Death in Venice

A 1971 film starring Danish born Bjorn Andresen. If you'd like to see what Alabaster would look like if he was fifteen years old, watch this clip.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_px7PN3JH8

Lost Fish

I found this French artist. I liked the work alot. Take a look, I think you will like it, too.
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http://lostfish.free.fr/

Numero Uno

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Paula Nappi, first season racer, doing well in a "woman don't do this, men do" sport.

No Place Like Home

"The house stank of decaying wood, old plaster, and moldy fabric. There was also an underlying greenish odor. Some of the furniture was left - ruined by time and slumped by moisture - but the fine old wallpaper in the parlor hung in strips, and there was a huge paper nest, ancient and silent, clinging to the ceiling in the rotting front hall. Below it, dead wasps lay in a foot-deep hill on the warped cypress floorboards. Somewhere, in what remained of the upstairs, water was dripping, one isolated drop at a time."

- Stephen King, Duma Key

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As I read this passage in my pile of summer reading, I wondered, "When has Stephen King been to my house?" I carefully re-read the wording and came to the conclusion, "Oh good. Not our house, he's probably talking about Stephen's. We don't have any cypress flooring; we only have old golden pine."

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You can visit Stephen's house here: http://www.darkhousequarter.com/ . Stephen is known for his hospitality. You, too, should feel right at home.

Return to Labyrinth

This particular Japanese manga issue published by Tokyopop features cover art by Kouyu Shurei. The storyline continues the original Jim Henson film fairytale.

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I found the cover very compelling because it reminded me of Alabaster.

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Photos of Alabaster can be found in this blog if you look through January and February 2008. He accompanied us to the Keys for the month of December.

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We are planning the wedding of Orchid and Alabaster for January 2010. The wedding will first take place at a UFDC club doll show, and we'll see where we take it from there.

Katan Amano

Sometimes disturbing, at all times pretty cool, the art of doll artist Katan Amano.
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When you have a moment, enjoy the following video of the work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA_47OT4gMA&eurl=http://benkratschmer.blogspot.com/2008/02/katan-doll.html

Bride of Frankenstein

This book is by the Japanese doll artist Etsuko Miura whom I mentioned in the last post.
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There are also postcard books available. You get them from a Japanese importer.

Gishin Etsuko Miura

Unusual and striking Japanese doll art which is not suitable for children. For fans of Estsuko Miura and for those who are unfamiliar with the work, you can find the original site here: http://dolly.vivian.jp/gsn_doll/
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Yes, the site is Japanese. There are lots and lots of pictures, you just have to be able to find them. Wave the mouse around; when it turns to a little hand, click! You will be somewhere.
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You may be very disturbed when you get there.

Faraway, So Close

A German film depicting post-wall Berlin. Angels move longingly amongst residents of this German city in order to experience the human realm.

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I liked this movie. You might not. I found it lovely and odd.

Alice.

Alice is done. She's in Little Cow Harbor, safe and sound.
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A.D. has finished her half, now it's up to me to finish mine. I will begin costuming her soon. After she is dressed, she will go to Richard Gardner's studio for photographs.
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You can find A.D. here: http://www.angeldevilland.com/ and Richard Gardner here: http://www.richardgardnerphotography.com/ . Bebe is the photographic exhibition of my work and my collaborative work with other artists.

Girl in the Castle

The girl in the Castle inside the Museum .
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We were talking about this book and how enchanting and engaging the illustrations are.
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Simply based on the title alone, how can you not love it?
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Yes, it is a real book; you can buy it from a book store. It makes a perfect present for a child and a fine addition to any library. I intend to add it to my own.

August 7th, 2008
Surely the girl in the Castle inside the Museum lived in this Castle which indeed resides inside a Museum.
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This Castle, weighing over eight hundred pounds, is over ten feet high by over five feet wide. Constructed in the latter portion of the twentieth century, it is considered to be one of the finest miniature structures in the country. Appraised for one million dollars, the Castle is currently on loan to the Tee Ridder Museum in Roslyn, New York.
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If you look very hard, you might see the girl in the Castle. I looked and looked when I visited there yesterday, but I only saw a dog.
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For an on-line tour of the million dollar miniature Castle visit: http://www.dollhousecastle.com/

I do so love secrets. But this won't be a secret for long, so I might as well tell you.

