The Sims: Analog Version

Yep. In the teeny world where I am a giant, people like to relive the fun and adventure of painfilled dentistry. They like to relive it so much, they go on Ebay and buy the moment for $300. And, if they like it for themselves, there are five additional offices available to give to friends and family so that they can enjoy the dentist in old fashioned style.

I love it that one of the sellers calls themself, “Precious Places” because that truly is all that. When one searches vintage dollhouse, that is when the wonderful and wierd pops up…along with Lithuanian couples (dolls) in national costume and of course, the servant class in uniform, ready to provide you a delicious dinner or neaten up after you. I wonder if they do dental exams or whether the Lithuanians have that skill.

Then there is the magic that only the Chinese can bring to this wonderland. The view of the  these “precious places” through the asian lense is a miraculous thing indeed. There are exotic hotels, and beach houses….little vacation get away cabins, and then mansions that only princesses can live in. They have pets, and horses, and all sorts of fabulous things though it does surprise me that the fascination with bling has not manifested itself in furniture, frames for mirrors etc…but believe me, I do keep hoping I am going to hit a rich vein of absurdity sometime soon. More later on this silliness.

Just finished a wonderful read that lead me on a journey almost Harry Potteresque only instead of witches and magic, it wove technology, Google, cyberspace, antique books, codebreaking, graphic design and fonts—in a wonderful chase for an answer-to let the good guys “win”. I highly recommend Robin Sloan’s “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore”.

“Robin Sloan cleverly combines the antiquated world of bibliophilia with the pulsating age of digital technology, finding curiosity and joy in both. He makes bits and bytes appear beautiful … The rebels’ journey to crack the code—grappling with an ancient cult, using secret passwords and hidden doorways—will excite anyone’s inner child. But this is no fantasy yarn. Mr. Sloan tethers his story to a weird reality, striking a comical balance between eccentric and normal … The pages swell with Mr. Sloan’s nerdy affection and youthful enthusiasm for both tangible books and new media. Clay’s chatty narration maintains the pace and Mr. Sloan injects dry wit and comedic timing suited to his geeky everyman … A clever and whimsical tale with a big heart.”
—The Economist

I was so taken with Mr. Sloan’s wonderful tale that I read his earlier book immediately after the Bookstore fun. “Annabel Scheme” started as a kickstarter project about the relationship of a detective and her cyber sidekick, a computer. Not as refined and as wild a ride as Mr. Penumbra, but none the less loveable heroine, loveable sidekick and a topsy turvy story that kept me turning pages at my 3 a.m. wakeup time. I wish there were more books from Robin Sloan as it was a dreamy place to go. I highly recommend both. They will be in the present box for the holidays.

More later.

My tiny world

Turkey Brooch, Q. Cassetti, 2012You know I am obsessed these days by all things tiny. I am probably the largest importer of small stuff from lands far away in Central New York…with more wonderful things to come. I am living in a teeny tiny zone…learning how to think and visualize in millimeters, learning how to search out these gems that I can turn into fun stuff to wear. I am learning about this teeny tiny world where people create their ideal life complete with paper plates and napkins to celebrate holidays, St. Patrick’s day etc—to 1:12 scale home healthcare equipment, to odd/unusual and out of reach furniture and housewares that any normal individual might not be able to afford. Living in this tiny world, celebrating holidays with little people, tiny babies, eensy boardgames, televisions and iPads—is a happy place where we can exist, own our own healthcare facilities, our own bakeries, charcuteries, and lingerie stores. This is the world where we can own pets who do not pee on the newly cleaned rugs, or puke behind the radiator, who do not eat the chicken on the stove as it cools, who quietly love and adore without any effort. This is the world that Santa is guaranteed to come, and household servants (in uniforms, no less) will serve you, bring the car around, and cook your savory dinner that includes pate, turkeys, and every form of cake, pie and fruit. This is the world of Christmas trees with real lights in every room if you want that never shed a needle, and can be weighed down with bitsy little ornaments that cost three times what they cost in the RW (real world…or at least the 1:1 world). However, I am Gulliver in this world—thudding through, collecting my batch of goodies that I can design with (with a fist filled with a squished tube of the miraculous E-6000) andHappy Party Cake Necklace, Q. Cassetti, 2012 make little confabs of iced cream cones, or veggies, or a whirl of tiny carrots and garlic. There are small breakfasts to go on your lapel, and birthday cakes that adorn glossy bangle bracelets. What fun. I have some little silver teasets that will adorn business card cases…along with candy encrusted compacts to whip out to fix your lipstick or make sure that corn silk is not hanging out of your teeth. Sickly, I am so charmed….and it has spurred me back to vectors (you got a dose last week) for fun (and happliy for profit I cannot speak of).

Now that this work is going to be at Sundrees, I am doing my own little affordable Queen of Design from Estee Lauder, Princess….and I am buying small wooden tables to display my jewels and pins, along with small black windsor chairs, and happily, some 1:12 bakery cases! Cute and sooooo fun! Forget playing in the tiny world—I love using the medium to sell the twist on the medium. Sundrees is a fun store here in Tburg filled with really wonderful and tasteful things and they have offered to carry my teensies, cameos, prints, cards, illos. I have gotten some big prints made along with some big “posters” (printed one side) that I am running through my accucut diecutter to give me 5.5” x 5.5” finished sized (two fold) cards of my farmers market wreathes. I am making a ton of cards to see what goes… and I am cutting out kraft boxes—to package all this stuff. Illustration is being layered on top…and is selling as well. So, I am keeping busy…and am psyched to see where all of this time will go.

New and Noteworthy

Detail, Fruit Brooch, Qtoo, Q. Cassetti 2012There is so much swirling around here I am just going to give you a quick note and hopefully get back on track and talk more frequently.

First, I was just voted to be on the board of the historic Great Camp Sagamore in the Adirondacks. This is ana amzing place that I have talked about from time to time, and love in my heart…so it hopefully will be a joy and blessing to be able to work for the benefit of this remarkable historic place. It is one of those historic places you can tour…and then if you are lucky, you can stay.

Second, Brand new top secret project. Thrilled to the top of my head to the bottom of my toes.

