LittleRosie Gets Her Wish

"I wish I may, I wish I might

Have the Wish, I wish tonight."

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When LittleRosie was eight years old, she met Vamp at an elaborate Tea Party. Rosie fell hopelessly in love with our red haired girl. "Oh, I wish I could have one! I wish I could! And did you know, they MAKE them?", LittleRosie could be heard to exclaim, in the months after that fateful Tea Party, to whoever would listen. Because LittleRosie is rather a most special darling herself and because she has a doting loving Aunt as well as an extremely generous Wall Street Uncle, she received for her ninth birthday a week long vacation in Disney World, Florida. Her Aunt and Uncle decided that Rosie might be disappointed on her birthday if she only went to Disney, Disney was not what she'd WISHED for, after all, so Rosie also received from them our latest collaborative creation.

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We created the little pink haired vampire in the picture just for LittleRosie. Happy Birthday, Rose! We love you!

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Having read the book and sat through the movie, I conclude that my favorite part is still the statue. There are better books in the world and there are better movies, but the statue design is classic and timeless and can hold its own with the best garden ornamentation ever created.

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Chancing upon a lovely darkened cement version, my husband indulged me and he agreed that our mutual bird friends would find it equally intriguing. So, here it is; the best part of the famous book and famous movie, in my garden. Like they say: It's All Good.

Welcome to Ravens Fair

A Quiet Place to Visit.

"Beware the stare of Mary Shaw.

She had no children, Only dolls.

If you see her in your dreams,

Be careful that you do not scream.

Or, she'll rip your tongue out at the seam."

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I liked the advertising cover a great deal and the movie not at all.

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Those who are privy to our plans for Orchid for the future will get a good chuckle from the picture. "Dead Silence" is what most of us have been practising with regard to why there is a flower bouquet in Orchid's future. For those of you who are working on the flowers, these are the ones that I have put aside so far.

Fireflies Dance

The phone rings last night. "Hey, what are you guys doing?" asks a friend. I reply, "We're outside watching our very own Laser Light Show." My friend says, "It's pouring rain out!" I said, "Not over here. Or, maybe it is and we don't know it. We're outside on the patio, watching the most glorious spectacle of intermittent flashes of lightening punctuated by the sparks from millions of lightening bugs. I'm exaggerating the 'millions' but we have a very great many. And, they're everywhere. And, we were just discussing that we have no idea what makes them glow or whether they spend their days charging up or why they zoom around the way they do. And, we were talking about how we do so love them and that they are amongst our utmost favorite bugs. The combination of heat lightening and lightening bugs is just heavenly!"

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So, in order to shed light on our lightening bug questions my friend thoughtfully provided the following link:

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http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/basics/firefly/

Weird and Lovely

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytGGlha00PI&mode=related&search=

This short imaginary Opera video is just over three minutes long and for the full effect, you do need sound. Any of us who have seen it, agree that it is extremely well done and well worth watching.
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Enjoy!

Night Day Twilight

Watch. For these books. Written by a Russian psychiatrist, they are effectively underground bestselling blockbuster novels. "Night Watch" has already been made into a movie, and "Twilight Watch", the third and final book in the series has only recently been released.

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The epic saga explores the dramatic battle between Good and Evil, Light and Dark, Day and Night. Set in modern-day Russia, peopled by "Others" who are distinguished from humans by their ability to 'enter the Twilight', a gray domain which is neither Day nor Night, the books are thought provoking, humorous, and extremely enjoyable. With over two million copies already sold, they are well on their way to becoming modern twenty-first century classics.

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The fur in the background is genuine Egyptian camel. Supposedly, it might be the only clean camel fur on the planet.

Richard Gardner Photography

A special thank you to all who did trek out to April's photography exhibit and an extra special thank you to all of you who took the time to tell me personally how much you enjoyed seeing the photographs and how much you love the work.

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For those of you who missed the exhibit, or who are not familiar with Richard's work, this is where you can view the photographs which were presented for the first time at the April show. All of the sculpts in the photographs were done by either A.D. or myself. The April show was the first time the photographs were revealed to the public.

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The photograph shown is one of Richard's unfinished proofs. Window is wearing her Little Red Riding Hood outfit. The marvelous 'red' fabric is about seventy-five years old. As usual, you can see very little of the beadwork in the picture.

