Here's a long and detailed look at various First Ladies' gowns. It's fascinating to see how they change, not only with the period, but the personality and message of the wearer. The ladies below may all be wearing white ballgowns...but they're incredibly different from each other. (Notice how accessories change, too.)
All photos via Pinterest
Harper's Bazaar also took a history-laden look at the First Ladies, gown-wise.
Back from Cheyenne. We got home about midnight. It was so windy yesterday that we counted four trailers tipped over on the interstate (with more up north, we were told). A huge batch of semis lounged along the highway, waiting for the wind to die down. (We stopped at Johnsons Corner and got a cinnamon roll, instead.)
That's Colorado and Wyoming in the spring for you.
The talk for the Cheyenne Heritage Quilters was about quality, workmanship -- and how to add those touches in your quilts that make them something special. I asked four people whose work I've admired to let me borrow a few of their pieces to show. Gutsy, dears....and much appreciated. Donna Groesbeck, Linda Herget, Bea Dersham and Sue Frerich, you all do good work...and often enough include a predeliction for certain themes, colors and fabrics that are fascinating to this appraiser. Thank you for letting me show and tell about your work!
Oh, and Linda...I'm sorry I was such a doofus about starting on the backside for your second piece. You often experiment with both sides of the quilt -- I was tired -- and it didn't occur to me until I'd been yammering on for a while. You were very kind about it.
Now, Cheyenne friends, if you'd consider adding more embellishments... :)
Thank you for your kindness -- and kind words.
I'll be headed there again in late summer to help with their annual quilt show: August 16-18, 2018.
Here's a glimpse of their 2016 show - one aisle, at least. with permission from CHQ
One of the funniest commercials I've seen in a while! The Brick was only mildly amused...but then, he's not the one who got a humidifier for Christmas one year. (I'd thought the package was a sewing machine.)
Are you in the Cheyenne, WY area on Monday night? I'll be showing a boatload of wonderful quilts, and talking about "Good, Better, Best" -- how to raise your quilts' quality, and get them better-noticed...as well as winning more prizes in competition. Many of these ideas are easy to plan for and execute. It's the Cheyenne Heritage Quilters' monthly meeting -- starts at 7 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 108 E. 18th St. in downtown Cheyenne. (Near the Capitol) Go here for more. I'd love to see you.
I was rattling on about something silly at Friday coffee, and one of the girls said, "You're feeling better, aren't you?" She was right! We may finally have this flu business licked for good. But it's clear we need to be careful. We both run out of steam so quickly. Meanwhile:
Banana custard -- actually a breakfast dish made with oatmeal. Yum. (From Marci's Tidbits) The 2018 Oscar Winners list. Yay that Gary Oldman's work was recognized for Darkest Hour! And I'm glad Dunkirk got something. But the rest? Mostly have never heard of/and or seen them.
Can you watch it and NOT laugh?! (Thanks, Scribbles & Such, for giving us a break.) Maybe that will help you cope better with the next shot of reality:
“I was as surprised as anyone to find out that a $31,000 dining set had been ordered,” Carson said... “I have requested that the order be canceled. We will find another solution for the furniture replacement.
“I made it known that I was not happy about the prices being charged and that my preference would be to find something more reasonable,” he added.
Of course, this is after his spokesperson said on Feb 27 that he was aware of how much the set cost...and was just fine with it. So who's telling the truth? (From Snopes)
A cave dwelling...updated! This Chinese residence is lovely. Energy-efficient, too. (From Dwell) An update on Libby Lehman -- but from 2015. I need to find out more about the current activities of this smart, talented colleague -- she's continued to recover from her terrible sickness in 2013. Stay posted. Update: Just heard from someone who had talked to her recently. She is "doing good" -- at least, based on her "new normal." She beats regularly at Scrabble, does complicated puzzles and generally is handling everyday life well. She and her husband are planning some upcoming trips.
Although I had scattered contact with her over the years on the teaching/judging 'circuit,' I did not know her that well. I only judged with her once -- and spent an afternoon at Denver's Tattered Cover bookstore with her. But I will always think fondly of this thoughtful and wise woman...and wish her well. Ten strange reality events, already predicted by Hollywood. (or fiction. From Listverse) 100 Thrift Store makeovers. It's actually 100 links to these, but who's griping. (From Redhead Can Decorate) The story of Lily, a dog that was buried alive.Her story has a happier ending than you'd think... (From I Heart Dogs) From the department of 'Serves You Right' comes a story of kindness -- and justice:
Going to extremes -- on couponing and other frugal practices. A classic from yours truly.
Have a great week. And please, stop by and say hi Monday night.
One of the pretty pieces from Cheyenne's annual quilt show a few years back: this one's a detail from a scrap quilt, 'Fireweed,' by Sandy Farrell. The nice mix of triangle motifs and fabrics really complement each other. (Used with permission from the guild)
...And sadly, some things I understand all too well. Gentle Readers, they're still out there. I've mentioned items before (here, too -- and yep, here as well) but there always seem to be more. Welcome to the world in all its quirkiness.
*From the Department of Overrated News: Walmart is changing its name in 2018. I've already heard people in a panic about this. Something radical, right? You bet -- instead of 'Wal-Mart Stores Inc.,' it will now be 'Walmart Inc.' Oh, the horror. *Barbra Streisand cloned her yipey dog -- for only $50,000. Funny, she says that the two puppies that resulted don't have physical traits of the original dog -- they don't have its' "serious temperament," either. Whaddya think, Barbie -- could you have put out $500 or so for another dog, and used the rest to help promote world peace?