Third, I am now fully on board with Etsy. (We will get into this soon as there is so much to share). I am selling cameo jewelry, tiny food jewelry at Qtoo  (http://www.etsy.com/shop/Qtoo). Halloween sale going on for anything with a skull, owl or the like (20% off). I decided to split my illustration work out at Qillo,(http://www.etsy.com/shop/Qillo) a separate shop as they do not mingle well and it just makes sense to me. Surprisingly, these shops are selling and as I dig down into really better understanding how this all works, it is clear that there could be a nice secondary income stream that comes from this work. We have about 1-2 sales every day which doesnt sound like much, but it is getting the work out there and  we do not have much traction as these sites are less than 8 weeks old. Plus, I am looking at Big Cartel (recommended by a friend) as a second channel to get the work out. All of this is hitting for illustration far more than advertising in the Directories, and I can actively touch the people buying this stuff and respond immediately. Sundrees, the cool gift shop in town, is moving. They will be carrying my pins  and my prints. So, it may begin to pull. We will see.

I was stunned this morning in the morning thinktime in the shower. Here I had been fighting trying to get on board with a new body of work…and fighting it, I noticed that i wasnt going anywhere. I am, though, and that is back on the vector train. Huh. So, you will see new vectorstuff when I can show you…and see how it all works out. I need to just plain relax and let the fog clear.

We are having a benefit for the Food Bank of the Southern Tier this p.m. from 4-6 (invite only). So, I bought 2 dozen tiny pumpkins and gourds, 4 gorgeous (and not expensive!) goose neck gourds and 5 pumpkins along with Indian Corn and mums. The caterer is coming. The band is coming…and we are tweaking and fluffing. I am looking forward to having this finished.

Must go…as I am delaying the need to function and be nice (tough going for this girl). I would rather hide under my bed…and I have been up here to get goodies to offer (stickers/postcards)….So, I must go.

Otherworldly and wierd

Warrior Crabs, Q. Cassetti, 2012, Pen and InkI am inspired by all things Japan. A J thing. I am all caught up in reading and studying about Yokai, which according to Wikipedia is:

“Yōkai (妖怪?, ghost, phantom, strange apparition) are a class of supernatural monsters in Japanese folklore. The word yōkai is made up of the kanji for “otherworldly” and “weird”.[1] Yōkai range eclectically from the malevolent to the mischievous, or occasionally bring good fortune to those who encounter them. Often they possess animal features (such as the Kappa, which is similar to a turtle, or the Tengu which has wings), other times they can appear mostly human, some look like inanimate objects and others have no discernible shape. Yōkai usually have a spiritual supernatural power, with shapeshifting being one of the most common. Yōkai that have the ability to shapeshift are called obake.

Japanese folklorists and historians use yōkai as “supernatural or unaccountable phenomena to their informants”. In the Edo period, many artists, such as Toriyama Sekien, created yōkai inspired by folklore or their own ideas, and in the present, several yōkai created by them (e.g. Kameosa and Amikiri, see below) are wrongly considered as being of legendary origin.[2]”

All of this aligns perfectly as cultural inspiration from which Pokemon, the work of director, Hayao Miyazaki (“Princess Mononoke” and “Spirited Away”)—Yokai has been a bubbling undercurrent—explaining the unexplainable, giving personalities to unwanted or forgotten objects or just plain to be scary and dark. I am reading a series of wonderful books butterfly style …flitting from one to the other, and many of them I highly recommend, to best grasp (as best I can as a Westerner) the basis and the lyricism of this profoundly Japanese mythology.

Samuri Crab, H. Japonica

The Warrior Crabs, or Heikegani, are part of the Yokai stories. Wikipedia tells the story better than I. The Heikegani:

“Heikegani (平家蟹, ヘイケガニ) (Heikeopsis japonica) is a species of crab native to Japan, with a shell that bears a pattern resembling a human face. It is locally believed that these crabs are reincarnations of the spirits of the Heike warriors defeated at the Battle of Dan-no-ura as told in The Tale of the Heike.

From Arthropoda.wordpress.com

“Popular legend alleges that, following the battle Dan-no-ura, the souls of drowning Heike samurai warriors were transformed into crabs. These crabs are distinguished by having the faces of the fallen samurai on their backs. To this day the Heike crabs roam the depths of the oceans around Japan, searching for the lost heirlooms of their empire.”

There truly are crabs in Japan with faces on their backs, and so this tale emerges to explain this phenomenon, making magic for me, and for many others to best remember and honor the memories of ancient Japanese warriors.

The ghost of the Heike general Taira no Tomomori (bottom left) at the bottom of the ocean with the anchor he used to drown himself following defeat at Dan-no-ura. He is joined by Heike crabs bearing the faces and souls of his comrades. By artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 17th century.

whirlwind.

Brooklyn Bridge from my window.

Saturday we got going with Gloria to get to NYC to visit Alex during parents weekend. We are not big parents weekend type parents—as I do not play well in groups…and eating potato salad and small talk with people other than my child is not top of my list when it is wrapped into a five hour drive. So, our idea of parents weekend is that we grab our kid and go do something fun and a bit spoiling as we are parents, and that is what we can do. So, in the spirit of spoiling Alex, we got going around nine…to get Gloria to a friend of her’s house in the city to visit, allowing us to get to Hempstead in time to have dinner with Alex.  We dropped Gloria off in NYC and then Rob decided we needed to eat something as it was late afternoon, and we hadnt eaten since Ithaca.

Radegast Hall and Biergarten, Williamsburg, NYIn the tricky way he has, he took me to Radegast Hall and Biergarten. Turns out, it was packed as it was one of the three full blast Octoberfests this amazing place was celebrating. Radegast Hall comprises of three different rooms: an open classic Biergarten with long shared tables and benches; a smaller, more cozy dark room, and an enormous bar—also dark that abbuts the Biergarten. This place was jamming, with oompa music and beer flowing. They had two grills going with an offering of all sorts of sausages (Venison and Kielbasa were what we picked) which came with a very delicious mild sauerkraut and the whole mess was plopped onto a bed of fries. There were people on top of people—some with funny beer drinking hats, a few in liederhosen and my favorite was the Williamsburg Hipster take on liederhosen—the same outfit made out of cutoffs and denim. Hilarious! Brilliant!