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Val Zeitler and I have decided to play dollies together.

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Val does dollie Haute Couture. I do dollie Haute Couture. Now how much fun can we have if we play together? We're about to find out. We also intend to find out: How much fun can you have? Fun is good. Can you see my Cheshire cat smile?

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Watch Val closely and catch up with her at the BJD Convention in Austin, Texas this September 2008. Convention information is here: http://bjdctexas.com/main.html

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Tell Val you're a Little Cow Harbor fan and maybe you will get an early Halloween treat. If there are any left.

Elizabeth

I endured this film in order to peruse the costumes.

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I liked the basic film not at all and the costumes very much. The 1500s, metaphorically historically speaking, is not my time period.

Sculpting Body Parts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyPRQrcm-VU Watch this if you're interested in making your own ball jointed doll. I liked it.

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You may print and enjoy the paper doll images shown. They are courtesy of the UFDC. You can find this major community of doll enthusiasts here: www.ufdc.org . You do not need to live near a club to join. You can become a 'member at large'.

Dancing Cat

I'm sorry. I just had to share this. I thought this cat was really funny.

It reminds me of the humping dashound that we saw this weekend. This one year old hot dog dog kept humping its blue stuffed animal toy as my husband and I cheered it on. That was really funny too.

Angels and Insects

Set in the 1800's, the film is based on the novella Morpho Eugenia by A.S. Byatt. Anything by A.S. Byatt is wonderful. I have nothing to say about it other than, "Read the book. See the movie."

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People tell me all the time that they think of me when they see this. They say, "It's so you. Have you seen it?" I tell them, "Yes, I have." And, I smile.

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See it.

Wounded Warrior Project

The brothers who run this car are lucky Americans. Lucky in every sense of the word. All three are Vietnam veterans. Two entered the Army, one entered the Navy. None of them ever saw Vietnam.
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To tie their own proverbial 'yellow ribbon', the brothers have donated the doors on their race car this season to the Wounded Warrior Project, hoping to increase the public's awareness of the organization.
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Because indeed "The greatest casualty is to be forgotten" visit www.wounderwarriorproject.org.
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The brothers welcome all veterans of all our unfortunate peacekeeping actions to join them in the pits at the track. They run with NETO. You can find NETO's calendar of events here: www.neto-nostalgia.com
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Special thanks to the proprietor of Motorplex on the south shore. Motorplex sold t-shirts at the recent car show which they sponsored. The photo above is from that show. They donated one hundred percent of the profit from those t-shirts to the Wounded Warriors. Please patronize those who support their fellow Americans.

Race Car

The three brothers who built and run this car have been around a long time. They are the second generation of an automotive enthusiast family.
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Their parents produced an award winning show car and must have put motor oil in their children's milk. What else could explain this?
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A seven second blown alcohol super charged hemi Monza. They built it. From scratch. In multiple incarnations. Race cars get bashed up. On a good day, they come back again and again. Originally, from my old car which was a 1975 Monza town coupe. My car from college. The baby brother threatened me with death if the car got sold to anyone else. "We are making a race car from that."
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This race car is a never ending project enjoyed by the brothers and their friends. This photo is from the recent car show on the south shore of the island.
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My wedding ring is literally a beautiful smooth titanium circlette which my husband machined on his lathe from a bent race car valve from this car. He has also machined nifty metal goblets for the dolls and the elves, but he'll never admit to those.
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Motor sports competition is in their blood. The brothers run with NETO up and down the east coast. You can find NETO here: www.neto-nostalgia.com . You do not need a 'car' to join.
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Russian Ark

Opulence. Spectacle. Gilding. Gliding. Odd. Weird. Expensive.
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This film must have cost a fortune to make.
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A voyeuristic film viewed through the camera lens of a film maker who is magically transported through 300 years of Russian history.
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In Russian, with English subtitles.
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I have a weakness for Russian films. My favorite film of all time is Russian. Russian Ark is for anyone who has ever wanted to see 'my dresses' 'life size' on 'real people'. With a cast of approximately three thousand, there are literally at least fifteen hundred dresses to gaze at.
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At times the film is slow. At times the film is boring. At all times the film is confusing; I never knew who was talking when or what they were talking about. None of that matters if you are an art lover, crave beauty, or lust for the unusual. Certainly none of it matters at all if you are a costume designer.
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See it.