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Visit 'Bebe' on Richard's site at http://www.richardgardnerphotography.com/ . Realize that nothing you see on your computer screen, no matter what the resolution, can compare to seeing the actual finished prints, as a collection, in a gallery setting. The reason people say it was a 'simply incredible show' is because it was. The prints are very, very beautiful in person. Be sure to notice the one containing Precious. Precious is even more precious for having been immortalized in Richard's work.

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The Book of Lost Things

This book was written in the tradition of the good old fashioned fairy tale. It is suitable for anyone from the time they are able to read to the time they are too blind to read. Totally enjoyable from beginning to end, it is the clever literary equivalent of a Russian nesting doll.
"High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother. He is angry and alone, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness, and as he takes refuge in his imagination, he finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. Wile his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a land that is a strange reflection of his own world, populated by heroes and monsters, and ruled over be a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book...'The Book of Lost Things'." Yes, it has a happy ending; not to worry.

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Always trying to show you a little bit more, whenever I can, notice that there are two of Orchid's hair sticks in the photograph. There is also a swatch of the magenta oriental brocade that was used for our 2008 UFDC show entry.

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Yes, A.D. and I plan to make an appearance once again; mark your calendars for January. Our 'original one of a kind by artist' category entry for the UFDC show is fifty percent complete and we are very excited about it. I am always asked: What is the 'UFDC' and how can I find out more about it? The UFDC is the largest organization of doll collectors in America. Visit www.ufdc.org to find out more. Also, you can become 'a member at large' if wish to join and there is not a convenient 'club' near you.

Body & Soul

The artists' reception for Body&Soul was held on Sunday afternoon, June 10th. In true Little Cow Harbor style, I did try to contact as many of you as possible, by phone or by email, and invite you to join us. With two stories of lovely fine art to peruse and truly great company to peruse it with, you know I'm not lying when I tell you it was a 'good time had by all'.
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However, some of the 'good time' can still be experienced by you. For those of you who wish to wander and admire by yourself or, by all means, with friends, the exhibit is on until June 30th. So, you have until the end of the month to see it.
For more information visit www.licg.org .
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Should you go to the exhibit, be sure to view my favorite piece: 'Winged Victory'. It is on the bottom shelf of the right hand display case from when you walk through the door. Alice Sprintzen outdid herself and I am overcome with love for this piece. I will only tell you that it is jewelry and that I do hope you go see it. In my opinion, to see this creation alone, it is worth the trip.
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Orchid was indeed present at the reception on Sunday afternoon. She was wearing the golden gown which you see in the photograph. Orchid met with the island's MasterMetalsmith and we discussed her future jewelry, the myriad of techniques available, and the glorious possibilities including hand forged sterling silver crowns.
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Summer Fun in the Sun

Finally! Orchid gets to slip into her bathing suit and enjoy a bit of eagerly awaited "down time". Busier than any high fashion model superstar, when not out on professional photo shoots, she is helping me with fittings for show gowns. In between photography and seamstress sittings, she is out shopping. If she is not shopping, she is socializing; wearing a completely uncomfortable, totally fashionable ensemble that I probably slaved on for hours.

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Here is Orchid, enjoying a few days off, while she can. Her bathing suit is a modest one piece affair, horizontal stripes shot with silver threads. The pareo is double-sided silk chiffon. Yes, her shoes, which I made, contain real Chinese newspaper. And before you ask: Where does one get Chinese Newspaper? The answer is: From one's Chinese Friends.

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Obviously, Precious is too precious to wear to the beach. So, you may notice that Orchid is wearing a sporty bright pink rope necklace, dangling a metal pendant bearing the inscription: PRECIOUS. One would not want to be without one's Precious for even a moment, and certainly any of us who has a Precious would want the world to know it. Therefore, Orchid bears a reminder that she is one of a chosen few; she is an original and has that invisible stamp all over her. And, she has an Original Precious; a 'CFOriginal' Precious. For those of you who are entering this story at this point and are totally confused, I remind you not to feel bad and tell you that you are welcome to peruse previous entries where Precious and her significance are discussed in length. For those of you, like myself, who lust after Precious and for whom 'making one's own' is no substitute for the living artist's original, visit http://www.cforiginals.net/ .

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