We had a nice schnellembus and then booked out of there to visit Mast Brothers chocolate (next door) and the Brooklyn Art Library (I have a sketchbook there). Mast Brothers is sublime—and warm and wafty. You are hit by the rich chocolate perfume as you enter the big retail and manufacturing floor—enveloped the scent and what it promises. Mast Brothers makes handmade chocolate bars (they make it in front of you), wrapped in beautiful papers and sealed with a tipped on label—very bookbindery—very eriudite but approachable. Mast Brothers had a strong use of small and wall blackboards in their display, teaching illustrations of what they do, and how they do it, nice tips on how to use the chocolate, and of course samples on big boards that they chopped up for us to try from nibs to a salted chocolate. They had wonderful big baking bars, to little packages 3 or 5 bars which made the per piece price quite concievable. Mast Brothers have a real grasp on their brand dna, and really stay true to it.

The same with Radegast….it is so good there that one might not believe that this place has not been here since german beer was created.  The look is so old and ancient with lots of old seeming wall graphics, signage all int german (truly a fake job) and the way it is staffed and organized it is pure, beliveable theatre…not Disney entertainment, but the read deal. You are in Germany only it is right across the East River.

Birthday Cake made from used sweaters, Williamsburg, NYWe looked at the stores nearby and I was stunned by the originality, fun, and sheer arty energy that was happening in this neighborhood. There was a great and smart childrens store that had three crazy cakes (one to the left) made out of recycled sweaters (a new upcycled product) along with a plethora of cute character illustrations, handmade kids stuf, fun fun fun. There were folks just selling antiques and curated “stuff”. There are mini factories/showrooms for furniture and housewares—all approachable, all handmade and all at a very nice level of craft and finish.  Lets just say it, i fell in love with Williamsburg—and hope there will be many visits in the future.

After that little foray, we got into the car and zipped (via a new way that talkin’Tina (our name for the Garmin girl) took us that was pretty and not odd and scary that sometimes we go (with lots of winding through neighborhoods and by the Belmont Racetrack.

We found Alex just absolutely amazing and agreed to pick him up after the free Snoop Dog concert to bring him into the city for a day of as he put it “hanging out and drinking coffee with you guys”. So Rob and I went to the Hicksville LI Ikea to look at lighting fixures (a favorite), sofas and light bulbs (Rob’s passion). It was fun to find IKEA and get the lay of the land out there relative to Alex and his perceptions of where he is, and what is there…plus, we burned time in a very productive way. I think we are close to picking a door style for a new kitchen we will be putting into the Camp House. Simple but nice (wood doors too). Around 8:30 pm, we gathered Alex (after seeing his room, meeting friends and seeing him in his new environment), and drove back to the city to have a late dinner and sleep. Long and full day.

Sunday was the coffee and talking.  We toured the food vendors by the Seaport with our favorite, Joe Mozze--offering up a range of cheese and deliciousness. There was a man shucking oysters and prepping raw sea urchins with a tub of shiny black eels at his feet ready to take home. Across the street was the amazing, New Amsterdam Market—a farmers market under the overpass—with such an amazing selection of food, bread, things to eat, handmade bicycles, teeshirts. High high quality. They have a series of events that I need to relate to my farmers and producers as the exposure is so enormous. The programming around having certain events or foodtypes featured is something we can take advantage of at our market—to supplement the movie nights and other things that we use to bolster the attendance/sales at the market.The New Amsterdam Market hasan inspired set up (simple white signs with black lettering) with a big chalkboard underneath for the vendors to do with what they will).We went over to the Meatpacking District to see what was on sale at the Vitra Design sale this year. Nothing that made us crazy with delight, but as it started to rain, we ran for cover in the Standard Hotel and had a snack at the Standard Plaza, the most casual of their eateries. It was so nice just being able to talk with Alex, to really check in on how his new life was going (beyond expectations from our viewpoint), how he is navigating being independent, his new friends, new observations and his new structured life. I am beyond delighted. We drove him back to Hempstead with lots of talk and laughing—and he noted that he was referring to his school as his home, and that maybe he has decided that he was going to stay for a while. Oh, I miss my boy…but in the same vein, I am so proud he is at it, working hard, settling in, making friends and building community. He is a treasure that I am so lucky to have in my heart.

blingy thingiesMonday was my birthday! Rob gave me the best present! It was spending the day with me. We went to see a few findings shops I wanted to see for the gemeralds I have been making. I thought that coming to the source in NYC might rock compared to my shopping online and using those resources I have uncovered. How wrong was I? Good knowledge—but I can do it cheaper with more choices on line—without the hassle and attitude (which is fun, sometimes) that NYC layers on. But, I had to do this just to learn this. I was overwhelmed instead by the zillions of bead stores for little ladies to make little things. And of course, the blingy of the blingiest….from cellphone (amazing decoden stuff) and ipad cases to complete shops of wedding crowns and tiaras. Love that stuff, but just didnt have the patience to go deep yesterday. Instead we took in a perfect NY day in Bryant Park—watching people play ping pong and chess; adoring the reading room al fresco; amazed at the succoh that was set up to celebrate the harvest; and inspired by the classes that were taught at the library (the most sublime was a course in writing your college essay). All easy…all attainable..and all transferrable to our little Ulysses Philomathic. Hmmmm.

Rob and I toured this amazing Japanese store, Kinokuniya opposite Bryant Park—with books and gifts, Manga and Japanese office supplies…and then had lunch at the restaurant there….admiring the scene. Fun. We did some more shopping (getting him a really cute blazer) and saw the new Benneton Pop up shop in Soho. Drinks at Bread and dinner around the corner. It was such fun. I will be back in the saddle tomorrow a.m. but wanted to say hi before doing something neighborhoody here. We leave around 3. Maybe I can knock out a pair of fingerless gloves on the way home? 

Yin Yang

It was a long, happy and amazing weekend. Two totally amazing women, women who build community without even thinking, married…. and forever. Absoulutely no question. This union is beyond the grave. They are kindred spirits—the yin and yang…the light and darkness, the beginning and end. They are paired perfectly—and inspire all to seek the one for the ever, forever spot.I have been to plenty of weddings with the same liturgy with “‘til death do us part”…and this wedding of two matched souls transcended the ordinary. It was about pure love. Lasting love that spans pies, and planks, music and moments, people and places.  These are topics that are hashed out…one at a time between these two bookends who so happily complement each other.  Congratulations on dear Leah and Amelia on their marriage (legalized, finally!) and you honor us by being part of the small golden circle surrounded you during this transcendent moment. Blessings on you.

