the Givens Castle sits majestically on a hill
I lived in this old Chicago neighborhood for 20 years
and never went inside the Castle
The Castle has had several owners over the years
It is now owned by a Church
On my recent trip home
my good friend was able to get a tour inside!
I was so excited


These are some of the Pictures of the Castle
from past years
It was a family home
Givens the original owner, a Irish Gentleman
Had many lavish parties, I also found out that the dungeon of a basement once held a Grand Ballroom and beautiful dance floor

I remember the wooden structure on the side
it was a sleeping porch

The Castle was built on a hill top, as with all Castles they can survey the land and see the enemy approaching
Givens had several amazing stained glass and handpainted windows
in the Castle
The Family Crest

Most of the moldings and fireplaces
and the staircases
still remain
the passage way to the Turrets was a hole in the ceiling
and my very serious tour guide
did not seem willing to give me a boost up into the ceiling
and just looked at me funny when I told him that is where the
Dragons lived
but the original rooms have been taken out
to open the space into a large room for the Church

at the top of the stairs a narrow hallway that leads to bedrooms
is now used for storage
the caretaker lives in a 3rd floor apartment
As excited as I was to see the inside of the Castle it was kind of a let down
I prefer my stories of the Irish Castle

As I came in the front door, I would be greeted by an Amour Knight in Pink Metal

Castle Kids would be playing with cats and dogs
and the Purple Princess Dragon
would be licking the faces of the smiling children

and offering rides on her great winged back

and the Beautiful Court Ladies
would promenade through the Velvet Halls

My visit to the Irish Castle will always be special
but I still love all the stories and legends
that I made up about the Castle

Also while in Chicago, I found some pictures of my Dollhouse
from the early 50's

I still have most of the original furniture for the house

and after all my stressing over painting and renovating the house

I feel I have done her proud
my paint job looks almost the same

That is what I love about going home, you always find or see great things
that leave you with a feeling
of happiness!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

A WEEK IN THE WINDY CITY

It is always a sweet feeling to return to the old neighborhood

and be greeted by old friends

that are part of my family

Alice in Wonderland Dolls
Courtesy of Grace Hamper (Mom)

My Mother and I have always had a love of doll Making

The family home never looked so lovely
dressed in every shade of green

I set off to visit friends
The Irish Castle
but that is another story

Friends that I grew up with, now live in the same cottages

sitting on the porch
talking about the neighborhood

Many of my friends have adorable old homes
and it is fun to visit

I spent a day in the Great City

Where the hustle and the bustle
and all the fabulous windows

as I wandered about the city
I noticed most people were looking at their phones
not noticing what a beautiful day it was
the best way to walk around Chicago is with a bag of Fanny Mae Chocolate
in hand, phone off!

the River winding out to Lake Michigan

Street Art is everywhere
a Metal Moose?

tulips were in full bloom

and the Chicago Water Tower, was a shinning beacon amongst all the steel and glass

After a long walk, I stopped at The Drake Hotel for afternoon Tea
The shops in the Hotel Lobby were fascinating, beautiful faeries
The Palm Court was dark and cool and quiet
the perfect place to relax

before heading back to the family home

and a big dinner with old friends

Back in Central Florida

the peaceful lakes greet me

and I love visiting up North

But I always love coming home
I guess I'm now, a true
Floridian