Update: You can make one! (Thank you, Scribbles & Such, for explaining how -- go here for more.)
*This interesting statement is making the rounds of Facebook and other places:
"Hi, I'm Oprah. I'm the spokesperson for Weight Watchers but can't control my weight. I tell you how to run your marriage but I can't commit to marriage. I tell you how to raise your kids but I'm too selfish to have any. But hey, I'm black and a woman, so I check all the boxes. Even though I knew about Weinstein, I support the Me Too movement."
Obviously, this isn't Ms. Winfrey talking. And she has done a lot of good in the world, while stacking up her millions. But there is some truth here. The Weinstein connection particularly bothers me right now:
Some sources (like Snopes.com) are adamant that Oprah didn't say this. What she DID say was: “If we make this just about Harvey Weinstein, then we will have lost this [watershed] moment,” Winfrey said. “I think this is a moment where no matter what business you work in, there have been women who not only had the disease to please, that’s a part of it, but who felt that in order to keep my job, in order to keep my positioning, in order to keep moving forward, I’ve got to smile, I’ve got to look the other way, I’ve got to pretend he didn’t say that, I’ve got to pretend he didn’t touch me — I think those days are about to be over.” However, she had a long and warm relationship with Weinstein, documented in about a zillion photos. According to him, reported by TMZ: Harvey has repeatedly told his team and friends that Oprah called him earlier this week and said he needed to speak out and defend himself, and when he did she would be right there supporting him. We’re told Harvey has said a number of powerful people have called to voice support, but he singled out Oprah over and over. (Oprah's rep said she hadn't spoken directly to him, but would be open to an interview. Uh-huh.) At least one actress has said Winfrey was "instrumental" in introducing her to Weinstein; the young woman thought it was for her career, but it turns out it was for (ahem) something else. At least one celebrity alleges Ms. Winfrey was more than aware of this.
Snopes is clear, while debunking the meme above, saying, "It could be argued that Oprah Winfrey bears a part of the responsibility shouldered by the rest of Hollywood for allowing sexual predation to flourish for decades (if not generations)..." The site goes on to emphasize Ms. Winfrey never openly pimped for Harvey Weinstein. Ooh, that makes me feel so much better. I have also wondered about a woman who is so sensitive to 'racism' that her tv network features mostly black people, gay individuals, people with strong liberal opinions who aren't afraid to denigrate conservatives, so on and so forth. Isn't this a form of prejudice, too? I won't be voting for Oprah Winfrey for president. There are plenty of other educated, thoughtful and worthy women of color who would be much better choices. They might be poorer...but they're wiser, too.
Then again, Hollywood isn't the most honest of places...Harvey Weinstein or not.
Moving on:
Don't know about the rabid part, but everything else hits a liiitle too close....
The James Bond path to diplomacy:
A 'Frozen' outfit...on an adult? Really?? She looks like an ice cream sundae.
Sigh. Don't forget the jiggling, either.
Add to that snoring, and the most irritating habit you can think of. (For my poor sweet baby, it's probably watching me clean out my ears with a toothpick -- something I've done for decades.)
If you can handle it (or ignore it), you're on the path to a good marriage.
I'm speaking out of experience: 36+ years and counting.
Charley does this a lot when he isn't sure how to respond.
(If you're thinking Blue Willow, I was, too. My Christmas present from Brother Dear, during the last year of high school, was a four-place setting of this pretty stuff. I still have most of the plates and saucers. Love it.)
Blue Willow plate - from Wikipedia
Anyways, a man found this cracked teapot, no top, at an antiques fair in Great Britain. He thought it might be something interesting, so put it up for auction. He paid about $20. The pre-auction estimate was $20,000!! (Some English antique dealer is kicking themselves right now.)
Photo from Woolley and Wallis
Sounds great, right?
The piece sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for:
$520,000.
More than $800,000, if you count the buyer's premium -- and more than 20 times the appraiser's estimate. (Shame on them.... though I'd guess this piece was so rare that they had few 'comps' to compare it with.) That'll buy a lot of English Breakfast and biscuits.
According to Tamzin Corbett, auctioneers rep for Woollery & Wallis (the Salisbury, Southern England auction that sold the piece), the teapot was manufactured by the John Bartlam porcelain factory -- the first known American porcelain company -- in Cain Hoy, SC in the 1760s. She says, "It's only the seventh known piece from this pottery that's been discovered and although it's not whole, it is still recognizable as an object."
One wonders how a South Carolina teapot from the Revolutionary War period even made it overseas. (Swiped by a soldier, perhaps?) The dealer, Roy Jellicoe, who purchased it on behalf of the Met, says: "There was great interest in the piece because it's so rare...just before the Revolutionary War, there was a non-importation agreement in place...if [the colonies] could make their own porcelain, they didn't need to import it from England."
And that, along with taxes, insults and condescension, are strong reasons why the American Revolution happened, in the first place.
"The Americans thought it [the teapot] shouldn't be over here," says Mr. Jellicoe.
How we are:Better, but not well. Mr. Cough makes sure we're thoroughly exhausted after any big effort. Today, it was taking photos for the upcoming book. (Yesterday, too.) Fortunately, the Colorado weather has been perfect for it, with lots of storm clouds and interesting light mixes. I am starting to make progress again. Which feels wonderful.