Kawaii!

I want to preface this rambling to say that I am heads over heels in love with this moment of kawaii and want to share it with you. It totally captures my imagination, and I am puzzling over how to intellectually understand this style. Maybe its just an emotional thing, but I will try to spell it out to myself and maybe to you so we can be cute together!

Okay! This is a little intro to where my tooling around the web has ended up. The video above is by the amazing Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Pon Pon Wei Wei  which for me is the starting place to begin to try, and I mean try to understand what this Japanese Kawaii styling is all about. Hello Kitty was the kick off for this uber cute, sugary, sugary, teeth rotting cuteness which as it evolves gets more odd, more psychodelic and more insider than ever before. Pokemon, Todoro, Rilakuma (the relaxing bear) and Pikachu, more particularly entered our lives early and continues to live on as something retro for ourkids so how does this Kawaii work? how does it manifest itself and how can we understand it? And most importantly, do we really need to intellectually understand it…but leap into the frothy, sugary goodness with both awkward feet and embrace our inner cuteness emotionally and joyously?I think its the latter, but maybe something will evolve from just swimming around in the pink, glossy pool of Kawaii surrounded by plastic whipped cream, tiny slices of cake and chocolate candy, hard boiled eggs formed into little heads, and airplanes that promise cute fun while flying.

Kawaii, as Wikipedia tells us:

Kids Meal on Eva Air. Please note what fun one would have eating the hello Kitty rice balls! Forget McDonalds, I want this!Kawaii, Means, lovable , cute , or adorable is the quality of cuteness in the context of Japanese culture. It has become a prominent aspect of Japanese popular culture, entertainment, clothing, food, toys, personalappearance, behavior, and mannerisms The noun is Kawaisa (literally, lovability , cuteness or adorableness ). The words kawaii have the root word kawai which is formed from the kanji ka meaning acceptable , and ai meaning love . The term kawaii has taken on the secondary meanings of cool , groovy , acceptable , desirable , charming and non-threatening .

A great excerpt from Wikipedia on influences on other cultures

The Kawaii concept has become something of a global phenomenon. The aesthetic cuteness of Japan is very appealing to people globally. The wide popularity of Japanese kawaii is often credited with it being culturally odorless. The elimination of exoticism and national branding has helped kawaii to reach numerous target audiences and to span every culture, class, and gender group. The odorless and tastelessness of kawaii has made it a global hit, resulting in Japan s global image shifting from being known foraustere rock gardens to being known for cute-worship .

Odorless and Tasteless you say? Darnright confusing but it is way way beyond stuff. It is so much part of the underpinnings of many Japanese artists, particularly that of Takashi Murakami who fuses products, books, art, sculpture and film along with his distinct point of view and his grounding in the Japanese culture and strong dose of Kawaii.

It is all about theatrical innocence with cake and cookies, ice cream and strawberries, glitter and whipped cream the sugar and spice and everything nice approach to styling. It is about being awkward and naive theatrically, and taking the cookies and candies, whipped cream and candy shop styling to technology (see phone case above) to cell phone charms, flash drives etc. The decorating of cellphones has its own name, Decoden:. As Lovelyish.com explains in its post What is Decoden:?:

Decoden or dekodenis  is an aspect of kawaii. For all of us who are part-crow in the sense that we dive for anything that glitters this is primetime. The term deco is intuitively short for decorated and den is short for denwa meaning phone in Japanese [via DannyChoo]. But these fancy facades don t stop at just phones. The deco craze has swept portable gaming systems, e-readers and even fingernails.

As Decoden NYC explains:

“DecoDen emerged from the Japanese pop culture scene as a for people to personalize electronic devices and make their own.

DecoDen combines the paint, colored crystal to form mosaic like designs. By combining the highest quality materials and fun, cute designs it has captivated the imagination of Japanese girls everywhere.
Although this form of personalization is gear more towards a younger demographic, it embodies the design aesthetic and attention to detail that has made products from Japan world renowned. Japanese have a old word for this idea WA, which means harmony, peace, balance.”

Generally, these decoden objects are cellphones with either lots of fake whipped cream (an amazing substance that makes me crazy with love) with fake candy and cakes and little creatures (think Hello Kitty style) all embedded in the fake white swirls—chock a block madness. Sometimes t here is a centerpiece creature, heart or bow that is the main design element that then the littler things cluster around. Or, its the crystal embedded cellphone decoration like the one we see to the right. Big, simple and of course glamoury glittery.

As part of my spinning and searching Kawaii, chasing down decoden and what it means,  I discovered Re-Ment collectables. Re-Ment that feeds the kawaii insanity by producing collectable  little toys, charms and pieces that spins the DIY of decoden, little vignettes, and the cutesypie-ness….(much in the Kid Robot mode)— Wikipedia on Re-Ment (from Reform the Entertainment) explains:

“Established in 1998, Re-Ment currently sells a line of highly-detailed miniature food, furniture and animal figures as well as mobile phone charms, doll fashions and magnets. Re-Ment miniatures have been featured in two television advertisements by the Kellogg Company for their Pop-Tarts pastry product.

In 2008, the company began a collaborative partnership with Disney on a popular line of miniature toys featuringMickey Mouse and characters from Toy Story, Winnie-the-Pooh, Alice in Wonderland and other stories. In July 2009, Re-ment partnered with Sanrio on a line of Hello Kitty miniatures. Re-Ment’s most recent collaboration is with San-X on a line of Rilakkuma miniatures.

Imagine my delight when I discovered a sushi set that incorporated “Hello Kitty” as the fish in the food? There is this amazing mashup of food or lifestyle with these characters. Why have just one cute thing when you can superimpose a dozen other cute things just to make it, cuter? Or to my thinking, scarier? Does one really want to eat the head of our favorite little happy cat? Please note the rice balls and the pound cake that is poor little Hello Kitty? Or by consuming it, is there something almost mythological that you can become Hello Kitty?

 There is a fashion piece that takes this pink and white, yellow and lavendar palette and marries it to Alice in Wonderland, the Candy Shop, fast food and fast food graphics, bread (!I know where is that coming from ), hello kitty cabochons and imagery, packaged food like macaroni and cheese, pizzas etc and food with faces. And its about bows and ruffles, gloves and hair decorations, its about puffed sleeves and crinoline petticoats, little pocketbooks with the same and lots and lots of it. There is nothing minimal about Kawaii as there is never enough antiseptic sweetness in any of our lives.

I am inspired by this insanity and am searching out more roots, more clues, more inspirations to really wrap my head around this. I am on to something I think we will see emerge as soon as the ink hits the paper (blueline exist)…as this is so amazing and non-western that I want to do a bit of a deepdive.

Etsy Kawaii search>

Ebay Kawaii search>

Ebay Re-Ment search

“…the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.” Sylvia Plath

It truly is the odd uneven time.

It is at this cusp of the seasons that we have hunks of hail flying off our metal roof, shocking, drumming an uneven cadence to promote this time of blurrr.  From a summer of heat and drought to cold soakers with immediate natural change leaving branches, ripe pinecones and leaves to cover the ground. Tornado watch for this evening… pulling fall into place from the long summer we have had since the short, hastened spring for this year. It was one of those long summers—so long that it was never heralded as it rushed into happening not giving us a chance to savor the slow defrosting of the earth, the apple and cherry blossoms, and the transient Lenten rose. Summer was never anticipated. It just was.

It is over, the afternoon swims watching the blushing sun set, with the water’s highlights changing from blue to purple with glints of the rosy sky.  It is over—the time of soaring swallows over our heads, the quick splash of fish, and the proud passagiata of mother sheldrakes followed by her teenaged babies, taking in the pockets of food and warmer currents. It is over, the lovely water floating—surrounded by the ovehead bowl of clouds that only a graphic designer could create of three colors—highlight, midtone and shadow—evenly cut to describe the big shapes that fill our sky. It is over, the high season of bounty—of bowls of raspberries, warm tomatoes, astringent basil and the terra grown treasures even a rainless summer brings to our tables and vases. All of the chopping and washing, saving and freezing promises a small reminder of the season as we huddle by our woodstove—reminding each other of the hot wooden floors, deep cold waters, and the heated breezes that kept us from sleep and work.

We are at the point of gradient..the ombre blend of time and place. It is the time when the trees change just slightly from the summer green to taking on a touch of brown, moving the foliage to olive. The roadside flowers transition to the final state of goldenrod, asters and ripe purple berries. The first red leaf is always of note.

 

Bookends

Alex Cassetti, August, 2012, on the back porch, Q. Cassetti.As I have mentioned before, the new parents are not handed a care and feeding manual when  leaving the hospital to prepare them for the new life ahead. However, many parents despite the lack of information, learn how to parent, learn how to raise/ praise/ reward/ and grow these little beings they have been blessed to foster. I was one of those people who were surprised into parenthood. The time with these remarkable people sped us through almost two decades…so that time before kids is my B.C/ A.D. And just as quickly, the time changes…as they need to go on, and bridge into their own lives with our support and coaching, but not as core players.

Alex is gone and now is situated at Hofstra, being enlightened by the diversity of people, the joy of a new community of like souls, and the freedom of choice, freedom of time, and self focus. He was just a wee bit tentative, but as we were saying our goodbyes, he turned to both of us and said ” I think I am already homesick. You know, I had it really good in Trumansburg.” Just when I thought he took it all for granted, just as he was getting ready to plunge into the unknown, he had the grace and inspiration to gift us with that wonderful sentiment. Not only did he appreciate living in this charming little town, but we loved having him here with us. It has been a remarkable two years allowing us time with him as our only child with Kitty at Hampshire.

We became a new team watching sports with Alex and loving every minute. We took him out to see bands we thought he would like. We had weekly bro-fests with his friends—with food, video games and gossip. We had boy sleepovers and cast parties. We had sausage fests and cross country events. We had sports banquets and musical performances. We had Prince Dauntless and Ike Skidmore. We were treated to Alex’s back seat comedy impressions and hilarious serenades from musical theatre. We froze squirrels for Elly. We went on double dates with Alex and Elly—movies, dinners, pizza. We drove all over. We shopped and planned and talked. We were there for each other. You can guess it, I miss him.

After leaving him to start this new chapter, it took me the better part of three days of being silent to process this change. Not only did Alex have a new world, so did Rob and I. We had a nice life before kids, 12 years of just us doing what we wanted to do together. We traveled. We lived in different places. We had friends (albeit nothing like the life we have now). But this amazing two decade slide from Q and Rob as couple, to Q and Rob as parents, has changed us as the team that we are. We too, have changed and continue to evolve.

It makes me nuts that having your children leave is called having an “empty nest” as the grown birds never return. I was musing on that during the last lake float that I had—and it dawned on me that Rob and I were bookends for our family. We are on the left and right, with just the right amount of space between us to accomodate two delightful books that need a bit of help to stand up. The bookends squeeze the books just to allow them to be vertical— keeping the binding and the paper in the best possible way. When the books are borrowed or are no longer between the bookends, they keep that same space, waiting for it’s  purpose to come back…to support, to accomodate those publications. That is where Rob and I are. We are the bookends, holding the space for Kitty and Alex…and we should learn to scootch together for the time they aren’t here, so we can support each other and relearn our new role as US, versus as the parent role that we have assumed.

The High School is back in session. Everyone has moved forward a grade…and my boy has moved forward too. Its going to be a wild ride for him from now until Christmas—and the work will be hard. I know he can do it. I have to watch from the sidelines and cheer—even if he cannot hear me.

Parade Day

Back of the Grange Float, Trumansburg Firemen’s Parade, 2012, Q. CassettiIt was a brilliant day. Brilliant and still attempting to be summer. So much so the Mister and I took a lovely swim in the deep and cold Cayuga—surrounded by the cloud bowl, bobbing and admiring the screeching gulls and the jumping fish. We coaxed Junior Mister into the drink, and he cooled down after a hot nap on a velvet couch.

Then it was off to the Trumansburg Firemens’ Parade, for me, a highlight of the summer. You probably know that I am a big fan of fairs, of parades—of anything showy, and fun…and the Tburg Parade delivers all with an extra bump of anything you can drive is extolled and celebrated. There were Fire and EMS Companies from all around from Ovid and Interlaken, to Mecklenburg to Speedsville (!! imagine), to our hometown Pride…and then some.  There were the Vets from the Legion.the Trumansburg Robotics Club (count 3 members), The GirlsScouts, Brownies and Daisies; The Tburg Snowmobile Club, The Tburg Old Car Group (with lots and lots of old cars). The Ulysses Philomatic Library was there with a stellar “Hungry Little Caterpiller” and a teensy butterfly. Napa Autoparts had a huge paper mache (oddly Ulysses Philomathic Library in the Trumansburg Firemen’s Parade, 2012, Q. Cassettiproportioned) truckers hat to represent them. There was the local Republican Candidate giving out the best candy. There were twirlers and flag wavers. Of course there was the glamorous and very haircentric Dairy Princesses waving in tatty prom dresses. There were enormous tractors with 12 wheels across and a go cart or two. There was the Baptist Bible Camp float. And Little Venice, one of the local watering holes had a pirate ship with a booming cannon with, as Rob proclaimed “the usual suspects” otherwise known as the regulars decked out in pirate gear. There were wheels and wheels and wheels.  Did I mention piles of candy being thrown? I hope next year, we can garner some support for the Farmers Market to walk in the parade with golden crowns made of hot glued plastic corn? I think it would be most excellent.

Alex is off to a concert at Cornell and to meet up with some of his classmates to  see how their first week has been. We are gathering up steam to get Alex launched. Today we filled out his voter registration form and oogled his schedule, penciling it out to see how his time was going to work out. Rob and I may go over to Seneca Lake to stand outside on the glorious porch of Two Goats Brewery, and savor the early evening light over the lake, with the vineyards rolling green until it hits blue. This is the place we live, the place other people go on vacation.

Butterfly

Butterfly Flash, Norman Collins aka Sailor JerryIt has been mega fly time at the lake. When we get to the house in the evening, there they all are, clustered at the windows banging to be let out, or dead in groups on tabletops, corners and the floor. It is weird doings and I cannot fathom why this moment for the flies to gather here, chez moi. It most definitely could be something agricultural—as the Luckystone is near open fields and vineyards. But why now and why in general?

“Good work isn’t cheap. Cheap work isn’t good.” Sailor Jerry

I have been trying to learn about Norman Collins, tattooist going by the moniker, Sailor Jerry. The interweaving of Sailor Jerry’s life, art, local and the rise and legalization of tattooing is taking me on a wild ride from blogs to websites to tattoo shops. The history is intriguing as is the source of the imagery—but to me Norman Collins steady and sure hand, his drawing rocks my world. This untrained guy—a sailor, musician, poet and tattooist, was remarkable when it comes to simplifying an image, making a limited palette work, and then sheer good design skills. A rose is a confident series of lines that is complemented with solid color leaving the highlights white without blend or gradation. However, as in the woman’s head I posted yesterday, look at the deliberate use of gradient/tone around her eyes to really take something simple and really sex it up. The eye gradient makes the tattoo. His interest and relationships with master Japanese tattoo artists peeks through his work. One can see bits of Utimaro and the brevity of line and tone work right there in his flash .

I am also surprised to find out that tattooing became legal in 1997. Look at the mad popularity that expanded after that date. Hmmm.

more musing later.

nibbling, not gnawing

Sailor Jerry Flash Such a beautiful dawn. Pale skies with peach and salmon fading to a clear yellow. The lake was spectacular—a blend from oyster grey to a brilliant blue. To reiterate a phrase Rob reminds us daily:”We live in a place people go on vacation.” And with a morning like this, his sentiments are confirmed. The fragrant Luckystone hosta are blooming with large, Easter lily scaled flowers —scenting the air and reminding us that fall is coming, and that the are celebrating the summer we had, and the transition at hand.

I am up early with Rob—he had to leave for an early meeting so I have time to start a batch of recycled soup, sometimes called garbage soup chez moi. This soup is one of the few that number one son requests—and devours bowlful by bowlful which makes a nervous mother proud. Plus, this soup is the standby when we all of a sudden have 4 more mouths at the lunch table and nothing worth noting to serve up to a crowd of ten. Recycled soup is made up of all the leftovers in your fridge. It is good if you have a couple of links of left over sausage—and some left over veggies. I sauté a few onions adding peppers or celery (organic) if I have it and then start adding. Sometimes fresh tomatoes, sometimes a can. Sometimes a can of white beans. Sometimes a heap of left over basmati rice. Sometimes a container of new tortellini and a walloping dollop of pesto. I have a range of good stuff from a half a dozen ears of gorgeous white corn that I have cut off the cob, the requisite sausage, some left over zucchini, glorious and flavorful celery greens. And I have stock. Which reminds me that with fall coming again, the boneyard can open, and stock season can happen. Love the magic of stock.

This is part of the prep for getting the dear one ready for college. We went to get big plastic totes and toiletries yesterday which was amazingly quick and to the point unlike the other college prep where we discussed and considered every item in the store. Mr. Cassetti is a focused decision maker that really doesn’t want to admire and consider every item in the store. He just wants to get and go. I hope, now with the totes, it will be the right prompt to get cracking on the packing. A girl can dream…right?

Kitty is back into the swirl of the Pioneer Valley with interesting work during the day and contradancing all over New England in the evenings. She has engineered a series of people who are gracious to take her wih them—so she can be in Concord MA one evening, and Amherst the next. She is embracing all of it, catching up with the contradancing friends she has and planning on the early September dawn dance which is a favorite for her. Dawn dance and Flurry are the apex dance events in her life which she sets her calendar around.

Kitty has been given a huge, and exciting opportunity to help work on a project to identify (only using border patterns) a collection of shawls from the 1700s to 1900s. This two week period is a test to see if this work is viable, and if so, it could grow into a larger scope project that perhaps Kitty could assist with as a job while she studies. The project is led by two Smith professors (one retired, one current) who are costume people with the passion of the retired professor being establishing a document that details fashion transition and change through the compilation of fashion illustration/.plates on a month by month basis. She has remarkable paper files of all of this information that this shawl project and the work the three students are doing will lead to the beginning of a digital version of her personal work/files. And Kitty is being pulled into this vortex— learning quite a bit and really enjoying the work. Two really positive job experiences this summer plus a summer of sewing made a great summer for her.

Sketchbook page by Sailor Jerry from Tumblr.I am nibbling, not gnawing yet, at the edges of tattoos. I am intrigued by their obvious iconography—yes, its illustration, but it illustration and style take a back seat to the message that the symbols, or arrangement of symbols convey. I am intrigued by the mismash of religious, cultural, limited community symbols that take on a whole other import when personally embraced becoming a personal brand (in two ways). I am intrigued by the sacred and profane in the imagery from having a pinup on one arm, and the Virgin Mary and “Mom”on the other. I am fascinated that the brands a sailor or exmilitary guy of my childhood has transitioned to body fashion today with young girls upon their eighteenth birthday running down to the tattoo parlor to get her first tattoo, a modern right of passage. Friends are getting marriage tattoos to strengthen their bond beyond the ring and contract with the Almighty. Another friend wants a tattoo to confirm her strength through an unforseen divorce after a massive move with two young children. Modern symbols branded in ink to recognize personal change, personal triumphs, personal growth. Visible marks to identify this moment during our life journey—reminders of these significant moments that manifested individual change. So the symbols are important. And the design and drawing of these symbols make it distinct and singular for the individual while still keying into the aesthetic that comes with tattoos. This is where the art comes in—designing and detailing the symbols into something that expresses the individual. And quite honestly, if the individual tattoos are designed and drawn well, it sets the stage for the next tattoo, the next personal statement that could happen on the same canvas—helping to render the entire human canvas as a symphony of imagery and not, as we see so often, a disparate collection of “spot” illustrations that do not relate or inform the others.

I am not considering getting a tattoo as it is a commitment I cannot make as I am a vacillating Libra, and find that today’s passion, is not so tomorrow. Committing to the visualization of a personal brand is a step I cannot make—as I have been working on just understanding what makes me, me…forget making a picture or a symbol of it.

And so the day begins. Soup is started. Dog is snoring (clean from yesterday’s flea shampoo). I have to wake to sleeping boy. Work is out there to attend to. I am thinking today might have a holiday card in it!

Red Leaves

Seahorse Valentine, Q. Cassetti, 2012, Adobe Illustrator CS5.1It is always a surprise when summer begins to wind down into fall. The blistering days shift one day after the promised rain arrives, and washes all the heat and humidity out of the sky leaving us with cool breezes, brilliantly clear sunshine, and days that stretch into blazing sunsets that blend a dirty blue to pink to hot red without a dull color or brown in the ombre. The green of summer mellows to olive and surprisingly, under some of those autumn green leaves, scarlet ones peek out like bird plumage.

This coming autumn is not the same. Though we are participating in this seasonal change that will motivate us to sweaters, layers and boots from swimsuits and sandals, our last fledgling is leaving the nest. I wait expectantly, hoping all will work out, quizzing Rob about his impression as to whether everything will work out, and dwelling on this immenant change for our son— knowing that once shoved out of this comfy nest (that he doesnt even see as comfy), he will beat his wings and begin to fly—It just might take those long seconds of having him figure out that this is his option. Our boy has always been a bit of a late bloomer, and in the spirit of consistency—he may deliver on that—but he inevitably figures it out—and succeeds. But this quiet waiting is tough though Alex continues to live the life of hanging out with friends, drinking coffee every morning with Eleanor, having bros here to eat and spend the night, golf and weight lifting. He is oblvious to the momentous shift, a life earthquake, looming in the near future….blissfuly being the high schooler he knows.

I need to get him some totes so as to be able to goad him to pack. The aspect that Alex is going to college in a week really hasn’t registered with him…but it has with me. Jeez. Time to get that sharp stick out.

There was a little swimming this weekend albeit was cool and we were not able to stay in for very long. The brisk water was wonderful, shocking us to sleep and dream into the late afternoon. I guess this is our little vacation. Next week will be wild—with our going to Hempstead to deliver Alex, and then swinging up to Amherst to get Kitty settled. Rob will be going to NYC after that, with me taking a bus home to get to the office. 

The Farmers Market is going full bore. We are well into the season with September and October to go. We have our little building in gear which has helped folks to have a “customer service” window to get tokens for the market for their food stamps and get information. I have a feeling that this is only going to be stronger as we go further into the year. I am looking into new methods of promoting the market for next season (billboards, bus signage).

Simple squidly

Squid sketch, Q. Cassetti 2012Kitty finally got the packing done with all her things moved to the dining room for us to move later this month to Northampton/Amherst for her. We had a quiet day—with Kitty packing and me musing. Alex was camping. Rob came back from Nascar for a nap and then to take Kitty and me to go hear Johnny Dowd at Felicias which was fun and always interesting as Johnny is one live wire. Johnny was celebrating his “25 yrs. in showbiz” complete with looped music, poetry and wry commentary. Not a crazy crowd, but everyone there was there to hear and admire Johnny, a rare bird who attracts a specific audience who want to listen and hear.

Tonight, there is a village meeting having some points about the Farmers Market being discussed, so I will need to be there to represent. I hope it’s brief….but you never know.

I discovered something very obvious, but very sweet between Etsy and Pinterest! If you have an Etsy store, you can “pin” your items in the store….and move them into “board” on Pinterest…with the image, text and even price moving over in a neat format. So, you can easily share and promote your store through Pinterest, and begin to see whatever you are offering up to become part of people’s scrap and personal reference information. Be cautious, however, as their copyright stance was questionable…though I am seeing via the web, they are getting more in line:

“Pinterest is a platform for people to share their interests through collections of images, videos, commentary and links they can share with friends. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) provides safe harbors for exactly this type of platform. We are committed to efficiently responding to alleged copyright infringements. We are regularly improving our process internally with the help of lawyers who are experts in the field of copyright.” from Pinterest

Here is QToo on Etsy. Here is QToo on Pinterest…as a fyi for Y O U. I am learning quite a bit from this  little experiment…and learning that sales can happen. We will see if the price point is sweet enough…or if a bit of refining might move the product. I am sure you are less than fascinated, but I am. There is something marvelous about this time when an entrepeneur can build a business, one brooch or one blouse at a time…and for a miniscule price, post those products to sell to the world if the design is right, if the audience is right, if the time is right, if the price is right. All these essentially free tools that help us take tiny risks to see if there is traction…and to see if there are “legs”. Then, there are the flash auctions like One Kings Lane and Fab.com who sell online—and are happy to take on a single item, handmade or design specific things. One could graduate from design school or an illustration program and create your own job versus waiting for one to fill… and, if you are wise, you create your own space, your own position, and not wait to be the square peg in the round hole. So much potential. So much wealth in these venues. Rich for ideas, rich for development and potential. What a great world.

As an aside, or did you love the Olympic Octopus yesterday? I did!

Octopus brushes, Q. Cassetti, 2012Rob is at Watkins Glen taking in NASCAR and all that is promises. Alex is on a fishing trip in Roscoe, NY (complete with a single day fishing license). Kitty is packing in style. She is sporting red, white and blue, Jeffrey Campbell amazing heel/ booties (way over 6” tall) (and she bought at a second hand store in NYC) combined with black hot pants and a sheer white teeshirt complete with a black bra. She looks fabulous. Not my choice to do packing…but it works for her and entertains me. Kitty and I watched fashion shows on YouTube, something that is becoming something we love to do together. It was such fun doing something that simple, I envy her friends who get large doses of our Girl in the Newspaper Dress (the name of her Tumblr blog).

Kitty and her friend, Martha, turned me on to an amazing pair of brothers, John and Hank Green, the VlogBrothers, a video blog phenom, influencers of another generation, funny and giving people who are famous due to their own creativity going directly to people. Brother John Green is a well recognized Young Adult writer/novelist. So, with that strong recommendation, I picked up John Green’s Paper Towns which I finished today—amused, inspired and in love with this new writer! I highly recommend this book which blends Walt Whitman with high school kids, and a lot of questions of idenitity, future, life and living. I am going to start another Green book tonight. Cannot wait.

Got a shingles innocuation and a renewed whooping cough shot on Friday. My arm is ouchy…but it was so great to see the doctor, talk about all things health and healthy…and plans for the new school year for yours truly. It was great to get all things checked out…so I can go forward into the new year ready to rumba.

new week

Another offering at the Saturday Farmers’ Market from me…a ward against all badnessWe had a small rainstorm yesterday afternoon which took away all the humidity and left us with cool breezes and temperate temperatures. It is summer perfection as I look out the window at the amazing light that happens this time of the year, stagelight almost—illuminating the usual, and focusing it…to make everything otherworldly and beautiful. I could fuse with the cloud bowl overhead…as it is remarkable this morning.

All the offspring are upstairs snoring. I am going to have to rouse them so as to go to work this a.m. It is a perfect morning for golf, a run or in Kitty’s case, to organize her things for another Hampshire year as her next chapter starts in another week.

Shady is curled up, running in her sleep. Mr. White has been murdering rodents around here…and has the wildlife population all shaking in their boots. The birds are quite chatty with the White around, telling each other to “watch out, that cat is trouble”. The rodents are not skilled communicators as the the birds are. Their loss.

Mr. White has a 6 hr. cycle that consists of finding and killing a rodent (a mole, a mouse, a baby rabbit, a chipmunk) (4 hrs); devouring the entire creature from tip of tail to tip of ears often leaving nothing but one gizzard and maybe a foot; and then the final digestif, the protein inspired sleep that occurs while hugging a shoe or something odd. And then the cycle begins again. To think he has the audacity to even ask for kibble given the amount of eating he has been partaking of. Mr. White is staying at the Luckystone for the summer…and the Greys are chez Camp as all the cats need a vacation from each other…and we want Mr. White to keep the one functioning eye that remains. TJ has other plans.

This week promises the community dish to pass at the Farmers’ Market tomorrow. Wednesday is the Farmers’ Market with a Movie Night. Saturday is one of the trial Saturday Markets (with yours truly with her own table of stuff and nonsense to sell). We will see if there is any traction around that. Rob is doing Nascar stuff over next weekend. Alex might have a camping trip with friends. Kitty has friends in and out…and about. Rob is in NYC for a few days and a sleepover. So, even though I just started talking about this more as a way to organize myself, it seems there is quite a bit going on after the workday—so time to buck up and write a plan so as not to forget anything.

Time to wake the babies.

puzzling

Soon to be for Sale at Qtoo on Etsy.The gang have gone to the Big Splash event in Stewart Park and I am blissfully washing towels, charging my iPad, making coleslaw and thinking about the iconic aspects of roses. It was similar yesterday—and I revelled in not having deadlines, plans or schedules. It was just nice being….reading, and at the end of the day floating…until the Bros came over and I made a nice but pretty informal and quick dinner to entertain them.

I am making these cameos (see to the left) and shooting pictures on my windowsill with a point and shoot and then using the photoshop skills (once in a while this sort of thing is nice to really have chops in)—to create images to post to Etsy for the soon to be Qtoo Shop. There will be jewelry and tattoos, cards, and sticker sets, and of course, tattoos. The more I think about Q designed/ illustrated tattoos (particularly the big ones) I think there is a cool niche that could happen not only as one offs, but for wedding parties, anniversaries, etc. And, the darker the better though seed package art might make some cute tats as well.  Both Alex and Rob are not enthused about this, but it is keeping my mind off of where my head is these days with the travel and changes about to happen.

I must be a bit depressed, I think, from the change in the near future. No more kids full time. You have them, raise them and put them first in all you do from cash spends to time spends— and then, they are gone. I am sounding selfish, I know—but when “THEY” give you the baby to take home from the hospital, “They” do not give you a book on how to nurture and raise this person, what to watch out for, how to behave, how to react, how to plan, how to care. “They” do not give you a roadmap of the key “decision diamonds” (corporate speak, impressed?) on this persons path from zero to eighteen. And as we adults stumbled, and fumbled, our little ones raised themselves with breakfast, lunch and family dinners, with little vacations and time at the lake, with the picking and loving of pets, music, art and books on tape to become the fledglings that are leaving our nest…and with that my fear the bumpy road ahead. Why is it that I hesitate in trusting this person who I trust implicitly? Why is it that  I fear for their personal fumbles? Why is it that I worry about the unknown? What can I do to help my fledgling get out of the nest and point his head into the wind to soar? I worry at this change—and am at the same time puzzling over all the new time I will have to be selfish with. More time for pictures. More time to date my boyfriend husband. More time to get myself together. It could be a wild marvel and opportunity and I should try to focus on that than the fear and trepidation I have for my kids. Number One is flying. Number Two is ready….He just needs to jump…and I need to let him (and applaud!). I need to treasure the time I have with them together in the next few weeks and then try to let go. I think I can do this…. I know they can. Deep breath.